Last week I mentioned the darkness of my first draft of A Perfect Caress. Along with the instruction to lighten the story, my editor (a
true genius really because she saw the potential in me) told me that the novel
was episodic. She said there wasn’t
much going on beside a couple of hospital scenes, an anniversary party, and the
trip to Italy.
My response was Huh?
And then I had to go look up what episodic meant and I learned that my book consisted
of episodes of things happening, like a television series. Clarity hit me then. I had not conflict in the
story, nothing to drive the novel forward. To keep the reader interested to see
what was going to happen. My GMCs (Goals, motivations, and conflict) didn’t
really exist.
Deep, heaving sigh and then a bit of hyperventilation.
Into the writing den for an intense revision. Out with the
episodic (and dark), and in with the conflict to engage the reader into reading
the whole book.
Be aware that episodic writing works for some writers. I
read a book by Beverly Jenkins (Breathless – I loved it) recently where I kept
waiting for the conflict to hit. It never did, but I still found the story to
be amazing. Go figure.
Have you ever read an episodic book that you couldn’t put
down? Or that you just had to put down because you felt there wasn’t a point?
Alice in Wonderland is a prime example of episodic, and it has enthralled generations of readers.
ReplyDeleteNow you have me thinking. I thought there was an overarching theme to Alice in Wonderland. But then again, maybe there isn't. Thanks for pointing that out.
DeleteOh I didn't know that term. Yes, I've read a few over the years that I enjoyed but I can see how it could be a hard sell as well especially when trying to engage a LOT of readers.
ReplyDeleteUnless the characters and dialogue are amazing, it's sometimes hard to push through a story with no true conflict.
DeleteFor many, conflict drives a plot. In drama, conflict pays a major part, and the resolution of that conflict. Glad you were able to put that element in your work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Celestine.
DeleteI learn something new everyday. While I've heard about goals, motivations, and conflicts, I don't think about them as I'm writing, and I should be aware of it. Being a pantser isn't always a good thing. I've learned by some very knowledgable authors (Nana) about adding these into my writing. Good Post, Nana!
ReplyDelete