7. Your protagonist . . .

It is axiomatic that the protagonist is the star of your story. We all know that. And we all know that the protagonist has the most to lose and manages to pick themselves up and rise to the occasion to resolve the roadblocks in their way . . . whatever they may be. This results in a positive ending. Loose ends are tied up, closure is achieved and the reader is satisfied with time well spent. While we root for the protagonist to succeed against overwhelming odds, a story could end in tragedy and still be satisfying. Example: “Romeo and Juliet.”

Question: Is there a way to craft what happens to the protagonist in your story? Consider what Robert McKee, who is a noted and gifted teacher, whose course on story I have taken twice, describes as “The Negation of the Negation.” The point McKee makes is that when a story is written and its protagonist is affected by the absolute worst case scenario, the result is a powerful tale that grips the reader. It also makes for a great play or movie.

Let’s dig deeper. A story can be about love, and in doing so, addresses its negation: hate. But what is negation of hate? Self-hate. When a character addresses the negation of the negation . . . you’ve got a winning story.

How about Hitler and Fascism? These address justice. Its negation: injustice. What makes the Nazi story and all others that involve oppression compelling and gripping is the negation of injustice (the negation of the negation): tyranny. Witness bestsellers like “All the Light We Cannot See” or the “Paris Architect.”

So when writing a story, define the negation of the moral value that is at stake for your protagonist, understand what the negation of that moral value what be and then write to the negation of the negation.

For those interesed in taking a course by Robert McKee (I urge all to do so), you can learn more at:  mckeestory.com

 

6. So you’ve started writing . . . but where should you begin?

Research done, fears and procrastination dispensed with, plot clear (or clearer), outline completed, it is time to start writing. But where to start the story? Do you start from the beginning, the middle or the end? Much has been written about in media res. Start in the middle. The advantages are many.

• You can introduce your protagonist in some sort of dilemma. As the story unfolds, the dilemma is explained, the background explored, and the story develops toward a resolution.
• Or start with an inciting incident. This grabs the readers attention, establishes a time and place, and enables you to explore the story, develop your characters and, again, head toward a resolution.

Starting your story in the middle gives the writer much leeway to go back and forth in time.

One of the critical things I learned years back was to understand the time frame of a story’s action. What do I mean by this? From the first time the protagonist is introduced or from the time the inciting event occurs, determine how long the “action” of the story covers. Is it a day, a week, a year, or many years? Does it matter? It sure does.

In “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the actual events in the story take 20 minutes, but the reader is exposed to a storyline that occurred over the previous 70 years. How wonderful is this? How skillful! The writer takes you back and forth, peeling away layer upon layer of the character’s history and all that surrounds the story, enriching it to make a sumptuous meal of words and ideas. I urge readers and writers alike to account for the length of time a story actually takes, and also pay attention to how much time in actually covers. Starting a story in the middle permits the writer to paint a vivid and rich story by skillfully guiding the reader through time patches that enhance the novel.

It is possible to craft a story telling the tale starting from the end. Consider “The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All: A Novel.” by Allan Gurganus. This is the story of a 99 year old widow who tells her life story. In doing so, the author is able to go back and forth in time, engaging the reader in a rich and satisfying book.

Lastly it is not a good idea to start a story at the beginning. Starting at the beginning does not allow the writer to refer to past events because everything is still in the “future.” Consider movies that are essentially fast and furious “chase” scenes. It is one stunt after another, with little character or story development. The movie can be exciting, but it is not a fully formed story layered in depth. Novels that start in the middle are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Inspiration

June 3, along with two hundred authors, I attended a writer’s conference sponsored by Penguin Publishing. The keynote speaker was inspirational:  Tama Kieves.  Tama gave up a lucrative and successful career in law (Harvard Law School) to be a writing/executive coach. Here are some of her wonderful words of encouragement to us writers:

“Listen to your own instincts, creativity, fire, and depth from within you.”

“Authors do not make it in the world, they remake it.”

“Do not give your power away to others: media, society, parents, etc.”

Her bottom line: do not get discouraged. Always write. Always follow your heart and dreams.  Be inspired. Amen.

Thank you Tama.

4. Writer’s Block

Once the writing has begun, something might rear its ugly head and stop you in your tracks. You can’t get passed it. You stare and write and delete and stare some more. You leave the keyboard, kill time as only a procrastinator can, and return to be blocked some more. Real or imagined?

For most writers, “block” doesn’t exist. Here’s what some have to say about it:

Philip Pullman. “All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?”

Jeffrey Deaver.  “I’ve often said that there’s no such thing as writer’s block; the problem is idea block. When I find myself frozen–whether I’m working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book–it’s usually because I’m trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place.”

The quotes could be endless. The bottom line is write. If you get to a point where your imagination is lacking, plod through and come back to it later. By then, your inspiration will have returned. Keep in mind that writing is rewriting.

So does writer’s block exist? I think not.

3. Words to page (so to speak)

Research done, outline completed, idea germinated . . . whatever it takes, you start to write. One question that comes up often is how “perfect” does each sentence need to be when you first start writing.

For starters, don’t fret about how you start your novel. While the first sentence is critical in a finished work, as is the first paragraph – these are often what hooks a reader into continuing to read your work – your first sentence and first paragraph are most often changed, tweaked or eliminated when you actually start writing.

But wait, you are already writing. You’ve written a first sentence, a first paragraph and then a chapter. You’ve strung a boatload of chapters together into a compelling story. Not so fast. A first draft of a story or novel is not writing. For sure, it encompasses the writing process, but it is not writing. It records words.

“Writing,” to quote a mentor of mine, John Bowers, “is rewriting.” It is not until you pour over your words and paragraphs and chapters many times, are you writing. This is when you edit, embellish, tweak, fix, expand, and do so much more to improve your work. You may find that by the time you get to the end of your story, the beginning no longer works. While you wrote the words, you should not own them. Be prepared to toss them if they don’t enhance the story. When it comes to beginnings, your words are most important and need to be just right, so do whatever is necessary to make them your best.

“The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.”
—Joyce Carol Oates, April 1986

This says it all. If a writer accepts Ms. Oates’s dictum, them those first words penned at first onset are not that important, so don’t get bogged down on them. Rather, get your story going. Once you have reached the ending, you return to the beginning (give your story a rest for a few weeks before doing this) because now you have a better sense of what the beginning needs. You may keep those first words you wrote, but now you are sure they work. Or, you may choose another path. Regardless of what you do at this point, you have evolved from writing to becoming a writer.

How do you start a new work? I would love to hear about your writing experiences.

 

2. Start writing that novel

Talk about intimidating. How much research should you do before you start?  Tons? Very little? Should you make an outline chapter by chapter? Just start writing? Start that novel and know the ending? Have no clue about the ending? Write in a quiet place? Noisy place? Starbucks? The variables of how to start are multifaceted and different for everyone.

Some writers are disciplined and outline every chapter before they start their opus. Others just start. There is no right or wrong approach this. Perhaps if you have a book contract and a deadline, you take the organized route. Me? I take my time and approach a book often not knowing the ending. While this causes dismay among lay folk, writers understand it: the characters tell the story. It’s their tale and they will give up the ending as your writing progresses. Be true to your characters and they will be true to you. I have said more than once, “I can’t wait to get home to see what happens in my story.” Non-writers are shocked by this. When I write, I get into a zone and feel I am the conduit for my characters. I am at their disposal to tell their story.

I need a certain comfort level before I start tapping away on the keyboard. Like all of us, I need a topic, an event, a specific theme and then I do a certain amount of research to become familiar with the locale, pertinent history, geography, mores, etc. What is critical for all writing is to know your protagonist’s personal history inside out. Where were they born? Who were their parents? Any siblings? What was their education? Special abilities. Childhood illnesses? Vacations? Favorite foods? Allergies? Medications taken? Music likes? Favorite authors and books? Movies? You get the picture. You may not use most of this, but the more you know about your character, the more real they become. Sprinkling “realistic” facts throughout your story gives depth, and enables the reader to relate to them. Once you have a basic comfort level with who your main character is, what the general plot will be, I urge you to begin. The minute you start, you are on your way to becoming a writer. Your journey will never be straight or unimpeded. There will be roadblocks, unexpected twists and turns, and dark alleys . . . rather than avoid, explore with relish and zeal.

I am interested in hearing how others approach starting a novel? This will be helpful to all.

1. Blog on writing (polymaths invited)

Having balanced two careers over the last thirty+ years, I felt it was time to share what I have learned about the writing process while at the same being a health professional with a busy practice.

This blog will discuss how to start with a kernel of an idea for a story to getting it published as a novel, and still have time to have a career, family, travel, etc. Future blogs will discuss writing and editing tips, how to find a literary agent, the differences between self-publishing and versus traditional book publishers, and the role social media plays in an author’s success. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you and exchanging ideas about writing and today’s publishing environment. Welcome to this journey!