In the previous ten installments, I discussed the basics of writing story. In this craft analysis I will discuss more advanced topics, such as ambiguity, integration, themes, and motifs. It goes without saying that the previous ten installments should be read prior to this one.
Disintegration
When a story is disintegrated, it does not appear to have a main plot. Instead, the story is comprised of several small and usually disconnected elements or subplots. Disintegration is a common problem for inexperienced and experienced writers alike.
How do you resolve the problem of disintegration? Through integration, of course. Focus on a single plot element and develop it until it becomes a primary or main plot—often called the heart of the story. Look at your plot elements as parts of a united whole.
Some stories have too many trailing plotlines. Others have too many characters. Having your story full of characters will make it difficult for you to focus on any one character, just as having too many subplots will make it difficult to focus on any one main plot. Try to focus on quality over quantity. A small group of well-developed characters is better than a crowd of poorly developed characters.
Spoilers
When a narrator tells the reader what will happen before it happens, he is creating something called a spoiler. Readers typically want to figure out the story for themselves. Giving away something too soon may turn off these readers. Foreshadowing, essentially throwing hints to the reader, is a closely related topic. While foreshadowing can be an effective tool, overusing it can lead to the creation of a spoiler.
Suspense
Suspense is the feeling that something is just about to happen in a story. It forces the reader to keep reading, despite the ever-present urge to do something else. The best suspenseful writing hooks readers early and keeps them reading.
However, don’t add suspense to a story where it is not appropriate. Suspense cannot be invented. It must follow naturally from the choices made by the characters and from the natural course of the plot.
Ambiguity
Ambiguity is one of the most difficult tools for a writer to master. Ambiguity leaves it to the reader to put together complex elements. Ambiguity can occur anywhere in a story, but in short stories, it tends to appear most frequently at the end. An ambiguous ending doesn’t wrap everything up. It leaves some questions lingering in the mind of the reader long after putting the story down. In this respect, ambiguity may be desirable.
But how much ambiguity is too much ambiguity, and is there a balance? While some writers, such as Cormac McCarthy, leave a lot of the burden of the story to the reader, others, such as Tolkien, describe almost everything. The ambiguity of McCarthy would feel quite inappropriate in the sprawling world of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, as would the certainty of Tolkien’s triumph of good over evil in McCarthy’s dark worlds.
You will have to find a balance in your writing between giving everything away and giving nothing away. I can say that in practice that greater ambiguity tends to preferred in shorter prose: short stories and poems. People who write novels tend to shy away from ambiguity, as it can be infuriating for a reader to be in the dark about important story elements for so long.
Defamiliarization
Defamiliarization is a complex subject, but in short, it means giving the reader something unexpected. In that way, it is related to suspense. Defamiliarizing means making the familiar unfamiliar. For example, instead of telling the story of Peter Pan from the perspective of the hero, can it be told from the perspective of the villain? Instead of choosing a male character for a stereotypically male role, can you choose a female character for that role?
Motifs & Themes
Motifs are repeated elements in prose. For example, a story about temptation, or giving in to carnal desire, may feature motifs of the biblical Garden of Eden. These motifs of slithering serpents, ripe fruit, and so forth could appear in many forms throughout the story.
Motifs can be beneficial in tying together a story, but they can also be distracting. If you become aware of a motif in a story, it may be too distracting.
Like motifis, themes represent repeated elements in prose. For example, if all the stories you write contain dysfunctional families, then one of the themes of your writing is dysfunctional families.
The themes of a story can only truly be appreciated after the story has been written. Thus writing for themes is not encouraged, and typically leads to overwriting. In some cases, an understanding of themes can be beneficial. For example, if you are choosing stories to include in a book of short stories, you may want to look at related themes.
Resolution
So, you have written your story. You have developed your story. Now you wonder if your resolution is appropriate. There are some basic guidelines for any good resolution.
- Does it come full circle?
- Do you feel different after reading the story than before?
- Does the story resolution reward the reader for reading the story?
If you are interested in learning more about resolutions, check out my blog on Happy Endings.
Titles
Titles don’t need to be clever, but they do need to be appropriate. You may have in mind a title for your story before writing a single sentence. However, don’t let your title take your story hostage. A title should fit a story, not the other way around. Choose an appropriate title, which is not too wordy and not too vague. It should encapsulate your story without being overwritten.
Conclusion
In these 11 craft analyses, I have tried to give a thorough introduction to creative writing subjects without going overboard. I felt it was better to give brief overviews rather than long dissertations for each subject. If you feel I have failed to mention something, please let me know in the comments below. And good luck with your writing endeavors!