Readers remember some novels long after they read them, and one of reasons is the theme or, in Christian fiction, the message that the story leaves with the reader. When working on your novel, ask yourself these questions: What will happen, and why does it matter? What will the characters learn and how will they grow? How will this novel make a difference in a reader’s life? If your story does not make a difference in your character's life, if it doesn't matter, then why write it? How can it serve the reader?
Consider first non-fiction. Can you imagine reading a book that didn’t have a point. Non-fiction focuses on a topic or theme. It has a purpose. Fiction is no different. Your purpose could be to point out the foibles of the human condition. It could be to dramatize how love can cause a mother to give her life for their child. A novel can be a story that focuses on good verses evil and dramatize the power of good. A novel can show the power of love. It can illustrate how we are not alone, that others share our fears, worries, or sinfulness. It can emphasize the damage gossip can cause, or how telling a line is like a spider's web that keeps growing and becomes more entangled.
When a novelist begins to write a book, he has an idea. It may begin with a plot or characterization, then action and maybe settting, but if it doesn’t have direction or purpose, it falls flat. Think of Gone With The Wind without the backdrop of the Civil War. How long would the novel be remembered?
As an author of Christian fiction, my purpose is focused on a Bible verse that sums up a major idea in the book. Proverbs 16: 9 reads: In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. A book with this focus might be about someone who has made a life plan---a career, a goal, success, fame, an accomplishment--—but things happen, and the character realizes to reach the goal, he may have to give up something equally important. He must make choices and weigh decisions. As he mulls over this problem, he might realize that the Lord has plans for him far beyond his understanding. And the God’s plans meet his need and not his want. The struggle between needs and wants is a lesson we all must learn.
Developing the theme can be done in many ways. Give characters the situation that bring the struggle to life. Create a subplot that also demonstrates the battle of making wise choices and the influence of the Lord or the lack of influence and what that means to the characters involved. Create backstory that brings this theme to life and show how it affects the present in a positive or negative way. Devise a setting that pulls at the issue, the guides the character into making bad choices so that he suffers the repercussion of taking the wrong path. Create a tempting choice at one end of the road and a less attractive option in the other and follow the struggle of a character to make the right decision.
Theme cannot be blatant. It must weave through your novel like a fine golden thread woven in a tapestry. It adds beauty and meaning but doesn’t jar or destroy the total design. Theme will be seen as the character journeys from the beginning to the end and will impact the depth and quality of the novel.
I know this works because of reader mail. Letter after letter reveals how my novels have made a difference in someone’s life. The readers tell me what they learned about themselves or about someone else. They tell me how they found an answer to a question or how they realize they need to ask questions about their life. They walk away with something that has made a difference.
Though you might not write Christian fiction, you can, writing any genre, sum up in a sentence what the major theme or purpose of your novel seems to be---good wins over evil, love is worth fighting for, lies tangle lives, gossip begets gossip, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and laughter can heal. You can think of many more. These themes work for romance, thriller, women’s fiction, western, or any genre.
When you begin your novel, ask what you want the reader to take away when she finishes. If you can’t answer the question, this could be the reason your story hasn’t made an impact on an agent or editor. It may be why a reader enjoys it for the moment and can’t remember the title or what it was about a week later. Write so that you make an impact on your readers, and you will have written a memorable story that makes a difference in their lives.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
BRAINSTORMING CONFLICTS
Brainstorming ideas can work wonders for plots and scenes. When tossing ideas into the “hat” nothing is too silly, because even the goofy idea can trigger another great possibility. One method of brainstorming that digs more deeply into a situation is using questions to provoke new possibilities for story conflict.
Once you have a basic plot idea, then questions can provide what you need. First take your basic story problem: Jim is offered a new job in a new city.
Your first question is should he accept this offer, and if he does, how will it affect the plot? Once you have the basic problem, then you can expand on other conflicts that can result from his decision.
Just as you would in real life, questions arise. In this case, one of the first questions is the location of the new job.
• Does he want to move?
• Does the new location appeal to him?
• If so, what are the pros and cons of this new city?
• Will the benefit of the newposition be worth the stress of the move?
Another question might have to do with the job requirements and how will they affect his life.
• What are the job requirements?
• Does he have these requirement to be excellent in his work?
• Will the job bring more money or prestige?
• Is the responsibility greater in this job than his present position?
• Can he handle the added responsibility and stress?
• Does this job require more travel?
The next realistic concern is regarding his home life.
• How will this move and new position affect his family?
• What is his wife’s attitude about the move?
• Will his wife have to give up a career or give up her job?
• Can she handle the stress of this life change?
Other questions that might come up regarding the new job position might be:
• Will his wife’s wages be lost and will his raise recuperate her wage loss?
• Will she be expected to become a hostess for events involving his new position?
• Does she have this skill and is she willing?
• Will she lose time with husband with his new position?
Next you can add the children’s issues, such as: changing schools, making new friends, finding new places to take their music lessons. Does the educational system compare in good favor to the character’s present home environment?
Obviously, each scenario for your plot will result in different questions, but before you brainstorm look at things like location, stress factors, requirements, home life, friendships, and a variety of other topics that you can pursue as you ask questions.
The trick is to take the basic conflict and then break it into smaller parts, asking yourself what other conflicts can result. Once you have numerous conflicts, decide which is the easiest to resolve and let that be your first plot conflict. Put them in order from lesser to the most dramatic, and build your plot line from there.
Once you have a basic plot idea, then questions can provide what you need. First take your basic story problem: Jim is offered a new job in a new city.
Your first question is should he accept this offer, and if he does, how will it affect the plot? Once you have the basic problem, then you can expand on other conflicts that can result from his decision.
Just as you would in real life, questions arise. In this case, one of the first questions is the location of the new job.
• Does he want to move?
• Does the new location appeal to him?
• If so, what are the pros and cons of this new city?
• Will the benefit of the newposition be worth the stress of the move?
Another question might have to do with the job requirements and how will they affect his life.
• What are the job requirements?
• Does he have these requirement to be excellent in his work?
• Will the job bring more money or prestige?
• Is the responsibility greater in this job than his present position?
• Can he handle the added responsibility and stress?
• Does this job require more travel?
The next realistic concern is regarding his home life.
• How will this move and new position affect his family?
• What is his wife’s attitude about the move?
• Will his wife have to give up a career or give up her job?
• Can she handle the stress of this life change?
Other questions that might come up regarding the new job position might be:
• Will his wife’s wages be lost and will his raise recuperate her wage loss?
• Will she be expected to become a hostess for events involving his new position?
• Does she have this skill and is she willing?
• Will she lose time with husband with his new position?
Next you can add the children’s issues, such as: changing schools, making new friends, finding new places to take their music lessons. Does the educational system compare in good favor to the character’s present home environment?
Obviously, each scenario for your plot will result in different questions, but before you brainstorm look at things like location, stress factors, requirements, home life, friendships, and a variety of other topics that you can pursue as you ask questions.
The trick is to take the basic conflict and then break it into smaller parts, asking yourself what other conflicts can result. Once you have numerous conflicts, decide which is the easiest to resolve and let that be your first plot conflict. Put them in order from lesser to the most dramatic, and build your plot line from there.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
New release from the Dummies books - Writing Fiction for Dummies This book was written by Randy Ingermanson and is now in stores. During the book's launch from Dec 7 - 9, Randy is providing many free downloads to help you with your writing, including a 55 minute live presentation of one of my workshops teaching emtoions, senses and a little on point of view (POV).
Message from Randy:
My new book Writing Fiction For Dummies is now available just about everywhere. I began talking to my publisher months ago about doing a “book rush” for the book. A “book rush” is a selected period of time when we offer some special goodies to buyers.
My publisher chose December 7 to 9, 2009 for our “book rush.”
If you buy Writing Fiction For Dummies by Wednesday night, Dec. 9, at midnight PST, we’ve got a great selection of goodies for you. (Even if you already bought the book, you can still get in on this special deal.)
Here are some of the things you get during the “book rush”:
A 50% discount on all electronic downloadable products in my online store. (Including my new Snowflake Pro software and my popular lecture series Fiction 101 and Fiction 201.
A brand-new lecture on Strategic Self-Editing that I’ve just created. It’s an 80-minute talk designed to teach you strategic principles of editing your novel, so that you can edit your work better and faster. Lots of books and teachers will give you the principles of TACTICAL editing. Tactical editing is great, but I wanted to try teaching something that I hadn’t seen taught before, so I chose STRATEGIC editing.
A 20-minute audio talk on Time Management for Writers by my coauthor, Peter Economy, a best-selling author and publishing consultant who’s written about a dozen “Dummies” books.
A 25-page excerpt from James Scott Bell’s new book, The Art of War for Writers.
A 16-page excerpt from Brandilyn Collins’ excellent book, Getting Into Character.
A 55-minute audio talk on Characters, Emotions, and the Senses, by award-winning novelist Gail Gaymer Martin, whose books have sold over 3 million copies.
A tip sheet for romance writers by Leslie Wainger, author of Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies.
A tip sheet and 20-minute audio talk on selling eBooks by Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of Marketing for Introverts.
A 7-minute introductory video on proofreading techniques and a pack of sample proofreading files by Sue Gilad, author of Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies.
If you'd like to check out the book and the free gifts, visit his site at http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tension and Conflict Part 7 - Stretching Tension
You know how a rubber band works. You can pull it very taut so it will snap across a room if you let it go, or you can pull it only to stretch around an item. Tension in fiction is similar. It can be so taut the reader can’t stop reading, or it can be only tight enough to hold the plot together so it doesn’t fall apart. All types of tension are needed. Not every scene should be edge of the seat tension. Some scenes can only leave the reader asking questions or the character struggling with a dilemma.
Learning techniques that add various kinds of tension to your novel will help you keep the stress level high. Here are a few that you can use, and I’m sure you will think of more. If so, please add them to the comments for others to read as well.
Accelerate and Decelerate Details
Think about an old John Wayne Western. The bad guy faces John Wayne. Each stands waiting for the first one to draw his weapon. The camera pans in on John Wayne’s hand posed close to his holster. The camera swings to the bad guy with a closeup of his evil eyes. The camera moves to John Wayne’s boot as it shifts a half inch, then to the muscle in his jaw that is jerking with tension. Back to the bad guy, his fingers twitching.
You get the point. To create tension provide second by second details showing the growing danger or growing action. Two guns snatched from the holster followed by gun shots shows conflict but lacks the power of the tension as the viewer watches the danger build.
This same technique can be used in a family saga as we watch the mourning widow touch her dead husband’s pipe, lift his sweater and buries her nose in it. We feel the emotion. It happens in a romance as we watch the camera move to the hero’s eyes, his fingers twitching to run his hand through the hero’s hair. Though it is more difficult to capture some of the emotion through writing rather than seeing it on the screen, you can bring these emotions to life by delving in the sight images as well as the introspection of the POV character.
Interrupted Action
Use various disruptions to stop a conversation or action. The serial killer hiding behind the drape is drawn back to hide when the light turns on and a group of people enter the room. The hero leans forward planning to kiss the heroine when the telephone or doorbell rings. Two people sharing confidential information halt when a third party enters a room. This kind of interruption can also delay the action totally. The killer slips back out the window, realizing this isn’t the right time to strangle the woman. The hero has lost the moment to kiss the heroine, and the conversation may have to wait for a more opportune time. These delays add to the tension of the reader and the characters.
Distraction
In the same way interrupted action causes stress, a lesser technique can be used to give the characters time to pause and to even rethink what they are about to do or say. Use car headlights flashing on the wall. Someone might be passing or even pulling into the driveway. A barking dog can be a good distraction. It fuzzes the mind of the person talking or it makes them wonder what’s going on outside. Again could someone be coming. No matter why the dog is barking, it stops the action for a moment and in the process adds a small slice of tension.
Cliffhangers
When writing novels with multiple POVs, a great tension creating technique is to stop the scene at a place that leaves the reader hanging. The heroine hears the doorbell and opens the door. She grabs her heart and screams. Scene ends. The hero is driving along the highway, a truck swings into his lane, brakes squeal. The hero yells and veers his car to the left. Scene ends.
When you read thrillers and suspense novels, notice how chapters tend to end in this fashion. This is why it’s a thriller. But you can use this in other genres also, by cutting the scene following one character asking another a very pointed question that will make a plot difference. When she asks, have his jaw clamp and blood drain from his face. Scene ends.
Short Scenes or Chapters
In the same way as a cliffhanger, use shorter scenes that leave questions unanswered and then move on to a new scene with another POV character. This pulls the reader along anxious to find out what is happening in the previous scene.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
To add tension to your stories, allow your characters to make mistakes and misjudge situations. A husband sees his wife at lunch with a strange man. He draws the wrong conclusion. In suspense provide clues that lead to dead ends. When a criminal is about to be apprehended, turn the action around. Allow him to get away or to be proven innocent. This kind of tension is excellent in thrillers, mysteries or suspense novels. In all genre, try to develop plot situations that aren’t always perfect. Say no instead of yes. Bring on rain rather than sunshine. Miss the ride to an important appointment. Lose a phone number that is vital to the story’s plot. These conflicts add excitement and tension.
Word Choice and Sentence Structure
Words and sentence length contribute to the overall feel of a novel. Shorter sentences help create tension and thus provides a feel of action to the story’s pace. Longer sentences work in romance, some women’s fiction and literary novels because it provides a more lilting rhythm to the sentences. Keep this in mind when developing more tense scenes.
Word choice is affected by the sounds a word makes. In the English language we have alphabet sounds that are hard and some are softer. The hard sounds are p, t, b, g, k, c, d, q, and s while the softer sounds are found in m, n, l, w, f, h & in vowels. To create tension, use the hard sounds. "Shut up, and keep quiet." He toppled the table to the floor as he trapped the woman in a death grip. In a romance, use the softer sounds. He wrapped his arm around her and eased her to him, mesmerized by her luscious lips longing to be kissed. Notice the use of softer sounds, the m, l and vowels. Keep this technique in mind when creating tension in your novels. It’s one more way to create emotion.
Tension can be stretched in a multitude of ways, and these are only some of the methods. If you have other ideas share them in the comments. I might pull them together and add some of yours to the blog.
Learning techniques that add various kinds of tension to your novel will help you keep the stress level high. Here are a few that you can use, and I’m sure you will think of more. If so, please add them to the comments for others to read as well.
Accelerate and Decelerate Details
Think about an old John Wayne Western. The bad guy faces John Wayne. Each stands waiting for the first one to draw his weapon. The camera pans in on John Wayne’s hand posed close to his holster. The camera swings to the bad guy with a closeup of his evil eyes. The camera moves to John Wayne’s boot as it shifts a half inch, then to the muscle in his jaw that is jerking with tension. Back to the bad guy, his fingers twitching.
You get the point. To create tension provide second by second details showing the growing danger or growing action. Two guns snatched from the holster followed by gun shots shows conflict but lacks the power of the tension as the viewer watches the danger build.
This same technique can be used in a family saga as we watch the mourning widow touch her dead husband’s pipe, lift his sweater and buries her nose in it. We feel the emotion. It happens in a romance as we watch the camera move to the hero’s eyes, his fingers twitching to run his hand through the hero’s hair. Though it is more difficult to capture some of the emotion through writing rather than seeing it on the screen, you can bring these emotions to life by delving in the sight images as well as the introspection of the POV character.
Interrupted Action
Use various disruptions to stop a conversation or action. The serial killer hiding behind the drape is drawn back to hide when the light turns on and a group of people enter the room. The hero leans forward planning to kiss the heroine when the telephone or doorbell rings. Two people sharing confidential information halt when a third party enters a room. This kind of interruption can also delay the action totally. The killer slips back out the window, realizing this isn’t the right time to strangle the woman. The hero has lost the moment to kiss the heroine, and the conversation may have to wait for a more opportune time. These delays add to the tension of the reader and the characters.
Distraction
In the same way interrupted action causes stress, a lesser technique can be used to give the characters time to pause and to even rethink what they are about to do or say. Use car headlights flashing on the wall. Someone might be passing or even pulling into the driveway. A barking dog can be a good distraction. It fuzzes the mind of the person talking or it makes them wonder what’s going on outside. Again could someone be coming. No matter why the dog is barking, it stops the action for a moment and in the process adds a small slice of tension.
Cliffhangers
When writing novels with multiple POVs, a great tension creating technique is to stop the scene at a place that leaves the reader hanging. The heroine hears the doorbell and opens the door. She grabs her heart and screams. Scene ends. The hero is driving along the highway, a truck swings into his lane, brakes squeal. The hero yells and veers his car to the left. Scene ends.
When you read thrillers and suspense novels, notice how chapters tend to end in this fashion. This is why it’s a thriller. But you can use this in other genres also, by cutting the scene following one character asking another a very pointed question that will make a plot difference. When she asks, have his jaw clamp and blood drain from his face. Scene ends.
Short Scenes or Chapters
In the same way as a cliffhanger, use shorter scenes that leave questions unanswered and then move on to a new scene with another POV character. This pulls the reader along anxious to find out what is happening in the previous scene.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
To add tension to your stories, allow your characters to make mistakes and misjudge situations. A husband sees his wife at lunch with a strange man. He draws the wrong conclusion. In suspense provide clues that lead to dead ends. When a criminal is about to be apprehended, turn the action around. Allow him to get away or to be proven innocent. This kind of tension is excellent in thrillers, mysteries or suspense novels. In all genre, try to develop plot situations that aren’t always perfect. Say no instead of yes. Bring on rain rather than sunshine. Miss the ride to an important appointment. Lose a phone number that is vital to the story’s plot. These conflicts add excitement and tension.
Word Choice and Sentence Structure
Words and sentence length contribute to the overall feel of a novel. Shorter sentences help create tension and thus provides a feel of action to the story’s pace. Longer sentences work in romance, some women’s fiction and literary novels because it provides a more lilting rhythm to the sentences. Keep this in mind when developing more tense scenes.
Word choice is affected by the sounds a word makes. In the English language we have alphabet sounds that are hard and some are softer. The hard sounds are p, t, b, g, k, c, d, q, and s while the softer sounds are found in m, n, l, w, f, h & in vowels. To create tension, use the hard sounds. "Shut up, and keep quiet." He toppled the table to the floor as he trapped the woman in a death grip. In a romance, use the softer sounds. He wrapped his arm around her and eased her to him, mesmerized by her luscious lips longing to be kissed. Notice the use of softer sounds, the m, l and vowels. Keep this technique in mind when creating tension in your novels. It’s one more way to create emotion.
Tension can be stretched in a multitude of ways, and these are only some of the methods. If you have other ideas share them in the comments. I might pull them together and add some of yours to the blog.
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