It's undeniable that writers have a lot of control of out minds, but where do they get this power from? What gives it to them? In my opinion, most of their power is offered through the flexibility, leeway, and control they have in the plot and structure a story. Think about it for a second. They are the one who chooses what we read, what thoughts will be implanted inside our heads, and the order of events we will read. As a reader, we are almost blind folded when we go to a story. We are meant to trust the author, hold his hand and allow him to lead us away in a journey.
Taking some notes on plot and structure, some concepts that were hazy became clear like how do good writers write well written plots. A plot is the sequence of incidents or events through which an author construct a story and all excellent plots have a significant order. The order does not always have to be logical but a order that best fulfills the purpose you as a writer is trying to reach.
The plots of Commercial Fiction include twists in order to keep you on your toes while Literary Fiction includes a complexity in order to convey complex meanings since the major purpose is to enrich your understanding. Literary authors want to present to you many shades instead of one.
All plots contain a certain type of conflict that could either be man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. itself. In other words, moral. mental, physical or emotional. The conflict is faced by the protagonist, the lead character, of the story and could possibly be caused by the antagonist, the opposite person or force against the protagonist. Defining the type of conflict in a plot can be as easy as stating the alphabet and as hard as finding pearl in the ocean. I must point out that good Literary Fiction uses all 4 types of conflicts.
Writing is similar to getting dressed in the morning, you have all of options. Writes have a lot options to choose from when deciding the type of structure of their stories. They could choose any of the following:
Suspense is the quality of story that maintains the reader interested. In Literary Fiction we ask ourselves the question why is this happening rather then a what will happen next like we would in Commercial Fiction.
Suspence has two important devices:
1. Mystery: an unusual set of circumstances in which the reader craves an explanation.
2. Dilemma: position where a decision must be made with all choices being undesirable.
Surprise is define as the use of an occurrence not expected which is more common in Commercial Fiction. (I wonder why?)
There are two main ways to judge an surprise ending. They are:
1. by the fairness of the surprise
2. by the purpose it serves.
In Literary Fiction, the surprise must be one that compliments the meaningful insight.
Happy endings are the "happily ever after." Not so common in Literary Fiction.
Unhappy endings are pretty much self explenatory. They can be justified only by the following reasons:
1. fiction is a reflection of life therefore authors must acknowledge its uncertainty that can sometime bring sorrow and sadness.
2. it forces us to think about the complexities of life.
Endings, like problems in life are not always logical and solved so stories can end with what is known as an Indeterminate ending.
Hmm. Can you guess which style I would prefer the best to write in?
Taking some notes on plot and structure, some concepts that were hazy became clear like how do good writers write well written plots. A plot is the sequence of incidents or events through which an author construct a story and all excellent plots have a significant order. The order does not always have to be logical but a order that best fulfills the purpose you as a writer is trying to reach.
The plots of Commercial Fiction include twists in order to keep you on your toes while Literary Fiction includes a complexity in order to convey complex meanings since the major purpose is to enrich your understanding. Literary authors want to present to you many shades instead of one.
All plots contain a certain type of conflict that could either be man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. itself. In other words, moral. mental, physical or emotional. The conflict is faced by the protagonist, the lead character, of the story and could possibly be caused by the antagonist, the opposite person or force against the protagonist. Defining the type of conflict in a plot can be as easy as stating the alphabet and as hard as finding pearl in the ocean. I must point out that good Literary Fiction uses all 4 types of conflicts.
Writing is similar to getting dressed in the morning, you have all of options. Writes have a lot options to choose from when deciding the type of structure of their stories. They could choose any of the following:
- Suspense
Suspense is the quality of story that maintains the reader interested. In Literary Fiction we ask ourselves the question why is this happening rather then a what will happen next like we would in Commercial Fiction.
Suspence has two important devices:
1. Mystery: an unusual set of circumstances in which the reader craves an explanation.
2. Dilemma: position where a decision must be made with all choices being undesirable.
- Surprise
Surprise is define as the use of an occurrence not expected which is more common in Commercial Fiction. (I wonder why?)
There are two main ways to judge an surprise ending. They are:
1. by the fairness of the surprise
2. by the purpose it serves.
In Literary Fiction, the surprise must be one that compliments the meaningful insight.
- Happy Endings
Happy endings are the "happily ever after." Not so common in Literary Fiction.
- Unhappy Endings
Unhappy endings are pretty much self explenatory. They can be justified only by the following reasons:
1. fiction is a reflection of life therefore authors must acknowledge its uncertainty that can sometime bring sorrow and sadness.
2. it forces us to think about the complexities of life.
Endings, like problems in life are not always logical and solved so stories can end with what is known as an Indeterminate ending.
Hmm. Can you guess which style I would prefer the best to write in?
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