What we have here is a failure to communicate. :Cool Hand Luke.
I don’t like to really sugarcoat my shortcomings.
When I’ve flunked at something, I’d rather acknowledge it and try something completely different.
As you can tell from the picture, I’m a lousy gardener.
Yes, it’s hot here in North Carolina. But I fry things on a regular basis. I should never be allowed to grow anything in a pot. It will die a horrid death because I’ll water it once a week.
I’m that way with reading and writing. I’m an impatient reader: if the author hasn’t connected with me after chapter two, I’m outta there.
If I’m failing to communicate with a scene, a bit of dialogue, a plot direction, I’ll scrap that, too. The longer I spend trying to write myself out of a box, the farther I seem to go into it.
Better to just jettison the weak part and bring in something new. I changed my murderer in mid-stream a couple of times last year. I kept wondering, “Now why did this person do it, again?” I kept fiddling with the manuscript and fiddling with it, trying to force this suspect to have committed the crime. A clear sign the person shouldn’t have done it at all. New killer! Nexttt!
Signs Something Isn’t Working:
- You can’t logically explain what motivates the protagonist’s behavior.
- Along the same lines, your character has completely changed with no reasonable explanation.
- You can’t get into the protagonist’s head. They seem flat. You can’t identify with them at all.
- The plot limps along with no discernable conflict.
- There’s too much conflict and it changes from one thing to another. There’s no primary focus. There’s no theme, just ‘the world vs. John Smith.’
- There’s only external conflict and no internal conflict for the main character.
- The protagonist is unlikeable.
- There’s no readily-identifiable antagonist. There’s just bad stuff that happens.
- Your content is a mess with flashbacks, backstory, telling instead of showing, too many dialogue tags, and point of view issues.
- Your characters aren’t original. They’re more like stock characters (the alcoholic cop, the snooty society lady, the shy librarian).
I think we’re raised to avoid failure at all costs. But I believe it’s better in writing to just recognize a failure to communicate quickly and ruthlessly revise the problems in our stories. The earlier we recognize the problem, the sooner we can eliminate it.
Because I don’t want my books to go off to the editor looking like my potted plants.
Great post and I love how so many of your points refer to the characters not quite working. Though I think we can at times learn from out own failures, and the failure of others, by exploring why something failed.
Very nice post.
As Helen says, these guidelines should be printed out and posted above every writer’s desk.
I’m going to keep them handy.
(And what’s wrong with your dried flower arrangement in the picture? Looks okay to me.)
Oh, I’m so relieved I’m not the only one that murders plants. Such a black thumb. And this list. So very helpful. Thanks.
Karen
I really fear the second to last one. But it was not something the agent who had my MS mentioned. So that has to be a good thing :)
By the way, I am a HIDEOUS gardener also. I kill everything!
I don’t know how you did it, since you live in NC and I live in TX, but I do believe you stole that potted plant off my back deck. I’d be upset, but it actually looks healthier than it did at my house.
That’s a great list. When you’re having problems with a manuscript and not sure why, use this as a checklist. I’m printing it out.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Wow. It just occurred to me. Many of the points on your list would describe some of the “literary” novels I’ve read.
To paraphrase the amazing P.D. James: I’ll stick to mystery!
:)
Well put. Recognizing the problem(s) is the first step in solving them. Ignorance and denail of them are killers.
the Old Silly
Like others have said, this is a great checklist. I plan to glance at it when I’m staring at the screen wondering what’s keeping me from moving the story forward. By the way, I had similar looking ‘arrangements’ before giving up as a plant nuturer.
Another great post, Elizabeth. I know that’s hackneyed to say, but, it’s true…as others here have pointed out.
Where-oh-where would I be without stock characters. I didn’t realize until now that could be modified. You’re sure about that?? It’s kinda scary. Who might emerge…Kinda like creating Frankenstein. Maybe I better stick with stock.
Best regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Cassandra–Thanks so much! Yeah, sometimes it’s close for me…the character works in some ways, not in others. I have to figure out what the issue is.
Marybeth–I’m so glad I’ve got a fellow plant murderer! Good luck with your MS.
Helen–I DID steal that plant off your porch! :) At least you have a good excuse to kill things in TX. Arid conditions and all…
Cleo–You know, I didn’t think of it that way, but it’s true…I’ve read plenty of ‘lit books’ that have these same issues in them!
Alan–Too funny! I could just introduce my whole yard as a dried arrangement.
Marvin–You’re right…the longer we try to nurse a MS back to health, the longer we put off a more helpful fix.
Jane–I’m glad I’m not alone as a plant killer. :)
Galen–Hmm…we could meld one stock character into another and come up with something completely different, couldn’t we? Very original!
Karen– We’re vicious killers! :)
Elizabeth
This post is so right on. I’m rearranging and rewriting twelve chapters because I didn’t lay out my timeline in advance, and things literally cannot happen in the order I which I wrote them. I came this (a pinch) close to feeding the mess to the shredder this morning.
As for your problem with plants, I recommend the trusty and forgiving Christmas cactus. Mine seem to love it when I neglect them. They bloom once in late fall, and once again in the spring.
Excellent post – I love the list. Definitely need to print it out as a checklist. One chapter I recently worked on known affectionately (not) as the never-ending chapter fell into the too much conflict category…scrapped….refocused and moved on! lol.
Nancy, from Realms of Thought…
Nancy— Oh…the never-ending chapter. Yes, I’ve seen that issue before!
Patricia–The urge to shred…I completely understand.
When we lived in Alabama, I did have cacti. Wonder of wonders, I didn’t kill them. Maybe I should look into a Christmas cactus.
Great listing,you made me realise I wrote a character in at the beginning of my WiP and I have lost him completely…off to find Samuel Pine! If he was a potted plant, he would be dead to the roots :)
Great post, and definitely true on all counts. Cliches are something I try to avoid, since I find them annoying when I read. If a book is too much of the “same old thing”, it’s a waste of time. Before I kick anything out to the world, hopefully it’ll be unique and compelling as well.
Glynis–Hope you find Samuel Pine. :)
Eric–Good point. Cliches are one of the first things to be reworked during revision.