Why writing a complete story is so difficult for me

Kym, who is is one of my all time favorite bloggers published a very interesting post tonight. She did a little experiment to try and figure out what draws her into a book so that she can get an idea of how to write her own compelling first chapter. So of course I started thinking about all the things that draw me into a book. The usual elements of suspense and intrigue in the first chapter never fail. Then I thought past that about what keeps me reading after the initial pull. It’s almost always character development.

On occasion, as with the Twilight series, a story with somewhat unbelievable (and I don’t mean that in the vampire sense) characters can still keep me interested because of its twists and turns. But if twists and turns are the only compelling aspect about a novel then I simply can’t think of it as truly great literature.

Of course “great literature” cannot be defined, as it differs with opinion. But as for myself, well fleshed out characters (or lack thereof) make or break a novel. Take Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights for instance. Many people I know say they absolutely hate the novel. But I think their hatred of the characters is blinding them to the quality of the novel. If an author can make me loathe a fictional person that much and yet invoke some small amount of pity and understanding for them at the same time, then I think their writing is freaking brilliant. It’s not enough to tell the reader why a character is doing something, it’s more believable and personal when you come to know who they are through their actions and dialogue. Consistency and plausibility is key. I know an author has written a character well (especially if I don’t I relate to that character) if I believe their motivations. My dilemma then is bringing to life the aspects of the characters I envision without excessive dialogue and omniscient statements.

There is certainly more of that than I would like in my first novel in progress, but there is also ample opportunity to expand situations in a way that demonstrates rather than tells about the characters I love or love to hate. I’m determined to strike the right balance and improve myself as a writer as I go through the process of molding my story into something I’m ready to share. And since I made myself write the entire thing out before I started polishing it, I’d say I’m off to a good start.