More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Lisa Cron
Read between
September 3 - September 6, 2017
Mirror neurons allow us to feel what others experience almost as if it were happening to
If you don’t provide your protagonist with a driving deep-seated need that he believes his quest will fulfill, the things that happen will feel random; they won’t add up to anything. Without
Because as we know, the heart of the story doesn’t lie in what happens; it beats in what those events mean to the protagonist.
Adding External Problems Adds Drama Only If They’re Something the Protagonist Must Confront to Overcome Her Issue
Having a firm understanding of what your protagonist’s specific goals and fears mean to her provides you with concrete plot guidelines.
Stories often begin at just that moment, as one of the protagonist’s long-held beliefs is about to be called into question.
“The seeds of the future lie buried in the past.”6
“No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”7 Ditto Robert B. Parker, who says he has no idea where the story is going when he starts writing.8
That’s why, when writing your protagonist’s bio, the goal is to pinpoint two things: the event in his past that knocked his worldview out of alignment, triggering the internal issue that keeps him from achieving his goal; and the inception of his desire for the goal itself.
“My particular ability does not lie in mathematical calculation, but rather in visualizing effects, possibilities, and consequences.”
Feel first. Think second. That’s the magic of story.
There are three main reasons for any sensory detail to be in a story: 1. It’s part of a cause-and-effect trajectory that relates to the plot—Lucy drinks the shake, she passes out. 2. It gives us insight into the character—Lucy’s an unapologetic hedonist headed for trouble. 3. It’s a metaphor—Lucy’s flavor choice represents how she sees the world.
“Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.”15 And a large part of what readers skim, if not skip entirely, is scenery. Setting. Weather.
Because stories are about people, the things that happen to them, and how they react to it. And while setting is where those things take place, so of course it’s vitally important, merely describing the scenery, the town, the weather—regardless of how well written or how interesting it might be in and of itself—stops a story dead in its tracks.
The description of a room should reveal something about the person who lives in it or hint at the whereabouts of
It’s the potential for conflict that gives urgency to everything that happens, underscoring even the most benign events with portent.
Chances are your readers will be several steps ahead of your protagonist, which is exactly where you want them to be.
what Rita wants (Marco’s unadulterated love) versus what is expected of her
antagonist versus mercy
A reveal is a fact that, when it finally comes to light, changes (and in so doing, explains) something—often, that something is “everything.”
in real life there will be a million irrelevant things happening at the same time, whereas in a story there will be nothing that does not in some way affect the cause-and-effect trajectory.
the writer’s job to zero in on the story’s particular “if, then, therefore” pattern and stick with it throughout.
books like Ulysses “send this message to the common reader: Literature is horribly hard to read. And this message to the aspiring young writer: Extreme difficulty is the way to earn respect.”
good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.
in this chapter we’ll explore why you’re actually doing your protagonist a favor by setting her up for a fall (or three or four);
eleven devious ways to undermine your characters’ best-laid plans.
Do make sure your villain has a good side.
“The solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable.”7
The question is, given that all these memories and decisions are influencing your protagonist as she struggles with her issue, how do you, as a writer, weave it all together?
“All first drafts are shit.”
Beneath your overarching timeline, make a corresponding timeline for each major character, charting what they believe is true throughout the story. This will not only reveal exactly
Finally, there is one more person whose shifting beliefs you want to chart: the reader. Ask yourself, scene by scene: what does the reader believe is happening?
What do you think is going to happen next?
Who do you think the important characters are? • What do you think the characters want?
What, if anything, leaps out as a setup? • What information did you think was really important? • What information were you dying to know? • What did you find confusing? (T...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“literary consultant” into Google.
My advice is to make sure the person you hire has a background in publishing—either as an agent or as an editor.
