Believable Surprises

One of the first things that will make me stop reading a book is disbelief. Now, I realize that in reading you must suspend your disbelief and all that fancy jargon, but what I don’t have to suspend, and what I shouldn’t suspend, is my B.S.-o-meter. B.S. stands for Believable Surprises, by the way. (And I really really really wish I had done that on purpose.)

Believable surprises are those events that occur where you as the reader say, “Oh, I totally didn’t see that coming, but now that it’s happened, it totally makes sense.” It’s when your characters make decisions that aren’t predictable, but are still within character. Nothing will get me to shut a book faster than characters who don’t have a developed personality that informs their actions.

Maybe your character is a daredevil. Maybe they live life on the edge and are willing to take risks and do whatever it takes. Okay, but if that’s the case, there better be some realistic repercussions for their attitude. And on the topic of realistic, you can’t tell me that this character has never learned to curb their attitude under any circumstance? Yup, that ringing sound in the background is my B.S.-o-meter going crazy.

I mean, even Deadpool isn’t like that and he’s probably the most I-do-what-I-want-when-I-want character there is.

When you’re writing, take care that your character stays believable. He/she can change of course, but that rarely happens overnight.

The best way to achieve that surprise for both you and the reader is to create a well-rounded character that is capable of making decisions that continually enhance aspects of their already developed personality. Sounds like a handful, but I know you’re up to the challenge!

Who’s your favorite character when it comes to believable surprises?

~Liz

Follow me @wethewriters on Instagram and @liz_tampa on Twitter.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

This Friday begins my weekly book review post. Woohoo! Wild Friday night, right?

Who am I kidding? We’re all book nerds here. Heck yea that’s a wild Friday night.

Anywho, I’ve decided that for my debut review I would tackle The Magicians by Lev Grossman. I’ve come up with five criteria to rate the book on and will give it an ultimate pass or fail grade, because really, what are stars and numbers to just a simple “read it” or “don’t bother.” Plus, I couldn’t come to a consensus on a system, so this seemed like the best way for now.

So without further ado, my review:

1. Characterization:
   This is a HUGE one for me, because if I don’t care about the characters, I won’t care about the book. Lev creates some really real characters. I mean really real. Like, crap that was me in high school and I kind of hate myself real. Now, I’ll be honest, I hated almost every character at first. They were all punks or too cool or overly sexual. But then I realized, who wasn’t like that in high school going into college. We were all a little out there. Plus they get better. And then worse. And then better again. So major score on this part for Grossman, even though a small part of me was dying inside.
2. Plot/Narrative Arc:
   I mean, a book without a plot is just some words on a page, amiright? Okay, now that’s out of the way, I found the plot to be kind of confusing. Grossman has a way of writing where he looks at a normal timeline of events and then throws it out the window. One minute you’re here, another you’re there, and he doesn’t forewarn you before it happens. It takes some getting used to, but you do get used to it. It was one of those novels where I was trying to figure out how everything connected until the very end when it did. Made for a slightly frustrating read, but now that I’m done, I get it.
3. Believability:
   It’s all about magic, so either a) the magical people are all having a good laugh at us mundanes reading their biographies or b) suspension of disbelief. What I had a hard time with in this novel was how unpredictable the magic was. It seemed like it had no rules, or it had so many rules that you could explain anything away by just making one up and saying, oh, that’s why that happened. The characters really helped with this aspect, because they even called b.s. on some of what was happening, which made me feel better about my sanity as a reader.
4. Creativity/Originality:
   Here’s where I had my biggest issue. The land of Fillory (and this isn’t really a spoiler…I think) seems like Narnia. You get there a similar way, it’s a series of children’s books, magical land, kings and queens, etc. Even though there are obvious differences, part of me couldn’t quite get past that. But, Grossman is not C.S. Lewis, so the similarities pretty much end there. Some people call this the adult Harry Potter, but Harry Potter is for all ages unless you hate life, so I don’t quite agree with that statement. The Magicians is like a new adult fantasy story about magic and growing up. The characters and situations are unique, even if the setting seems a little familiar.
5. Cohesiveness:
   This category is for how I feel the book blended the above attributes (and the ones not listed) as a whole. I would say that Grossman excels at this, especially since he loves hopping around the timeline and twining people’s stories together. There are a lot of satisfying aha! moments that I rarely caught and found very readerishly (yes, that’s a word) satisfying.

Overall, I give this book a big fat PASS. And each book in the series only gets better, honestly. My husband tells me the TV show is also excellent and gives more backstory.

~Liz

Follow me @wethewriters on Instagram and @liz_tampa on Twitter.

Choosing a Setting

When I talk about setting I mean more than world-building (if you’re a fantasy writer). I mean the stuff that makes up the everyday of your characters. The weather, their house, the city they live in, what they can smell. Essentially, the elements that attack our senses that we take for granted. As writers, sometimes we become so accustomed to the setting of our stories that we forget our readers may never have been there before.

Granted I’m not one to overdo the setting description. I like to tell you what you need to know and no more, but I’ve learned of late how important setting can be to the overall feel of your novel.

Here are a few things to consider when you’re setting up your setting:

1. Is this the most appropriate place for the story to take place?
2. Will the reader benefit from knowing this about the setting or am I just trying to add to my word count?
3. Can the reader see/feel/smell the setting or are my words empty?
4. Will this setting enhance my character arcs and plot?

The setting is an essential element to your narrative and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Consider what works best for your novel, even if it means a full rewrite (which is what I’m experiencing right now). If you can, visit that place and get a personal feel for the culture, the weather, the sights and sounds.

And more than anything, practice. Practice writing your story (or a snippet of it) in different settings. See what works and what doesn’t. What is lacking in one story but fulfilled in another by the setting? A story in the desert is going to be much different than one in the mountains or even one in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

And if this post means nothing to you, at least let my friend Ray Bradbury give you some inspiration:

Keep practicing, writer friends!

 

~Liz

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @wethewriters.