I’m back! :)
For us down here in the Atlanta area, the kids are going back to school. If that seems early, don’t worry — they have been out since early May. Believe me, it IS time.
I really appreciate the book recommendations. :) I didn’t get as much reading in as I wanted during my break and although I didn’t finish writing all my new scenes for July, I did make some great progress, which I will continue for the rest of the summer. It’s getting close!
I posted the following picture on Instagram.
It’s a stack of craft books that I used during this revision round. I’ll be sharing some gems I found in these books this month. One of the books I referenced was Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. It’s a great writing craft book.
In the book, the author talks about a character’s internal conflict, which he calls an “internal demon”:
“[...] an internal demon [...] hinders that character’s ability to make the best possible decisions under pressure. An inner drive, weakness, belief system, or kink that makes him weak, that tempts, diverts, and seduces, that blinds him to the truth, that summons skewed values and warps his ability to see more clearly.”
In my novel project, there is one scene where my main character makes a choice very out of character. Something that I don’t necessarily agree should happen. The consequences of her actions are catastrophic. But when I read this passage, I knew that bubbling under the surface — the reason for her choice — was her internal demons. In actuality, her actions were not out of character because of her “dark side” and it was the only way to move the story forward. The problem was that I had not exposed the internal demons as much as I should so that the reader could see it too.
As a reader, I love reading flawed characters. No one likes a perfect person — they don’t exist in real life and they shouldn’t exist in fiction.
Writer friends, have you fully explored the “internal demons” of your characters?
"A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view, a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway."
~ Junot Diaz
The other day, I called one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met and suggested the story she loved, the story she was ready to query that weekend, wasn’t ready. The words were polished to a shine, but they covered a weak foundation. The story wasn’t going to stand up to close examination, much less the rigors of a market as competitive as this one.
I agonized over making that call, thought about chickening out and sending my notes by email, then told myself to stop being a baby. It wasn’t the kind of news I would want to get by email, so the least I could do was let her vent and ask as many questions as she wanted.
The problem was, I knew how she was going to feel. I’ve been there. I'm always afraid I'm still there.
Facing RealityYou've been there, too, haven't you? It's soooooo tempting to send that novel out the second you finish.
But we don't. We hold out, read, reread, fiddle with words. We find a few friends and other novice writers to read it. We make some changes, and bask in the glow of hearing how wonderful it is and much everyone loves it. And then we send it out and...
Get smacked by rejection.
Learning about Story StructureSo then we read blogs by other writers. These tell us to expect 100 rejections before we make any headway. So we eat chocolate and send more queries. And more, and more.
But meanwhile, we are reading, and learning. The blogs we go to for support and agent info also provide posts on craft, and list books to read, and conferences to attend. Before we know it, we have learned enough to realize it isn’t the words we write that matter.
Words are just the final layer of the process that is writing.
Baking a CakeWriting a good novel is like baking a delicious cake. Before Buddy the Cake Boss can create one of his edible works of art, he sits down with the customer to plan. They bounce around ideas, tweak them into better shape, and sketch them out until they are perfect for the audience the cake is intended to feed.
Before Buddy heads into the kitchen, he already knows where he’s going.
In essence, Buddy’s process looks like this:
- Choose a concept.
- Pick a flavor.
- Collect the ingredients.
- Create a framework.
- Mix enough ingredients to fill the framework.
- Bake the cake.
- Let it cool.
- Stack the layers with compatible filling to serve as glue.
- Carve or tweak the layers into shape, eliminating excess and providing structural supports as needed.
- Add a crumb coat of frosting to even things out.
- Add additional frosting for flavor.
- Cover with fondant to create a smooth and polished surface.
- Add additional decorative elements as needed.
That’s a pretty logical process. So why is it that as writers, we think there must be a thousand different ways to bake a cake?
Pantsers versus PlannersSure there are pantsers who succeed. But for the most part, those pantsers are either amazing geniuses whose IQs are so high I can’t do the math to get there, or people who have learned story structure so well they do it by instinct. Or—most probably—the pantsers have spent so much time revising they’ve written several different books in the course of producing one.
You know who you are. Stand up and be counted. Hello, my name is Martina, and I wa
I like what you said about making sure you expose the “internal demons” so the reader can see it. That’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about as I revise. It also applies to villains and minor characters, finding tricky ways to bring out their flaws and internal motivations so that the reader can understand a little bit where they are coming from.
A book that can give you that kind of Ah Hah moment sounds like something I need to read! It makes me want to explore my characters inner demon more too. Thanks for the great recommendation!
ooh – excellent quote! My most beloved characters (as a reader and writer) are the complex ones. And they say the best villains do the wrong thing for an altruistic motive.
and … May! Holy Canoli that’s early! Our school goes through the beginning of July. Strangely, I’m more ready for my kidlet to go back to school after the 3 weeks of spring and fall break than the 5 weeks of summer break.
That’s a great quote. I love characters who are rich with internal conflict. Those characters are more lively and interesting than the ones who fall flat and don’t have much of a history behind them.
It’s almost school time where I am.
I love finding those gems in craft books, that one sentence about writing that strikes to the heart and eyes are opened! What a great stack!