I love variety--in everything from food to music and movies. No wonder, then, that my writing also reflects that. I have been accused of having a head full of trivia (usually by my wife) and it shows in what spills onto the page. The twists and turns I take amaze even me. It has been my experience, though, that if these twists and turns stay interesting to me, they will also interest my readers. Maybe not all writers find that, but I love intrigue and my readers seem to find a niche in it, too. Somehow it comes across.
The variety that comes out in my work covers a real gamut: humor, intrigue, romance, adventure, enough detail to keep interest ablaze (not enough to overcome insomnia), new and differing characters, sexual tension (and even sex--not such that the reader or censors would have book-burnings, but tastefully implied to allow the readers' imagination sufficient room to fill in the blanks--still the best way), peaceful interludes punctuated by spikes of adrenaline explosions, good versus evil, human kindness, inflamed emotional outburst, violent--and even childish--behavior at times. Because of all this (or maybe in spite of it) I have been pleased with the reports that come from readings of even the first few chapters of my books. I am gratified that the process has been successful and the results keep my audience focused. (If it were ever known that all these are a reflection of me at different times, I would probably scare every one of them away).
My aim as a writer is to quickly do a few things and do them effectively--from page one if possible.
To introduce a character that is able to captivate the reader--whether they identify with them, hate them, are mystified by them or whatever. The worst thing that can happen is for the reader to be indifferent to the character.
To introduce an intriguing environment that does the same thing--everyone has to be someplace, so why not make it interesting?
To inject some sort of tension or emotion into that first scene. It may be a sense of danger, from someone or something evil. It may be a sense of admiration that the reader can identify with in a heroic or romantic figure. What is required, in plain and simple terms, is a method of capturing the reader quickly, before something else distracts them--and if they are distracted, it must be a powerful enough technique to make them want to come back as quickly as possible! For example:
Imagine yourself walking into a department store and coming upon this scene: a man lies prone upon the floor and a woman is screaming for medical help, just before she begins to apply rescue methods in order to preserve his life long enough for the medics to arrive and take over. Each second seems like forever to her, but she knows a life hangs in the balance and she must do her part to save him.
Or maybe you round a corner on a busy street and run full body into the most gorgeous person of the opposite sex you have ever seen. Words fail you and you feel yourself beginning to blush at the awkwardness of just standing there completely mute. A simple apology is voiced, but not from you, still standing there speechless and stunned. This person now turns aside and begins to walk past and out of your life forever--and your heart nearly bursts as you cry, "Wait!" Surprised at your sudden boldness, you wonder what you will say next.
Did you feel the effect I intended in those scenarios? You get drawn into the story. Why? Because it is believable--it could actually happen. That, too, is essential to a good story. If the reader is saying to himself, "This could never happen in a million years", you may have lost him already. However, if the story is just on the edge and the readers can suspend judgment, you may have a chance to hold them. And while we are discussing what is believable, the details of your story need to be within reason. There are very few brain surgeon/auto mechanic/Pulitzer-prize-winning aviators out there. Not to say that it could not happen, but it stretches the imagination beyond the breaking point, does it not? To stretch it beyond normal is fine, but do not shatter it along with your chances of ever getting the reader to take you seriously as a writer. Do your research on the details you use--Would sound carry that far underwater? Does that type of tree have leaves or needles?--because someone out there is going to know the answer and it had better be the one you chose to include in your story. Also, avoid anachronisms--there were no wristwatches in ancient Rome, unless it is a time travel story you desire to pen.
I learned by reading the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs that the cliffhanger is a powerful thing. If done effectively, it leaves the reader saying, "Wait! That can't be all for now! That isn't fair." What you want to happen is for the readers to be so riveted to the storyline that they cannot help but read more to see what happens next.
Allied to this technique of stopping at the most exciting point--just before the bullet strikes, if you will--is the application of parallel plots. Burroughs was an absolute master of this technique. Your parallel stories may even be seemingly unrelated for a time, but they must use methods to hold the reader in rapt attention. And again you may use the cliffhanger, if it is what the story demands. This switching back and forth serves two purposes--it is less intrusive than flashback methods (which are almost like starting over with a confusing and totally disconnected tale, unless explained adequately to the reader in some way that avoids clumsiness) and it also eventually brings together the characters who have for a time managed to miss contact with one another--now resulting in a third and unique direction to the story. The method seems to work to hold a readers attention and to make the reader want to see how these separate lines come together in the end. When done correctly, the effect can be mesmerizing.
An interesting story always has conflict. It might consist of a challenge on a personal level, an evil that must be fought, or a disagreement between a man and a woman, for example. Tension keeps the reader's interest, because he can identify with it. The characters need to be ones we might identify with also--or at least understand. They need to be believable. They need to have emotion and not be flat, two-dimensional drawings. Their conversations should reflect that. Make them get tickled by silly things or be especially uptight and prudish or be crazy or non-committal--just like people you know and work with. Maybe even like you or your family (no offense meant, of course). Real people have opinions, take sides, have arguments and make up with one another. Real people have frailties that they don't want seen, but when these are exposed, they may feel shame, want help or ask forgiveness. Or they may react angrily and defensively. Who is your character in your story? You must "know" him or her as a person, distinct from all others. Even a story with identical twins would show some differences, as well as similarities.
All of this may sound like just plain common sense to you. Well, surprise! It is. But you may be surprised how often common sense is not so common. In real life, those that we think should have understood what was plain to everyone else often do not "get it." Keeps life interesting--just as your story should be. And maybe a character that is not the sharpest pencil in the box is what your tale needs. You must be the one to decide.
©2005 Steven ODell
Steven ODell may be reached at: pointedwords@gmail.com
Excerpts of Shining Armor—Books 1, 2 and 3, may be read at: yourownnovel.blogspot.com
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