Thank you for this, Alison. This is similar to the way that I tend to approach my fiction writing. My protagonists tend to have a problem gnawing at them: an ethical problem; an emotional problem; an unfulfilled need. They make choices, often poor choices, in response. There is a build-up of tension as the consequences of their choices proliferate, become increasingly unsustainable. This may bring them into conflict with other characters, and/or with their self-understanding. There is a crisis, a denouement or moment of insight. There's rarely an external antagonist to drive the action, partly because I think that 'villains' are vanishingly rare in real life. There will be characters with different standpoints, different agendas, of course.
With short stories, I like to leave some elements unresolved. Not unresolvable – that's just sloppy plotting – but so that the reader has to make up their own mind exactly how things turn out after the end of the action. On the other hand it wouldn't seem quite fair to do that with a 500-page novel 😊 (should I ever write one). I've written precisely one short story with a 'real' villain, where I deliberately left their motivation vague, mysterious. It seemed to work.
"Villains." So many ways to think about them. Can a character be a villain in one or more areas of life and not in others? Can we see a glimpse of them in other roles? Real through and through villains--how often do we find them? There are a number of them though, in sheep's clothing--how does that work?
Could be quite the exercise to list the villains in our own lives, from gradeschool years, and on. Those who have pieces of the few who are wholly. See what this yields. They do pop up in the most unexpected places. And then to ponder our own approaches--was there forgiveness there? Or the choice to walk away?
The above was more a response to Margie... Looking at your words, Steve, and wondering why you think the deliberately vague motivation was still successful.
I so appreciate your distinction between "unresolved" and "unresolvable"--yes!
Hi Alison, thanks for your responses – much appreciated. I think in this case the vague motivation contributed to the air of menace I wanted to construct around the situation. The 'villain' was treated as a plot instrument (which required a shadowy, relentless persecutor) rather than a rounded character. My interest was in the protagonist's psychological state and her physical predicament: stranded in isolated bushland, pursued by nameless persecutors, of whom this character appeared to be the ringleader. A cruel, sardonic, Ivan Milat-like figure.
It's interesting the different responses the "unresolved" endings elicit from readers. Some really dislike them. Some call them "cliffhangers" – a misnomer or a misunderstanding? Some respond as I would: I'm a reader who expects to give a lot of imaginative input, and who likes to work things out for himself. (I think this may come to an extent from studying the Sagas of Icelanders, where psychological motivations are rarely stated, but nevertheless are there below the surface, often intricately worked out and relentlessly consequential.)
Steve, you're approaching from the emotional place. Interesting to think about the connections between the three potential problems: the ethical, emotional, unfulfilled need. Choices and fallout. Moment of insight. All solid ways to birth and grow story... So good to see these posts here, the back and forth.
The forgiveness aspect is eye-opening. I’ve been thinking about Happy-endings in stories. When a bad person has a happy ending it can feel wrong. Forgiveness would provide closure.
Thanks Alison. That was a good article. I'm taking a quick break from the project and really enjoying just focussing on Substack at the moment. It's the 3rd book in the series I'm stuck on. 1st is published, 2nd has a reasonable 2nd draft and then the 3rd is a mess. Sometime soon I'm going to read all the way through from the first and then see where I am. I'll get there in the end!
I love Katherine Paterson. Jacob Have I Loved is one of my favorite novels. I read Gilly Hopkins last year and liked it too. Still haven't read Bridge to Terabithia. I'm not much of a fantasy person.
Interesting to read your words here and realize I never think of Bridge to T. as a fantasy novel. The fantasy element is as I lived with fantasy--as story-telling--as a child, with creative play, acting out thoughts and ideas in nature. I'll be curious to know your thoughts when you read it--it's an amazing book, born of the urge to try to understand her ten-year-old son's grief over losing a friend.
My non-reader son loved it, even though it made him cry (age 11 or so), and re-read it, and counted it as one of two books that truly spoke to him, the other being the amazing "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie.
Paterson's work has such heart in it. Thanks for posting, Heather!
Ahh, interesting -- it seemed like it was marketed as fantasy (the cover art, the film adaptation's posters, etc.) so I never looked beyond the surface. Maybe it was just the more recent editions that were trying to entice readers who are hooked on Harry Potter. I will definitely check out Bridge to Terabithia soon.
I loved The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (and all of Sherman Alexie's writing) too. He has great taste for a non-reader. 😄
The decisions that go into a cover are so interesting. Or a title, even.
My second novel was originally titled "The Half-pipe Poet," about a young teen who was rattled to discover in his athlete, free-style cycling self, a penchant for writing poetry!
Just before the book went to press, the marketing folks (my faves :) decided they should cut the word "Poet" from the title--they thought it would deter readers. So after days of mulling, I went with "The Half-Pipe Kidd," his surname (which was forever misspelled!)
A few years later, talking with the editor, she admitted that the publishing company wished they'd left it as "Poet" because the book ended up not picked up by the very kid-readers it was intended for.
No, thank you, I didn't know he had a newsletter! I am sort of new to this newsletter world.
I was just wondering about titles the other day. I was reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller (the survivor of the assault by Brock Turner). Because she hadn't decided whether or not to reveal her name until the memoir was nearly ready for publication, I was curious about whether she invented that title, or if the publishers did.
Forgiveness as a conflict model is a revelation!!!!!!! Without it the character will remain stuck and the story becomes a tragedy. Hamlet or Romeo & Juliet anyone? Such a helpful concept
Thank you for this, Alison. This is similar to the way that I tend to approach my fiction writing. My protagonists tend to have a problem gnawing at them: an ethical problem; an emotional problem; an unfulfilled need. They make choices, often poor choices, in response. There is a build-up of tension as the consequences of their choices proliferate, become increasingly unsustainable. This may bring them into conflict with other characters, and/or with their self-understanding. There is a crisis, a denouement or moment of insight. There's rarely an external antagonist to drive the action, partly because I think that 'villains' are vanishingly rare in real life. There will be characters with different standpoints, different agendas, of course.
Real villains are boring & we avoid them if we can. They want it all & can’t lose. That’s a short story arc
With short stories, I like to leave some elements unresolved. Not unresolvable – that's just sloppy plotting – but so that the reader has to make up their own mind exactly how things turn out after the end of the action. On the other hand it wouldn't seem quite fair to do that with a 500-page novel 😊 (should I ever write one). I've written precisely one short story with a 'real' villain, where I deliberately left their motivation vague, mysterious. It seemed to work.
"Villains." So many ways to think about them. Can a character be a villain in one or more areas of life and not in others? Can we see a glimpse of them in other roles? Real through and through villains--how often do we find them? There are a number of them though, in sheep's clothing--how does that work?
Could be quite the exercise to list the villains in our own lives, from gradeschool years, and on. Those who have pieces of the few who are wholly. See what this yields. They do pop up in the most unexpected places. And then to ponder our own approaches--was there forgiveness there? Or the choice to walk away?
Just mulling...
The above was more a response to Margie... Looking at your words, Steve, and wondering why you think the deliberately vague motivation was still successful.
I so appreciate your distinction between "unresolved" and "unresolvable"--yes!
Hi Alison, thanks for your responses – much appreciated. I think in this case the vague motivation contributed to the air of menace I wanted to construct around the situation. The 'villain' was treated as a plot instrument (which required a shadowy, relentless persecutor) rather than a rounded character. My interest was in the protagonist's psychological state and her physical predicament: stranded in isolated bushland, pursued by nameless persecutors, of whom this character appeared to be the ringleader. A cruel, sardonic, Ivan Milat-like figure.
It's interesting the different responses the "unresolved" endings elicit from readers. Some really dislike them. Some call them "cliffhangers" – a misnomer or a misunderstanding? Some respond as I would: I'm a reader who expects to give a lot of imaginative input, and who likes to work things out for himself. (I think this may come to an extent from studying the Sagas of Icelanders, where psychological motivations are rarely stated, but nevertheless are there below the surface, often intricately worked out and relentlessly consequential.)
Steve, you're approaching from the emotional place. Interesting to think about the connections between the three potential problems: the ethical, emotional, unfulfilled need. Choices and fallout. Moment of insight. All solid ways to birth and grow story... So good to see these posts here, the back and forth.
The forgiveness aspect is eye-opening. I’ve been thinking about Happy-endings in stories. When a bad person has a happy ending it can feel wrong. Forgiveness would provide closure.
I'm stuck on one of my drafts and I think forgiveness is the key to it. I will ponder this more. Thanks
Yes, forgiveness may be "a" or "the" path to it. It is a different way to see, yes.
Also, way back in the spring, I posted about finding one's way into a project, too. Here's the link, if it's useful:
https://unschoolforwriters.substack.com/p/get-your-back-into-it-finding-your?s=w
Keep us posted with any questions, Cali! Sit with the "stuckness" for a period of time each day.
Thanks Alison. That was a good article. I'm taking a quick break from the project and really enjoying just focussing on Substack at the moment. It's the 3rd book in the series I'm stuck on. 1st is published, 2nd has a reasonable 2nd draft and then the 3rd is a mess. Sometime soon I'm going to read all the way through from the first and then see where I am. I'll get there in the end!
Yes...there's a lot to be said for a Break!
I love Katherine Paterson. Jacob Have I Loved is one of my favorite novels. I read Gilly Hopkins last year and liked it too. Still haven't read Bridge to Terabithia. I'm not much of a fantasy person.
Interesting to read your words here and realize I never think of Bridge to T. as a fantasy novel. The fantasy element is as I lived with fantasy--as story-telling--as a child, with creative play, acting out thoughts and ideas in nature. I'll be curious to know your thoughts when you read it--it's an amazing book, born of the urge to try to understand her ten-year-old son's grief over losing a friend.
My non-reader son loved it, even though it made him cry (age 11 or so), and re-read it, and counted it as one of two books that truly spoke to him, the other being the amazing "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie.
Paterson's work has such heart in it. Thanks for posting, Heather!
Ahh, interesting -- it seemed like it was marketed as fantasy (the cover art, the film adaptation's posters, etc.) so I never looked beyond the surface. Maybe it was just the more recent editions that were trying to entice readers who are hooked on Harry Potter. I will definitely check out Bridge to Terabithia soon.
I loved The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (and all of Sherman Alexie's writing) too. He has great taste for a non-reader. 😄
Thanks, Alison!
The decisions that go into a cover are so interesting. Or a title, even.
My second novel was originally titled "The Half-pipe Poet," about a young teen who was rattled to discover in his athlete, free-style cycling self, a penchant for writing poetry!
Just before the book went to press, the marketing folks (my faves :) decided they should cut the word "Poet" from the title--they thought it would deter readers. So after days of mulling, I went with "The Half-Pipe Kidd," his surname (which was forever misspelled!)
A few years later, talking with the editor, she admitted that the publishing company wished they'd left it as "Poet" because the book ended up not picked up by the very kid-readers it was intended for.
Just as the fantasy covers are for you, now.
Yes, Sherman Alexie is so very good! And you follow his newsletter here, too? https://shermanalexie.substack.com/
No, thank you, I didn't know he had a newsletter! I am sort of new to this newsletter world.
I was just wondering about titles the other day. I was reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller (the survivor of the assault by Brock Turner). Because she hadn't decided whether or not to reveal her name until the memoir was nearly ready for publication, I was curious about whether she invented that title, or if the publishers did.
I wonder--and hope that she is at peace with the decision.
Forgiveness as a conflict model is a revelation!!!!!!! Without it the character will remain stuck and the story becomes a tragedy. Hamlet or Romeo & Juliet anyone? Such a helpful concept
Margie! It warms my heart to see writers exploring these older posts--finding useful ideas.
That moment the idea came from Paterson's mouth... wow. The words dived deeply into me. Yes, a revelation.