F - Forshadowing

This post is by Ana Belen. Thanks sooo much Ana Belen! I really appreciate you writing this! :)

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F- Foreshadowing

by Ana Belen

Foreshadow:

Verb: To show, indicate or present in advance.

In writing, foreshadowing would be to hint at something beforehand. It may be that the author foreshadow s the true colors of an apparent “good-guy” to be anything but!  Or perhaps through foreshadowing, the author may hint at the fact that nothing is what it seems…

For example an example of sinister character foreshadowing:

 In the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Jadis, the Queen, appears to Edmund to be a kind lady who offers him the position of heir to her throne. But her sudden loss of temper by shouting at him, followed by her quick recovery of a smile and smooth words, foreshadows she is simply manipulating him for her own gains.

As an example of plot foreshadowing:

The movie, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, foreshadows its sequel by ending the film with left our information. In it, the President asks Ben Gates to bring him a photograph of page 47 in the fictitious “President’s Secret Book”. The viewer knows nothing of the content of the page and waits in suspense for it to be revealed, but the movie ends with the President saying to Ben “Let’s have a look at that page.” So, (and this isn’t a perfect example) this foreshadows the fact the next movie will be about that page.

As a better example of plot foreshadowing, the book, The Mysterious Benedict Society, begins by telling of a so-called “Emergency” which is published everywhere and everyone seems to believe it. This idea has everyone in complete panic because it says that the entire world system and economy is messed up and needs to be changed completely! But a few, who happen to not listen to the news by watching television or listening to the radio, know this is not true.  This foreshadows the fact that someone is making this up, and sending that idea by way of TV and radio.

Foreshadowing is a difficult topic to write about as it is very dependent on the personality of the author, the genre of the book, as well as its mood and theme. In addition to that, there are MANY variations of it.

For me, (and as may be the case with many teen authors,) I have, so far, never used foreshadowing with conscious purpose in the storyline, but rather, my imagination and the storyline itself weaves it in subconsciously.

For those who write “by the seat of their pants”, as they say, fore shadowing tends to take great precedence in their work. I have written a few things in this way, and noticed that I give little hints at what is truly going on, or who the real ‘bad guy’ is, but, because the story develops as it goes, I give the reader only little bits of information at a time, until, suddenly, it all comes out!

I have also, after finishing my first draft, gone back and wrote in foreshadows, to enhance the work and give it depth.

Because of the little amount of experience that I have in pre-planning to foreshadow certain things, I have been searching around for examples and opinions on this subject.

The following was taken from grammar.about.com:

Note: I have not read the books these excerpts are taken from.

FICTION:

-Foreshadowing can be, in fact, a form of 'back writing.' The writer goes back through the copy and adds foreshadowing to prepare the reader for later events. . . .

"This does not mean that you are going to give away the ending. Think of foreshadowing as setup. The best foreshadowing is subtle and is woven into the story--often in multiple ways. In this fashion, foreshadowing helps build tension and gives resonance and power to the story."

(Lynn Franklin, "Literary Theft: Taking Techniques from the Classics." The Journalist's Craft: A Guide to Writing Better Stories, ed. by Dennis Jackson and John Sweeney. Allworth, 2002)

NON-FICTION

- "With nonfiction, foreshadowing works well, so long as we stay with the facts and not impute motivation or circumstance that never happened. . . . No 'he should have thought . . .' or 'she might have expected . . .' unless we back it up factually."

(William Noble, "Writing Nonfiction--Using Fiction." The Portable Writer's Conference, ed. by Stephen Blake Mettee. Quill Driver Books, 2007)

PERSUASIVE WRITING:

"Foreshadowing can work not only in narrative forms, but also in persuasive writing. A good column or essay has a point, often revealed at the end. Which details can you place early to foreshadow your conclusion?"

(Roy Peter Clark, Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer. Little, Brown, 2006)

I will close on a note of warning: Be careful not to reveal too much information! If you do, your climax won’t be as grand and you will kill much of the reader’s suspense. On the other hand, be creative, and think much about how to please your readers as much as possible.

Though, as I have already stated, I am not the most proficient in writing with  foreshadowing, it is for me the thing that makes a book GREAT and thrilling to read, versus simply good.

So USE IT, but carefully!

C - Climax

Time for letter C! This time it is written by Stephanie. Thanks Stephanie!

Make sure to comment, everyone! :D

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C-Climax

by Stephanie

This week is C - for Climax. Personally this is my favorite part of a story... the most fun to read, write, or watch. A climax is where everything comes together, and that when the climax is done, something(s), someone(s) (or a combination of both) are not the same as when we first meet them/it at the beginning of the story. It is necessary for both books and movie screenplays to have this.

The general definition is this:

Climax |ˈklīˌmaks|
noun

the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex: the climax of her speech | a thrilling climax to the game.

• Rhetoric a sequence of propositions or ideas in order of increasing importance, force, or effectiveness of expression.

verb [ no obj. ]culminate in an exciting or impressive event; reach a climax: the day climaxed with a gala concert.

• [ with obj. ] bring (something) to a climax: the sentencing climaxed a seven-month trial.

Climax should have these three “elements” to make it a good one:

1. Suspense. EVERY story has to have that to some degree. Otherwise why would someone want to read the story, or watch the movie? The story will be monotone unless there is some suspense to some degree, be it subtle or intense.

2. Importance. Whatever happens, it MUST be important enough to change the character(s), the setting, or both.

3. Tying up loose ends. Ok, so I couldn’t find a word for this, but this phrase. Or if you want you can say everything comes to a head. Basically, the climax needs to tie up the major plot lines. A culmination of all the storylines. Be it one Main Character (MC) or many.

Although leaving some tiny things for the reader to wonder about is okay, even good, sometimes. Makes the reader use their imagination.

Some examples of good climaxes would be...

Like with Lord of the Rings. It spans three books. The main character “group” (aka, the Fellowship) gathers, and are together in the first book (Fellowship of the Ring). But by the end of the FoTR, the group has been split into about 3-4 storylines. And it stays way throughout the rest of the storyline... until the climax. There are smaller, underlying storylines that crop up in the story, but all of them, big and small, culminate together in destroying the Ring, which of course is THE CLIMAX.

Or take Les Miserables, where Jean ValJean’s story is the sole story at the beginning, but snowballs into where, anyone he knows, their story lines climax when his does. ValJean’s story is the engine that pulls the storyline into the climax, and all the supporting characters are the cars of the train, making a complete train of thought and storyline ending in the climax.

Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a great example. The question of “will the Pevensies win, and make it back home” builds the suspense. The battle is important to defeat the White Witch and provide justice for the Narnians. And the main loose ends that get tied up are the Witch getting defeated, and Edmund earning back their trust, among other small storylines.

Or take Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, with Scrooge going on three “adventures” (or doors), each one more life changing than the last, building suspense, making how Scrooge reacts important, and how he reacts is the main loose end (a side story loose end being how will Tiny Tim survive).

And as a final example, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Will everything be set to rights (people marrying mostly ;) ) is the suspense. Everything adds up to being important. And the numerous little loose storylines/threads get tied up, although the main one is that Elizabeth Bennet changes, learning not to judge so hastily and learning to love Darcy in the process. :)

So, there you have it. Three elements that make up a climax, and five different stories to illustrate the points! Just remember to make a wonderful climax that the reader can’t wait for, with suspense, importance, and revealing all the little ending nuggets to the character(s) storyline(s) (aka tie up the loose ends!) Now go write something fabulous! :D

B - Backstory/Flashback

Today we have the second letter in our series "The Young Christian Writer's ABCs".

Thank you so much, Ana Belen, for writing it! Be sure to comment, everyone!! ;)

Let me know if you'd like to write a post for the series! -Cari

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B- Backstory/Flashback

by Ana Belen

First off, let’s define what a backstory is.

Backstory:

Noun 1.    1. A history or background created for a fictional character in a motion picture or television program. 2.    2. Similar background information about a real person or thing that promotes fuller understanding of it.

Now, when writing, there are several ways to use a backstory. I have seen authors feel an obligation to add some information in, but do so very unimaginatively, making it boring, and ruining their work.

An example of this would be throwing blunt, hard facts at the reader in the middle of the plot, interrupting the flow of the storyline, and confusing the reader.

Another example on how not to use a backstory would be to give a skimp summary of the character’s life at the beginning of the book. Basically, ‘here is the character, reader… Got it? O.K., moving on!’

Both of the above examples can affect the way your work is received by the readers, and their over-all enjoyment of the story.

What I suggest is: Be creative! Think of ways to explain your character that perhaps no author has every thought of!

A few suggestions on innovative writing of backstories (In no particular order):

§  Mystery: Don’t tell the readers anything about who the character is. The readers won’t know the motive of its actions. Yet, give them tiny clues to keep them intrigued. Then, at the climax/conclusion, his/her true colors are revealed! [Example: in the book,The Thief, -which I don’t recommend- you meet the character in a prison cell. Basically, he was summoned to steal back something on behalf of his kingdom. You follow him on his journey to the enemy kingdom. He finds the precious gem, but… gives it to the enemy queen! He was actually the Royal Thief for the other country!]

§  Flashback: If the book is in first person, the MC may recall things throughout the story, perhaps to help it make decisions, but also giving information to the reader. Maybe you build up questions in the readers mind, mysteries. When suddenly, the MC relates everything, solving questions but not the plot… [Example: The Mysterious Benedict Society: The Prisoner’s Dilemma. This is the third book in this series. All leading up to it, you have been wondering about the backstory of one MC. Just when this info is needed most, however, the reader is rewarded with the history, his enjoyment, and the fulfillment of the plot!]

§  Intro Story: In some stories, much information is needed for the story’s foundation. If so, have fun with it! Don’t feel like you have to go through a lot of boring introduction before you get to the ‘actual story’, but make it a story in itself! Maybe you will tell about the MC’s past by giving an account from an arbitrary character in the beginning, whose presence has a secret impact on the story. Or perhaps the intro will be about the MC’s parents, to give the historical background necessary. YOU DECIDE! [Example: Beyond the Summerland has a story at the beginning which appears to be the story for the whole book, but is actually the story of the MC’s ancestors! It was written so well, I enjoyed it as much as the true storyline!]

§  One MC in the Dark: You may wish to write a story with more than one MC. As with one story I am currently in the process of creating, there are two MCs. I alternate from which viewpoint the story is. The readers know the backstory of each character, ( as revealed to them throughout the book from the respective character’s perspective.) but they are still in suspense, because the characters must discover these facts for themselves, creating, suspicion, tension, confusion, and eventually, treachery! …Or was it?

§  Come up with your own creative ideas on how to involve the backstory as the most interesting part of weaving together your story!

Trick Endings

Today we get a video of K.M. Weiland talking about trick endings. Enjoy. :)

A - Action

The Young Christian Writer's ABCs

A - Action

Action is such a word! It encompasses quite a lot, but I've broken it down as far as how it applies to writing, which is a more manageable size, but still quite huge. This is definitely the tip of the iceberg, and I'll include links at the bottom of this post for you to check out.

What, Why, and How of the Action in a Story
This part is super basic, so I'll go through it briefly.

What is action, as it pertains to a story? Dictionary.com (which I have been using for years, and is an excellent reference), defines action as:
noun

1.

the process or state of acting or of being active: The machine is not in action now.

2.

something done or performed; act; deed.

3.

an act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by physical or mental activity: acrisis that demands action instead of debate; hoping for constructive action by the landlord.

4.

actions, habitual or usual acts; conduct: He is responsible for his actions.

5.

energetic activity: a man of action.

Simply put, the part of a story where something is happening is the part that has action. Description is not action, and these two components are what make up a story. Description, and action.

Why do stories need action? This one's pretty obvious. Without action, there is nothing happening, and the reader will become bored and go read a different story. Action is what gets the MC from point A to point B. Without action, the MC wouldn't be going anywhere or doing anything to begin with, and the story would not exist. Stories don't exist without action.

How does action make a story? I'll discuss this in more detail, but action is the presence of conflict or tension for the MC, whether internally or externally. It pushes the MC down the road and keeps them going from point to point in the story. Which leads me to my next point...

The Doorway Concept

I was first introduced to the doorway concept in James Scott Bell's book Plot and Structure, a book that I would recommend to any writer. As always, use discretion when reading it, because if I remember right, he uses a few examples from books that are not very great. However, the positives of the book far outweigh the negatives.

So, what is the doorway concept? Basically, your character doesn't want to go anywhere. They want to just live their lives like they always have, and they have no reason to change what they're doing. That's why, for the good of all involved, you have to force them through a doorway of no return.

The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. -Chinese Proverb

You present the character with a disturbance, which signifies that something is amiss with their world, and then you throw something their way that will force them to change how they're living. You know that your character has gone through the first doorway when something has happened to them which prevents them from returning to normal life. Which means that it really, in a way, must be big. Because your character's first reaction will be to try to return to normal life, right? So you have to think of something big enough that will prevent them from returning to normal. This can be external or internal.

There is also the possibility that they choose to walk through the doorway themselves, in which case, they will, of course, not try to go back to normal. Nevertheless, it is still a doorway, because they cannot go back to living how they were before. In this instance, perhaps they want their life to change, but without a doorway it won't. So they find a doorway and walk through it, knowing it is a one-way door. Or maybe you have another character show them the doorway. It is your job as the author to have them go through a doorway, one way or the other.

Examples of doorways:
Anne Elliot, in Persuasion, by Jane Austen (I have only seen the movie), is pushed through a doorway when her former almost-fiance, Captain Wentworth, comes back to town and they keep running into each other.

Scrooge, in The Christmas Carol (again, I've never read the whole book), is pushed through a doorway at the appearance of the ghosts. Now that I think about it, the whole book is like a giant doorway, and each ghost is like another shove out the door. But there is, of course, an initial doorway.

And, because it's easy and I've seen it used before, another example is in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Katniss goes through a doorway of no return when she volunteers to take Prim's place in the Hunger Games. Once she volunteers, there's no going back.

So, in short, the doorway of no return forces your character (whether they choose it or not) into action or a different way of living.


Active Scenes & Active Sentences

When writing a scene, the point is to a) keep the reader's attention by dealing with a conflict (whether internal or external), and b) move the story along, which means your reader should know something that they didn't know before.

So, your character(s) should be dealing with something in the scene that will move the plot forward and keep the reader interested. I'm no expert at this; I'm just passing on some of what I know. This is probably my main problem in my 2010 NaNoWriMo novel - not having enough action in a scene and therefore not accomplishing both (let alone either) of the two goals in each scene.

Most of the sentences and paragraphs in a scene should be delineating action. This doesn't mean you have to have someone doing something in each sentence and paragraph... sometimes it's the lack of action that actual implies action. People can have whole conversations across a crowded room, just by their body language or facial expressions. Not that I recommend having this sort of conversation, but what I mean is that a lack of action or speech can still move the story along and keep it active.

Also, each sentence should be active, as opposed to passive. Which sounds better?

The new car was crashed by Jerry.
Jerry crashed the new car.

Sometimes passive is better, but for the most part, active is the best. Not to mention it is more natural. I don't usually say "That sandwich was saved by me." No, I say, "I saved that sandwich."

Each sentence is a nugget from the big gold chunk. And in order to get the whole chunk to sparkle, each nugget has to be polished to perfection. If one nugget is below-par, the whole chunk suffers. Like this, if the whole paragraph looks good, except for one sentence that contributes nothing, the whole paragraph will suffer. Similarly, if a whole scene looks good, except one paragraph, the whole scene suffers. Each sentence and scene must drive the story forward or teach the reader something new. This doesn't mean you can do an information dump, though. In a minute I'll talk about showing instead of telling.

There is also a type of "active scene" that is only action. Those battle scenes, fight scenes, or chase scenes - the big ones that are jam-packed with almost nothing but action. I've never written one like this, which is pretty sad, but I expect I will soon.

And finally:

Show, Don't Tell

The nemesis, as it were, of writers everywhere. Maybe you don't have a problem with it, and if that's the case, then I say bravo! You're a step above everyone else.

This is another concept that is presented well in Plot and Structure - the fact that readers don't want to be told what is happening, they want to see it.

For example, which sentence is more interesting:

John was angry.

or

John clenched his fists and stomped his foot, and his face got redder and redder every minute.

Once again, I am no expert in this area. I don't think I can emphasize how much I'm not an expert, but just because I haven't applied this concept as well as I'd like doesn't mean I can't tell you about it. :) We're all in a learning process.

So, action is best shown, because it more easily and effectively accomplishes the two goals of every scene: to keep the reader's attention (showing is more interesting than telling), and to move the story forward. In the first example sentence, all we know is that John is angry. But in the second sentence, we not only learn that John is angry, but we see what he does and what he looks like when he gets angry.

"When deeds speak, words are nothing." -African Proverb

Let the deeds (or the looks on the character's faces, or the moments of silence, or whatever) in a scene speak for themselves.



Like I said, this is nowhere near all the things we could talk about that relate to action, but this is lengthy enough already. I'll leave you with a sneak peak of upcoming posts, and the list of links I promised.

Stay tuned for...

Related to this whole idea of keeping the reader interested through action is keeping the reader interested by unexpected plot twists, which I will post about when we get to letter U. :)

Stay tuned for more posts about writing, one of which will be the hook - getting your reader hooked on the story so that they will keep reading. The initial thing that grabs their attention - not the things you must do throughout the book, but just what you must do at the beginning.


Links for A - Action
Note: I recommend goteenwriters.blogspot.com, but the link with * next to it is a website that I do not endorse as I haven't taken the time to read more than just the article that I link to.

What exactly is an inciting incident? Talking about doorways...

*Easy Ways to Keep the Reader Interested

7 Ways to Make Your Action Scene Stronger This one's talking about the action scene. You know the one I'm talking about - fight, chase, battle, what-have-you.

Writing the Action/Fight Scene Same sort of action scene as above.

Writing Advice that Completely Changes Things


Do you know of any good articles that relate to action, moving the story forward, and keeping the reader interested?

Do you have any thoughts or comments about this article? I'd love to hear them!

Stay tuned... on Saturday, I'll tell you how to make your own blog button!