Is The Swearing And The Sex Necessary?

I tweeted about this over the weekend, but I wanted to take some more time today to discuss a trend I am seeing more and more in the romances that are out there.

Authors seem to believe that adding graphic language, or sex scenes that would make most porn starts blush sells books. While those stories may sell to a certain group of people out there, these authors are missing the point. Romance is about the Happily Ever After. Romance is about watching a romance build into something worthwhile.

Now, don't get me wrong. Hot scenes are fine. Language, when necessary is fine. But when authors are using this to build their story around, they are missing the mark.

When I have taught creative writing to high school students, one of the first questions I get asked is, "So, is it OK if we put swearing in the story." My answer is always the same. "IF it is necessary." I then give them a couple of examples to prove my point.

• Vietnam fiction is often filled with a lot of language. I read 13th Valley in my undergraduate work at the University of Puget Sound. The professor openly noted the language, but he also followed it up with a great piece of analysis. This war sucked. There was nothing good about it. In all honesty, that language was the only way to describe what they were going through.
• For you parents, you will understand this one. We have probably all done this. Have you ever stepped on a Lego or a Barbie shoe, in your bare feet, in the middle of the night? My bet is "Oh, ouch" was not the words you used. Language is appropriate here.
• This one I know we have all done. You know that moment when you bang your elbow on that point that is not so "funny?" Again, my bet is the language you use is pretty darn colorful.

The point is, language is appropriate, IF the characters would normally speak this way. The language is appropriate if it adds to the story, or adds to an understanding of the character.

Now let's talk about the sex scenes. When I started thinking about this post (and the twitter comment this weekend) it was due to a contemporary novel I was reading. The only conflict in the book seems to revolve around the two characters deciding if that chapter long sex scene was either good enough, or if they would be embarrassed when they returned to work the next day. We are not seeing any development of the characters or their relationship.

This is especially true for the romance genre. This is a genre about watching two characters come together, to learn about one another, to grow as a couple. I am sorry to say this, but if the author believes that they are getting together in bed is good enough, or that they learn that the other person likes some particular position, or their growth as a couple is just how long they can do it, the author is missing the point. 

I'll be very honest. Writing a romance and leaving out the bedroom scenes is tough. Guess what? You have to rely on storytelling. You have to rely on the characters actually talking and doing things together. You also have to rely on your ability as an author to create a realistic conflict. 

So, before you add that language or add that scene, ask yourself, is it really necessary... 

Are You Using Your Senses?

I was reading through my latest catalogue of teas from The Upton Tea Company. Just a side note here, if you are a tea drinker, this company produces some great teas! In any case, as I looked through the descriptions, I thought of all of you writers.


One of the things that I often reject projects for is the lack of depth. This is a lack of depth in both character and plot development. When I do this, writers often believe that the problem is that we need more back story for the characters and more sub-plots. While this may be part of the problem, many of the problems may be with the author's writing and word choice. So what does the tea catalogue have to do with this? Consider the following description of one tea:


This low-grown Ceylon selection has dark brown leaves that yield a beautiful copper-red infusion with a bright aroma, hinting of citrus. The lively cup has a full mouth feel with malty nuances and molasses-like sweet notes, which linger into the finish.


Note the levels of description going on. In these two sentences, the company has described the tea using 4 of the 5 senses - sight, touch, smell and taste. For most of you, describing a cup of tea would probably only focus on taste and maybe sight.


When I read stories that are lacking these sentences, this is generally what I read:

• Historicals the hero is always described with hints of sandalwood.
• Italian restaurants and dishes only focus on basil and rich tomato sauce.
• Small towns are only described by the single blinking light and the small store fronts.

While these ideas are certainly a start, what really adds the depth is the addition of all of the other senses. For example, when describing rain, why not bring in the concept of Petrichor - the smell you get when rain is first coming. When you describe a small restaurant, bring in the sounds of the kitchen, the warmth of the ovens.


Be creative here!


Of course, remember that there is a point of going to far. Just don't forget to use those other senses. You will find your story really will get that added depth without piling on the extra useless baggage.

What Is Your Novel's Thesis?

Although for most writers, hearing the word THESIS conjures up images of academic writing and research papers, this same concept extends to writing fiction Whether or not you are a plotter or a pantster, knowing where you are going to and why you are taking that journey is really the key to success in your story.

Let's start first with some basics of thesis writing. According to a basic definition of the concept of thesis, it is a "statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved." But we really want to take this a step further. According to Marcie Sims, a colleague of mine. in her textbook, THE WRITE STUFF, she notes that a thesis statement "establishes a narrowed scope of your topic, provides at least one controlling idea or analytical purpose."

But you still might be questioning why a writer would put a thesis statement into his or her essay. You will note that in no way am I saying you would actually put a thesis statement in the essay. You should, however, know why you are writing the story and what you want the readers to leave with when they finish your novel. Marcie goes on to note that even in narrative writing, you would have a purpose to your story. In fact, the definition of narration in her book is a story that provides insight or truth gained from the experience.

Too often, writers just simply write, but without that controlling purpose or goal, the story ends up being pretty flat. This is very apparent when editors and agents discuss a prospective novel or read a submission from a new author. When the author just tells us the plot of the story and we are left with this question of "So what?" that is generally a story without a purpose.

Taking this a step further, we can see that having a thesis in your mind, both before you write the story and as you write it, will actually tie all of the events in your book together. It will give each scene your write and each passage of dialogue you have a meaning. The elements in your story should have some sort of meaning that advances the reader closer to that ultimate insight you want them at when they finish the book.

If we look at Jean Love-Cush's novel ENDANGERED we can see how the author has done just this. For those of you who are not familiar with this book, it is clearly one that needs to be read during these tough times here in the United States. Let me give you the "blurb" about the book from Amazon:

An innocent black teenager is accused of murder in this provocative and compassionate thriller that skillfully probes issues of race, class, crime, and injustice and offers a searing portrait of modern America.

From the time her son, Malik, could walk, Janae taught him that the best way to stay alive and out of trouble with the law was to cooperate. Terrified for his safety, she warned him, “raise your hands high, keep your mouth shut, and do whatever they say,” if the police ever stopped him. But when a wave of murders hits Philadelphia and fifteen-year-old Malik is arrested, Janae’s terror is compounded by guilt and doubt: Would Malik have escaped jail if he’d run?

Unable to see her son or pay for his defense, Janae, a cafeteria worker, reluctantly allows Roger Whitford, a white human rights attorney, to represent Malik. With the help of an ambitious private attorney named Calvin Moore, Roger is determined to challenge the entire criminal justice system and expose its inherent racism—racism that threatens the very existence of America’s young black men.

Offering a startling and unprecedented defense, the lawyers spark a national firestorm of debate over race, prison, and politics that burns to the very core of Janae herself. As she battles to save her son, she begins to discover that she is also fighting for her own survival and that of her community.

This author knows exactly the message she wants the readers to leave with. She wants those readers to leave questioning their own beliefs but to also be motivated to become socially and politically aware of the things going on around them. For this reason, each and every scene in the book paints a picture of this unfortunate circumstance and then has a moment to allow the reader some introspection. She does not come right out and "preach" to the reader, or say things such as, "This is what you should believe," but through the narrative, this is implied.

Knowing that thesis will also add to your marketing of the book when you are trying to show the uniqueness of the story. What is it that makes this book stand out? Why do we want to read it? Without that purpose and that thesis, you will struggle to come up with anything other than a generic writing trope such as "this is a coming of age story" or "this is a story about lost love found again."

So, what is your thesis? Do you have one? If so, does everything in your story link to that thesis? If not, this may be the reason why your story is going no where fast!

Understanding Tropes - Question from a writer

I hope this isn't too "huge" of a question, but what exactly is a trope? I checked the dictionary and the internet. Still don't get it other than it is figurative language. But is it referring to the author's voice, a character's description, the way a character speaks or ???

 

Great question!

 

I brought up this concept last week in a post.

 

You are right. Tropes are figurative language. We use these tropes to get across particular meanings to the readers. Over the course of years, authors have worked the concept of tropes into their stories as particular character or plot elements. The character and plot devices were used originally to convey a particular message to the reader. Think about the Major General in Pirates of Penzance. That same "old guy" image shows up in stories such as Disney's Aladdin with the Sultan. This is a trope.

 

Today, many authors have broadened the idea of tropes and refer to these as simply common characters or plot elements. Unfortunately, in many of these situations, the "meaning" behind the character or plot device is gone. This is just a repetitive idea. For example, someone uses a rich millionaire for the hero. The idea of rich as in Jay Gatsby is simply not there anymore. Authors are using this character simply for the luxury of setting the story in a fancy house, having him wear designer clothes or to fly to exotic locations.

 

Hope this helps.