“If you’re close to your
character, they’ll show you what’s important to them.”
Do you know about
MagicalWords.net? I’ve been referring
to the “Magical Words” panels, but I realize I might not have put that in
context. This is a fantastic forum for fantasy authors to talk about the craft
and business of writing. ConCarolinas has provided a great forum for the
leading authors to share their expertise with participant writers. Three of the
founders, David B. Coe, Faith Hunter, and Misty Massey, led these “Magical
Words” panels at ConCarolinas.
The themes of the
“Beginnings” panel centered around the essential elements of a good story;
drawing readers into your story and keeping them there; attracting that first
important reader, an editor; and managing POV.
Stories rely on
good presentation of
- Conflict
- Character
- Pacing
(with escalation of conflict)
- Scene
setting
- POV
The first line /
page / chapter must establish all of these in a way that compels the reader to
keep reading. Often referred to as “bait and hook” – setup your bait and then
hook the reader and draw them in on your line.
Faith Hunter read
the 1st paragraph of Skinwalker,
the first in the Jane Yellowrock series. It’s 1st person POV, and
does an excellent job of setting the scene/setting, voice/tone. The 2nd
paragraph establishes the central conflict of the whole series: Jane’s a
vampire killer who’[s going to work for the vampires. Yes, in two paragraphs,
Faith set the stage for a whole book series!
Misty says it all
comes back to who-what-where-when-why
Your hook will
usually either be character or back story
You can’t put too
much back story in the first few pages. If you feel you must, then the story is
probably starting in the wrong place…
Cinematic
opening: start distant (omniscient narrative) and focus in to close 3rd
or 1st POV – popular in literary fiction, not so much in current
speculative fiction trends
Intimacy (with
character) and Immediacy (of conflict/action) draw reader in
If you pull
editor/reader through the first page, they’ll probably give you 5 more. Then
they might give you 20…
The triumvirate
(essential elements) of every story:
Character * plot * setting
Harsh reality:
Editors aren’t looking to love your story. They have to get through a slush
pile. You have to give them a reason to keep reading, without moving on to the
next story in their pile! Lock them into your story, on your terms: through
your character, plot, and setting.
This does not mean
you write “to” the market”. You have to write what you love. But you have to be
realistic about what is selling, what is attractive to readers (and therefore
editors) in today’s market. Styles change. Popular subjects change. Themes come
and go. What sold 20 years ago might not sell today. And yes, successful
published authors can “get away with” more than a novice! Don’t make it hard
for an editor to say yes to your story!
1st
and 3rd POV use different parts of the writer’s brain. If you’re
stuck on story telling in one, try the other. You can always revise into a
different POV later if you wish.
Great audience
question to the panel authors about how each of them approaches writing a
scene. Do they see it like a movie in their head? Are they in the POV character’s
head as the character is experiencing it?
Misty said she
sees it as a movie, has to work not to include absolutely every detail that she
sees – only what’s important to the scene, and what’s noticed/experienced by
the POV character
David interjected
about POV and characters in crisis/immediate danger – the character’s attention
will focus to the setting and action around the danger, not notice every little
detail in surroundings.
If the POV
character is in a familiar setting, they’ll notice more, because they don’t
have to think as hard about it.
If you’re close to your character, they’ll show you
what’s important to them.
Great discussion
about chapter length – short or long. How do you know what’s right? Extremely
variable – no hard and fast rules. Faith has found she prefers no fewer than 10
pages, or it feels too short.
Great discussion
about POV changes – OK within a chapter with scene breaks, but ot within a
single scene without breaks. When changing characters, it should make sense to
the forward movement of the story. Don’t be too jarring, or it jerks the reader
out of story
Audience question
to each panel author: how often do you get the 1st sentence right
the first time? Faith wrote Ashes to Ashes 1st 50 lines in one go
and barely changed them – but they had been rumbling around her head for a
couple of weeks beforehand. David’s never gotten it right on the first go.
Guideline: You’ll
spend as long on your first sentence as you do on the rest of your 1st
paragraph. As long on your 1st paragraph as you do on your 1st
page. As long on your 1st page as you do on the 1st five,
and as long on your 1st five as you do on your 1st 20
pages.
Don’t think of
your story as your “baby” or your “lover” – it is a product. If you want to
sell it, you will have to work with your editor to make changes to make it the
most saleable product you can.
Focus on forward
progress more than word or page count. When Faith started, her goal was 5 pages
a day, and if she made 25 pages by Friday, she could take a day off. David
doesn’t participate in NaNoWriMo (for instance), because he thinks he should be
writing 50,000 words or more every month.
If a point is
important to your story, bring it up as a brief line or sentence in the 1st
3rd, again in the 2nd 3rd, and bring it to
fruition in the final 3rd of your story.
You won’t want to
miss my next blog, featuring the Saturday late night “sex panel” – and my
surprise winning goodie basket!
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Music
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Guitar
Adagios
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Time
writing
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1 hour
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June
word count
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