I was reading my Writer's Digest Magazine
last night, and once again came across a superb article about why some
novels become successful and others don't. Culprit number one, according
to Donald Maass, is timid voices. "A snappy premise and meaty plot can
hook us and keep us reading but cannot by themselves work that magic. It
takes something extra: voice." Further, "voice in a novel is not the
author's thoughts or vocabulary but the sum total of what her characters
observe, think, feel and express in their own unique ways."
The fix is easy. Write your characters with strong voices. Let them speak in their own words and tell the story.
(Which
is exactly what I've been doing with my latest wip! I know, great minds
think alike, right? Me and Don? We are so on the same page when it
comes to characters. It's scary.)
Anyway. Moving
on. Culprit number two, according to Maass, is untested characters. If
they don't do anything then what was the point? How compelling is it to
read about a character who doesn't react? The best characters act
bravely even though they're scared, jump to defend their principles and
rise to face their deepest fears. They come out the other side, changed
different, and so do we for reading about them.
But the last and best is culprit number three (Overly Interior or Exterior stories),
which really hit home: "Certain story patterns are pretty much
guaranteed to lead to fiction of underwhelming force," especially novels
heavy with "delay, suffering, and being stuck." Fiction of
underwhelming force is, of course, the last thing we want. The way to
rectify this, Maass says, is to give interior stories "more dramatic
outward events; by the same token, dramatic outward events need to create a more devastating interior impact."
Yeah. I had to underline that last part. Brilliant, right? Especially the devastating part.
And
if that doesn't get you all fired up to write something then I'll give
you a last gem I found, a question to ponder. Ask yourself, what's the
biggest thing your protagonist could possibly do, but can't? By the end
of the story, have her do it.
Hmm. I think I might.
9 comments:
Interesting post. I haven't pick up a copy of WD in a while. I preferred the late and much lamented Writer. That article has sparked my interest again.
This is a thought provoking post. I keep reciting in my brain as I write, "What is the worst possible thing that could happen to my character?" That has taken me places I didn't think I could go as a writer...and improved the story, too.
I like this last challenge. Now, how could I work it into the story? Great article.
I thought it was an excellent article - which is why I'm sharing it here, and at my own personal blog (no you're not seeing double, just a duplicate post - because no one sent me any characters to play the personality game with!)
Excellent food for thought. Thanks.
that's a bold piece of advice!
maybe that's what Donald Maass was saying, that in order to be successful our fiction, and thus our characters, have to be bold in some way.
That's always the trick, isn't it?
Love to read a good book with strong characters! Can't stand a cheesy ending that bailed on characters I've come to know. Excellent blog post - recognized a few things from books I've read recently. Your words ring true.
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