all write - fiction advice_ august 2012

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SA T URDA Y , 1 8 A UGUST 2 0 1 2

Create&Captivate

Thewholepurposeofanypieceofwritingistograbyourreadersattentionandmaintainthatattentionallthroughthestory.Itsoundseasy,butitsnotalwayseasytoaccomplish,andthatsbecausethewriterhastosomehowmakethereaderwanttokeepreading.

Maintaininginterestforareaderisafluid,continualprocess.Inordertocaptivate,awritermustcontinuallycreatetoavoidthestoryandthecharactersfrombecomingstale,boringandlacklustre.

Firstandforemost,makesurethestorystartsatitsmostnecessarypointinordertograbtheirattentionfromtheverystart.Onceyouhavedonethat,thenyoucanbuildarounditandmaintainthatmomentumandattention.Thereareseveralwaystocreate,andtherefore,captivate:

CreateconflictCreateobstaclesCreatetensionCreateemotionCreateaction

Thegoldenruleofanyfictionwritingistocreateconflictwithandaroundyourcharacters.Thinkofconflictasthecogsthatdriveyourentirestory.Withoutconflict,thereisntmuchofastoryandifthereisntmuchofastorythen

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Soyou'veembarkedonyourfictionwritingjourney.

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

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itdoesntreallymoveforward.

Reallifeisfullofconflict.Yourcharactersexperiencesshouldbenodifferent.

Theothergoldenruleoffictionwritingistoalwayshaveobstaclesinyourcharacterspath.Theseobstaclesactastensionbufferstheneedtoovercomeanobstacleheightensthetensionandatmosphereandkeepsyourreadergrippedastowhatmighthappen,orhowthecharactermightachievethis.

Again,reallifeisfullofconstant,ordinaryobstacles,forinstance:

1.Youneedtobuyahouse,butdonthavemuchmoney...

2.Youwonaholidayabroad,butyourescaredofflying...

3.Yourwifeisabouttogivebirth,butyourestuckintheworsttrafficjam...

Ordinaryobstaclesrequireextraordinarywaysofgettingoverthem.Andthatswhatkeepsareadergripped.

Placeplentyofbarriersinyourcharacterswaymaketheirliveshard,itwillbeworthit,becausebydoingso,youcreatetensionjustbyhavingyourcharacterstryingtoovercomethoseobstaclesinordertoreachtheirgoal.

Createtensionwheneverpossible.Similartoconflict,thisisanecessaryingredientoffictionwriting.Therecouldbetensionbetweencharacters,oritcouldbeaninnertensionwithinyourmaincharacter.Thereshouldalwaysbetensioninoneformoranotherwithinthestorybecausetheyareprevalentinreallife,andthereforeyourfictionalworldshouldbenodifferent.

Createemotionwithyourcharactersandtheirsituation.Ifyoudont,thenhowwillyourreaderempathisewiththem?Howwilltheywarmtothemorcareaboutthem?And,conversely,howwilltheyhateanddislikeyourvillainouscharacterswithpassion?

Emotionsallowthereadertoidentifyandconnectwithyourcharactersifawritercanemotionallyreachoutandtouchthereaderinsomeway,thentheyhavedonetheirjob.

measure.Iamprivilegedtohaveeightshortstories/poemspublishedinthisbook,soifyoulikeyourdamesalittledarkanddangerous,thisisthebookforyou.

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Writingislikebeingmarriedyouhavetoworkhardatmaintaininghappinessandequilibrium,butinvariablyonealwaysendsupinthedoghouse.

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publishingindustry.I'vepublishedarticles,studyguides,poems,flashfiction,shortstoriesandanovel.IalsoworkfulltimesoI'mALWAYSworking.

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Createactionthisalwaysgripsthereader.Whateverthescene,balancednarrativeshouldalwayshaveasplashofactiontokeepthereadersjuicesflowing.Thisworksespeciallywelliftheactionplacesthecharactersinmortaldangeritmakesitallthemoregripping.

Creatingandcaptivatingareaderisnotaneasytaskitsafinebalanceofmaintainingandsustainingatmosphereandtension,thevariousconflicts,barriers,heightenedemotionsandscintillatingaction,alltodrivethestoryforwardtoitsconclusionandcaptivateyourreader.

Nextweek:CreatingeffectivecharactergoalsPOSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, AUGUST18, 2012NOCOMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST

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SA T URDA Y , 1 1 A UGUST 2 0 1 2

DealingwithSingleCharacterScenesTherearemanythingsthatmakeawriterstumbleduringwriting,whetherthatsplotdevelopment,characterisation,viewpointsetc,butacommonstumblingblockishowtodealwithsinglecharacterscenes.

Mostscenesinastorywillinvolvetwoormorecharacters,whichdoesntpresentaproblembecausetherewillalwaysbeaction,dialogueanddescriptionforthesecharacterstofillyourpages.Butwhatifyouhaveascene,anentirechapter,oranentirestorywithjustonecharacterandnodialogue?

Howdoyouwritesuchsceneswithoutbeingboringorrepetitive?Howcanyouwritethemandstillstimulateyourreader?

Itsoundsdaunting,butwithpractiseitcomeseasily,andisntasmuchasastumblingblockasperceived.Inorderforsinglecharacterscenestobeeffectiveandinteresting,youmusthaveafullydevelopedcharacterthatyouknowextremelywell.Ifyoudont,thepremiseofsinglecharacterscenesbecomesproblematic,becauseyouwontbeabletowritewiththemsothoroughlyand

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effectively.

Youneedthisrelationshipwithyourcharacterbecauseascenethatispurelyyourcharacterandhisorherthoughts(nodialogue,remember),needsthatsymbiosisitissomeonewhosethoughtsandactionsareingrainedwithyouandshould,therefore,comeeasily.

Ifyourcharacterisntwelldevelopedandyouhardlyknowthecharacter,thosesinglecharactersceneswontreallywork.

Moststoriesandnovelswillhavesomesinglecharacterscenesatsomepoint.Itmaybetheprotagonistalonesomewherewithonlyhisorherownthoughtsforcompany.Perhapstheyaretrapped,ortheyaresimplymusingonwhathashappened.Maybethecharacterisstuckinatrafficjamoryouheorsheisaboardaplaneandyouwanttofocusthescenesolelyonthecharacterandnothingelse.Perhapsthecharacterisrememberingsomethingamemoryorsignificanteventinthepast.

Theideawiththesescenesisideallytoslowthepaceofstoryandallowboththecharacterandthereadertodigestthestory,andtoimpartnecessaryinformation.

TherearemanywriterswhohavedonethistogreateffectDavidMorrellsFirstBloodorStephenKingsMisery,forexample.

Thereareanumberofdeviceswriterscanuseforinteresting,effectivesinglecharacterscenes:

InteriormonologueActionDescriptionFlashback

Interiormonologueisusefulfromtimetotime.Itallowsthewritertoentertheircharactersmindtorevealinformationtothereaderthatothercharactersinthestorywontbeprivy.Italsoallowsthereadertogetintothecharactersmindtosharetheirthoughts.Youcanshowhowyourcharacterisreallyfeelingaboutsomething,whattheyreallythinkofsomethingorsomeone.Youcanalsoenhancethecharactersinternalconflictusinginteriorthoughts.

Ofcourse,theartofinteriormonologuetothisistokeepit

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fairlyshort,butalsotomakeitinterestingforthereadersotheydontbecomebored,becauseinrealitytheydontwanttobeconfrontedwithgreatchunksofnarrativewithoutahintofdialogueinsight.

Action,ontheotherhand,istheonethingeverycharacterwilldo.Acharacterisalwaysdoingsomething,eveniftheyaresimplysittingstill,becausetheywillrubtheireyes,fiddlewiththeirhair,massagetheirtemples,wipesweatfromtheirbrow,playwithapieceofjewellery...thelistisendless.

Ifthecharacterisaloneandtryingtoescapefromsomewhere,thenthepotentialforactioniselevated,plusitgivesthewriterthechancetoextendsomeconflictwiththecharacterinnerconflictandperhapsexternalconflictsuchasthesurroundsornature.

TheexceptbelowisfromashortstoryTheOldManSlumbers,andisalmostentirelyonecharacterandhasverylittledialogue,soitmakesuseofactiontokeepthereadersinterestandmovethestoryforward:

Hisshallowbreathsechoedaroundthecavern.Helaytherelisteningtohislifebreezinginandoutofhislungs,chestfizzling,constrictedbythecold.

Hepulledoffhisgloves,reachedintohisjacketpocketanddrewoutahalfsquashedchocolatebar.Trembling,discolouredfingertipsstruggledwiththewrapperscrambledbrainsignalsstutteredtofingersfingersstutteredtowrapperhecouldntopenit.Frustrationsimmeredcloseandhecursedloudly,triedagain.Thenagain.Andagain.Finally,hemanagedtosplitthepacketonthesixthattemptandheategreedily,thesatisfyingnoiseofmasticationfillingthehollowchamber,somehowcomfortingtohear.Herestedback,thetasteandtextureofthemulchedchocolatesweetonhislipsthevelvetysensationfeltlikethepostcoitaldescentfromeuphoria.

StephenKingisaneffectiveexponentatthis,asarethelikesofTomClancyandRobertLudlam.

Besidesaction,awritercanalwaysrelyondescriptionbetweenactionscenestohelpbolstersinglecharacterscenarios,aslongasthereisnttoomuchdescriptioninlargechunks,butrathersmaller,digestibleamounts,and

DealingwithSingleCharacterScenes

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thedescriptioniswellwrittensothatitcarriesthestoryforward.

Theotherwaytowritesinglecharactersceneseffectivelyistousetheflashbacktechnique.Thisallowsthecharactertorevisitpasteventsandalsoallowsawritertoexplorethecharactersmotivationsthekindofthingsthatinfluencethecharacterinthepresent.Flashbacksalsoacttoslowthepaceandallowthereader(andcharacter)toreflect.

Andofcourse,thereisnoruletosayyoucantuseallfourdevicesinyoursinglecharacterscene,dependinghowlongthesceneorchapterorstoryis,andhowwellyouwriteit.Manywritersdojustthat,butthemostimportantthingistoknowyourcharacterinsideout.

Writingsinglecharacterscenesarenttheballachethatwriterspresumethemtobe,andcertainlynotsowhenthereareinteriorthoughts,action,descriptionandflashbackstohelp.

Nextweek:CreateandCaptivatePOSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, AUGUST11, 20122COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST

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SA T URDA Y , 4 A UGUST 2 0 1 2

MaintainingViewpointBalanceOneofthequestionswritersoftenaskishowmuchoftheircharacter'spointofviewshouldbeapparentwithinthenarrative.Afterall,thestoryshouldbefromtheprotagonistsviewpoint,andthemajorityofthescenesshouldconcentrateonyourmaincharacter.

Ofcoursetherewillbescenesorchaptersfromothercharacterviewpoints,andtheseareabsolutelyfine,butoneoftheproblemsthatcanoccuristhatasecondarycharactergraduallyovershadowsthemaincharacter.Thissometimeshappensnaturallythroughthewritingprocessbecausefirstandseconddraftsareusuallythebarebonesofanovelandthewriteris,therefore,findingtheirwaywithit.

Chapter&NovelLengthsJusthowlongshouldachapterbe?

Whatsthebestlength?Anddoesanovelhavetofitintoasetamountofwords?Thesearejusttwoo...

FlashbacksWhatisaflashback?Flashbackis

oneofthoseusefultoolsthatawritercanusetoenhanceastory.Itenrichesand,inasense,nourish...

SubplotsImoftenaskedbynewwriters

howsubplotsshouldevolve.Somewritersfindsubplotsdifficulttogettogripswhileothersareputofftry...

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Theotherproblemisthatviewpointsarenotalwaysclearduringachapter.Isittheleadcharacterschapter,orthesecondarycharacterschapter?Or,assometimeshappens,isitamixofallthecharacters?

Theotherproblemisthatsometimesthisimbalanceisntalwayspickedupbywriters,whichmeansthemanuscriptthenlandsinfrontofaneditorwhoimmediatelypicksuponitwhentheyreaditbecauseitisclearthatthewriterhasntmadeclearwhosestoryitis.

Thestoryalwaysbelongstothemaincharacter.

TheeasiestwaytofindoutifthereisanimbalancebetweencharacterviewpointsistoreadthroughthefinishedMSSandthenapplysomebasicmaths.Readthrougheachchapterandmaleanotewhosechapteritis.

Fromthisinformationyoucanaskthefollowingquestions:

1.Howmanychaptersareledbytheprotagonist?2.Howmanychaptersareledbysecondary

characters?3.Howmanychaptershavenoclearviewpoint?

Taketheresultsofhowmanychaptersbelongtowhichcharactersandconvertthemintopercentages.Itshouldbeobviousfromtheseresultsjusthowthechaptersbalance.

Themaincharactershouldalwayshavethemostdedicatedchapters.Therestofthechaptersshouldbesharedbetweentheremainingcharacters.

A60%/40%balanceisnottoobad,i.e.60%ofthechaptersareledbythemaincharacterand40%ofthechaptersfocusonthesecondarycharacters.

A70%/30%ismuchbetter.Itmeansthewriterhasfocusedmostofthechaptersandscenesonwhatthemaincharacterisdoing.Theremainingchaptersarespreadbetweensecondaryandperipheralcharacters.

Forasimpleexample,anovelhas30chaptersandfourimportantcharactersProtagonist,Antagonist,SecondaryCharacterandPeripheralCharacter.

Thebookhasthefollowingchapterbreakdown:

PA GE VIEWS LA S T MONT H

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14chaptersareabouttheProtagonist

9chaptersareabouttheAntagonist

5chaptersinvolvetheSecondarycharacter

2chaptersinvolvethePeripheralcharacter

Thiskindofbreakdownoffersasimplevisualsoyoucanactuallyseewhichchaptersaredevotedtowhichcharactersandhowmuchofthestoryshiftsfromonecharactertoanother.

Whenconvertedtoapercentage,itisclearthatalmost47%ofthebookisfocusedonthemaincharacter.30%concentratesontheantagonist,whilejustover16%isaboutthesecondarycharacterandjustover6%isabouttheperipheralcharacter.

Thisexample,whilefairlybalanced,wouldbenefitfromsomeimprovementtoincreasethechaptercoveragesothatmorethanhalfisaboutthemaincharacter.Remember,thestorymustalwaysbelongtothecharacterthereforemostofthestoryshouldbeabouthimorher.

Thisbreakdownmethodisasimple,easyandvaluablewaytofigureoutjusthowbalancedyourcharacterviewpointsare.Readanypopularfictionbooksandthevastmajoritywillhaveamaincharacterpercentagethathitsaround65%70%.

Yourmaincharactershouldalwaysbeattheforefrontofthestory,sobyusingthismeasurementyoucanchecktheproportionofcharacterviewpointstoseeifyourmaincharacteristhefocus,orwhetherheorsheiswallowingbeneathothercharacterswhohavetakenovermostofthechapters,orwhetherminorcharactersappeartoofrequentlythanisnecessaryetc.Youcanthencorrectthemandbringbackasenseofbalancepriortosubmittingyourmasterpiecetocompetitions,agentsandeditors.

Nextweek:Dealingwithsinglecharacterscenes.

POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, AUGUST04, 2012NOCOMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST

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