Articles in the Craft of Writing Category
And herewith my first attempt,
forgive me for just playing a little here to see what an online community such as this is all about.
This website is, however, all about writing and that is what I do. My day job involves other people’s writing… in the academic sense. I, however, would like to think that my own string of words is a little more creative.
I started my rambling with badly thought out poetry – cries of teenage angst and when my path went to university these changed into short stories. And that is what I have been writing ever since.
I also do freelance editing – this again more in the academic field – less creative and more structured.
I decided to give my writing some structure last year and enrolled for a creative writing course. Specifically short stories. I surprised myself by doing very well. And that was when the writing bug took hold of me.
I am now playing with the idea of ghostwriting. I have come accross two websites thus far which stipulate that you have to be a native english speaker. This I am not.
Maybe that is a sign. Maybe I should take this as a hint that my own voice is important and worthy of being published.
But where do you start? Where do you get your foot in the door?
Another notion that fills me with dread is the one of no restrictions. We all have that fantasy of shouting from the rooftops, but I need some guidelines towards what I should be shouting about. Just a nudge in the right direction.
So with this entry my writing adventure starts in a sense. By putting my desire to write in words here, I can consider it a commitment. Hopefully but making my commitment here, I can have some feedback from the experience of others. And maybe then my whole world will not just be a project in progress, but possibly lead towards something real – my name in print.
The author Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Sage advice, but new and intermediate writers may need to first hone their skills a bit. What can they do? Take some free writing courses. A writing course serves as a fine-grained whetstone, giving a sharp edge to roughly textured writing skills.
Where can you take free writing courses? The Internet made the world a much smaller place, and free courses from leading institutions around the world are now available online.
Here are some of the best free online writing courses. The comments for each course are short summaries based on the course descriptions:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MIT offers a few of its past writing courses on its website. Take a writing course and tell your friends you’ve been accepted to MIT! To incorporate “quark spin” into your next novel, go to this MIT web page! If that doesn’t spark your creativity (and chances are it won’t), then maybe The Creative Spark is more worthy of your time. Professor Karen Boiko taught the course back in 2004. The objective of the course is to develop effective writing and speaking skills along with helping students become aware of their own purpose as a writer.
Another MIT course, entitled Writing and Reading Short Stories, focuses on the craft of – you guessed it – the short story.
Open University
This University is the largest academic institution in the United Kingdom. It offers a number of excellent free-of-charge, online writing courses, including:
- Start Writing Fiction. Improve your skills in creating characters and settings.
- Approaching Prose Fiction. Covers the settings of novels, narrative events and perspectives, types of characterization, and genre. It’s designed as an intermediate level course.
- Writing What you Know. Enhance your descriptive writing abilities. The course also reviews how authors use their own personal history to form the basis of their work. This one is an introductory course.
Warwick University
Warwick University, also located in the United Kingdom, offers a collection of courses in its Podcast Browser. David Morley, Director of the Warwick Writing Programme, leads you through a series of creative writing challenges designed to help you develop your creativity and talent as a writer. You also have the opportunity to send your work for evaluation.
Purdue University
Purdue Online Writing Lab’s Fiction Writing Basics course teaches writing techniques for beginning and intermediate fiction writers. The course covers the basics of plot, theme, character, point-of-view, and conflict.
The average price for an online writing course is $400. So try one of these free courses and save yourself some money!
Brian Jenkins writes about career and school information for writers, among other topics, for BrainTrack.com.
Beware, the following paragraph my be challenging to read. I’ve included an audio version for your convenience.
“If one took the time to sate a moment in mine company one might discern that I am not wholly within myself to-day. My head is spate with smatterings of conundrum and my speech is affected by a twisting of the tongue so greatly unlike one would normally be insisted upon to face that one might begin to wonder if I were fixed in the head and that I should deserve to be set to bed least my affliction be contagious or likely to worsen. I would argue that your ears, or rightly eyes, are deceived for I spake in a manner like I would commonly address a fellow and not in any dissimilar fashion discernible to my own considerable consciousness. This phrase is not perpendicular to any other. It stands upon itself and makes complete and perfunctory sense in all grammatical manner and typographical standing. It is, indeed, well writ and one would be in err to consider it otherwise. Yet were I to continue in this fashion for longer than these many sentences and to ramble on about for several more with none to pause or break to as many paragraphs you would, and rightly so, turn from me with haste.” ~ Rebecca Laffar-Smith [audio version (1.6 MB)]
Guess who I’ve been reading today? Ok, you mightn’t be able to guess from the paragraph above but I’ve spend three hours today immersed in the fantastical wanderings and recount of ship surgeon and intrepid adventurer, Lemuel Gulliver, a creation of Jonathan Swift and a book more commonly known as “Gulliver’s Travels“. (The original, NOT the Jack Black movie recently released.)
The copy I’m reading was published in 1814 and it is rife with strange dialects, odd and archaic words, and sentences or paragraphs so long and convoluted that I found myself wondering where each point began or ended and how they connected to each other. I remember thinking earlier today that if Swift had taken this manuscript to today’s publishers he’d have been slapped with so many rejections he’d have even further reason to grow increasingly discontent with his fellow man and indeed retreat into seclusion in disgust for the entire race.
But what I found more fascinating is that the more I read the more I began to think, and yes to speak/write, in Swift’s voice rather than my own. My subconscious mind began to mimic the odd turns of phrase, the lengthy soliloquy, and the haphazard constructions that make Swift’s writing uniquely his own. Has this ever happened to you?
One of the first “rules” of writing is to read. To read in abundance. And, perhaps part of the reason for this rule is to absorb so many different voices that no single voice affects the voice that emerges as you write; the voice that is uniquely your own.
But it’s fun to play with mimicry. So, if you have a chance today, pick up a book and spend a little time immersed in the author’s voice. Then, put the book down and see if you can put aside your own voice and mimic that of your chosen author. Explore your thoughts as they wander in the thinking of your chosen author.
How does your writing differ and what strange, unique, and fun ideas come to you when you’re not “wholly within” yourself?
Previously, I talked with you about cutting out the fluff of a long-winded first draft. Lengthy drafts are more boon than bane because there are many ways to economize your word count. As you continue to cut down your first draft by Steven King’s 10 percent rule and, as Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch recommends, murder your darlings, pay attention to language constructs that can weaken your prose.
On adverbs and words ending in “ly”.
I covered the adverb, “really”, in my earlier Word Count post, but we’ll have a closer look at adverbs because the fact is, if the word ends in “ly” it probab(ly) shouldn’t be in your story.
Adverbs serve a distinct purpose, particularly in non-fiction. In fiction, however, the adverb becomes a “telling” word.
You’ll notice in the paragraph above I used the word “particularly”. I could have written, “Adverbs serve a distinct purpose in non-fiction.” In this case however, the word “particularly” was used to weaken the declaration. While it is true that adverbs serve a distinct purpose in non-fiction I could not claim that they do not also have a distinct purpose in fiction.
Adverbs can water-down the impact of a sentence. An adverb can reduce the immediacy of active tense. They force a reader to create their own image rather than “seeing” the story as you tell it.
Let’s see it in an example: “The cat cunningly stalked his prey.”
The word “cunningly” is an adverb. In this instance it describes the way the cat is stalking his prey. This adverb is insubstantial as a descriptive word because the reader must consider what he imagines “cunningly” might look like. A sharper picture could be created by replacing the adverb with sensory description.
Such as: “The cat crouched low to the ground as it stalked on soft toes, ears perked and eyes slit, after his prey.”
This second example is longer but it gives a more precise image. You can “see” this cat. You can see the cunning he uses and don’t have to fill in the blanks or create your own sense of what he is doing.
Remember the adage, “show, don’t tell“? Well, good fiction has a careful balance between showing and telling but examine your manuscript and hunt out those adverbs. When you see one decide if it can be cut or if the sentence could be rewritten with descriptive verbs and adjectives instead of an adverb.
When you’re hunting for darlings to murder you can eliminate many words but you will find that rewriting sentences to avoid depending on the tepid description of adverbs can have the reverse affect. As you cut some words from your draft you add others. The final work will be more compelling but it may not be shorter.
What is important is that your final draft holds the reader’s attention with strong, evocative imagery. Allow your readers to see through the words on the page and lose themselves in the story.
Do you agree or disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Footnotes:
1. Grammar Girl: How to Eliminate Adverbs :: Quick and Dirty Tips
How many times are we going to hear this? As many times as it takes to get it through that thick writer skull! Show, show, show me what you want me to see. Telling is for writers that aren’t interested in being published.
This is one of the most important tools in your writer toolbox. The ability to show your readers what is going on. It doesn’t matter if your main character is just picking up a gallon of milk from the grocery store, I want to see the store and if there is a zombie apocalypse breaking out – you better show me.
Remember ‘The Mist’ by Stephen King? Most of the story takes place in a store. An everyday, innocent place becomes a bastion of safety or maybe a tomb for those left behind. The reason we know this, is not because Mr. King tells us. It is because Stephen King is a master of showing. When you read his stories, you see the horror in his character’s motions. Their faces are visible in your mind’s eye. You can taste their fear…delectable fear. If you have not read this story, pick up any of King’s books. Even readers that are not horror fans will be able to see how he pulls readers into his scenes.
Here’s a breakdown of what telling is:
You describe the actions of the character but do not describe the emotions or surroundings to readers. Hm, here I am trying to tell you…that’s no good. I’ll show you instead.
Telling:
Paul stood in the checkout line and watched as the zombie nonchalantly nibbled on the bag boy two lines over.
Okay, do you see the problem here? We know where Paul is and what he sees. Nothing else, though. We have no idea what Paul thinks, feels, or if he is so whacked out on drugs that this is all just a hallucination.
Let’s take a look at what the same scene looks like if we show the reader what is going on.
Showing:
That evening’s dinner fell to the tiled floor, forgotten. A stench of old death assaulted Paul’s nostrils when the automated doors slid open and the fresh air stirred the zombie’s rotting clothes. The casual way it chewed on the screaming bag boy’s arm reminded Paul of last night’s chicken legs.
Not a perfect example, but I’m sure you can see the difference. In the first example, while it gets the job done, there is no flavor. Mmm, flavor.
In the second example we can see what is happening. Paul is shocked enough to drop his groceries, can smell the fetid zombie, and has a weird connection in his mind with his former dinner. Nasty, but effective in communicating the absurd horror of the grocery store zombie.
I am fond of telling writers to paint a picture with words. This is exactly what show, don’t tell means. We are sharing our worlds with readers, instead of giving them the bland slide-show, let’s take the time to record a high definition DvD. Put that sucker into the reader’s plasma screen mind and give them the grand tour of your world.
A good friend of mine asked if I could help her with a novel. Instead of writing a long, detailed email that could be deleted on accident, it made sense to share some ideas with all fiction writers. Now she will have something to refer to at any time and so will you.
Believable dialogue in any story is a bane to writers. Maybe not all writers. I do know that on forums and other online areas I see authors struggling to get their characters talking to each other. They are not quite sure how to get a conversation going, keep it moving, and end it with finesse.
That’s okay, folks. Those are hard concepts in day to day speech, too. I think everyone has dealt with those awkward moments of silence in a conversation. We are not sure what to say and I don’t know about you…but at those times I begin to wonder if the other person thinks I am socially challenged. (I am, but that’s a whole ‘nother can o’ beans.)
So, we sit and we struggled. A million ideas run through our minds. What to say? Will they think we sound stressed? That we’re pushing too hard? What if we say the wrong thing?
Your character thinks the same things that you do. Your characters are only extensions of yourself. Even that nasty villain running about kicking puppies is a dark bit of your soul. He’s worried that when he (or she) laughs maniacally then delivers his evil lines, the hero is going to snort in total derision and ask where he took his villain lessons. Gap sales school?
He does. He worries a lot. It’s hard being evil. Darn heroes make it that much harder.
The key to creating this dialogue is to think about what you would do in the same situation. You or your darker half. If you insist that these characters would not react as you would, then think of someone you know. Put your mother in law in the villain suit. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?
Now that you have the tools to get the conversation started and move it along, (really, that’s it – responding how you or someone you know well would), we need to talk about flow. Everyone hates reading stilted conversations. It makes you painfully aware of how hard the author is trying to sound ‘real’.
My best tip for creating and then polishing a written conversation? Read it out loud. How does it sound? If it sounds fake, try recording one character’s half of the conversation and reply back to it. Don’t force it to sound grammatically correct. How many people do you know in real life conversations that speak proper English 100% of the time? Write down your replies and then add to your document. Wash, rinse, and repeat. If you have a willing friend or a spouse you can bribe into helping you with the speaking parts, do it! You will have a superior end product.
Ending a conversation is just as hard as opening, moving, and polishing. There is no real key to this lock. Again, you need to refer to real life conversations. How do you end one? Do you make an excuse to get off of an instant message or phone call? Your characters can do this, too. Get into the mind of your character. Know what she would do. BE your character! Is she feeling uncomfortable or bored? Have her lie to the other character. “I have to walk the dog” or “Oops, doorbell” is going to work for her in the same way it will for you. In a face to face conversation, have her think up something that she needs to go and do.
And now, excuse me, but I really have to go walk the dog.
Rebecca: When was the last time you evaluated your goals, examined your dreams? Get real with yourself about who you are, what you want, and what really drives your life and your writing. Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger visits today during her own sabbatical. She is taking a few months to discover herself and shares this interview with oneself that we can each do to find or rediscover the writer within.
I’ve spent a great deal of time writing for WRA (now The Craft of Writing Fiction) discussing time management, office practices, and tools to help you succeed. Given the time since my last article here, there might be question as to my continued work. Let me assure you that Rebecca has been more than patient with me in regards to articles and there will be plenty more from me in the future. For now, I’m doing something outside the box for myself.
This morning, I woke to find silence in my house and, with my creative juices flowing, posed an interview to myself. This is something I’ve done with fictional characters to better understand their needs and desires and how they blend with the story line set forth.
Why did you decide to ‘disappear?’
It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. I have had many responsibilities in the writing world that I left. But in the end I know I needed to find Mysti beneath all the chaos to better serve my clients, family and me.
What are you hoping to find while off the map?
There are aspects of myself that I loved as a teen. I had an incredible determination to set goals and achieve them, no matter the odds. My life was simpler, allowing me the opportunity to really hammer out the kinks in what I was doing to reach success. By stepping away, I hope to regain much of that determination I once possessed.
Who are you wanting to become?
I can’t say I want to become anyone in particular. I want to be myself without the tension headaches and stress knots in my back. I want to rework how I work to have a wholesome, fulfilling life. I’m working on myself and my life to ensure that I have the best opportunity to achieve what it is I truly desire from life in general.
Where did you come up with this idea?
I’m sure I could bore you with the lengthy story, but in summary; I realized that I wasn’t happy on my current path and wanted to find a pleasant middle-ground again. I’ve always been an advocate for taking time for oneself and disconnecting from the computer, work and daily grind. Stepping away from all of those responsibilities for an extended period of time seemed very fitting for me. I’ve never been one to put one toe in the water to test the temperature, I’d rather jump in, feet first.
How are you working on yourself?
I am doing something different each day. From pampering my body and soul to trying new activities and foods. I am also reconnecting with family very intently after one very shocking and difficult death of recent weeks. Through all of that, I’m uncovering a new way to think, evaluate, act and react.
When do you plan on really resurfacing?
On my 30th birthday, October 30, 2010. I gave myself 4 months and 7 days to really work on myself and my life.
Is there any knowledge you’ve gained thus far that would help our readers?
By that, I’m not saying bail on all your gigs or writing endeavors. Instead, evaluate where you want to go and what key factors are most important. When running any business, you are in control of your destiny. You decide what is best for you and what isn’t. Act accordingly and you can find yourself enjoying the passion that inspired you to become a writer in the first place.
While this interview with myself is outside the box, the technique brings out great thought and understanding. When working with fictional characters, the questions I pose are much more intense and private. Just like I need to know myself at this stage in my life, knowing my characters inside and out will help me carry them through a story to completion.
What have you learned, or are you learning, about yourself as a writer? What would you ask yourself to find you and your voice?
Photo Credit: ihave3kids
Most writers are voracious readers as well, devouring books as fast as our busy lives will allow us. This love of reading starts at a young age, as fairy tales and the magic of books turns us on to the allure of the written word. Yet, when we are struggling with our own writing, it is easy to forget to go back to the source, and read a few books to renew our first love.
There are so many variations of fiction writing available that it is hard to decide which ones to read first. As writers, we want to use our reading time to our best advantage, reading works that will infuse our writing with renewed enthusiasm and inspiration. It is difficult to just read for pleasure. I find myself picking apart stories as I go, commenting to myself on the author’s use of metaphor or point of view. Choosing the right story will help you relax your editor’s brain, allow you to be fully immersed in the story as you read it, and come away with new writing techniques.
Classic Vs. Modern Books
When most writers think of reading to inspire writing, they turn to the literary classics, books that we may have read in school that have been deemed timeless and well written. It can be fun to read these tomes of literature, and examining them for creative word play and stunning characterization. Millions of people have enjoyed these works, and many more will for years to come.
However, writing is a constantly evolving medium, spanning the centuries. Styles, topics of interest, and audiences have all changed over time. Therefore, the classic books may not help you write a fantastic novel today. Reading modern novels will keep you on the front page of writing style, and act as a breath of fresh air to your writing. If you already have a stack of new books waiting to be read – or queued up in your Kindle – enjoy them without a sense of guilt for not reading the classic works of literature.
Genre Novels Vs. Literary Fiction
Choosing what genre to read within is another point of contention for the reading writer. As a reader, you have your favorite genres to read within, which may or may not be the same as what you write within. For instance, I love writing fantasy stories, but I read fantasy, science fiction, and even the occasional romance novel. It is up to you to decide whether reading a story within your genre is inspiring or off-putting. A well-written book causes me to whip out my own notebook, and a poorly written one encourages me to write a story far and away better!
Literary works are considered the cream of the crop in writing circles, but often these novels aren’t written for the masses. Their artistic value as uniquely crafted wordplay tends to make them hard to follow for the average reader. If you enjoy literary works, by all means read them! If you don’t, then go ahead and pass them by for something that will refill your well.
Novels Vs. Short Stories
In writing, the length of the story does matter. Novels have room for lots of twists, turns, and subplots, weaving an engaging story that leaves the reader wanting even more. Short stories are powerful within their brevity, making a single, poignant statement within the confines of a few pages.
I usually let how much time I have to devote to reading determine what I’ll read. If I have an afternoon free, I’ll cozy up to a good book, and let myself be immersed in that world. If I need a quick break between writing sessions, I’ll grab a short story to renew my enthusiasm.
What kinds of reading do you enjoy? Do you let your reading materials enhance your writing, or do you fear it will influence it too much? Do you actively read for style and writing mechanics, or do you let the story carry you away?
“The most important kind of freedom
is to be what you really are
You trade in your reality for a role
You give up your ability to feel…
and in exchange…
put on a mask.”
~ Jim Morrison
To be honest, when the Absolute Write Blog Chain regulars were talking topics for this month, I loved the Halloween concept. Ideas immediately leapt to mind. I instantly knew how I could relate All Hallow’s Eve to the craft of writing fiction. But, Halloween is not this month’s theme. Instead, I stare glumly at the word “Masquerade” and wonder, “What can I do with that?”
Say hello to my friend, Writer’s Block. There are many causes but the one that tangled me up is: lack of direction. To move forward we each need to see into the darkness ahead. We must unmask the handsome stranger who is our story (or blog post) because while he is hidden behind a mask he is distant and insubstantial. And THERE it is. The connection between Masquerades and writing.
No matter where you find the source of your idea waterfall, be it a dazzling Muse-moment, or a keyword prompt from your writing community (or client), a story begins like a masquerade ball. The invitations were sent, the catering prepared, the music sets the beat, and we wait for guests to arrive. Without the guests the party is a dismal flop. The guests bring the character and plot to every event.
As the first guests arrive, either in your first paragraph for a pantser, or, planner, as you begin to brainstorm and take notes, you meet their mysterious masked faces. Their trues selves are foreshadowed by the mask they wear. They are hidden beneath lies and half-truths. They exist as something other than who they really are.
We all wear masks, don’t we? We have a face for every situation. We wear the “Mother Lion”, or the “Capable Worker”, or the “Talented Writer” mask and we change our mask as frequently as we change our hats. The elements of our stories wear their masks too. These masks are an illusion. They hide the depth and substance of the person beneath.
Just as a person is never a single mask, owning many, our plot and characters are multi-layered. Life is not simple. It was never meant to be. Life is a song, a story, deep and complicated. The best stories reveal each facet slowly, with sultry looks and edge of the seat anticipation. Mask by mask we reveal the strange creature beneath.
As the Masquerade Ball of your story swells, the room fills with masked strangers. They are freer because of their anonymity. They act and speak with a closer connection to their true selves because they are not themselves. Our story is truer too, before it is fully revealed to us, which is perhaps why it can destroy our motivation if we plan too finitely, but, to uncover the core, to see the final and one true face of our story, we must peel back those layers and discover the intricate characters and plot beneath the surface.
How do you remove the masks of your story? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Check out other great posts from Absolute Write’s October “Masquerade” Blog Chain:
- Auburn Assassin
- Hillary Jacques
- Aimee Laine
- Ralph Pines
- Veinglory
- You’re Here! laffarsmith
- PASeaholtz
- Madelein.Eirwen
- Amy Doodle
- CScottMorris
- Orion_mk3
- FreshHell
- IrishAnnie
- Dolores Haze
- Aidan Watson-Morris
- Aheila
- Wildscribe
- Hayley Lavik
- Semmie
- Bettedra
Image Credit: * Wearing The Mask * by pareerica
Image Credit: S2 Wraps Blends by pareeerica
Yesterday Kimberlee Ferrell introduced us to a creative way to eliminate clichés from our writing. Today, William Meikle visits to share six clichés to avoid in fantasy fiction writing. Can you think of others? What about for other genres? Share in the comments!
Fantasy fiction is doing good business at the moment, but there are certain situations that have been overplayed. So much so, that they have become genre clichés, and everybody knows what to expect next. If you’re a writer in the fantasy genre, here are 6 clichés you should try to avoid in your stories.
1. Receiving tutoring from the old wise man.
The ‘Merlin’ gambit, as used in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Dragonslayer and innumerable King Arthur clones. A stable boy or other similar seemingly low-born type is taken under the wing of the local eccentric. There’s usually a beard involved, and a pair of blue eyes piercing from beneath some spectacularly bushy eyebrows. He’ll say things like: ‘All of nature is one’, ‘Use the force’ and ‘You have a great destiny, my boy.’ Try not to give him a grey cloak and an elven sword. Maybe you could try having the youth tutoring the old man for a change? Or, more radical, how about having the teacher as an old woman?
2. Learning to fight.
The ‘Galahad’ gambit. The stable boy gets secret training in weaponry, allowing him to beat a seasoned warrior in his first fight. People say: ‘I’ve never seen the like before’ and ‘He is the best swordsman I have ever seen’. Now how realistic is that? A radical idea would be to have the stable boy being completely useless at weapons. How is he going to fulfill his destiny then?
3. The parting from everything you ever knew.
The ‘Dick Whittington’ gambit. The stable-hand, being under a geas to complete a great quest, must say goodbye to hearth and home. People say: ‘I must go and fulfill my destiny’ and ‘I will return when I have avenged my father’. This is usually done with a great deal of schmaltz and emotion. Sometimes it is done violently, the hero being parted from family by the villain of the piece, who he is destined to kill at the end of the story. Either way, it has been done so often that any tears you are expecting to provoke could well be due to laughter. Try to do something different. Why does the hero have to leave his family? What would happen if he took them with him?
4. Being abducted from earth to a different world.
The ‘John Carter’ gambit. People say: ‘How did I get here” and ‘You have been delivered to us in our hour of need’. This one was heavily overused in the early and mid-twentieth century by H Rider Haggard and A E Merritt among others. Usually it is no more than a ploy to get a character the writer is comfortable writing about into a fantasy situation where said character could never otherwise exist. Edgar Rice Burroughs liked it so much he even had it happen to Tarzan on occasion. And it still happens, the most obvious modern examples being Thomas Covenant and the various present day characters that Stephen King has recruited into his Dark Tower series. Maybe your hero could be someone from another dimension who gets transported to Earth? Or maybe he stays where he is, but everything changes around him?
5. The multi-race bar room.
The ‘Inn at Bree’ gambit. It happens a lot in science fiction a-la Star Wars, but it is just as common in the fantasy genre. After a thirsty day on the road, our heroic stable boy and his companions will visit an inn. Inside, there will be representatives of different races from the world created for the story. The innkeeper will always be fat and jolly, there will always be a silent stranger in a dark corner, and someone will sing a silly song giving the writer his chance to show off his invention of other-worldly lyrics. How about having a human trying to get a drink in a dwarf-only bar, or vice-versa? There should be plenty of opportunity to add tension there.
6. Discovering hidden family truths.
The ‘Ugly Duckling’ gambit. The stable boy gets to the final climactic battle, only to find that his adversary is his father/mother/brother/sister etc. People say: ‘It was kept from you to protect you’ and ‘You cannot kill me, I’m your father’. This has been so overused, it even turns up across genres: witness Luke Skywalker confronting Darth Vader for example. A variation is to have the hero find that he is suddenly a prince, or even king. This says more about the writer’s own desires than it does about the plot. Wishful-thinking fantasies do not usually make strong stories. But what would happen if the hero already knew his background, but his adversary didn’t?
The next time you read a fantasy story, count how many of the above are still in use. I think you’ll be surprised. It’s even worse in film and television, where all of them can occur in any one movie, and often do. Just look at Star Wars – it contained most of them, and still made huge amounts of money.
And that’s also why the above should be taken with a pinch of salt. Clichés still have their place in popular culture. Just don’t take that as an excuse to use them yourself. At least not too often.
William Meikle is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with seven novels published in the States and three more coming in 2007/8, all in the independent fantasy and horror press. His short work and articles have appeared in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Greece, Saudi Arabia and India. He also has three shorts produced from his scripts, and several supernatural scripts currently on option, including four shorts, and a supernatural thriller feature.
William Meikle
http://www.williammeikle.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Meikle
What situations do you feel have become clichés in your favorite genre? Do you think there are still fresh and creative ways to write about them?
