We all
have a foundation around our homes, hopefully a strong one. Without it, the
house can’t stand.
And we
are given foundations during our childhoods, some good, some lacking in sound
principles. The results become evident as we go into the world as adults and
interact with one another.
A
strong spiritual foundation serves to create leaders on many levels without
which our society grows stronger or weaker. Our hearts and action left empty or
full.
While
we recognize such obvious and necessary building blocks, we often miss the mark
when it comes to our writing.
Our writing?!?
Absolutely. There is fundamental structure and foundation to each story that is
written. How great would a romance novel be without a girl and a guy? Without
conflict? Without a kiss? Would we care about the romance if we weren’t given
details about the reasoning behind our characters’ personal turmoil? If they
had no motivation for their actions?
How
about a serial killer who simply woke up one day and decided to kill 20 people?
No reason, no provocation, just a switch that goes off from no motive
whatsoever. Would he be believable?
Could
you get caught up in a whodunit without a body?
So ask
yourself with the start of each new novel: is there a strong foundation for
your story? Do your characters have motivation for their actions? Is the plot
built on solid ground? Will your reader believe what you’ve written?
6 comments:
Sometimes I have to go back and shore up my literary foundations!
I hear you. After the year we've had with our house and it's foundation, I've had to go back and work on ALL of mine.
As a reader I definitely have to believe the characters. If not, I quit reading. Many a submission that crosses my desk gets a rejection because of the things you have mentioned here.
Amen, Diana. So have I. And with writing that could have been stellar.
Great analogy, Linda! Thanks for the visual.
While fighting with the company that did our foundation work, the idea came easily when I realized how a poor job causes problems, in all foundation areas of our lives. Thanks, Karla.
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