Posts
- High Fae Queen Oyggia
"I do so enjoy Man ... or rather I enjoy what destroys him."
- DayStar
Certain things will open you up like a knife.
When that happens, the world ... and you yourself ... get to see what you are made of.
You learn most about yourself during the absolute worst moments of your life.
Crises that fill you with loneliness, heartbreak, or despair
force you to look at yourself as you really are underneath the act you show the world ...
and even yourself.
You either wither on your feet or grow deeper roots to stand taller.
Your choices will determine which.
The same is true of your novel.
Give your characters easy struggles,
and you will bore your readers who may well toss your book, never to read another.
Give your readers "no escape" crises, and you will have them eagerly turning the pages.
Caution:
your characters must have some victories along the way despite the looming doom,
some humor to light the darkness, and the promise of love --
else your readers will put your book down as too depressing.
A main character that is always on the ropes is as deadly as a Mary Sue who sweeps through all her hurdles with ease.
You know what banner hangs on the wall of the writers' room for THE FLASH?
Three words only: HEART, HUMOR, and SPECTACLE.
I would add a fourth word: SUSPENSE.
WHAT TURNS YOU OFF IN A NOVEL?
Hi Roland ... it's interesting I hardly read novels now - but that will change I've set aside a range of books to read and need to go through them and give them a chance - as you say my attention needs to be held ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI go into phases: sometimes for weeks I read only non-fiction (which helps with my research) and then other times I read only fiction.
DeleteI have been re-reading all the Longmire Wyoming Sheriff mysteries and now I have discovered all the novels of Clifford D. Simak are now on audio!!! I get to re-visit his worlds again. :-)
I would add a fifth word: Balance.
ReplyDeleteWhat turns me off a novel? Bad, clichéd writing.
Susan at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Yes, balance is all-important, too, along with pacing which I guess is another way of saying balance, right? :-)
DeleteThe sameness turns me off. Sometimes I feel I've previously read the book I'm into at the moment. And then I realize it's the language that is so familiar, not the story itself. My second turnoff is writing that tries too hard. By that I mean, for example, the really terrible metaphor that's an attempt to be different. I should shut up now because if I reread any of my earlier books I'm liable to find I'm guilty of everything I'm sounding off about. :-)
ReplyDeleteSameness is bad. I believe some authors have only one good book in them like Harper Lee. I know you are different. Best of luck with SIGN OF THE DRAGON!
DeleteSolving the struggles too fast isn't real.
ReplyDeleteI'd add faith.
Also some struggles don't go away at all which helps in writing a series. :-) Yes, faith is important in my writing, too.
DeleteI'd have to agree with Susan about hating cliches, except when the writer uses them tongue-in-cheek.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Some comedies are better if you have a cliche hero doing the deeds ... while unaware of the consequences of his actions. :-) Or say have a Mary Sue heroine who does everything well turning out to be an android -- so, of course, she would do everything well.
DeleteCliches are the worst and there are so many of them. I do believe we can make them fresh but it takes a lot of awareness to do that. The greater the struggle, the greater the triumph.
ReplyDelete@Kathleen01930 Blog