On the importance of Narrative Drive
Narrative drive can be found in all forms of storytelling. It's what pulls readers through a story, keeping them wondering what is going to happen next.
There are two ways to talk about narrative drive. One is incredibly complicated and technical and one is pretty straighforward. Those of you who are familiar with my writing and my thought process can probably guess that I'm going to take the straightforward approach. Not that I think that there is no merit to knowing and understanding the minutiae of the writing process, it's just that I believe we can get all the information we need on narrative drive in the broad strokes.
Simply put, narrative drive is what keeps the reader reading. We've all had those nights where we're clinging to our book as our eyes start to slip shut and we snap them open to re-read the same sentence for the fifth time. That's the kind of dedication that narrative drive can bring out in a reader. So how do we, as writers, accomplish this?
There are two main aspects to narrative drive. The first aspect is the one I see covered all the time and, in my opinion, it's of lesser importance than the second reason, which I almost never see talked about.
The first aspect is story questions. Those things that you're whispering to yourself as you read the book. There are the big questions (will Luke and the rebels beat the empire) which are connected to the main arc of the story, and then there are the small questions (will Darth Vader or Obi Wan win this lightsaber battle) which are connected to the action of a certain scene.
The big question should be ever present in your story until the climax. Not that it needs to be stated on every page, but rather that it informs the action of the story. This big question is what leads the story from the opening scene to the next scene to the next...and so on in a logical order. What comes before is what drives what comes next.
The small questions are what give each scene a narrative tension. And keep in mind that by tension I'm not just talking about adventure stories or thrillers or horror. There can be just as much (or more) tension in a romantic scene or a character building scene. The key is that there is something at stake, whether it be life and death or romance or rejection or friendship or hatred. There should always be something at stake in every scene and our hope or dread of what will happen will drive a reader to turn the page.
The second aspect of narrative drive is character connection. This, to me, is the most important aspect of not only narrative drive but of your entire story. If I don't care about your characters then I won't bother asking myself any questions about them. Why should I care if they live or die? Why should I care what the stakes are if I don't care about the characters?
That's why I think this is the most important aspect, it is the underpinning for everything else in your book or movie or television show. When people complain about a movie being shallow or forgettable or having no heart, what they're complaining about is that they don't care about the characters. This is one of the things wrong with Michael Bay's Transformers movies. We are never given any reason to care about the characters and we never connect with them. Therefore none of the danger seems real and we ultimately don't care about the story.
So if you want to build narrative drive then you must remember to make us connect to your characters. Let us to get to know them and get to love or hate them. Then give them an ultimate goal and drive each scene with story questions that create tension. That's the basics to how to write a successful story. Now actually doing all that with style is the hard part, but that's where your talent comes in. And, trust me, you have the talent, so put in the drive.
There are two ways to talk about narrative drive. One is incredibly complicated and technical and one is pretty straighforward. Those of you who are familiar with my writing and my thought process can probably guess that I'm going to take the straightforward approach. Not that I think that there is no merit to knowing and understanding the minutiae of the writing process, it's just that I believe we can get all the information we need on narrative drive in the broad strokes.
Simply put, narrative drive is what keeps the reader reading. We've all had those nights where we're clinging to our book as our eyes start to slip shut and we snap them open to re-read the same sentence for the fifth time. That's the kind of dedication that narrative drive can bring out in a reader. So how do we, as writers, accomplish this?
There are two main aspects to narrative drive. The first aspect is the one I see covered all the time and, in my opinion, it's of lesser importance than the second reason, which I almost never see talked about.
The first aspect is story questions. Those things that you're whispering to yourself as you read the book. There are the big questions (will Luke and the rebels beat the empire) which are connected to the main arc of the story, and then there are the small questions (will Darth Vader or Obi Wan win this lightsaber battle) which are connected to the action of a certain scene.
The big question should be ever present in your story until the climax. Not that it needs to be stated on every page, but rather that it informs the action of the story. This big question is what leads the story from the opening scene to the next scene to the next...and so on in a logical order. What comes before is what drives what comes next.
The small questions are what give each scene a narrative tension. And keep in mind that by tension I'm not just talking about adventure stories or thrillers or horror. There can be just as much (or more) tension in a romantic scene or a character building scene. The key is that there is something at stake, whether it be life and death or romance or rejection or friendship or hatred. There should always be something at stake in every scene and our hope or dread of what will happen will drive a reader to turn the page.
The second aspect of narrative drive is character connection. This, to me, is the most important aspect of not only narrative drive but of your entire story. If I don't care about your characters then I won't bother asking myself any questions about them. Why should I care if they live or die? Why should I care what the stakes are if I don't care about the characters?
That's why I think this is the most important aspect, it is the underpinning for everything else in your book or movie or television show. When people complain about a movie being shallow or forgettable or having no heart, what they're complaining about is that they don't care about the characters. This is one of the things wrong with Michael Bay's Transformers movies. We are never given any reason to care about the characters and we never connect with them. Therefore none of the danger seems real and we ultimately don't care about the story.
So if you want to build narrative drive then you must remember to make us connect to your characters. Let us to get to know them and get to love or hate them. Then give them an ultimate goal and drive each scene with story questions that create tension. That's the basics to how to write a successful story. Now actually doing all that with style is the hard part, but that's where your talent comes in. And, trust me, you have the talent, so put in the drive.
No comments have been added yet.
