A nifty link

I've been talking a lot about plot twists lately , then I discovered that Shanna Swendson, author of the lovely Enchanted Inc. series did a post on the subject.  She managed to put a lot of things into words that I'd been thinking, but hadn't figured out how to say.  The post is here.  

Overlooking the Ordinary

One of life's great lessons: don't pick raspberries in clothes you care about.  I'm covered in scratches and purple stains.  The berries are worth it, though; sweet and tart at the same time, with tiny little seeds that always get caught in your teeth.  

And what, you ask, do raspberries have to do with literature?  (Unless, of course, you're too polite to ask, or maybe you're too distracted by thoughts of raspberries with shortcake and milk to care whether I have a pertinent topic.)  

When writing descriptions it's easy to overlook the ordinary moments that make a world seem real and lived in.  Right now I'm thinking about the smell of sunlight and sweat, the tug of thorns on my skirt and the end of my braid, the moment when I lean too far over the brambles to snatch a handful of berries and stumble a little to keep my footing.  

Every June I pick raspberries.  I'm downright experienced -but I've never written a story where the main character goes berry-picking.  Or shells peas.  Or pits cherries and accidentally spritzes themselves in the eye.  Those things are all so ordinary that I don't think of them when I set down to type.  

There is nothing wrong with writing about what you find exotic: in my case, princesses, and dragons, and swashbuckling heroes in cool hats.  But you shouldn't discount everyday details either.  They just might be exotic to someone else.  After all, not everyone is lucky enough to go raspberry picking.

Plot Twists

Boy, last post I talk about unreliable narrators, and this week I prove unreliable.  Sorry about the two day delay. 

The subject of unreliable narrators got me thinking about plot twists in general.  One of the best plot twists ever (in my opinion) is the ending of Rob Thurman's science fiction/suspense novel Chimera.  The twist was completely unexpected because the narrator himself didn't know he was unreliable.  

Agitha Christie manages to bend her plots into pretzel shapes, partly, I think, because it's the nature of mysteries to keep the narrator in the dark until the very last chapter.  It's the same logic that Holmes used in The Case of the Dying Detective.  When a person (or narrator)  doesn't know something, he's less likely to let it slip. 


If the readers identify strongly enough with the narrator they'll feel the shock of the twist, even if they happen to be one of those very genre savvy people who (unlike me) can see a twist coming while it's still juggling bananas two miles up the road. 

The most important thing isn't taking the reader by surprise, it's finding out how this character reacts when everything he thought turns out to be wrong. 

That's the story.

Unreliable Narrators

This picture is my excuse for skipping last Saturday's blog.  The orange stole, in case you're curious, is for being in Phi Theta Kappa, the cords are for academic achievements, and the metal is for blowing up the Death Star.  (I wish.  Actually it has to do with taking Honors classes and writing decent papers, but blowing up the Death Star sounds cooler.)

Speaking of people who -ahem- color the facts, today I wanted to talk about unreliable narrators.  Unfortunately for me, my favorite example is lost due to a remodeling project, so I'll have to try to explain why the book is awesome without the help of quotes.  (Sigh.)  

`The Complete Brigadier Gerrard' by Sir Arthur Connan Doyle, which can be found here on Amazon, is a book of short stories set during the Napoleonic wars.  Etienne Gerrard is a French Hussar who firmly believes he's the bravest hero to ever live.  Years after the wars end he's hanging around cafes telling his adventures to anyone who will listen -including the nameless person who writes down his stories.

Gerrard's adventures are pretty unbelievable and he often comes across as more buffoon than hero (in one story he escapes from a Dartmoor prison and gets chased all over the English countryside.  When he's finally recaptured, he discovers that the message he accidentally intercepted and was too honorable to open was, in fact, an order for his release).  On the whole, Gerrard comes across as a naive man who thinks he's suave.  His overly idealistic notions of honor get him into trouble and prove exactly how worldly-wise he... isn't.  


As the stories progress, though, you stop seeing him as this poor bumpkin and start rooting for him.  You realize you want to believe he's as heroic as he makes himself out to be.  Doyle makes chivalry and heroism something worth striving for, and the fact that Gerrard so often falls short only makes him all the more lovable.  

Doyle is always a master of style and he gets his readers right where he wants them.  By making Gerrard so over-the-top with his ego Doyle invites us to suspend our disbelief.  Then, while you're chuckling at his humor and completely off guard, he hits you with scenes of chivalry and courage that leave you with your throat tight, desperately blinking to get the blurry wetness out of your eyes.


Pretty devious for a nineteenth century writer.

Out and About

Hi, this is just a heads-up to let you all know I'm not posting this Saturday.  I'm going to be in Virginia, attending my brother's graduation. 

Nothing to Fear...

Fear of change.  

I'll be graduating from community collage in a few weeks, so I can say first hand that change is downright scary.  You're life's been going along all normal when suddenly you see a turn up ahead and realize anything at all could be on the other side.  Yikes!


A lot of story characters yearn for change, for adventure.  They're desperate to know what's around the next bend.  It's easy to see why those people make for great heroes.  You don't have to prod them at all.  They're raring to go.  Just point them at the plot and stand back!  (Taran the Assistant Pig Keeper, in Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles is one such character.)  But there are plenty of protagonists who don't like change at all.  

One of my favorites is Muggles from Carol Kendall's The Gammage Cup.  Muggles rarely ventures an opinion because she hates to make waves.  All she wants is for everyone around her to be safe and content, and as the story progresses, we see that she's willing to go to great lengths -even face banishment!- in order to protect her quiet little village.    


People who wait for problems to come to them can be wonderfully interesting heroes. The stakes have to be high to push them into heroism, but once those quiet, unassuming character decide to act, you know they mean busyness.

Happy Easter everyone!

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed. - Isaiah 53:4&5.


Hope you all have a terrific Easter.