Fiction First Aid

by Obstfeld, Raymond

• ISBN13: 9781582973401
• ISBN10: 1582973407
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-11-30
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Table of Contents

chapter one: Plot	1	(64)
Symptom: "Writer's block"
Common Ailment
The Flypaper Effect.	2	(22)
Overwhelmed by all the plot possibilities, the writer is stuck, unsure what should happen next.
CASE STUDY: PLOT-DRIVEN VS, CHARACTER-DRIVEN STORIES	14	(1)
CASE STUDY: CHINATOWN'S ENDING	18	(6)
Symptom: Predictable plots
Common Ailments
Rushing.	24	(2)
Where do you come up with your ideas so quickly? From the thousands of story plots filed in your head from every other story you've seen or read.
Underexposure.	26	(1)
We distinguish bad writing from good by comparing it to other works in the same genre. The more works you're exposed to, the better idea you have about the quality of your work.
Overly Mechanical Plots (Joseph Campbell Syndrome)	27	(9)
Connect-the-dots plots that are just as predictable and dull as if they'd been stolen from Plots 'R' Us.
CASE STUDY: FRESH PLOTTING, STALE PLOTTING	34	(2)
Symptom: Ho-hum suspense
Common Ailments
Uninvolving characters.	36	(1)
Characters don't have to be likable to be involving, but they do need to generate empathy in the reader. To do that, readers need to know why characters are the way they are.
Low Stakes.	37	(15)
Readers don't care sufficiently about the characters or see the events as important enough to read on.
Symptom: Flat payoff scenes
Common Ailments
Promising Too Much.	52	(3)
When the plot promises more than can reasonably be delivered, the reader feels let down.
Paying Off Too Little.	55	(11)
The key payoff scenes of the story do not meet readers' expectations either in emotional intensity, plot clarity or thematic development.
chapter two: Characterization	65	(50)
Symptom: Contrived pivotal action
Common Ailment
Insufficient Character Motivation.	66	(7)
Character's motivations are not defined enough to make actions believable.
Symptom: Flat scenes, predictable traits
Common Ailment
Cardboard Minor Characters.	73	(16)
Minor characters are too thinly developed.
Symptom: Low stakes, bland personality
Common Ailment
Uninvolving Protagonist.	89	(11)
Protagonist isn't likable or compelling enough.
Symptom: One-dimensional antagonist, overly evil antagonist
Common Ailment
Stereotypical Antagonist/Villain.	100	(16)
Everything the character does or says is predictable.
chapter three: Setting	115	(24)
Symptom: Underdescription/overdescription
Common Ailment
Wallpaper Settings.	116	(13)
Misused setting that is either
(1) bland wallpaper that just lies passively in the background, not actively contributing to the story; or
(2) gaudy wallpaper that screams for attention and distracts the reader from the story.
Symptom: Description overload
Common Ailment
Clumping.	129	(3)
Chunks of description thrown into a scene slow readers down and detract from the overall effect. Readers may skip these sections to get back into the story.
Symptom: Low-impact settings, off-beat pacing
Common Ailment
Wrong-Address Settings.	132	(8)
Settings that aren't the best possible choice to heighten all the elements of that particular scene. Conventional, predictable scenes qualify too.
chapter four: Style	139	(32)
Symptom: Bland phrasing; writing that echoes published writers but is less effective
Common Ailments
No Style.	140	(3)
Writer is not experienced enough to have developed a style.
Clichéd or Imitative Style.	143	(3)
Writer lacks voice to distinguish his style.
Symptoms: Monotonous phrasing; overwritten and confusing passages; muddled details
Common Ailment
Inappropriate Style.	146	(12)
Style is inappropriate for the effect it's supposed to achieve.
Symptoms: Oversimplified, emotionally shallow characters; major cross-gender characters who seem minor; inaccurate gender-specific details
Common Ailment
Unconvincing Cross-Gender POVs	158	(16)
Difficulty capturing the voice of characters who are not the same gender as the author.
chapter five: Theme	171	(61)
Symptoms: Melodrama; narrow, plot-centered focus
Common Ailment
Insufficient Intellectual Involvement.	174	(3)
Writer focuses on emotionally involving personal characters at the expense of intellectual involvement, which allows readers to contemplate universal truths and connections to their own lives.
Symptom: Noticeable lack, or overbearing use, of symbols
Common Ailment
Crash Symbols.	177	(4)
The writer ignores symbols completely, leaving readers to draw their own conclusions (and leaving other thematic elements to pick up the slack), or puts them on center stage as the concert percussionist crashes the cymbals.
Symptom: Imitative theme
Common Ailment
The Photocopy Effect.	181	(51)
Story has no substance. It seems imitative, like a pale photocopy of better stories.
CASE STUDY: GROUNDHOG DAY	197	(1)
CASE STUDY: WHAT MAKES "A&P" NATURALIST	210	(22)
chapter six: The Writer's Life	232
How can I find more time to write?.	232	(6)
How can I tell if what I'm writing is good?	238	(3)
How much outlining do I have to do?	241	(5)
How can I get the most out of a writing workshop?	246	(9)
What is the best way to revise my manuscript?	255	(23)
How can I improve my own writing by reading fiction?	278