What makes a novel worth reading--or publishing? That was the quest that sent me into the dim, musty stacks of the library this afternoon. I hoped that serendipity would lead me to the answer. I found plenty of possibilities. (And a few sleeping homeless people, one paranoid man in fatigues and a handful of dealers on cell phones. Busy place, the library.) From one little beige hardback--The Mystery Writer's Handbook, edited by Herbert Brean, published in 1956--I gleaned these tips:
1) Bad plots kill more books than bad writing.
2) Spend as much time on plot as you do on the writing.
3) Ensure that your plot has suspense, menace, and conflict. ("menace" in this case, being some looming difficulty that hangs over the main character's head.)
4) Don't deal with conflict in your plot the same way you do with conflict in your own life. We don't like problems and try solve them (or avoid them) as quickly as possible. A good plot increases the conflicts and drags out the solutions.
5) Be tough on your characters. Let your plot challenge them, test them, and subject them to failure before they succeed.
6) Roll up your sleeves. A good plot is hard work. It's more rewarding to tinker with a phrase or create backstory, but you get out what you put in.
7) Don't let your plot be a swayback. Throw in a few complications in the middle.
In the same book is an article from 1936 by Lester Dent who describes a master plot formula. I'll comment on that next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment