Rip-roaring good story
By Barbara O'Neal | April 27, 2011 |
I don’t know about your world, but in mine, the only thing anyone is talking about is the paradigm shift happening with the explosion of ebooks. I’ve been caught in the worry and discussions as much as anyone. It’s hard to hear anything over the din, but yesterday I remembered one very important thing: what matters, over and over, is story.
Story. Story. Story.
Yesterday, I ran away to the movies with my sister. We saw Water For Elephants, made from the wildly popular book of the same name. It was a modest little book when it first arrived on the shelves in hardcover, then was published in trade paperback and became a word-of-mouth phenomenon.
Here is my relationship with the book: the cover did not appeal to me. I didn’t really get what it was supposed to be about. It sounded super-depressing. So I passed, over and over.
Except, it kept selling and kept selling, and so I kept seeing it. Finally, one afternoon I was talking my agent about good books we’d recently read, and she found I’d not read it, and she said, “Oh, Barbara,” in that tone of voice. So I dutifully picked it up.
And that’s where duty stopped. Water For Elephants might be dark and it might be historical and there might be animal cruelty (which is the point), but it is also a rip roaring good read. (Note: there are no spoilers in the following discussion). There is no posturing or stylistic little pretties or any of that. It sets up the devastating tale of a young veterinary student of some grace and intelligence who loses absolutely everything and sets off to walk to the big city. Instead, he ends up on a circus train. The circus is in trouble. They buy an elephant from another circus. There is a terrible adversary. The stakes are extreme. The risks enormous. You care, very very very deeply, about what will happen to the three main characters.
A fierce adversary. High stakes. Enormous risks. Great characters. Oh, and good pacing, which comes from the knowledge that there really are terrible things that can happen, also known as foreshadowing. You know the adversary is prone to violence, so when someone crosses him, what will happen? Right, he’ll be enraged. He’s likely to be violent.
That’s what makes a great story. Water starts on a high note and goes quickly to terrible, and not for one second are things ever easy for the protaganists. They all have very good reasons for sticking with a dire situation. They all have good reasons to make compromises. It’s riveting and worrisome and terrible.
I’ve been watching Pillars of the Earth on Netflix, the mini-series made from Ken Follet’s book of the same name, a big, meaty saga of a book, which is one of my top ten favorites of all time. It’s been years since I read it, but watching it again last night, what I saw was how powerful the oppositional forces are in the story. Opposition creates the tension of story. More opposition creates more story.
When you get all those things in place, you get that rip roaring good tale that makes every reader insist another reader has to pick it up.
Last week, I started serious rewrites on the book in progress, reading and making notes on the issues and problems. One of them was, over and over, a lack of focus in the goal of a scene. This is an easy thing to fix, honestly. It just needs to be brought forward for the reader, so the reader knows what the goal of the character is, and what the threat to completion might be. But I have to DO it. It has to be on the page, not just in my head. That’s one of those little writerly tricks we learn as we go, along with layering in that sense of doom that makes the reader worry.
You can do this, too.
Take a look at your work in progress. Where is the opposition? Can you increase it? Is there an adversary? Can you increase the tension of knowing there are things lurking ahead? Are your characters people we want to root for? Why? How you can you make their lives worse, just as they are about to get what they want? Look at the start of each scene. Do we know where it’s going? How can you let the reader know what the goal is?
In the end, a rip-roaring good story trumps everything else in the writing game. What have you lately read or seen at the movies that helps you understand that concept?
Barbara O’Neal is the author of more than a dozen award-winning, bestselling novels, including the runaway bestseller, When We Believed in Mermaids, which has been published in more than 20 countries and spent many months on the Amazon Charts, as well as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller lists. Barbara lives on the beach in rugged Oregon with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent and their zoo of cats and dogs. You can find more information on her newsletter and where to find her on social media at barbaraoneal.com.
I just finished Water for Elephants half an hour ago! My story with the book sounds much like yours. The cover wasn’t great, nothing about the circus appeals to me and even the synopsis didn’t get me interested but I saw it so many times, found out the movie was in theaters, and the author would be signing her new book nearby, so I finally gave in and picked it up. I’m so glad I did!
Great questions in this post and ones I definitely need to answer for my novel. Thank you, Barbara!
Great post. It’s good to hear that amongst all the hyperbole about publishing at the moment we are beginning to get back to basics.
Cover design, marketing, blogging, tweeting, traditional publisher, agent, font, title, format, length, and many other things are important.
But the most important things by far, are a good story and good writing. This is great news.
I think we have to blow things off the page almost for them to have the effect we want. Not, if you’re writing something realistic (like I am/do), for it to be inconceivable and unbelievable, but it needs to push the boundaries. The last paragraph in your post is a good reminder list of what needs to be present to make fiction really work well. I also believe sometimes when we’re writing highs seem too high and lows seem too low and conflicts seem too intense — but they’re not. Paring back is something I have to stop doing. I have to push the limits because that’s where the good stories are.
Thanks for the reminder!!
I felt the same way toward Water for Elephants’ cover, I’m never interested in reading animal books, and the circus is an under-belly sort of existence that doesn’t appeal to me. To be honest, I didn’t bother with the book until this weekend AFTER I’d seen the movie. I know- shame on me! But it’s very good and I’m already half-finished.
Word of mouth is everything. I’ve discovered this in the marketing of my “real job”, and it’s no different in publishing.
Great list of questions to lead us in thinking about conflict- thanks. :)
“In the end, a rip-roaring good story trumps everything else in the writing game.”
Wonderful post and reminder! I think that’s why all these changes in publishing don’t scare me. In the end, when things shake out, I trust that a good story will always win and be rewarded.
Great stories that I’ve read lately include anything by Robin McKinley, lol, and ENTWINED by Heather Dixon. I didn’t flag a single passage in those books (which I usually do for gorgeous lines) but I couldn’t put them down. They were riveting and magical.
Ditto WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (which I’m going to see tonight — you’ve got me so excited!) and HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford.
“One of them was, over and over, a lack of focus in the goal of a scene. This is an easy thing to fix, honestly. It just needs to be brought forward for the reader, so the reader knows what the goal of the character is, and what the threat to completion might be. ”
I just scribbled this on a post it and plunked it on my monitor. Excellent, concise tip.
At some point I have to get over my Pattison aversion and go see WFE.
I loved Water for Elephants, and it’s not a book I would typically pick up. Can’t wait to see the movie.
I watched Black Swan last night, and I was amazed at the character development, the foreshadowing, etc. I found myself analyzing even the small details that would come back to deepen the story later in the movie.
Love. This. Post.
Have yet to read Water for Elephants, although I’ve been considering it for quite some time now. Need to bump it up on the to-read list now. :)
So right you are, it is all about the story, regardless of format!
Perfectly timed post for me, Barbara. My heart sank as I read, up to your paragraph about Pillars (haven’t read Water for Elephants). As I read my gut was telling me I need to ramp up the power of the tension between the opposing forces in my WIP, and, I admit, I quailed for a moment.
But then you reassured me, and ignited my sense of determination. It’s good that hindsight is revealing the lacking, and it’s not too late. You reminded me that through good revision I can bring the tension and sense of impending peril to the fore. Thanks for the uplifting post, and specific examples.
I’m going on a road trip this weekend and recently downloaded a new audio book: Water for Elephants. It’s been in my TBR stack for eons and I don’t know why I haven’t read it. I’m very much looking forward to it, especially after this post today, Barbara–which I needed to hear on many levels. Thank you!
I read Water for Elephants about a year ago on a plane ride home. I devoured it, despite, like many others have mentioned, an obtuse title, a cover that didn’t draw me in and a story line that didn’t sound appealing. I just saw the movie on Monday and it follows the book closely. It was beautifully filmed, the period sets and costumes were fantastic and, like with the book, I cried in the end. I wish I could take that “something special” from the story–whatever it is–and plunk it down into my WIP!
Great post, Barbara! Wonderful insights and encouragement.
Water for Elephants is one of my all-time favorites.
With all the hype about the importance of marketing and gaining an online presence and building up your “brand”, it is wonderful to have a reminder that writing fiction is…about story-telling!
Thanks for reminding us of a simple, fundamental truth!
Such a marvelous post, Barbara! And how funny is it that so many of us have the same “reluctant to read” experience with Water for Elephants, which I too just recently read and loved, after having it on the shelf for over a year. (Again, it was word-of-mouth that finally got it into my hands.
I especially love your reminder (and I say reminder only because I just feel like I MUST already have this welded into my writer brain, don’t I?) of that gotta-have-it adversary and opposition.
Perfect recipe for my planned afternoon of revisions :-)
Great comments. I’ve not yet seen Black Swan…it looks like it would scare me (I’m a wimp about horror). Would you recommend it anyway?
Vaughn, I’m the ultimate wimp with characters when I start out, so I feel your pain. I don’t want them to suffer too much! But in subsequent drafts, I force myself to make it worse. Right now, I have a situation that’s going to devastate a character I adore, but it has to be done. Working up the courage.
I’m surprised so many of us had that reaction to the package and synopsis of WATER….and yet, word of mouth got the job done. We can whine all we like about bad packages, bad distribution, etc, but the bottom line is, a GREAT story will out. (Not that a bad package helps, of course.)
Interestingly, I too watched Black Swan last night. Netflix is coordinating, methinks ;)
Any horror you think might be there thanks to the (very good, I think) trailers, is actually quite minimal in the film itself. Very fast when it does come, and only for small moments of maximum effect. But not gore. Not needless violence (very little violence, in fact).
Just a good story expertly portrayed via the medium.
I never print anything anymore (it’s my pathetic offset for my toddler’s immense carbon footprint), but I am going to print your last paragraph and paste it to my desk.
Also, I feel exactly the same way about Water for Elephants – the cover never appealed to me, the blurb was unclear and I cannot stomach graphic depictions of animal cruelty. I was the kid who had nightmares for months after screening Bambi. But now I suppose I must buckle down and read the book before everyone sees the film.
Another great post, with perfect timing, since I’m doing some revisions on a WIP. I hate for my characters to suffer, and since I write more lighthearted stories, I don’t WANT them to suffer. But they do need to be challenged and thwarted, so I like the point you made that “[o]pposition creates the tension of story. More opposition creates more story.” This helps a lot with what I’m trying to accomplish. :)
I don’t know why, but I’ve never jumped on the wagon of a hot book. If everyone is reading it, I’ll wait. Not anymore. I’m picking up a copy today. Thanks for the nudge, Barbara.
A writer can never have enough strong examples of intention and conflict.
Great post.
“It has to be on the page, not just in my head.” Exactly! Great column
[…] in your head and doesn’t make it to the page, the reader will never know. Great post here on upping the stakes in your storytelling. I’m telling you, writing a film is a great exercise […]
hello, barbara o’neal …
a great post, points well taken.
i think i will start checking you site at least once a week.
keep sending the good stuff this way.
.
layering … layering … layering
Yes!
Gosh I suppose I’ll have to read this book too. I’ve been passively avoiding it in the same way.
It’s so great, yet a little intimidating, to come across a book that absolutely exemplifies compelling storytelling.
barb, wonderful essay today! thank you. Yes, everyone, read Water for Elephants!
Great post. I love the focus on story and on keeping in mind the specific goal of the MC in each scene. Thanks!
Well said, Barbara. Story. Suspense. I wrote my first books real-time, online. So I needed a mini-cliffhanger at the end of each chapter in order to lure readers back to my site a couple of days later for the next chapter. Those were suspense novels. But I later realized that every genre needs suspense—even romance, for example: will the couple finally get together? And I agree that marketing is not as important as a good story. I’ve done very little marketing for my cozy mystery, Sweet Ginger Poison, yet it is ranked #131 in the Kindle store.
Great post! I feel like I’ve really improved on this while writing my current manuscript, as I’ve been able to identify scenes that don’t have a goal, etc., and eliminate them from my outline before writing them. A couple of books ago, the idea would have torn at my heart. And in some cases, I’ve been able to introduce higher stakes, surprise obstacles, and I’m hoping my first draft will be stronger for it.
It’s a good idea to get it down on paper, too. I think I will try this with my next outline, asking what purpose the scene is meant to accomplish at the top before plotting out (and getting attached to) all the little details. If done right, it seems like it could really make the writing process much smoother and simpler.
Scene goals really are so incredibly important. And not only for me, the writer, but the reader has to be in on it. I tend to worry so much about being obvious that I’ll be too subtle and lose tension.
I’ll check out Black Swan. It looks like a great movie, honestly, I was just worried that it would be too dark for my tastes.
Black Swan is definitely dark. There are a couple of spots where I had to close my eyes (I’m a wimp about horror too). But it’s an excellent movie with a lot of psychologically intense character arcs and increasing stakes and tension and all that good stuff you blogged about. I need to take a good hard look at my WIP for tension, too. Thanks!
This post is incredibly helpful as I’m shaping a new work in progress. I read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS so long ago, I might have to revisit it.
Thanks!
Hi Barbara! I always leave Writer Unboxed fretting about my books. This is no exception. I’m also in the middle of a revision, and your comments on scene goals really hit home for me. I’ve found multiple scenes in my WIP that do indeed have a goal, however, it’s surrounded by a lot of blah, blah, blah! I extract a few lines or ideas, insert them elsewhere, and cut the rest of the scene. I shed a few tears over the lost hours I spent writing those scenes. Oh, well. Part of the process!
Thanks for the kick-in-the-rear post!
Stephanie, I hope you also feel encouraged and empowered that you’ve got what it takes to fix your work.
We saw the movie “The Ugly American” with Marlon Brando. Timely as ever, with all the elements you mention. Foreshadowing… doom. Universal themes. Glad that you liked the movie… b/c the book was absolutely riveting!
You just enlighten me on something I had not seen before today. “Opposition Create the power of story. More Opposition Creates more story.” This is what is lacking in my story.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! :)
Frequent reader, infrequent commentor–but had to on this post. Huge fan of the book…went to the film, and the word ‘magnificent’ was the only one that fit. I even went home and emailed a cp so I could discuss it with another literary-type. Just. Yes. Story. Not a big-blow-up-bluescreen story…but a real, honest to gosh tale worth telling.
I feel the same way as Stephanie! My mentor/editor just told me the other day after she’d finished with the edits that I needed to look through my book and find ways to ramp up the tension. After reading this post I thought about going through every single chapter and scene to make sure there’s a “reason” for it, why it’s there, is it moving the story forward. THANK YOU for this.
Patti
Great post – especially the questions we need to ask ourselves about our story. I haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet, but I’ll get the book soon!
Barbara,
Your blogs and your books have always “spoken to me” and pushed me to be a better writer. (THANK YOU!).
I’m blogging now and working on a freelance career (in addition to my novel) and it is easy for me to get a tad lazy in my writing as my writing schedule gets busier. I know it is a vast mistake but there are those nights when the thought of one more draft is just too much for me.
It’s wonderful that I get these periodic doses of craft, structure, and encouragement from all you amazing Writer Unboxed bloggers. I appreciate you keeping me focused on what is important on the page.
Barbara, this was exactly the reminder I needed today. “A fierce adversary. High stakes. Enormous risks. Great characters. Oh, and good pacing, which comes from the knowledge that there really are terrible things that can happen, also known as foreshadowing.”
:) It’s just the doing that proves a little daunting.
All the best,
… Sharon
This is an *amazing* post, and very timely for me. I’ve been working on something that I keep thinking needs more…something…and now I think I’m closer to knowing what it is. You hit the nail on the head– it’s subtle, and often easy to fix, but must be there for the story to be successful.
I’ll keep this post for a long time to come. Thank you!
And I got the biggest giggle out of your agent using “that voice” :)
[…] in your head and doesn’t make it to the page, the reader will never know. Great post here on upping the stakes in your storytelling. I’m telling you, writing a play or a film is a […]