Writers should not unload
all the information about their characters in one place in their stories. Readers
do not want to see a who’s who bio for every character lumped together in the
story. By the same token, writers should not pile on all the facts of their
story world at the beginning of their novels or memoirs either. You know; world
history, how devices are used, why things happen, and why it matters to the
world at large. Besides being info-dumps, these methods take away the pleasure
of reading a story.
Let the story
unfold naturally. Don’t answer all the reader’s questions on the first page or
even the first chapter of a novel or memoir. Let the reader care about a person
first. The story needs to unfold slowly as Jennie Nash of Author Accelerator tells her coaching clients. Once the reader connects
with a character, then the writer can explain how the story world affects this
person or family. We are creating a character arc. Characters, especially the
protagonist, should change by the end of the story.
But where do
you place the important material in the story?
The writer
shares the information about his or her characters or the story at large at the
time when those characters would be thinking about how things work in their
world or thinking about their past because it affects the story present, the
forward movement in the story. Many writers know this, but it’s very difficult
to do.
At one point
in my college memoir, the character of Victoria must face her fear of what
opportunity might bring if she wins two prestigious college awards.
In allowing
this story section to unfold slowly, Victoria discovers that what she’s afraid of
are how her feelings toward her family might change if she is awarded an
opportunity to study away from home. This was a dream of Victoria’s when she
was younger. Now she feels she might blame her family, as if it could be their
fault she can’t study just anywhere. She worries about what regret could do to
her psyche. Regret from missed opportunities can be ugly. It makes people
bitter. And Victoria does not want to be bitter—especially toward her family.
This forces Victoria
to face the fact that she could never leave her family for semesters at a time;
never leave her husband with all the work of raising five children and helping their
special needs daughter with her education. Realizing her family comes first,
Victoria decides to apply for the awards, knowing she would only accept an
opportunity that she could use.
This is part
of the character arc of Victoria. She will be forever changed from this point in
the memoir story. She will not sacrifice her family life to live a college
dream of studying away from home. She will find another way to complete her college
education with no regret.
Please ask any questions about my college memoir and share
any insight you may have in the comments section of Adventures in Writing about
how you allow your story to unfold naturally. Thanks so much!
Please note:
I will not
be posting on Adventures in Writing in July or August 2020. I am moving and
have much to do, especially since I’m still trying to move forward on writing
projects. Don’t know if I’ll be able to keep writing during this time, though. Thank
you for your understanding.
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