A Novel is More Than Plot or Characters - Part 3


In the last part of this series about a novel being more than just a plot or characters, we’ll take a look at some of most overlooked elements of novel writing, the kind of things that are either simply ignored or barely shown by writers – Setting, Background and Time.
Setting
Does it matter about setting? Is the reader likely to care even if the setting is hardly mentioned?
Again, setting is one of those elements that writers pay less attention to, but shares equal importance with any part of a well-constructed novel. The setting tells the reader where and when the story takes place – whether it’s just one location or many.  They can be real settings or fictitious, but whichever they are, the setting gives the reader more information, instead of an empty story.  The more information the author can supply, the stronger the story.
Many writers make the mistake of either not making the setting known, or they go overboard with far too much description that the result is badly written and quite boring for the reader.
Clever writers often use setting rather like a painting backdrop. A brief description is enough for the reader to build a picture in his or her mind, rather like brushstrokes on a canvas. The best way to help the reader understand the setting it is to sprinkle the narrative with palatable snippets so that the description doesn’t overwhelm the reader in large, daunting chunks.
So, whether the novel is set in the Civil War, the Wild West, warn-torn Europe or the middle of space, make sure the reader knows from the outset.
Background
A thoroughly researched background will give your reader plenty to think about, not only in terms of your characters but also in terms of the setting and the things that are happening around the characters. 
Think of that oil painting again. It's just as important to know what is happening in the background, as well as the foreground. Brief, vivid descriptions will bring a background to your reader's attention, and will enable your reader to see the whole picture, without destroying the whole view.
And, just as with a setting, make your reader aware of where the action is happening, but drop some hints about the circumstances of the story, the reasons why the events are happening in that particular setting with your characters.
Background can be anything that relates to the story and your characters. Take the Civil War example. There is plenty of background here – the turmoil of war, the experience of those who lived through it, the stakes...they all form the background to a story.
Just don’t ignore it; otherwise you’ll leave your reader guessing.
Time
Does your story have a sense of time?  Again, it’s one of those things writers rarely think about, but every story has a time – the period in which the writer tells that story.
It doesn’t matter if your novel takes place in a 24 hour period or spans generations, what is important is that the reader understands this adequately. It is surprising how many writers fail to tell the reader what time of day or night it is in a novel, instead they concentrate on all the action.  
A writer doesn’t have to necessarily tell the actual time to the reader to do this, unless the story involves a clock, or clock-watching, as part of a motif, however, any subtle hint is enough for the reader to understand the time of day or year. The setting of the sun will tell the reader evening is approaching. The glare of streetlights or the moon denotes night time. The long shadows cast by the sun in the afternoon shows the reader.
Writers can also hint at the seasons to show the reader the time of year without blatant exposition, for instance the leaves on the ground in autumn, the fresh crisp air or the touch of frost of winter, or the sweat and discomfort of heat in the summer. All it needs is a little artistic thought.
But what about days, months or even years? How can a writer show the passage of time without writing about every minutiae? Again, there is no need for huge descriptions, but rather hints at the passage of time.
Writers do this in a number of ways:
  • New chapters or sections allow the writer to show a time shift. From one chapter to the next, the writer can show that time has moved on.
  • Transitional scenes – they bridge the gap between one moment of time to another by hinting it in the preceding scene, either done through narrative or dialogue – and then start a new scene in the new time frame.
  • Indirect exposition – this hints within the narrative or a character’s dialogue that time will elapse, so when the next scene starts, the reader will know that a certain amount of time has passed.
Whatever method you choose, always let the reader know when, where and how. The more information you give them, the more committed to the story they become and the stronger your story becomes.
 
It’s very easy to miss out a lot of these elements simply because we don’t consciously think about everything, but the more a writer understands these essentials, the easier it will be to write a fully realised novel.
 
Next week: Sorting fact from fiction

Comments

  1. AllWriteFictionAdvice18 January 2015 at 15:21

    Glad you enjoyed. Thanks, Alice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rakel' Sampson29 January 2015 at 22:00

    I really enjoyed these posts. You have created clear and effective explanations for aspects that many writers (and readers) do not think about when engaging a text. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AllWriteFictionAdvice3 February 2015 at 18:32

    Thanks Rakel.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter & Novel Lengths

Just how long should a chapter be? What’s the best length? And does a novel have to fit into a set amount of words? These are just two of the most common questions asked by writers.   They assume they have to work to a strict template of X amount of words and X amount of chapters, usually because most novels have around 30 or 40 chapters and around 80,000 words.   Novel Lengths Firstly, let’s dispel a few myths - novel lengths are dictated by the story itself, not the writer or the editor or a specific written formula.   Secondly, writers don’t have to fit their word count into generic set amounts.   Again, the story will dictate how long the novel will be. It’s also worth knowing the different types of novels that work well with different word counts.   Uncomplicated stories containing minimal characters tend to be short – usually around 20,000 to 60,000 words.   These are called novellas. Longer, more complex stories, which contain a handful o...
Read more

What Makes a Story Dark?

If you’re a horror writer or you love to write dark, psychological stories and thrillers, or moralistic tales, this is the one question that needs an answer. Wanting a dark story and writing one are two different things, so how do you actually make a story dark? To answer that you first have to understand what is meant by ‘dark’. We usually define ‘dark’ as quantifiable elements that we know and are familiar with, but it’s more than that. Dark doesn’t necessarily mean scary or gory with a crazy psychopath going around chopping people into bits. Instead we have to think of ‘dark ‘as anything outside our accepted rose-tinted reality. Dark is the underbelly of our society; it’s the handling of ideas, themes, social issues and behaviours that would be seen as morally unacceptable. It’s less about fictional monsters but more about the real monsters that lurk in the shadows, something that is underscored by our fears and anxieties. It’s the unknown, because the things we don’t know ...
Read more

Modifiers, Intensifiers and Qualifiers - Part 2

Unlike modifiers, which modify words or phrases, an Intensifier is a term for a modifier that amplifies the meaning of the word it modifies. An intensifier is used exclusively to modify adverbs and adjectives and is placed  before the word it is meant to modify.  In simple terms, the intensifier emphasises adverbs and adjectives - it makes them more intense . The word is derived from Latin, meaning to “intend or stretch”. In grammatical terms, the intensifier lends no weight to the meaning of a sentence other than to give it an additional emotional nuance to the word it is modifying, however, since they modify adverbs and adjectives, they should be treated in the same way adverbs adjectives – used little and sparingly wherever possible within your writing. This is where learning to spot them will benefit your quality of writing. Intensifiers are attributive and serve only to fill space, so unless there is a valid reason to intensify the meaning and emotion ...
Read more