The very first story written by one
of my children (I’m not telling which one) was a single sentence covering three
entire pages—phrases and sentences joined by the word and until the
final period. This happened, and then this happened, and then that happened
and then....
Obviously, authors want readers to
ask, “What happens next?” We want them to keep turning pages. But the story
isn’t the plot—or at least it isn’t only the plot.
In Wired for Story: The Writer’s
Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
(Ten Speed Press, 2012), author Lisa Cron says, “Contrary to what many people
think, a story is not just something that happens. If that were true, we could
all cancel the cable, lug our Barcaloungers onto the front lawn, and be utterly
entertained, 24/7, just watching the world go by.”
So true. Stories are not really about what
happens next but about why that event happens, who it happens to, and how it affects
and changes the characters who populate the story world. And that’s not all.
The links between events are seldom linear. Complications ensue. Faulty
evidence leads to dead ends. Errors in judgment create disasters. Lies send the
protagonist off in the wrong direction.
This month I’ve been thinking about a new story,
a book I hope I will be writing this year. The bare bones of plot is only a
beginning, a framework. The real story happens when things go wrong—when people
get it wrong and must pay the price.
Complications, confusion, complexity, change.
Tools of the trade.
As my new story takes shape over the next few
months, the questions I need to be asking aren’t so much what or even what
happens next but who and why?
Why do you read books? Plot? Characters? Themes?
A combination?
Excellent points, Connie. Questions, questions!
ReplyDeleteI read for the characters, though a good plot helps, too. And setting. And learning about an occupation like rebuilding a deck (guess what's going on at my house this week?)
ReplyDeleteThis is important information for storytellers, including writers. The stories I like best go way beyond the inciting incident in all directions - settings, situations, characters, and sometimes just silliness - and all those directions enrich the answer to "what happens next?"
ReplyDeleteI love a twisted plot that surprises me, but there are some series I return to over and over again because I enjoy the characters. If I get both in one story - heaven!
ReplyDeleteWell said. I read for plot first, characters second. I want twists and turns at every page, but I want the characters to respond in true to life ways that let me root for them.
ReplyDeleteI tend to like character-driven stories, but the characters have to be engaged in intriguing activities, rather than just existing.
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