Current Project: Contest Entries
Status: Almost done with one, two to go
If you haven't seen Debbie's awesome post from yesterday, read that first because mine ties neatly into the same topic of reading like a writer. I've just finished three fabulous five-star books (I love it when this happens): The Club by Sharon Page (Historical/Spicy), Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston (Women's Fiction), and Delicious by Sherry Thomas (Historical). And of course, I had to analyze each one to figure out what made it work and why. Each features memorable, unusual characters and intricate plotting, but one thing that stood out to me is motivation.
Each of these books reaches a point where hero/heroine/a secondary character (or all three!) act in an absurd fashion. Extreme actions and reversals are very tricky things--if they fall flat, you risk the reader sending your book on a one-trip to the nearest wall, but if you don't push the limits, you risk a flat book that fails to fully engage the reader. What makes the above trio work is that each time an extreme action is taken, the character's motivation is clear. Now, this next bit is absolutely critical: Even though the character is doing absurd thing, even things that don't fit who they were at the beginning of the book, things that we would never do, the action is 100% consistent with the motivation.
For example, in Happiness Sold Separately, Elinor (the main character) spends a night under the tree in her front yard. This is the type of extreme action that can easily fail as being unbelievable and seemingly used just to advance the plot or shock the reader. However, in this case, Elinor's action gives a deeper insight into who she is because the unexpected action is grounded in realistic motivation: she's desperate to change something, she's already been bonding with this particular tree, and she doesn't want to sleep in her bedroom. Elinor's relationship with the tree is a central theme of the story, so the action makes sense.
Now, here's my challenge for you: What is the most extreme or absurd action that one of your characters takes? What is the motivation for this action? Is it clear? Is it clear immediately after the action is taken? If not, how long does your reader have to wait? Could the reader summarize the motivation in a single sentence without any qualifiers? Can you think of books that are unsatisfying because the motivation for a particular action isn't clear?
I look forward to seeing your replies!
6 comments:
Fun post!
I think because I read cozy mysteries I am somewhat prepared for absurd behaviors. I like them. Sometimes they don't even have to be grounded in total realities as long as, like you said, the reality for the character is real.
As far as my own books go, your example made me think of the following:
In my second book the heroine loses the trust of a father figure who is also her boss and who is struggling to keep his nursery afloat as well as the love of the hero. She's a landscaper by trade and just that day planted a very expensive tree in a yard on a little berm she created. A horrible storm comes up and heartbroken from the before mentioned tragedies, she is determined that tree is not going to be uprooted by the wind and rain (and ruin things even more for the people she cares about) so she spends the night holding the tree in place.
Alice--perfect example of an absurd action that has a lot of motivation.
Isn't it neat how trees serve as so many different kinds of metaphors?
Trees are great!!!!
Great blog, Wavy!
I know of which you write. I finished a book not long ago that was great right up until the black moment. And then the book fell flat, because the action the main character took was so at odds with the way they had acted through the whole book, I couldn't buy it. It seemed like a device to create conflict where there wasn't any before in order to propel the story through the black moment and climax.
Conflict - internal, external - which is key to motivation, is SO key in a book. It has to build to a point where - like you said - your main character ends up doing something they NEVER would have done before.
As for absurd actions in one of my books...in STOLEN SEDUCTION, which comes out in January '10, my hero (a homicide detective) steals evidence from the evidence room to cover up a crime he thinks the heroine was involved in. This is not an action he - my cop - would ever do, even to save himself. And when I got to that point in the writing of the book, I almost didn't include it. But his motivation for doing it is so strong, I had to put it in the story. And I think (hope) it added an element to the story that made it that much stronger.
Great post, Wavy! And another good reminder of what to do in my own stories, as Debbie's post was yesterday.
There's not one specific example of an extreme action in my own books that comes to mind, but rather the character arc of the heroine in FEATHERS ON THE FLOOR. She is abruptly pushed from being a quiet, bookish psychiatrist into being almost a superwoman to protect her children. She stumbles along the way, but the motivation to keep her children safe at all costs is totally clear.
You've also given me a few more books to add to my list of ones to check out!
Bonding with a tree? Hmmm. I've heard good things about Sherry Thomas. I'd like to read both her books.
In my Daphne MS (I like saying that) the heroine faces a situation identical to one in her past where a friend died. Her fear of water is pretty obvious in the book, but she forces herself out onto the log over the river to save someone. Unsuccessfully.
Post a Comment