Are you fond of telling stories? Do you often find yourself retelling an event in narration? Ever wondered what it would be like to be a fiction writer? Well stop dreaming and start writing. Fiction 101 will only scratch the surface of the components of fiction, but perhaps it will awaken the writer within and encourage you to try.
What is fiction? Aerially speaking, fiction allows you to make up things without someone calling you a liar. Fiction is comprised of different genres (a category or style such as poetry, fiction or drama; or romance, young adult, inspirational or literary). Stories vary in length from short shorts (< 1,500 words) or short stories (< 4,000 words) to novellas (usually < 150 pages) or novels.
Show Not Tell
Most fiction or creative writing instructors will tell you to “show not tell.” Having flashbacks to high school or college English classes yet? Regardless of what you are writing, you want to “show” the reader what is going on, not “tell” them. Here’s an example, “The sun was rising as the hikers entered the canyon.” What does that sentence tell you? Well there are hikers (plural), but how many? What canyon? Why would I want to read on? As an alternative, “The sun began its morning stretch across the cool canyon walls lighting up vibrant shades of copper, crimson and green. A family of crows, still drowsy from their night’s slumber, calls a greeting to each other as they began their morning hunt for breakfast. Inhaling the morning dawn, the two hikers entered Angel Bright Trail.” The description is broadened to draw the reader in. In addition, we know that there are two hikers and they are on Angel Bright Trail. Still not complete, but some of the readers may be aware that Angel Bright Trail is on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Others may not find out until they delve into the story.
In terms of description (scenery, characters, actions), the reader will want to see what is going on and not be told. Now in certain cases, the reader may only be “told.” A character that has just witnessed a violent or catastrophic event may be in shock and their version of the event may be told in short sentences with minimal emotion. Consider a car accident, the driver may not remember the incident or may only remember seeing a flash of a vehicle as it flew out from the side street. No description of the driver or vehicle, just a blur and a bang as the cars connected. Depending on the type of story you are writing, you may want to withhold or limit the amount of information given
Character and Plot
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The same goes for character versus plot development. Many writers will tell you that you have to know your characters before you can develop a plot, while others may tell you that it’s important to develop a plot before you can create your characters. Realistically, everyone is different. Some writers prefer to sketch out a plot first, while others will develop their characters before building the plot.
There are two types of fictional characters – round and flat. Round characters are fully developed, enabling the reader to see the characters from different perspectives. Flat characters are two-dimensional and the reader has minimal information on them, as they are only there to advance the plot. When creating fictional characters, take a moment to think about how you get to know people in real life. If you are meeting someone for the first time, often you start with a visual assessment. What does the person look like? What are they wearing? Do they look tired? Excited? Agitated? Next comes conversation. What do they do for a living? Do they have a family? What is their educational background? As you get to know someone, you learn about their hobbies, how many languages they speak, their joys, fears, religious beliefs and political affiliations. As the relationship progresses you learn how they react under stress, how they handle grief and whether they work well under pressure. Just as you get to know someone in real life, you should know your characters. Now chances are you won’t be expected to provide all this information to the reader, but the information will become necessary as you develop your plot. The three things to keep in mind when developing your characters are to make sure they are consistent in their actions, complex to catch the reader’s attention and distinct enough to hold the reader’s interest. As an exercise, eavesdrop on a conversation in a restaurant or at the mall (just don’t get caught) or choose a stranger in a grocery store and take a peek in their cart. Formulate a background for this character based on the limited information available to you.
Plot is comprised of a series of scenes strung together to produce a story. A creative writing instructor once told me that every story should begin with an action; the alarm going off, a blast from a rifle or a blackout. When beginning your story, catch the reader’s attention and compel him or her to continue reading. A story is usually told chronologically and you can insert dialogue and flashbacks to fill in gaps in the story. As you write your story, give consideration to the pace of the story. Pace is a component of your style. There will be points in the story where you will want to drag out a scene or move the reader rapidly through another. Controlling and varying the lengths of your sentences will move the story along or may drag it out to the point the reader puts it down. Scenes make up the structure of a story. After you’ve written your story, re-read it and analyze it for flow. Is there too much description? Would a flashback fit in here? Is that character really necessary? The next time you rent a movie, only watch the first 10 minutes and then pause the movie. See if you can figure out the main action or conflict, who the main characters are and what do you already know about them. A good movie will provide you with that information almost immediately, but beware, as you start analyzing movies, you may never be able to watch them for pure pleasure again.
Point of View
Now you have your characters and you’re building your plot. As the story begins to take shape, you are already formulating the point of view or the perspective in which the story is told. Is the story being told through single or multiple viewpoints? Stories that are written in the first person are usually limited to a single viewpoint while multiple viewpoints are often written in the third person with commentary from a narrator (often the author). As you form your story, you may move back and forth between viewpoints until you find your rhythm. If you find yourself switching back and forth, stop and review your characters and plot. Rewrite sections of the story from different points of view until you are comfortable with the direction and flow of your story.
Openings and Closings
The most important sections of any story are the openings and closings. Once you complete your story, delete the opening paragraph (don’t panic, you can always insert it back in later). Many first-time writers will spend too much time on a magnificent opening paragraph and by the time story is concluded, the opening may no longer be relevant to the story. Openings should draw the reader into the action immediately or introduce the main character, while endings should be comprised of a lesser action and be used to tie together or reveal the theme. The best way to study openings is to go through a series of short stories or novels and just read the first page or two. Do they grab your attention? Do you want to turn that page? Why or why not? Unless you’ve read the story in its entirety, you probably won’t be able to pull as much information from the closings, but if you have a chance, re-read the openings and closings of stories you have read before. Do they effectively introduce and tie everything together?
On the Road to Becoming a Writer
As you create your story through character and plot development, draw on real events and people; interesting quirks or hobbies may become components of your story. You’ve already taken that first step, now put one foot in front of the other and begin writing your story.
For more information on fiction writing, consider taking a class, joining a writer’s group or a genre specific association. Some favorite reference books include “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by Browne and King, “Three Genres” by Stephen Minot, “Handbook of Short Story Writing,” “Plot” and “Characters” all by Writer’s Digest. Two great Internet resources are www.writersdigest.com and www.writersvillage.com.
