Michael Kenway

Good news! The second critique of my novel was just as positive as the first one! My classmates reviewed the next section of my book – five pages that introduce the antagonist and describe a battle scene.  Overall the comments complimented the scene setting and character descriptions as well as expressed enjoyment of the pacing and momentum of the scene. As challenging as the revisionary process is, it is always made easier with positive comments from peers.

In class we discussed the concept known as “irrevocable commitment”, especially in regards to the protagonist. “Irrevocable commitment” is the point in the story where the protagonist recognizes that there is no turning back. In order to strengthen that moment, we made lists of reasons why and places in the story where the protagonist could or would walk away from the main story line.

There are two ways to deal with situations of “irrevocable commitment”. One way is to bring the reader’s attention to the situation, allowing the reader opportunity to ponder the opening in the storyline. Another way is to weave reasons into the story line pragmatically addressing the impracticability of the protagonist leaving the main story arc. Examples of the second technique include a caved in tunnel trapping the protagonist, a secondary character requiring the protagonist’s help, or the detainment of the protagonist.

We also discussed the concept of an “obligatory” or climax scene. This scene involves the final struggle to achieve the main plot goal. Whether or not this goal is ultimately achieved, the scene must still be written so that the reader is not left hanging. The “obligatory” or climax scene is also a valuable tool for every writer. If the protagonist fails to develop between the novel’s first chapter and the climax chapter, then there is a problem. Change is critical for a protagonist. If your character does not change, your story is likely very dull.

We are moving from Setting into Tension. In wrapping up with setting we discussed the cultural side of it. This brought me to the realization that all of my characters are white, of more or less Anglo Saxon descent, and all heterosexual. It opened my eyes to the fact that while my setting may be fantastic in many ways, it was also fairly mundane. I also realized that a fantasy world, just like every other, needs varying cultures and beliefs.

Tension is simple and complicated at the same time because you need it on every single page. This helps propel the story along and keeps the reader interested. Without it people start skimming, lose steam, and potentially stop reading altogether. That being said you can not have a 300 page battle scene. While this could be very epic it would likely exhaust the reader. Tension does not have to be overt, and in my opinion is more effective, if it is subtle in nature.

Things that help tension include character self-reflection and leaving story questions unanswered. The best way to make sure story questions keep the reader reading is to minimize back-story dumps, and “tea parties”. Tea parties are where all the characters get together and talk about what has happened up till then in the story. Back-story is the revealing of information about a character that occurred before the story happened. This is good because it explains things, but often the less a reader knows the more they want to read.

This week is focused on fleshing out Antagonists, and adding plot layers or subplots to all secondary characters. Everyone has read the book where the Antagonist is a two dimensional “very bad man.” While this keeps things simple, it does not always make for good reading. The challenge is in creating a bad guy that you love to hate. Someone who, even for just a moment, makes you question your definition of right and wrong. I want my Antagonist to be someone that you love to hate.

Plot layers, also known as Narrative Lines, are the many issues facing a single character. Not only does this make for a more intriguing story, but a more realistic one. How nice would it be if the only issue a Protagonist had was a single goal? It would be nice, but likely not very interesting. Thus, plot layers.

Subplots are more akin to secondary storylines. They usually start after the main plot line, mostly because they are often connected to secondary characters. This limits them to also ending before the main plot line concludes. If done properly these additional lines within a story create a wonderful tapestry of adventure.

This week I am doing my first read through of my rough draft. As I go through I am supposed to make comments to myself about what I like and what I don’t like. The point is to get a full read through of the manuscript as it stands in its raw form. This helps prevent getting bogged down in starting to correct everything you see that is wrong or missing.

In addition, I am supposed to put in Chapters and Chapter headings. These will help organize the work in my mind. They are also supposed to clue me in as to whether the characters and plot are moving. If the Chapter heading reads ‘characters stand around’, then I will have a problem. The difficulty for me is finding the right place to break up running situations into different chapters. I want the chapters to end in cliff hangers, but I don’t want to interrupt the flow of things too much.

Finally, I am one of two students who will be critiqued next week in class on our first chapters. My palms are already sweating.

The excitement of finishing my first draft for my first novel has worn off. What the (enter expletive here) am I supposed to do now? Everyone I have spoken to advises to lock it away for a month so that I can get some distance from it. I have signed up for a revision class at Bellevue College to make sure I stay on track. It will start in January.