Beating your character like a despised stepchild. · 12:52am Sep 14th, 2022
Hello all,
Ive come across several stories recently that were really struggling and the Authors weren't really sure why. My comments to these have all been on the same topic, so I figured that I would point this out here for the newer writers to think about.
These stories had the same problem. The writers kept punishing the character in some way. Chapter after chapter, the characters situation either stayed constantly parlous, or their situation simply got worse and worse. The character was never giver any breathing room.
Stories have to have an ebb and flow. We all know this. We have all heard this, but do we really understand what it means? What I mean by this is that you need the stressful situations, followed by low key or light hearted moments. Stress, followed by release. This is more important than you think.
SHORT stories can get away with constant building tension, because they are short and end before the reader burns out. A great example of these are the stories by H.P.Lovecraft. He is a master of the constant slow buildup of stress. Again, it works because the reader finishes the story relatively quickly. The mistake that writers make is that the Author holds the main characters head under water the entire time, chapter after chapter. The character never experiences down time or light hearted moments.
These are important for two reasons. As said before, the readers need downtime. As we read, we experience what the characters do. When the characters are in trouble, we feel their danger. This is important because it's what pulls us as readers into the story and locks us firmly there. But when that stress is constant, a strange thing happens. We get desensitized by it. A important scene that the writer wants to "Hit home hard" isn't as effective. It looses its punch. When the character is in constant turmoil, when the reader gets to that crucial gripping scene....its flat. Its like how the Jump scare music in the films wouldn't work if the music is constantly loud to begin with. Before the Jump-scare, the music gets quiet. Same applies to writing.
The second reason why downtime is important is that it's in the every day, light hearted moments that the character can shine. The slice of life moments that show the reader who the character is and why he is likable. These are times where the readers can bond to the character. Constant buildup, never shows the character in the best light and as the chapters progress without those lighter moments, the readers stop remembering why they should like the character in the first place.
Stories need an ebb and flow, they need high tides and low tides. Its in the balance of humor, danger, action, and characters time to reflect, that makes good stories work.
Just a few thoughts I felt like sharing..
Monk
Agree one hundred. I can't handle the constant abuse I see some characters go through. I get people want tension, but you need resolution to let not just for the character, but for your readers.
That's not to say you can't have an overall story tension, especially if your trying for a darker story plot. Just give hope to the characters and the readers your trying to entertain.