Allyn,
 
I agree with you on the broader points, but I found a demon or two in the
details. Notes below in square [] brackets.
 
Don Granberry.

Tom Clancy novels have as much characterization as a bowl of week old
noodles. C.S. Forrester,  Horatio Hornblower series, has characters that
come alive on the page and you miss them when the book ends.
�Dragon Ball Z� characterization makes the old noodles look good, while
�The Glass Mask�  depends not only on the depth of the original
characterization, but how well she (as an actress) can project _other_
characters. A play within a play. ^_*

 
[Horsefeathers! I don't know about DragonballZ, because I have never read it
or watched the anime, but Clancy? Come on, Allyn. Did you have your glasses
on? Jack Ryan, Marco Ramius, John Clark, Dink Chavez, President Fowler,
Edith Elliot, Mary Pat Foley, these are all rather memorable characters,
Allyn, and all of them were created by Tom Clancy. He does both good guys
and bad guys very well. What is even more amazing about Clancy, is that he
catches the subtleties of a character, not just the grosser, comic book
grade characteristics.
 
I would argue that no story establishes a broad appeal without somehow
having a decent level of characterization. The author's style may well
appeal to some and not others, but characterization is entirely too vital a
component of writing for it to be absent in a story that will attract a
sizeable audience. You can forego plot altogether. Witnesseth, Jerry
Seinfeild(SP?), but characterization must be in place for a story to have
any appeal at all.]

I'll use my favorite example of Dynamic Tension,  Alfred Hitchcock and
the bomb. If you set off a bomb, you give the audience about 1/10 sec. of
surprise. BUT, if you put a timer on the bomb and let the clock tick down
to detonation while the heroine fights to find the bomb and diffuse it . .

 
[One defuses a bomb, hopefully before the bomb diffuses one's person.]

.AND you NEVER let the bomb explode. Instead you let the heroine find the
bomb, then discover it was all a ruse and the real threat is elsewhere. OR,
the hero cuts the wires on the timer, only to activate a second diabolical
mechanism, perhaps releasing  a pack of starving wolves. (Or rabid gerbils
if you�re going for humor)

POINT of VIEW (POV):
Everything your character knows, sees, feels.  It�s the reader�s window
into the world you�ve created. Think of POV as a minicam on the characters
shoulder.
Rule 1: NEVER write in first person as a beginning writer. OK, sometimes a
story just wants to be written first person. Please be aware that first
person is the HARDEST POV to do well. And some publishers won�t even read
stories written in first person.

2)Stick with ONE POV/chapter. Again, there are exceptions, but you�re safer
staying with a single POV in each chapter. Change POV when you start a new
chapter.

3)Make it interesting. Keep the pace moving. Please do not stop the story
to give a chunk of information. Keep the POV clear and consistent.  I
emphasize this because there is a tendency to let the POV wander. NEVER do
this! Stick with one character�s POV.

 
[Given that I am considered by some to be the chief POV Cop on FFML, I must
object. One POV per scene, please, not per chapter unless the chapter is
made up of a single scene. Changing POV within a chapter is perfectly
acceptable and often necessary, but changes in POV during a single scene
should be avoided like the plague unless the character bearing the POV
leaves the scene or loses consciousness. The mental state of non-POV bearing
characters in a scene should be demonstrated by their gestures, dialogue,
and other actions, not by switching POV to each of them in turn.
 
As with many rules in writing, this one is not carved into jade and filled
in with gold, but it is the wisest way for a beginner to write. Incessant
changes in POV during a scene rob it of strength and impact, as well as
running the risk of confusing the reader and thereby kicking him out of the
mood to read your story. Remember, you are writing prose. All you have to
paint with is black ink on white paper. You do NOT have music and moving
pictures to help get the content of a story across. Film and television use
ploys that the author of prose cannot use effectively. I would also note,
that the better film and TV productions, usually stick to a single POV
during a scene and do not flit from one character to the next.
 
An author should establish and maintain firm control of POV at all times.
Failure to do so results in a dreary un-readable mess rather than a story.
This may mean that you will finish writing a scene and discover that it is
better told from a POV different from the one you chose initially. What does
one do then? One re-writes the scene from the better POV, that's what. I
have found it necessary to do that more than once. However, it is almost
always worth the effort.]

PLOT:
This is the framework of your story. IMO it�s the least important part of
the story. NOT UN-important, rather the easiest to deal with. IF you have
well crafted interesting characters and escalating, perfectly timed dynamic
tension, you need only a minimal, plain vanilla type of plot. Alfred
Hitchcock�s �The Birds� . . .You can�t get much simpler than �monster of
the day�, yet it�s wonderful due to :
1)Characterization
2)DYNAMIC Tension.

[Nothing to grump about here per se, but I would add that most serious works
of fiction are built around a theme and the plot is structured to support
that theme. I suppose, however, that I am here delving into a completely
different school of thought concerning literature, given that modern
literature often seems completely devoid of anything like a recognizable
theme. Still, the better works are built around themes. Some, such as Philip
K Dicke's work, were all theme and next to no plot. Ranma1/2 has a great
deal more in the way of theme than it does plot. Harlan Ellison was another
master of thematic content and, amazingly, could cover a difficult theme
with a single short story. See, "I Have No Mouth and I MUST Scream". I
sometimes kid about not having any talent but I MUST write. What I have
discovered, is that talent is largely a function of practice.
 
You wanna be a writer? Write. It's the only cure for what ails ya.]
 
Regards,
 
Don Granberry.


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