all write - fiction advice_ march 2014

2/23/2015 AllWriteFictionAdvice:March2014

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SA T URDA Y , 2 9 MA R CH 2 0 1 4

HowtoAvoidBadWritingPart2

Wecontinueourlookatthekindofthingsthatcausebadwriting,andwaystoavoidthemsothattheynevercropupagain.Aswithmostthings,onceyoulearntorecognisethem,youllbebetterequippedtodealwiththemwhenediting.

InPart1,welookedatsequenceofactionsandseparatingcharacteractionsinordertoachievebettersentencestructuresandavoidsomeoftheflawswhicharecommonplaceinfictionwriting.

Thisweekwelltakeadetailedlookatacoupleofmorebadwritingexamples,andwaystoeliminatethemfromyournarrative.

UnnecessarySpeechAttribution

Thereisonethingthatmanywritersstilldowhenitcomestowritingdialoguetheycontinuetogetsentencestructureincorrectbyattributingspeechtagswhentheyarenotactuallynecessary.

Inlaymenstermsspeechtags,orattributions,areawayofidentifyingthespeaker.

Foragentsorpublishersitcanbeespeciallyinfuriatingwhenwritersdothis,becausedialoguestructurereallyisntdifficulttodo,andforwritersseekingafootinthedoortobeingpublished,itcanbethedifference

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IsBackstoryNecessary?

CreatingLastingImages

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Soyou'veembarkedonyourfictionwritingjourney.

It'soneofthehardestthingstodocreateawhole,believableworldforotherpeopletoenjoy,especiallyifyou'renewtowriting.It'salsooneoftheloneliestjobs,especiallywhenthereisnohelporadviceorsupport...sorightheretherewillbehandyarticles,examplesandsimplestepbystepguidestohelpmakethecreativeprocessthatmucheasier.

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betweenrejectionandacceptance.

HeresasimpleexamplewhichisverysimilartothetypeIseeallthetime,especiallyinselfpublishedstories,wherethewriterhasnttakenthetimetolearnthecraftofwriting,norunderstoodtheprocessofediting:

Johnpointedandsmiled.Haha,hetittered.

Thisisaclassicmistake.Firstly,thewriterhasdenotedwhoisspeakingJohnbyplacingtheactionaheadofthedialogue.ThereisnofurtherneedforspeechattributionandthereforehetitteredisnotrequiredbecausewealreadyknowthatJohnisspeaking.

Inthisexample,theattributionbecomessuperfluousandthewritingsuffersbecauseofit.Thecorrectstructureisasfollows:

Johnpointedandsmiled.Haha.

Thisisclearandconcise.Theactionbeforethedialoguetellsthereaderwhoisabouttospeak,andbecauseitsclearwhoisspeaking,thereisnoneedtoaddspeechtags.

Heresanotherexample:

Anothertimeperhaps,andIwouldhavepaidmoreattention,Johnsaid.Heshrugged.ButIguessIwasjusttoobusyconcentratingonotherthings,headded.

YoucanseethatthewriterhasmadeitclearthatJohnisspeakingbytheJohnsaidattribution.Thenaftertheaction,thewriterhasmadethemistakeofaddingafurtherattributionofheaddedwhichissurplustorequirementsandshouldnotbeplacedinthesentence.Thisshowsthewriterslackofskillindialoguestructureandtheresultisbadwriting.

Thecorrectstructureshouldbe:

Anothertimeperhaps,andIwouldhavepaidmoreattention,Johnsaid.Heshrugged.ButIguessIwasjusttoobusyconcentratingonotherthings.

Ifyouhavealreadydenotedwhoisspeaking,youdonthavetoputhesaidorshesaidetc.Speechattributionsarejustthat,theytellthereaderwhois

measure.Iamprivilegedtohaveeightshortstories/poemspublishedinthisbook,soifyoulikeyourdamesalittledarkanddangerous,thisisthebookforyou.

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speaking.

Anyinstanceofthiskindoferrorisasignofbadwriting.Makesurethatyoufullyunderstandactionversusdialoguestructure.Itsimperativethatsomethingasbasicandasfundamentalasthisispresentedcorrectlywhensubmittingyourworktoagentsandpublishers,otherwiseyouwillfailtoimpressthem.

ShiftingPointofView

Anothercommonfauxpas,andasuresignofbadwriting,istheeverchangingPOV.

ThisisanothercommonerrorbywriterswhohavenotstudiedhowPOVworks.Theresultisthatscenesswapviewpointfromcharactertocharacterandthereforehavenocohesion.

POVisfixedforwhichevercharacteryouareconcentratingoninanyrunningsceneorchapter.Ifyoustartachapterwithonecharacter,youshouldsticktothatcharacterspointofviewuntilyouhaveachancetoswapviewpointwithanewsceneoranewchapter.

Neverswitchviewpointsduringascene.Inotherwords,dontstartoffthescenewithCharacterAsviewpointandthenswaptoCharacterBsviewpointhalfwaythrough.Itcausesuntoldconfusionforthereadertryingtofollowthestory,thecharactersandtheplotpointsetc.,andtheydontwantthetaskmademoredifficultwitheverchangingPOVs.Italsomakesthestorydisjointed,whichmeansthereaderwillfindithardtoempathiseorconnecttoanycharacters.

Theotherrealdanger,ofcourse,isthatyoumaywellendupinadvertentlylettinganothercharactertakeoverthestorycompletely.

Writerswhoarenotcarefulsometimesfindthatsecondarycharacterstakeoverthestory,leavingthemaincharacterwhosestoryyouaretellingoutinthecold.Ortheymightfindthatduringthereadingstage,anothercharacterseemstohavemorescenesorchaptersthanthemaincharacter.

Whenthishappens,itmeansthewriterhaslostthestorypathway.Italsomeanstheyhavealsolostfocus.

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TherearesomanygoodreasonsforkeepingatightreinonPOV.Itimprovesstorycohesionbyallowingthereadertofollowthemaincharactersjourney,ithelpsyourreaderkeeptrackofyourcharacters,ithelpsthemconnectwiththosecharactersandaboveall,itensuresyourmaincharacterremainsthedominantcharacterthroughout.

Remember,badwritingcanmeanthedifferencebetweenpublishedandunpublished.

Nextweek:HowtoavoidbadwritingPart3

POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, MARCH29, 20141COMMENT: L INKSTOTHISPOST

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Weveallbeenguiltyofbadwritingatsomepointduringourwritingcareers,moresoatthestartofourwritingjourney,whenitsallnewanddauntingandwelacktheexperience.Infact,badwritingisallpartofthatjourney.Weallhavetowritebadlyinordertoimproveandbecomebetterwriters.

Thatsaid,therearemanyaspectsofstorytellingthatwritersstillhaventgottogripswith,thekindofthingsthatareeasilyrectified,butmoreimportantly,areeasilyavoidable.Unfortunately,manywritersjustcantbebotheredtocorrectbadwritingor,worsestill,theyignorantlythinkitsokay.

Badwritingmaybeokayforanobliviouswriter,butnotforadiscerningagentorpublisher.

Andbecausetherearesomanymisdemeanourswherebadwritingisconcerned,IvecollatedtogethersomethatIhavecomeacrossfromtimetotimewhilecritiquing.

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Writersconstantlyaskmeaboutthis.Itseemstofoilanumberofbeginners,whichisunderstandable,butmoreexperiencedwritersfallfoul,too.

Onceyouunderstandtheprincipalsbehindcorrectsentencestructuring,however,themistakesbecomeavoidable.Therearenoexcusesforgettingthiswrong.

Firstly,writersshouldbeawareofandrecognisethatthefictionalworlddiffersfromtherealworldinmanydifferentways.Onesuchwayisthewayweportrayactions.

Intherealworld,wedoseveralthingsatoncewepickupaphonetomakeacallwhileeatingormovingthingsaroundadesk,whileatthesametimechattingtosomeonenearbyalldonewithoutevenconsciouslythinkingaboutit.Thesearemultipleactionscarriedoutunconsciously.

Inthefictionalworldthesemultipleactionscanttakeplace.Iknowthisdoesntmakemuchsense,butthereisagoodreasonwhy:itsbecauseofthewayfictioniswritten.Thestructureandorderofactionsneedstobeclearforthereadertofollow,andmoreimportantly,itneedstobesequential,ratherthanajumbleofactions,andespeciallysoiftheyarereadingaboutseveralcharactersinonescene,alldoingvariousactions.

Clarityisalwayskeytowriting,andsosequenceofactionsareimportanttomaintainthatclarity.

Thereasonwedonthavecharactersdoingadozenthingsatonceistoavoidlackofclarity,ambiguity,readerconfusionandultimately,badwriting,forexample:

Johnheardthedoorbellandwalkedovertothedoorandanswereditwiththetoasthalfwayoutofhismouth,whichhewaschewing,andhegesturedtothewomanonthefrontdoorsteptoenter,lickingthebutteroffhisfingersandmovingasidetoletherin...

Thecharacterisdoingtoomuchforthescene,whichmeansthewritercantrelatetheseactionsclearly,(notwithoutaddingafewextraparagraphsofexposition).Itbecomestoobusy,disjointedandconfusing.Itsalsoambiguous.

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Nowcompareitwithaversionthatleavesoutthenonsenseandconcentratesonsequentialactions.

Johnheardthedoorbell.Hefinishedthelastmouthfuloftoastwalkedovertothedoorandansweredit.Hegesturedtothewomanonthefrontdoorsteptoenterandmovedasidetoletherin

Thisversionismuchbetter.Itsclearandorderedanddoesntcarryanyconfusionorambiguityinthecharactersactions.Hisactionshappeninaspecificorder.Thatspreciselywhycharactersshouldreallyonlydoonethingatatimeinfiction.

SeparateYourCharacterActions

Anotherexampleofsentencemuddlingiswherewritersunwittinglycreateambiguitywithmultipleactions,whereactionsarenotclearlydefinedforthecharacter.Writersmustrememberthatcharactersshouldnotdotwothingsatonceinfiction.Thisgoesagainstwhatwedoinreallifeanddoesntmakesense,butasalreadypointedoutcharacteractionsmustbesequentialorordered.

Forexample:

Lizknewtimewasoftheessence.Shecalledtheambulanceanddrovetothehospital.

Lizmanagedtodotwothingssimultaneously.Shecalledtheambulanceanddrovetothehospital.Whileinourmindswecanlogicallymakesenseofthisweunderstandshecalledtheambulanceandthenshedrovetothehospitalbutthewayitiswrittencausesconfusionandambiguityforthereader.

Toavoidthis,thesentencemightbebetterstructuredasfollows:

Lizknewtimewasoftheessence.Shecalledtheambulance.Afterwards,shedrovetothehospital.

HeresanotherexampleofwhatIseeallthetime.

Shekissedhimandracedtothedoor.

Again,weknowshekissedhimandthenracedtothedoor,butitdoesntreadwellbecauseofthewaythesentenceisstructured.Butimprovingthestructurebringsclarity.

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Shekissedhim.Excited,shethenracedtothedoor.

Thereisonecommondenominatoratworkherethewordand.Thisiswhatcausestheactionstobecomesimultaneous.Removetheandandrearrangethestructureofasentenceandyouwillfindthesimultaneousactionswilldisappear,astheexamplesaboveshow.Byremovingandfrombothexamples,theybecomeclearer.

Whereverpossibletrytoavoidsimultaneouscharacteractions,andthinkcarefullyaboutthesequenceofcharacteractionsifyouwanttoeliminatebadwritingandimprovesentencestructuring.

Theyreallyaresimpleerrorsandyetsomanywritersstillwritelikethis.

InParts2and3welllookatafewmoreexamplesofthekindsofthingsthatlendtobadwritingandwaystoavoidthem.

Nextweek:HowtoavoidbadwritingPart2

POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, MARCH22, 2014NOCOMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST


SUNDA Y , 1 6 MA R CH 2 0 1 4

LiterarydevicesImproveyournarrativePart2

Inpart1,welookedatthemostcommonliterarydevicesthekindthatmostofushaveusedregularlyperhaps,thingslikesymbolism,metaphororforeshadowing.

Therearelesswellknownonestoo,oneswemayhaveheardofbutprobablydontknowtoomuchabout.Butknowingaboutthemandhowtheycanenlivenyournarrativeisapositivething,afterall,themoreknowledgethewriterhas,thebetterthewritingingeneral.Therefore,anoverallknowledgeofasmanyliterarydevicesaspossibleisagoodthing.

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So,whicharethelesscommonones,andwhatdotheydo?

EuphonyConnotationAllusionAssonanceMotif

Euphonyreferstopleasantsoundscreated,particularlywithsoftvowelsandsoftconsonants.ItderivesfromtheGreekwordeuphonos,whichlooselymeanssweetvoiced.Inotherwords,itsaboutwordsorphrasesthatarenotedfortheircharm,harmonyormelodyinthesoundsthattheycreate.

Itisoftenfoundinliterarynovelsorpoetryandwritersuseittomakethenarrativemelodiousandlovelysothatthewordsinthesentencereallydorolloffthetonguewhenyoureadthem.Forexample,acoupleoflinesfromAlfredLordTennysonsTheLotosEaters:

Inwhichitseemedalwaysafternoon.Allroundthecoastthelanguidairdidswoon

Ofcourse,youdonthavetobealiteraryauthortoencompasseuphony.Whateverthegenre,euphonywilldefinitelymakeyournarrativesoundmoremelodiousandpleasant.

Youmayhaveheardofconnotation,butexactlydoesitmean?Connotationistheassociationpeoplemakewithwordsthatareinadditiontoitsliteraldefinition.Thoseassociationscouldbeemotionalandcultural,personaloruniversal,goodorbad.

Forexample,takethewordkill.Everyoneknowswhatitmeans.Butithasotherconnotations.Ohmygodthatjokekilledme!orthepainiskillingme.WhataboutIcouldkillforadrinkorYouresofunny,youjustkillme.

Thinkoftheconnotationsofotherwordstheyarenotnecessarilywhatyouthinktheymean.Blueisntjustacolour.Itsamood,astateofemotionalbeing,too.



Animalcanmeandifferentthingsacreature,oritcansymboliseanegative,primitivehumantrait.

Aswriterswedontalwaysseetheseconnectionswhenwriting,butifyouwanttogiveyourreadersomethingmoretothinkabout,thereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldntuseconnotationsreaderswillusetheirownpersonalemotionsinassociationwithcertainwordstointerpretthosemeanings.

Allusionmeanstheauthorismakingareferencetoasubjectmattersuchasaplace,eventorpersoninordertomakeapointorgetamessageacross.Itcanbeareferencetoprettymuchanythingitcanbeinferredordirectanditisinterestingwaytoengagethereader.

Forexample,bycomparingacharactertoMotherTeresa,whetherthroughdescriptionofdialogue,theallusionisthatthecharacterinquestionissomeonewhoismorallysoundandgood.Ifyoucomparedsomewheretolookinglikethedesolatesandsofadesert,thenthereaderwouldsensesomewherethatisbarrenandlifeless.

Readanybookanditwillbesprinkledwithallusions.Somearesubtle,somearequiteobvious,buttheyareawayforwriterstomakeapoint,onesthatreaderswillremember.

Assonanceisanotherliterarydeviceyoumayhaveheardof,butprobablydontrealisetheroleitcanplayincreativenarrative.Itreferstotherepetitionofcertainsoundsproducedbyvowelswithinneighbouringwordsinasentenceorphrase.

Althoughitisverysimilartoalliteration,assonanceisabouttherepetitionofvowelsinwordsandisparticularlyattractivetopoeticorliterarywriters,whospendagreatdealoftimeandeffortgivingtheirnarrativesuchflourishes.

Heresasimpleexample:Wavespushedagainstthebow,tocrushthesoundtoasimperinghush.Herethevoweluisrepeatedinneighbouringwords,giving



thesentenceaslightharmony.

Thethingaboutassonanceisthatisitaboutsoundandthewaywewantthenarrativetosoundtothereader.Itisyetanothercreativewaytoaddthoselovelybrushstrokestootherwiseflatstorytelling.

Whatisamotif?Playwrightsandliteraturegraduatesshouldbefamiliarwiththisparticularliterarydevice,becauseitappearsalotinplaysandliteraryworks.Amotifisanysubject,object,actionorsoundthatispresentthroughoutthestory.Writersuseittoestablishamoodoradevelopingtheme,somethingthatwillresonatewiththereader.

Motifsarenottobeconfusedwithsymbolism,becausesymbolsshouldappearonlyafewtimesinthestorytoevokeimageryandemotionhoweveramotifisarecurringelementwithinthestory.

Theycanbeanything,aslongastheyappearasaconstantthroughoutthestory,soforinstanceafullmooncouldbeamotif.Orapaintingcould.Maybetheoceanisthemotif,orevenacolourorsound.Justmakesurethatthemotifispartofthestoryandthereforehelpsdevelopthemainthemeorcharacters.

Asprinklingofthesedifferentliteraryflourishesonlyenhancesandenrichesyournarrative.Somehappenquitenaturallyduringthecourseofwriting,othersneedsomethought,buthoweveryoudoit,theyaddafreshdimensiontothestory,themesandthecharacters.

Nextweek:HowtoavoidbadwritingPOSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSUNDAY, MARCH16, 20142COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST


SA T URDA Y , 8 MA R CH 2 0 1 4

LiterarydevicesImproveyournarrativePart1Whenwetalkaboutliterarydevices,itisreferringtothe

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kindofelementsthatwritersemploytoenrichandimprovethenarrativeinordertogivegreaterdepthandmeaningtoastory.Inotherwords,theyhelpthereaderreadbetweenthelines.

Someliterarydevicesareobviousmetaphor,symbolismorforeshadowing.Butthereareplentyofotherliterarydevicesavailablethatarelesswellknown,andsometimeslesscommonlyused,buttheystillemphasiseandbringstrengthtothenarrativethingslikeassonance,euphony,connotationandallusionetc.

Literarydevicesarenumerous,andwritersdonthavetouseeveryoneinexistenceorusethemoneverypage.Theyonlyneeduseafewdottedthroughoutanoveltoenhancethestoryandgiveitdeepermeaningforthereader.

Ineffect,theyaretheretobenefitthewritingasmuchasthewriterandreader,ifwritersarewillingtousethem.

Mostwritersrarelythinkaboutanythingdeeperthanthebasicstructureandflowofthestory.Howmanyofusconsciouslythinkaboutmetaphororsymbolism?Howmanyofuspondertheassonanceofsentences?Howmanyofusmuseaboutmakinganalogies,orforeshadowing?

Theanswerisnotmany.

Butshouldwe?Thethingforwriterstorememberisthatwritingisntjustaboutstringingastorytogether.Somuchmoreisinvolved.Whilewecantalwaysconsciouslyremembereverythingthereistoknowaboutthecraft,wecantrytorememberasmuchaspossiblewhenitcomestoaddingthoseflourishesateditingstagetogivethestorymoresubstance.

Theyarethere,afterall,theretomakethestorysomuchmorethanjustmerewordsonawhitebackground.Iftheopportunityarisestocreateametaphor,doso.Ifyoucancreateassonance,thendoso.Ifyouhavethechancetoforeshadow,thengoforit.

Theliterarydevicesthatyouwillprobablybefamiliarwithareasfollows:

MetaphorAnalogyForeshadowing



SimileSymbolismCharacterisationAlliteration

Letslookattheminmoredetail.

Almostallwriterswillhaveheardwhatmetaphoris,eveniftheydontalwaysunderstandit.

Metaphorsareagreatwaytoaddcolourfulbrushstrokestothenarrative,waystoengagethereaderbeyondthewordstheyread.Theyareusedbywriterstomakeacomparisonbetweenpeople,things,animals,orplacesandtheyrangefromthesimpletocomplex,butsomefamousexamplesarelifeisaboxofchocolates,alltheworld'sastageandalightintheseaofdarkness.

Eachoneoftheseexampleshasadeepermeaningifyoulookbeyondthesurface.

Analogyisalsoacommondeviceusedbywriters.Theyareusedwhenevertheywanttoshowcomparisonsbetweentwodifferentthingstoshowasimilarity.Forinstance,likeafishoutofwaterisawellknownanalogy.Inotherwords,beinginasituationthatisalienoruncomfortablemakeyouliterallylikeafishoutofwater.

Foreshadowingisafamousliterarydevice,andoneofmyfavouritewaystoshowthereaderthethingsthatmighthappenlaterinthestory.Itsnotjustabouttellingthestoryoutrightitsaboutbringingeverylayerofthestorytolifeforthereader.Foreshadowingasaliterarydeviceisagreatwaytoallowthereadertodigbeneaththedifferentlayersanddiscoverstuffforthemselves.

Thesimplestexampleistheuseofdarkcloudsapproaching.Thiscouldforeshadowbadthingstohappenlaterinthestory.Theuseofaraveniscommonplacedeathalwaysfollows.Orperhapsyoucanuseitindialoguebetweencharacterswhomayhintatsomething.

Simileissimilartometaphor,butworksslightlydifferently,becauseitisafigureofspeechthatcomparestwothingsorpeople,butwhicharenotsimilar.Forinstance,brightasabuttonisafigureofspeech,andwegenerallyunderstanditsmeaningdespitethetwoaspectsbrightandbuttonbeing



completelydissimilar.

Youdonthavetousesimile,butiftheopportunityisthere,thenaddit.

Anotherfavouriteofmineissymbolism.Iusethisalotinmyfiction.Itallowsthewritertohintatcertainthemeswithoutbeingtooobvious,byveilingdeepermeaningsinthenarrativeandmakingthereaderdelvedeeperintothetext.

Writersdothisbyusingcolour,sounds,objects,weatherandsoon.Forinstance,Ifindtheuseofcolourtobequiterevealing,soIusethistosymbolisedifferentthemesinastory,particularlythecoloursredandblack,becauseoftheirassociationswithlife,deathormortality.

Characterisationissomethingeverywriterwillknowallabout.Youprobablythinkcharacterisationdoesntcountasaliterarydevice,butitdoes,becauseitisvitaltoanystory.

Goodcharactersdriveyourstory,somakethemstandout,makethemmemorable,makethemdifferent.Makethereadercareaboutthem.Thebetteryourcharacterisation,thebetterthestoryyoucreate.

Alliterationisagreatliterarydevice,andnotalwaysusedtopotential.Wordsthatstartwiththesamesoundandareusedclosetogetherinaphraseorsentenceisalliteration.Forexample,theskyseemedtosigh,softagainstthebreeze.Thessoundmakesthesentencecomealiveitcreatesimageryforthereader.Orwhataboutclean,coldandclinicalorbeneathbarbedbushes,hewaited...

Theuseofalliterationgivesapoeticfeeltosentences.

Withtheexceptionofcharacterisation,whichisaconstantthroughoutthestory,youcanuseanyofthesedevices,butdontoverloadthenarrative.

Thereare,ofcourse,lessknownliterarydevicesavailabletowriters,andarenotusedasmuch,buttheyreeffectivenonetheless:

EuphonyConnotationAllusionAssonanceMotif



Inpart2welltakeacloserlookattheselessknownliterarydevices,andhowtheycanaffectthenarrativeinapositiveway.

Nextweek:LiterarydevicesImproveyournarrativePart2

POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, MARCH08, 20143COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST


SA T URDA Y , 1 MA R CH 2 0 1 4

HowtoAvoidAuthorIntrusion

Ivewrittenaboutthissubjectinthepast,butIkeepgettingaskedaboutit,soitsworthanothervisit,especiallyifyouarenewtowritingandyouwanttounderstandwhatauthorintrusionis,andmoreimportantly,howtoavoidit.

Newwriters,inparticular,sometimeshaveatendencytointrudethenarrative.Itsnottheirfaultitissometimesdonewithoutrealising,andthatsbecausemanynewwritersarentarmedwithawealthofknowledgeandexperiencetoalwaysknowthesethings.

Thatswherethebeautyofeditingcomesin.Wecanspottheanomaliesandcorrectthem.Notonlythat,butallwritershavedoneitatsomestageintheirwritingcareers,soitisquiteacommonoccurrence.

WhatdoesAuthorialIntrusionmean?

Inbasicterms,authorintrusionhappenswhentheauthorlosessightofthestoryandspeaksdirectlytothereaderthroughthenarrativeorcharacters.Theyinadvertentlyprojecttheirownbeliefs,opinionsorideasintothestory.Inotherwords,anysocial,politicalorreligiousbeliefsshouldcomefromyourcharacters,incontextwiththestory,andnotfromyoudirectly.

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Italsomeansthatsometimesauthorsunintentionallyprojectthemselvesintothenarrative.Theauthorbecomesthestaroftheshow,notthecharacters.Newwritersdothisalotbecausetheonlytruecharactertheyknowisthemselves,ratherthancreatingamultidimensionalcharacterfromscratch.Again,thisisnotuncommon.

HowdoIidentifyit?

Thebestwaytolookforauthorintrusionistofirstfinishwritingyourstory/novelandthenputitasideforawhile,perhapsaweekortwo.Youcanthencomebacktoitwithfresheyesandafreshperspective,andtreatthestorylikeaneditorwould.Youwillsoonnoticeanyunwarrantedintrusion.

Sometimessuchintrusionsaresubtleandnotalwaysovert.Theymayconsistofcertainwordsoraxiomsthatseemoutofplacewithinthecontextofthestory.Inotherwords,theyjustdontfitwithinthestory,andcertainlydontfitwithyourcharacterperhapsbecausetheymaynotbewordsorphrasesyourcharacterwouldeveruse.Learntospotthese.

Othertimes,asmentioned,theauthormightdriftintoautomaticmodeanddescribethethingstheypersonallyenjoy,projectingtheirownlikes,pastimesorhobbiesintothenarrativeandcharacters,wheninfactthemaincharactertheyhavecreatedmayactuallybediametricallyopposite.

Youmightfindyourcharactersgoingonandonaboutaparticularsubjectthroughoutthestorythathasnothingtodowiththeactualstoryorthemes,particularlyinajudgementalway.Thatsintrusionbecauseyouareusingyourcharactersasamouthpieceforyourownpersonalviewpoint.

Heresasimpleexample.Ipersonallyhavenoreligiousbelief.AsanatheistIdonotidentifywithreligionhoweverthatdoesntmeanIdontlikeit.Irespectthosewhodohavebeliefs,becausewearealldifferent.ThatmeansIshouldnothaveeverysinglecharacterthatIcreatebeareligioushaterorsomeonewhoconstantlyrejectsreligion.Wecreatecharacterswithdifferentbeliefsandopinionstoourown,becausetheyshouldbeasindividualasweare.Therefore,ifI



havemycharactersgoingonabouthowmuchtheyarehatereligion,thenIwouldbeguiltyofauthorintrusion.

Authorintrusionmightalsooccurifyourcharacterhasknowledgeheorshewouldntnormallypossessinordinarydaytodaylife(unlessitreallyispartofthecharactersmakeupandtheyjusthappentobesuperhuman,extraordinarypeople).Forinstance,alowlysalesmaninastoryaboutgreedandsuccesswonthaveanencyclopaedicknowledgeofthelatestmilitaryweaponsorwillknowhowtobreakintoahighsecurityfacilityarmedwithonlyasafetypin.

Thatkindofthingshouldstickout.Itmeanstheauthorhasprojectedunrealisticknowledgeandresearchontothecharacterandthereforecompromisedthestructureandcontextofthestory.

Inreallifeweallhavelimitedknowledgeweknowabitaboutalotofthings.Wemaylearnaboutcertainsubjectsthatinterestus,sowegainmoreknowledge.Iknowalotaboutfictionwriting,literature,artandthesciences,butIknownothingaboutcarengines,engineeringorhowtocarryoutheartsurgery.

Beparticularlycarefulinhistoricalfiction.Dontletyourmodernviewscreepintotheerayouarewritingabout.Itjustdoesntfit.

Andonethingwritersshouldneverdoisinterruptthenarrativeandaddressthereaderdirectlywithinthestory.Thiswasonceacceptableinliterature,butoverthelast80years,literaturehaschanged,andthiskindofintrusionisnolongeracceptable.

Learntorecognisetheseanomaliesinyournarrative,huntthemdownandweedthemout.

HowdoIavoidauthorintrusion?

Onethingshouldalwaysbeclearfromtheoutsetwhenwritingyourstoryitbelongstoyourcharacters,notyouasawriter.Thatmeansyourpersonalbeliefs,opinionsorideasshouldneverappear.Forthatreason,writersmustneverusefictionasapersonalsoapboxorcrusadeagainstsomethingtheyopposeordontlike.

Inreallifeyoumaynotlikethewayyourgovernmentis



NewerPosts OlderPosts

runningyourcountry.Youmaynotagreewithwarandconflicthoweveryoumustputasidetheseopinionswhendealingwithyourcharactersandplot.Yourmaincharactershouldnthateoneparticularpoliticalpartybecauseyoudontlikethem,norshouldtheybeapacifistagainstwarwhenitsnotinyourcharactersnatureandtheymighthavetoengageinfightscenesaspartofthestory.

Writersshouldtreatthenarrativeobjectivelyanddispassionately.Yourcharactersopinionsmatter,notyours.Theirbeliefsrelatetothestory,notyours.

Thismightseemstrange,consideringthattheomniscientnarratorwillknoweverythingwithinthestory,butitshouldnotsoundlikethenarratorispreachingasermontothereader.Thenarratorissimplyrelayingthestoryobjectively.

Withexperienceyouwilllearntostandbackfromyourfictionalworldandletyourcharactersspeakforthemselvesandtoformtheirownviewsandopinionsaspartoftheongoingstoryitsanaturalprogression.

Yourfictionalstoryshouldneverbeaboutyourpersonalagendaotherwiseyourstorywillfail.Editorswilleasilyspotitandrejectonthatbasis,becauseitisasignofbadwriting.

Bethoroughwhenyouedityourworkandlearntospotauthorintrusion.

Nextweek:LiterarydevicesImproveyournarrative

POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, MARCH01, 20144COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST


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