20 MP Lesson 2.3 Casual Causal and the Importance of Events
Jul 6, 2021 13:13:13 GMT -6
Post by ScienceGirl on Jul 6, 2021 13:13:13 GMT -6
Important Events
This is a me quote, not a Tobias quote. But I think it's one of the hardest things to understand.
Tobias starts this next section talking about the tendency of the writer to get swept up in the world we've built. We hear the character voices. We take them places and let them do things. And, we do all this to make our characters real. He rightly accuses us that:
Yes, he's talking to pantsers specifically here. He clarifies, however, that in a first draft there's no problem with that sort of exploratory writing. It's fine to get inside their heads and figure out who your characters truly are as people. Or aliens. Or vampires. Or things. But he cautions, "unless you're a very disciplined writer, they'll end up going in every which direction."
What a conundrum! But the answer, he says is simple, and "too often painful." We need to let plot be our compass. We need to look at those scenes and ask ourselves a couple of tough questions:
1) What is the general direction I'm headed in with this story?
2) Does this scene specifically relate or contribute to the advancement of that general direction?
If yes, keep it. If no, chuck it.
Ouch! So hard to follow that advice. But as Tobias says, the best novels come from writers who find the courage to say, "This must go."
You really need to read this whole section of his book. I love chapter two more than the others, because Tobias calls me directly out for all my bad habits in a pointed, if not humorous way. He lists several old authors who insisted their digressions were important enough to remain in the book. And he asks, "If they can do it, why can't I?"
The answer is something he's hinted at several times, and something we've discussed in the deep POV lessons as well.
That's not to say we won't slip up here and there and let our characters take us on a quick aside. But it's the skill of the author to keep that from happening so much that it derails the story throughout the entire book. Sometimes those asides can add to the charm or realism of our characters. But too much of it will make them feel lost in a story that can't find its' way.
Make the Causal look Casual
This next bit is tricky. As Tobias says, everything you put into your story should have a reason for being there. "This reason is a cause, leading to an effect, which in turn becomes the next cause." But we do have to be careful. So Pantsers, he nabbed you hard in the last section. Plotters, this one's for you.
We shouldn't write, he says, so obviously as if we are flashing a neon sign that says "PLOT!" We don't want the causes to stand out so much that the reader doesn't slip deep into the story. It's really about giving your readers a sense of trust. You can trust them to pick up on your carefully planted nuances. They can trust you that if you've included a piece of stinky old cheese in your scene it has a reason for being there.
Tobias talks about the importance of being more nonchalant with our causes rather than shoving them down the readers' throats. The best books are the ones who slip the causes in subtly, making us turn our thoughts one direction and being caught off guard when the story takes us to a completely different place. Plot twist!
He offers the example of Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery." We learn what it's about from the title. No subtlety there. The town has been holding this lottery for as long as it has existed. The story focuses on the people and the inner workings of the lottery, and there's no real sense of effect until we get to the end. SPOILER! The winner of this lottery will be stoned to death by the other townspeople. Jackson dipped her pen in the ink and wrote us out a final little "gotcha!" That's why her story resonates with people.
Every Christmas, my mother-in-law and daughter have a binge-watching Feel-Good Christmas Movie Marathon. My husband HATES it. He hates EVERY movie. "The plot is the same. It's cookie cutter." "Yes! Splendidly so," says my MIL. But he brings up a pretty good point. There's a definite following of people who watch those movies and care very little that they're seeing the same plot unfold again and again and again. The warmth of the Christmas cookies stirs up nostalgia and memories of a time when their parents/grandparents were still living and the world made sense. And, there's a definite group of people who can't stomach the thought of reading or watching the same plot again and again. The predictability drives them nuts.
So, how exactly does one achieve that subtlety without writing something completely predictable?
Tobias turns to author Ford Madox Ford for advice:
This, says Tobias, is how the writer convinces the reader "to accept the convention that fiction is very much like life."
That might seem like a bit of a heavy piece. So let's simplify it. Even your digressions should have purpose and intent. Let your characters go on planned tangents. Then, it will have that nice, realistic, casual feel, but fall right in line with that cause then effect that becomes the next cause.
This is a me quote, not a Tobias quote. But I think it's one of the hardest things to understand.
Fill the day to day lives of your characters with mundane tasks, and disrupt those tasks with dissatisfying events.
Tobias starts this next section talking about the tendency of the writer to get swept up in the world we've built. We hear the character voices. We take them places and let them do things. And, we do all this to make our characters real. He rightly accuses us that:
...we, as a result of our vicarious participation in this fictional world, often let the characters "go their own way" and say and do whatever they please.
Yes, he's talking to pantsers specifically here. He clarifies, however, that in a first draft there's no problem with that sort of exploratory writing. It's fine to get inside their heads and figure out who your characters truly are as people. Or aliens. Or vampires. Or things. But he cautions, "unless you're a very disciplined writer, they'll end up going in every which direction."
Characters become difficult to control. They may not share your sense of plot. They may have their own agenda and leave you astounded by their impudence. They defy you. They taunt you. You intended for them to be at a board meeting in New York, and suddenly they're at a pig farm in Green Sleeve, Mississippi. THey go off on tangents and become involved in situations that have nothing to do with your plot. You're tickled that your characters have such energy and that they drag you along with them, but at the same time you're appalled that they seem bent on ignoring you. Finally, you realize you must stop everything and ask yourself, "Who's in charge here?" To make matters worse, you read over what you've written and realize it's really good stuff. In fact, it might be some of the better writing you've ever done. What should you do?
1) What is the general direction I'm headed in with this story?
2) Does this scene specifically relate or contribute to the advancement of that general direction?
If yes, keep it. If no, chuck it.
Fiction is more economical than life. Whereas life allows anything, fiction is selective. Everything in your writing should relate to your intent. The rest, no matter how brilliantly written, should be taken out.
Ouch! So hard to follow that advice. But as Tobias says, the best novels come from writers who find the courage to say, "This must go."
You really need to read this whole section of his book. I love chapter two more than the others, because Tobias calls me directly out for all my bad habits in a pointed, if not humorous way. He lists several old authors who insisted their digressions were important enough to remain in the book. And he asks, "If they can do it, why can't I?"
The answer is something he's hinted at several times, and something we've discussed in the deep POV lessons as well.
First, you're not a nineteenth-century novelist. The shape of literature has changed in the las hundred years. Books are tighter and leaner. As readers, we don't want to take the time to wander off in all directions. We demand that the writer get to, and stick with the point.
Make the Causal look Casual
This next bit is tricky. As Tobias says, everything you put into your story should have a reason for being there. "This reason is a cause, leading to an effect, which in turn becomes the next cause." But we do have to be careful. So Pantsers, he nabbed you hard in the last section. Plotters, this one's for you.
We shouldn't write, he says, so obviously as if we are flashing a neon sign that says "PLOT!" We don't want the causes to stand out so much that the reader doesn't slip deep into the story. It's really about giving your readers a sense of trust. You can trust them to pick up on your carefully planted nuances. They can trust you that if you've included a piece of stinky old cheese in your scene it has a reason for being there.
Tobias talks about the importance of being more nonchalant with our causes rather than shoving them down the readers' throats. The best books are the ones who slip the causes in subtly, making us turn our thoughts one direction and being caught off guard when the story takes us to a completely different place. Plot twist!
He offers the example of Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery." We learn what it's about from the title. No subtlety there. The town has been holding this lottery for as long as it has existed. The story focuses on the people and the inner workings of the lottery, and there's no real sense of effect until we get to the end. SPOILER! The winner of this lottery will be stoned to death by the other townspeople. Jackson dipped her pen in the ink and wrote us out a final little "gotcha!" That's why her story resonates with people.
There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who love Hallmark movies, and the reasonable folks who don't. ~ScienceGirl's husband
Every Christmas, my mother-in-law and daughter have a binge-watching Feel-Good Christmas Movie Marathon. My husband HATES it. He hates EVERY movie. "The plot is the same. It's cookie cutter." "Yes! Splendidly so," says my MIL. But he brings up a pretty good point. There's a definite following of people who watch those movies and care very little that they're seeing the same plot unfold again and again and again. The warmth of the Christmas cookies stirs up nostalgia and memories of a time when their parents/grandparents were still living and the world made sense. And, there's a definite group of people who can't stomach the thought of reading or watching the same plot again and again. The predictability drives them nuts.
So, how exactly does one achieve that subtlety without writing something completely predictable?
Tobias turns to author Ford Madox Ford for advice:
Consider story first. If you get away from story, you will produce what Ford called a "longeur" which was, "a patch over which the mind will progress heavily." You may have a great scene from your own life that you want to put in the story and, what the heck, the novel is big and forgiving and you figure you can put anything you want into it without really hurting the book. As long as its good, right?
Wrong, said Ford. He said if it doesn't push the story forward, it doesn't belong. Don't distract the reader with asides. What you are doing is diluting the dramatic effect. However, you can appear to digress. What might look like an aside (the casual vs. the causal) will let the reader relax while you build your story, advancing your plot with the reader unawares.
Wrong, said Ford. He said if it doesn't push the story forward, it doesn't belong. Don't distract the reader with asides. What you are doing is diluting the dramatic effect. However, you can appear to digress. What might look like an aside (the casual vs. the causal) will let the reader relax while you build your story, advancing your plot with the reader unawares.
That might seem like a bit of a heavy piece. So let's simplify it. Even your digressions should have purpose and intent. Let your characters go on planned tangents. Then, it will have that nice, realistic, casual feel, but fall right in line with that cause then effect that becomes the next cause.
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