Before we begin with today's tip, I'd just like to say that the works I've received are outstanding; the Blog's first featured work in history will definitely be a hard one to choose! Unfortunately, I'll have to extend the choosing until next week due to the lack of submissions (I want at least 5 or 6. I only got 3 at the moment). For now, keep writing. Get those creative juices flowing!
For today's tip, I'd like to address a problem that is very prominent in amateur works. Hopefully this will shed light on your stories.
When writing a piece of literature, you have to realize that your audience knows absolutely nothing about your story. They are ignorant to your world, your characters, their feelings, and their situations. It is unwise to assume that they are knowledgeable of ANYTHING other than what you tell them.
The mistake that I see in a lot of potential novels is this very factor. I often get lost, having to email the authors back asking "Why did Jane do this?" or "Why does Jane have a red ruby?" or "What?! Jane died? When?". It is these things that ruin the experience for the audience.
You may argue that you wanted some elements to "be a surprise". But I'll let you know that there is a VERY FINE LINE between foreshadowing and mystery, and pulling a fast one.
Let me give you an example.
In the below scene, the thirteen year old Jane sees a dark man in the doorway, with a bloody knife in hand.
He smiled that wicked, mischievous smile, like the grin on a boy killing his first wild deer. His body moved toward her, slowly and mockingly, as if each step savored the fear that emanated from her being.
"Jane," he whispered. His voice penetrated the air around her, causing hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end."I just finished killing your bitch of a mother. Oh you should have seen how she squirmed under my hands. And then your father..."
He paused for a moment, as if trying to get a reaction from her. But Jane was too frightened to move. Displeased with her reluctance he continued. "He thought he could kill me with that pistol, just because he was a policeman. But I carved his chest faster than he could pull that trigger."
Jane felt her knees give in. She was praying that the man she saw wasn't her father, that the mutilated face was of some other helpless policeman.
Tears trickled down her face. Not of fear, not of sadness. But of anger, of hatred. Her whole family is dead. And it's all because of the man before her.
"You bastard!" she screamed.
He ran toward her, knife in the air.
She pulled the trigger.
The man dropped the knife suddenly. His face was of pure, comical confusion. He grasped at his chest, wondering what that feeling was, of coldness, of pain. Then when he saw the girl - a gun smoking in her hands, he understood.
And collapsed.
Wait, what?! Where did this gun come from?
If you write an ending like this, you are bound to get a bunch of hate mails. In this passage, the gun came out of no where. There was no building up to it, and it seems as if the author just dropped the gun into the story, as if desperate to rescue the protagonist.
If the author wanted to make the gun a surprise, then he could have mentioned the sighting of a gun in a previous chapter, like a subtle foreshadowing for the audience.
Jane backed away, eyes streaming as if trying to frantically blur the mutilated image before her. Her foot knocked on something, and looking down she saw the black object shining in the moonlight.
It was a gun.
Ok, perhaps not as subtle as I wanted it to be.
The point is, don't pull a fast one on the readers. Create your story so that everything is taken account for, and that everything connects from beginning to end. If you start randomly throwing in things that do not make sense, your readers will hate you for it, and they will put the book down faster than Jane pulled that random trigger.
If you don't know whether or not you added an element that can be considered confusing, try leaving the work alone for a few days then coming back to it. Let your mind clear of any track of thought so you can read the chapters anew.
Still not sure? Have a friend read it.
Or run it by me. I'm always glad to help (to contact me, see my Contact Me page)
May your joy in writing lead you to happiness,
Jay
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