The Half-Scene

Because summary can be incredibly important in presenting information that does not need its own scene (for instance, if the action came long before the scene taking place), but because it can also slow down the action and pacing (possibly encouraging the reader to skip it entirely), it can be helpful to integrate a "half-scene" into the summary within the main scene:

After my last fight with Sean—the morning of the day he died—I headed downstairs, putting as much physical distance between us as quickly as possible. I remember passing family portraits on my way down, a visual progression of the years growing between us. My lighter hair and glasses—until I got contacts. Sean’s darker features and broad shoulders—strong and confident. That stupid grin that got him whatever he wanted, even Claire.

Especially Claire.

“It’ll never work out!” he’d called after me. “You’re not her type!”

I ignored him, jogged into the kitchen, my new tennis shoes squeaking against the wood floors. My mom was at the counter, scrolling through something on her phone. The Keurig was hissing, the dishwasher running—whirring and clicking its way through the cycle.

It’s crazy the details I remember about that day.

I remember thinking, for instance, that the only way the dishwasher would be running in the morning was if Sean had forgotten to start it the night before—that it was so like him to be completely undependable. Not that anyone seemed to notice.

“What’s going on?” Mom asked.

“Nothing.” I grabbed two cherry breakfast bars from the pantry and a bottled water from the fridge.

In a few short hours, I would puke those bars up on the hospital lawn. After that, I would never eat one again. I wouldn’t even be able to look at them without feeling nauseous. 

This scene is a flashback that pulls us out of present day, but it doesn't only summarize the past--it mixes dialogue and action to add more drama. It is a scene within a scene. 

So if you're working on backstory and feel the paragraphs are getting too bogged down with simple summary, try to add some elements of scene: dialogue, descriptive action, etc. Paint a few of those specific images you're discussing for the reader.

Just remember to keep the point of view and tense consistent. The above example remains in Jesse's POV because I'm in his head at that moment in the story, but with this snippet of action I've pulled the narration from present tense (he says) to past (he said).

A few nice "action moments" can break up the monotony when information needs to be summarized, making the passage more memorable.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

So You Want To Write Poetry

Even if you don't (want to write poetry, that is)--even if you're the staunchest writer of romance or science fiction or children's books--it might be worth considering incorporating a poetry practice into your writing routine.

Nearly every post on this blog is writing or motivation-related, meant to inspire and encourage writers in some way (or give them something new to try or think about). I'm fairly good at passing along things I've learned about writing over the years, but I'm not always that great about discussing the craft-related books that inspire me. 

(That should change, obviously, so I'm keeping these recommendations in mind for future posts.)

At any rate, I just wrapped up The Portable MFA in Creative Writing, and while it contained a nice overview of what you might learn about fiction, essay writing, magazine writing, playwriting, and poetry in an actual MFA program, I have to say that the poetry section stood out the most, with advice for application that seemed super-practical.

This part of the book was written by Rita Gabis, and it contained an eight-week program full of poetry analysis, freewriting, and poem structuring.

"But Katie, I don't want to write poetry," you say. "I barely made it past the title of this post."

To this, I would reply: maybe you don't think you want to write poetry, and perhaps you don't want to write poetry for publication, but I can't think of any ways in which writing poetry won't help with your romance novel, children's book, or sci-fi thriller.

Poetry is writing, after all. But more than that: it's deep writing. Something about poetry pulls at our subconscious. It makes us more aware of images and rhythm and word choice. It heightens our thoughts about the underlying meanings and hidden messages in a simple phrase or sentence. 

A good poem is good writing, and I just can't see how being able to write a good poem could possibly hurt a fiction writer. In fact, I would argue that it could only make you better.

So, if you're in the market for a new writing craft book, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing is a solid pick. Each section is full of advice and conventional wisdom, but it's worth the price for the poetry section alone.

Sit down with it. Try Gabis's eight-week program.

As an aside, I've bookmarked it for myself for future application, as I would never tell you to try something I wouldn't--even if I already do write poetry on occasion. My problem is that I have one more craft book on my summer reading list as well as an eight-hour writing course to finish (as a student) before my classes (as a teacher) pick back up in July.

BUT . . . if YOU have some free time remaining this summer, just for curiosity's sake, see what spending 45 minutes to an hour every day for eight weeks with poetry can do for your writing.

And always: Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Language

I post quite a bit about character development and plot on this blog because these are critical factors in whether or not a book is believable, enjoyable, etc.

However, language--or how your story is told--is also v. important.

I'm reading a novel right now at the behest of my sister-in-law, who thrust the book at me last weekend and said: "This book is awful. Read it so we can discuss."

*sigh*

I know how hard writers work at their craft and how difficult it is to tell a story that resonates, so I was really hesitant to go into this book with the pre-conceived idea that it Just Doesn't Work. It did, after all, go through an agent and editors and was published by a reputable publisher. It can be grabbed from the shelves of any major retailer as of this writing, and a quick check of the reviews shows that it did, in fact, resonate with *some* people.

(Don't try to guess which book it is. It will not show up on my Goodreads list.) ;)

At any rate, there are, in fact, problems with plot, character development, and telling over showing (also: SO MANY coincidences), but one of the main problems is the language. 

This is a historical novel set near the turn of the 20th century. The main characters are European. For discussion's sake, let's pretend they're Italian (they aren't).

The issues with the language are numerous. 

First, the characters don't really sound Italian. Every so often the writer will toss in an italicized Italian word or phrase, or will insert some English-Italian slang; otherwise, the "voice" just isn't there. This means those words and phrases also tend to draw unnecessary attention to themselves. A few, in particular, are repeated ad nauseam. Every time I see one it's: "Oh, yeah. These characters are Italian." This is usually followed by: "Why do they say this word so much?"

The next problem is that these Italian speakers don't sound like they're from the turn of the 20th century. In one instance, a girl says "totally." Maybe they used this word back then--I don't know--but because it's so common today, it's a bit jarring to see it in a historical work. To some degree, I do expect a historical piece to have a more elevated and formal style of writing (which this story does, in fact, call for).

There are also trite/overused expressions and cliches that don't seem to fit the historical/Italian vibe, either.  

Every few pages I'm being pulled from the story. I can't fully immerse or lose myself in the narration because the language keeps calling attention to itself because it feels so unnatural. 

So, writer friends: 

How is your story's message communicated? 

Is it believable? Is it convincing?

Every language and culture has its own nuances, and the dialogue and prose need to sound *exactly* right for maximum believability. The voice of a regency romance should not mirror a contemporary one. A story set in the American South should not sound like a story set on the streets of London.

And we can go further: a story set in Georgia (American South) should not read exactly like a story set in Mississippi (also American South).

Plot and character development are important, but so is language: the dialogue, the word choice, the turns of phrasing.

What does this mean for writers?

It's important for us to do our research. Every word on the page should reflect the period, location, and genre in which we are writing.

Read, revise, read again, revise, read out loud, and, when the words stop making sense, enlist the help of a beta reader or two. They should be able to pinpoint any places where the tone, phrasing, conversation, etc. don't quite match their intention. 

And always. . . .

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Plot Problems

According to Frank O'Connor, a story requires three things.

The first is exposition--who the story is about. The second is development--the inciting incident and what's at stake. The third is drama--what the main character is working toward. 

If any of these three key ideas can't be reduced to a single, clarifying sentence, then you may have a plotting problem.

If there is no clearly defined main character, then the exposition needs work. If there is no inciting incident or disruption of routine, then the development needs more attention. If the drama seems bland or vague, then there's an issue with conflict and motivation. 

If you can summarize these three key ideas in a compelling way, then your story is, in fact, moving in the right direction.

An Example

Exposition: Trent is a troubled young man from a well-to-do family.

Development: He is forced into community service with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who may have killed her best friend.

Drama: If he can find out the truth about what happened that night, he might be able to prove her innocent.

Plug in the details of your WIP to see if it passes Frank O'Connor's plot test. 

And always: Be Brilliant!

~Katie~