Audiences excuse much for the sake of entertainment. Good too for anyone who expects perfect reason is infuriated in life and disappointed with art. With the humility in traipsing on that line, I can’t stand a character who’s always right. Yes there must be conceits in the greatest stories, but I’ll concede where my weakness … Continue reading Always Right, Never Enjoyable
Tag: Audience
The Journal: A Narrative Squared Problem
The journal is the most distilled form of narration in fiction. In essence a character is jotting down their thoughts as they see fit. They are their only audience and are logging those thoughts for their own benefit. There is no outside influence to alter what they put onto the page. This can lead both … Continue reading The Journal: A Narrative Squared Problem
The Big Sell
I want to coin the term scene genre as a shorthand for any conversation using, “It’s that type of scene where…” The formula is so established that by describing one or two facets of the scene the average person can conjure multiple examples of similar scenes in movies, TV, books, etc. Just by this setup: … Continue reading The Big Sell
Action Scene Flow
There’re many ways to construct an action scene and wow an audience. Each providing its thrills chills, bright colors, and loud sounds. It’s a fun ride while you’re on it. Unfortunately much like most else in life there’re as many ways to get an action scene wrong as there are right. One of the fundamentals … Continue reading Action Scene Flow
Solely Spoken
After rereading Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants I noticed a similarity in style to that story and what I’m currently writing. There’s a high bar of quality to match and it has me contemplating the techniques used and how else they can be applied. If you’ve never read the story go straight there. It’s four … Continue reading Solely Spoken
The Hook of an Idea
If you’ve ever interfaced with the world ideas have bubbled up in your head. A sensory stimulus hits and your desires follow. If you’ve ever engaged in storytelling then the world has breathed those head-scratching, earworm, thirst provokers into your internal monolog. But then there’s the question, “Why am I still fixated on this?” With … Continue reading The Hook of an Idea
Pausing a Character Arc
The ideal story will have the protagonist’s character arc run parallel to the advancing plot. As each scene flows into the next, the character will progressively advance en route to an end state materially different from whence they started. For most stories, this is the gold standard. But the methodology can differ for tales outside … Continue reading Pausing a Character Arc
Death of an Innocent Character
If you’ve ever written consistently you’re going to find yourself killing someone about one week in. No matter what genre, eventually someone dies. Like death itself, it’s natural and inevitable. But that doesn’t make it easy, unless you don’t care. For this character I’ve got on the chopping block now, I’m getting chewed up. That … Continue reading Death of an Innocent Character
Suspense in Fiction
Readers caught in the grips of suspense are kept locked upon their seats permanently so they may find answers to an unyielding question hopefully on that very next page. The means to obtain such an effect is through the proper use of information in your narrative. Boiled down to its basic components, all information reverts … Continue reading Suspense in Fiction
Travel in Fiction
Here, There, Everywhere, and Back Again
Colin Klawans 