On my #Welcome Wednesday slot, I'm delighted to open the door to my return guest - Nik Morton.
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| Nik Morton |
Nik- a prolific author of different genres- has got some very wise words to share today and has also brought his varied, vibrant covers for us to get a feeling of those different types of stories.
I've read a few of his novels, some of those published by Crooked cat Publishing, and really enjoyed them. For me, those stories have a timeless quality about them that's explained very well by Nik in his post below.
One of these days when I squeeze even more time into a day, I'll be reading one of his Western adventures because I'm sure I'll enjoy them, too- as well as the couple that I've also got waiting for me on my kindle.
I've no hesitation in recommending Nik's work as really engrossing and entertaining reading.
Over to you, Nik...
About character
versus plot
One of those
perennial questions I get is ‘do you prefer plot over character’ and my
response is invariably that one without the other does not work.
A plot without
character rarely holds a reader; it’s just an outline of events with no reader
empathy. A character without a robust plot might interest the reader, but it
will probably prove tedious unless the character is drawn very well indeed,
such as by Jane Austen: her books are more about character than plot.
‘As in most of
my writings I insist not on the events but on their effect upon the person in
the tale.’ – Joseph Conrad’s note to Typhoon and other stories
I’m a bit
old-fashioned. I like my stories (whether short or novel length) to have a
beginning, a middle and an end. That is not to say I always start a story at
its chronological beginning – it may start some way through a dramatic event,
thrusting the protagonist into a dilemma straight away; that’s the hook for the
reader to read on; then the beginning comes along in a quiet moment of
exposition. The middle has to contain developments that create problems for the
protagonist, getting in the way of her or his goal. And then there is the
denouement – though that too can leave it open to sequels, so long as the main
storyline obstacle has been overcome or resolved.
All of the
foregoing requires plotting. I’m a believer in using a plot-plan. I expend a
15-page chapter on it in my book Write a Western in 30 Days. That
doesn’t mean I know everything that is going to happen – only the characters
are privy to that! It does mean I have a road-map to a destination.
Having said
that, the plot-plan is nothing without engaging characters. Part of the fun in
writing a novel is developing characters and writing back-stories for them.
Some will interact (in the past as well as in the story), while others may have
only minor but crucial walk-on roles.
The adage is
‘write about what you know’. There are several interpretations of this. One is:
get to know your characters. I don’t always know them too well when I
begin, though I’ve sketched out their physical descriptions and a few personal
traits to make them distinctive. As the story moves forward, however, and the
characters get involved with each other, fresh traits materialise – and I
update my character list.
Throughout the
story, characters ‘do things’. But that falls into ‘tell’, not ‘show’. Even a
minor character has to have motivation for doing whatever it is they do in the
story – whether that’s payment for work, pay-back for a past insult, revenge,
jealousy, hate or even for altruistic reasons. Motivation is ‘show’ through
their point of view, their inner self.
Cause and
effect; that’s Joseph Conrad’s purpose, to show how his characters respond to
events. That helps pose useful questions while writing: Why is she doing this?
Why did he say that? What can be gained from him doing this? Is that logical?
Of course, not every action and reaction made by an individual is logical – but
if it isn’t, then there must be a personality trait to explain the
illogicality.
Whether I’m
writing about half-English half-Spanish private eye Leon Cazador (Spanish
Eye), the 1970s psychic spy Tana Standish (The Prague Papers and The
Tehran Text), Laura Reid and Andrew Kirby (Blood of the Dragon Trees)
or Catherine Vibrissae, the ‘Avenging Cat’ (Catalyst and Catacomb),
I have built up a file on each individual character, their descriptions, traits
and connections, and as their series stories evolve the details accumulate
further, as in life.
I’ve admired a
few classic illustrations of authors, surrounded by their many creations –
Charles Dickens and Edgar Rice Burroughs spring to mind – and I can empathise
with that image. Some of these characters are in stasis, waiting for their next
adventure, one or two more impatient than others. If the men in white coats
don’t pay me a visit, perhaps I will stop to hear what these insistent
characters have to say.
Nik’s second
‘Avenging Cat’ novel, Catacomb is due out from Crooked Cat Publishing on
October 20, 2015.
Twitter -
@nik_morton
Amazon UK
Amazon COM links to Nik’s books
Thank you, Nik, for sharing your post today. I'm a bit old fashioned, too, in that I like to read a story with the parts you've outlined where the whole plot weaves around some great characters. I read Catalyst a few months ago and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series- Catacomb. Best wishes, and please come back again when it releases to share some details about it.
Slainthe!
Thank you for inviting me, Nancy. And many thanks for your kind words regarding my books!
ReplyDeleteYou're always welcome, Nik. It's great advice to share!
DeleteInteresting interview, Nik and Nancy. Character v plot - both are necessary and in equal portions. I hope the men in white coats don't pay you a visit, Nik. I want to read more about the insistent characters.
ReplyDeletehi June- ditto and me, too, about the insistent characters!
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