Well, despite the fact that this is my first post for the month of December, I feel as if I am somewhat living up to the promises I made you --- those concerning my posting more often? I promise, nay, I vow that there will be at least one other post this month. It might be to wish you a merry Christmas, but that is a noble pursuit!
In this post is the completion of the lengthy, arduous series I have posted about revising works of fiction. It is fairly miscellaneous, pertaining to a wide realm of topics, but I needed a substantial enough post. Again, forgive me.
POINTS
OF VIEW:
Good times to switch points of view are when your hero isn’t
in the scene, another character is in the hot seat, or you must convey some
overwhelmingly important piece of information your hero doesn’t know. You can
use these moments to introduce other characters more fully, but your recurring
point of view is to help fully introduce you to the main character.
SCENES:
Each
scene must serve a purpose. It must advance the plot or
develop character, preferably both. Your scene should also show conflict
between characters, create suspense, and show how the day-to-day life in your
world is different from your reader’s life.
Puppet scenes: a puppet scene is a conversation whose sole
purpose is to convey information to the reader. Convey information through
character dialogue.
Static conversations: a static conversation contains
dialogue without much action or conflict. Move their conversation to a new
setting and disperse the information throughout actions.
CHAPTERS
Prologues: if you have a prologue, it should be no longer
than a few manuscript pages. If it is, shorten it. Look for information you can
cut or relocate within your manuscript. In addition, your prologue should meet
one or both of the following guidelines.
1. A
significant span of time separates the prologue from the rest of the story.
Usually the prologue is something that happened before the events in the book.
2. The
viewpoint character in the prologue never appears as a viewpoint character in
the rest of the book (until perhaps the epilogue)
CHAPTER
BREAKS
1.
You don’t want your chapters to be shorter than
three manuscript pages; if they are, the reader won’t have time to become
immersed in the story before the chapter ends. On the other hand, don’t write
chapters that drone on for fifty or more pages.
2.
Segment chapters by content. Segmenting your
chapters by content is more important than segmenting them by page count.
Chapter breaks don’t just divide the story; they break it down into logical
pieces. Each chapter must serve a purpose within the novel.
3. End
with a hook. When a reader puts your book down, he’ll most likely do so at a
chapter break. As such, each chapter must end with a hook strong enough to
drive him onward to the next chapter.
SCENES
Displaying emotions:
1. Use
emotional honesty. Emotions are complex, and each is a part of an emotional
spectrum. Don’t restrict your characters to one emotion at a time or to
emotional extremes.
2. Understand
the source of the character’s emotion and communicate it to the reader.
3. Avoid
clichés like
a. Mad as
hell
b. Green
with envy
c. Love so
much it hurts
d. Hate
with a passion
4. Use
concrete details. Not bugs, but locusts and flies. Not flowers, but crocuses,
pansies, or marigolds. If your character is drinking soda or wine, name the
brand (real or fictitious). If she’s reading a book or listening to a song,
name it. Choose details that reflect your character’s emotional state.
5. Use
internal monologue.
6. Use
dialogue.
7. Show
physical response.
8. Use
external setting to mirror your character’s emotions.
9. Use character
action.
10. Express
the emotion in a way that is specific to the character.
11. Use
comparisons.
SCENE
ENDINGS
1. Cliffhanger:
get your hero into trouble, then leave your reader hangings.
2. Revealing
internal monologue: displaying internal emotions that would otherwise be
unknown.
3.
Emotional dialogue: manipulate the mood with the
character’s feelings.
There! Ha! Living up to promises feels… sleepy. I don't know. Maybe that's just me. I have been sleeping really badly lately. Alas. There, my splendidly enduring readers: it is done with. Wish me well on falling asleep properly and on… well, I actually don't need much luck. Ah well. Farewell, readers, for tonight.
