Articles on Writing

Sam J. Charlton

Epic, Magical Fantasy

Articles on Writing

Years of teaching Academic Writing to ESOL students and my work as an Editor and Proofreader have given me a few insights into the craft of writing. I do try to take my own advice - but it's always easier to critique someone else work than your own!

There are many aspects of writing I've pondered and I'd like to share them with you.

Book Review: 'Story' by Robert McKee (Methuen: 1999)

It may appear odd writing a book review as part of a collection of articles on writing but I felt compelled to share this book with anyone who's passionate about writing. There have been so many books written about writing. Even famous authors have tried their hand at explaining their art; 'On Writing' by Stephen King is one of the good examples although I found others disappointing.

From the first page of 'Story' it's evident Robert McKee can write. He writes beautifully. He is a gifted teacher and while this book is written with aspiring screen writers in mind, his lessons are valuable to all writers. What sets this book apart from countless other texts on writing is that McKee tackles writing from its roots. Rather than pages of waffle on how to plot your story and write the next bestseller, he gets to the bottom of what story-telling really is. The quote which starts the book: 'Stories are equipment for living' (Kenneth Burke) sums up the premise of 'Story'. The book is refreshingly free of clichés. It disabuses many long held notions about writing. As McKee puts it: 'Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master the form'.

'Story' is divided into four parts: Part 1 - The Writer and the Art of Story; Part 2 - The Elements of Story; Part 3 - The Principles of Story Design; and Part 4 - The Writer at Work. I found the entire book useful but I'd say I found Parts 1 & 2 the most helpful. In these two sections McKay outlines what makes a story good and what makes it rubbish. He insists on the importance of 'archetypes' rather than 'stereotypes' - something that can be easily confused. Whereas stereotypical stories merely rehash what's come before 'an Archetypal story creates settings and characters so rare that our eyes feast on every detail, while its telling illuminates conflicts so true to humankind that it journeys from culture to culture' (pg.4). In archetypal stories we enter a new world, and once inside we discover our own humanity through the unfolding conflict.

McKay demystifies writing. He discusses the emotion and motives behind story-telling. He insists a story won't be any good unless a writer respects his/her audience: 'When talented people write badly it's generally for one of two reasons: Either they're blinded by an idea they feel compelled to prove or they're driven by an emotion they must express. When talented people write well, it is generally for this reason: They're moved by a desire to touch the audience'. (pg.7) If I had to highlight the book's essential passage it would be this one. McKay makes us look at 'why' we write. Is there an agenda behind our words? Are we preaching? Are we trying to prove a point? Or do we put our ego aside and write to our imagined readers, soul to soul, human to human?

There is plenty more I could write about this book, but I'll leave the journey of discovery to you. Robert McKay inspires me to strive for emotional integrity, originality and truth in my work - I hope upon reading this book he inspires you too.

The Importance of ‘Conflict’ in Story-telling

A life filled with conflict is not what most of us strive for. In fact, unless we are masochistic we actively avoid it.

However, a good story is full of conflict.

Ever thought why gossip magazines are so popular? The loves, divorces, successes and disappointments of the stars provide armchair thrills for those with more sedate lives. It’s for the same reason soap operas have such a wide following. Even those who do not follow the tumultuous lives of the rich and famous or the outlandish plots of the soaps know how tempting it is to leaf through a gossip magazine someone has left lying around. Enjoying reading about someone else’s conflict is just part of being human. It’s why most of us pick up a novel or rent a DVD, or listen avidly when someone else has a bit of gossip to share.

A story about a conflict-free person with a conflict-free life is about as interesting as watching paint dry. Conflicts don’t always have to be something external; like your character losing his job, or his wife running off with the hot guy at the gym – they can also be internally created. Each human being is a complex web of fears, obsessions, prejudices and resentments. Everything in our world is balanced by its opposite. A story’s conflict is heightened when its central character is a man who is both arrogant and insecure, both talented and lazy. We all know people like this – we are all a blend of weaknesses and strengths.

Back to our fictional protagonist. The disparities within his character: Arrogant Vs Insecure/Lazy Vs Talented, allow plenty of conflict to arise within the story because we’ve created a character whose reactions to conflict in his life might worsen things for him.

Say you have an arrogant man whose wife has just left him. He’s a brilliant painter who spends his days playing instead of working, waiting for inspiration to hit. This is the reason his wife has left him as she has been supporting him for years. So far the story is a bit flat, not particularly original. If we now bring in the contrast between his arrogance, which keeps him locked in a fantasy land where he truly believes his wife should feel honoured to support him, and his insecurity, which means he fears success and can’t bear the thought of not being loved or wanted, we create a more interesting situation. He knows he has talent but can’t be bothered to work for recognition. Maybe he had been commissioned to do some paintings he never delivered, thus alienating a possible client. Exterior events happen in his life but they are intensified and deepened by his reaction to them. How would a deeply insecure but talented man, who until now has been living in a fantasy world, react when his wife leaves him and his work dries up? What will dominate: arrogance or insecurity/laziness or talent? A character like this takes the writer on a journey of discovery – and the reader won’t enjoy the story if the writer doesn’t!

This brings me to the importance of ‘layering conflict’. A story with one single conflict you are trying to drag out over three hundred pages is exhausting to write and a bit boring to read. If your character has to set out on a quest to retrieve the magic chalice and must cross a wild and dangerous land to do so, you have an obvious conflict. However, if this remains your only obstacle to the hero the book will be predictable. You need layers of conflict to bring the story to life and keep the readers on the edge of their seats. What if, being of sickly disposition he develops health problems along the way? What if he is being forced to go on this quest against his will and deliberately lags, thus causing more danger to himself? What if he’s unfit and physically unsuited to such a grueling journey? What if he loses his map? What if someone else is on the same quest and they decide to kill him before he finds the chalice? What if all of the above were inflicted upon this hapless individual? On top of these layered conflicts we might add conflict within our hero’s personality. He is physically weak, scared, unfit and unwilling to go on this quest – but perhaps he is also proud, stubborn and possessed of a cunning intelligence. Already you have enough ideas to easily fill three hundred pages.

To sum up, I believe conflict is essential to any good story. The use of opposites and contrast creates energy within a story. It also helps you avoid the quagmire that is stereotypical characters and situations. In my opinion, stereotypes arise when a story has only one or two dimensions. It cannot be original because things are exactly as they seem. There is no mystery, no depth, nothing which makes this situation and this character leap from the page and dance around the reader’s imagination. You have to make things bad – and then make things even worse. Finally, you have to make things so awful that even you, the writer, start to scratch your head and wonder how on earth this hero will succeed in his quest.
Only then will you have the reader’s complete attention.

Create conflict and your story will write itself.

Building a Fantasy World

An Epic Fantasy needs a richly original world that will transport the reader to a place he/she could believe actually exists. What goes into that world depends on you but most Epic Fantasy novels appear to be set in a world loosely based on a feudal, quasi-medieval society. That doesn’t mean you have to set your Epic Fantasy is such a world but I think a pre-industrial setting suits the genre better. This is because the values and world-view of people in such a society are vastly different to one with industrial technology and a consumer culture. One reason I believe Epic Fantasy is so popular is it provides an escape from the highly structured, organised and (some would say) bland lives of many people in industrialised countries. Day-to-day survival was more of an issue before the industrial revolution and life was lived in tune with the seasons and daily rhythms. A writer can choose to idealise such a setting but I prefer to read about a gritty, realistic world that sets my imagination free.

It took me a while to create the world for The Children of Isador. It developed as an amalgamation of various worlds I had created and then discarded. I drew Isador as an enormous continent with traditional topography. The continent does not sit on the equator, thus it has a Mediterranean climate in the south, a temperate climate in the centre and a bleaker, colder landscape in the north. A great river, The Serran, divides the continent from north to south and the eastern seaboard is carpeted in thick forest while the north-east is cut off from the rest of Isador by a jagged spine of mountains. When creating the topography of your fantasy world you are only limited by your imagination, however, when creating Isador I wanted the land to have some basis on reality. I grew up on the South Island of New Zealand where landscape changes dramatically over just a few kilometres, and I must admit a lot of Isador sprung from the landscape I grew up with. The Remarkables in Central Otago remind me of a jagged saw-blade, hence the creation of the SawTooth Mountains which create a natural border between the City-States of Orin and the Tarzark Kingdom. Lake Farne is based on the deep, dark lakes of the same area of Central Otago. I’ve always loved geology and maps and tried to take into account the natural progression of landscape. Civilisation has always thrived around water, be it the coast, lake, river or underground springs. As such, I made sure all cities and access to one of the above. The Tarzark inhabit the most desolate part of Isador, a bleak, rock-studded wasteland (once again inspired by the rocky landscape around Alexandra in Central Otago, NZ). These reptilian beasts live in great fortresses so in order for their civilisation to actually exist I had to make sure they had access to underground springs which they used to irrigate the surrounding landscape. Without water, nothing lives.

Once the landscape of your world has been decided upon, and named, then you must decide who inhabits it. It would be easy to create a Tolkien-like world populated by men, elves, dwarves and orcs but frankly it’s been done to death. The main protagonists in Epic Fantasy novels do tend to be humanoid but that doesn’t mean you have to play it safe and do the same.

Isador (the world I created) has three humanoid races: The Ennadil – tall, fair skinned, dark haired, aloof, talented weapon-smiths and wizards, highly cultured and a bit snobbish; The Orinians – smaller and stockier than the Ennadil, ruddy complexions, sandy to brown hair, farmers and warriors rather than magicians, cruder in manners than their neighbours; The Tarantel – enigmatic, dark-skinned traders and fishermen who live on an archipelago of islands off Isador’s south-east coast and who keep to themselves. I had a lot of fun creating the non-human inhabitants of Isador. They are: The Tarzark – highly territorial, warlike, muscular, bipedal lizards ruled by a warmongering King; The Gremul – aggressive, carnivorous, forest dwelling, furry beasts with long sinewy arms and legs who, like the Tarantel, don’t bother themselves with the affairs of others.

It was essential to my story that none of the above races got on so I created a history as to why when our story begins, none of them are willing to band together against invaders. A bit of back-story adds depth and realism to your world. Although you may never write about it in the story itself, sketching out a bit of history for yourself will bring your world to life. It's the iceberg effect - in order to sound knowledgable about a little you have to know a lot! You could even go as far as Tolkien did and create your own language! The longer you spend creating your fantasy world, the richer your story will be. In Epic Fantasy the setting should not be secondary – it should be a main protagonist within your story. Blend story and setting by coming up with a conflict (or conflicts) strong enough to power an exciting story and then create a world which will influence and shape the direction of the plot as much as the characters and conflict will.

You should be able to close your eyes and visualise yourself soaring above the land you’ve created, travelling from one end of it to another. What do you see? How real is it to you? Are there any blanks, any areas you haven’t thought about? What do the towns, villages and cities look like? Where are the cultivated areas, the animals, the forests, the highlands, the rivers, the lakes, the mountains, swamps, moors and plains? Could your world function realistically? What is the climate like and does it change from area to area? Do the people fit the climate? (e.g. pale-skinned people populating a desert landscape or dark-skinned people in an icy tundra don’t really work – unless they were brought there from elsewhere)

Finally, remember that if you were setting your story anywhere on planet Earth you’d need to do a bit of research before writing. Since the world you’re writing about doesn’t exist your ‘research’ should consist of building a fantasy world so real its image lingers in the reader’s mind for a long time afterwards – like the memory of a trip to an exotic land you'd love to return to!

Watch this space for more articles on writing...

To be published shortly:

Peopling Your Story