Cantara Christopher
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Plot and characters have always been joined at the hip. You can't have (or discuss) one without the other. The general consensus seems to be that there are those works of fiction which are plot driven and those that are character driven, these two types being directly opposite (or even in opposition) to each other. These terms work well enough for the critic, the reviewer, the teacher. But what about for you as a writer, especially a beginning writer?
Let's start with genre fiction - sci-fi,fantasy, romance, mystery, etc. If you intend to write genre, the plot's the thing - you must make up a good story. Characters are selected for this story as required by the elements of the plot; their actions, their personalities, even their physical appearance is dictated by plot requirements. The drawback to this approach to writing is that unless you come up with a really good original story (and sometimes even then) your characters tend to be archtypical (even stereotypical) or at the very least imitative of those that have gone before.
Non-genre (or mainstream) fiction tends to be much more liberating, however. Here you're working without a net (ie, a strong, pre-conceived plot), and the experience can be exciting and exhilarating. Free from the bonds of genre, you can create and develop interesting, original characters, even those who are walking, talking contradictions, and sit back and let them have at it - interact with each other, love, hate, attempt to achieve their goals, succeed or fail in these attempts. In a character-driven novel you don't have to know what happens next - only that it must be interesting to your audience and preserve internal logic and willing suspension of disbelief.
So go for it - start dreaming up those ingenious plots - or creating those brilliant characters. Next time we'll discuss the only two plots (some say) that really exist
Entries in Novel Writing (7)
A New Forum
by Michael Matheny
Hi, people! This is the Mad Mick, aka Michael Matheny, sounding off in the first of a series of writing tips for new fiction writers. The reason I'm doing this is that in the past several years, many people - more than I can count, in fact - have showed up at my doorstep, either with incredibly bad fiction that they were quite proud of, or, conversely, some pretty good efforts that they didn't know what to do with or were unable to take pride in. So after repeating myself to these people over and over again, it was quite natural that I should complain to my lovely companion and publisher, Cantara.
She listened to me with saintly patience and said, "Why don't you start a blog?"
"A blog?" I cried (being somewhat computer illiterate). "That sounds like some sort of expletive that should be deleted."
She shook her head, sat me down, and explained to me that a blog, short for weblog, was merely a sort of online diary or journal that could be read by just about everyone on the planet.
"That's for me!" I said. "I'll write it, if you will make sure it gets out there into, whatchacall it, cyberspace." She agreed, and found me this space in the blogosphere that I'm writing in now.
So, for the last couple of weeks or so, having been given this new type of forum to be able to say whatever the hell I want, naturally I've been struggling with the problem - what the hell do I want to say?
I'll tell you what I came up with in my next posting.
[Transferred from howtowriteanovel.blogspot.com]
The Rules, More or Less
by Michael Matheny
First of all, let me reiterate. These rambling and random bits of advice or what-have-you are mainly for beginning fiction writers, defined as those who have not been able to finish a book, or feel that what they have done has been not been successful. Since I am a novelist, I address my remarks mostly to you who write long fiction, though some of this may be applicable to writers of the shorter forms.
Let me also stress: This is to be purely a discussion of how to write, not how to make your first million with what you've written. If you wish to discuss anything on the commercial side - how to get an agent, editor, publisher, how to sell or promote your work - please sign up for the newsletter my aforementioned lovely companion, Cantara Christopher, for tips and resources in that area.
That being said, this - at least in my own opinion - is what you need to start writing effective fiction:
1. Something to say - that is, a theme or message - something you want to tell people. Note: This is not the plot. The plot is just a framework you use to present your message. (More about this later.)
2. A good working knowledge of your native language (or the language you feel most comfortable in if you happen to be lucky enough to be bilingual. (Beckett the Irishman wrote in French - not recommended for the beginner.)
3. A good healthy imagination. Make up a story. Unless you are a truly interesting person over the age of 70, the world, in my opinion, does not need any more memoirs. And no more coming-of-age stories in which the lead character is a thinly-veiled you and the supporting players are your transparently-disguised relatives and friends. And no more journalistic efforts disguised as fiction!
Everything else can be learned by practice - notice I said learned, not taught.
Which brings me to what you don't need. You don't need:
- Writing workshops
- Writing seminars
- Writing classes
- Writing coaches
- Writing groups*
- Expensive MFA programs
- Cheap MFA programs
* Except for the free, supportive, and largely non-judgmental kind
In fact, you need absolutely no outside validation of any type to write interestingly and effectively.
But if you feel that you do:
I hereby validate you, whoever you are, work unseen, once you finish reading what I have to say.
I have faith in you all. So go forth and write, already!
Next time I'll talk about how and why I started writing fiction - and how I found it to be so incredibly easy.
[Transferred from howtowriteanovel.blogspot.com]
Something to Write About
by Michael Matheny
People want stories. People need stories. Why do people want stories? Because all (good) stories contain bits of wisdom and information concerning the timelessness and universality of the human condition. When this information is extracted from the story and ordered and condensed into a brief statement, we call it a theme. It can be extremely serious (the meaning of life is...) or extremely trivial (guys with expensive sports cars get hotter chicks). As a (potential) writer of prose fiction, you must decide what you want to tell people. What is your message? If you haven't considered this, have you a story in mind to write, either vague or fairly well-thought out? If so, consider what its theme is. Does the story say to people what you want to say to them? If not, why do you want to write it?
In fact, why do you want to write?
Remember, literary fiction without a story is like a song without a melody. A collection of more-or-less pleasing noises. So - develop that theme! Then the story will come more easily, as its function is to get that theme across. If you are unfamiliar with the whole concept of theme, try this exercise: Think of great stories and novels you have read, the ones that probably inspired you to become a writer in the first place. What were their themes? What did they say to you about the human condition?
NOW you have something to write about.
[Transferred from howtowriteanovel.blogspot.com]
A Few Words About Plotting
How and Why Did Frey Go Awry? (A Digression)
by Michael Matheny
Since it seems to be incumbent upon all of us in the literary communiy to weigh in on the real or supposed transgressions of James Frey, I will digress from my usual format with a few observations:
First of all, writers have been rending, purposefully or accidentally, the thin fabric of the chintz curtain that serves as the only barrier between fiction and non-fiction for as long as writing has existed. Even before that, the oral tradition was rife with myths, legends, tall tales and fish stories which, no matter how unbelievable the narrative, usually end with some variation of "...and every word of this is true, so help me God!" And why not? Most listeners and readers of even rudimentary intelligence know (and appreciate) a "good" tall tale when they hear it. The point is, how well is it told, and to what purpose?
Traditionally, memoirs (even completely true ones) were until recently considered to be primarily a source of entertainment. They were generally either 1): The Celebrity Memoir, a cross between a private diary and a gossip column, and which contained many mentions of thinly-veiled fellow celebs involved in scandalous escapades leavened with weepy confessions of alcoholism, substance abuse, and marital infidelities. Even if poorly written, these lurid, though possibly exaggerated and/or fabricated accounts amused and titillated the working class; or 2): The thrilling adventures or fantastic accomplishments of an unknown person "just like you and me". These people became famous for their stories of what they did, not who they were, who they knew, or what they owned, and their books were inspirational for their "any boy or girl can grow up to be a hero" quality. I myself was raised on such stuff.
But with the coming of the internet and its ability to almost instantly provide anyone with an incredible amount of information on a vast variety of subjects, the quest for and the gathering of information actually became entertainment for a surprisingly large number of ordinary people. Thus the line between factual information and largely fictional entertainment became so blurred as to result in the dreaded "infomercial" which then morphed into "infotainment", encompassing everything from "reality" television to "docudramas" to the staggering number of websites and blogs that you see today.
So, how does this affect literature? Suddenly, a good story about triumph over tragedy, winning the battle against your own demons such as addiction to drugs, alcohol or overeating, or overcoming a childhood of poverty and/or abuse, becomes tarnished if it turns out it isn't completely true in every respect. And it's so easy now to make this determination - we have Google, or investigative websites like thesmokinggun.com to instantly apprise us of the facts in the matter. So if you say it, and you say it's true (ie, non-fiction), it better be true!
So why then didn't Mr Frey, who presumably exaggerated and fabricated parts of his book knowingly and deliberately, shop his product around as a fictional novel? To may way of thinking, the answer is simply this: You just have to be a better writer today to sell fiction if you aren't already "branded" (ie, have a marketable name like James Patterson or Stephen King). You have to have a better style, plot better, create more interesting characters, relationships and situations. And this, ultimately, is what I believe that Mr Frey, rightly or wrongly, believed about himself - that he wasn't a good enough writer to create a work of fiction compelling enough to make it a best seller and him rich and famous; he was afraid to work without the net of the very popular addict porn spread out beneath him to cushion his lack of skill. For the public doesn't care how well it's written as long as it's sensational enough to satisfy their prurient tastes.
As eveidence for this conclusion I point to two interesting aspects of this case: 1) the large number of very vocal yahoos threatening to sue the publisher and author when they discovered that the book they had praised to the skies, though still the same book, contained fabrications. Come on, people, it's just a book! It's not like getting salmonella poisoning from bad chicken salad; 2) curiously, nowhere in all of the post-smokinggun.com controversy was there any mention of how well the book was written, the quality of the writing itself. It was all about truth and lies, money and reputation, as if the actual writing style didn't matter, which I suppose it doesn't in a book of that type. After all, former addicts are not supposed to be able to write - the lurid subject matter is the only draw.
In conclusion, then, one can only hope that this incident, tawdry as it may be, will somehow stem the tide of these purportedly inspirational, but in reality merely sensationalistic memoirs, true or not. The world of literature - readers, writers and publishers - will be a better place without them.
[Transferred from howtowriteanovel.blogspot.com]
More About Plotting
by Michael Matheny
A long time ago, a brilliant but unknown (at least to me) writer proclaimed that when all was said and done, there are really only two basic plots in fiction: 1) A person goes on a journey; and 2) a stranger comes to town. Everything is in some way a variation of these two. And if you think about it, at least for plot-driven stories, and for the beginning writer, this is as good a place to start as any. The easiest and most straightforward story a beginning writer can attempt is that of a strong, single protagonist moving forward through time (and perhaps space) to achieve a single, all-important goal. This is the Type 1 or Active plot, and it is at least as old as Homer's Odyssey.
So, what elements constitute Type 1? In this case, the person going on the journey is the sympathetic protagonist. You must establish who this person is and is he alone or does he have a sidekick, a spouse, sex partner, best friend, or even a group (police, military, athletic team, etc.) to help him in his quest? You must give us some background: How did our hero grow up, develop, what experiences have made him what he is and given him his attributes of strength, courage, wisdom, or other abilities? You must define the nature of the quest, anything from the purely selfish (finding buried treasure) to the idealistic (finding a cure for a disease, or achieving world peace), and also what in his personality and background make him want to achieve this goal above all others. Then all you have to do is to tell the story: who he meets on the way, his adventures and encounters, giving special attention to the obstacles standing in the way of his quest which can be human villains or things as impersonal as raging blizzards. Once these obstacles have been overcome, all you need is the happy ending (or conversely in a tragedy, his sorrowful defeat by these obstacles).
So, to sum up, the formula for Type 1 is: a strong (but not invincible) protagonist goes on a quest, meets people, has adventures, overcomes (or succumbs to) obstacles, and eventually achieves his goal (or not, in a tragedy) though not without plenty of thrilling hardships and action along the way.
But lest you be accused of merely following the formula (or phoning it in, as I like to call it), you must make your characters as real as possible, with real concerns that seem valid for them, and who act as people do in real life (though some exaggeration is not only permitted but necessary). You must also create interesting situations, experiences, and quests for your equally interesting characters. And of course the odd moral dilemma is always welcome. This is best done by just the right combination of life experience, observation, and imagination. So get out there and do it!
Next time - the joys and perils of Plot Type 2.
So, what elements constitute Type 1? In this case, the person going on the journey is the sympathetic protagonist. You must establish who this person is and is he alone or does he have a sidekick, a spouse, sex partner, best friend, or even a group (police, military, athletic team, etc.) to help him in his quest? You must give us some background: How did our hero grow up, develop, what experiences have made him what he is and given him his attributes of strength, courage, wisdom, or other abilities? You must define the nature of the quest, anything from the purely selfish (finding buried treasure) to the idealistic (finding a cure for a disease, or achieving world peace), and also what in his personality and background make him want to achieve this goal above all others. Then all you have to do is to tell the story: who he meets on the way, his adventures and encounters, giving special attention to the obstacles standing in the way of his quest which can be human villains or things as impersonal as raging blizzards. Once these obstacles have been overcome, all you need is the happy ending (or conversely in a tragedy, his sorrowful defeat by these obstacles).
So, to sum up, the formula for Type 1 is: a strong (but not invincible) protagonist goes on a quest, meets people, has adventures, overcomes (or succumbs to) obstacles, and eventually achieves his goal (or not, in a tragedy) though not without plenty of thrilling hardships and action along the way.
But lest you be accused of merely following the formula (or phoning it in, as I like to call it), you must make your characters as real as possible, with real concerns that seem valid for them, and who act as people do in real life (though some exaggeration is not only permitted but necessary). You must also create interesting situations, experiences, and quests for your equally interesting characters. And of course the odd moral dilemma is always welcome. This is best done by just the right combination of life experience, observation, and imagination. So get out there and do it!
Next time - the joys and perils of Plot Type 2.
[Transferred from howtowriteanovel.blogspot.com]
Enough About Plotting, Already!
by Michael Matheny
Last time I discussed the theory that all plots in fiction can ultimately be broken down into two types: 1) A person goes on a journey; and 2) A stranger comes to town. Last time we talked about Type 1, to my mind the easier and more straightforward of the two.
So today we'll talk about Type 2. First of all, let's consider the possibilities: the stranger doesn't have to be a single person, he can be anything you choose - a couple, a group, even wild animals, imaginary monsters, a plague, a hurricane, etc. All that is necessary is that when he "comes to town" he must create a conflict, wittingly or unwittingly. If the stranger is human this conflict is usually caused by a difference in goals between the stranger and the environment (the town) he invades, the most common being a desire by the stranger to destroy, enslave, conquer, steal, rape, loot, pillage, or whatever, you get the picture. If the stranger is inhuman (such as a force of nature) the conflict is usually due to its inimical and destructive nature.
Generally speaking, in Plot Type 2 the initial focus is on the environment being invaded, so it is a good idea to begin the novel with a picture of the environment as it is before the conflict begins. This allows you, the author, to create meaningful, realistic, sympathetic (probably) characters using your powers of description, narration, and dialogue, so that when the stranger arrives the conflict (action) can begin without being interrupted by a lot of inessential description. Some points to keep in mind: Are the inhabitants of your environment mostly sympathetic? Strong or weak? Do they deserve the conflict that's inevitably coming? Do they deserve to win?
Also, your environmnet doesn't have to be a community - it can be a single house, a group of people trapped somewhere or travelling on a mission, any situation where a group of people needs protection from outside forces. You can even turn it around - so that the environment (town, group) is bad and the stranger (invading force) is good - such as the lawman riding into a corrupt town to "clean up Dodge".
So play with the multitude of variations of this type of plotting. It can be challenging and rewarding to a beginning writer who is in danger of falling into the rut of Type 1 thinking. Next time we'll talk about characters, and how to make them live and breathe.
[Transferred from howtowriteanovel.blogspot.com]