Guest Post Maintaining Consistency

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Mike Arsuaga

Have you ever written a novel or short story where in it a character starts out with one eye color and ends with another? "That's what editors are for," I hear as a retort from some. Unless you are wielding a best seller, that excuse doesn't have much traction. If the author doesn't care enough to make a best effort for the work to be as perfect as possible, no editor or publisher will.

So how do I do it? My method is to jot notes on characters and story events. Character features and personalities are the tip of the iceberg. The far greater challenge comes with what I call avoiding the Plot Paradox. It can be as simple as having a character suddenly running across a field when last seen sleeping in bed. This happens to me when my brain writes a scene faster than my hands do. The solution is careful reading after writing. Fortunately, I have a built in Editor in Chief, my wife Cynthia, who is pretty good at catching inconsistencies. Actually, it works both ways, as I spot inconsistencies in her work. I believe the objective review of another person is the best cure.

A subset of the Plot Paradox is the Plot Impossibility, usually occurring during the narrative part of a scene. This is when the action creates a situation that simply can't believably happen. In the novel My Life as a Dog, co-written by Cynthia and I, is a good example. Main character Drake Martin is a shape shifter who turns into an eight pound Yorkshire terrier. Adopted by Kady Hartley who knows nothing of his ability, he falls in love with her. She is, however, attracted to the man Drake Martin.

With all of this in mind there is a scene where they are at her apartment. He is Drake when Kady suddenly wonders where Precious is. She calls the little dog, becoming anxious at receiving no response. Drake suggests they split up to search the apartment. Alone in the spare bedroom he morphs into Precious, trots out to Kady, solving the problem. Then she calls out after Drake. The dog bolts back to the room and returns to Drake.

The scene presented the following challenges. When morphing from Drake to Precious, what happened to Drake's clothes? He had the foresight to go through the change in the bath room, wedging the door open beforehand so six-inch tall Precious could get out and return. When Kady sought Drake after Precious presented himself, Drake was naked in the bath room, frantically redressing. He told Kady he was using the facilities and reassured her Precious was in the room with him. Cynthia and I read that scene at least a dozen times to take all the technical and credibility details into account. Still, the editor caught a minor one.

The best advice I can offer is take notes, read carefully several times, and have someone else read it before presenting the manuscript to an editor. In closing, I will say complicated scenes crafted in the tradition of intricate comedy routine from masters like Charlie Chaplin, are worth the effort.