Paper Hearts: Some Writing Advice

The Only Two Things You Need for Story

Every novel needs two things: characters and plot. That’s the most basic form of a novel, the two simplest ingredients, arguably the only thing you need for a story. And lest you think that I'm forgetting the world, let me say this: a well-constructed world is another character within the story. So, all you need is:

Character

Plot

But of course, a good novel needs more than these two ingredients. Fortunately, it’s still not all that complicated. A good novel needs specific details for the characters, and consequences to the actions of the characters in the plot.

Character --> Specifics

Plot --> Consequences

Whether you plan your novel before you write it or after, the key to making the story good is to have very specific details to your characters and also to show the logical consequences of the plot.

Example time! When I say specifics for characters, I don’t just mean physical descriptions of the characters. I mean, you need to give me specifics as to who they are and why. Make them as realistic as possible. Give them opinions. Give them beliefs, morality. Give them a history. What you’re looking for here is reactions. Give the character a baseline for them to react to the situations at hand.

Character --> Specific Details --> Reactions

Other example time! When I say consequences, I mean show a logical sequences of events. When something happens, something else happens. This is why I cannot write a book out of order--I don't know what's going to happen until the thing that happens first happens. Everything escalates on everything else. Each thing that happens builds upon the past things that happens--in a direct relationship to the character. Whatever plot makes the most trouble for that specific character because of that specific character's attributes is a good plot.

Plot --> Consequences --> Escalating action relating to the characters

But there's one more step--the difference between a good novel, and one that's better than good. And it's very simple: you combine the two elements of story. 

They naturally feed into each other anyway. See:

Character --> Specific Details --> Reactions to the plot --> Consequences --> Escalation action relating directly to the characters

And this goes on and on and on. It's a cirlce, see. At it's most basic level, every single story in the world is just this. You have:

Characters who have specific details applied to them. A plot that follows a logical order of consequences. The specific attributes of the characters (and world) affect the plot. The consequences of the plot affect the characters.

It cycles over and over again, until the resolution and the story ends.

This means, a character's outlook on life should affect the decisions she makes which therefore affects the consequences of those decisions. The consequences of the plot should affect the characters in personal, specific ways.

This is how it worked for me: My main idea for Across the Universe was a girl and boy stuck on a spaceship during a series of murders. But I gave them specifics: Amy has pale skin and red hair--and is the exact opposite of brown-skinned, dark-haired, monoethnic Elder. Then I gave them consequences: because Amy looks different, the people on the ship treat her differently. Then I combined the two: Because Amy's treated differently, Eldest looks at her as a threat, which means she needs to act under the radar, which means the killer has a chance to attack again.

This works throughout literature. It's essentially a series of actions and reactions based on specific characteristics of your characters. It sounds so simple--but it's so often forgotten!