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Author - Fiction Tip—Dr. Marian October 24,...
Author - Fiction Tip—Dr. Marian
October 24, 2017
ACHIEVING UNITY IN FICTION
When writing a work of fiction, it is important to keep your mind on the entire structure. It helps to think of your novel as a tapestry with colored strands interwoven to create a balanced design that tells a story.
If the weaver takes some strands and begins to start working in a side panel of the tapestry and continues weaving different designs on various side panels, the main section will lose its centrality of focus as an organizing principle, and the completed tapestry will lack cohesion and balance.
In the same way a fictional novel must have a central theme which is woven throughout and connects all minor subplots with its central core. Too many writers begin well, but gradually drift into tangents which take on a life of their own and relate to the central theme only marginally with the result that what began as a novel ends up as a potpourri of disconnected stories. Sometimes when a writer nears the final pages he or she begins to see the problem and attempts to solve it at this late date by collecting threads of the various subplots and trying to interweave them into some sort of interrelated unity. This never works because the threads are inclined, as in a tapestry, to get tangled up with one another. The process of interconnection must continue throughout the plot development so as not to lose the main focus.
Once a writer has settled on a central theme the first section can begin to be composed. A good way to start is to present the main character and give at least a glimpse of the conflict in which he or she will be engaged. The reader will now be drawn into the theme, and the plot can be developed and expanded. At this point subplots may be introduced as stemming from the main theme and as further developments of it. Occasionally a separate subplot may be introduced whose connection and relevance to the central theme is not made evident until subsequent chapters, but it is never to be left hanging outside on its own as a separate diversion.
Finally, the novel’s conclusion should connect all the preceding elements into a logical organized presentation revealing a solution, or a summation, and dénouement.
About Dr. Marian E. O’Meara - © 2017 | EditingYourWay.com
Teacher, School Administrator, English Linguistic Analyst | Freelance Editor | Online Editor
Education
· BA Humanities (Liberal Arts) Gwynedd-Mercy College, PA
· MA Theology - St. Bonaventure University, NY
· EdD Education; PD Administration & Supervision - Fordham University, NYC, NY
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