Basis of your novel in three little words
There have been many authors or agents who have provided tidbits of knowledge that shape the way I look at my writing performance. The one for today was given by Bob Welch, an excellent author (American Nightingale, A Father For All Seasons) and a co-worker at two stops on my journalistic journey.
His point was to identify the main focus of a novel by using only three words. Such a tactic forces the author to determine what his or her novel is about, and stick to that focus. The formula can usually be summed up in this way: Protagonist Verb Object. The result might be something like Anna Confronts Witchcraft or David Battles Racism. I could be satisfied with something that simple, but I go a little deeper when examining the novel I recently finished.
My point is to look at the underlying theme, and in this novel that concerns perceptions. One of my joys in reading sections of this novel to my writing group is to hear reactions. There have been comments such as, "Oh, I really like her," or "My God, he's a pervert." Those statements give me joy in the sense that my characters are rich enough to evoke such thoughts. They still don't approach that underlying philosophical foundation, so I now try to do that in the three-word format.
Perceptions Shape Reactions
Perceptions Shape Reality
Perceptions Invite Mistakes
We have perceptions every day on things such as hairstyle, mode of dress, age, exterior attitude and body language, maybe even color of skin. These are knee-jerk reactions that are formed in large part by our personal history. I will focus here on one aspect of my novel, the element that sparked the "he's a pervert" reaction. One of my characters perceives another person in such a way, that this person must be watched closely and analyzed by what are referred to as "moral antennae." Another character regards this person as harmless and dismisses the perversion possibility. Which one is correct? That provides one of my subplots.
Be aware enough that you examine the underlying principle in what you write. It should never be boiled down to Author Seeks Money. It must go deeper than Protagonist Verb Object. It should result in Why I Write, but in other words.
My one self-published novel, One Summer Season: A Young Man's Brutal Baptism Into Love And Baseball (available on Smashwords.com for $3.99) could be summed up as Boy Faces Manhood, or Maturity Challenges Egotist. I have two other novels that are nearly complete, but I won't share my three-word format for them because I am not concentrating on those at this moment. Oh, what the heck, I'll do it anyway. One would be Wounds Seek Healing and the other Evil Requires Response. Each novel is separated by wide distances of subject matter and protagonist. The only common theme is my foundation of tense events happening in familiar places, or Peril On Your Street.
My next blog entry will take that final common theme and do battle with one of my respected mentors, Donald Maass, the wonderful agent and teacher.
His point was to identify the main focus of a novel by using only three words. Such a tactic forces the author to determine what his or her novel is about, and stick to that focus. The formula can usually be summed up in this way: Protagonist Verb Object. The result might be something like Anna Confronts Witchcraft or David Battles Racism. I could be satisfied with something that simple, but I go a little deeper when examining the novel I recently finished.
My point is to look at the underlying theme, and in this novel that concerns perceptions. One of my joys in reading sections of this novel to my writing group is to hear reactions. There have been comments such as, "Oh, I really like her," or "My God, he's a pervert." Those statements give me joy in the sense that my characters are rich enough to evoke such thoughts. They still don't approach that underlying philosophical foundation, so I now try to do that in the three-word format.
Perceptions Shape Reactions
Perceptions Shape Reality
Perceptions Invite Mistakes
We have perceptions every day on things such as hairstyle, mode of dress, age, exterior attitude and body language, maybe even color of skin. These are knee-jerk reactions that are formed in large part by our personal history. I will focus here on one aspect of my novel, the element that sparked the "he's a pervert" reaction. One of my characters perceives another person in such a way, that this person must be watched closely and analyzed by what are referred to as "moral antennae." Another character regards this person as harmless and dismisses the perversion possibility. Which one is correct? That provides one of my subplots.
Be aware enough that you examine the underlying principle in what you write. It should never be boiled down to Author Seeks Money. It must go deeper than Protagonist Verb Object. It should result in Why I Write, but in other words.
My one self-published novel, One Summer Season: A Young Man's Brutal Baptism Into Love And Baseball (available on Smashwords.com for $3.99) could be summed up as Boy Faces Manhood, or Maturity Challenges Egotist. I have two other novels that are nearly complete, but I won't share my three-word format for them because I am not concentrating on those at this moment. Oh, what the heck, I'll do it anyway. One would be Wounds Seek Healing and the other Evil Requires Response. Each novel is separated by wide distances of subject matter and protagonist. The only common theme is my foundation of tense events happening in familiar places, or Peril On Your Street.
My next blog entry will take that final common theme and do battle with one of my respected mentors, Donald Maass, the wonderful agent and teacher.
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