Blog for Bristol Services Intl.

An author wrote to me, concerned that his book’s sudden switch in direction may be a problem for readers.
The answer is simple: do you offer a thread of continuity anywhere? If, at the outset on the new section, this is the same locale only a century later, or same date but in another country, or same dog but in a different park pestering different characters, then the reader sees a thread of connection. Their brain says, “Okay, same place (or day or dog), new era (or place or characters), let’s see what’s going on.”

Remember, readers are very familiar with stories whose parts seem very separate until “Wham!” somehow they collide into a central plot. The key is having some small thing that is a tenuous thread between them. It can be locale (same place, different time), family (same family, different offshoot or different generation), some big turmoil (same war, different front or battlefield), an object (anything that can end up in someone else’s hands at a different place or time), etc. Just a thread is all we astute readers need. And then we’ll willingly (most of the time!) jump right into the other section, trusting our author to pull the fabric of the story together later.

TONE/GENRE: If we don’t go along so willingly, this can be caused by any number of reasons. For instance, if the overall tone of the original section of the book varies greatly from the next section, now that can be a problem. The reason is that the reader might not have even started your book if that second tone had been there at the outset. It is like starting a fantasy (which I like) and then being switched off to a modern romance (not my preference in reading at all). That wouldn’t be fair and, most likely, I’d quit reading–never a good thing! Potential publishers will, likewise, be turned off by that much of a genre switch–they won’t know what audience would be appropriate for marketing. And marketing is their primary focus.

TIME VARIABLES: Jumps in time will always have tonal variations simply because in each era people speak and think differently. Yet most of the time the author’s voice will still be consistent even while writing for various eras, so there is an underlying author’s tone that will carry us readers through.

Bottomline: Just keep in mind the reason that you have both these plots going simultaneously in the same book and keep hints of that reason and their similarities apparent to your reader as you write.

QUESTION (from a mystery writer client): You suggested to me to have same trait or unique aspect to my main character. The interest, hobby, talent, foible, quirky, fun thing that pulls my character out of stereotype and into memorable: should it impact his job? Or is it just part of his personality that makes him memorable, but doesn’t really have anything to do with the plot line?

ANSWER: Everything about any personality somehow effects a person’s job. Even cultivating orchids. Think of the traits involved for the hobby of orchid enthusiast: patience (infinite, since they take forever to grow!), a gentle touch (delicate plants), and an eye of details (each cultivator has very subtle color and pattern differences). So these are 3 traits that DO help a main character in their job even if it isn’t directly related to running down a culprit. And any one of these 3 traits could become the deciding factor in the cop resolving a mystery.

BOTTOMLINE: YOU know your main character, I don’t. What might this man do on the sly, something he wouldn’t want anyone to know about (might seem too sissy or odd to others)? Or what might he want to be known for (the would-be singer or artist or whatever)? Or what calms and centers him when he’s off-duty? It needs to fit what you already have for him. And the traits that make him good at this unique and interesting thing should translate to traits that make him a good cop too.

HINT: Use the right-side menu and click through on Characterization in the bottom list. You’ll find the original article I wrote to this same client explaining more in-depth about character quirks, etc.

A writer sent me a manuscript for my editing services and used present tense in his story. He also asked be if present tense was better or if he should use past tense.

 Present Tense—the Pros and Cons: The author nearly disappears (which is a good thing) when a story is written in present tense. The reader ends up feeling plopped right into the immediate action. This sounds perfect. Yet, at times, this approach becomes awkward, especially when slower scenes, reflective areas, etc. naturally occur.

More important…it tends to fatigue the reader. It can feel like shouting or pointing here and there rapidly. If handled deftly, the reader will likely never even really notice it after the initial few pages. But, at other times, present tense can make some scenes feel “pushed” on the reader.

Additionally, showing flashbacks or changing points of view can be tricky. The flashbacks would have to be in past tense but transition smoothly to the current storyline–which is in present tense. Yes, it can all be done. But, especially for newer writers, all the handling of present tense can detract from what is important–the story itself.

 Past Tense—The Pros: That’s right; there really are no “cons” to past tense. Past tense is the usual, normal, standard way of writing fiction. New writers tend to think this is, therefore, boring. But in reality, it is the way we are used to hearing and reading stories. So rather than getting “creative” and using present tense to spice up your writing, it is better to learn the tools that really DO matter (“show, don’t tell,” “activate,” “deepen character,” etc.) than to make yourself use present tense.

 But … Is This Your Voice?  However, maybe you, as a writer, are just a natural at present tense. This might be a “signature” aspect of your books. At an early stage in writing, who is to say? If you found yourself writing in present tense from the outset, maybe this is a sign to keep with it. But my suggestion is to start with your present tense until you get a few scenes done. They rewrite just one tense scene, a couple of pages in length, in past tense. Keep a close eye on the verbs and activate them as much as you can (something every writer should always do anyway). Then do the same for a slow scene. Let them sit for a day and then read both scenes all by themselves, pretending (if you can) you just picked up someone else’s  book to read. See what you think. Do they carry the action and emotion as well as they did in your original version where you used present tense? Can you see the scenes clearly and want to read on? If so, I’d suggest using past tense. 

The Decision: Only you can make the decision on which tense to use. My encouragement to use past tense is simply because I hate to see any capable writer and strong story possibly be negatively impacted by the verb tense used. The normal past tense isn’t a bore and present tense isn’t forbidden—these are just tools, to be used carefully, like all the other writing tools.