Forum: Author Hangout

Chigozie Obioma on writing. Well, he was discussing reading, but the concept translates to the flip side.

"This is why I tend to avoid works of fiction in which plot isn't a function of character but the reverse, in which a set of events is orchestrated and characters are thrown in as fillers."

He cited Don Brown's novels as an example of what doesn't work for him.

(I may go too far in the other direction as I tend to fall in love with my main characters and may throw in a plot or two to support them. I took Lee Child's dictum — all anyone remembers is the character — to heart.)

Christopher McQuarrie (writer-director of one of the "Mission Impossible" films) talked about viewers instead of readers. Specifically, how to write a high-stakes action scene when the audience already knows that the hero will survive.

"They (moviegoers) want to be tortured, but never, ever punished. And they are always smarter than you. They've seen it all before. They'll turn on you the instant you take them for granted. Treat them with respect and remember you work for them.

"Then grab them by the throat, and never let go."

Torturing readers, a specialty,

Paige

I recall a well-known actor, I think it was Sean Connery, being advertised as one of the characters in a movie. He was killed of in the opening scenes of the movie.

I would call that punishment for I expected to see him as the mc in the movie.

This gets into many different levels. Here on SOL, many authors (of the unending series genre), the authors focus on 'day-in-the-life' stories. Rather than being 'character centered', these mainly have no concrete focus aside from continuing the story at all costs (i.e. the story isn't specially heading anywhere.

Plot-driven stories tend to have a beginning and an end, and the move directly from the first to the last page, avoiding anything that doesn't advance the story towards the ending.

The first is simpler to write, and remain very popular as readers like comfortable characters. However, it's hardly what one would describe as a literary 'character-driven' story. Those focus on social events, dealing with the relationship between multiple characters, most of whom are not primary characters. That's actually the polar opposite of your day-in-the-life story, that's focused entirely on the main character continually doing the exact same thing, over and over in somewhat new ways (ex: screwing the next girl, simply substituting descriptions and encounter details).

Then again, there's also a HUGE difference between character driven stories an 'action adventures' based almost purely on old movie motifs. :( They work, but for ALL the wrong reasons! ;)