It's been said that in order to write life, you must live life. Never were words spoken so truly. And being a teen writer, never will you experience so much that can feed your writing. Each day, you go to school and interact with those you love, hate, admire and envy. Emotion exudes from those interactions and it can flow into your characters easily if you harness it and let it go.
After all, writing is therapeutic, isn't it? As a high school student, I can't even begin to describe the roller coaster I went over. Day to day my friendships were turbulent. Without even realizing, my characters began to have turbulent friendships. Struggles that I faced showed themselves in my protagonists. But how else can a fictional problem begin to feel real unless it is written out of experience?
Don't let life scare you.
Most of us writers are introverts. Life seems easier for us when we are in our comfort zones. Being challenged is a scary thing. But when you become so sedentary and stop moving almost altogether, you'll begin to notice that like a water spigot, your ability to write will turn on and off, and writers' block can set in. Worst nightmare right?
And honestly... God doesn't want us to hide at home either. That's hardly the life He imagined for you. Like me, you can make excuses about how writing CHRISTIAN fiction is fulfilling His calling for you, OR you can realize that our greatest calling is to live heaven here on earth. That means investing and working on those HARD relationships. It means going outside and praising God for the beauty he created all around us. LIVE LIFE. No matter how hard. The creativity and realness will flow from it.
Hugs,
Emily
Showing posts with label Write Well. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Write Well. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Write Real
One of the strangest oddities about being a writer stems from our strange propensity to write about life rather than live it. Rationally, writing is how we process the world. It's our little hole through which we view things. It alters the light through which we showcase our thoughts and emotions.
But what about REAL life? Not just the life we write about. Certainly the life we write about is altered and effected by real life. But in order to KEEP writing about life, we have to keep living it. Go outside, sit on a park bench, go to a restaurant, go shopping or take a hike. GET OUT. Live real life. Take note of the little details of everyday life so that you can better describe it in your stories.
One of the things I like to do is carry around a small notebook with me - one that snaps or ties closed. Every time I experience some noteworthy moment - even something as odd as feeling perturbed over the person sitting in the pew behind me poking me with their foot because the put their feet up to rest on my pew. Things like that. Jot down the exact feeling you get when your crush waves at you at school. Write down all those moments! They'll help you add something real to your writing.
When real emotions and experiences are littered throughout your writing, your reader will pause when their read it and smile because they KNOW that feeling you wrote about. they experience it in their own lives.
Write Real. Write something that isn't so far fetched.
But what about REAL life? Not just the life we write about. Certainly the life we write about is altered and effected by real life. But in order to KEEP writing about life, we have to keep living it. Go outside, sit on a park bench, go to a restaurant, go shopping or take a hike. GET OUT. Live real life. Take note of the little details of everyday life so that you can better describe it in your stories.
One of the things I like to do is carry around a small notebook with me - one that snaps or ties closed. Every time I experience some noteworthy moment - even something as odd as feeling perturbed over the person sitting in the pew behind me poking me with their foot because the put their feet up to rest on my pew. Things like that. Jot down the exact feeling you get when your crush waves at you at school. Write down all those moments! They'll help you add something real to your writing.
When real emotions and experiences are littered throughout your writing, your reader will pause when their read it and smile because they KNOW that feeling you wrote about. they experience it in their own lives.
Write Real. Write something that isn't so far fetched.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Test Time!
What makes books good or bad? Oftentimes, even we (writers) can’t really tell exactly what makes a book a winner. Sure, we know if there is an exciting plot, excellent imagery, or beautiful, poetic writing. But sometimes we can’t tell exactly what made this book appealing to us—and why it appealed to the people who published it. And if we can’t tell that for ourselves, how will we know how to make our own books or stories winners? I’m the type of girl who has a hard time putting down a book—even if it’s really mundane. I just can’t stand the thought of not finishing something. That has been to my determent, because I haven’t come to realize what it is in the book that makes me not want to keep reading. I just read on, no matter what. So I’ve started an exercise. When I go to the library, I head to my favorite section (definitely the Christian Historical Fiction) and I pick out three books. Two of them are books that I definitely want to read (usually ones that friends recommend or that I have a steadfast trust in the author). Then, for the third one, I pick a random book that I’ve never heard of. I read this book until 45 pages (I found out that this is usually the farthest point a bored reader will read to until they finally put it down). After that, I stop, and I write a paragraph in a designated notebook about why or why not I want to continue with this book. Is it a successful plot? Has the story engaged me from the beginning? Have the characters’ voices engaged me from the beginning? After I write my paragraph, I can use the pros I found in my own stories, and I can make sure not to use any of the cons I found, too. It’s a great exercise—and I’ve even found a few new favorite authors!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Leap Frog
Ay yi yi... this really bugs people when they read your writing. POV. There's lots of different perspectives, and they are all pretty viable options for telling a story. But one has definitely earned a disapproving eye from editors. THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT is dangerous. Now we get to explore why I have so fondly titled this post, "Leap Frog."
One of the worst things about third person omniscient is what we like to call, "head hopping." Believe me, I've been called out on this little mistake.
So what is Head Hopping?
So what do we do then?
Well, THIRD PERSON LIMITED is the next best thing. Stay in ONE characters head for the duration of the scene. If you'd like, create a SCENE BREAK and then change to another's head. Make the transition very obvious. (if it's a novel you're working on, try not to go into the heads of more than 3 characters)
And if you've never considered it, try FIRST PERSON. That's always an interesting change of pace. (avoid first person present because the tense of that POV is hard to handle as a reader, though it is accepted). I would list SECOND PERSON, but that's not a very popular one, just because it takes skill to do well and few write in second person for Christian Markets. I can't say how editors will receive it.
SO! No more leap frog.
Emily
One of the worst things about third person omniscient is what we like to call, "head hopping." Believe me, I've been called out on this little mistake.
So what is Head Hopping?
Do we get it just a little now? Essentially, Head Hopping is just outright confusing to read. The reader hops from one head to the other. In one paragraph, they are listening in on the thoughts of John Boy and the next they get to hear how much Sally Jane thinks John Boy smells. Back and forth. Back and forth. It's really no good at all.Head hopping is when the reader is allowed to know the thoughts of all characters involved in a scene.
So what do we do then?
Well, THIRD PERSON LIMITED is the next best thing. Stay in ONE characters head for the duration of the scene. If you'd like, create a SCENE BREAK and then change to another's head. Make the transition very obvious. (if it's a novel you're working on, try not to go into the heads of more than 3 characters)
And if you've never considered it, try FIRST PERSON. That's always an interesting change of pace. (avoid first person present because the tense of that POV is hard to handle as a reader, though it is accepted). I would list SECOND PERSON, but that's not a very popular one, just because it takes skill to do well and few write in second person for Christian Markets. I can't say how editors will receive it.
SO! No more leap frog.
Emily
Monday, March 18, 2013
Thoughts...
Characters are
funny things. In many ways they are completely open. In other ways, they
are very closed off. Knowing when they are supposed to be one or the
other to the reader, is a difficult lesson to learn. Primarily because
everything depends on circumstance.
Most writers botch this art thoroughly in the form of thoughts: when the writer goes into detail about a character's thought process during a scene. It's the one time we really get into the character's head and see exactly what they are thinking. But often, what most writer's get wrong, is that few stories are told from the prospective of a character looking back on their life. Most characters are living in the moment.
One of my biggest pet peeves is "information dumps." Most characters understand themselves and should not feel the need to explain themselves. In Shakespearean dramas, such things are called an "aside." If you need to say something that helps the reader to make more sense of the character's life, then you have done something horribly wrong in previous scenes.
The ultimate tool for a writer is CONTEXT and HINTING. Nothing is ever stately bluntly in a novel because most characters are too engrossed in their dilemma to be thinking clear enough anyways. Aside from that, most of them don't constantly feel the need to reiterate their backstory as they go through life. This would be a little weird if someone in real life went about thinking such things like.
As Marty walked through the halls of Lincoln High School, he considered his upbringing at the family cabin by the lake. He had two sisters, Lizzy and Beth, twins actually. His dad was a pastor at the local church.
NO NO NO. It's not relevant to what the character is experiencing and it just sounds awkward. It's the author creating an information dump. It's especially easy to do when working on a series where the lives of the same characters are followed. When this happens, it's tempting to practically summarize what happened in the previous book at the beginning of the new book. Like I said... Most characters live in the moment and do not have their life story rolling through their mind 24/7.
Now... how do we fix this?
I told you before that Context and Hinting are powerful tools. Let's look at Marty once again. If we NEED to know that he grew up in a lake cabin, we can use things in his life to help the reader catch on to that bit of information instead of blatantly stating it.
To do this, we can start a new scene with Marty sitting at home and interacting with his family. His dad might ask how he likes his new school, to which Marty might answer that he misses being home schooled back at the lake house. Then, his sisters might pipe in. Marty might smile at the way they always speak at the same time, a twin trait, he guesses. The twins might say they don't miss the lake house at all and that they like their new teacher.
Same information gets across, but it sounds less awkward and it's not an information dump. The reader still understands the same ideas about his past. It's all about CONTEXT and HINTING. Never just dump information into a story. Characters should think and process things the same way anyone in real life does.
Most writers botch this art thoroughly in the form of thoughts: when the writer goes into detail about a character's thought process during a scene. It's the one time we really get into the character's head and see exactly what they are thinking. But often, what most writer's get wrong, is that few stories are told from the prospective of a character looking back on their life. Most characters are living in the moment.
One of my biggest pet peeves is "information dumps." Most characters understand themselves and should not feel the need to explain themselves. In Shakespearean dramas, such things are called an "aside." If you need to say something that helps the reader to make more sense of the character's life, then you have done something horribly wrong in previous scenes.
The ultimate tool for a writer is CONTEXT and HINTING. Nothing is ever stately bluntly in a novel because most characters are too engrossed in their dilemma to be thinking clear enough anyways. Aside from that, most of them don't constantly feel the need to reiterate their backstory as they go through life. This would be a little weird if someone in real life went about thinking such things like.
As Marty walked through the halls of Lincoln High School, he considered his upbringing at the family cabin by the lake. He had two sisters, Lizzy and Beth, twins actually. His dad was a pastor at the local church.
NO NO NO. It's not relevant to what the character is experiencing and it just sounds awkward. It's the author creating an information dump. It's especially easy to do when working on a series where the lives of the same characters are followed. When this happens, it's tempting to practically summarize what happened in the previous book at the beginning of the new book. Like I said... Most characters live in the moment and do not have their life story rolling through their mind 24/7.
Now... how do we fix this?
I told you before that Context and Hinting are powerful tools. Let's look at Marty once again. If we NEED to know that he grew up in a lake cabin, we can use things in his life to help the reader catch on to that bit of information instead of blatantly stating it.
To do this, we can start a new scene with Marty sitting at home and interacting with his family. His dad might ask how he likes his new school, to which Marty might answer that he misses being home schooled back at the lake house. Then, his sisters might pipe in. Marty might smile at the way they always speak at the same time, a twin trait, he guesses. The twins might say they don't miss the lake house at all and that they like their new teacher.
Same information gets across, but it sounds less awkward and it's not an information dump. The reader still understands the same ideas about his past. It's all about CONTEXT and HINTING. Never just dump information into a story. Characters should think and process things the same way anyone in real life does.
Easy Edits
So, we've
mentioned before that it's important to weed out words like "was," "had"
and ly adverbs. But just do a word search in your manuscript and you'll
quickly find that the task isn't as simple as it may seem. There are
two different instances in which we find "was" and "had," one of which
is easy to fix, the other, not so much.
the first is like we've mentioned before:
"He was singing in the choir until September of last year." becomes, "He sang"
Easy right? Well, what about that other instance where you can't simply conjugate the word? Well, that is where we all learn to become better writers...
"The sky was grey and overcast."
Hmm... can't just conjugate that one. But let's think about this sentence for a moment. It's just fine grammatically, but for a work of fiction, it's just not very descriptive. It's shallow. So let's dig in a little deep and watch that "was" disappear.
"Alisa looked up into the clouds and noted the way they sagged with the weight of rain. The blue sky all but disappeared as the clouds moved into place, preparing to drench the parched ground."
Well! How about that? We just took a simple sentence and created something beautiful and descriptive with feeling! Our characters only comment on things that are of some importance to them, or effect them in some way. FEELING and description is a crucial part of setting the scene. So don't be so scared of rewriting. It takes work... but your story will come alive.
WAS, HAD and LY ADVERBS are crippling to your descriptions! They cut the picture off at short, sweet and simple. We don't want that! So delve in a little deeper and give your reader a better picture.
Love and Hugs
the first is like we've mentioned before:
"He was singing in the choir until September of last year." becomes, "He sang"
Easy right? Well, what about that other instance where you can't simply conjugate the word? Well, that is where we all learn to become better writers...
"The sky was grey and overcast."
Hmm... can't just conjugate that one. But let's think about this sentence for a moment. It's just fine grammatically, but for a work of fiction, it's just not very descriptive. It's shallow. So let's dig in a little deep and watch that "was" disappear.
"Alisa looked up into the clouds and noted the way they sagged with the weight of rain. The blue sky all but disappeared as the clouds moved into place, preparing to drench the parched ground."
Well! How about that? We just took a simple sentence and created something beautiful and descriptive with feeling! Our characters only comment on things that are of some importance to them, or effect them in some way. FEELING and description is a crucial part of setting the scene. So don't be so scared of rewriting. It takes work... but your story will come alive.
WAS, HAD and LY ADVERBS are crippling to your descriptions! They cut the picture off at short, sweet and simple. We don't want that! So delve in a little deeper and give your reader a better picture.
Love and Hugs
Pet Words
I see it all the
time... Writer's have pet words. Those little phrases or words we like
to use all the time. A common one is, "suddenly." But then you might
have a pet word all your own. Some will say things like, "she got a
feeling in the pit of her stomach," and use that phrase over and over
again. After a time, it starts sounding odd, though it is a very
descriptive comment. Avoid Cliches too. Those are no bueno!
"Was" and "had" are horrible ones. When many first begin writing, they are very easy words to slide into almost every sentence, but same as before... they SOUND ODD when used AGAIN and AGAIN.
My new favorite trick is this little thing called, "right-click." If you right-click a word and select synonyms, your Word program will give you a whole list of words that mean the same thing. "Was" and "had" are just as simple to get rid of. They often appear just before words with an "ed" or an "ing" on the end.
for example:
"She [was working] for that company" becomes "worked"
"She [had worked] for that company" becomes "worked"
It all means the same thing. Get rid of the excesses!
"Ly" adverbs can be your downfall too. Use them sparingly... get it? haha. And please don't put more than two adjectives in a row.
Well, there's your editing tip for the day. Get rid of pet words!
Love and Hugs
"Was" and "had" are horrible ones. When many first begin writing, they are very easy words to slide into almost every sentence, but same as before... they SOUND ODD when used AGAIN and AGAIN.
My new favorite trick is this little thing called, "right-click." If you right-click a word and select synonyms, your Word program will give you a whole list of words that mean the same thing. "Was" and "had" are just as simple to get rid of. They often appear just before words with an "ed" or an "ing" on the end.
for example:
"She [was working] for that company" becomes "worked"
"She [had worked] for that company" becomes "worked"
It all means the same thing. Get rid of the excesses!
"Ly" adverbs can be your downfall too. Use them sparingly... get it? haha. And please don't put more than two adjectives in a row.
Well, there's your editing tip for the day. Get rid of pet words!
Love and Hugs
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The Sky Turned Black
Somewhere along
the journey of writing a story, you fall in love with your characters...
or at least, you SHOULD. They become like children or best friends to
you. They live in your head and become SO real that they nearly tell the
story themselves. But quite sadly, the downside to this miracle of
writing is, once we fall in love with our characters, sometimes it
becomes difficult to do something that is absolutely necessary.
In order for a story to be worth telling, a character must overcome an obstacle that has the potential to ruin the life they have sought for themselves. Anything less that this is boring. It's like... "Sally Sue lived with her perfectly nice mother and father in a beautiful house. One day, she met Danny Doug. Danny Doug was very nice and they spent lots of time together on nice little outings. Sally Sue and Danny Doug fell in love and got married. The end."
Seriously... lots of pretty words... but not a story that will keep us on the edge of our seat completely enthralled. It's boring, no matter how "nice" it is. It's just not a worthwhile story! What Sally Sue needs is a problem!!!
If you have a Sally Sue character, you may have fallen in love with her as a character and the idea of trowing something bad into her life may horrify you. You may have to separate her and Danny Doug, or maybe one of them gets a horrible disease! Gosh, that may upset you. But part of being a writer is creating characters that the reader can identify with. Your readers have problems in their lives and when they see a character who goes through a similar circumstance and overcomes, they feels strengthened and encouraged. Isn't that the whole point of a story? Reading something that makes you feel good?
This is why a Black moment is so necessary. It puts the character in a place where they must make a choice, a place where they learn something, or a place where they must reach beyond themselves in order to overcome. THIS is good reading! Readers love this! So let's go back to Sally Sue and see if we can give her a moment where the sky on her pretty little life seems to turn completely black and she almost looses hope. It'll be fun! I promise!
"If anyone in the town of Littleburg looked at the life of Sally Sue, they would have thought she lived the perfect life. Everything about her seemed wonderful... her parents, her house, she even had met the perfect man, Danny Doug. But all was not so well as it seemed. Sally Sue's family had a secret. Mr. Sue was a murderer! Sally kept this secret all to herself. She feared that Danny might not want her if he ever found out. But one day, on her way home from a nice outing with Danny, Sally overheard her Dad plotting to murder Danny too! She had to warn Danny, even if she never saw him again, his life mattered above all else.
"So Sally went to Danny's house and begged him to believe her. He thought she was joking. But Sally couldn't let anything bad happen to Danny. When she saw her Dad sneaking out that night, she followed him all the way to Danny's house. She got in through the back door and placed herself in front of Danny's bedroom door. Her dad came up the stairs with the knife poised and began to lower his weapon, aiming for Sally's chest. but then the light from the moon dipped on Sally's face and her dad froze. Her dropped the knife and ran out of the house. Sally called the police and they caught Mr. Sue on his way back to the perfect little house. Danny was safe. The end."
THAT is called a good story. Did you catch the black moment there? It makes all the difference in the story. When Sally Sue risks her life and her chance at living happily ever after with Danny - that's what makes her a character we admire and care about.
Try a black moment in your story, even if it means upsetting your character you love so much.
In order for a story to be worth telling, a character must overcome an obstacle that has the potential to ruin the life they have sought for themselves. Anything less that this is boring. It's like... "Sally Sue lived with her perfectly nice mother and father in a beautiful house. One day, she met Danny Doug. Danny Doug was very nice and they spent lots of time together on nice little outings. Sally Sue and Danny Doug fell in love and got married. The end."
Seriously... lots of pretty words... but not a story that will keep us on the edge of our seat completely enthralled. It's boring, no matter how "nice" it is. It's just not a worthwhile story! What Sally Sue needs is a problem!!!
If you have a Sally Sue character, you may have fallen in love with her as a character and the idea of trowing something bad into her life may horrify you. You may have to separate her and Danny Doug, or maybe one of them gets a horrible disease! Gosh, that may upset you. But part of being a writer is creating characters that the reader can identify with. Your readers have problems in their lives and when they see a character who goes through a similar circumstance and overcomes, they feels strengthened and encouraged. Isn't that the whole point of a story? Reading something that makes you feel good?
This is why a Black moment is so necessary. It puts the character in a place where they must make a choice, a place where they learn something, or a place where they must reach beyond themselves in order to overcome. THIS is good reading! Readers love this! So let's go back to Sally Sue and see if we can give her a moment where the sky on her pretty little life seems to turn completely black and she almost looses hope. It'll be fun! I promise!
"If anyone in the town of Littleburg looked at the life of Sally Sue, they would have thought she lived the perfect life. Everything about her seemed wonderful... her parents, her house, she even had met the perfect man, Danny Doug. But all was not so well as it seemed. Sally Sue's family had a secret. Mr. Sue was a murderer! Sally kept this secret all to herself. She feared that Danny might not want her if he ever found out. But one day, on her way home from a nice outing with Danny, Sally overheard her Dad plotting to murder Danny too! She had to warn Danny, even if she never saw him again, his life mattered above all else.
"So Sally went to Danny's house and begged him to believe her. He thought she was joking. But Sally couldn't let anything bad happen to Danny. When she saw her Dad sneaking out that night, she followed him all the way to Danny's house. She got in through the back door and placed herself in front of Danny's bedroom door. Her dad came up the stairs with the knife poised and began to lower his weapon, aiming for Sally's chest. but then the light from the moon dipped on Sally's face and her dad froze. Her dropped the knife and ran out of the house. Sally called the police and they caught Mr. Sue on his way back to the perfect little house. Danny was safe. The end."
THAT is called a good story. Did you catch the black moment there? It makes all the difference in the story. When Sally Sue risks her life and her chance at living happily ever after with Danny - that's what makes her a character we admire and care about.
Try a black moment in your story, even if it means upsetting your character you love so much.
END in the beginning
Every good story
should have the end in the beginning.... I'm sure you have no idea what
I'm talking about, and if you think you do, you probably don't, so keep
reading.
This doesn't mean that you need to tell what happens in the end and then flashback to how the character got there. NO. Don't do that for goodness sake. Well, you can, but that's not what I'm trying to say here. Don't get ahead of me. What I AM trying to say, is that In order to write a good opening to a story, you need to introduce a problem that needs to be resolved.
think about it... when you read the first few chapters of a book, a problem is introduced. You meet a character who is struggling with something that needs to be resolved somehow by the end of the story. Cinderella is an amazing example of this. Cinderella is poor and abused by her stepmother. We would assume that by the end of the story, Cinderella is no longer poor and no longer under the control of her stepmother. Are you starting to get it now????
It's a simple enough and it ALWAYS helps with plot. One of the biggest problems with writing is sometimes we have NO idea where we are going with a story, we're just writing. Creating an END in the Beginning can help your story to have direction. This does not CONFINE you. I promise. But when you write an introduction, set up a problem. That's all you have to do. Keep in mind as you write the story that the problem you introduced needs to be resolved. The entire story SHOULD be about HOW this problem gets resolved. Or HOW the character learned the trait they lacked and are in desperate need of.
Just for a little positive note to end on, I'll leave you with one last example.
In the movie "Brave," Merida and her mother have two opposing viewpoints. As the audience, we assume that by the end of the movie, Merida and her mother with get along and have a better understanding and appreciation for one another.
Okay... that's all from me for now =)
Happy writing
This doesn't mean that you need to tell what happens in the end and then flashback to how the character got there. NO. Don't do that for goodness sake. Well, you can, but that's not what I'm trying to say here. Don't get ahead of me. What I AM trying to say, is that In order to write a good opening to a story, you need to introduce a problem that needs to be resolved.
think about it... when you read the first few chapters of a book, a problem is introduced. You meet a character who is struggling with something that needs to be resolved somehow by the end of the story. Cinderella is an amazing example of this. Cinderella is poor and abused by her stepmother. We would assume that by the end of the story, Cinderella is no longer poor and no longer under the control of her stepmother. Are you starting to get it now????
It's a simple enough and it ALWAYS helps with plot. One of the biggest problems with writing is sometimes we have NO idea where we are going with a story, we're just writing. Creating an END in the Beginning can help your story to have direction. This does not CONFINE you. I promise. But when you write an introduction, set up a problem. That's all you have to do. Keep in mind as you write the story that the problem you introduced needs to be resolved. The entire story SHOULD be about HOW this problem gets resolved. Or HOW the character learned the trait they lacked and are in desperate need of.
Just for a little positive note to end on, I'll leave you with one last example.
In the movie "Brave," Merida and her mother have two opposing viewpoints. As the audience, we assume that by the end of the movie, Merida and her mother with get along and have a better understanding and appreciation for one another.
Okay... that's all from me for now =)
Happy writing
Real Men - Ladies Only
For some reason, men don't struggle with this as much a women do, but this is important. WE CAN'T MESS THIS UP ANYMORE LADIES! We can't create girly men! Men are very different from women and if we write stories about men who act like women we'll get some very nasty accusations from our Christian audience. Ah well. I suppose I need to tell you what - exactly - you, my lady friends, are doing wrong.
Men...
- can separate feelings from what they need to do
- tend to notice action rather than color (meaning they probably don't care about how the frilly dress your heroine is wearing flatters her eyes)
- tend to dislike dependency. (money, skills)
- tend to be blunt
- have feelings about everything they endeavor
- notice color over action
- have a tendency not to have qualms about dependency
- will disguise their true feelings
ANYWAYS. Girls, we need to start telling our stories straight. We need to write about real men.
Voice
Something you
might actually come into on your own without any guidance... well, it's
not exactly something I can give you... is VOICE. Hmm. weird. don't you
think? Voice is everything to a story. It keeps your reader hooked and
it helps them settle into the story. Voice makes the reader feel as if
what they are reading is actually happening. It sounds natural, as if
someone in their heard were talking. It's smooth and not awkward or
dull. It sounds human.
When I critique stories, one of the first things I notice, is their voice. You really can tell a lot about an author through their voice. Some have an incredible sense of humor and will describe things in a very ironic way. Kristien Heitzmann's Diamond of the Rockies series is this way. So is Jane Austen's books. Both authors have a very sarcastic voice when they choose. It makes the reader laugh. Others are much more serious and will get very in touch with the character's emotional state. Judith Pella's voice can be like this.
But, while some authors have an incredible voice, others however, have no voice, or a very dull one. Dull voices lack everything afore mentioned and seem to only give facts and details. Certainly the reader has a sense of what is going on in a scene, but for some reason, they fail to even scratch the surface of what is REALLY happening and their stories feel dead.
It can feel rather silly or cliche to say, but part of an author's voice does indeed come from emotion. If they are truly emotionally involved in their character's predicament, their voice absolutely sings and they will break through the glass many author's simply look through and become involved in the scene.
So, if you are a new writer, I promise you that your voice is only beginning to develop. The more you write, the clearer your voice becomes. It's like a muscle though. You have to exercise it for it to become stronger. When your voice becomes strong, there is nothing that can stop you.
And all you first person writers - this still applies to you. Your voice will change depending on which point of view you write from, but still, that character must have a distinct voice that sets them apart and breaks into the scene and makes it real.
When I critique stories, one of the first things I notice, is their voice. You really can tell a lot about an author through their voice. Some have an incredible sense of humor and will describe things in a very ironic way. Kristien Heitzmann's Diamond of the Rockies series is this way. So is Jane Austen's books. Both authors have a very sarcastic voice when they choose. It makes the reader laugh. Others are much more serious and will get very in touch with the character's emotional state. Judith Pella's voice can be like this.
But, while some authors have an incredible voice, others however, have no voice, or a very dull one. Dull voices lack everything afore mentioned and seem to only give facts and details. Certainly the reader has a sense of what is going on in a scene, but for some reason, they fail to even scratch the surface of what is REALLY happening and their stories feel dead.
It can feel rather silly or cliche to say, but part of an author's voice does indeed come from emotion. If they are truly emotionally involved in their character's predicament, their voice absolutely sings and they will break through the glass many author's simply look through and become involved in the scene.
So, if you are a new writer, I promise you that your voice is only beginning to develop. The more you write, the clearer your voice becomes. It's like a muscle though. You have to exercise it for it to become stronger. When your voice becomes strong, there is nothing that can stop you.
And all you first person writers - this still applies to you. Your voice will change depending on which point of view you write from, but still, that character must have a distinct voice that sets them apart and breaks into the scene and makes it real.
THE TRUTH IN FICTION by Mona Hodgson
Many of my closest friends are liars. But they might prefer the title storyteller extraordinaire.
Tale-weavers. And whether the literary yarn they spin is set in an
actual place or based upon real life events and historical characters,
they are authors of fiction. I am too. And as novelists, we have chosen
to write fiction, not fact. But even so, is the story we weave truly and
completely made up?
Not the best stories. All compelling fiction resonates with readers. Why? Because the best stories are rich in truth.
Why has Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell camped on bestsellers’ lists? Why has it inspired movies and spin-offs? Why is Gone with the Wind a classic? Because the story told the truth. Even though Scarlett’s tale wasn’t necessarily formed in actual reality, the setting and characters, action and themes offer a tapestry of honesty that can make a work of fiction feel more real, at times, than life itself.
Using those four central threads of fiction, I try to create an honest story world and premise that will provide a platform for truth and deepen the realness of my fiction.
SETTING
As the backdrop for the action, the setting anchors a story in a specific time and place. How can setting add truth to fiction?
You and I are affected by the location in which we find ourselves. We react to our setting on physical, emotional, mental, and perhaps even a spiritual level. Sometimes we’re aware of our reactions. At other times they take place in our subconscious.
Where is your story set? At a plantation in Georgia?
Tell me more.
Actually, it’s Tara, a cotton plantation Scarlett’s father named after the Hill of Tara, once the capital of the High King of ancient Ireland.
When?
Through the Civil War and into the reconstruction period.
That’s more like it. The time period in which a story unfolds has everything to do with the setting. And that’s true whether it plays out in a historical time and place or whether it’s contemporary. Setting isn’t limited to a pin on a map, but also provides a cultural, social, and political context in which the characters act, interact, and react. Consider the West Coast of America in contrast to the South. Ireland in the1600s and the USA in that same time period. What about settings where women are finally able to vote? And post 9/11? These events will be considered and remembered differently, depending upon the setting and
situation in which the characters experience them.
That’s something an author has to consider . . . what is the main character’s surface and gut-level reaction to the details and fullness of their setting? A clearly defined setting will impact their characters, and, consequently us as readers because we will recognize honesty in the setting.
My Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series is set in a mining camp in Colorado in the late 1890s. There are many truths intrinsic to that specific time and place—the culture of the Wild West mining camps. Ore fever, most definitely. Prostitutes, certainly. And hardships in varying sizes and shapes.
CHARACTERS
Scarlett O’Hara was fake only when she chose to be to serve her purposes. Otherwise, she was one of the most “real” characters we’ll find in literature. An individual through and through, Scarlett was bathed in the truth of human nature—replete with strengths and weaknesses, self-centered pursuits and dogged determination in the company of tragedy. A character’s inner conflict is what invokes honesty.
Margaret Mitchell imbued Scarlettt, a multi-dimensional character, with a clearly defined goal—to win Ashley’s heart, and then to save Tara and win Rhett Butler back. We watched Scarlett’s desires unfold and change and deepen, along with the setting in which she found herself.
How does an author draw truth out of a character? We saw it with Scarlet. It’s through the fascination and friction inherent in human relationships (fictional ones included) that reveals true character. And that’s true whether those secondary characters are love interests, antagonists, sidekicks, or mentors. They provide a means for readers like you and I to see the main character’s vulnerabilities and strengths.
As I plan a story, I have to determine what it is that my main characters want? What must he or she achieve or overcome? Why? Where lies their motivation? What is at risk if he or she doesn’t meet their goal? What will happen if their objective changes?
Two Brides Too Many tells the story of Kat and Nell, two sisters who came out west from Portland, Maine as mail order brides. What drove them to make that choice? In Too Rich for a Bride, Ida the oldest Sinclair sister arrived in Cripple Creek with the dream of being a businesswoman. What planted that dream in her?
If I “flesh out” the character and her journey and outcome, I find myself writing truth in
fiction.
ACTION
The story consists of a series of actions inspired by a character’s goal and motivation, driven by his or her interactions with others, and deepened by the roadblocks they face, which may in part be inherent to the setting they find themselves in.
For instance, Two Brides Too Many is set in a mining camp on the southwestern slopes of Pikes Peak in 1896. In that time period, most of those towns were still made of wood. Those that were, went up in flames at least once and, most of them, many times before the town’s people chose to rebuild using brick and stone. Kat Sinclair encounters one of those fires in Cripple Creek, which serves as a key plot point in her journey, fueling action on her part and on the secondary characters with whom she interacts.
Basically, plotting is the action a character takes to overcome the obstacles and work through the conflict that stands in the way of him or her reaching their goal. Gone with the Wind is resplendent with such action.
THEME
I want my readers to discover truth about themselves, the world, God, and others as they relate to and interact with my characters. The theme provides the walk-away value in the story. What central truth do I want my readers to recognize in the setting, the characters, and the action and take with them when they close my book?
My job then is to develop my characters fully and allow them to struggle naturally and passionately, letting my theme emerge out of the “realness” of the characters’ situations.
Margaret Mitchell didn’t break into the story to tell us the themes of Gone with the Wind. Through setting, characters, and action, she showed us triumph over tragedy and there is strength in love. In Two Brides Too Many, I showed God making a way through the wilderness for those who placed their trust in Him. Ida Sinclair struggles to realize where her true priorities lie in Too Rich for a Bride. In The Bride Wore Blue, shame nearly suffocates Vivian, the youngest of the four sisters, until she learns that God’s grace is all-sufficient.
The message or moral of a story will only ring true when the characters carry the theme with them on their journey from goal through conflict to resolution.
Where is the truth in fiction? Yes, it is in the details. But it is birthed deep within the writer. I’m trying to dig deep to create stories rich in authentic settings, characters, action, and themes. Thanks for reading!
MONA HODGSON is the author of more than thirty-two books for adults and children, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series—Two Brides Too Many, Too Rich for a Bride, The Bride Wore Blue, and Twice a Bride (October 2012). Her children’s book titles include: Bedtime in the Southwest and six princess and desert I Can Read books. For more information about Mona and her books and for Writers Resources, visit her website at www.monahodgson.com. You can connect with Mona on Twitter and Facebook on her Mona Hodgson Author Page, https://www.facebook.com/Author.Mona.
Not the best stories. All compelling fiction resonates with readers. Why? Because the best stories are rich in truth.
Why has Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell camped on bestsellers’ lists? Why has it inspired movies and spin-offs? Why is Gone with the Wind a classic? Because the story told the truth. Even though Scarlett’s tale wasn’t necessarily formed in actual reality, the setting and characters, action and themes offer a tapestry of honesty that can make a work of fiction feel more real, at times, than life itself.
Using those four central threads of fiction, I try to create an honest story world and premise that will provide a platform for truth and deepen the realness of my fiction.
SETTING
As the backdrop for the action, the setting anchors a story in a specific time and place. How can setting add truth to fiction?
You and I are affected by the location in which we find ourselves. We react to our setting on physical, emotional, mental, and perhaps even a spiritual level. Sometimes we’re aware of our reactions. At other times they take place in our subconscious.
Where is your story set? At a plantation in Georgia?
Tell me more.
Actually, it’s Tara, a cotton plantation Scarlett’s father named after the Hill of Tara, once the capital of the High King of ancient Ireland.
When?
Through the Civil War and into the reconstruction period.
That’s more like it. The time period in which a story unfolds has everything to do with the setting. And that’s true whether it plays out in a historical time and place or whether it’s contemporary. Setting isn’t limited to a pin on a map, but also provides a cultural, social, and political context in which the characters act, interact, and react. Consider the West Coast of America in contrast to the South. Ireland in the1600s and the USA in that same time period. What about settings where women are finally able to vote? And post 9/11? These events will be considered and remembered differently, depending upon the setting and
situation in which the characters experience them.
That’s something an author has to consider . . . what is the main character’s surface and gut-level reaction to the details and fullness of their setting? A clearly defined setting will impact their characters, and, consequently us as readers because we will recognize honesty in the setting.
My Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series is set in a mining camp in Colorado in the late 1890s. There are many truths intrinsic to that specific time and place—the culture of the Wild West mining camps. Ore fever, most definitely. Prostitutes, certainly. And hardships in varying sizes and shapes.
CHARACTERS
Scarlett O’Hara was fake only when she chose to be to serve her purposes. Otherwise, she was one of the most “real” characters we’ll find in literature. An individual through and through, Scarlett was bathed in the truth of human nature—replete with strengths and weaknesses, self-centered pursuits and dogged determination in the company of tragedy. A character’s inner conflict is what invokes honesty.
Margaret Mitchell imbued Scarlettt, a multi-dimensional character, with a clearly defined goal—to win Ashley’s heart, and then to save Tara and win Rhett Butler back. We watched Scarlett’s desires unfold and change and deepen, along with the setting in which she found herself.
How does an author draw truth out of a character? We saw it with Scarlet. It’s through the fascination and friction inherent in human relationships (fictional ones included) that reveals true character. And that’s true whether those secondary characters are love interests, antagonists, sidekicks, or mentors. They provide a means for readers like you and I to see the main character’s vulnerabilities and strengths.
As I plan a story, I have to determine what it is that my main characters want? What must he or she achieve or overcome? Why? Where lies their motivation? What is at risk if he or she doesn’t meet their goal? What will happen if their objective changes?
Two Brides Too Many tells the story of Kat and Nell, two sisters who came out west from Portland, Maine as mail order brides. What drove them to make that choice? In Too Rich for a Bride, Ida the oldest Sinclair sister arrived in Cripple Creek with the dream of being a businesswoman. What planted that dream in her?
If I “flesh out” the character and her journey and outcome, I find myself writing truth in
fiction.
ACTION
The story consists of a series of actions inspired by a character’s goal and motivation, driven by his or her interactions with others, and deepened by the roadblocks they face, which may in part be inherent to the setting they find themselves in.
For instance, Two Brides Too Many is set in a mining camp on the southwestern slopes of Pikes Peak in 1896. In that time period, most of those towns were still made of wood. Those that were, went up in flames at least once and, most of them, many times before the town’s people chose to rebuild using brick and stone. Kat Sinclair encounters one of those fires in Cripple Creek, which serves as a key plot point in her journey, fueling action on her part and on the secondary characters with whom she interacts.
Basically, plotting is the action a character takes to overcome the obstacles and work through the conflict that stands in the way of him or her reaching their goal. Gone with the Wind is resplendent with such action.
THEME
I want my readers to discover truth about themselves, the world, God, and others as they relate to and interact with my characters. The theme provides the walk-away value in the story. What central truth do I want my readers to recognize in the setting, the characters, and the action and take with them when they close my book?
My job then is to develop my characters fully and allow them to struggle naturally and passionately, letting my theme emerge out of the “realness” of the characters’ situations.
Margaret Mitchell didn’t break into the story to tell us the themes of Gone with the Wind. Through setting, characters, and action, she showed us triumph over tragedy and there is strength in love. In Two Brides Too Many, I showed God making a way through the wilderness for those who placed their trust in Him. Ida Sinclair struggles to realize where her true priorities lie in Too Rich for a Bride. In The Bride Wore Blue, shame nearly suffocates Vivian, the youngest of the four sisters, until she learns that God’s grace is all-sufficient.
The message or moral of a story will only ring true when the characters carry the theme with them on their journey from goal through conflict to resolution.
Where is the truth in fiction? Yes, it is in the details. But it is birthed deep within the writer. I’m trying to dig deep to create stories rich in authentic settings, characters, action, and themes. Thanks for reading!
MONA HODGSON is the author of more than thirty-two books for adults and children, including her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series—Two Brides Too Many, Too Rich for a Bride, The Bride Wore Blue, and Twice a Bride (October 2012). Her children’s book titles include: Bedtime in the Southwest and six princess and desert I Can Read books. For more information about Mona and her books and for Writers Resources, visit her website at www.monahodgson.com. You can connect with Mona on Twitter and Facebook on her Mona Hodgson Author Page, https://www.facebook.com/Author.Mona.
Mona Hodgson
tips on stort stories
Since this happens
to be a group for teen WRITERS... We thought it only appropriate that
we give you opportunities to show off your writing skills. But, we know
that many of you don't get too many opportunities to see just what it
takes to write those best seller stories... though we do believe that
you can do it.
So as we start out on our first ever short story contest, we thought it might be helpful to give you some tips on how to write a short story that stands out... after all, you do want to win, don't you?
I hope these tips were of some use to you =) Good luck!
So as we start out on our first ever short story contest, we thought it might be helpful to give you some tips on how to write a short story that stands out... after all, you do want to win, don't you?
- You need a conflict. Internal or external... something must cause problems for your character.
- setting... we need to know where your character is... leave us hints to give us a sense of our surroundings. Characters do not float around in a big, black blah.... unless you specifically say that they are floating around in a big black blah.
- Try to avoid words like "was" or "had" or ly adverbs. These types of words can turn into crutches that stop you from fully describing what's going on. for example... "She was going to the library." EW. bad. now how about, "Under her arm, Suzie held a stack of books that continuously slipped out from her grip. They were overdue, and if she hurried, she could avoid owing another couple of cents that she didn't have."
- Show, don't tell. As mentioned above.
- A lesson must be learned. The character must come away with a different point of view than they had at the beginning.
- And please... open the story where the story begins. Backstories don't help anyone. your reader must learn things on a need to know basis. And... end the story where the story ends. We don't always need to hear about what their life was like after the story ends.
I hope these tips were of some use to you =) Good luck!
Length, length, length...
When we all start writing, we write what I like to call, "story starts." Little short one to ten page beginnings of novels. Right? It's not such a bad place to begin, but sometimes, it's easy to get stuck writing story starts. It can seem like no matter what, you just can't write more than a few pages on a story... you lose interest, you think of a new story, etc. etc. Don't worry, we get it. And I just wanted to let you know, you won't be stuck there forever. Almost every author starts out that way.
To start, here's an idea that will help you control the NEW ideas that constantly bombard you.
The new ideas will never stop coming, It's one of the hassles of being an author... you get inspired, you think of something... that's just the way it is. But, when you're working on a story, and a new idea hits you, it can distract you, and derail you. So, when this happens, try this: get a notebook, any notebook, hard-bound, spiral... it really doesn't matter... and each time a new idea comes to you, rather than beginning another "story-start," write down a short synopsis of the idea in the notebook.
Now, how do you actually write a story that's longer than say... 10 pages?
Hmmm... haha. Yup. I know. Not easy. Quite naturally, when you first begin writing, a 300 page novel seems absolutely impossible. Especially, well, let me just say that the number of pages you type in Word will not match up with a book format. You'll have to start judging the length of your book by word count. For every ~350 words, you have 1 page. So take your word count and divide it by 350 to get an approximate page count. But really, don't expect to write a 300 page novel right off the back. Write until the story stops telling itself to you (this is an idea from CS Lewis - Chronicles of Narnia). The more you practice... yes, practice... writing, the easier the story will come. When you look back and compare the word counts of the stories you've written in chronological order, you'll see a steady climb. Other than that, here's some basic tricks...
- take time to tuck in details about the setting (but beware of dropping huge dull paragraphs of scenery)
- describe the character's physical reactions (facial, hands, feet... you get the picture)
- describe the character's thought process.
Happy writing =)
abc's Once Upon A Time
When you're stumped for story ideas, fan fiction isn't such a bad idea. The characters are borrowed, and so are some of their goals, motivations and conflicts, but those things change all over the place when a fan fiction peice is created. but fan fiction is also a great tool when you're working on developing plot. Character is already set up and roaring to go, and you don't have to worry about it as much.
If you have issues with telling a good story (creating a good plot) why not play around with some fan fiction? Once you've got the hang of things, throw in your own characters and have a ball.
Go for it - just remember that you can't publish fanfiction because you don't own the rights to the characters.
The Day That's Different
In a previous note, we talked about ending with a bang, but what about starting a story? How do you capture a reader's attention since we only have about a minute's time to do so? How do we entrap them with the plight of our characters in such a way that they absolutely have to see the story through? That they have to make sure Johnny and Fido are together again? (you remember Johnny and Fido the robot dog don't you?)
Well, any good story begins on THE DAY THAT'S DIFFERENT. In that other note, I told you that epilogues were dangerous, right? Well, so are prologues and backstories. If you begin your story by telling your reader that Johnny was born to a middle class family and loves his mom, dad, and baby brother... well, that's nice, but it's not important to Johnny and Fido's plight. So how do we open a story? How do we introduce Johnny and his robot dog Fido? Like I said, we begin on the day that's different.
In grade school, you probably saw story charts like the one below...
story mountain
But
there's something majorly wrong with this story mountain... see how
it's flat? Well, flat's boring. Really boring. So, let's skip ahead a
bit and put our exposition at the very base of the mountain. Keep things
lively by telling the reader that one afternoon, while Johnny and Fido
were playing fetch, a man drove by in a truck and both stopped to stare.
It was a big white truck that neither one had ever seen before with the
words, "Big Chow" painted on the side and it scarred them both just a
little... it gave them a feeling of foreboding.How was that? Without trying to hard, I even told you a little bit about their relationship. By telling you that they play fetch, you know that Johnny takes time out for Fido to play with him. But I didn't blab a ton about how Johnny built Fido out of spare parts or that his mother is always annoyed when Fido leaves oil stains on the carpet. Your reader is on a need to know basis. You don't have to tell them something until it's important to the plot. But anyways... I began on the day that was different, a day that wasn't like all the other days Fido and Johnny played in the park together. This time, they saw something that looked out of place and would change things for them.
How about another example that we're all familiar with? Pinocchio. The story of Pinocchio begins on the day that Gepeto carves the little marionette. Now, Gepeto carves a lot of things... he's a woodcarver, that's not all too unusual for him, but this time, when Gepeto closes up his shop, he wishes on a star... THAT'S WHAT'S DIFFERENT. He didn't wish on a star the other nights (or at least we don't think he did) and even if Gepeto had wished on the star before, THIS TIME his wish was granted.
so remember
- Backstories at the beginning (prologues) are dangerous because they are boring and often extraneous.
- Your reader is on a Need to Know basis
- And begin on the day that is different.
Writer Lingo...
Once you get into the real world of writing, you might feel a bit confused by all the terms you'll hear. It seems that we writers have a name for everything, even some of the writing techniques that are commonly used. Some you might already know, but many might be a little new.
Ms or Mss: abbreviation of Manuscript (your story all typed out)
angle: approach
genre: category (fiction, non-fiction, horror, mystery, romance, historical, fantasy...)
rights: ownership
slush pile: stories submitting to a publishing company without request from an editor
royalty advance: a percentage of profits given to the author before the book is published.
pay-per-word: amount of money payed out per word, normally for a short story or article.
assignment: requested story from publisher
work-for-hire: contract, publisher's idea
kill fee: money paid when an assignment or work-for-hire is canned.
Pay on Acceptance: immediate pay
Pay on Publication: paid when published
Simultaneous Submissions: submitting a manuscript to multiple publishers at once
Ghost Writing: When an author writes a book for a person who has no experience writing a novel, such as a famous person telling their biography. The author receives no credit and the famous person's name goes on the cover alone
Collaboration: Two authors work together to write a story, both recieve equal credit.
As Told To: similar to Ghost Writing and a Collaboration project. The author writes the story for someone else, but receives credit.
byline: that line that says by: your name
cover letter: a page that is on top of your manuscript, includes title, name, word count and a short "back-cover" sort of synopsis.
Query Letter: sent by an author to inquire from a publisher as to their interest in a proposed story for publishing.
Book Proposal: Follows a Query letter once a publisher shows interest. Explains in more detail the plot, marketing of the book, the intended audience, etc.
SASE: self-addressed, stamped envelope. Included with a manuscript send in by mail for the editor's reply.
freelance: editor/author not connected to a publishing house.
House: publisher
P & L: profits and loss
MC: main character
beats: action phrases included with dialogue. ("No you can't!" He ran to the door and closed it.)
Back-Cover copy: that little two or three paragraphs about the book on the back cover.
Character Chart
In a previous
note, I mentioned creating a character chart for your MC (main
character) You might consider creating one for your antagonist as well
plus some of your primary secondary characters. Here is an example of
one. Just print this out or copy and paste it into your word processor.
NAME: (first) (middle) (last)
BIRTHDAY: (month) (day) (year)
AGE:
HOMETOWN:
CURRENTLY LIVES IN:
HAIR COLOR:
EYE COLOR:
HEIGHT:
WEIGHT/BUILD:
GOAL:
MOTIVATION:
CONFLICT:
MOTHER:
FATHER:
SIBLINGS (ages & genders included)
LOVE INTEREST: (name) (age) (lives in)
FRIENDS (ages & genders included)
ANTAGONIST (conflict -person, thing, self)
REASON FOR ANTAGONISM:
So, that should get you started. You can add any other details you think you need to remember about your character, but these are some good basics for a character chart.
NAME: (first) (middle) (last)
BIRTHDAY: (month) (day) (year)
AGE:
HOMETOWN:
CURRENTLY LIVES IN:
HAIR COLOR:
EYE COLOR:
HEIGHT:
WEIGHT/BUILD:
GOAL:
MOTIVATION:
CONFLICT:
MOTHER:
FATHER:
SIBLINGS (ages & genders included)
LOVE INTEREST: (name) (age) (lives in)
FRIENDS (ages & genders included)
ANTAGONIST (conflict -person, thing, self)
REASON FOR ANTAGONISM:
So, that should get you started. You can add any other details you think you need to remember about your character, but these are some good basics for a character chart.
BANG!
Every good story that makes you stand up out of your seat during the last chapter and shout, "YES! YES! Oh Yeeeessss!" has an plot that ends with a BANG! doesn't it? But how does one write a story that ends with a bang? Well, let's take a look at that one moment that every story, no matter how sad, can't do without. In the world of literature, are you ready for it? We call it a... "BLACK MOMENT!!!" Sounds ominous, doesn't it? It should.
A black moment is the point in a story during which it seems all hope is lost and the character will never overcome his obstacle.Sound about right? Any good story has a good black moment. It's normally the part during which you cry because you just can't believe the character suffered such a terrible blow. Will Fido ever come home to Johnny? He just got hit by a car! The vets don't know if they can save him. And will Johnny ever know what happened to Fido? It's all just too much to bear! That's a black moment. And guess what, to end with a BANG! Your story needs one.
It can be very hard to torment your characters - though some writers have way too much fun tormenting their characters. I get it, it's fun to "play God" sometimes. But, whether you enjoy tormenting your characters or not, you'll have to get over it and torment them for a little while so your readers will be truly satisfied in the end. They won't be satisfied unless your character overcomes their worst fear.
But a black moment doesn't necessarily have to be "THE WORLD IS GOING TO END," though to your character, it must seem that way. Like, for let's go with our Johnny and Fido example. For Johnny, who absolutely loves Fido, loosing his best friend would be an awful event. Johnny's perfect little life would be shattered. What would he do? His favorite companion would be lost to him. Get it? The rest of the world would go on if Fido didn't survive being hit by a car, but Johnny would be heartbroken. Now, for a superhero story, the world can be about to end. But that's another case. For your everyday average joe character, the Fido and Johnny example works just fine.
So have you got a black moment in mind? Good! Now we can move on. Once's we've given our character an earth shattering event, we can proceed to get him out of it.
The story ends when the main character resolves his Black Moment or comes away with a different point of view.Let's go with our Fido example. Now, I'm sorry to say, but your main character must solve the problem on his own.
the main character must come up with the solution to his Black MomentThat may seem unfair, but listen a little more. The main character must come up with the solution, this does not mean that he must enact his solution on his own. He may call on other people to help - but it must be his own idea. For Johnny and Fido... well, guess what? Johnny saw Fido get hit by the car and rushed off the the vet's clinic, though Fido never saw him. When he gets to the clinic, he sees the doctors talking to each other very gravely and he sits down and cries for a long time. But then... Johnny remembers that Fido is no ordinary dog, though the doctors don't know it. Fido is a ROBOT DOG! Johnny knows how to fix him, but he has to recreate the parts from memory. He rushes into the room where Fido is being kept and looks him over before running home. He has a time limit before Fido's solar panels will no longer be able to keep Fido alive and running. Johnny gets to welding and quickly creates the parts and puts them in his backpack. Going back outside, he finds that his bike has been stolen! He calls his friend Susie to help because she has a two-seated bicycle. Together, they ride back to the clinic and Johnny fixes Fido's broken parts just before Fido's battery dies and little Fido springs back to life!!!
Get it? Johnny came up with the idea to save Fido on his own. But, in order to save Fido, he needed Susie to help him get back to the vet clinic. How's that for ending with a BANG?!?!?! I know, you're not writing about Fido and Johnny, but you are telling a story about a character who is about to loose everything he cares about and somehow he must fix things.
This is a formula to create a guaranteed amazing story. You may be able to think of some stories that don't have one big black moment, but these are either, not well written or create by an accomplished author who has earned the right to be experimental. Until you've earned that right... stick with the formula.
One last point before I close... and this has to do with the closing... When your character resolves their black moment, don't draw out the story to tell us that Johnny and Suzie dated for five years and then got married and Fido met another Robot dog and they had a dozen robot puppies. Please... don't do it. It's dangerous. Epilogues can be the ruin of your wonderful ending because they are unnecessary to the plot. Let your reader fantasize about what they think happened after your story ends. Anything you tell your reader should be crucial to the plot... drive it where you want to go. When you land your plane... don't keep the passengers sitting in their seats... they want to get off and go eat dinner.
Hope you can now write a story that ends with a bang =)
Characters... Who Are You?
I'm sure you've
read books where the characters just don't seem like themselves after a
while... an extroverted character becomes shy... an unattached character
suddenly becomes sentimental. All out of place right? Unless the
character undergoes a learning experience, but that's not what we're
talking about right now. (another out of place thing)
So how does a writer keep their characters interesting, but consistant? No Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde cases...? Hmm, seems like a challenge, especially if you walk away from the story for a while and then come back to it later. Somehow, the character just "transforms" in your head. As a writer, I understand this pretty darn well. It's not uncommon. So, since this is such a COMMON problem, let's start with a simple way to solve it.
Now, you don't have to write this down if you don't want to, but if you have that personality type that just HAS TO maintain some semblance or organization, you might want to.
Start here...
Simple enough, right? Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. Every Character should have a Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. It's pertinent to who they are and it will drive the plot of the story...
Say Jessie Jones is fourteen years old. She wants to know who her birth mother is. She wants to know because she keeps getting passed from foster home to foster home and she just wants somebody to take a genuine interest in her. The fact that the records of the woman who gave her up, will keep Jessie struggling to find the answer. Deep down, Jessie just wants to be loved. She wants this because no one has ever loved her. Jessie will have a hard time finding love because she doesn't trust people.
Not too bad, right? Just a simple paragraph that tells you all about Jessie. From here, Jessie's story could roam all over the place, but as long as she is continually trying to find her mother and love, she should stay pretty consistant. She will be driven by her goals and will have to grow and learn because of the obstacles that get in her way, and eventually, she WILL find what she needs.
If you really worry for your characters, try creating a character chart that lists, not only their goals, motivations, and conflicts, but their family members, pets, hometowns, appearance (eyes, hair, height), friends, spouses? or Children? or Love interests?
Characters often have a mind of their own, they SHOULD grow and change as the story progresses. They NEED to. Growth is crucial. But the character always needs a Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. As long as these things are kept in mind while you are writing, your characters shouldn't suffer from any Dr. Jeckle or Mr. Hyde problems.
Have fun =)
So how does a writer keep their characters interesting, but consistant? No Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde cases...? Hmm, seems like a challenge, especially if you walk away from the story for a while and then come back to it later. Somehow, the character just "transforms" in your head. As a writer, I understand this pretty darn well. It's not uncommon. So, since this is such a COMMON problem, let's start with a simple way to solve it.
Now, you don't have to write this down if you don't want to, but if you have that personality type that just HAS TO maintain some semblance or organization, you might want to.
Start here...
- what is your character's FULL NAME... first, middle, last. A birthday might be good too. you'll want to remember how old they are.
- Now, what does he/she want to attain by the end of the story? (goal)
- Why do they want to attain this goal? (motivation)
- What will get in their way of attaining this goal? (conflict)
- Now, all character's have goals that are a little more personal - more like, their emotional goals that they might be willing to sacrifice, even if they want it more than anything. An "Interior" goal. You might call the afore mentioned goal the "exterior" goal... the goal everyone else knows about.
- Now, why do they want their "interior" goal? (motivation)
- What will get in their way of attaining THIS goal? (conflict)
Simple enough, right? Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. Every Character should have a Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. It's pertinent to who they are and it will drive the plot of the story...
Say Jessie Jones is fourteen years old. She wants to know who her birth mother is. She wants to know because she keeps getting passed from foster home to foster home and she just wants somebody to take a genuine interest in her. The fact that the records of the woman who gave her up, will keep Jessie struggling to find the answer. Deep down, Jessie just wants to be loved. She wants this because no one has ever loved her. Jessie will have a hard time finding love because she doesn't trust people.
Not too bad, right? Just a simple paragraph that tells you all about Jessie. From here, Jessie's story could roam all over the place, but as long as she is continually trying to find her mother and love, she should stay pretty consistant. She will be driven by her goals and will have to grow and learn because of the obstacles that get in her way, and eventually, she WILL find what she needs.
If you really worry for your characters, try creating a character chart that lists, not only their goals, motivations, and conflicts, but their family members, pets, hometowns, appearance (eyes, hair, height), friends, spouses? or Children? or Love interests?
Characters often have a mind of their own, they SHOULD grow and change as the story progresses. They NEED to. Growth is crucial. But the character always needs a Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. As long as these things are kept in mind while you are writing, your characters shouldn't suffer from any Dr. Jeckle or Mr. Hyde problems.
Have fun =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)