Tough Choices: Character-Informed Dilemmas

(Photo Credit: OffGamers)
Since we're talking about choices, we are obviously talking about characters. Regardless of the genre or the specific situation, it is the character who has to make the choice. An easy choice is almost no choice at all. While the specifics change from character to character, every character will have needs and wants. When the two or more clash, you can create tough choices.
The clash between a need and a want might be an easy choice... or it might not. Think of the many ways that we procrastinate fulfilling a need by chasing a want. Stopping this cycle can be difficult. A twist is when a need is mistaken for a want, or the reverse situation.
A clash of two or more wants can create a dilemma when the wants are almost the same intensity. A twist on this can be when one of the wants is given its intensity by a time limit, situation, or another character (ex, the real want is to please or impress another character).
A clash of two or more needs can be intrinsically more stressful for the character and engaging for the reader because of the very real possibility that one or more need will be sacrificed. Most often, these will be inner needs unless physical resources (food, shelter, etc.) are scarce.
I carefully avoided giving character-specific examples here (except for in the opening picture) and instead spoke of wants and needs. This is because the unique natures of your characters may contrast sharply with one another. What may be a need or want for your character may or may not even register with your villain. Happy writing!

Tough Choices: Genre-informed Dilemmas

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Since your genre has a specific focus, why not make use of this fact when brainstorming dilemmas? Every genre has built-in reader expectations for focus, issues, stye of world-building, etc. You can exploit built-in assumptions while developing touch choices for your characters. Here are three examples of what I mean...
Historical fiction often touches on how past conditions shaped -- and were shaped by -- social conditions. Hopefully, you are familiar with what makes your time period unique. A Great Depression has different built-in dilemmas than does a Renaissance, Great War, or a Liberation Movement. People living in times like these often feel strong pulls in multiple directions... tough choices.
Detective fiction often deals with issues of justice, injustice, and the grey area between the two. Likely, you have fine-tuned your area of interest.  Your explorations do not need to be limited to your main plot. Maybe a character changes as a result the tough choices she makes.
inspirational fiction often handles a very character-focused struggle to find and/or keep religious faith in times of trial. Since the character always chooses to follow her faith, the trick to making this a tough choice is to set up scenarios that strongly tempt the character to make the wrong choice.
Remember your genre as you write. Readers of your genre are picking up your book with certain expectations. Whether you flip,stretch, or reinforce the assumptions, there are issues that the reader expects will be addressed. So keep your genre in mind as you write.

Flash Fiction: Ending

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing flash fiction can help you identify your audience. Because they are quick to write, you can easily test different types of endings and see which type of endings your target audience best responds to. Or work in reverse and write the endings you like in order to narrow down the identity of your target audience. Remember that the better you know your audience, the better you can satisfy their readerly cravings.

• Surprise: With such a short length, there is very little room for anything but surprises. A useful – if sometimes uncomfortable – skill for writers to develop. But the best surprise, the unforeseen logical outcome of all that came before, is in the end.
• Uncertainty: Some questions may never be answered, but enough information should be provided that the reader can create the answer alone. This approach has the added benefit of allowing different readers to come away with different impressions.
• Climax: Flash fiction is unusual in that there is not much room to build up to the climax. There are fewer obstacles and fewer characters. Typically, in flash fiction, only two characters (a group can be depicted as a character, remember) are involved. Sometimes the antagonist is absent or only implied, and is never fully characterized. I doubt a writer could get away with this for the climax of a full-fledged novel but it is one way to save space in flash fiction.
• Loose ends: Because there are fewer characters, points of view, and events in flash fiction there are fewer loose ends to resolve. Also, it is more common to leave the problems of other characters unresolved. I think this practice is more accepted in flash fiction because of the space constraints.

Flash Fiction: Middle

A possible benefit of flash fiction is that the middle is so short. Many people struggle with middles although for me the most difficult part is cutting my middles down to size. Flash fiction emphasizes techniques that can help me do this. But if you are the type who writes your middles too short, then flash fiction middles may be easy for you.

Off Camera Flash (Photo credit: nickwheeleroz)

• Inference: One way to cut down on words is to refer to well known events, people, or legends. Saying that a character is shaped like Marilyn Monroe saves a lot of words, as does simply saying “we were under old maritime law”, or “his life suddenly seemed a modern-day Hamlet”.
• Telling: A key phrase in the last point was “simply saying”. The flash fiction I have looked at so contains more “tellling” than I expected. This might be because “showing” takes more words. This is one technique that is frowned on in longer fiction but the conventions seem different in this medium.
• Obstacle: Most flash fiction I read only had one major obstacle. In long fiction, I can usually find three major complications or obstacles. Since there is only one obstacle, it is – of course – the major obstacle and needs to really count.
• Uncertainty: One way to save words is to not resolve or explain everything. This has the added benefit of keeping the reader reading to find the answers to the unanswered questions.

Pantster Help: Moving Forward Without Plot

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Some people prefer not to plot or can’t plot without loosing the drive to write. In writing lingo, this person is called a “panster” while people who prefer to plot are called “plotters”. Because they have at best has only a vague idea of where the story will go, pansters face some unique challenges. The “Panster Help” articles that appear scattered through this month are attempts to address some of these issues.
      Pansters may not know where their characters are going but they do have characters. Story action happens when characters set goals, obstacles appear, and they go against these obstacles. The character may win, loose, appear to win, partially win, or win for now.
      The goal gives the character a reason to act. If the character does not act, there is nothing to write about. By the end of the Beginning of the book, the character will have a long-term goal in mind but the in the Beginning, Middle, and End, the character will always need concrete, short-term goals. Concrete, so physical action or dialogue can occur. And short-term because each of these goals will be a step on your path to reach the greater goal.
      The obstacles make the goal interesting to the reader and promote character and/or story growth. The reader likes (maybe even loves) your character but if the character does not struggle, the reader will loose interest. Obstacles need to be external – in the form of a person, action, or object – but the primary effects can still be internal.
      The conflict arises from the character with the goal who faces the obstacle(s). Maybe the character questions previous beliefs, refuses to face fears, or realizes something about another person. A path of action may be removed or a new door of possibility opened.
      When you are stuck, look at what has just happened to the character, what new immediate goals the character could make in an attempt to reach the long-term goal. Next look for obstacles to throw down on the path to that goal. Then decide how your character will react to those obstacles (considering fears, knowledge, and resources). Now you are writing again!

Flash Fiction: Ends

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing flash fiction can help you identify your audience. Because they are quick to write, you can easily test different types of endings and see which type of endings your target audience best responds to. Or work in reverse and write the endings you like in order to narrow down the identity of your target audience. Remember that the better you know your audience, the better you can satisfy their readerly cravings.

• Surprise: With such a short length, there is very little room for anything but surprises. A useful – if sometimes uncomfortable – skill for writers to develop. But the best surprise, the unforeseen logical outcome of all that came before, is in the end.
• Uncertainty: Some questions may never be answered, but enough information should be provided that the reader can create the answer alone. This approach has the added benefit of allowing different readers to come away with different impressions.
• Climax: Flash fiction is unusual in that there is not much room to build up to the climax. There are fewer obstacles and fewer characters. Typically, in flash fiction, only two characters (a group can be depicted as a character, remember) are involved. Sometimes the antagonist is absent or only implied, and is never fully characterized. I doubt a writer could get away with this for the climax of a full-fledged novel but it is one way to save space in flash fiction.
• Loose ends: Because there are fewer characters, points of view, and events in flash fiction there are fewer loose ends to resolve. Also, it is more common to leave the problems of other characters unresolved. I think this practice is more accepted in flash fiction because of the space constraints.

Flash Fiction: Middles

Off Camera Flash (Photo credit: nickwheeleroz)

A possible benefit of flash fiction is that the middle is so short. Many people struggle with middles although for me the most difficult part is cutting my middles down to size. Flash fiction emphasizes techniques that can help me do this. But if you are the type who writes your middles too short, then flash fiction middles may be easy for you.

• Inference: One way to cut down on words is to refer to well known events, people, or legends. Saying that a character is shaped like Marilyn Monroe saves a lot of words, as does simply saying “we were under old maritime law”, or “his life suddenly seemed a modern-day Hamlet”.
• Telling: A key phrase in the last point was “simply saying”. The flash fiction I have looked at so contains more “tellling” than I expected. This might be because “showing” takes more words. This is one technique that is frowned on in longer fiction but the conventions seem different in this medium.
• Obstacle: Most flash fiction I read only had one major obstacle. In long fiction, I can usually find three major complications or obstacles. Since there is only one obstacle, it is – of course – the major obstacle and needs to really count.
• Uncertainty: One way to save words is to not resolve or explain everything. This has the added benefit of keeping the reader reading to find the answers to the unanswered questions.

Suspense in Dialogue

There are many ways to introduce suspense into dialogue. Suspense is the element of uncertainty. What is going on? What will happen next? Because dialogue is “people telling other people things”, you may wonder how the sharing of information can lead to uncertainty.

• Revelations: The realization that things are not as they seemed a minute ago. This can evoke feelings of wonder, surprise, or unease. Questions arise in the reader's mind about what the revelation means for the character's future.
• Threat: The belief that the character has somehow come under attack. The threat may be to physical well-being, but the threat could also be mental or emotional. The threat usually connects to the scene goal and complicates the goal somehow. The reader should be left uncertain how the character will respond to the threat.
• Thoughts: Often this happens when a viewpoint character thinks something that cannot be said aloud. Thoughts reveal information to the reader that non-viewpoint characters are (usually) not privy to. The reader should be led to wonder if/how/when the “secret” will come out. If the thought is one of inner conflict, the reader will be uncertain how the character will cope. Plans for future action can also be suspenseful, especially if the POV character is unsure whether the plan will succeed.
• Theme: Have a character state the theme and let other characters react. Because the theme is the central topic of your WIP, your characters will have strong – and different opinions about it (even something like “love conquers all” can be controversial for your characters). Voicing the theme can create momentary suspense because the reader knows there are characters who strongly disagree and the reader wonders how such a character will react.

When NOT to Start the Book With Conflict

Who Brings A Knife To A Gun Fight? (Photo credit: Cayusa)

Actually, I can think of some downsides to opening a first chapter with conflict. The reader won't care about the character unless the type of conflict is chosen carefully because the reader won't know the character enough to really care. To combat this, I'd use the conflict to say something about the character. But what about the initial hook? Use suspense, tension, reader curiosity, mystery, just long enough to set up character before diving into the conflict.

Some types of conflict are rarely effective as an opening hook because most books (except sequels) start with the reader knowing nothing about the characters, issues, or world. And the opening hook makes promises to the reader about what kind of book they are about to read. So avoid starting in the middle of a conflict that is...

• Character-dependent.
• setting-dependent
• back-story-dependent
• different type of action than typical
• different mood than typical
• no connection to main issues

Revision Step 1: Delete for Conflict!

This blog post looks at what to delete from events in order to improve clarity, voice, logic, and flow. By deleting content in your first step of revision, you won’t waste time polishing material you will only remove later on. And if deleting content leaves holes, you can brainstorm and fill the gaps with something even better.

The blog does NOT delve into different types of conflict, a break-down of what a scene is and is not, or types of transitions. Again, each of those would need its own post. The post carries the subtitle “Delete for Conflict!” because most of an event is made of conflict (I know you know this). But remember to look at the entire event – both before the conflict starts and after it is resolved – because the entire event can benefit from these warning signs.

• Ignores main story goal. The characters are not trying to reach (or prevent) the main story goal. Every sub-goal needs to tie back to that main story goal.
• Lacks conflict, tension, or suspense. The three are not the same. Conflict is a struggle between two or more characters. Tension is the physical, mental, and emotional strain caused by the conflict. Suspense is the reader's uncertainty about how the conflict will end. If you are missing any of them, the reader will probably loose interest.
• Takes tangents. A tangent differs from a valid digression. Sometimes a character will get deflected from the initial scene goal – and that can be fine. BUT: Is the scene goal answered by the finishing event? Can you justify the diversion? Was it somehow caused by the last event or did the even “just happen”? (Hint: the second scenario is bad.) Does the tangent serve some purpose? Ex., foreshadowing, essential backstory. If not, it needs to go.
• Story still drags. When this happens, then the pace may be too slow. Use all the articles as a check-list to see what can be removed. But don't stop there. Also try shortening the length of sentences and paragraphs. This alone will make the story flow faster.
  
  

This is Part 2 of a series of five blog entries that look at deleting to improve Style, Events, Summary and Description, Characters, and Dialogue.

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Three very different book on planning events…

Bell, James Scott. Conflict & Suspense. Cincinnati, Ohio: Wiriter's Digest Books, 2011.

Dibell, Ansen. Plot. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books, 1988.

Franklin, Jon. Writing for Story. New York: Plume, 1994 (republished).

Use Avoidance to Heighten Conflict

As I rewrite an early chapter, it would be convenient to have the main character prefer to avoid conflict. My first reaction was: no way I can do that. It will reduce my chances for conflict. But then I started thinking…

1. The stakes in any given chapter or scene won’t let her avoid conflict. So she will have an inner conflict (the wish to avoid conflict warring with the need to reach her scene goal) as well as an external conflict.
2. If the main character was argumentative by nature, any conflict with another person would mean less because she’d be following her nature rather than fighting it. More tension there.
3. When I change POV and the scene goal pits two other characters against one another, it will be natural for her to play peace-maker. Which makes for three-way tension because the strength of the scene goal and opposition won’t let them make peace without first resolving the dispute.
4. If she avoids conflict when the stakes don’t matter, then she isn’t communicating truthfully and it can lead to misunderstandings and isolation from other characters. This presents problems she will be reluctant to address – much less solve.

Three guesses as to what I decided. Come on, surely you can come up with at least three possible paths forward…

April Fool's - 10 Things "To Do" with Your Story

Some WONDERFUL ideas for your book. (some exceptions apply)

1. Don’t know what to write? Just cut and paste from your favorite book.
2. Bored with your main character? Change his name half-way through the book.
3. Hate your bad guy’s guts? Kill him off in the second scene.
4. Word count too short? Add random scenes to flesh it out.
5. Word count too long? No one cares how the book ends. Cut it out.
6. Don’t feel like meeting that deadline? Then don’t write!
7. Not enough sizzle in a genre romance? Make it a harem.
8. Too little suspense in that thriller? Give the detective a Tahiti vacation.
9. Bored with fantasy worlds? Make it an all-human cast with identical sociopolitical values and views.
10. Need more back story? Just do an “As you know, Bob…” info dump.

Add your favorite ideas here…