Monday, July 31, 2017

The Back Plot Thickens

Tell me the plot of "The Hound of the Baskervilles." 

Easy enough, you say. A country doctor comes to Sherlock Holmes and Watson. The local lord has died of heart failure. But there were a giant hound's tracks near his body, and there's this family legend about....

But is that the only plot? 

Not really. Long before old Sir Charles is frightened to death by a hound, there is a man in South America, a distant relative of Sir Charles, who decides he will be the new lord of Baskerville Hall so he changes his name, makes his wife pretend to be his sister, and....

Some mystery writers call this second storyline the back plot. It is the story behind the story. The detective's plot is the discovery of the back plot. Holmes must reconstruct the murderer's back plot through the clues left behind. He must understand what happened before.

This twining together of two plots is the glory of the mystery and the agony of the mystery writer for she must not only have one plot which is logical and interesting. She must also create a second which intersects it backwards in time.

No, that's not crazy. Think about it. A murder occurs, and the detective investigates. He finds clues, and these clues point toward the past of the victim and the murderer. The detective must decipher these clues to discover the who, what, when, where, and why of the murder. He must travel back in time to the murderer and his motives. 

Holmes studies the crime scene, the stories of the butterfly collector, the sounds of the moor, and the ancestor's portrait, as well as other clues, to find that distant Baskerville relative who has designs on the family fortune.

How does a writer create these two plot lines? The answer to that is as diverse as the authors questioned. Some create the back story, pick the relevant clues to pepper the novel with, then set their detective to work.

Other writers are as surprised as their detective at the murder scene and never guess the killer until the last chapter. Somehow the clues, through the miracle of the writer's subconscious and a little judicious rewriting, have pointed to the murderer all along.

Still other writers mix a little of both methods. Cold calculations about clues and the killer's identity are leavened by the spontaneous generosity of the writer's muse. The writer is as surprised as the reader to discover why the killer hums but never sings and how that fits so perfectly into the puzzle.

No one can tell you what method to use to create a perfect blend of detective's plot and back plot. Each writer must discover what works best for her. But the wise writer takes the time after the book is written and before the rewriting to ask herself, "What is the plot? Does it make sense? Is it complete?"

Then the even wiser writer asks the same questions about the back plot. The wisest writer also remembers that in the back plot the killer is the major protagonist, and it here where the true heart of the novel lies.


Now tell me the plot of "The Hound of the Baskervilles."

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Link Resources of Interest

For my readers looking for a replacement for my discontinued "Links of Interest" posts.

I have gone through all my weekly resources, and I’ve included them below.  (Yes, I really did go through almost a hundred emails and websites each week.)  With most, you can opt for an email for each article or a Twitter alert so you don’t have to troll a bunch of sites every week.  

If there’s a particular subject you are interested in, you can also use the search engine for my site which will lead you to specific links. I have tried to include keywords like “Promo” in my link descriptions, and you can use words like “Facebook” when researching social media.

And, as always, I am your greatest resource for writing questions.  All you have to do is ask via my blog or email, and I will answer or point you at an answer.


Database of Writing Articles:



The Best Sites for Weekly Links

ELIZABETH SPANN CRAIG (ARTICLES AND LINKS TO OTHER ARTICLES EACH WEEK):


BOOK DESIGNER (ARTICLES AND LINKS TO OTHER ARTICLES EACH WEEK):


ADVENTURES IN CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING:



Other Resources

FICTION UNIVERSITY:


WRITERS HELPING WRITERS (ARTICLES & LISTS OF CHARACTER EMOTIONS):


WRITER UNBOXED:


STEVEN PRESSFIELD:


DAILY WRITING TIPS (GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY):


ROMANCE UNIVERSITY:


THE BLOOD RED PENCIL:


THE WRITER’S ALLEY:


THE WRITING DESK:


THE KILLZONE:


BABBLES FROM AGENT SCOTT EAGAN:


HOW TO PLAN AND DEVELOP A BOOK:


WRITER’S DIGEST EDITOR BLOGS:


WRITE TO DONE:


BUILD BOOK BUZZ (PROMO):


STANDOUT BOOKS, (SELF-PUBLISHING AND WRITING ADVICE):


BUSINESS MUSINGS (BUSINESS OF WRITING):


SELF-PUBLISHING ADVICE:


KRISTEN LAMB (WRITING AND PROMO ADVICE):


ANNE ALLEN:


LIVE WRITE THRIVE:


ALL WRITE — FICTION ADVICE:


THE DIGITAL READER (PUBLISHING, COPYRIGHT, AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES):


JAMI GOLD:


WRITER BEWARE (WARNINGS AND NEWS OF SCAMS, ETC.):


THE WRITE EDITING:



Monday, July 24, 2017

And the Survey Says

A special thanks to those who voted to continue my “Links of Interest,” or told me why they no longer read them.

A grand total of three wanted “Links” to continue.  In other words, the link blogs are definitely not of interest to a vast majority of my readers.

I am not, however, leaving those who want fresh links without recourse.  On Wednesday, I will post all my resources for links, will recommend the best, and explain how to find link resources on my blog.  

Thanks, again, to those who replied to my survey, and remember to recommend my blog articles to your friends so I can continue to do them.


Marilynn

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Links of Interest

This is your last chance to ask for more links articles. If I don’t get a bunch more votes to continue, “Links of Interest” will be no more.  If you’d like me to continue them, please leave a note below and let me know.  

Plus, how about sharing my articles with writing friends, etc., so I have some reason to continue those as well.  As always, remember that I am more than happy to answer writing questions so please ask.  

MYSTERY CLICHES:


PROMO, ADVERTISING BASICS:


BACKSTORY THAT THE READER WANTS:


WHY YOUR CHARACTER SHOULD HAVE A PAST WOUND:


THE FICTIONAL MONTAGE:


ELEVEN STEPS TO CREATE A GREAT FIGHT SCENE:


HOW TO USE A BETA READER:


DO OR SHOULD YOU USE SWEAR WORDS IN YOUR WORK?


DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTER:


CREATING DRAMA IN FICTION:


RESEARCH, GEORGIA HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ONLINE:


SIX THINGS TO IMPROVE VOICE:


BRANDING, PEN NAMES, AND READER BETRAYAL:



Monday, July 17, 2017

The Subplot

The main plot of the novel drives the story forward through the whole work.  Most main plots are about the main character working to achieve his goal. 

Some novels have only one plot. A simple romance's plot is boy and girl meet, one or both screws it up because of some inner flaw or weakness, but they manage to change enough to create a happily ever after.

Other novels have a major story line and minor story lines. Most often, these books mix genres like romantic suspense, or they are more complex in both subject matter and word count.

A minor story line is called a subplot. The two major types of subplot are the parallel and the independent subplot.

The parallel subplot is a smaller element of the overall plot that intersects the major plot with both its major character or characters and the events. The main plot affects the subplot, and the subplot affects the main plot.

In AVATAR, Sully's romance with Neytiri is one of the parallel subplots in the main story of Sully's learning about the planet Pandora and his decision to save it from the other humans.

His relationship with Neytiri is his personal introduction to the planet, its people, and their ways, and his emotional/romantic relationship with her teaches him the value of its people as well as giving him the original impetus to reconsider his decision to spy on the scientists and betray the locals to the corporation and its mercenaries.

In my STAR-CROSSED, Kellen's struggle against sexual slavery, his owner Cadaran, and his search for his freedom parallels Tristan and Mara's sweet relationship and their own fight for Tristan's freedom against Cadaran as the representative of the corrupt government.

A complex novel may have numerous parallel subplots. Some may be almost as complex as the main plot, and others may be short and simple pieces of the puzzle that is the story.

A simple subplot in my STAR-CROSSED involves Tristan's relationship with Floppy, the intelligent alien kitty.

When Tristan lives in Mara's house, Floppy sees him as a rival for Mara's time and attention, and the housekeeper has told Floppy that Tristan with his sneaky male ways is a danger to Mara.

Floppy works to prevent a physical relationship between Mara and Tristan, and he's more than willing to kill Tristan to protect Mara.

Floppy and Tristan gradually learn to like each other when Tristan teaches Floppy to read.

After Tristan saves Mara's life at the risk to his own freedom, Floppy is totally won over to Tristan's side.

This subplot not only drives the main story forward by interfering with the romantic relationship of the hero and heroine, it also is comic or scary in contrast to the main story line's tone at that moment to add variety.

An independent subplot doesn't impact the main story. A common use of this kind of subplot is in a mystery where the main character has a home life subplot as well as trying to catch the killer in the main plot.

At its least, an independent subplot gives a fuller picture of the main character or a more complete view of the world he inhabits.

At its best, it reflects the main plot thematically or emotionally. For example, the hero must face the death of his father and their issues of abuse at the same time as he is chasing a serial killer who targets elderly men which may indicate he was abused by an older man when he was little.

The TV show, HOUSE, often used the independent subplot which involved the relationships of the hospital staff to reflect the main plot of discovering what is killing their patient.

In most episodes, House would gain a valuable clue to the illness through his interactions with another character during that subplot.

The very strongest subplot, even those that aren't parallel, brings a thematic, characterization, and worldbuilding depth to the novel.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Links of Interest

IMPORTANT NOTE:  My “Link” articles receive very little traffic, and they take many hours of work per week.  If you’d like me to continue them, please leave a note and let me know.  Plus, how about sharing my articles with writing friends, etc., so I have some reason to continue those as well.  As always, remember that I am more than happy to answer writing questions so please ask.  

THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROTAG:


FIGURING OUT YOUR CHARACTER’S MOTIVATIONS THROUGH THESE FIVE QUESTIONS:


DIALOGUE DURING REWRITE:


THE PROMISES AN AUTHOR GIVES TO THE READER:


ACING THE BEGINNING OF YOUR SEQUEL:


HOW TO MAKE YOUR WRITING STAND OUT, PART 2:


CREATING AUDIOBOOKS, A PRIMER:


LINKED IN 101:


DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTERS:


HINTS AND TOOLS FOR PROOFING AND EDITING YOUR BOOK:


FREE SCRIVENER STORY STRUCTURE TEMPLATE:


SHOULD YOU MAKE YOUR BOOK AVAILABLE AS A PREORDER?


CREATING GREAT MONSTERS:


SUSPENSE, THE BIG TEASE:


SERIES TIPS:


PUTTING THE SUPER IN SUPERNATURAL:



Monday, July 10, 2017

How Not to Make a Novel Longer

Many of us in our writing careers have had a novel that simply wasn’t long enough.  Sometimes, it is poor planning on our part when we misjudge exactly how much word length each element of the plot entails.

Other times, it is due to a market shift-- a publisher who wants one length either closes down that line or rejects your book so you have a book with no home to go to.  

This problem has been solved to a certain extent with the advent of self-publishing and ebook publishers, but, if you want to sell to one of the major publishers, you must either rewrite to fit the available markets or shelf the book.  

I recently read a Regency historical which was obviously written for the defunct short Regency market then had around 20,000 words added to make it fit the historical market, and it’s a classic example of how not to lengthen a book.  

Novels have a certain rhythm to them, and like with a song, most of us sense when the end is coming.  Plot ends are being tied up, the bad guy has been thwarted, and the emotional problems, particularly between the hero and heroine, are being settled.  

When I felt the novel coming to a close with many pages yet to go, I realized what this author had done.  Instead of adding another subplot to make the novel longer, this author had chosen to leave the short Regency basically untouched except for a few extra sex scenes and to continue on with the story.

This choice meant that the novel came to a complete stop because all the plot points had been answered, and the hero and heroine had come to a certain emotional closure so they were worthy of their happily-ever-after.

The author then lured the reader forward with standard honeymoon events and sex for several chapters then family matters and villains who had appeared to be handled reappeared and trashed their relationship once again so it was back to square one for them.  

This was not only annoying, but it also gave a lie to the possibility that these people would ever have a happily-ever-after if they couldn’t get past their emotional issues.  

Even if they seem to solve them this second time, it’s more likely that these problems will reappear again.  Like a bad monster movie where it appears that the monster may rise again, the final page seemed to say “The End?”

When that short novel needs to be longer, resist the urge to leave the main body of the book alone, and, instead, work in subplots to make it one whole book.  It will make a better book and won’t annoy your reader.