Writing Business, Part II

Writing Business, Part I is over here.

Good morning, class. Today we discuss Choices. And Consequences.

(*cricket chirps in the silence*)

Okay, but really? Stick with me here, because this is where the What comes in. We established in the last post that I think the most important part of a story is the Character. If you disagree, that’s fine. Go write your own blog post. But when the character is set free to Do something, that’s where the action comes in. And also the characterization. It’s all connected. (Here, you visualize me weaving my fingers together with a wise look on my face.)

The plot of a story comes in when someone chooses to do (or avoid) something. Like, we have Little Jimmy, who is a charming boy, sitting at the front of his story. Very soon, he’s going to have to do something. Because something/someone is chasing him, he’s going to have to either A) move, and cause a reaction or B) sit still and be eaten, thus effectively ending the story. So Little J moves. Because, duh. So he opens a door, slips inside, and shuts it behind him. *Click.* Oops. No going back. (There should be a place in every story where the door clicks locked, and there’s no going back. You know, metaphorically speaking.) So LJ now has to choose. Stand here, listening to the claws scratch on the locked door, or go down that hall? Um, it’s dark down there. But this door may not hold for long. Hall it is. Come on, LJ.

Next the hallway forks. Right or left? (Hello? Choose the right. Always.) Okay. Right. Run down the hall. Which seems to be tilting downward. LJ’s shoes are getting wet. Now his calves. Now his knees. What’s an LJ to do?

See how this works? Every choice leads to a consequence. Some consequences are obvious. Others are create-able.  But to say that an action has no consequence is LYING to your readers. Oh, let’s not. Lying is BAD. It’s different than fiction. Because fiction is True. More on this in another post. Characters CANNOT choose their actions’ consequences. You, the Almighty Author, can sometimes choose them. (Remember to make them difficult, too.) But sometimes, the consequences that follow choices are clear and obvious because They Just Are. If you punch a wall, your knuckles will hurt. Not to mention your mom will holler at you. If you shoot someone, at close range, in his heart, he will die. If you make cookies for that boy who can’t refuse chocolate chips, he will notice. At least, he will notice the cookies. If you lie about something, you will either have to continue to lie, and do it very convincingly, or you will be found out. If you overcome your fears, step bravely up to your Foe, and slay him, you win. Consequences follow.

Here’s another thing, Almighty Authors: Let your characters make bad, dangerous, stupid, unkind choices and let the consequences follow. Your character is not you. (But people will think he is. That is fine. People can be wrong, even unto stupidity. Which is their problem, not yours.) Let him go down that dark hallway. Let them play with that box with the AUCHTUNG sticker on it. Let her say those words she already regrets as they exit her mouth. And show the consequences, for good or bad, for growth or for pain.

Now, a word about coincidence: I can never, ever spell that correctly on the first try. I want that second i to be an e. But that wasn’t what I was going to tell you. It’s this: You, Almighty Author, have my permission to use Coincidence to get your characters into trouble. But you may NEVER use it to get them back out of it. Never. This is a Rule. If I catch you breaking this rule, I will shake my finger at you. Greek playwrights used convenient gods to swoop down and solve problems. You can’t. I’m telling you, you’re not a Greek playwright. If you want something fantastic to help your character, you have to give me a hint about it before it appears.

So, to Sum Up (does that always make you think of Princess Bride? “Let me explain. No. Is too much. Let me sum up.”) — Choices = good and necessary. Consequences = crucial.

Now let’s go write something.

(Part III, Conflict, coming up.)