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Saturday, January 1, 2011

DUH!_THAT QUIET VOICE THAT ASKS YOU, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"


Humans aren't the only ones who suffer from sagging middles.

Novels do, too.

It's accompanied by that leaden feeling that weighs you down with the mocking question :

"What were you thinking of when you thought you could write a book?"

When you hear that voice, I want you to answer, "DUH!"

D ..... DISASTERS

U ..... UNDERLYING

H ..... HEROES

DISASTERS :

I.) Disaster. When your novel's middle sags, you certainly know that word. It's what you feel you are writing!

II.) Escalating Disasters ...

A.) are what make up the backbone of the best novels.

B.) without them, you're just writing a news snippet for CNN.

C.) Each disaster must lead logically from the last one to make a coherent whole.

D.) But to interest an agent, then the publisher, and finally the reader ...
you must have a destination in mind for your hero from the very beginning.

III.) If your novel's middle is sagging then ...

A.) Like with humans, the discipline of exercise is missing.

B.) The disciplined exercise of steadily working towards a pre-conceived ending, step by logical step.

C.) Without that compass to guide you, your novel will meander all over the place, subject to the whims of your imagination.

UNDERLYING :

I.) The trouble with a novel that its very structure invites sagging in the middle.

II.) Your novel's middle will more than likely take up fully half of your pages.

A.) After that many pages, things start to look alike.

B.) The fix : underlying that middle with a tremendous disaster, rocking your hero and his world to its foundations.

C.) Shaking things up like that will awaken your readers from the sameness doze they may have fallen into :

Think Obi wan Kenobi sacrificing himself so that Luke may escape. To all appearances, Darth Vader looks unbeatable.

D.) This enormous disaster shores up your novel's middle, firming it up and preventing sagging.

HEROES :

I.) A memorable character that leaps off the page and into your reader's imagination is the keystone to the success of your novel.

A.) Think Hannibal Lector.

What? Hannibal a hero? Of sorts. He chose his victims quite carefully. Don't agree? Think Dexter. Same principle. We pull for Dexter, for he has chosen an acceptable outlet for his murderous impulses.

B.) UNDERLYING comes into play again with your hero :

Your hero was not born yesterday. He/she has a past. It will determine his or her actions. You had better know your hero's backstory.

C.) In fact, your hero's backstory may very well provide the world-shaking disasters that braces your novel's middle.

D.) You see how DISASTER - UNDERLYING - HEROES all interweave with one another? It is a support device that wraps around your novel's middle, keeping it firm.

E.) A fully developed hero with a past, flaws, hopes, failures will make him seem real, sucking your reader into identifying with him, rooting for him, and thrilling with him when he succeeds.

F.) Without a backstory, your reader will not understand your hero -- and more than likely, neither will you. And that slippery slope ends with a sagging middle and confused muddle of an ending.

G.) Backstory is an iceberg ;

1.) The part that is important to you as a writer is the 9/10 of it that the reader cannot see.

2.) The part you must tell your reader is the tiny 1/10 above the water line.

3.) Sensory and data overload is one of the hallmarks of a sagging middle.

H.) What determines the backstory you reveal to your reader?

1.) Core truths.

2.) They determine your hero's motivations, acting as a rudder in the flow of events in your novel.

3.) They often conflict.

You know why Miss America wants "World Peace?" She wants to impress those fuddy-duddy judges and win the war of the beauty pageant!
Stated values often clash with the real ones, motivating your hero.

II.) A dynamic hero, like say Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark, shored up those times when he he wasn't in that armor -- those moments could very well have sagged -- but because of his impish, rogue attitude, those moments were some of the best of the film, IRON MAN.

*) I hope you've found something of value in this little post. Happy New Year, Roland!
***


14 comments:

  1. May the road rise to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

    Irish Blessing

    Happy New Year!

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  2. Flying High In The Sky : Thanks for the Irish blessing -- I'm part Irish, so that speaks to me.

    I pray that this New Year brings you blessings, peace, and happy surprises, Roland

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  3. Since my books are 'a slice of life' in style, the middles were a struggle. Good tips.

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  4. Awesome advice Roland. I don't have time to catch up on the previous several posts, but hopefully I can be back later.

    Have a good new years day Roland.

    .........dhole

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  5. Great advice. Wishing you a joyous and Happy New Year.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  6. Thanks for the advice!

    Happy New Year!

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  7. Golden Eagle : Have a great and prosperous New Year, too!

    Mason : May your New Year be stellar!

    Donna : Thanks for enjoying my post. I'm working today - people need blood even on the holidays!

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  8. This was a very interesting post. Once again you have spelled out writing techniques in a very understandable way.

    I wish you every happiness in the New Year, Roland.

    I hope today was restful and peaceful and Gypsy ate all her tuna ...

    Michael

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  9. Michael : Today was one of those seven hour 200 miles days. Sigh. Gypsy did eat her tuna -- with many a put-upon sigh, mind you! I hope you have a great Sunday. I'm still at work. Roland

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  10. Thank you for the helpful and informative post. Your advice is well worth the read and I like the way you explain each and every technique. I really get (and like) your reference to Dexter. He is a perfect example of an imperfect protagonist with many many flaws, yet we still find ourselves rooting for him. The writer has given us a very complex character with just enough personalization that we find the humanity in him. Great example, thank you.

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  11. Melissa : Don't the writers of DEXTER do an excellent job of centering us within the perspective of Dexter, snaring our sympathies? I'm glad you liked my post and got something worthwhile from it. And thanks for commenting and following. Roland

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  12. Awesome advice, Roland! My novels usually sag at the beginning, while the rest of the story jumps off the page. Beginnings are always my weaknesses.
    And Hannibal Lecter is one of my all time fave characters.

    Happy New Year!May 2011 bring you much success! :)

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  13. PK : Hannibal Lector is a magnetic character, isn't he? The first paragraph, the first page of your novel is so very important. It is your first introduction to the agent and to the editor. But at least you know where to focus extra energy when your write, right? Have a beautiful Sunday and a great New Year, Roland

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  14. Well said. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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