Who Woulda Thought?
Yes, today should have been a post continuing the Critical Reading series, but there’s another drama that has unfolded recently that is close to my heart.
It’s a story for the ages—a story of starting on top, falling, climbing back to the top, falling again, then with one final surge, gaining what everyone thought was out of reach.
Yes, I’m talking about LSU’s bid to the National Championship game January 7, 2008!
This has been the best—and worst—college football season ever.
Best because of its unpredictability—never before have so many top-ranked teams fallen to underdogs. Best because of those underdogs coming in and showing the top-dogs their positions aren’t guaranteed any longer (such as Central Florida and Appalacian State). Best because of the drama that unfolded just this weekend—LSU needed three things to happen to leapfrog from the Sugar Bowl to the National Championship game . . . and only one was in LSU’s control.
But even with as thrilled as I am that ‘my boys’ are going to the Big Dance, this could be considered the worst football season ever because of the controversy that surrounds the entire system of rankings and determining a national champion. It’s the worst season because rather than talking about how well teams have done, the commentators and sportscasters/writers have focused on the negatives of the system; they’ve spent more time speculating who’s in and who’s out and why this team should be ranked over that team and who “deserves” to go to the championship and who’s the “best” team, that the joy of watching one’s team win is tarnished. It’s also been the worst season because of what the media did to Les Miles and the LSU team with all the speculation of whether or not Les would be at LSU next year—including ESPN publicizing a report the morning of the SEC Championship game that he would definitely be leaving to take the coaching job at Michigan . . . again, taking the focus away from what’s most important: the game. The speculation and what-ifs and controversy have stolen from the players the enjoyment and accolades they should be receiving.
I am all for changing to playoffs—setting up an NFL-type playoff system with the conference champions going head-to-head until only two teams are still standing. It still won’t be perfect, but it’ll be better than it is now, when even the BCS doesn’t obey their own guidelines. (Prime example: The 1st place team in the SEC is supposed to have an automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl unless that team goes to the national championship, in which case the bid goes to the #2 team. Well, Tennessee is officially the #2 team in the SEC, having gone to, but lost, the SEC Championship game because they beat Georgia earlier in the year. But Georgia is the team going to the Sugar Bowl.)
College football will never have a perfect system to determine a national champ. There are too many teams, too many variables.
But for my LSU Tigers, no one could have scripted our season any better . . . from seemingly impossible, last-second wins to dramatic triple-overtime losses (making us the only team other than Hawaii undefeated in regulation play) to the drama and anxiety of the announcement that we are in the big game—if someone had written it as a story, no one would have found it believable.
Just goes to prove once more that life is stranger than fiction.
Fun Friday–My Life from A to Z
I swiped this from Patricia’s blog . . .
My Life from A to Z
A – Age: 36
B – Best Friend: My mom. Ever since I lived with my parents after I dropped out of college at age 21, my mom and I have been really close. She’s the person I go to with everything.
C – Choice of Meat: Beef. Preferably steak, but pretty much any cut of beef will do, so long as it’s rare to medium-rare. Prime rib and T-bones are my favorite cuts. Duck comes in at a close second.
D – Dream Date: Any. I’ve never dated so have never been out on a date. But something pretty traditional—dinner at a comfortable restaurant (not one of those fru-fru/expensive/ultra-trendy places) and then either a show at TPAC or a movie—and then a couple of hours sitting in the car (or on the front porch) just talking afterward.
E – Exciting Adventure: Every time I write a novel. As someone who’s not adventurous at all, that’s where I get most of my excitement.
F – Favorite Food: (see Choice of Meat above for individual dish.) Favorite “genre” of food is Mexican.
G – Greatest Accomplishment: Completing my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as a nontraditional adult student while working full time.
H – Happiest Day of Your Life: So far, my grad-school graduation.
I – Interests: Writing, movies, reading, football (as I said, I don’t lead a very adventurous life)
J – Joke: Two blondes walked into a bar—CLANK!
K – Kool-Aid: Green (lime, I think) and Red (cherry). Grape makes me nauseated.
L – Love: Mom and Dad and their constant, unwavering support.
M – Most Valued Possession: I’d have to say my computer, because it’s where all my stories are and how I communicate with most of the people in my life.
N – Name: Katherine Nell. “Kathy” or “Kat” to my family and people I met before 1996. “Kaye” to friends/professionally. “Kiki” to my closest friends from grad school. “Kitten” to my mom.
O – Outfit You Love: Black yoga/“exercise” pants, long-sleeved, logoed t-shirt, and furry house-shoes. I put this on every night when I get home and live in it on the weekends (yes, the pants and shirts get washed OFTEN).
P – Pizza Toppings: Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and jalapenos for a traditional “red” pizza. Spinach and mushrooms for a “white” pizza. And Rosemary Chicken for a California Pizza Kitchen “gourmet” pizza. Oh, and Bleu cheese, spinach, and mushrooms for a pizza at DaVinci’s (a local Nashville restaurant).
Q – Question Asked to You the Most: “How did you get to be so gorgeous?” But seriously, “Does this need a comma?”
R – Radio Station: My radios at home and in the car are all tuned to NPR.
S – Sport: LSU Football
T – Television Show: Right now, Heroes. In February, it will be LOST.
U – Umbrella in the rain?: I have naturally curly/frizzy hair, so I always use an umbrella. And almost always wear my raincoat too.
V – Video: Since I don’t watch music videos, I’ll say my favorite DVD is . . . um . . . er . . . well, since I can’t name just one favorite, the one I’ve watched most often recently is A Christmas Story.
W – Winter: Second favorite season (to Autumn). Football bowl games, wearing sweaters and long sleeves, not having to shave my legs every day (because I’m always wearing jeans/pants not skirts or capris), the relief from the heat of summer, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, and, of course, the holidays!
X – X-rays recently?: Yes–chest x-ray in September
Y – Year Born: 1971
Z – Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Critical Reading: YOU Ask the Questions
Before we continue on with elements to look for/question in your critical reading, it’s time for you to develop some questions. I thought of this last night as I played “Addicted to Harry Potter” trivia on Facebook.
Write a quiz about the book you’re reading.
Remember the quizzes we had to take in school over every book/story/poem we were assigned to read? Well, now it’s your turn to write one. If you were going to write a quiz for others to answer about the book (keeping in mind the intended age/audience of the book), what questions would you ask? Make sure to ask them in such a way that they’re open ended—that they don’t just require a yes/no or true/false answer. No fill-in-the-blanks, either! And they can have subjective/opinion answers.
For example:
- In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, what does the inscription “The last thing that shall be destroyed is death” mean?
Name five items that are introduced early in the series that become important in Deathly Hallows. How were they introduced/used earlier? Did you suspect they might become important in the end, or did Rowling do a good job of hiding them/their true purpose?
Is there another fantasy/sci-fi story/movie you can think of where one of the main characters leaves and then comes back at a crucial moment to save the life of another main character? How do the stories compare? Do you think Rowling got the idea for it from that story/movie?
What is the significance of the “code names” used for characters on the Potterwatch wireless program (especially Lupin/Romulus)?
Compare Harry Potter’s hero’s journey to Frodo Baggins’ hero’s journey. Compare HP’s journey to Luke Skywalker’s journey. Did Rowling stick closely to the standard storyline for a fantasy hero’s journey? If not, where did she diverge?
Did Rowling wrap up all subplots? If so, were the conclusions satisfactory? If not, how would you have liked to see them wrapped up?
What is Ron Weasley’s character arc? How does he change over the course of the series/in Deathly Hallows?
Is it realistic that Harry would name his son after Severus Snape after six years of Snape’s torturing him?
And so on . . .
Post a couple of your questions here and if any of us have read the same book, we’ll try to answer—and you can even grade us on our answers!
Critical Reading: “Why Learn to Analyze Fiction?” by MaryAnn Diorio, Ph.D.
You, my dear bloggers, are in for a great treat. Our guest columnist today is a fellow ACFW member whose background in comparative literature gives her greater insight into critical reading than I’ll ever be able to share with you!
Why Learn to Analyze Fiction?
by MaryAnn Diorio, Ph.D.
www.maryanndiorio.com
I’ve read with keen interest Kaye’s great posts on the critical reading of fiction, partly because I want to learn all I can about fiction writing, and partly because she asked me to write today’s post and I didn’t want to come across as clueless regarding what’s been transpiring on this awesome blog. Have you ever jumped into a conversation mid-stream and embarrassed yourself? Do I hear a weak “yes”? Well, then, you know exactly what I mean.
Anyway, Kaye has given me the honor of talking a bit about why I think writers should learn how critically and objectively to analyze the work of other published writers. As someone who spent years doing this as both a Master and a Ph.D. student in Comparative Literature (with a concentration on the novel) and a former university professor who has taught writing courses, I’d like to share with you some of my insights.
It’s one thing to read a novel; it’s quite another to dissect it. Whereas simple reading provides entertainment, dissecting a novel provides an understanding of how that novel was constructed. And knowing how a novel is constructed is crucial to writing one. I call this dissection process modeling.
Modeling, as I define it, is the process of analyzing a novel for the purpose of writing one oneself. Analyzing a novel for other purposes is called literary criticism. Basically, literary criticism is the act of evaluating, understanding, and interpreting an author’s writing for the purpose of appreciating it more fully, not usually for the purpose of writing a novel oneself.
In today’s blog post, we are going to focus on modeling as we explore why it is important for fiction writers to develop the critical and objective analytical skills essential to understanding how to write fiction. Here are some key reasons:
1. Structural Understanding. We analyze in order to understand. When I was a little girl, I enjoyed taking things apart and then putting them back together again. I wanted to understand not only the individual parts but also how those parts fit together and worked together. The same is true of novel analysis. We take a novel apart to understand its individual parts (characters, plot, theme, etc.) and to understand how those parts fit together and work together. It takes this kind of understanding to write a story.
2. Language Understanding. Modeling gives the writer an understanding of the author’s use of language. This use includes literary devices such as metaphor, simile, synecdoche, and personification, among others. Because fiction employs a host of literary devices that create a particular effect, knowing how to analyze a work of fiction helps the writer focus on those language devices that will enhance her own fiction writing and render it more powerful and memorable.
3. Character Formation. Characters drive fiction and are its raison d’être. As we analyze an author’s characters, we observe whether a character is strong or weak and why. We note how the author used dialogue, backstory, pacing, and tension to create his character. As we learn what another author did to create powerful characters, we are better able to create powerful characters of our own.
4. Theme Recognition. Another reason to learn how critically and objectively to analyze a published author’s work is to understand how an author weaves theme into his fiction. Theme is organic to a novel. It grows from the inside out and often emerges without the author’s conscious awareness. As you write your own novels, you may know your theme when you start, but sometimes the theme will not become evident until the novel is finished.
It is a well-known fact that we learn by doing. Dissecting a novel is halfway between reading one and writing one. But how you handle that halfway point can make all the difference in your reaching your final destination.
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© 2007 by MaryAnn Diorio, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
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MaryAnn Diorio, Follower of Christ
Novelist & Poet
Truth through Fiction ®
2006 ACFW Genesis Contest
Third Place-General Fiction
Visit www.maryanndiorio.com
Critical Reading: As You Read (Characters)
As promised, today I’ll give you a list of questions to consider about characters as you read. If you need a refresher on what makes characters credible, check out the Creating Credible Characters series.
- What is each POV character’s goal, motivation, and conflict?
- Is each POV character well-developed and three-dimensional?
- Are secondary characters realistic and completely developed? Are they necessary? Do any secondary characters steal scenes from the main characters? Are there any secondary characters whose roles could be combined to cut down on the number of characters?
- What are the conflicts that arise to keep the characters from reaching their goals?
- Do you care about the characters and what they’re going through?
- Do the characters have a PHYSICAL presence in each scene? (Do you see them through movement, actions, and description?)
- Is each character’s internal conflict realistic and believable?
- Is there ever a time when a character does something out-of-character for the way the author developed him/her?
- Does any character ever become whiney or overly angst-ridden in such a way that they just come across as annoying? Do you ever find yourself wishing they would just shut up!!!?
- Are the character’s strengths and weaknesses real? Are they used to good effect as the character meets conflicts?
- Do you like the main characters enough to want to read a sequel featuring them?
- If a sequel featured one or more of the secondary characters, would you want to read it?
- What do you like best about the characters?
- What do you like least about the characters?
- Is there one (or more) character(s) you think the author should have left out?
- If you could steal one character from this book and use him/her in your own story, which one would it be? Why?
Critical Reading: As You Read (in General)
Hey, all! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with too much food and tons of love and loved ones. I had a great time in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with my family, including spending Friday at my uncle’s home watching LSU’s chance at this year’s National Championship slip away. (But I still love my boys—and it’s awfully hard to be mad when the Arkansas defensive player who sacks our quarterback is named Weston DACUS!)
Did you get any reading done over the holiday? I did. I took two books with me—one that’s the book I’ve chosen to read critically and one which was supposed to be saved to read afterward for pleasure. Why did I take it? Because I have no willpower. So, I ended up reading James Patterson’s The Lake House over the long weekend. It was enjoyable, but not quite as good as the first book (When the Wind Blows). It felt really good to knock out a book in less than four days, as reading for pleasure is something I’ve struggled with since learning to become a critical reader. So, again, I’ll give the caveat that while critical reading is important, don’t forget how to read for pleasure too!
What to look for as you read.
Now we’re going to get into some more nit-picky areas/questions to consider as you continue reading your book for critical review.
- Do you notice any word/language patterns and/or repetitions that don’t work or become distracting? Does the author have a tendency to use clichéd language? Overuse similies? Use mixed-metaphors? Is there anything about the technical aspect of the choice of language that pulls you out of the story or you feel isn’t used well/is overused?
- Does the author stay consistent with authorial voice/tone throughout the book? Is there ever a time when you feel like you’re all of a sudden reading something written by someone else?
- If there is more than one POV character, does each have a unique voice, or do they all “sound” alike?
- Is the dialogue natural? Does it match the time period/region? Is it appropriate for the characters? Is it different from the narrative? Do all the characters use grammatically correct sentence structure when they speak? Do POV characters’ dialogue match their narrative? If the author uses phonetic spellings for dialect, is it distracting? Do you have to read the dialects aloud to figure out what it says?
- Is the author staying true to the theme you picked up on in the first chapter? Or now that you’ve read further, have you adjusted your concept of what the theme of the story actually is?
- Has anything surprised you in a good way?
- Has anything surprised you in a bad way?
- What are the subplots? Do they support the main plot or distract from it? Can you make connections between the subplot and the main plot, or does it seem totally random?
- Does the story drag anywhere? Do you find yourself skimming passages or wanting to put the book down because you’re losing interest?
- Does each chapter end with a hook that makes you want to read more?
- Did the author do adequate research? Does the author come across as an authority on the subject / occupation / time period / technology / etc. used in the book?
- Is there ever a time when you feel like the author is trying to teach a lesson or get a personal message across?
- If it is an inspirational/Christian novel, is the faith element woven in naturally, or does the author come across as “preachy”?
Next time: what to look for with Characters.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Write Place, Write Time is taking a short break for the Thanksgiving holiday, so I wanted to take the opportunity to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving full of blessings and love. I thought I would also pass along a message from my mom about what I can look forward to for Thanksgiving with the family . . .
Just a note to let you know we are hoping to see you Thanksgiving Day. But….
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I’m telling you in advance, so don’t act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won’t be coming, I’ve made a few small changes:
Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper-bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I’ve gotten the grandkids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.
We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I’m sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims, and the turkey hotline. Please remember that
most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.
As accompaniment to the children’s recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don’t own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We’ve also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door.
Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress “private” meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that “passing the rolls” is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.
Oh, and one reminder for the adults . . . for the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.
Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice: take it or leave it. I hope you aren’t too disappointed that Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won’t come next year either.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!
Critical Reading: “Question-Storming!” by Dr. Michael Arnzen
I’m pleased today to welcome guest columnist Dr. Michael Arnzen. Dr. Arnzen is one of the driving forces behind the Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill University, where I had the pleasure of taking several classes from him as well as a few critiquing workshops he’s led, and I’m so honored to be able to pass along some of his wisdom.
“QUESTION-STORMING!”
by Michael A. Arnzen
www.gorelets.com
Every drop of ink that you see on a page is a choice that a writer has made. That choice has a motive. A reason. A rationale. Thus, critical reading is — at its base — a search for that reason. It simply involves ASKING THE QUESTION WHY.
I always read with a pen in hand, taking notes in the margins of my books. I enjoy defacing them, taking control of them, and treating them like learning tools. This might sound like it robs the pleasure out of reading, but it actually has its own pleasures and rewards. Writers are always reading other writers as “studies in the craft,” and we learn a lot from each other along the way.
For me, “critical reading” typically means bouncing a question off the page of a book and following its trajectory to see where it lands. Sometimes the question takes me back to pages I’d already read, or into other works by a writer. Sometimes it takes me into my own memories and life experiences. Sometimes it sends me to the keyboard to write, or to my pen so I can write in the margins.
But the question is almost inevitably a WHY question. Here are typical examples:
- WHY did the writer start this scene with dialogue?
- WHY did the writer call sky “azure” instead of just plain “blue”?
- WHY is the character named “Spring”? What does an allusion to this season accomplish?
- WHY did the writer use a one sentence paragraph here?
- WHY does the villain shoot the character in the chest as opposed to elsewhere?
- WHY does this character always smoke a cigarette when they step outside?
- WHY is this book’s title a pun with a double meaning? Are there other meanings to it?
- WHY do mystery books always focus on WHOdunit, when what matters is often HOW?
- WHY did I hate the lead character’s love interest so much?
- WHY is it snowing in this scene? Is the snow symbolic of something?
- WHY did the book end with a question?
From the mundane and minute to the big picture, I constantly ask “WHY?” — and though you can probably imagine an annoying little kid doing this, too, tugging on the hem of your coat (“Why is the sky blue, Mommy? But why that? And why this?”) — often we learn by exploring POSSIBLE ANSWERS to these questions.
Reading like this becomes habitual if you do it often enough. But if you don’t feel like you’re this sort of “critical reader” you might want to take a moment out of each reading session (say, at the end of a chapter or three of a book) to just do what I call “Question-storming.” It’s sort of like brainstorming, where — with pen in hand — you try to dump all your ideas out onto the page. Only in this case, you’re trying to formulate as many questions as you can. You can think about the answers later. For now, skim what you’ve read and then write down all the WHY? questions you can come up with somewhere, even if its just in the blank space at the top of the first chapter heading. Or you can skim the text and underline key phrases, words, or sentences and then write “WHY?” in the margins.
Take some time later to review the questions and think about the answers. Any of them could lead to journal entries or moments of quiet reflection. Do whatever works for you. Regardless, when we go through this process, we stumble upon new ways of thinking that we might not have encountered otherwise. We engage in a kind of research and discovery mission. And these studies in motive and reasoning in turn shape how we write.
Indeed, readers (especially readers of mysteries) often are silently asking “Why?” in the back of their minds as they read all along, anyway. But it’s in the BACK. When you critically read, you move that question to the front of your mind and allow it to be the most pressing question at issue for you.
When you write, you can play off the reader’s “guessing game” about motives, by predicting what questions they will be asking about your story, and misdirecting them or revealing to them answers that they might not have seen coming. You can play off the most predictable “choices” that writers make, and make your way into new ground by choosing unexpected and alternative paths. Getting into a habit of critical reading is a great way to sharpen your skills at the games readers and writers play on that field of sport we call fiction. By gauging the artistic choices that other writers make, we start to question our own motives…and while this can make you a little paranoid, most writers who do this find they ultimately write with a greater sense of purpose.
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Dr. Michael A. Arnzen (www.gorelets.com) has taught horror and suspense writing in the Writing Popular Fiction graduate program at Seton Hill University since 1999. His latest projects include a collection of short stories (Proverbs for Monsters) and a spoken word CD (Audiovile). His article on higher education for the horror writer, “Degrees of Dread,” appears in the recent book from Writer’s Digest, On Writing Horror (edited by Mort Castle).
Critical Reading: Take Three
When we submit a proposal to an editor or agent, we submit the first three chapters of our novel along with the synopsis and marketing summary. So, taking a break for reflection after reading the first three chapters* is called for. Many of these questions you will want to ask repeatedly as you read further too. And again, I’ll mention that you don’t have to ask/answer all of these questions to be an effective critical reader. I’m just trying to cover all the bases.
What is the main conflict of the plot? Most writing craft books tell us that we need to establish the main conflict early on. If you’ve read through three chapters, you should be able to identify what the driving conflict of the story is. If you cannot, how are you feeling about the book so far? Is it an enjoyable read? Is it compelling even without a clear-cut conflict? If you can identify the main conflict, is it realistic? Does it seem big enough to support an entire novel?
Are there any discernable subplots yet? You aren’t always going to see/recognize subplots by the end of the third chapter, but hopefully the author is laying the foundation for them already.
Is the story keeping your interest? That’s one of the things editors/agents look for in those all-important first three chapters—do they want to keep reading? Did you have a hard time stopping at the end of the third chapter, or was it too easy to put down?
How well has the author developed the setting? By the end of the third chapter, you should be firmly grounded in the physical setting of the story. Without looking, what’s the name of the city/town/territory/planet where the main action takes place? Do you get a good sense of the scale and size? Have you experienced it with all five senses? Does it come across as a three-dimensional space, or just like a dressed stage that the characters are moving around on occasionally?
Has the author established clear POV? Is it 3rd/limited/past-tense, 1st/limited/present-tense, or headhopping/omniscient? Does the author stick with it or tend to waver?
How many POV characters are used? By the end of the third chapter, for the most part, the main POV characters should have had at least one scene. There may be one or two introduced later, but your main main characters should already have had a scene. If there is more than one POV character, do they all tie into either the main conflict or an interesting subplot? Do they have unique, individual voices?
Without looking back at the book or your notes, what is (are) the main character(s) name(s)? Have you gotten to know the POV characters well enough through three chapters that their names come easily to mind? What do the main characters look like? Does the narrative give details of their physical appearance or just general hints at what they look like?
What is each main character’s goal, motivation, and conflict? What you identify now as their GMC may not be their actual GMC once you get further into the book and the conflicts and stakes rise more. But you should be able to identify some initial goals, motivations, and conflicts for each POV character by the end of the third chapter.
How many secondary characters are there? Secondary characters are those that are important to the story but who don’t get a POV. Are there just a few or is the book teeming with them? Is the number of secondary characters well-balanced or overwhelming? Do any secondary characters steal the spotlight from the main character?
Do you like the main character(s)? Is each character someone whose head you want to live in for the length of time you’ll be reading this book? What do you like/not like about the main character(s)? If you don’t like the characters, in what way do you hope the author will change them so that you could like them? Do the characters exhibit believable emotions and understandable motives?
Has the author established a clear voice and tone? Does this book read just like the last book you read, or can you tell it’s written by a different author (hopefully you chose a book by a different author than the last book you just finished)? Can you identify what it is this author has done that gives them a unique voice? What about the tone? Is it funny, serious, dark, suspenseful, rollicking . . . ? Do the voice and tone fit with the subject matter of the story?
Did any words/lines stand out to you that you really liked? If this is the first time you’ve read anything by this particular author, be looking for how they compose their sentences, what turns of phrase they use, how fresh their language is, and their choice of vocabulary. (Hope you were using your highlighter as you read!)
Did anything confuse you? Was there ever a time when you were reading that you didn’t understand what the author was trying to describe—something in the setting, something in the action, or just an unusual wording that made you stop reading and go back to re-read to try to comprehend it? How would you fix it?
Is there a good balance between dialogue and narrative? Is there enough narrative to support the action and keep the story moving without being so overwhelming that there’s nothing else going on but internal thoughts of the character? (Think about the movie Castaway . . . even though he was on an island alone, he still had dialogue.) Is the dialogue natural or stilted? Is the author able to relay important information through dialogue without it coming across as a lecture or one character saying something to another character they already know? Is the dialogue appropriate for the region/era in which the book is set? For the characters’ education and socio-economic status?
Does the writer use terminology you’re unfamiliar with? (Did you write down the words?) Were you able to figure out what the term means in the context in which it’s used? Does the author do this only once or repeatedly? If there are several terms you’ve written down that you don’t understand, how does that make you feel as a reader? Are they technical terms (such as Tom Clancy describing a specific piece of technology), historical/military/nautical terms (such as the description of a crew on a ship preparing to set sail), or just vocabulary words you’re unfamiliar with? Do the unfamiliar terms help set the scene/build the world of the story or do they seem to be there just because the author is showing off?
Do you want to keep reading this book? This is the most important thing to ask yourself at this juncture (remembering you’ve made a commitment to read it all the way through no matter what). Has the author written an intriguing enough story in three chapters that you want to find out what happens?
*I just finished reading a James Patterson novel where each chapter was, at most, three pages long. If you’ve chosen a book like this, read through about page 30-35 (to a chapter break) and do this then.
Believe it or not, there’s still a lot more to cover on this topic—and I hope to have some words from some special guests as well. I’ll be posting through Wednesday this week, then taking a break to visit with my family (and watch some LSU football!!!) over the holiday.
Internal Dialogue
There’s quite a discussion going on over on Chip MacGregor’s blog about whether or not to use italics for direct internal thought in narrative. It should come as no surprise to anyone who’s a regular reader here that I’ve blogged about my thoughts on this in the past, so due to the high interest in this topic, I’m reposting my original article (originally posted March 2006):
I’ve run across a couple of people recently who’ve asked about the difference between using italicized direct internal thoughts versus using deep 3rd person POV incorporating the internal thoughts. Because I write in DEEP 3rd, when I read someone’s work (published or unpublished) that tends to use a lot of direct internal dialogue, I begin to feel like the author is patronizing the reader’s grasp of being in the character’s head—or that the author just doesn’t have a good grasp of what deep 3rd is really all about. Here is an example of deep 3rd person point of view incorporating the characters internal dialogue from the opening of my contemporary romance Stand-In Groom:
- Nothing like running late to make a wonderful first impression.
Anne Hawthorne left a voicemail message for her blind date as to her tardiness, and crossed her office to the gilt-framed mirror that reflected the view of Towne Square from the converted row-house’s front windows. At a buzzing jolt against her waist she flinched, smearing her lipstick.
Great.
The vibrating cellular phone chimed out the wedding march. A client. She reached for a tissue to repair her mouth while flipping the phone open with her left hand. “Happy Endings Inc., this is Anne Hawthorne.”
I’ve highlighted in red text the “direct” thoughts of this character. “Deep 3rd Person POV” is when the author’s presence isn’t noticed . . . it’s all about being inside the point of view character’s head. I try to avoid phrases such as “she thought,” or “she knew” because that would be me as the author pulling back from the character and just narrating what’s going on. By just delving right into what my character knows, thinks, and feels, I as the author disappear and the character takes over telling the story. Therefore, I choose to use 3rd person for direct thoughts . . . except for passages where I need short, jolting bursts, like this from later in the book:
- She grinned. “I’ll bet there’re a lot of differences in what you’re used to hearing and how we talk down here in Louisiana.” To see him like this—relaxed, casual, and chatty—was addictive. She could imagine spending every Sunday afternoon like this with him. He’s engaged to Courtney Landry.
“No doubt. Just coming to America was more of a culture shock than I had expected. Watching American programs on the telly or American films didn’t prepare me for the differences in casual language.”
Anne slipped off her shoes and pulled her feet up under her. “For instance?” Get up. Leave now. He’s not available. He’s already spoken for.
“I overheard two ladies at dinner a few nights ago gossiping about people they both knew. They would say the most terrible things then follow it up with ‘bless her heart.’”
“Quintessential southern charm.”
George shook his head. “I’ve always found the idiosyncrasies in language fascinating.”
“I believe a lot of it has been perpetuated through regionalized literature. Until the last seventy-five years or so, most authors were published regionally. We didn’t start to have numbers of international best sellers until technology made mass producing books more cost effective…” Anne stopped, embarrassed, at the odd expression on George’s face. Why did she become such a geek around him, running on about something that no one she’d ever known—outside of her professors—had ever shown the least interest in?
“Please continue. Your conclusions are fascinating. It sounds as if you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this.”
Her pulse did the jitterbug. Was he serious? “I used to. My master’s thesis was on the impact of culture on Southern literature of the early twentieth century.”
“You’ve a master’s degree in literature?” George set his book aside, shifted to the edge of his seat, and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.
She tried to swallow the emotion that threatened to cut off her breath. She’d ventured into treacherous territory; he belonged to someone else. I have to get out of here. I have to put an end to anything but a professional relationship between us. “I was about ten hours from finishing when I had to leave school for financial reasons.”
The reason I used Internal Dialogue in the second excerpt is because I needed the impact of the conflict going on inside Anne. Her “inner voice” is in direct confrontation with what she’s doing/wants to do. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always “talk to myself” as I go about my daily business. Deep 3rd Person POV is more of the stream-of-consciousness we each experience as we go through our day, making decisions, learning new tidbits of information, or just processing external stimuli into our thought-patterns. There are times, however, when I do have “direct conversations” with myself, usually when I’m in conflict over something, which is why I only use that technique when I need to show some major internal thought/conflict happening.
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