|
BEGINNING,
MIDDLE, & END "We that are true lovers run into strange capers." How to 'Begin' the story and grab the reader… Start the story in medias res: in the middle of things. A good idea is to have your protagonist, the Hero or Heroine, reacting against something that has happened. The beginning of the novel should be a question. What if? The characters must fight to achieve a goal – or they need to make a crucial decision. For the sake of example, let's use the generic romance novel here as a guide. Whether you're a fan or not, you all know the basic premise: Boy meets Girl, Boy and Girl are attracted, Boy and Girl have major falling out, Boy and Girl resolve differences, Boy and Girl live happily ever after. Despite the predictable and trite sounding plot, romance novels sell over half the books sold in the North American market. Let's find out how those popular books continue to sell year after year. Hook the story with an appropriate scene. Not an idea or a description. Start with a situation. Make a promise to the reader. Grab her attention with an inciting incident. A plunge opening makes the hook gripping. It starts the story with dialogue and fast action. A good way to unveil the promise is to set up the story in the normal, usual world of your characters, then show the change that takes place. If the Hero is a business tycoon, show him in complete control. When the Heroine arrives, have her throw a monkey wrench into his well-ordered life. Use this to show his loss of control, thereby the power she has over him. Drop the backstory at the beginning. Don't explain everything to the reader. If and when backstory must be revealed, do it through dialogue seeded throughout the story. If you choose to start with a dream, or other unusual plot device, put it in italics. Emotionally charge the dream to give it extra impact. Make sure it's very clear if the first characters encountered in the story are not the Hero or Heroine. Don't slow down action and the beginning by talking about non-main characters. Think about your beginning, plan it out, but don't fret over it. Finish your initial first draft – then you revise. The story may have gone elsewhere from what you had at first planned. It's possible that somewhere in the middle you discovered the need for some important, tangible symbol that should have been foreshadowed at the start. That's what re-writing is for. As for the rest, make good on the promise you made at the start and you'll be well on your way to writing a real 'keeper'. * * * "The course of true love never did run smooth." How to fix 'Sagging Middles'… The middle of the novel is the stuff where readers will come to root for the Hero and Heroine. It's where the reader will want to learn what happens next. Things should always be happening. Something should always be moving. (Think of scenes as dominoes moving forward towards a specific end point). In every scene the reader should find out something new and pertinent even if the character doesn't. Every scene reveals something about the characters, their emotions, who they are, where they're going. Put the main characters in situations where they are always being tested. Every scene and every chapter should bring about a change in the state of affairs – whether positive or negative. Things happening should always bring them closer to their goal – then further away. When your main character is talking to secondary characters (whether human, animal, or inanimate object) make sure something else, something important to the development of the story, is happening at the same time. Don't use dialogue as a filler with no purpose. Show the developments of change that are beginning to take place in the protagonist; make these changes real and believable. Do this by being in the main character's head and feel the passion. Clearly show that there is an emotional commitment emerging between the Hero and Heroine. Make the story drive relentlessly towards pivotal scenes. Bring these scenes to life. Have this event almost ruin everything, then have the protagonist have to give up something within his/herself in order to win. Whatever you do, don't make it easy it for them. In the course of the story when things are getting worse and life is getting blacker, there cannot be a logical reason for the Hero or Heroine to give up, quit or leave the situation. Never give them an out. While they are in the darkest hour they must be trapped there with only the story's forward momentum moving them along. That forward momentum must make sense, be believable and realistic. Use lulls (rest periods) between pivotal scenes to re-group and to plan what to do next. It's a good idea to include humor or teasing – something light and human to ease the moment. Ensure that the middle has a clear sense of time ticking down to increase the tension (even during the lulls). The middle requires constant change. A story is never static, plot is never static and characters are never static. The body of the story is where battles are won and lost. Throughout this entire section the tension should be slowly, inexorably mounting and the conflicts encountered should have no possible solution – yet. * * * "Journeys end in lovers meeting." Wrapping up the 'Ending'… The end is where the romance conflict is finally resolved. Everything
else leads up to this romantic, happily-ever-after ending. This belief is essential for historical romances. Because all the events take place in the past, long after the characters would be dead in 'real' time, the story must be made to feel as if it is all happening 'now'. The reader must be made to believe that the Hero and Heroine's love will go on and on even after the last page has been turned and the book has been put down. Heedless of other conflicts and sub-plots – the actual romance conflict is solved at the very last. Tie up all loose ends once the final conflict is resolved and the romance conflict is overcome before allowing the couple to experience their happily-ever-after finale. Remember – once the romance is satisfactorily settled the story is effectively over. Don't drag out the ending. Make the reader believe (along with you) that happily-ever-after
really does exist. And when you come to the end – stop. |
|