I’m often asked, ‘What’s the single most important thing to do if you’re a writer?’
This question comes from established, quasi-established, and newbie authors. My answers – interact on social media; set up a blog tour; promote your books on Pinterest, Goodreads, and Twitter; support other writers; run giveaways; maintain a Facebook author page – are all necessary and valuable actions. But the single most important thing a writer can do?
Write a good book.
That’s it. That’s the bottom line. Because without a good, solid storyline consisting of a strong plot, believable characters, conflict, and a tight pace, your shot at capturing a reader can very quickly go right down the proverbial drain. And no amount of giveaways or Pinterest pages or five-cupcake reviews can get them to pick up one of your books again.
‘No one buys my books unless they’re on sale,’ writers moan. ‘I got another one-star review from someone who said my book is rubbish.’ ‘My rankings are in the toilet.’
Well, it may – just possibly – be your own fault.
Let’s start with the plot. Does the beginning of the story build on something that eventually becomes life-changing for the main character? Does the main character transform fundamentally from the person he/she is at the start of the story to the person he/she becomes by the end? Because if not, you don’t have a plot; you just have a bunch of stuff that happens and leads…nowhere.
When it comes to plotting, a parallel subplot makes for a richer, page-turning read. It can echo or contrast with the main plot. All films and television programs utilize parallels. For example, in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker’s quest to find and utilize the Force within himself is an inward journey that requires Yoda’s tutelage. Contrasting with this is Han Solo’s action/adventure story, which features plenty of chase scenes and laser fights and a romance with Princess Leia.
Alone, the plots do their respective jobs. But each storyline enriches the other by juxtaposing action and excitement with the quieter, more thoughtful (but nonetheless necessary) Luke/Yoda plot.
Compelling characters can save even a ho-hum plot. I’ve read many books with dull or far-fetched plots; but if the characters in that story are believable and multi-dimensional, or funny and entertaining, I’ll keep reading. A great character doesn’t just consist of a name and a description, or a couple of carefully selected verbal or physical tics.
Good characters are complex, contradictory. Imperfect. A person can be ‘good’ and still make bad choices or do bad things, just as a ‘bad’ person can have a tiny bit of good within them. This makes them human, and not mere cardboard cutouts.
Also, give thought to the names you choose for your characters. Charles Dickens was a master at choosing just the right moniker for each of his creations – Uriah Heep. Lady Dedlock. Mr Micawber. Oliver Twist. Pip. Miss Havisham. Ebenezer Scrooge. Every one of his characters is complex and unforgettable, and their names reflect it.
Just as with plots, characters can mirror or contrast with one another. Think of Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper – two unrelated boys look identical, yet one is rich and one is poor. In Robert Louise Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dr Jekyll is a selfless and compassionate physician by day; yet lurking within him is the monstrous Mr Hyde.
Conflict is necessary – good, strong, believable conflict. Without it, you have no story. As Tolstoy famously wrote, ‘All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’
Would Anna Karenina be memorable if she and her husband, the government official Karenin, were happily married? No. It’s memorable precisely because Anna is unhappy, which leads her to enter into an ill-advised affair with Count Vronsky that eventually tears her world apart and ends in tragedy. Her unhappiness compels her to make difficult and life-altering choices, choices that bring her into conflict with society and with herself.
Finally, think about pace as you write your story. In the beginning, there’s time to set up the action and sketch in the characters and settings at a fairly leisurely pace. But as tensions and conflicts build, as a character’s choice leads to another, and another, the trajectory of the plot should pick up. Sentences and chapters should get shorter. Dialogue should be tighter, unfolding, like the action, at a more rapid clip.
Because in the end, that’s what it’s all about as a writer – keep the reader reading. Do this by giving your readers a cliff-hanger of a chapter ending. Give them conflict, a strong plot, and characters they care about, and you’ll keep them turning those pages until they reach ‘The End.’
If you can accomplish these things as you write, your readers will be entertained and absorbed in the story, and they’ll most certainly be back for more.
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