Classic vs Modern fiction, part 5

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You’re reading part 5 of a series. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. I find myself in the pleasing but unfortunate position of having agreed wholeheartedly with everything Baker said in his rousing part 4 of this conversation. Please go read; it really is something. I will also be honest and admit that I’m winding down. I’ve conveyed many of my thoughts on this topic, and I desire time to ponder what’s been said, to draw new conclusions and revisit ideas I may have missed.

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Classic vs Modern fiction, part 3

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You’re reading part 3 of an ongoing series. Part 1, Part 2. If you haven’t already, take a moment to read my initial essay and then G.M. Baker’s response. He brought up some excellent points which I will endeavor to address. But first, we need to confront something which reader Ruben Bix pointed out: neither of us has committed to a timeline for Classic or Modern fiction. This was partly by design.

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Classic vs Modern fiction, part 1

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You’re reading part 1 of an ongoing series. Part 2, Part 3. There are certain people who become giants to us. G.M. Baker is one of them. We’ve never met in person, but having interacted for several years via the magic of the internet, I can confidently say we share many opinions: a love of literature, a regard for beauty, and a desire to restore the values that stories used to uphold.

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Jul 07

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8 conflict structures

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Some writers are good at external conflict. They love creating a nasty villain, or making a world so dystopian that every moment the hero spends alive and breathing is a gamble against fate. But ask them to describe a character’s emotional journey and they feel lost. Others are adept at internal conflict. They can wring an entire series out of the simplest question, like “Who will she marry?” or they can make the most boring scene feel alive with yearning and tension.

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The universe doesn't want a novel

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If you’re reading this, you want to write a novel. Probably a very specific novel, one you’ve worked on for years and poured yourself into. But let’s be clear about something. God doesn’t want a novel. Or if you don’t believe in God: the Universe doesn’t want a novel. Neither does your heart, to be honest. If that were the case, you’d be fine with anyone writing the novel so long as it got written.

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Disciplines and Liberties

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I grew up blessed. Three square meals a day, most of them home-cooked. A trampoline in the backyard. Parents who loved me and loved each other (they’ve been married 35 years.) A strong sense of faith. I doubt whether anyone born in ‘90s America can say they were anything but privileged, at least by historic standards. But these things are all relative. If I compare myself to my peers, I can find room for complaint.

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Level up your plot using Occam’s Razor

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Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity These are the words of 14th-century philosopher William of Ockham, although we now believe he never actually said them. But the words he didn’t say are such good advice. Of course, in order to understand them you have to speak philosopher, know the secret handshake, or have made the proper sacrifices. Let me translate for you using the best paraphrase I’ve found:

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Writing is not a performance but a generosity.

Brenda Ueland