Classic Authors and Irritants of Minor Complication

The following are classic examples of minor complications occurring in the novel.

And what do we mean by that? The basic definition: whatever "complicates" the story, but not always existing in strong relation to the major dramatic complication or plot conflict. Minors may erupt in the same way tornadoes spin off from hurricanes, or they may be unrelated: a dropped glass, an interpersonal argument, a house-devouring sinkhole, a child with wild and green eyes attacking a homeless person, i.e., whatever irritates, provokes, or disturbs, and in usually such a way as to either nudge the story, create suspense or verve, shove the character into revealing a trait, or some combination thereof.

"The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Scene 8:

Robert Cohn, friend of the narrator, enters the scene while narrator is having a conversation with another character by the name of Harvey. Very soon, Harvey baits Cohn, insults him. The tension rises. As a result, Cohn behaves unsure of himself... Cohn's girlfriend then enters scene and attempts to humiliate him. The page crackles with anticipation as the tension lines cross.

Scene 27:

Brett‘s fiancé Michael, insults Cohn, comparing him to a steer who is "always hanging about so." Rather than intelligently rebut his tormentor, Cohn becomes furious. Once more Hemingway stages an interpersonal conflict that keeps you reading.

"Therese Racquin" by Emile Zola

Those cretins, Laurent and Therese, are having an affair and decide it will best serve their interest if they murder Therese's husband, Camille. As Laurent is throwing Camille from a boat into the Seine river, Camille savagely bites Laurent's neck. This is a strong minor complication, for the reader senses this bite mark will return to haunt Laurent, especially at such time the police inspector shows up to question him.

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Scene 4:

Jordon Baker reveals to the narrator, Nick, details of Tom Buchanan's affair with Myrtle--a steamy minor complication Though this never develops into "subplot" status, it remains a cause of tension and suspense. Unlike some minor complications, this one weaves skillfully into the storyline, for in the end, it is Myrtle who is killed by Daisy as she drives Gatsby's car.

Scene 6:

Minor complication of interpersonal argument between Tom and Daisy puts Nick on edge, thus enabling him to more thoroughly assess Tom Buchanan's personality.

"Claudius The God," by Robert Graves

(minor complications of geography)

"The occultist led them over three or four miles of rough, boggy country, until they reached the marsh proper. It stank, and the will-o-the-wisp darted about it, and to reach the beginning of the secret track the Guards had to wade thigh-deep after their guide through a slimy pool full of leeches..."

(minor complication in environment requires innovation)

"Each man had his shield slung across his back and a big chalk circle smudged on it. This was to keep touch in the dark without shouting to each other... Aulus had observed that deer follow each other through dark forests guided by the gleam of the white fur patches on each other's rumps... "

Comments

Worthy WE Wisdom

The Six Act Two-Goal Novel

What makes for good drama is a constant. To begin, we combine Siegal's "nine act structure - two goal" screenplay (very much like the Syd Field three act except that the "reversal" from Field's structure joins "Act 5" in Siegal's version) with the Field classic three act. The Two-Goal Structure, Siegal maintains, creates more dynamic plot tension due to the insertion of PLOT REVERSAL later in the story. We concur. NOTE: "Plot Point" is defined here as a major occurrence that emphatically changes the course of the story. In the genre novel as a whole, we see three to five major plot points depending on various factors: a first PP that begins the rising action, second PP defined by the first major reversal, a third PP defined by a possible second major reversal, a climax PP, and a theoretical PP residing in the denouement, i.e., we think the story is going to resolve a certain way after climax, but a surprise happens that resolves

"Top Ten Worst Pieces of Writing Advice" (and it gets worse)

OUTSIDE OF NARCISSISM, IMPATIENCE AND BAD ADVICE ARE A WRITER'S WORST ENEMIES . If you ever attend writer events, you will never cease to hear utterances of bad writing advice, the popular kind that circulate like ruinous viral memes through the nervous systems of America's aborning novel writers. And each time you are exposed, you either chuckle or swear, depending on your mood and the circumstance. You might make a daring attempt to kill the meme in its tracks before it can infect someone else, or you might just stare at the writer with a dumbfounded look and ask, "Where the hell did you hear that?" Yes, the primal question: WHERE THE HELL DID YOU HEAR THAT? Inevitably, many will point to their writer's group . Ahhhh, of course , you think. Why just recently at an Algonkian event , one of my faculty (a former senior editor at Random House) and I were faced with an individual who adamantly asserted to us both that using only one point of view to write a n

What Makes a Good Memoir?

By Paula Margulies As a publicist, I'm sent books of all genres by authors interested in my services, but lately I seem to be on the receiving end of a lot of memoirs. I've also spoken to a higher-than-usual number of memoir writers, who either telephone or approach me with questions at writer's conferences. The bulk of these conversations have to do with why their memoirs aren’t selling and what the authors can do to make them better. My first suggestion for all memoir writers is to take a look at their market and identify the different types of people who would want to read their book. This is tricky, for while many memoir writers have done a good job of detailing certain aspects of their personal history, a number of them have not thought about who might be interested in reading what they've written. A lot of memoirs I've seen recently are nothing more than personal recountings of an individual’s experiences – some of which are, indeed, memorable. But I

Labors, Sins, and Six Acts - Official Novel Writing Guide - All Genres

An ideal first stop... You will discover below a series of scholarly, researchable, frank and indispensable guides to conceiving and writing the commercial genre novel, as well as the plot-driven literary novel. But the cutting edge of the developmental peels and prods as presented makes an initial big assumption, namely, that you are honestly desirous of true publication either by a classic publisher or traditional literary press , and therefore, willing to birth the most dynamic and can't-put-it-down novel you possibly can. Further, you are also naturally desirous of great sets, mind-altering theme, unforgettable characters, and cinematic scenes, among other things. Does that go without saying? Perhaps, but you must know, it won't be easy. Labors and Sins First of all, the method-based assertions and information we've gathered and elevated before your eyes below will shiver many of you like a 6.5 on the literary Richter scale because it will contr

Loglines and Hooks With Core Wounds

HOOK OR LOG WITH CORE WOUND AND CONFLICT Your hook line (also known as logline) is your first chance to get a New York or Hollywood professional interested in your novel. It can be utilized in your query to hook the agent into requesting the project. It is especially useful for those pitch sessions at conferences, lunches, in the elevator, or anywhere else. When a prospective agent or editor asks you what your book is about, your high-concept hook line is your answer. Writing one also encourages a realization of those primary elements that will make your novel into a work of powerful fiction. The great novel, more often than not, comprises two stories: the exterior story or plot line, and an interior story focused primarily on the protagonist, one that defines and catalyzes her or his evolutionary arc throughout the novel. For example, a protagonist with a flaw or core wound that prevents her from achieving a worthwhile goal is forced to respond to a lifechanging event instigated

"High Concept"? Sufficiently Unique? - Write a Tale That Might Actually Sell

Aspire to be a great genre author? So what's your high concept?... If you fail to grasp the vital importance of this second question, you will fail to conceive much less write a publishable genre novel - thriller, mystery, fantasy, horror, crime, SF, you name it. Just not going to happen. Don't let any writer group or self-appointed writer guru online or writer conference panel tell you otherwise. You're competing with tens of thousands of other aspiring authors in your genre. Consider. WHAT IS GOING TO MAKE YOUR NOVEL STAND OUT from the morass of throat-gulping hopefuls who don't know any better? Believe it or not, 99.5% of the writers in workshops all across the country *do not* arrive with a high-concept story. If anything, their aborning novel child is destined for still birth. They strut forward proudly waving their middle or low concept tale while noting how their hired editor from Stanford, or Iowa, or the Johns Hopkins MA program just "loves it!"

Novel Writing on Edge - Development Maxims and Master Class Narrative From Algonkian

Search This Blog