As always, great on-point advice. And I really appreciate the way you use specific examples.
I'm currently working on a second draft of my WIP. As I approach each chapter and scene, I first ask myself "What's my purpose here?" Which really means: How does this serve the story? Does it advance the narrative? Connect the reader to the protagonist? Draw the reader into the storyworld? Produce a hard beat? Subtly foreshadow? etc. But, easier said than done. Since I know what I'm trying to get at, I have to keep forcing myself outside of my own head, trying to really see through the eyes of a stranger to my text.
My mother was a terrible storyteller. She went five times around the block and never got to the point. The worst was when I asked her what a movie was about. She'd start on point (after all, she JUST saw the movie!) and then go off in all sorts of tangents - the color of the girl's dress, the nice curtains in the living room, the chandelier in the ball room... It was excruciating, lol! Eventually, the listener gives up. What do you call it when it takes longer to summarize the film than watching it? Fun post, Craig!
Ha - yeah, my mom was always losing the point of the story. Whereas my grandfather (her dad) was a master storyteller. I like to think I take after him. He came from Denmark, when he was ten years old, and fought in WW2. He had some stories. Though some pained him too much to tell.
I know this is something I'm working on with my own stories as well. For longer work I think it might be helpful to identify "What is the theme of this work?" and "Does this scene fit with the theme I am attempting to convey?" To be sure, there can be variations, and scenes can go back and forth, but there should be a central theme of the story.
I find as an editor for short fiction my patience for long infodumps, especially near the beginning of a piece, is nearly non-existent. I want to know the point of the story up front: What are the stakes? Who is involved? What journey is this story taking me on?
I appreciate you including "verisimilitude" as a necessary element. Fiction is getting readers to accept a lie (yeah, yeah there is a fiction that's truth dressed up as a lie, but that's a different take). To get readers to buy the big lie of the story, you often have to get the little details right. If you spend the time getting the little details of a story right, it is easier for them to accept the larger details of the story that might be a bit fuzzier with the truth.
Theme is something I visit in later drafts, much later. If thought about too early, it can feel forced.
And, yes on the info dumps. It's that "warming up your engines" thing - and not really understanding when a story actually begins. In a class or workshop or something, I was told that in short fiction every sentence should have purpose (point to the meaning of the story.)
It's a challenge to write that way. To ask the hard questions: should this be here?
And for longer narratives, Henry James baggy monster not withstanding, the same critical eye should be used. My editor for the new novel really took me to task on why certain things were in my novel. In the first edit I lopped off almost 6000 words.
And on verismilitude (I'll die trying to spell that right) - every story creates it's own universe, and it's the writer's job to make it a real one.
Hi Craig,
As always, great on-point advice. And I really appreciate the way you use specific examples.
I'm currently working on a second draft of my WIP. As I approach each chapter and scene, I first ask myself "What's my purpose here?" Which really means: How does this serve the story? Does it advance the narrative? Connect the reader to the protagonist? Draw the reader into the storyworld? Produce a hard beat? Subtly foreshadow? etc. But, easier said than done. Since I know what I'm trying to get at, I have to keep forcing myself outside of my own head, trying to really see through the eyes of a stranger to my text.
It's the hardest thing - getting out of our heads, and seeing as a reader does.
It's the whole "be kind to the reader" thing again.
thanks for reading Ken!
My mother was a terrible storyteller. She went five times around the block and never got to the point. The worst was when I asked her what a movie was about. She'd start on point (after all, she JUST saw the movie!) and then go off in all sorts of tangents - the color of the girl's dress, the nice curtains in the living room, the chandelier in the ball room... It was excruciating, lol! Eventually, the listener gives up. What do you call it when it takes longer to summarize the film than watching it? Fun post, Craig!
Ha - yeah, my mom was always losing the point of the story. Whereas my grandfather (her dad) was a master storyteller. I like to think I take after him. He came from Denmark, when he was ten years old, and fought in WW2. He had some stories. Though some pained him too much to tell.
I know this is something I'm working on with my own stories as well. For longer work I think it might be helpful to identify "What is the theme of this work?" and "Does this scene fit with the theme I am attempting to convey?" To be sure, there can be variations, and scenes can go back and forth, but there should be a central theme of the story.
I find as an editor for short fiction my patience for long infodumps, especially near the beginning of a piece, is nearly non-existent. I want to know the point of the story up front: What are the stakes? Who is involved? What journey is this story taking me on?
I appreciate you including "verisimilitude" as a necessary element. Fiction is getting readers to accept a lie (yeah, yeah there is a fiction that's truth dressed up as a lie, but that's a different take). To get readers to buy the big lie of the story, you often have to get the little details right. If you spend the time getting the little details of a story right, it is easier for them to accept the larger details of the story that might be a bit fuzzier with the truth.
Anyway - I enjoyed your post!
Theme is something I visit in later drafts, much later. If thought about too early, it can feel forced.
And, yes on the info dumps. It's that "warming up your engines" thing - and not really understanding when a story actually begins. In a class or workshop or something, I was told that in short fiction every sentence should have purpose (point to the meaning of the story.)
It's a challenge to write that way. To ask the hard questions: should this be here?
And for longer narratives, Henry James baggy monster not withstanding, the same critical eye should be used. My editor for the new novel really took me to task on why certain things were in my novel. In the first edit I lopped off almost 6000 words.
And on verismilitude (I'll die trying to spell that right) - every story creates it's own universe, and it's the writer's job to make it a real one.
Thanks for reading and responding Matthew!