| |
| |
|
Writing Information |
|
Plotting Problems - Episodic Writing
The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears to be well-told and has appealing characters. However, the writing is episodic; the story lacks direction." You frown. Huh? The story lacks direction? How could it? Your main character is on a quest; how much more of a direction could you have than that? Clearly, this editor doesn't know what she's talking about. Oh well. It takes all types... you bundle up your manuscript and send it out to the next publisher. Six rejections later, you feel more than a bit miffed. This is a good story; everyone in your writing group says so. Your writing style is smooth and accomplished (even a few editors have said that). So why the heck do they keep rejecting it? It's something to do with the plot; that much is clear. But what? If you're lucky enough to get feedback, look for clues in the comments that have been made. The moment you see the word 'episodic', that is the biggest and best clue you could have. Not all editors will use this term. They might say things like 'what is the story question?' or 'the character has no clear-cut goal' or 'there is no character growth'. All of these things can point to your story being episodic. 1. What Does "Episodic" Mean? If someone tells you that your story is 'episodic', they mean that your story is a series of episodes, or events, that are very loosely tied together. The "events" crop up one after the other as a way of entertaining the reader, but there is little character growth between one episode and the next. Nor can we easily see how one event grows out of the one before. Some examples of how a story may be episodic: (a) The "Little Tommy had never had such an exciting day!" theme:FIRST: A child starts out in a normal/boring situation. Then something happens to change things. (A child might find a doorway into a magic kingdom, go on a balloon ride, go to stay on the grandparents' farm etc etc) SECOND: The child sees a series of amazing sights/takes part in various fun activities/experiences several hair-raising incidents. THIRD: The child says "What a lovely day I've had. I'll keep this fairy land a secret, but I'll keep going back to have more fun with my new friends!" (Or: "Phew. I'm glad that's over. I'm so happy to be back home!")What's wrong with this? There is no plot. Just a bunch of 'stuff' that happens to fill in time. (b) The "Fantasy Trap"FIRST: The main character is drawn into a different world or discovers that he/she is 'the chosen one'. SECOND: This character is presented with a 'quest' to prove his worthiness to take up the mantle of the Chosen One. (He might have to free a character/being from enchantment or imprisonment, OR to learn to use the magic that is buried deep within, OR to right a great wrong etc etc.) THIRD: The character sets off on his quest. On the way he is faced with one challenge after another (Menacing Fantasy Creature #1, the Hypnotic Field of Flowers, the Dreadful Sucking Swamp, the Shape-Changer, Menacing Fantasy Creature #2, the Dark and Deadly Forest, the Awful Abyss, the Mountain of Sorrows, Menacing Fantasy Creature #3 and so on and so on...) FOURTH: The character overcomes each obstacle in turn. He finally frees the imprisoned Queen or finds the Sword of Destiny or whatever. He saves the land from annihilation or closes the door between two worlds and keeps evil at bay for another 1000 years.Yawn. Another cliched fantasy novel ends. Now, before you indignantly start to point out the many classic (and popular) fantasy novels that fit into the above formula, let me point out why some books work and some don't (even though they appear to have the same 'ingredients'). This applies to any genre. 1. The character is reactive rather than proactive. In other words, he spends the book stumbling from one obstacle to another, reacting to whatever crops up. He doesn't sit down and formulate a clear plan of action. Quite often, other characters guide the outcome. 2. There is no story question. The 'story question' is the question that is aroused in the reader's mind at the beginning of the story: "Will the guy get the girl?"; "Will Mary succeed in taking over the firm?"; "Will Xanor take his rightful place as Head of the Galaxy Alien Committee?"; "Will Laura track down the serial killer before she becomes the next victim?"; "How will Toby find his way back from the Land of Giants?" and so on. You can see why 'Little Tommy's Exciting Day' type of story doesn't succeed. Tommy doesn't set out to do anything or solve a problem (other than being bored) and is faced with no challenges along the way. Stuff just happens. Any book needs to answer the story question, but it must be more than a simple yes or no. It must show HOW the main character achieved his goal, and it must show how the character grows and changes as he pursues his goal. He needs to have a plan of action. Inevitably, he will need to adapt to circumstances - but with each new obstacle, the main character must (1) react; (2) evaluate the plan and make necessary changes, THEN (3) move forward. In most episodic stories, the character simply reacts then moves forward to the next obstacle WITHOUT making further plans. Quite often, older/wiser/stronger secondary characters will decide on the next step for him. Not a good idea! This gives you a weak main character. 3. The reactive character does not operate from his strengths. He magically finds new skills when needed, rather than possessing them beforehand. He overcomes each obstacle by luck, intervention by someone else, or an amazing new talent that comes as a surprise to him. 2. What You Can Do to Save An Episodic Story Grit your teeth and get to work. After you've diagnosed an episodic plot, then operated on it, you're going to be a much better writer. (c) copyright Marg McAlister Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
6 Ways to Toot Your Own Writing Horn You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work and you've even sold a few things. A Plan All writers should use a plan whether written or reflected. This includes the initial idea, the content or main points, and the conclusion whether it is an article, a short story, a chapter, or a complete novel. Before You Write Your Book, Organize Its Parts - Part 1 If you are a serious writer who wants to publish and sell books and informational products, you need to be able to find all of its parts in a minute or less. Filing only the important parts of your book will yield fast-writing your book. Tips For Better Writing It is certainly true that we don't get a second chance to make a first impression. As the impression we make on the Internet is almost always with the written word, is it unfortunate that there is so much poor writing bouncing around in cyberspace. Check Your English Grammar With This Easy Technique As an International language, English has been used widelyin online world. Whether you use it to write a sales letter, afollow up, ads headline, an article, and so on, youneed to use it correctly. Go With The Flow: Write With Transition Words and Phrases One of the most common weaknesses I see in day-to-daywriting is poor logical flow from one idea or point tothe next. This usually takes the form of a bunch ofseemingly unrelated phrases thrown together with littleor no sense of sequence, continuity, or relativity. Writer's Web Resources The Internet has truly revolutionized the careers of writers worldwide. Now you can work for publishers, corporations and a whole range of other clients on a truly global scale. How To Self-Publish Your Own Books, Manuals, Reports Or Newsletters You can make a lot of money by writing and self-publishing your own material, if you are willing to write books, manuals, reports or newsletters that millions of people across the United States, and throughout the world for that matter, desperately want to buy. Today, more than ever before, is the age of information. Learning to Question Your Elephant Child: Who, What, Where, When and Why Having problems writing? I don't know why. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll writes up to five columns a week. Ways to Make Extra Income Using the Internet To capitalize on ways to make extra income you can (and should) use the Internet for test marketing:(a) To establish demand for your extra income idea.(b) To prepare yourself to take advantage of other ways to make extra income i. What Is The Single Worst Mistake Most People Make When Writing Classified Ads? All sales begin with some form of advertising whether it's word of mouth or printed media or even electronic. To build sales, this advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers. Writing the PDA Way When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and visions depending on our framing. It could trigger a lone man with a full astray, unshaven, staring at an old plunking typewriter with white blank crisp paper waiting in anticipation for his words. Applying KISS Principle in Writing I have added a new word to my vocabulary. Logorrhea. Dont Rely on Your Spellchecker - or - The Importance of Good Proof Reading Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter to a customer, or submitting an article for publication, it is extremely important to demonstrate how professional you are. Not only does a series of spelling and grammatical errors show a discourtesy to your readers, it makes you look amateurish. Top Ten Tips (Part 2) Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to know before you begin.Rules govern everything we do in life; even if those rules are of theunwritten kind we abide by them and expect other people to do the same. Story Structure - Final Conflict Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's Journey.The Hero's Journey is the most usable story structure consisting of at least 106 stages and the template for successful contemporary stories, from Star Wars to Al Pacino Scarface to The Incredibles to War of the Worlds to The Dirty Dozen to Midnight Cowboy. Freelance Feast or Famine? Sometimes a freelance writing career can feel very much like "feast or famine".At the very beginning, it's almost all famine. Generating Nonfiction Book Titles Without a Hassle The process of developing a working title for your nonfiction book can be a hassle sometimes. You first have to brainstorm a few titles, and if the results aren't to your liking, you are practically forced to brainstorm more possible titles --- or do you?One way to shorten this process is to have a book title bank at your fingertips that will include trigger titles, such as the ones listed below:Techniques for ----One Way to ----How to ----Handbook for -----Protecting ----Investing for ----Saving Your -----Finding Security in -----Fixing -----Getting -----Each of the sample triggers above has one or more missing words for you to fill in. Writing Help Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation, or are a student, there are numerous sources that you can turn to for help with writing. Businesses need to be able to effectively communicate with their customers, their employees and their potential customers. 9 More Writing Tips for Successful Email Marketing A few months ago, I wrote a guide entitled: 101 Writing Tips for Successful Email Marketing. In fact, many COPY TIPS subscribers have a copy.
|
| home | site map | contact us |