What can we learn about writing a novel from an ancient Greek philosopher who never wrote a novel himself? Plenty, if that ancient Greek philosopher is Aristotle, according to author and podcaster Douglas Vigliotti.
In his latest book, Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story, Vigliotti draws from Aristotle’s Poetics to provide a framework for storytelling in the modern age.
“For centuries, dramatic writers have relied on Aristotelian principles to write their stories for the screen and stage — the same stories you stream and watch today,” Vigliotti writes. “But for the first time ever, the timeless principles from Aristotle’s esteemed Poetics have been adapted for novelists.”
In this Q&A, Vigliotti shares what inspired him to delve into Aristotle’s writings, discusses how these principles can benefit novelists (and other writers), and talks a bit about his podcast, Books for Men.
1 – What inspired you to write Aristotle for Novelists?
In the book, one of the things you’ll read about is how I break up writing and story. As in, they are two completely different things. Writing is the tool we as writers have to tell a story. And so years ago, when I started to learn about Story (capitalize S intentional) I turned to filmmakers because it seemed to me they had more to say about Story, and what I quickly realized is that everything in the dramatic world funneled back to Aristotle’s Poetics. It was the basis for how most movies, plays, and TV shows were written — the same ones you stream and watch today. So I did what any overly curious and eager individual would do, I read Poetics. It’s sort of cliche to say, a light switch turned on, but that’s what happened. I ended up reading multiple translations, multiple times. Years passed, I’d written a few novels, and this idea of interpreting these ideas specifically for novelists wouldn’t leave me alone. In a way, it didn’t exist and I wanted it, too. So I wrote it. I thought it had the power to help so many writers. And I still believe that today.
2 – Your focus with this book is on novelists. What about writers who focus on short stories, creative nonfiction, or poetry? How might they benefit from your book?
The most unique aspect of the Aristotelian method of storytelling is how intrinsic it is to human life. I suspect that’s why Aristotle had so much to say about it. So while this book is interpreted for novelists, I think anyone trying to tell a story will benefit from the book. That will become almost instantly recognizable once they start reading it. At least in Western society, there are very specific things that make up a story. Even your life: you, the protagonist, want something, and you have obstacles — internal and external — standing in your way. Will you overcome them? Will you succumb to them? Now think: how many stories on the page, screen, and life fit that structure — almost all of them. You may not see it as clearly as you’d like, but that structure is there, I promise. These 14 principles will apply to anyone telling a story, which is pretty much everyone.
3 – What rule or principle from Aristotle’s Poetics do you wish you’d known when you first started writing fiction?
Too many, but the most important is that being “unbelievable” is not a good thing. Everything in your story needs to be believable. Readers will go along with anything you tell them, as long as you suspend disbelief. If they don’t believe you, you’re dead. That doesn’t mean you have to write realistic fiction or anything like that. It means once you set forth the unwritten rules in your story, of your story, you have to stay within the bounds of what would happen in that world. What could happen is a close second, but what would happen is almost always more believable. This is why telling a great story is difficult. It’s like what Tom Clancy said, and I’m paraphrasing him, the difference between fiction and nonfiction is that fiction has to make sense.
4 – Tell us a bit about your podcast, Books for Men. What do you hope to accomplish with this podcast?
Simply more awareness around men reading more. It’s sort of an open secret in the publishing world that men don’t read. I can point to actual data, like the fact that only 1 out of 5 novels is purchased by a man or the plethora of publishing industry data that shows the lack of male readership. Many things complicate this issue, but it doesn’t relegate the truth that many men don’t read. Basic street logic will prove this point: get around a group of guys and ask what they’re reading. I have, and most aren’t reading at all, and for those who are, it’s usually nonfiction. It might not come as a surprise but I am a huge reader, something 60-70 books a year, so I started the podcast to share (every Monday) select books that I found particularly resonant. I alternate between fiction and nonfiction every week. The books are not necessarily “masculine”, it’s more like, I’m a man and I like this book, so if you’re a man, you might like it, too. That’s the idea. I probably lose a lot of female listeners with the title, but it’s not meant to be exclusionary. I have many female listeners — I know because I hear from them. One just has to stand for something.
5 – How has your business/sales background helped you as a writer?
I don’t know how much it has helped me with the actual craft of writing. Probably not too much. But it has helped me with discipline and rejection. Just like pounding on doors in sales and business, writing is just that. It’s all about getting words on the page. You’re only a writer if you write. Nothing else is writing except writing. Not talking about it. Not brainstorming. Not workshopping. Nothing. The only thing that is writing is writing. So my business career taught me the importance of daily practice and allowing things to compound and happen iteratively because they will with time. And the rejection piece never gets easy, more people won’t like your art than people who do. That’s just the nature of it. I suspect that hearing, “No” repeatedly in business has helped me deal with that fact. Not that it’s easy, but I can deal with it. Life is a numbers game—especially in something as subjective as the arts.
Bonus question: What one piece of advice — from Aristotle or otherwise — do you have for aspiring writers?
Start today. Something is always better than nothing. Nobody sees the slop, you’ll edit that later and nobody will even know it existed. But you’ve gotta start. There is no other way. If not now, when?
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Download Vigliotti’s 10-question assessment to see how well your story adheres to Aristotelian principles from AristotleForNovelists.com.
If you’re interested in the original source material, you can read Poetics for free online via Project Gutenberg.
Andy writes! 