Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Not So Smooth Seas


I saw this picture on pinterest today, and it made me think of some points regarding writing. Sure, this sentiment can be applied to life in general, but it's also a good tip to remember when creating plot. When writing fiction, mastering good ebb and flow in terms of plot takes a lot of time and practice. You have to play around with things like timing and emphasis. For instance, you don't want to build to your main climax too quickly, because then you probably have (a) not developed the characters enough by the point of climax for the reader to really care what happens to them, or (b) left too much space post-climax, ending the story/novel on a dull note. 

Remember the quote above when experimenting with plot. Well-developed characters must encounter enough obstacles along their paths in order for the reader to care about them. It usually works out best if all of these obstacles are not either so menial that they don't seem like such a big deal, or such fantastical barriers that the average reader cannot at all relate to them. A good example of utilization of this method is Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy: in each of her books, the heroine Katniss goes through a series of ordeals much unlike our every day occurrences (like going into man-to-man combat with twenty-three other teens). Those kind of obstacles make the story exciting, but in the face of that, Collins makes sure to include some regular sixteen-year-old-girl-stuff to Katniss' character, like the fact that she is somewhat torn between feelings for two boys, or the dynamics among her and her sister and their mother. Those more "normal" conflicts help make Katniss a relateable character for the teenagers and young adults reading the story, instead of allowing the exciting and nearly other-worldly violence complete take-over of the plot.   

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