TECH: The Power Of Plot Irony (Moldie Oldie)​

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 2020/12/24

Writer's Digest, October 1992, pages 29-30, had an article by William M. Ross called The Power of Plot Irony. The subtitle suggests that "this technique can instill your story plots with drama, depth – and unexpected consequences."

He starts out by reminding us that the traditional good plot "has a problem/resolution structure: a character faces a problem, struggles with it over the course of the story, and then solves it at the end with a striking action." Good definition, but how do you make the struggle, the story, compelling? Well, plot irony "can give your story the kind of unexpected plot turns that keep readers turning pages."

Next, he describes a story by Max Brand called "Wine on the Desert" as an example plot irony. An outlaw wanted for murder, fleeing the sheriff, visits his old friend Tony who has a vineyard irrigated by vats of rainwater. Tony is friendly, but the outlaw shoots holes in the vats to keep the sheriff from having the water he needs to follow him. Then he orders Tony to fill his canteen with water. The outlaw grabs the canteen and heads into the desert.

So far, a man on the run, friendship betrayed, rugged setting, lots of action. But… Where's the irony? Well, as the outlaw finds out deep in the desert, Tony filled the canteen with wine, not water. That's the irony.

Now, he explains that plot irony is not achieved by a single incident, but by a pattern of incidents in a specific configuration. You need three interlocking events. First, someone misperceives a situation. Second, he acts on the basis of this misperception. Third, as a result of the action, he experiences unanticipated consequences, either positive or negative.

Since this is usually revealed at the end of the story, often say they like the final twist. What they really mean is they like the ironic pattern which is revealed at the end.

In the story about wine, the outlaw mistakenly believes that his friend Tony filled his canteen with water. He acts on the misperception by running further into the desert. He suffers unanticipated consequences at the end. Separately, these incidents are not ironic, but together they are.

Next, Ross takes a look at a story by O. Henry, The Furnished Room, which he says fails! The misperception is not really wrong, which means that the ending doesn't quite work. So, make sure that your character has a serious misperception. Next, O. Henry doesn't really tie the three incidents together. Specifically, there's really no unintended consequences. So make sure that your protagonist's misperception causes the action and the unanticipated consequences. Finally, O. Henry didn't characterize his characters very well. So even if you're going to use plot irony, don't neglect characterization.

Next, Ross looks at Jack Finney's Of Missing Persons and assures us that in this story, the characterization supports the well constructed irony. The ironic events tie together. The misperception is a major one. And the character traits match the perceptions and the actions.

Finally, Ross walks us through his own construction of a play using plot irony. He started with two brothers, and a situation. Jeopardy, one of the brothers is very invested in his business. But, he starts embezzling money. The other brother threatens him. The first brother sees his other brother as a threat. (A mistaken perception?) So, he lures him out and shoots him. (The action due to the misperception!). Now, a detective lays out all of his evidence, and the first brother pulls out the gun again, explains what happened, and tries to kill the detective. However, the detective had already emptied the bullets from the gun. Then the detective reveals that the dead brother had collected money to help out his brother! That's the irony, the revelation of the misperception.

So, now it's your turn. Have a character misperceive a situation. Then have them act on that misperception. And finally, let them experience unanticipated consequences of the action, either positive or negative. To make it plausible, make sure your characters have the traits that they need so that the perceptions and the actions feel real.

There you go. A dash of irony for your stories!

TECH: Clive Barker: Trust Your Vision (moldie oldie!)

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 2020/12/15

Writer's Digest, March 1991, pages 22-27, had an article talking about Clive Barker. The subtitle was "His fiction deals with the wildest ideas imaginable, yet Barker strives to maintain 'emotional realism.' Here's how he creates such dark fantasy bestsellers as The Great and Secret Show and Weaveworld."

The article starts out with a little background history of Clive Barker. Born in Liverpool in 1952, in the 70s he went to London and got involved with avant-garde theater. He was "the enfant terrible of London's fringe theater..." In the 80s, he started writing fiction, and was first published in 1984. "Horror stories laced with vivid imagery, sardonic wit and sometimes copious amounts of gore." Wild ideas rooted in a realistic framework. 

And then he tackled movies, too! Hellraiser...

"Readers know Barker for hish use of graphic sex and violence in his work." Hum... rigorous writing schedule, 8-12 hours a day. Writes in longhand! Then they drop into an interview format...

Q: When you're writing, do you first focus on the characters or the ideas?

A: The characters. Very much the characters.... Get the reader to accept one thing, one weirdness, and then the rest of it must follow realistically. ... 

Q: When the story ideas begin to get very bizarre or complex, what can you do to make sure you don't lose that sort of emotional underpinning?

A: The first thing is you've got to believe in the characters. You've got to be thinking with the characters and you've got to be in their skins. ... Any writer's belief in his or her characters -- or the situations in which the characters find themselves -- is central to his ability to convince the audience.

The second thing is that I look for parallel situations.

Q: I know you visited a prison before you wrote "In the Flesh" and I know you've watched an autopsy. Do you think that kind of firsthand research is necessary to what you do, even though your work is so involved with the imagination?

A: I think it's maybe more necessary because I'm involved with the imagination. It's very important to root your material, your fiction, in some knid fo reality. ... Solid research gives you a great place to move off from. It allows you a springboard, if you like, out into the fantastical.

Q: Have you ever had to scale back an idea or a plot line because you thought the characters were getting dwarfed by it?

A: Not really. ... Part of the pleasure of writing is taking risks. 

Q: Working on a novel that size, is there a danger of getting halfway through and thinking ... "Is this idea worth the time and emotion and everything else I'm putting into it?"

A: Absolutely. Starting wtih short fiction showed me that you can put a lot of material in 30 pages. If you are going to write 700 pages, they better be full. You better have an idea which is going to justify that length, justify the audience reading the thing for that long. ... I want a novel to be like getting a box of really great chocolates and you just have to go on to the next one and each one is different. ...

Q: Would you recommend short stories as a good place to start for people who want to write imaginative fiction?

A: ... It depends on the idea the individual's got. Short fiction lets you finish soon. A large novel means you have to pace yourself.

... I think it's very important that you try to be original, that you don't simply follow in the tracks of someone else. ... go out and do whatever makes sense to your imagination.

...

Q: What advice do you wish someone had given you when you first started to write fiction?

A: To have faith in my imagination. To not care that this wasn't 'reality.' 

Whoosh! Okay, so... let your imagination roam, and follow where it leads you!

TECH: The Bulletproof Book Proposal (moldy oldie) (970 words)

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 2021/01/21

Writer's Digest, July 1991, pages 33-37, has an article by Robert W. Bly about your book proposal. Now, it's aimed at nonfiction books and traditional publishing, but it's still kind of interesting to consider. Basically, he suggests that publishers have five key questions that you need to answer. How do you convince them that your idea for a book is a great idea that they want to pursue. So, what are the five questions?

1. Is there a large enough audience interested in this topic to justify publishing the book?

This is probably one of the places where indie publishing and traditional publishing may diverge. Traditional publishing wants a large enough audience. Indie publishing can be more targeted. Still, you need to think about your audience no matter which route you are taking. Who do you think will be reading this? How many of them are there?

2. Is this a book – or a magazine article?

Bly has an example of an idea that he had that didn't quite work as a book. The time to write and publish a book, and the amount of material, just didn't match. But, it made a good booklet. So take a look at your idea, and think about what the right avenue is for it. Book, article, booklet, nowadays we need to add blog posting, podcast, even YouTube video as possible outlets.

So how can you figure it out? Well, first, see if there are other books like it. Check out the library to see what else has been written about it. If there's lots of stuff, then the topic is pretty meaty, there's a good chance that you have enough material. Third, take a look at your topic, and try organizing the information into chapters. How would you explain the topic and present the information? What are the major categories? Go ahead and make up an outline. This can help you figure out whether you've got a book or just an article.

Incidentally, this same approach can help you decide if you have a novel or short story! After all, if you start to sketch out the ideas, and it's just one short notion, maybe you don't have a novel there. 

3. What's different – or better – about your book?

Go ahead and put together an overview of your idea. What is the book about, who is it written for, and what's going to be in it. And then make sure to tell yourself and the editor why your book is unique, different, better. You need a hook, something that makes your book stand out. You might want to list some competing books, and consider how yours is different.

4. Will people pay the price for this book?

Bly includes some price figures for hardcover nonfiction, trade paperback, and so forth. Again, this is more important for traditional publishing, but even indie publishing needs to consider are people going to put down their money or not. What will people get, will they decide that this was a good investment? I know some people have pointed out that you're competing for their beer money. Or maybe it's their relaxation time.

5. Why should the publisher hire you to write it?

Why are you uniquely qualified to write this book? Consider your writing credentials, and your expert credentials. If you're submitting a proposal for traditional publishing, tell the publisher about your expertise as an author. Also, point out to them why you are an authority, your experience makes you the right person to write this book. Admittedly, you can do research, and you don't have to know everything. But you do need some knowledge to write the book.

So, how big is the audience, how big is the idea, what's special about it, will people be willing to spend their time and money on it, and why are you the right person to write this book. Five big questions, and thinking through your answers to them can help you decide whether this idea is something you want to do right now, or maybe put away for later.

By the way, there's a sidebar on page 35 that lists several sections for your book proposal. It starts with the title page, just a cover sheet with the title, name of the author, and contact information. Next is the overview, what is your book about, who's going to read it, why is it important to them, and what is different about your book. Third is specifications, how big you think it's going to be, how many chapters, graphics, anything else about the book you expect to write. Fourth is the market, who's going to buy it, how many of them are there, and why are they going to buy it. Fifth is promotion, how do you think it should be promoted. These are suggestions for the publisher, not necessarily things you're going to do yourself. Six is competition. What other books are like this, and how is yours better? Seven is your bio, writing credentials, and your qualifications for this book. Finally, the eighth part is an outline or table of contents.

It's interesting to think about your fiction novel idea in terms of these questions. And just think, if you're doing indie publishing, you know the publisher, so you might have an easier job convincing him that you know how to answer all these questions. Still, you probably need to make sure you have the answers for him.

Exercise? The obvious one is to take your work in progress or an idea you've had, and try working your way through these five questions, putting together the answers. When you get done, you may want to go ahead and write the article, book, or whatever!