Down and Dirty - What Keeps a Reader Turning Pages?

         

            

Tension and conflict in your story keep the reader turning pages. The basic rule of thumb when writing a novel: in the first fifty pages -- and this is according to top literary  agent Donald Maass in his Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook -- cut all the scenes that take place in kitchens, living rooms, and cars.  Cut all the scenes that involve drinking tea or coffee or taking showers or baths. 

And that is just for starters.

Why? After years of reading manuscripts from new authors and experienced New York Times Bestselling authors, Maass has discovered that these kind of scenes usually lack tension. They do not add new information, subtract allies, deepen conflict, or open new dimensions of characer.  Scenes like these, on the contrary, usually relax tension.  

And when tension is relaxed, readers become distracted, close your book and find something else to do.  They look for a snack. They turn on the television.  They check their smart phone. They go to the movies.  They go to bed.

When readers sit down and read a book, in every scene, the expect something to happen. They anticipate.  They wait.  The characters in every scene should be in confict.  Each character should have their own agenda and reasons for doing what they do. And even when characters are in harmony, and they reach a kind of truce, that truce should lead to more issues and problems and ratchet up the tension even more.  And truces should always be short-lived.  

Alice Orr, literary agent and author, in her book No More Rejections offers an exercize you can use when you have a scene that needs more conflict and tension.  She suggests that you take each character in the scene and write from his or her point of view the answers to the following questions:

What is my major source of conflict with ________? (the other character)

What do I lead this person to believe I think about him/her?

What do I really think about him/her?

What do I say about this person behind his/her back?

What significant untruth have I told this person?

What significant secret have I kept from this person?

What past connections do this person and I have that have not yet been revealed?

What does this person think I want from him?

The answers to these questions, of course, will provide you with enough conflict to ratchet up your scene.  You will see your characters differently.  They may be smiling outwardly in the scene, but deep down they are worried or maneuvering their way around the other character.  They’ve told a lie or they have this secret.  In truth, they can’t stand the other character, but they’re duty bound to hold the line and pretend that they do.  No one is a complete open book.  

You get the idea.  Conflict and tension is the Step #6 in Down and Dirty Dozen - Twelve Step Program - Revising Your Fictional Work.

Special thanks to James Woodward for use of his conflict photo!

Down and Dirty - What To Do With Backstory

The advice is always the same when it comes to backstory. 

It doesn’t matter if you talk to other authors, or agents, or editors.  They will all tell you the same thing: Know your protagonist’s backstory but filter it into your story sparingly.

I envision backstory like this:  It is a beautiful summer day.  You hop in your car.  You have a beach house. You hit the Parkway, if you live in New Jersey like I do.  You’re zooming down the road.  Life is good.  Suddenly, traffic comes to a halt.  That’s backstory.  Even if someone magically appeared by your car and handed you an icecream cone--your favorite flavor--you still wouldn’t be happy. Even if you were really hungry, you wouldn’t be happy. Because all you want is to get moving in your car to get to the beach and the water and the sunshine and the cute boys or girls.

Every story you write will have backstory.  After all, your characters didn’t just pop onto the scene the minute chapter one began. They existed long before the inciting incident prompted your story into action.  

But you must use all your willpower to resist causing that traffic jam.

Alice Orr, author and agent in her book No More Rejections writes: “Include only the bare minimum of background detail necessary to keep the average, intelligent reader from being confused.  All else may be preparation for story or rumination on story or noodling toward story, but it isn’t story itself.”

In other words, do not put any backstory into the first three chapters of your story.

Ouch.  

Drop it in a little at a time.  When it is absolutely necessary to explain something. 

Donald Maass, agent extraordinare and author of Writing the Breakout Novel and Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook suggests that you move any backstory from the first fifty pages to Chapter 15 of your story.  Then when you get to Chapter 15, see if you still need it.  

Down and Dirty, the process of Revision, Step #5 concerns backstory.  Identify your backstory, be aware of it, and do something with it.  Don’t give your readers traffic jams or icecream cones.  They want the beach!