Developing a #Plot without Flat Lining

Developing the plot for a novel should be like replicating a heart monitor. You want to see ups and downs on the screen, but you don’t want to see it flat lining. There’s nothing more likely to bore the pants off your readers than creating a story without any variation. Think of it in terms of real life’s ups and downs, except in fiction things need to be larger than life, however small they might be.Huh?Your story doesn’t need to be an action packed thrill ride; even small events can be brought to life by great prose.I came across this news item, that frankly made me laugh, but I could see its potential in relation to the ups and downs of a plot. (FYI for US readers, crisp packet  = potato chip bag. In England they ‘re usually in a single serving size, not a US jumbo pack.)‘Hedgehog Trapped in Crisp Packet in Weston-Super-Mare’“A baby hedgehog which found itself stuck in a crisp packet has been released after a three-and-a-half hour rescue involving six people.The animal became trapped after it crawled into the empty wrapper in a railed off area near steps in Weston-super-Mare.A shopkeeper heard rustling and saw the hedgehog - now named Crispian - stick his nose out.Workers had to cut through the railings and help rescuers reach the hedgehog.”http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-20151566What struck me was that they cut through railings to rescue it, and six people had been involved! Clearly this tiny animal had created an event, which produced substantial effort on the rescuers part. It went from being a simple rustle in the wind to a conflict that needed resolution.If you were writing this scene how might you develop it?The conflict begins when the shopkeeper hears the rustling, which poses a question i.e. what to do? Imagine the thoughts of the shopkeeper (inner dialogue) or perhaps she discusses it with a passerby (spoken dialogue), and they both go and look at the hedgehog. (Action) As a reader, I’d want to have some description of the railings, the railed off area and the hedgehog poking his nose out. Where do the steps lead? Was this the scene of a kidnapping a couple of years earlier, or had there been a fire, and the house subsequently torn down?The middle of the scene then develops after the authorities are contacted. (Action) No doubt there are now two or three people waiting and watching until help arrives. Don’t forget there are six people involved in this incident! What was their interchange? (Dialogue or reported speech) Were there concerns about their ability to get through the railings? (Tension) Did they encounter any snags, like the saw blade breaking? (Building suspense) Would the hedgehog survive, even if they managed to cut through the railing? (More tension)The climax of the scene is the hedgehog being rescued. (More description, dialogue/ reported speech) Is the animal going to live or does it stop moving? Is this the complete end of the story, or do two of the people find a connection and become involved in each other’s lives? Perhaps this is where a murderer first meets his next victim?On its own, this is obviously a very simple scene. It could be made engaging in a myriad of ways from comedy to fable, the beginnings of a thriller to rich descriptive prose. Regardless of stylistic approach, there’s dramatic action, however small, which sends a character in a new direction. In this prickly tale (!), the shopkeeper was going about her business until she was on a mission to save a helpless little creature. To be successful, it needs to have ups and downs. The pitfalls encountered are dependent on the writer’s interpretation.Simple story does not mean boring plot. Complicated plot does not mean interesting story. Getting the right balance is something an author needs to look at for each scene. And not all scenes have the same cadence or intensity. Some might give you some respite after one with high tension. Or perhaps towards the end of the novel, you might ratchet things up by piling on one crisis after another.Balancing the tempo of each scene is a good start. Putting them together is like cooking a favorite dish: you combine the ingredients to suit your particular taste. But one shake too many of the saltcellar and the whole dish is ruined.How does the plot progress in the novel you are reading or writing? Is it a slow build, or does it pack a punch from the beginning. Which to you prefer? Run, Crispin, run!.......................

Time and Place: 1950's USA

I’ve recently finished the first draft of my second novel, “Under the Bed”. It's set in New York in both 1969 and 1952. Time and place are integral to the story; the commonality between the two eras is anti-communism in the USA. I’ll only deal with the 1950’s in this blog.“McCarthyism”, which was at the heart of the anti-communist movement, started in the late forties. You may be aware of the havoc and horror the Hollywood blacklist had on the lives of actors and screenwriters, many of whom were banned from writing or acting. Their careers, and often their entire lives were left in shambles. A number also went to jail. Dashiell Hammett is one of the more famous names of people who served time. He died a year after his release. Lillian Hellman, was also brought before by the House Un-American Activities Committee  - HUAC. She took a landmark stand, later known as the 'Diminished Fifth', in which she was willing to talk about her own activities but refused to talk of others .Paul Robeson and Charlie Chaplin were also victims of the HUAC. Chaplin, who was born in England, was refused re-entry into the USA in 1952, and ultimately never returned to America. Paul Robeson’s passport was confiscated, leaving him unable to work abroad – he was already blacklisted from working in America. His career as a singer and his International Human Rights advocacy work were severely curtailed.       Influence of the House Un-American Activities Committee, reached far beyond Hollywood into many professions, including those in public service. University professors and elementary schoolteachers  were asked to sign an oath swearing that they were not, nor ever had been a member of the Communist Party. Those who refused, which many did on principle, lost their jobs.All serious stuff - but in researching the period, I came across some hilarious footage from the public service announcement of the ‘Duck and Cover Campaign’ that told people, and especially schoolchildren, what to do in the case of a nuclear attack – “Why, duck and cover of course!”.httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89od_W8lMtAIts simplicity might seem ludicrous to us now -  perhaps it did to many people at the time  -  but it gives us a certain insight into an era of fear, tinged with naïveté , in the USA of the 1950's.I love the whole idea of exploring different time and place in writing. They're usually the two challenges I first  set myself when I start a new project. It’s so important in a novel in setting the tone.Where do you set your work? Is it is always in the present, or in the town or country where you live? How does time and place affect your choice in the novels you read?Let me know - I’d love to hear from you.  

Related articles

• Sunday Open Thread (3chicspolitico.com) (A great blog site!)
• Tayo Aluko pays homage to a musical pioneer (charlestoncitypaper.com)
• Defrosting The Cold War (envisioningtheamericandream.wordpress.com)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Hellman

To e- or not to e- That is the Question (orig. post Feb 9th)

To e- or not to e- that is the question: Whether 'tis Nobler for the novel to sufferThe trends and whims of publishing world fortune,Or to e-Book, instead of a Sea of Submissions,And by virtual means, end them… To e-publish or not? Strictly speaking it’s to self-publish or not that’s the question. The rules and the game itself have changed and now as novelists, we’re faced with the decision as to whether to seek the recognition and validation of a traditional publisher rather than choosing to self-publish. The stigma of so-called vanity publishing has not been eliminated completely, but between Smashwords, Amazon’s KDP, Createspace, Lulu, Bookbaby and other organisations, it’s easy to self publish whether it is an eBook, or hardcopies printed on demand (POD). Millions of people have already jumped at the opportunity, preferring the option to traditional publishing. So if you choose to dive in, it will be a crowded pool.There have been a number of publicly noted success stories – Amanda Hocking, for example. She’s a 27 year old novelist, from a small town in Minnesota, who tried the traditional route, had about 50 rejection letters from agents, and finally decided to self publish back in 2008. She also looked at Wal-Mart and where her work could fit in. Not in the James Patterson thriller market, but in paranormal romance – fantasy stories –vampires, witches etc- with a love story thrown in. She has now joined the ranks of Stieg Larsson and only 10 other authors who’ve sold 1million books for Amazon’s Kindle. She’s been picked up by St Martin’s Press, and has her first print book, Switched, published. The movie rights have also been optioned.In the interview I read through NPR, Amanda emphasizes she was prepared to put in the hard work. I got the impression she was talking not so much about rewrites and edits, but self –promotion, as well as handling what was, initially, essentially running a small business. Not quite what you had in mind? – Earning the $2M perhaps, but all the marketing that would go with it? – Not so much, I imagine.The reality is, that even if one decides (or should I say, is lucky enough) to be able to go the traditional publishing route, then unless you’re an exception, you’ll be asked to do just that – get a website, write a blog, have a social network presence. In essence brand yourself, not just your work. Times are economically hard, but also the publishing industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years in the way books are marketed. As artists, it might seem loathsome, but the good side of this change is that more people are reading books than ever before. And that surely has to be a good thing.For myself I’m in the middle of the rejection letter phase for, my first novel Radio Echo. I wouldn’t have considered self-publishing until very recently, but I’m now reconsidering it as an option. What changed for me is that in the submission guidelines for the agents I applied to, some asked for details of self published work - where, in what form, and what the sales been. Mainstream publishers are clearing coming round to embracing indie publishers. It helps them see if you have a marketable product, which let's face it is ultimately what they’re interested in.So we’ll see. You can write a good novel or rewrite until your hand falls off, but it doesn’t guarantee a publishing contract. People’s tastes are varied enough to warrant a huge range of work, and trends come and go. As a writer do you want your work read? Presumably yes. So the question is, in what circumstances and at what cost?It’s not the 20^th century anymore. It Time to get real kids. BTW a great resource for self publishing and self marketing is Joanna Penn's website:  http://www.thecreativepenn.com/She has a great blog, a wonderful series of podcasts and is a huge resource for writers in general, especially those considering self publishing. COMMENTS from previous site:CommentsfrancescaWed, 08 Feb 2012 07:38:10I'd say go for it - not only can you gauge your readership and its response, but you also have the chance to be involved in your own promotion - like it or not, these days marketing is everything. You might also consider having Radio Echo  translated into Italian so that you can market it in Italy too, just a thought.AK AndrewWed, 08 Feb 2012 09:54:23Good point about gauging the readership Francesca. And what a brilliant idea having it translated into Italian -I shall definitely look into that.Mille grazieBeckyWed, 08 Feb 2012 10:29:44Not being in the enviable position yet of having my novel finished so that I can send it out, I'm still hoping to go the traditional route. But I don't think I'd rule out self-publishing if it came to it. I think it's interesting that Amanda Hocking, even after all her success self-publishing, eventually went to a publisher when one was offered. But your comments about agents asking you if you'd had success self-publishing is valid too. Maybe we all need to be more open to whatever avenues get the work out there.A.K.Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:24:03I think that's a really good point you make about Amanda Hocking ,Becky. I suppose at that point it might have felt like someone was taking the weight off her shoulders, but I suspect the validation aspect we've discussed before must have come into play. She is also (now) someone with a 'story' worth putting money in to publicize too. So I will continue to go the traditional route, but may consider (at some point) self -publishing along side it. The two can happen simultaneously.Thanks so much for your comment.Jenny ReeveWed, 15 Feb 2012 21:51:29I enjoyed reading this, it certainly gave me an insight into self publication. I did not know that we could self publish. I think I must be naive, I thought that he ereader was just an electronic book, boring and lacking the feel of a 'real' book. I will have to look into the real concept of it I think.