Jenny is confused by pace has she too much or too little? Katie wants to know how to sustain it. Mary Jon asks how to judge the balancing of pace?
Why is pace so important in commercial fiction? If you think page turnability instead, it makes it clear why it is. Without it the reader is more likely to give up. Without it you are unlikely to sell it in the first place.
What is pace? Pace is the engine of the book. It keeps us moving forward, it keeps us reading.
However, beware - too often pace is misunderstood and is regarded as a need for excitement, drama, cliff hangers, big events. The chapters are littered with hooks. Pace can be all of these things – in the right place, time and amount. If not treated with respect, if not controlled, then the opposite could happen and this pace will be killed off.
How? Overuse and exaggeration of pace reminds me of many of the singers on the X Factor – they belt out the songs, the louder they sing, the more noise they make the better they think they sound. We all know that is not the case.
The Engine.
Lets go back to my analogy of the engine. Humming away in the background, giving the book life and movement but unnoticed –that is pace. It is there all the time. It’s like the beating of your heart – rhythmic, stable, constant.
Suddenly the engine is revved up, just as hearts beat faster. As dramatic moments, thrills, dangers are added making us sit up, making us read.
And then the engine slows, a calmness is created. And what does that do? It highlights the drama you have just allowed to unfold, it does not diminish it.
Those singers need variation in their songs. We need variation in our writing. If there is too much drama or too much calmness then the work has a sameness to it which is the antithesis of pace.
Barbara Cartland.
Barbara Cartland is the mistress of pace. She wrote short, snappy paragraphs often of a couple of lines, which makes them easy to read, she uses hooks everywhere. There is pace in her books by the bucket load and she gets away with it.
So why can she but I advise that you don’t?
Because her books are short. If that form were used in a long book of over 100,000 words the reader would become exhausted by the relentless excitement, you would tire of it. .
I call this boom-boom pace.
Plot.
So often the most important tool of pace you have in your armoury is overlooked and that is the story itself.
A good strong plot with good strong characters which grasps the interest, holds it, leaves the reader asking for more. It is so obvious but perhaps that is why it is neglected.
Katie to sustain pace – a well structured story. Jenny a constraint on boom-boom isn’t a bad thing. And Mary Jon – you know, I think that the problems here are mainly because you are all worrying far too much. There is only one voice that will tell you honestly – dear old Inner Voice. And you can help IV by reading out loud, that will soon show up the bits that are dragging.
Once again this is a huge subject so we’ll do more next week when we look at what adds pace and what detracts.
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Characterisation Part Two
Reasons for actions.
Pause for a moment and see if you can think of anything you do without a reason for doing it?
From doing a 5 mile run in the morning or not doing it.
From shopping at Tesco rather than Waitrose.
Of choosing a blue jumper over a yellow one.
Of not answering the phone or rushing to do so.
With the little things you are not necessarily conscious of why you do something, but there’s always a reason.
Right down to why you scratched - because you had an itch.
And so it is with fictional characters but more so. Everything your character does in the tale you have given them is for a reason; you don’t waste time and words on actions that have no relevance or reason to the plot, to the character you have created. For example, you might answer the phone and it’s a wrong number - but characters in books don’t. Unless the wrong number has a significance, then it becomes relevant.
Drinking tea, coffee, gin. Often characters in books do a lot of tea consuming. Fine, people do. But we don’t simply want the information they are having a cup of tea but rather why are they? What use is it? What information does it give us other than they are thirsty? No, we need to know the reason they have stopped, they are not allowed to simply enjoy the tea but we use it, perhaps for them to be thinking, and thus give us information.
Making Characters Real.
People in books, no matter how realistic we kid ourselves they are, are not real. They are amalgams, they are fictional. If you wrote a real person exactly as they are it is doubtful that they would appear at all “real” and probably they would be immeasurably boring. So, what do we do, we exaggerate them. You don’t need to go as far as Dickens did, but at the same time, these fictional people truly are larger than life. The danger is to make them into caricatures, or clichés - so we need to keep a watch on ourselves that we are not doing that.
Also we avoid the risk of making them too similar so that the reader becomes confused as to who is who? How? I give them little tics so one is differentiated from another - fiddling with hair, whistling, nervous cough etc.
Emotional Intensity.
Something else to think about - often these characters we create lead lives of such emotional intensity that it is unlikely that a real person could sustain the pressure without being hospitalised. To maintain the pace we hurl incidents at them at an alarming rate. To get it all in within the confines of the size of the book - drama, emotional crises, tragedy or happy incidents will follow in quick succession. (Another thought, aren’t we clever to do it and yet have the reader unaware of the artificiality that it is? Time for a mutual pat on our backs.)
Handsome? Ugly?
There is always the danger that you know these people so well that you forget the reader doesn’t. We need to know what they look like, and in that we don’t mean just the colour of their hair and eyes. We need to know their size, the shape of their face, how they walk, how they sit, the sound of their voice, their laugh . . . a myriad things. Please don’t fall into the trap of a clichéd appearance – the feisty girl with red hair and green eyes; the dumb blonde. You can do better than that.
Flaws.
Are you perfect?
Do you admit to certain flaws?
And so it is with fictional characters.
Why do we give our characters flaws.
Because without them they would not be real.
Without them you risk them being boring.
With flaws you give motivation to a character perhaps the desire to overcome them. Or from their reaction to these flaws you give substance and motivation to other characters you are writing.
You write a bad person and you grab the interest of the reader for their flaws alone.
Even if you have a perfect person, for e.g a nun,
This nun is saintly but how much more appealing she will be if she has a little flaw - perhaps an addiction for jelly babies.
But you could also have an apparently saintly nun whose flaw is for gossip, or envy and again she becomes far more interesting.
You can use the big flaws to your advantage too.
For it will give you a greater understanding of the person.
Why is a woman promiscuous.
Why has another had an affair.
Why is someone an alcoholic.
Problems and the solving of them will be affected by the flaws you choose to give a character.
One who worries is going to have a bigger problem dealing with bankruptcy rather than the one who never worries about anything. The jealous woman is going to be more suspicious of her man returning late than one who does not know what jealousy is.
Dealing with conflict aided or hindered by character flaws will add to the conflict and thus the pace.
Pause for a moment and see if you can think of anything you do without a reason for doing it?
From doing a 5 mile run in the morning or not doing it.
From shopping at Tesco rather than Waitrose.
Of choosing a blue jumper over a yellow one.
Of not answering the phone or rushing to do so.
With the little things you are not necessarily conscious of why you do something, but there’s always a reason.
Right down to why you scratched - because you had an itch.
And so it is with fictional characters but more so. Everything your character does in the tale you have given them is for a reason; you don’t waste time and words on actions that have no relevance or reason to the plot, to the character you have created. For example, you might answer the phone and it’s a wrong number - but characters in books don’t. Unless the wrong number has a significance, then it becomes relevant.
Drinking tea, coffee, gin. Often characters in books do a lot of tea consuming. Fine, people do. But we don’t simply want the information they are having a cup of tea but rather why are they? What use is it? What information does it give us other than they are thirsty? No, we need to know the reason they have stopped, they are not allowed to simply enjoy the tea but we use it, perhaps for them to be thinking, and thus give us information.
Making Characters Real.
People in books, no matter how realistic we kid ourselves they are, are not real. They are amalgams, they are fictional. If you wrote a real person exactly as they are it is doubtful that they would appear at all “real” and probably they would be immeasurably boring. So, what do we do, we exaggerate them. You don’t need to go as far as Dickens did, but at the same time, these fictional people truly are larger than life. The danger is to make them into caricatures, or clichés - so we need to keep a watch on ourselves that we are not doing that.
Also we avoid the risk of making them too similar so that the reader becomes confused as to who is who? How? I give them little tics so one is differentiated from another - fiddling with hair, whistling, nervous cough etc.
Emotional Intensity.
Something else to think about - often these characters we create lead lives of such emotional intensity that it is unlikely that a real person could sustain the pressure without being hospitalised. To maintain the pace we hurl incidents at them at an alarming rate. To get it all in within the confines of the size of the book - drama, emotional crises, tragedy or happy incidents will follow in quick succession. (Another thought, aren’t we clever to do it and yet have the reader unaware of the artificiality that it is? Time for a mutual pat on our backs.)
Handsome? Ugly?
There is always the danger that you know these people so well that you forget the reader doesn’t. We need to know what they look like, and in that we don’t mean just the colour of their hair and eyes. We need to know their size, the shape of their face, how they walk, how they sit, the sound of their voice, their laugh . . . a myriad things. Please don’t fall into the trap of a clichéd appearance – the feisty girl with red hair and green eyes; the dumb blonde. You can do better than that.
Flaws.
Are you perfect?
Do you admit to certain flaws?
And so it is with fictional characters.
Why do we give our characters flaws.
Because without them they would not be real.
Without them you risk them being boring.
With flaws you give motivation to a character perhaps the desire to overcome them. Or from their reaction to these flaws you give substance and motivation to other characters you are writing.
You write a bad person and you grab the interest of the reader for their flaws alone.
Even if you have a perfect person, for e.g a nun,
This nun is saintly but how much more appealing she will be if she has a little flaw - perhaps an addiction for jelly babies.
But you could also have an apparently saintly nun whose flaw is for gossip, or envy and again she becomes far more interesting.
You can use the big flaws to your advantage too.
For it will give you a greater understanding of the person.
Why is a woman promiscuous.
Why has another had an affair.
Why is someone an alcoholic.
Problems and the solving of them will be affected by the flaws you choose to give a character.
One who worries is going to have a bigger problem dealing with bankruptcy rather than the one who never worries about anything. The jealous woman is going to be more suspicious of her man returning late than one who does not know what jealousy is.
Dealing with conflict aided or hindered by character flaws will add to the conflict and thus the pace.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Error
This latest blog did a bid for freedom before I had finished editing it. There will be errors and especially spelling mistakes since I am dyslexic - like so many writers are.
I wanted to add that I would appreciate some comments since there are times I feel I'm writing in a vacuum and no one is reading it, therefore, what is the point of posting?
I wanted to add that I would appreciate some comments since there are times I feel I'm writing in a vacuum and no one is reading it, therefore, what is the point of posting?
Characterisation Part One.
Characterization is one of those giant aspects of writing that need a couple of weeks to look at so this is the beginning.
Characters are of great importance in general market fiction. Why? Because so many of our novels are character led rather than plot led.
We want our readers to care about our main characters. (It might be a good idea to point out that caring need not simply mean liking for it can also mean concern, worry, or even hoping they get their just deserts – the prime example being Scarlet O’Hara.) Bad or good, it helps if you like them.
As I’ve told you, having decided on a theme I hang around hoping an interesting character will appear. Then when one arrives in my imagination I spend a lot of time thinking about them and making notes. It’s wise to do this since I am going to spend a lot of time with them and so it has to be someone I’m interested in. One that I can empathise with. If they are boring the book won’t get finished since who can write when they are bored? And who would buy a book with such a person as a lead character?
The more time you spend on these important characters will repay you, for, the more you know about them the more rounded they become and the danger of a one dimensional character is lessened.
I write a history of such a person: what has happened in their life so far - their schools, their home life, what illnesses they had etc.
What sort of childhood did they have for how your character interacts with others will be influenced by their upbringing. A happy child is more likely go become a confident adult, an abused child could become aggressive, defensive. On the other hand, you can turn these probables on their head and write the character as triumphing over a lousy beginning .
You might use this information, you may not, but it will have served its purpose, YOU know them inside out, you know what they will do, how they will react, how they will behave.
Names. Look at the trouble new parents go to when naming their baby. They make lists, they ask advice, they argue/. I hope we agree that names are important. Names should fit the character. Naming a fictional character can be as difficult as that new baby. Watch out for:
1. Fashions in names change. The names Alice, Hannah, Grace, unused for years
are now back. So a heroine in the 60s is unlikely to e called Grace.
2. If writing an historical it is important to check the name existed. The
prime example is Wendy which was made up by J M Barrie so you can’t have a
Victorian or Tudor Wendy.
3. Be careful not to give similar names – Mary & Marjory. Ken & Keith. I’d go
as far as to say using names of primary characters with the same letter can
confuse too.
4 . Beware of exotic names and those which are difficult to
say, for the reader will stumble and, worse, the reader
can get irritated and give up.
5 Remember you can indicate class by the name you
choose. Would a working class family have a Peregrine
robably not but an upper class one would. And a duke
is unlikely to call his daughter Charlene . . . I’ve had
people say how ridiculous, how snobby – of course it is
but it doesn’t alter that it’s true.
6. The sound of a name can be useful. Short, one syllable,
names can indicate a strong masculine feel, Matt, Rex, Pete. But
Matthew or Peter, have a softer feel to them. For heroines a soft sound is
a good idea.
7. Surnames. A surname, ideally should go with the Christian name smoothly so
the reader doesn’t stumble. The National Trust have a great site showing
the common geographical position of names. Google surname and
bewildering lists come up.
There is nothing worse than realising well into your novel and deciding a name is wrong and then to have to find one and none sound right. It’s a good idea to keep names that attract you noted down, with suitable surnames. Then the easiest thing is to check in your book and there’s one waiting for you.
To be continued . . .
Characters are of great importance in general market fiction. Why? Because so many of our novels are character led rather than plot led.
We want our readers to care about our main characters. (It might be a good idea to point out that caring need not simply mean liking for it can also mean concern, worry, or even hoping they get their just deserts – the prime example being Scarlet O’Hara.) Bad or good, it helps if you like them.
As I’ve told you, having decided on a theme I hang around hoping an interesting character will appear. Then when one arrives in my imagination I spend a lot of time thinking about them and making notes. It’s wise to do this since I am going to spend a lot of time with them and so it has to be someone I’m interested in. One that I can empathise with. If they are boring the book won’t get finished since who can write when they are bored? And who would buy a book with such a person as a lead character?
The more time you spend on these important characters will repay you, for, the more you know about them the more rounded they become and the danger of a one dimensional character is lessened.
I write a history of such a person: what has happened in their life so far - their schools, their home life, what illnesses they had etc.
What sort of childhood did they have for how your character interacts with others will be influenced by their upbringing. A happy child is more likely go become a confident adult, an abused child could become aggressive, defensive. On the other hand, you can turn these probables on their head and write the character as triumphing over a lousy beginning .
You might use this information, you may not, but it will have served its purpose, YOU know them inside out, you know what they will do, how they will react, how they will behave.
Names. Look at the trouble new parents go to when naming their baby. They make lists, they ask advice, they argue/. I hope we agree that names are important. Names should fit the character. Naming a fictional character can be as difficult as that new baby. Watch out for:
1. Fashions in names change. The names Alice, Hannah, Grace, unused for years
are now back. So a heroine in the 60s is unlikely to e called Grace.
2. If writing an historical it is important to check the name existed. The
prime example is Wendy which was made up by J M Barrie so you can’t have a
Victorian or Tudor Wendy.
3. Be careful not to give similar names – Mary & Marjory. Ken & Keith. I’d go
as far as to say using names of primary characters with the same letter can
confuse too.
4 . Beware of exotic names and those which are difficult to
say, for the reader will stumble and, worse, the reader
can get irritated and give up.
5 Remember you can indicate class by the name you
choose. Would a working class family have a Peregrine
robably not but an upper class one would. And a duke
is unlikely to call his daughter Charlene . . . I’ve had
people say how ridiculous, how snobby – of course it is
but it doesn’t alter that it’s true.
6. The sound of a name can be useful. Short, one syllable,
names can indicate a strong masculine feel, Matt, Rex, Pete. But
Matthew or Peter, have a softer feel to them. For heroines a soft sound is
a good idea.
7. Surnames. A surname, ideally should go with the Christian name smoothly so
the reader doesn’t stumble. The National Trust have a great site showing
the common geographical position of names. Google surname and
bewildering lists come up.
There is nothing worse than realising well into your novel and deciding a name is wrong and then to have to find one and none sound right. It’s a good idea to keep names that attract you noted down, with suitable surnames. Then the easiest thing is to check in your book and there’s one waiting for you.
To be continued . . .
Monday, 23 November 2009
Viewpoint VP.
This is longer than usual because it is such a huge subject. We did touch on it back in August but the ABG members asked for more, so here it is.
Some people don’t understand VP. Others didn’t know it existed. Others think it unimportant. Some are afraid of it. And the lucky few just do it without thinking.
So, what’s on offer? Omniscient, is archaic and rare. It gives only the narrators POV. It can alienate the reader for there is a great risk of the voice that emerges being too authorial. However there are advantages in that there are no barriers to what is going on in other’s heads.
.
There is currently one which is fashionable - Deep 3rd which I don’t understand so I’m ignoring it – well it’s my blog! But in any case I think the conventional ones are sufficient for us.
So, we have: 1st person single. 3rd person single. 3rd person multiple to chose from.
Without doubt, choosing who is to have a viewpoint in your novel is critical.
If you want to write a single VP is it going to be written in 3rd person or is it in 1st person? It’s important to consider if they can carry a whole book – for this character has to be big enough, interesting enough, empathetic enough to sustain interest through a whole novel.
If you decide you would be better off with another VP joining – who is it to be?
The same with multiple VPs, which ones? Ask yourself how am I to arrange them, how am I going to control them?
The first thing I advise you to do is to sit down and think WHY have I chosen this particular one or two or three? Make a list - if you’re like me lists always help.
Why do I think single will be better?
Why 3rd person?
Why am I afraid of single VP?
Why multiple VPs?
What seemed like a good idea might not be so and by working through you will have saved yourself a lot of bother and work and, if you decide to change half way through, a lot of complications.
1st PERSON NARRATIVE.
Some think this is the easiest when it is one of the hardest.
DISADVABTAGES.
It is one person, who holds the story together, that person has to be strong and interesting to sustain the reader’s interest.
Remember, it is one person’s POV. Therefore, nothing can happen in your book without that person being present.
There is a big risk that the writer becomes the narrator instead of the character.
ADVANTAGES.
One can get to know this person in depth.
There is no difficulty in introducing thought processes.
Some writers worry that the ‘I’ will dominate the page when in fact they don’t.
3rd PERSON SINGLE NARRATIVE.
We have almost the same disadvantages as 1st – however with the use of 3rd then there is less risk of the author becoming the narrator.
And the same advantages exist.
MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS.
This is the most popular for a very long novel. By using several characters and their VP you are spreading the load. You are noT reliant on one person to tell your story.
But a word of warning. If you have too many “heads” you can make things too complicated, not only for yourself in controlling and balancing them, but too many differing VPs and the reader has problems identifying who is who.
What do I mean by getting the balance right? With multiples it is very easy to favour one of the characters so that the second, or third, shrinks into insignificance, so we wonder why they have such an important role?
Another thing that can happen is that you find you like writing one more than another and, when this happens, the consistency of your writing can suffer – for the simple reason you want to get back to the one you like the most.
If you feel like this then your reader will too and there’s the risk they will skim the parts of the least favoured characters.
If this happens you would be wise to ask why you have so many, and perhaps to drop one.
ADVANTAGES.
You are not restricted to how many. 2,3, 4 are common. (I’d advise no more than four, it needs a practised hand to deal with a crowd.)
With several characters VP they can play off each other.
It helps hugely with character development since they can tell us their opinion of others.
The book can move into other places, your venues are not restricted .
Multiples add interest.
By spreading the load – the risk that your character isn’t really up to being a VP is lessened.
DISADVATAGES.
As I’ve said the risk of favouring.
Too many making for confusion.
Choosing the wrong VPs.
Not making them different enough.
There is a greater risk of switching heads in the same scene.
OVERALL DANGERS.
1. Keeping to the POV chosen.
2. Switching VPs in the same scene.
3. Changing the main VP during the novel.
4. Not understanding that the VP is the characters and not the writer’s.
TIP.
If undecided what to do then take the first few paragraphs of work in progress and switch the VPs you have available and see how it reads and how it affects the characterization, the mood, the sense of the novel.
Some people don’t understand VP. Others didn’t know it existed. Others think it unimportant. Some are afraid of it. And the lucky few just do it without thinking.
So, what’s on offer? Omniscient, is archaic and rare. It gives only the narrators POV. It can alienate the reader for there is a great risk of the voice that emerges being too authorial. However there are advantages in that there are no barriers to what is going on in other’s heads.
.
There is currently one which is fashionable - Deep 3rd which I don’t understand so I’m ignoring it – well it’s my blog! But in any case I think the conventional ones are sufficient for us.
So, we have: 1st person single. 3rd person single. 3rd person multiple to chose from.
Without doubt, choosing who is to have a viewpoint in your novel is critical.
If you want to write a single VP is it going to be written in 3rd person or is it in 1st person? It’s important to consider if they can carry a whole book – for this character has to be big enough, interesting enough, empathetic enough to sustain interest through a whole novel.
If you decide you would be better off with another VP joining – who is it to be?
The same with multiple VPs, which ones? Ask yourself how am I to arrange them, how am I going to control them?
The first thing I advise you to do is to sit down and think WHY have I chosen this particular one or two or three? Make a list - if you’re like me lists always help.
Why do I think single will be better?
Why 3rd person?
Why am I afraid of single VP?
Why multiple VPs?
What seemed like a good idea might not be so and by working through you will have saved yourself a lot of bother and work and, if you decide to change half way through, a lot of complications.
1st PERSON NARRATIVE.
Some think this is the easiest when it is one of the hardest.
DISADVABTAGES.
It is one person, who holds the story together, that person has to be strong and interesting to sustain the reader’s interest.
Remember, it is one person’s POV. Therefore, nothing can happen in your book without that person being present.
There is a big risk that the writer becomes the narrator instead of the character.
ADVANTAGES.
One can get to know this person in depth.
There is no difficulty in introducing thought processes.
Some writers worry that the ‘I’ will dominate the page when in fact they don’t.
3rd PERSON SINGLE NARRATIVE.
We have almost the same disadvantages as 1st – however with the use of 3rd then there is less risk of the author becoming the narrator.
And the same advantages exist.
MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS.
This is the most popular for a very long novel. By using several characters and their VP you are spreading the load. You are noT reliant on one person to tell your story.
But a word of warning. If you have too many “heads” you can make things too complicated, not only for yourself in controlling and balancing them, but too many differing VPs and the reader has problems identifying who is who.
What do I mean by getting the balance right? With multiples it is very easy to favour one of the characters so that the second, or third, shrinks into insignificance, so we wonder why they have such an important role?
Another thing that can happen is that you find you like writing one more than another and, when this happens, the consistency of your writing can suffer – for the simple reason you want to get back to the one you like the most.
If you feel like this then your reader will too and there’s the risk they will skim the parts of the least favoured characters.
If this happens you would be wise to ask why you have so many, and perhaps to drop one.
ADVANTAGES.
You are not restricted to how many. 2,3, 4 are common. (I’d advise no more than four, it needs a practised hand to deal with a crowd.)
With several characters VP they can play off each other.
It helps hugely with character development since they can tell us their opinion of others.
The book can move into other places, your venues are not restricted .
Multiples add interest.
By spreading the load – the risk that your character isn’t really up to being a VP is lessened.
DISADVATAGES.
As I’ve said the risk of favouring.
Too many making for confusion.
Choosing the wrong VPs.
Not making them different enough.
There is a greater risk of switching heads in the same scene.
OVERALL DANGERS.
1. Keeping to the POV chosen.
2. Switching VPs in the same scene.
3. Changing the main VP during the novel.
4. Not understanding that the VP is the characters and not the writer’s.
TIP.
If undecided what to do then take the first few paragraphs of work in progress and switch the VPs you have available and see how it reads and how it affects the characterization, the mood, the sense of the novel.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Scene Setting
I’m a bit late and hurried today – we were taken out for a super lunch by my son and his wife. It was such a happy day. In consequance I’ve probably forgotten something important!
So, what next? You’ve decided who you want to write about and probably where they are. The setting. We touched on this back in August but I think we should look at it in greater depth because for me, scene setting is critical and can too easily be overlooked. Sometimes too much is left to the readers imagination. If you tell them where your characters are, they will still use their own imagination but you have given them the bases to build on.
Without scene setting then everyone you creat is left in limbo. By describing where they are anchors the characters; it acts like a compass for your readers; it allows them to acclimatise to the world you have created; It indicates mood. It is a tool for giving masses of information in the easiest way. And in any case it can be fun.
Lets look at those points in more depth.
Anchor/compass. If something is about to happen in your plot then where everyone is can be relevant. We’ve all been in environments where we feel secure, happy – and it will be the setting we are in which helps us feel that way. So in fiction. On the other hand you can be in a place which makes you uncomfortable, afraid – so in your book. The atmosphere you are creating with the scene setting gives pointers to the reader, which they will probably not be aware of but they are all the same.
Mood. Where they are can affect the mood, the situation, the outcome for your characters. A wood – it can be a place of peace and beauty which makes them feel happy but it can also be a creepy place. A storm – it can be dangerous, and yet it can clear the air. A sunset – happiness or sadness. Don’t forget the seasons. We all feel different at different times of the year, so use it.
Information. Where people live, where they choose to be, eat, dream can tell us much about them. The decor in a house, the furniture, the colours they use, the fabrics they have, the books they own, the paintings on the wall will give so much information as to what sort of people they are. Tidy or untidy, rich or poor, the class they are, their state of mind even. You can tell your reader so much in a concise way.
Fun. In my Sarson Magna books I created a whole village, that was enormous fun. I love old houses and there is nearly always one in my books which, invariably, I describe in depth. Houses are important to me and frequently to my characters too and so sometimes the house is virtually a character also so it is a combination with scene setting.
Tip. If a house or garden or village is important in my book then I always draw a plan so that as they move about the building there is a consistency – so, if they turn left by the front door they end up in the right room! It’s important since if you don’t notice, I can assure you one of your readers surely will.
I also make a note of what furniture is in different rooms and also the position, what pictures, minute detail. If you make a mistake and put the Stubbs in a different room then you lose credibility
And don’t forget to put a line space when changing scenes.
So, what next? You’ve decided who you want to write about and probably where they are. The setting. We touched on this back in August but I think we should look at it in greater depth because for me, scene setting is critical and can too easily be overlooked. Sometimes too much is left to the readers imagination. If you tell them where your characters are, they will still use their own imagination but you have given them the bases to build on.
Without scene setting then everyone you creat is left in limbo. By describing where they are anchors the characters; it acts like a compass for your readers; it allows them to acclimatise to the world you have created; It indicates mood. It is a tool for giving masses of information in the easiest way. And in any case it can be fun.
Lets look at those points in more depth.
Anchor/compass. If something is about to happen in your plot then where everyone is can be relevant. We’ve all been in environments where we feel secure, happy – and it will be the setting we are in which helps us feel that way. So in fiction. On the other hand you can be in a place which makes you uncomfortable, afraid – so in your book. The atmosphere you are creating with the scene setting gives pointers to the reader, which they will probably not be aware of but they are all the same.
Mood. Where they are can affect the mood, the situation, the outcome for your characters. A wood – it can be a place of peace and beauty which makes them feel happy but it can also be a creepy place. A storm – it can be dangerous, and yet it can clear the air. A sunset – happiness or sadness. Don’t forget the seasons. We all feel different at different times of the year, so use it.
Information. Where people live, where they choose to be, eat, dream can tell us much about them. The decor in a house, the furniture, the colours they use, the fabrics they have, the books they own, the paintings on the wall will give so much information as to what sort of people they are. Tidy or untidy, rich or poor, the class they are, their state of mind even. You can tell your reader so much in a concise way.
Fun. In my Sarson Magna books I created a whole village, that was enormous fun. I love old houses and there is nearly always one in my books which, invariably, I describe in depth. Houses are important to me and frequently to my characters too and so sometimes the house is virtually a character also so it is a combination with scene setting.
Tip. If a house or garden or village is important in my book then I always draw a plan so that as they move about the building there is a consistency – so, if they turn left by the front door they end up in the right room! It’s important since if you don’t notice, I can assure you one of your readers surely will.
I also make a note of what furniture is in different rooms and also the position, what pictures, minute detail. If you make a mistake and put the Stubbs in a different room then you lose credibility
And don’t forget to put a line space when changing scenes.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Plotting 2.
So how does a plot happen? Let’s look at a story. Cinderella.
How does the story of Cinderella work as a plot? What are the factors which make us read it? It is a story of wrongful oppression but goodness triumphs.
Character led We like Cinderella, we are distressed by her unhappiness, we want her to be happy right from the start.
Contrast involves us. The stepmother and stepsisters are so horrid to her that we sympathise with her. There awfulness counterpoints how wonderful she is.
Causality. One thing leading to another thus making something else happen.
Cause and effect = plot.
Cinderella is put upon and wants to go to the ball but too much work,no clothes and the spite of her sisters prevent it.
The importance of the ball is that Prince Charming invites all the young women in his search for a bride.
The arrival of her Godmother and the granting of her wishes enables her to go.
Conflict = empowers plot. Conflict creates pace which powers the plot.
Her stepmother and stepsisters are horrible to her .
There is the worry that she may choose Buttons.
Midnight looms and the reader fears she will not realise.
The loss of the shoe.
Will the Prince find the girl who owned the slipper?
Surprise aids plot. Surprise adds pace which propels the plot.
The unexpected arrival of the godmother.
The turning of the pumpkin and mice into coach and horses.
The changing of Cinder’s rags into a ball gown.
The chimes of midnight.
Sub-plots. If you think of the main plot as a maypole then the subplots are the ribbons twining around it.
The Prince confides his concerns to Dandini. We become privy to his thoughts.
Resolution.The shoe fits.
They live happily ever after.
Dangers that may occur:
Balance of plot going awry. This can be particularly dangerous if you have a lot of subplots. it is easy to get carried away with a sub to the detriment of the main.
Plot becoming static. This happens when there is a lack of pace – the engine which drives the plot along. Without pace then the writing slows, the sags begin.
Plot becomes untenable – this can happen when there is too much pace and the outcome is disbelieve in the plot.
Plot lines fizzling out. Again often occurs when you have too many subplots and you are at a loss to know where they are to go. It is also possible to have a minor plot line, so minor that you forget that it is there.
Characters taking control. Characters can easily move you in directions you do not wish to go, then stop them. However, you would be wise to listen to them for they may be adding and not subtracting to the plot.
A special warning is to try not to fit a character you happen to like into a plot to which they don’t really belong. for you risk it becoming unbelievable.
Don’t forget the sheep. All plot lines have to be resolved one way or the other. Don’t leave them in limbo.
Cinderella is a simple story but if you use this as a check list to your own WIP it might help you, I hope so.
How does the story of Cinderella work as a plot? What are the factors which make us read it? It is a story of wrongful oppression but goodness triumphs.
Character led We like Cinderella, we are distressed by her unhappiness, we want her to be happy right from the start.
Contrast involves us. The stepmother and stepsisters are so horrid to her that we sympathise with her. There awfulness counterpoints how wonderful she is.
Causality. One thing leading to another thus making something else happen.
Cause and effect = plot.
Cinderella is put upon and wants to go to the ball but too much work,no clothes and the spite of her sisters prevent it.
The importance of the ball is that Prince Charming invites all the young women in his search for a bride.
The arrival of her Godmother and the granting of her wishes enables her to go.
Conflict = empowers plot. Conflict creates pace which powers the plot.
Her stepmother and stepsisters are horrible to her .
There is the worry that she may choose Buttons.
Midnight looms and the reader fears she will not realise.
The loss of the shoe.
Will the Prince find the girl who owned the slipper?
Surprise aids plot. Surprise adds pace which propels the plot.
The unexpected arrival of the godmother.
The turning of the pumpkin and mice into coach and horses.
The changing of Cinder’s rags into a ball gown.
The chimes of midnight.
Sub-plots. If you think of the main plot as a maypole then the subplots are the ribbons twining around it.
The Prince confides his concerns to Dandini. We become privy to his thoughts.
Resolution.The shoe fits.
They live happily ever after.
Dangers that may occur:
Balance of plot going awry. This can be particularly dangerous if you have a lot of subplots. it is easy to get carried away with a sub to the detriment of the main.
Plot becoming static. This happens when there is a lack of pace – the engine which drives the plot along. Without pace then the writing slows, the sags begin.
Plot becomes untenable – this can happen when there is too much pace and the outcome is disbelieve in the plot.
Plot lines fizzling out. Again often occurs when you have too many subplots and you are at a loss to know where they are to go. It is also possible to have a minor plot line, so minor that you forget that it is there.
Characters taking control. Characters can easily move you in directions you do not wish to go, then stop them. However, you would be wise to listen to them for they may be adding and not subtracting to the plot.
A special warning is to try not to fit a character you happen to like into a plot to which they don’t really belong. for you risk it becoming unbelievable.
Don’t forget the sheep. All plot lines have to be resolved one way or the other. Don’t leave them in limbo.
Cinderella is a simple story but if you use this as a check list to your own WIP it might help you, I hope so.
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