Autumn in our part of the world is upon us again.. That lead me to thinking about making soup and that lead me to thinking about what goes into soup, and that made me think of good ingredients and then that lead to my thinking about what ingredients go into making a good story.
Soup
starts off reasonably simple: you make a stock, you add your chosen
ingredients based on the kind of soup you want, and then you add some
seasonings. And from that basic start, one can veer off to anything
from a spicy Thai broth to a comforting potato and leek chowder. One
is limited only by one’s imagination and personal taste.
And this brings me around to writing.
I
am fascinated by the choices of genre that appeal to my fellow
Ascribe writers. Some are writing thrillers, some romance, some
fantasy. Some have elements of all of those plus other seasonings, as
it were, such as placing their stories in settings of times long
past, or times far into the future.
But whatever genre you’re
writing, if you think about it, there are also basic ingredients to
a successful novel, regardless of genre. These are the elements that
we writers want to have in the mix of the stories our imaginations
cook up:
recipe for a successful novel
Likeable characters, – or at least interesting if they’re not likable. Easy-to-follow structure. Engaging plot. Interesting subplot(s). Effective but not overused dialogue. Visual description.
get some interesting subplots
Each author brings their own measurements of these ingredients to their work, as do I. I seem to find myself writing more character-driven plots, and then I have to figure out a way to get some interesting subplots going to keep the story from becoming an alternative for a warm glass of milk at night.
brain storm
One of the best things about us getting together is not only to have the wonderful support and encouragement in one’s writing from the group, but also to have the opportunity if we want it to brain storm.
And still using the soup analogy, in the same way you can learn tricks for making a good soup from watching a really good cook, I have picked up some methods to help me make the plot issue become more manageable. I watched someone presenting a storyline on a series of big writing sheets and realised one of the ways I could get a better idea of how to make my sub – plots move along was if I could literally visualise them. And I have been using a large whiteboard at home to do just that. Now we’re cooking with gas!
The
great thing about our writing, – and mine, and yours – is we really
are the top chefs and with our own words can dish up the book we want
to read; be it spicy, thrilling, heartbreaking, romantic, haunting,
or all of those elements listed above in different measures.
Bon
appetit!
