A strong protagonist and a compelling storyline that connect all of the different narrative threads should weave itself into a rich character arc,as  the main character changes somehow over the course of our story. No  pre-determined map at their disposal to follow .  By driving the story through character, as opposed to building it through plot, the story’s plot will unfold naturally, writing itself.  Having no idea where the story is going, the character decides the route she should take as the story falls into place- the same way we live our lives everyday, rising in the morning, expecting certain things to take place over the course of our day, then adjusting as we are confronted with life’s many unexpected obstacles ,  and ultimately we often make the choice to  switch directions or goals so we can do more than merely survive.

We manage our lives through overcoming obstacles, by learning how we must change,  or how we must treat each situation we encounter or person we come up against, usually at random or by surprise.  Ultimately we do change in some way… because we naturally desire a successful ending  of some kind.  It is much the same with our stories.  We give birth and DNA to our characters, raising them so that they learn to make the right choices, learning from their mistakes along the way.  And in the end, just like the parents we are or the parents we have or had,  the binding strings are cut so that our cherished offspring or characters are allowed the chance to  soar off on their own, managing their own life, and finding their own destiny.

Holding on too tightly to plot restricts the ability of the characters to flourish on their own, to build off their own strengths and to   ultimately allow them to go even beyond what we, their maker, ever could have imagined.  Like managing life where the power is inside of each one of us characters to build our own magical life plots, managing plot in our stories is to give that magical power to our characters and to step out of the way to see where they will take us.  They just may surprise us in the end.

Frost once said “No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.” What does this mean exactly? Aren’t writers supposed to deliver the answers to all of our questions. But… what if we do not even know what our questions are until the writer asks it. If the writer is not discovering, the writer’s words will fall flat on the page. There is a misconception that writers write because they know something and want to share it and while that may be true in many cases, it is not always the case in much of the great literature and fiction we love. Writers write because they want to find things out. This does not relate only to facts and informational things, but also to philosophical things, emotional things, intangible things.
Instead of writing a story to provide  only an answer, the author who writes a story based on a question, shares the gift of discovery or the DESIRE for discovery with his reader, which the reader may not have even known she possesses. Kind of like when tasting a new dish, having no idea it would taste THAT good until after the meal has been prepared and placed on the table in front of you.
“Why are we here?” “Where do we go after we die?” “Do we just stop existing or do we continue some place else?” “Are human beings either good or bad or is there a bit of good and bad in all of us?” “If people have both good and evil inside, what makes some people draw out the good and others the bad?”
As mentioned in my previous blogs, (this is a driving belief for me ) , we are taught to write the two words “What if..” when we are lost for an idea for a new story:   “What if we are here on earth over and over until we get it right?” “What if all people are capable of evil yet only those who are not nurtured early in their lives draw from that evil while others who are loved become only loving and compassionate beings?”   By questioning and discovering, the writer opens doors once locked in the reader’s mind- untouched or nurtured, which invites new thought and reflection, lighting up the dark, neglected corners of our minds.

I would think that Frost would agree that a surprise uncovered and shared by the writer is the true gift for the reader, encouraging the reader to imagine,  reflect, desire, to think and to feel. To work toward discovery is to achieve discovery. And oh my, just like that new dish that turned out to taste so delightful -what a surprise indeed!

LIfe moves through disconnections as much as it moves through connections.  I read this line in Grant Faulkner’s wonderful “Mini Might” article for the August 2015 edition of The Writer Magazine.  He explains that he often, in his writing, focuses on what goes unsaid and unexplained to build suspense. Isn’t it true that what moves us in our feelings, opinions and subsequently, in our actions are the things we have to wonder about.  Whether we are wrapped up in what someone thinks of something we have done, or how someone feels about us which could range anywhere from love and romance to guilt, regrets, fears, doubts and so much more.

In writing, which reflects our everyday lives and thoughts , the writer shrinks down the regular tedious stuff to something that will draw readers in, resulting in tension and suspense.  Therefore, as Faulkner says, ” trust in the spaces of the story, in what goes unsaid. See how too much text can diminish the necessary whorls of mystery that a reader expects.”

Faulkner writes his stories, moving along through navigating through a situation and ending in a way that doesn’t conclude the action so much as to open it up.  Another colleague, he points out, has said that the last lines of a story should “create a silence, a white space in which the reader breathes.  That feeling the reader has upon closing the book. The “ahhh” that lingers long after the last page is read.

The most haunting stories are those that don’t provide answers, but open up questions. Life DOES move through disconnections as much as connections.  It is our questions that make us think and learn as a result.  I have been taught to ask a question when trying to come up with an idea for a story.  “What happens after death?”  “Why are some people treated so unfairly?” “What are the consequences to children of divorce?”  These questions are seeds from which a whole garden of stories can bloom.  And that is just the beginning. The best part is after the last lines of the story are read and those seeds are swept off the page, landing inside our minds and hearts, inspiring new questions and more learning.  By not providing us with the answers, but by opening our minds to the possibilities and inspirations, by providing the questions, or the empty spaces with so much potential, we are able to fill them in with whatever is important to us.  And that can take us anywhere.

Regarded as one of the most well known 19th century literary realists, Henry James was an American Writer who wrote from a character’s point of view, allowing him to reflect on themes related to consciousness and perception.  His work grew out of his creative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable characters.  He believed in writing to explore and to encourage  readers to think deeply about some of the major themes of life , such as abuse, oppression, conflicts of moral character, personal relationships and how the abuse of power influences the outcomes of those relationships.  James believed that human beings should ” Try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost.”

Soak up knowledge- not only in academics but in the behaviors and motives of human beings.  Observe the world around you and learn from it.  Take away lessons and apply them to your daily interactions with everyone you encounter.  This advice works for everyone -regardless of the passion or pursuits, and most especially to us writers.  Writers are always researching, paying attention to what is going on around us, learning about people and about life experiences.   We explore themes and we create stories to “show and tell” what we have learned, or even what we still question.  We do not always find the answers in our research,  but we raise the questions and we make readers think.

Jack Smith, the author of Write and Revise for Publication, and two novels ” Hog to Hog” and  “Icon”, interviewed the Writer and Poet, Julia Alvarez, and in his article for THE WRITER, he asked her the question:  ” What can early stage writers take away from your idea to write what you are thinking, to find out who you are to understand things?”  Ms. Alvarez responded as follows:

”  Writers write not because they know things but because they want to find things out. And not just informational things- emotional ones, the whole landscape of human feeling, emotion and passion.  They want to experience things. they want to discover.  ”

She added a quote from Robert Frost ” No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”

To summarize, if one is not discovering, the words will die on the page.  And for those  who do not write, if one is not discovering, the thoughts, goals and passions will die on the page.  So, try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost and find a way to raise a question to make us think.

Remember when you were little and your parents took you to the restaurant (or you took your own children) and the host supplied you with a placemat/menu to keep you or your children busy.  The placemat usually included various games such as crossword puzzles, identification games and a “connect the dot “game.

Writing can be like a connect the dot game as the writer applies the following techniques to complete her “work of art”, much the same way you or your children completed the picture on that placemat:

Dot #1. Create a central storyline that sweeps the reader along on the narrative arc.

Dot#2.  Draw the reader into the story by creating precisely painted scenes

Dot#3.  Come up with well developed characters to get the reader to care what happens to them.

Dot#4.  Develop a series of actions and reactions that carry the reader along toward the endpoint or conclusion (to plot)

Dot#5.  Create a situation that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible.

Dot#6.  Create suspense to keep the audience on the edge of their seats anxious to turn each page.

Dot#7.  Give the story a conflict full of characters up against one another or forces they can not control, create drama.

Dot#8.  Mix in metaphors and similes and other tricks to keep the reader engaged

Dot#9.  Give the narrator a unique, authentic voice

Dot#10.  Finally, create a CONNECTION between the storyteller and the audience!

It does not take magic to create a novel; it takes these techniques, along with a passion for writing, commitment, LOTS of self discipline and hard work!  But, once the dots have been connected, the completed work of art will suddenly become evident, shining as the master piece it had been pre-destined to become.

On our three page list of discussion points, our book club leader lists first: Characters and Storyline.  “The way the author develops his or her characters affects our responses to them; at the same time, our response to characters is driven by a myriad of personal experiences.  Why one person finds a character despicable and another sympathetic turns the wheel of a good exploratory discussion on character analysis- the study of human nature”.

Tom Hallman Jr indicates, in his “5 Reasons Writing Small Can Help You Make it Big” 2010 Writer’s Digest article, that the key to remember that readers turn to our  stories is not for information, but for the emotion and the chance to explore and learn from others lives.  He reveals in this article how a publisher he knew of by the name of Janna Mock-Lopez would often use this approach in her time working as a freelancer for newspapers.  Her suggestion was to look for the “unremarkable” people in the community, the ones that do not appear to strive for attention.  The people who live real, meaningful lives raising children, caring for their elderly parents, working long hours so that they could give their families the dream life they envisioned, or volunteering every sunday at the local church. Those are the people who have stories to tell, and they are the stories the readers relate to.

We often ask ourselves; Were the actions of these characters a result of fate or free will? Did our protagonist have the freedom of choice to act a different way or was it her destiny.  The attitude of the readers, based on who they are and how they think and feel, will reflect the way they assign moral responsibility for what happens in the novel.  Therefore, Hallman made a valid point in his theory, that the reader turns to the story for her own emotional opportunity to search for a link between her own world and the world she dives into when she opens the first page of a story.  And if the author of that story did his job, the reader will find meaning behind the story, enlarging her unremarkable life with the help of someone else’s.

“Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarbleton twins were.” In Margaret Mitchell’s famous ” GONE WITH THE WIND”, the reader is enticed by this opening ; perhaps not sold quite yet, but interested enough to move on.  Then,a little further along in the chapter, the reader learns along with Scarlett that her  one true love, Ashley Wilkes becomes engaged to Melanie Hamilton.  “Scarlett’s face did not change but her lips went white-like a person who has received a stunning blow without warning and who, in the first moments of shock, does not realize what has happened.”  Now, the reader can not help but be compelled to read further to find out how this enchanting person, who causes heads to turn, is so disturbed by this news.

The story did not start with an earthquake or a murder, yet it pulled in the readers by it’s mystery and disturbance.  The reader did not have to sit through a tedious recount of Scarlett’s entire childhood and daily thoughts to get caught up in the “interruption to normal life”, a disturbance in her every day world that moves the audience to find out what will happen.  It is what Alfred Hitchcock once said;

“A good story is life with the dull parts take out.”

It is the duty of the writer to guide the reader away from the mundane; a life of regular things that happen to everyone everyday, to take her on a journey someplace that will excite her, to remove her from the dull parts of the everyday real life.  Like a great chef who knows the magic of preserving only the most flavorful ingredients in his masterpiece dish, we writers must know how to leave the “dull parts out”, saving the best, most flavorful ingredients for our audience to devour.  Like life, the masterpiece is the result of it’s creators’ ability to make it the best it can be, minus the boring parts we do not need.

The trick to drawing in your reader is to nail the storytelling voice from the start.  Just as in life, your voice should be a reflection of who you are and where your story will go.  Your voice should be able to entertain, enlighten, amuse, move or whatever is authentic to you and to your story.  And it should start this way and remain consistent.  As Adair Lara says in her wonderful March/April Writer Digest article “All About THAT Voice”, ” It’s not the paint on the wall; it’s the wall itself.”

She points out that the content in your story is not the first thing drawing your audience in; it’s the voice.  Although her article is geared toward writing non-fiction, it applies to fiction and to life as well.

In order for your story to succeed, the reader must relate to the voice.  I immediately think of J.D. Salinger’s  teenage protagonist and narrator ,Holden Caulfield in “The Catcher in the Rye”.

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

Holden Caulfield is a naive and rebellious teenager who is resentful of the adult world.  He detests hypocrisy, yet he, himself, is a contradiction.  He fails classes and refers to himself as being dumb, yet his intelligence is reflected in his extremely articulate narration through out the story, as we see above in that very first sentence of the novel.

The reader immediately senses what kind of teen Holden is and how he perceives the world, without revealing any additional details.  The reader relates to his voice and feels drawn to the story.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”, the story opens with Nick Carraway, the narrator:

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me,” just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had.”

Wow.  That is powerful.  The reader senses that Nick is an easy-going, yet sometimes sarcastic, optimistic character, therefore; it is easy to follow along with him as he describes the life-style and experiences of his wealthy, mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby.  Nick’s optimism fades as we progress through the novel, symbolic of the fading exterior shine of the wealthy, fun lifestyle of the rich.  Nick is a reserved, Yale educated 29 year old man, who learned from his father and upbringing not to form quick judgements.  However, by the end of the story, he learns through irony and tragedy, the potential ” decadent” downside of the American dream.  The human aspiration to succeed, to start over, combined with social politics and it’s devastating consequences, betrayal and of one’s own ideals.  All of that, sprouting from  the seed of voice planted in the first paragraph of the story.

Start with your own voice. Bring your personality in.  Then borrow some of the tricks from writers you admire. Weave it all together and dive in.  Don’t think too hard or the voice will not sound authentic.  Just as Lara says, ” A relatable voice is confident, intelligent, vulnerable, personable, authentic and trustworthy. You want to follow this person around. You want to be her friend.”  Just as in life, we choose company based on those we relate to.  Why would a reader choose to follow along in a story if she is unable to relate to the company she will keep.  She won’t.

It’s not the paint on the wall; it’s the wall itself. It’s not the fluff on “the outside” in the content or plot, it’s the authentic voice beneath.  Start with THAT voice and your reader won’t be able to do anything else but follow you to the end.

Always hurrying from one place to another, from one person to another, from one moment to the next, we miss out on the ability to really see what is happening around us.  And if you are a writer, you lose the chance to find the story inside you. And then, perhaps, even if you are not a writer, you lose the chance to find the story inside you.

In Jack Hamann’s article in the February 2015 edition of THE WRITER, titled “Sowing Sentences”, he tells us how his writing was changed, at least in part, by a book written by Verlyn Klinkenborg.  The book,  titled “Several Short Sentences about Writing”, stresses the idea of noticing things: big things like the Iowa sky, small things like bees and eternal things like seasons.  “Everything you notice is important,” Klinkenborg says “Let me say that a different way: If you notice something, it’s because it’s important.”

What a beautiful and refreshing idea that is; to notice the things around us so that our imagination and creativity have the chance to grow.  Hamann tells us that Klinkenborg admonishes writers to take the time to see the world around us without putting it in words right away.  “Stop taking endless notes, and spend more time simply noticing. Notice what stands out.  Notice what captures our imagination. Notice without assigning meaning. Notice without judging.  Notice without writing.”

Af first, I thought this suggestion was hypocritical to our passion of writing.  How are we to write well if we do not study our material, take notes on our research, or analyze what we observe? But, then I thought about what these two talented writers were really trying to say and I remembered the wise words of Steve Alcorn in his fabulous course on UDEMY:  ” Writing a Novel”.

“Keep it simple” Alcorn suggests. “Don’t explain everything; let it speak for itself.  Readers will get it if it’s written well.” “To write big”, he says, “keep the sentence structure simple. Describe action in real time. Show the characters’ emotion and DON’T write complex sentences that will confuse the reader, do not summarize and do not analyze”.  In order to do that, to write big, we must first pay attention to our surroundings, before we rush to the keyboard with empty words that fall flat.

I have often heard writers advise aspiring authors to “write when not writing”.  Take the time to think things out in your head before plopping words onto the paper.  Therefore, doesn’t it make sense to take in the world and observe what is happening around you before coming to conclusions right away.  Might that process diminish the power of our imagination?

Warren Adler supports this in his interview with Jonathan Aldridge in the same edition of the February 2015 “The Writer”.  Mr. Aldridge asks Adler if journalism helped his fiction writing or whether the fiction writing and journalism are separate entities.  Adler responds with the following:

” Journalism taught me both speed and the necessity of observation.  Indeed, every thing experienced in life and carefully observed is the mother’s milk of creative writing”

We are too quick to race over the simple things that are important in life, in order to get to the next phase, which usually involves making money or obtaining something we want.  Whether we are writers or not, we could all benefit from the cliched idea to ” stop and smell the roses.”  Because, if we fail to take the time to observe, we fail to enjoy the moment.  And in the end, that is all we really have; the moment.

Whether we observe as writers looking for story ideas, or non-writers who look simply for ways to feel satisfaction or joy, stop taking notes, analyzing and judging.  Notice the big and small things around you with a clear and unprejudiced mind.  Have no expectations and be open. Then, when you’re  ready to record the things you noticed, what you have to say will not only be heard, but your writing will convey the meaning that you meant it to, and felt with the greatest impact.

Tapping deeply into your personal life for writing material has the power to change lives..