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Transparent Narrative

2010
08.28

Day 46 of life with twin babies. The water is getting scarce and I am starting to hallucinate. My final brain cell will pop any day, leaving me a lifeless vegetable.

That being said, I have been forcing myself to return to a state of normalcy, one action at a time. Don’t get me wrong, my babies are AWESOME; I am just uber tired, and resuming regular activities (writing, exercise… breathing…) has been slow coming. Mostly because I only sleep about 3-4 hours a night (30 mins here, 30 mins there) and these two tiny dictators have a relentless supply of demands.

So, although I have been procrastinating my “writing life,” one of my readers, Melihah (from Desi Blonde), recently commented on my POV post, and had forced me to return. Tahnk you Melihah, your comment was MUCH needed!

So, on to the meat and potatoes! Quoted from my previous post:

Transparent Narrative is what happens when your reader stops reading and start seeing. They no longer read word by word, sentence by sentence, or paragraph by paragraph. Rather, they mindlessly flip pages, absorbing the story into their heads, unaware of the outside world and are completely immersed in the movie that is playing in their minds eye. This one thing, above all else, should be the goal of every writer. I know that I made comments about how POV affects transparency, but that is only one piece of the puzzle. Every thing else… I mean everything (character, plot, motivation, word craft, voice, pacing and rhythm, etc etc etc) will determine how transparent your story is. Once again, watch for a post about transparent narrative coming up.

I realize that I made a promise there at the end and never followed through. This is the start of a series of posts about transparent narrative, and hopefully, I won’t be as sporadic with my blogging.

So, as I said/wrote above, transparent narrative is the goal, the most important goal, for every writer.

Wait, what? The MOST IMPORTANT goal, you ask?

Yes. THE MOST IMPORTANT goal.

How can I make such an audacious statement? Well, it’s simple. All of the “rules” you’ve been taught/forced to eat/hide from and pretend they don’t exist, are there because they are a “best practice” to attain transparent narrative.

Why should you start with action (not necessarily grenade-to-the-face action, but tension-inducing action)? Because it immediately draws the reader in. A quick trick to start the movie playing in their head, and thus, begin transparency.

Why should you have a main character that is flawed? Too make them more real. Why make them more real? Because when what you are reading raises a flag as “possibly fake” in your readers head, it temporarily pulls them out of the narrative. To attain transparency, the reader cannot be pulled out even for a moment (then they might realize that they haven’t eaten or showered for days!)

Everything you will be taught; every cool trick or tip from a pro; all of the books on writing; they all point (whether directly or indirectly) to transparency.

So, HOW do you do that, exactly? Great question.

I will answer with a question: how do you write good prose? Obviously the answer is long, variable, and subjective, but for now, know that I will be presenting MY viewpoints in upcoming posts about how to attain transparency through the use of:

  • Character development
  • Character motivation
  • Plot
  • Word craft
  • Voice
  • Pacing and rhythm
  • Tension
  • Point of view (HAHA! I already did this one here)
  • World construction / setting the scene
  • Reader leading (like a magician, making them look over here instead of your right hand)
  • Making (and keeping) promises to your readers
  • Showing vs telling

These are all I can think of for now, but I will surely add to the list as time goes on. For now, keep reading, and if you have anything to add to this, please do! I LOVE to hear how other writers attain transparency!

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Blogfest time!

2010
08.23

My friend Roh is hosting her first ever blogfest! I encourage everyone to swing over there and check it out! Click the image below to start the fun!

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Poetry?

2010
08.17

I rarely write poetry (mostly because I stink at it), but here is a recent attempt:

The dark pushes inward

Breathing becomes labored
Reason and logic claw at reality
Begging for an answer, or relief

The dark pushes inward

Self worth slips into apathy
Apathy adds fuel to the fire
Desperation takes it’s hold

The dark pushes inward

Suffocation is imminent
The heart beats slower and slower
Time is the both the answer and the problem

The dark pushes inward

Synthetic loneliness comes in waves
Fight or flight, although neither work
The lungs cease to function

The dark pushes inward

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4 comments

MIA

2010
07.20

So, those of you (hi mom) who are wondering where I have been lately, here is your answer:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisfontes/sets/72157624496233722/

Welcome the newest additions to my family, Jackson James and Jennifer Susan. They were born on the 13th at 8:11pm (Jennifer) and 8:13pm (Jackson) weighing in at 6lbs 13oz (Jennifer) and 7lbs 6oz (Jackson). Pretty huge for twins (although, not as large as our other two, weighing over 10lbs and over 11bs).

Previous to their birth, my poor wife, whom I love dearly, was on bed-rest, making my writing (and blogging time) non-existent. I will still be MIA for a little while until life resumes at a — while not comfortable — consistent rate. When I am back, I have lots of great topics to blog about, so keep tuned (or bookmarked… or RSSed… or feed?)

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I was published again, and I need your votes!

2010
07.06

I was lucky enough to have another short story published at the Dailey Swan Publishing’s website. They post short stories every month, and the one with the most votes, will also get to be published in their anthology.

If you can spare the time (please please please), check out my story (scroll to the bottom where it says “short stories for July”), and if you think I am worthy, email Casey (the email is listed near the short stories) and vote for me!

Woo hoo!

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6 comments

Balance

2010
06.21

As I eagerly await the arrival of my twins (anytime between now and July), I struggle with finding time to write, read, blog, etc.

See, my wife is basically on bed rest, so that means I have to work, come home, do laundry, dishes, dinner, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining at all (I would MUCH rather be picking up the slack than be the one pregnant… hand down!), I’m just preluding my point that finding balance has been the name of the game as of late; balance between work, chores, kids, wife and me time (which ranks low on the “necessity” scale) has been rough.

Earlier today, I was reading P.D Wright’s blog, and she has a guest post by David Oliver (GREAT post on slang, ninja’s, and writing). His post discusses the importance of avoiding contemporary terms in a fantasy (or futuristic) novel.  I suggest you check it out, then come back to read the rest of this… go ahead, I’ll wait. :)

Welcome back! Where was I… oh yes, balance. So his post got me thinking, “How can you remove all contemporary terms, but still have your contemporary this-world readers understand it all?” The answer is simple: you can’t.

Don’t let me detract from David’s post here. I don’t mean to say that you can throw caution to the wind and write however you like, rather, there are a certain amount of words and phrases that you will NEED to use in order to have your reader follow the story. You should strive, however, to remove as many unnecessary euphemisms as you can, and even create new one as David suggests. All in all, this is going to be a balance. Somewhere between losing your readers because they don’t understand you, and losing your readers because you continuously rip them from the story, there is a perfect balance.

That got me thinking about other aspects of writing, and it occurred to me, that ALL of writing is balance. Between word economy and wordcrafting (could also be thought of as the difference between showing and telling), between over describing so your reader has to use ZERO imagination, and using too little so they can’t picture anything, and between foreshadowing too much so the event loses its impact, or too little, and the event seems either hokey, out of place, or just unbelievable.

The examples go on and on, but they all boil down to balance. I think that they key to GREAT writing, is mastering this balance. This is what I strive for whenever I open my word processor.

When anyone figures out how to master that balance, be sure to let me know. I’m having a rough time trying to figure it out. ;)

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Absence

2010
06.17

Sorry for my absence lately; life has been very hectic. I will try to post something rad in the next few days.

Until then, get back to writing! :)

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11 comments

Mr. Linkey asks, “Have you Ever?”

2010
06.03

Have you ever been reading Write-Brained and found a super awesome Mr Linkey blog post prompt session of spectacular inspiration? Have you ever chosen to participate, then blog about:

Begin each line of your post with “have you ever”

Have you ever not known how to segue from the beginning of the post into the bulk of the post while starting with the line, “have you ever?” Have you ever misspelled a word like “segue” so bad that it took a significant amount of time to google it?

Have you ever thought that a post topic would be super fun and easy, so you begin with complete confidence that you will be able to turn an incredibly difficult task into something funny, whimsical, and inspirational?

Have you ever been wrong?

Have you ever hoped that inspiration would hit, so you just keep typing until something magical happens?

Have you ever thought that you were dumb for thinking that simply typing a lot would breed inspiration?

Have you ever dreamed about eating chocolate dogs, except they barked and moved, and when you bit into them, then turned into your arm and you realized that you have been eating your own chocolate hand the whole time, and it will never grow back: I haven’t… that would be weird.

Have you ever written a “funny” post, and it didn’t turn out so well?

Have you ever finished your blog post, realizing that you didn’t actually write about anything, so you just end it with a question and hope that everything turns out “okay”?

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I LOVE contests!

2010
06.01

Don’t you love it when you are reading a blog, and up comes a contest? I do! It’s a chance to win at something and get free goods! How can you NOT love contests?

Anyway, my friend Roh is having a contest here. Books, gift cards, and ever lasting appreciation and bragging rights can be yours if you sign up.

Check it out!

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12 comments

When to start your story

2010
05.30

You’ve probably heard lots of rules about when to start your story. Some of these include, “start at the moment of change,” “never use a prologue,” “never start with a dream,” “start late, end early,” etc.

So when should you start? First and foremost, let’s consider what NEEDS to happen before the end of the first chapter (in my opinion).

Set the Scene – The setting will show where and when, and include some vital details about your world that must be conveyed to the reader. The consequences of not setting the scene properly are severe. You reader could mistake the world for 1800′s China when you mean to write about 3200 England, and when they see a laser gun come into play, you’ve lost them.

Introduce the Main Character – When you reader engages the first chapter, they are subconsciously giving you, the author, a free pass. “Yes, Mr. Author. I will go out on a limb and try my best to become attached to your world, and more importantly, your main character. I will learn what they are like, and I will empathize with them,” they think. They will want to be attached to the main character (and in most POV’s, the narrator). Consequences of NOT introducing the main character are also harsh. Your reader will get all set to read a story about a elderly werewolf getting long-in-the-tooth (sorry, couldn’t stop myself!), then the next chapter, feel totally ripped off when they find out the story is about his great grandson instead.

Set the Tone, Voice and Pacing – Is this an action book, jumping from explosion to fight scene? Or is this a love story, windy and laced with emotion. Perhaps it is a story about internal conflict, where we struggle slowly with the main character as they grow through things like addiction. Also, how does the book “sound” in the readers head? Is the narrative matter-of-fact, or witty and spry? If you setup for something that you don’t deliver in the following chapters, your book will be dropped to the floor.

Hook the Reader – By the end of the very first chapter, your reader MUST be hooked. If they are not hooked, they have no reason to keep reading. How do you hook them? Usually by introducing the main conflict, or having something unanswered that the reader can’t wait to find out. I can write a whole post on how to hook, but for this post, just know it is necessary by the end of first chapter.

Show the Moment of Change – The moment of change in the single action or event that starts THIS story. Now, you can justify ANY moment of your characters life as the “changing point,” but you must really look at JUST THIS STORY. It is easy to say, “Well, if he didn’t apply for this job, the story would have never started.” Or, “If he didn’t meet that girl, he would have never applied for that job,” or, “If he didn’t go to that college, he would have never met that girl,” etc, etc, etc. The fact of that matter is that every single event leads to the next one, so these are poor excuses. What you need to do is find the moment in which the characters life is altered from THEIR daily routine; The moment in which they START the journey that leads to the climax. The moment in which the character starts to chase after his one main goal for the story (whether he knows that is what he is doing or not) is where the story begins.

So, you must set the scene, introduce the main character, set the voice, tone and pacing, hook the reader, and show the moment of change. How are you going to do all this? By timing it perfectly. If you start too soon, you won’t have time to show that first moment of change, and probably won’t hook the reader. You also run dangerously close to infodumping, and even if you can avoid it, you will find you are telling a story that is not imperative to your plot. If you start too late, you will have a difficult time weaving in the settings, the characters personality, and the tone and voice, as the action or tension will take over the chapter.

You are tasked with starting the book at the perfect spot.

About half of a chapter BEFORE the moment of change seems to be a pretty solid rule. You give yourself a little time to set the world and introduce the character so the reader can get a picture of who he is and what his daily life is like. The moment of change also will have more meaning to the reader when you know what is changing in the first place.

The second half of the chapter can start on the journey, all the while giving your reader questions that they are dying to find answers to. This will both hook them and set the tone, voice and pacing.

I find there is not perfect formula. There is no one-size-fits-all, and there is not hard fast rule, rather a set of guide lines, but the previous seems to work most of the time.

I WILL say this, though.

If you have a prologue, it had DARN better be important to the story. SO important, that if it was removed, your audience would be confused. If you don’t introduce your main character in the first chapter, you had also better have a DARN good reason. Your reader WILL be jarred when the next chapter is about someone else, and you risk loosing them. Ask yourself, “is it worth the risk?” In the same vain, you had better have a DARN good reason to show the first chapter from a different POV from the rest of the book… same reasoning as leaving out the main character.

So, dear readers, be very cautious about your beginning. It’s true that every part of your manuscript is important, but the beginning is when you will either earn (and I MEAN earn) your reader, or you will lose them. You must consider every word, every sentence, every paragraph, and every scene. If it is not building the character, starting the plot, setting the scene, or hooking your reader (and really, everything should be doing MORE than one of those at a time), then you need to scratch it.

Your reader is promising you a certain amount of attention. It is up to you to ask them for more. Every word you write is costing you a portion of that “promised time,” so be sure what you “must” keep in is worth the price you are paying… valuable moments of attention that will either earn, or lose, your readers time.

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