The Story Within Your Story

When I was in college, I was taught that stories structured according to a plan and moral were formulaic and lacked the organic honesty necessary to a great work of art. What I learned how to do was write beautifully symbolic imagery, fragmented from any sort of larger purpose (and we could launch into a whole discussion of academia and postmodernism with that, but let's be honest, I would be the only one interested in it. :) ).

Then, I went the other direction. When I fell in love with writing romance for CBA, I was finally free to write those moral-of-the-story scenes my heart had longed to put on the page. What I ended up writing then were overly-formulaic sequences wherein the characters came across flat and predictable.

Now, I realize-- all great stories need both honesty and morality.

If you try to hard to actively push a moral or agenda, you do not have a story. You have instruction, preaching, and perhaps, some metaphor. But you don't have an honest and gripping story.

But if, on the other hand, you follow where your whims take you and write compelling scenes with absolutely beautiful imagery that do not advance any kind of larger plot and structure, you do not have a premise. And therein again, your story probably stinks.

Ever wonder why no one really enjoys reading literary fiction? Even us book nerds who "get it"?

BECAUSE THERE IS NO STORY! You guys, it seems to painfully obvious to me now. I don't know why I didn't figure this out ten years ago, when I thought I might want to write "literary fiction."

If you haven't read Stanley Williams' book The Moral Premise, you absolutely need to buy and read it ASAP... it's probably the most helpful text I've ever read for writers. And in it, Williams essentially says that every strong story--every story that resonates with readers or viewers-- upholds some sort of moral premise. Even a tragedy. Think about Finding Nemo and the questions it presents to us of identity and home. Or It's A Wonderful Life, and its themes of contentment and community. Or Jane Austen's preoccupation with class structure and gender power relations.

If you want your story to be successful, it needs to present a consistent moral. But how does that happen? Do you go out and say, "I want this story to be about faithfulness... or love... or grace... or forgiveness... or fear"? Well, maybe. Some people do. But usually, that gets you into dangerous territory because you start to force your characters.

There's another way I want to suggest.

Know yourself.

Pray.

And then recognize within yourself the themes that are important to you.

Allen Arnold often says in his workshops that the enemy preemptively attacks areas of God's greatest glory in our lives.

Are you afraid of failure? Then why? What do you have to lose? Could it be that your fear actually stems from a great passion and purpose that you need boldness to step into?

Are you angry? Bitter? Then why? Do you need to forgive someone--even yourself-- to find the healing God has extended to you?

 Struggling with insecurity? Why? Do you feel the dream God's given you is just too big to actually come true?

Dig deep. I know it's not always easy. Be honest. And I'll bet you'll find something amazing-- that the moral of your manuscript is already within you.

See, your characters don't have to preach to one another in order to speak God's truth.

I dare you to do something braver.

I dare you to tell your story through the themes of your manuscript. To not hide behind forced dialogue attempting to prove your point. But instead, to write the struggles that you have faced--that others face-- in all their complexity.

Then you will discover the story within your story.

So, be brave, friends. Dig deep. Because the world needs to hear that story!

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Ashley Clark writes romance with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Digging for Jewels: the power of original description

At the risk of sounding like a snob, I have a confession to make. I adore literary writing.

Literary books often get a bad rap, because let’s face it, they can be dense and slow-moving. But if you can get past that, you’ll find the writing often sings with fresh and unexpected imagery and beautiful turns of phrase.

Searching for the right adjective, the right word is like digging in the sand. Easy just to shovel up a spadeful and fling it in the bucket without thinking too hard about it. It takes an artist to dig for the treasure in every turn of phrase, every description, refusing to settle for the stale or mundane.

Nothing turns me off a book quicker than overused turns of phrase. To me it shows a lack of care for craftsmanship. And if you, the author, don’t care about the words you choose, why should I invest in those words as a reader?

Here are some ideas for keeping your descriptions fresh.

1. Eliminate clichés.

Clichés have become cliché for a reason. When first coined, these turns of phrase were considered so dazzlingly original, so apt, that they became wildly popular. Now they’re overused because successive generations of writers have been too lazy to reach for their own original and apt expressions.

Read through your manuscript. Have you used any clichés like these? Thin as a rail. Neat as a pin. Fresh as a daisy. Clear as crystal.

Or these? Her hands were cold as ice. His heart beat like a drum.

Yawn.

Get out your pruning shears. Lop those suckers out of your manuscript. Now it’s time to reinvigorate your descriptions.

2. Brainstorm alternatives.

Okay, so rails are thin. What else is thin? Don’t censor yourself. As fast as you can, write a list of a dozen alternative ideas.

Now have a look back over what you’ve written. Do any of these alternate descriptions have additional shades of meaning that may suggest something else about your character, other than mere physical thinness?

For example – Thin as a dandelion stem. A dandelion is a pretty weed. Could you imagine using this description for an emotionally fragile young girl who, although fresh and lovely, sees herself as worthless?

What about this? Thin as a kite string. A kite string snaps with brisk energy. This description would be fitting for a playful boy.

Or this. Thin as the leather-bound ledger she kept on her desk. I’m picturing a woman who is precise and particular, and somewhat lacking in humor.

See how this sort of imagery enriches your writing? Suddenly your description is doing double-duty. You’ve harnessed an obvious physical characteristic and used it to give subtle insights into character.

3. Make new connections.

When describing an object or setting, ask yourself what the image reminds you of. The obvious parallels are always the first to spring to mind. Shadows reached across the path like fingers. The wind moaned in the eaves. Now think again. What unexpected associations can you conjure?

Shadow and moon-fall braided themselves across the path.

A bossy wind scolded at his window, clucking and fussing amongst the leaves. Can you picture the wind as an outspoken housewife?

In Katy Popa’s beautiful book, The Feast of Saint Bertie, she describes the “marigold flames” consuming her protagonist’s house. Comparing something so ravaging to a flower is out-of-the-ordinary. But suddenly, through those words, we see the fire as a thing of unexpected beauty. Can’t you just picture the vivid orange-yellow of those flames?

One of my favorite examples is from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. He describes a person sitting on the step in a pair of  “decomposing shoes.”

He could have described the shoes as worn-out, moldering, wet, smelly, or falling-apart. Instead he selected one unusual word that sums up all of these things in a powerful word-picture. What’s more, this one detail gives us instant insight into the character, revealing more about them than could have been achieved in a page of more mundane description.

4. Read poetry.

In a poem, every word counts. Therefore, the poet chooses each word with care, often creating word pictures of startling originality and simplicity as a result.

How about these beautiful lines by poet Brook Emery, taken from her poem “Night”?

Expectation stitches me to the dark, makes silence that can be touched.

During the day rain falls as light, at night it falls as sound

Like a fish twisting against the line

I’m drawn into the sharp transactions of the light.

As you read poetry, you’ll train yourself to see the world in new ways, forming new associations that may not previously have occurred to you.

5. Grow your vocabulary.

Be intentional about it. The best way to do this is by reading widely and recording new words in a notebook. If you come across a word you don’t know, look it up. Write it down. The more words you know, the more you shades of nuance you’ll have access to in your writing.

But do all of this with one important caveat. Namely:

6. Don’t fall prey to purple prose.

The true power of literary description lies in its simplicity and restraint. One truly apt word, one lean and carefully crafted sentence is more powerful than a dozen overused phrases.

Aussie writer Tim Winton is a master at this. Here are some of his lines from “Dirt Music” and “The Turning”:

The girl’s “lank blond hair fretted in the wind.”

The man’s “crow’s feet like knife cuts.”

The fire “sucked the air from the room and danced before him like a thought just out of reach.”

The blood “runs thin as copper wire in his veins.”

His breath “aglow like a coal in his chest.”

The night is “hot and salted with stars.”

Your turn. What beautiful turns of phrase have you uncovered recently?

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia. When she's not chasing after two small boys or gazing at her brand-new baby girl, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website, on Twitter or getting creative over at her mummy blog.