Breakout Premise - Part 5

Originality

What's a writer to do? It's all been done before. There are no new ideas. We've heard it over and over.

Maass has a few ideas of his own. Find a fresh angle, a unique perspective. Can you approach your story from an unusual viewpoint?

He also suggests two other methods to increase originality: ". . .(1) by doing the opposite of what we expect and (2) by combining two discrete story elements."

Readers love to be surprised. Going in an unexpected direction can capture us even before we know it. A main character filled with quirks (think "Monk") can give a wonderful twist to the standard detective fare.

And two rather common story lines, when combined, can raise a story above the norm. Sometimes called "high concept", Maass uses this example from a conference he attended where Rick Horgan spoke. A woman is recovering from cancer. A nice thought, but not something you want to read for 300 pages. But add the woman's dream of climbing Mount Rainer--now you've got something!

A fourth idea is to combine genres. One of my critique partners, Susan Lohrer, writes a terrific romantic comedy and fantasy that sticks with you. I'd love to see her combine those two elements. The hard part is that a novel in which genres are combined "needs to be built on a breakout scale as is, say, Diana Gabaldon's 1991 novel Outlander . . . with plot layers, high stakes and depth of character." Way easier said than done.

If your premise doesn't contain some originality, you may want to take another look at it and see what you can do to kick it up a notch.

It's all better with friends.

Breakout Premise - Part 4

Inherent Conflict

Donald Maass suggests one way to create conflict in your story is to place it somewhere that isn't safe. Generally, suburbs are considered comfortable, not conflicted. But a courtroom? A mountain cabin in the middle of a blizzard?

Like many of you, my prayers are settling over the people of California now as they battle fire. Have you put yourself in their shoes? Imagined their fear and pain and anger? Their faith? Talk about conflict.

Maass stresses: "If your place is lacking trouble, dig deeper. It is there. Your job is to bring it out. Drilling into deep wells of conflict is a fundamental step in constructing a breakout premise."

As a suspense novelist, you may think your reader should automatically feel the conflict because of the idea of your story. But remember, until you write it, it doesn't exist. Don't run from conflict. Create it.

It's all better with friends.

Next: Originality

Breakout Premise - Part 3

PLAUSIBILITY

On the surface, this concept seems pretty clear. Is the premise believable? Either it is, or it isn't.

But Maass throws that caring thing into the mix again. (emphasis mine) " . . . we are concerned about the outcome of the story because what is happening to the characters could happen to us."

The key is to find a balance between the ridiculous and the routinely obvious. A suspense novelist--or any novelist for that matter (including fantasy and science fiction), needs to start with something that could be real. But if it's too ordinary there's no excitement. Who cares about someone going to the grocery store? But, what if . . .?

Stephen King is a master of taking the ordinary and giving it a blow-your-socks-off twist. He captures us because we're sucked into something strange and provocative before we know it. After all, we were just going to the grocery store!

Maass closes out the section on plausibility with this: "A premise that is surprising yet credible is one that is far more likely to make us exclaim, 'I wish I had thought of that.'"

What about the book you're reading now, or the one you're writing? Are you intrigued--or are you bored? Do you believe that what is happening could happen to you? Would you care if it did?

It's all better with friends.

Next: Inherent Conflict

Breakout Premise - Part 2

With this post, we're continuing our look at Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass.

Remember those three novels you chose? (Okay, I already know some of you cheated. You have eight. Or twelve. Or three hundred and seventeen. Whatever your count, you're still in the game, and this still applies.) Think about this from Maass: "Above and beyond the setting, characters and plot, these are probably novels that altered your way of seeing the world. If they did not actually change your opinions or beliefs, they at least showed you something about humanity (possibly divinity) you had not previously realized. They are about something. They present an outlook. They have a message."

Powerful.

Is there a strong message in the novel you're writing? In the one you're reading?

Roughly, here's the premise of Broken Bones (the manuscript I'm working on): Organ donation and the lack thereof, the money to buy them, the greed to sell them, and the people who get caught up in the game and lose. Of course, my two main players will hit rock bottom and climb back out with purpose--probably.

Call me a softie.

It's all better with friends.