The Secret to Strengthening Your Climactic Scene

Now, the world might end before this post goes up, but I'm going to write it JUST IN CASE. Look at me, going above and beyond. Be proud of me, anti-procrastination gods.

If you think your climax is missing that punch, if you feel your climax needs to be epic, or if you just want a darn good climax (I'm talking about writing, you perverts), heed this secret:

If you want to strengthen your climax, use preparation.

Preparation? What does preparation mean?

Here is one amazing example:

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry is enrolled in a tournament which has three parts to it. Almost the ENTIRE book is spent preparing for the last leg of the race; everything revolves around it. But, neither Harry nor Hermione knows what would really happen in the third leg. Rowling spends a good deal of the book simply gathering excitement for it.

The reader knows something will happen in the last leg. The reader knows something big and something unexpected will happen even if the characters don't know it themselves; this gathers nervous steam for the climax.

Now, making this work requires having your climactic scene coincide with a big event in your novel; the last leg is the climactic scene in Goblet of Fire. This coinciding trick makes the reader anxious for the event to come. It is like seeing a man far in the distance running towards you. Whether the man carries a knife or a gift, you don't know, but you are still nervous for his arrival.

Make the reader anxious for the arrival of the climactic scene. That idea is the base for this secret.

In my own novel, the climactic scene coincides with the 700th birthday of the most important person in the city. It is a huge, huge deal; this guy literally built the city. There is a good bit of the characters talking about this event and preparing, and this goes a long way; the reader begins to get nervous for the event.

That is what the writer has to accomplish. Make the reader nervous and excited for the climax and your book into a simmering pot. Make the reader unable to stop reading even if there are 'relaxing' scenes in your novel. Make the reader pick the book up again after putting it down.

And, make them excited/anxious.

Hope I helped, guys!

What are your favorite plot techniques?

Oh, and HAPPY END OF THE WORLD, GUYS! WOO!!

The Secret to Character and Story Arcs

I posted this last Friday, and unanimously, everyone decided that characters are the most important (except Morgan did add on "But it's SO Important to me that the plot is whole and complete... Gah. The never ending trial of trying to balance everything... How's that for a political answer ;)")

Mrs. C also said that she doesn't like unfinished story OR character arcs, but she added on that she got really upset when one character did not grow at all during a book.

Unfinished Character vs. Story Arcs? Which sucks more?

Characters Arcs are FIRST, and SHOULD (I try not to say must) be completed.

They are the most important, and the most revered. If you do characterization right, your book will be immortalized. Because, the point of a book is NOT "Oh, the goal was achieved!" IT DOES NOT MATTER. What matters is HOW the goal was achieved -- and that lies with the protagonist.

Would you get upset if cheating-robbing-murdering Bob solves the mystery in the end by cheating-robbing-murdering?

Would you get upset if Sydney Carton, in the end of A Tale of Two Cities, sat lazily on the side drinking alcohol while Mysterious Stranger saved the person (whom I shall not name due to spoiler alerts)?

Would you get upset if Dumbledore sprang up and defeated Voldemort, while Harry sat on the side and clapped him on?

I would. More likely, I would get annoyed and slam the book shut. In the above scenarios, the goals were achieved, BUT, it must be that the character arc is fulfilled at the same time.

The story arc is just a metaphor for the character arc. In order to fulfill the story's goal, the character must undergo the change he/she is scared of. The story arc supports the character arc. The story arc must change and progress as the character does.

Both arcs are REALLY important, however, I have yet to find a book which I like involving an unfulfilled character arc. I've read unfinished story arcs, and this is literary fiction at its finest, even present in mainstream fiction like Harry Potter and Titanic in the form of Whisper Storytelling.

The point of a book is not that the goal is accomplished, but that the character arc is accomplished. THIS is the Secret to, "Which is greater? The Character or Story Arc?"

It is the Character Arc. But, how can you have a cathedral without its supports? How can you reach the ceiling without a ladder? Build a FANTASTIC story arc, and put your character on top of it :) Then, you will succeed.

Hope I helped!

What Sucks More? Unfinished Character or Story Arcs?

We were discussing this in the AQC chat two nights ago.

Which one do YOU think is more forgivable? An unfinished character arc, or unfinished story arc?

An unfinished story arc would be in the second Lord of the Rings where Frodo is taken by the crazy-black-cloaked-I-don't-know-how-to-spell-their-name-and-I'm-too-lazy-to-look-it-up-fine-I'll-look-it-up Orcs. (Oh. Right. I thought it was Nazgul or Ringswraith or something.) Anyway, in there, the story is basically left at a cliffhanger.

That's the type of story where you go, "WAIT, where in the world did the last thirty pages go?!?!"

An unfinished character arc, however, I have not seen an example of yet. That, I feel, says something, but more about that on Monday. The closest example I can find, which people seem to think, is the ending of The Catcher in the Rye where basically, nothing happens to Holden from beginning to end to technically change him. HOWEVER, I think that ending was the most beautiful ending of ever (except for Tale of Two Cities) so I would say there is a definite ending to the character arc there (of redemption and peace, I feel).

In here, you DO know the book ended, but it's depressing -- the character didn't fulfill his/her personal goal.

-- Basically, an unfinished character arc would be something like: "Mr. Bob was to get over his addiction to microwaves, but at the end, he buys all the microwaves in the world." This basically lends to a feeling of almost anger towards the protagonist -- even hopelessness. BUT, there is a line between failed character arcs and unfinished ones. More on that below.

Now

We have all read those agonizing books where you go "NO, NO, YOU CANNOT END LIKE THAT!" not because you don't like how it ended, but because it didn't end. This is the unfinished story arc.

Have you read the books where the character doesn't develop? (I'm thinking of Feed by MT Anderson but I'm unsure even what the character arc was in that book... I'm not sure it existed even.) I can't think of anything, but if you can, comment away :) It's basically where a character is ALL on the way to overcoming his/her personal situation, but he/she doesn't. It just falls away. THE CHARACTER ARC EXISTS -- it is just not completed.

Which do YOU think is more important to complete?

This will be a Discussion for You :) I'll post my take on it Monday!

Have fun!

Rose died in "Titanic" -- Whisper Storytelling

James Cameron has always been one for tragedy. I mean Avatar? TITANIC?! He loves his tragedy. That's why I got a tingly when I heard this from Jack:

I don't own this picture. Obviously.

                          
"You’re going to get out of this...you’re going to go on and you’re going to make babies and watch them grow and you’re going to die an old lady, warm in your bed. Not here...Not this night. Do you understand me?"

And then, I saw this scene in the closing credits:

(Go to 0:00 on that video above. You'll see what I mean.)

Now, read Jack's quote below again.

 "...you’re going to die an old lady, warm in your bed."

  

Did your jaw drop yet? Mine did.

I Googled a bit and realized that there were a lot of people who already thought of this and I might have been the one left out. (Did you guys know?) Also, according to the ever-reliable Wiki Answers, James Cameron left Rose's death up to the viewer's decision.

 This is BRILLIANT storytelling.

JK Rowling did this with Dumbledore's sexuality -- the whisper of an idea is present in the material, and conclusions can be made FROM them, but never be truly conclusive. Much like: who killed Ariana Dumbledore? Or what happened to Holden Caulfield's sister? These things would be awesome to know, but knowing them does not change the literal story.

Don't be afraid to leave things up to the readers! It creates much more interest, but do this with caution. Don't make the last sentence of a stand-alone book be a bullet coming towards the protagonist (unless you are going for something literary). This bullet "leave it up to the reader" is not a whisper of uncertainty. That's plain dumb -- it breaks the author-reader contract.

The character arcs should be fulfilled; if it is, and if your book is more literary, then you can have the last part be the bullet. The story should feel complete though, so it's tough. If the story arc and (more importantly) the character arc is fulfilled, use all the whispers you want :) (With restraint. Maybe. I don't know. Just have fun :) )

This is why I think Rose did die. It is a bittersweet addition (totally Cameron's style) and it completes Rose's character/story arc. Jack taught her how to enjoy life; now, she's lived wonderfully, and it's time to call it a day.

Titanic is my epitome of tragedy. (Maybe tied with A Tale of Two Cities. More on this in a later post.)

Do you enjoy whisper storytelling? Do YOU think Rose died?