Post #243 February 1 2021 “Story in a Bottle: Frame Stories and Embedded Narratives” Recently I finished my newest novel The Eureka Gambit. Look for it at the end of January 2021. In this story, I have used a technique that I have used before on similar alternate-history stories…a frame story, or as it is sometimes called, an embedded narrative. Essentially, this is an inner story inside an outer story. What is a frame story? Wikipedia says this: A frame story (also known as a frame tale, frame narrative, sandwich narrative or intercalation) is a literary technique that serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, where an introductory or main narrative sets the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories. I call this a kind of ‘mirror effect’ in storytelling. In my case, I have inserted a prologue before my main story and an epilogue after the main story. The prologue and epilogue occur after the main (or inner) story. This is not a commonly used technique but it has some advantages. Frame story techniques can be used effectively, when done right, to radically advance the time or change location of the inner story. The Eureka Gambit brackets an inner story inside an outer story that is itself set some 40 years later. This allows the writer to show some perspective and commentary by characters on what happened in the inner story. Sometimes an ironic twist can be added. Think of a frame story as a bookend supporting a shelf of books. The outer story can be used to support or enhance or amplify the inner story. There are some caveats however. For one, the characters in the outer story should relate somehow to what happens in the inner story, or to themselves acting in the inner story. The outer story can comment or reflect on the inner story, but it must be consistent and believable and not at variance with your plot logic. It shouldn’t be like “The Wizard of Oz,” and wind up being only a bad dream. That’s not playing fair with your readers. Ideally, the inner story shouldn’t even ‘notice’ the outer story frame or refer to it…otherwise the mirror effect is broken and your story is in danger of becoming a parody, like TV Batman. In my case, the outer story is kind of like ‘looking in’ on earlier, younger versions of one of the main characters. This can have the effect of adding some texture and nuance to your overall narrative. You should not attempt a frame story or a nested narrative like this unless you’re careful about interactions between the inner and outer story. See above. Use the ‘story in a bottle’ technique when you want to add another layer of meaning or commentary on what happens in your main (inner) story. Done well, it can be an enjoyable, even surprising twist to what is being experienced. The next post to The Word Shed comes on February 8, 2021. See you then. Phil B.