Is Letting Characters Drive the Story Like Letting the Inmates Run the Asylum?
Another Salvo in the Plotting vs Pantsing Debate
Some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noted that my one week off from sending the newsletter morphed into two.
My bad.
On August 27, we flew to New England to visit our older daughter. We spent an enjoyable few days eating seafood (lobster rolls, yum!), we took a harbor cruise, visited parts of coastal Maine, and then flew home on September 1.
I expected to hit the ground running after spending Labor Day doing vital things like laundry.
Instead, my mind was still very much in vacation mode. I’m not sure why, but I completely lacked the motivation to do much besides read, eat, and sleep. And at my age, I’ve learned to give myself permission to do that once in a while.
Now, I’m back!
For the past couple days, I’ve been fleshing out some of my characters, which have become unruly and demanding. Until recently, I put my characters together based on how they fit into the plot of the story. Then I discovered Jeff Elkins, the Dialogue Doctor, and learned a new way to think about characters — based on the way they pushed and pulled at each other. Now, reading a little book that wants to help discovery writers like me (aka, pantsers) do some effective outlining, I may have found a way to integrate the two schools of thought.
Because yes, each character plays a part in how the story unfolds, but each character is also driven by internal and external forces, including other characters.
Take Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. They both have the same goal — to control Luke’s ability to use the Force. Vader is definitely the Antagonist (that’s his role in the plot), wanting to use Luke’s ability to support the evil empire. But, he’s also an Engine character for Luke, because the more Vader tries to pull him to the dark side, the stronger Luke becomes in his determination to use the Force for good and not evil.
In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy is Lizzie’s Antagonist, at least initially, but instead of bringing out the best in her (which would be an Engine character according to Elkins), he brings out the worst in her. He’s an Anchor. (At first.)
Clear as mud?
Kind of.
I’m still working it out, and I’ll keep you posted, but at least it’s got the old brain box churning again.
What I’m Reading
During my trip to New England, I read less than I normally do when I’m at home, but I still managed to knock a few titles off my TBR pile.
The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen
Worlds collide in this historical mystery.
In 1968, Liz is stuck in a dead-end job writing obituaries for a London newspaper. She had been a reporter, but she wasn’t a team player so her boss dead-ended her into obits. She’s unhappy and frustrated, and eager to get back into the newsroom.
That’s why, when a young girl goes missing and the country is awash with posters about Little Lucy, she finds a way to tag along on the investigation.
One of their leads takes them to an abandoned village, a small community that was commandeered by the military during World War II, and destroyed. But while she’s there, Liz has a strong deja vu, one she can’t explain, of having been there before, as a young child.
As she delves into her own past, Liz finds some unexplained correlations between the missing Little Lucy and three little girls who went missing during the war years. Is the same person responsible for all of them?
Another intriguing story, masterfully told, by one of my favorite contemporary mystery authors.
Mission to Murder by Lynn Cahoon
This book is the second in the Tourist Trap Mystery series.
Jill believes the old stone wall found on her California property is evidence of an early Spanish mission, but curmudgeon Craig Morgan is trying to block her from getting it certified. She loses her temper with him — twice in two days — so when he turns up dead, she’s a prime suspect.
Will Jill be able to clear her name and find the real culprit before she ends up behind bars?
Notable Quotes
I turned my attention from Dr. Castle to the people watching her. Most wore the Mask of Bewildered Anger, the official expression of rural Minnesotans confronted by liberal progressives.
- Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey
I’m a sucker for economy of words in a description. I love it when an author can paint a vivid image with just a handful of words, as Lourey does here. It’s similar to what Simon Brett, another of my favorite authors, frequently does. (Here are a few examples.) Here’s another one from Lourey.
Men’d always been bad news for me—in a cheating/dying sort of way—and I’d vowed to start listening to my brain more and my nerve endings less. It was high time I focused my energy on a more reliable form of entertainment. Like tornado chasing.
- Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey
In a similar vein, Lynn Cahoon gives you the perfect idea of what the streets looked like, with a few very choice words.
The streets of South Cove looked like a garden gnome had walked through the village vomiting summer flowers.
- Mission to Murder by Lynn Cahoon
Buy Me a Chai
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Wise Words
This week, I’m giving our game a little twist. I’m not asking you to vote for the better word choice, but for the better punctuation choice. And it’s a bit of a tricky one.
Here’s the quote:
Galen was the most _______-______ person we knew. . .
- Dog-Eared Danger by ACF Bookens
Your choices are social media-savvy or social-media savvy. It’s all in the punctuation, baby, that dash has importance. Bonus points if you can explain why your choice is the better one. (You’ll need to do that in the comments since the polls here don’t allow for a text response apparently.)
So, weigh in before next week, when we’ll discuss which punctuation is more appropriate, and why.