writingforyourlife

Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression.  The chasm is never completely bridged. 

~Isaac Bashevis Singer

How much of your story is missing?

When you spend hours, days, months, perhaps even years composting ideas for a novel, you’ve really created an alternate reality.  Depending on how much time you spend in this literary head-space, you may start feeling more comfortable there than you do in your own shoes.

This is great for gathering material with which to write your novel, but it makes it difficult to recognize the crucial details you may be leaving out.

Dare we call them… moth holes?  I just made up that term right now, but you know what I mean.

Just because you happen to know everything about your characters,  setting, and plot, doesn’t mean you’ve been successful in translating those details onto paper.

Sure, when you read through your draft, it all seems to make perfect sense. But then, you’re biased. Your brain is potentially filling in the missing bits.

Will an objective reader think it makes sense?

A submissions editor at a publishing company?

Best to be on the safe side.  Here are 3 ways to avoid moth holes in your story:

1. Map Motivations:  Keep track of why your characters are doing what they do and saying what they say.  Write it down somewhere and review it often.  Make sure those details are subtly woven into your story.
2. Take a Long Break:  When you finish your first full draft, put it away for a long time–at least 2 months.  You’ll have fresher eyes when you return to it.  You’ll notice things your brain glossed over before.
3. Get a Second Opinion:  Don’t get your best friend or your grandma to read your manuscript.  They’re far too nice.  Get someone honest (and someone who has good literary taste)  to read it and tell you what’s missing.

So, no need to abandon your alternate reality.  No need for those smelly mothballs either.

Just make sure your feet are on the ground when you’re editing, and your manuscript is sure to be moth-hole free.

If you ever took a high school drama class, you’ll remember those written assignments where you had to make a concept web about your character role and their motivations.

The same idea goes for writing fiction.  You can make your character do all sorts of random things, but without clear motivations for their actions, they all become rather meaningless.

The best way to define motivation is to make your characters as life-like as possible.  This means they must be 3-dimensional.

Here are some questions you could ask yourself when creating characters:

• What are the defining moments in their lives?
• Which people mean the most to them?
• Do they believe in God?
• When were they the most frightened?
• In which situations do they find themselves feeling phobic?
• What makes them nervous?
• In whom do they confide?
• Does their physical appearance match or contrast with their personality?
• When were they the happiest?
• If they could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
• What is their biggest regret?

You get the picture. There are thousands of questions you can ask yourself to help develop characters and their motivations.

If you create a character that others care about, it makes your story all the more powerful, and more enjoyable to read.

Yesterday, we looked at Keith Gray’s Writing Masterclass Part I: Ideas & Inspiration.

Today, we’ll see Part II of this video series on Character.

As I mentioned with Part I, watching this series feels a bit like sitting down for coffee with an old friend and getting some advice.  Keith Gray has a down-to-earth approach.  He makes writing seem accessible, not limited to people with creative writing degrees.

Writing Masterclass Part II suggests some prompts a writer can address to create life-like characters:

• What talents do they have?
• What are their greatest ambitions?
• Do they have a secret they want to keep from others?
• Who is their best friend or confidante?
• Who is their worst enemy, and why?
• What do your characters carry in their pockets?
• Have they recently lost something important?
• Do their names have meaning?
• What do your characters’ actions say about them?

Gray mentions it would be a good idea to have a developed character in mind before you watch the next video.

Come back tomorrow for Writing Masterclass Part III:  Plot.