Tonight (or rather
this morning; it happens to be 2:36am. Why is it that inspiration strikes at
the most inconvenient times ever?!....Ahem, let me try this again…)
Tonight I am
working on Part Two of a four-part-novel outline. Ever since I started working
on this book – actually, since I’ve started writing fiction period – I have
found myself trying to come up with brilliant “filler material” that somehow
flows seamlessly with the rest of the novel. However, as you all are well
aware, filler material tends to be just that. A random set of scenes stuck into
the book to fill a gap in time between the two scenes that we actually feel
inspiration for.
Needless to say, I
keep coming up with bland narratives of boring events that are only made more
pathetic with my attempts at clever, distracting dialogue and description. So I
decided to take a step back from my attempts and look at the situation with a
little more scrutiny. (After all, which is better – a novel thrown out there
stuffed with whatever-I-could-find scenes, or a novel that will sit in a folder,
quiet and content, until it is ready to be rewritten in a manner that is
actually readable?)
It finally occurred
to me that my search for 'filler material' was really my novel's desperate cry
for some much needed attention. I wasn't trying to tell a story. I was trying
to get a book finished. I realized that what I needed for each scene, each
paragraph, each sentence, was a goal.
A goal that went beyond the simplistic ‘word count’ we writers throw in there
to make it seem like we have a goal. I needed to give myself an outline that
included only things that would flow smoothly from Point A to Point B without
the need for awkward “filler material”. And I needed a system that would work with
any genre, narrative style or word-count.
That is how I came
up with the system you will find in this blog post. I call it the Five-Point Stress-Eliminating
Outline Guide. It is an outline guide that will make outlining a joy again, instead
of a burden, and *gasp* will keep you from needing to find any “filler material”.
As in, ever again! (Most likely. Unless you, like me, tend to slip back into
bad habits.)
Are you ready
folks? Here it is – the solution to a problem that has plagued generations of
writers!
*dramatic
drumroll*
1)
Main
& Side Character Development
You may have to start back at square one
for this. Oftentimes we writers get so caught up in the things that happen in
our stories that we forget to tell what is happening inside our characters.
Events change people. Growing up changes people. Meeting new people, new
challenges, new victories and defeats – it all changes people. That is what
every story is truly about. And it’s what makes a story click with the
audience.
If
you haven’t already, a good place to start is to make a literal arch on a piece
of paper – it looks like one of these ( turned clockwise – and write out where
your character starts off, where your character ends, and all the twists and
turns in between. (Not plot twists and turns; emotional/mental/spiritual twists
and turns.)
Now,
take that written arch and look back over your outline. Your potential scenes.
Your random piles of filler material. What is going to show off each bump, up
or down, in your character’s arch to the best possible potential? Does this
scene grow him as a person? Does this situation give us a chance to look into
her soul? Do we see change? Do we see a stubborn persistence in behavior or
attitude? To put it succinctly, is this scene important to him/her? It doesn't have to be huge and life-altering. It just needs to point us to that arch in some way, subtle or shocking.
This
doesn’t just apply to main characters, either. The best minor characters (whether
villainous henchmen or hilarious side kicks) will only come to life if you give
them a life to display.
2) Introductions
(culture, crucial characters, questions that pique the audience’s curiosity)
Your main character walks into a new place
that needs some element of explanation. A minor character needs to make their
first appearance. An event makes your audience curious and makes them want to
keep reading.
If
none of this is happening, you may need to rethink how you are telling this
story. Major introductions should end after the first third of the novel. But
you’re making an outline, so take the opportunity to go through the first third
of it with a fine-tooth comb. (Trust me – it will be worth it!) Also, never
forget that you need to keep bringing in additional questions throughout your
novel to make your audience turn the pages. In fact, the last chapter is the
only chapter where no new questions are allowed. (For a brushing up on good “hook”
questions, check out my post on the subject!)
It is SO helpful
and truly inspiring to the outline weary. When looking for “filler material” to
get you from Point A to Point B, think of those three elements of introduction
(culture, characters, questions). You’ll be surprised at how quickly your
fillers become crucial turning points.
3)
Interpersonal
Relationship Developments
Relationships are some of the most important
points in our novels. Yet they tend to be neglected once the two lovers finally
express their love, or two friends realize they are best friends, or two
brothers who betrayed each other realize they will have to work with each other
after all. The battle sequences, plot twists, and introductions are all
important. But once two crucial characters are introduced and a relationship of
any kind is begun, you don’t dare let it lag! That is the burial ground for
realistic and interesting novels.
One way to come up with a good filler scene, or to decide if an old scene
needs to go, is to ask this simple question: have relationships between my main
character and the other characters in the story been revealed, developed or
destroyed lately? If the answer is NO, you can use this opportunity to invent a
scene that will openly display the relationship between
characters.
NOTE: Again, it doesn’t have to be a jaw-dropping twist to the story. Often readers relate as well to simple glimpses into a good friendship or ongoing romance as they do to new
information. And in an incredibly complicated, serious, heavy-material-type
story, it can be a good breather.
4)
Subplot
Developments
Speaking of minor characters…what about
their lives? As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite examples of excellent
subplot development is Charles Dickens’ work Little Dorrit. In it, he creates
unforgettable side characters that further the main character’s journey…all
while showing glimpses of complicated journeys of their own. True, it is a
bit confusing. (When you watch the film version, you end up a bit dizzy.) But
it’s still a good lesson to us modern writers in how important subplot
development is.
If
you haven’t already, fix yourself a page separate from your main outline and
write down all your important minor characters. Then, give them each a journey
that they are going through that will tie in with the main plot or main
character’s development. It doesn’t have to be the extremely important kind of subplot
(not every character has to be the secret son of the main character’s mother).
But it should affect the main plot in some way, even if all it does is give the
main character a reason to step back and evaluate their own life. This makes
filler material even easier – try and squeeze in at least three scenes throughout
that specifically deal with a minor character’s life in a way that develops
that character and the main character. Easy filler – and enjoyable read!
5)
Furthering
of Main Plot (a.k.a. story continuity)
This one is obvious at first glance. But a
second glance shows that Point 5, like the others, tends to be left in the dust
very quickly. We hurry and scurry to make filler scenes – and then we wonder
why they don’t seem to match the rest of the story. IT’S BECAUSE THEY DON’T!
They weren’t created with the main plotline in mind, so they won’t further it.
And this makes them awkward, unnecessary, and incredibly annoying. The easiest
way to decide if a scene works with the rest of the novel is to look at it and
see if it has any ties to the main plot.
Each
scene should somehow reflect on the overall arch of the story itself. We should
fill it with side stories, minor characters, character development, and
interest-piquing questions. But throughout the entire story should be woven one
master thread. Once a scene loses contact with that thread, it loses all
importance to the story. Now it is officially “filler”. Congratulations. We
just lost our audience!
Look
at EACH SCENE individually. Look for that main thread. It doesn’t have to be
huge. It doesn’t have to be blatantly obvious. It just needs to be there,
subtly drawing the reader into the novel, leading them through every page with
a consistency that promises the wait is worth it. If you can’t see the point of
a scene, trust me – they can’t either. On the flip side, when every scene
reminds the reader that things are moving forward, when each event gives us a glimpse
into our character’s soul, when no paragraph is there just to be there but
rather prods the reader to keep reading…that’s what you call a Best Seller
novel in the making.
Whew!
Okay,
that took a LOT more words than I thought it would. But I’m glad I wrote it.
Now I will have a better vision as I write down my outline goals. I hope you
do, too. I hope this inspires you to go out there and get that outline done.
Because, let’s face it – road trips are so much easier with a map to guide us.
I
remain, as always,
Yours Truly (and dreadfully sleepy)
