Developing a plot-theme

[pianoGeek 0]

Hi,

I'm a beginning writer and I need advice concerning a short story I plan to write. So far I have done practically no serious writing; for a start I've been keeping a diary, but I haven't created anything of substance. So, I'm starting small. This will be pretty short and I will be mostly drawing directly from my own experiences (The main character will also be male; he will also be a teenager; his sense of life will probably be alike to mine.)

The theme is a simple statement, almost a "moral to the story:" "Never be dishonest with yourself, because no matter how it seems, you have nothing to fear from your own mind." The character in the story will have some issue he has not faced that is behind a forbidding "locked door" in his mind. He does not want to open it because he's afraid what's inside will hurt him; but by the end of the story he opens his "locked door" and discovers he had nothing to fear.

My trouble lies in taking this raw, abstract shadow of a plot and finding some way to illustrate it using *concrete* situations. What might be an external conflict that illustrates this character's situation?

Thanks.

[Burgess Laughlin 0]

My trouble lies in taking this raw, abstract shadow of a plot and finding some way to illustrate it using *concrete* situations.

First, congratulations. You have chosen, I believe, one of the most difficult of all tasks, creating fiction. To create fiction is to create a whole world -- a God-like activity -- as well as the specifics of character, plot, and theme.

Could you briefly describe what you know of Ayn Rand's works about writing? For example, have you closely studied her lectures on fiction writing, her Romantic Manifesto, and her many comments about fiction writing in The Art of Nonfiction?

My experience consists only of four years, full time, spent in writing two practice novels, at the level of adventure stories. Others in this forum have more experience.

My suggestions would be to:

- Clearly state your theme as a single word (if possible), then a phrase, then a sentence, and then at least a paragraph. (You may need to do this in reverse order.) As you do so, note -- but don't yet evaluate -- any concretizing ideas that come up in the process. With this concept defined, start a list of concretes that illustrate, exemplify, or symbolize this theme concept. Later, from the list, you can pick some of the items and use them in your story. But, for now, just make the list.

- Describe your character as thoroughly as possible. Who do you want him to be? Write a mini-biography or profile or both. Here again, note any "concretiziing" images or situations that come to mind. As before, DO NOT EVALUATE them at this point, just note them.

- Clearly state, in outline form, the sequence of steps (the plot) of the mental process the character will go through. This must be defined BEFORE you look for concrete situations that will bring it out.

Give yourself plenty of time to concretize the plot. Keep in mind the long struggle Ayn Rand had in coming up with the Cortland Homes dynamiting scene as the climax of The Fountainhead. For some scenes, the concretes pop into mind immediately; for others, a long time must pass during which you will use both your conscious mind and allow your subconscious computer to do its processing.

[Burgess Laughlin 0]

[...] a list of concretes that illustrate, exemplify, or symbolize this theme concept.

Here is an example. If the theme concept were to be dishonesty, then tightly closed eyes could symbolize that concept. Why? Because the essence of dishonesty is evasion (not facing the facts of reality). The "tightly" in the example show the not-looking is intentional, that is, a matter of volition.

[Ed from OC 0]

If you haven't already read it, another really good reference is Ayn Rand's The Art of Fiction.

A very common problem for fiction writers is connecting abstractions and concretes. The better you, as a thinker, connect abstractions (such as "honesty") to concretes, the easier the time you, as a writer, will have connecting theme and plot.

Several exercises can help. One is to develop the habit of concretizing your abstractions. The next time you encounter an abstraction (say, "man") come up with a list of clear, obvious concretes (Ayn Rand, President Bush, Ronald Reagan, Victor Hugo, the grocery store clerk down the block, my high school US history teacher, my dance instructor, etc.) Then repeat for other abstractions as well. Eventually it becomes automatic: when you encounter an abstraction, your first thought is to look at reality for concrete instances. This will help make your thinking more objective, by putting your primary focus on reality.

Then come the higher-level abstractions, like "honesty", that aren't at the perceptual level. Again, start with a list of concrete instances: when was the last time the concept came up in a conversation? What was the subject discussed at the time? When have you paused to consider whether to tell someone the truth, even if it meant hurting their feelings? And so on. When you have a list of several wide and varied examples, look for a definition. What do those things have in common? (Here, the OPAR discussion is a good aid.)

Then look to integrating this concept with others. What does honesty have to do with, say, rationality? with reality? free will? is honesty in my best interest? is it moral? is it practical? why do people lie? etc.

This process will help automatize an objective thinking process. You will find that where some concepts weren't clear to you, you now instantly have concretes jump into your mind that make the real-world, life-and-death stakes immediately apparent when some abstract concept comes up.

As far as specific writing suggestions beyond the above, keep in mind the principle that good fiction requires conflict of values. It can be hero vs. villain, hero vs. physical world, etc. If you want to write about honesty, think of as many cases as you can of conflicts that you've seen arise over honesty. For instance, you care about some girl and observe a friend of hers lying about her behind her back. Do you tell her about it? If you do tell her, she'll be upset and hurt. If you don't, her friend will be hurting her, and she won't know about it until it's too late. If you do tell her, how do you do it? Will she believe you or her friend?

Notice how the conflict arises because values are in conflict. You want to protect her, but telling her will hurt her. The higher the values, and the deeper the conflict, the better the drama. (That isn't the only thing driving the quality of fiction, but it is the most essential one.)

Hope that helps. Happy writing!

[Ed from OC 0]

Here, the OPAR discussion is a good aid.)

I'm referring to Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand and specifically the section on the virtue of honesty. Also, if you haven't read it, the section on definitions and concept-formation (ch.3) may help.

[pianoGeek 0]

Could you briefly describe what you know of Ayn Rand's works about writing? For example, have you closely studied her lectures on fiction writing, her Romantic Manifesto, and her many comments about fiction writing in The Art of Nonfiction?

I've read The Art of Fiction (and loved it!) but haven't yet read Art of NonFiction. I read Romantic Manifesto too, but I have to confess a lot of it went over my head.

- Clearly state your theme as a single word (if possible), then a phrase, then a sentence, and then at least a paragraph. (You may need to do this in reverse order.) As you do so, note -- but don't yet evaluate -- any concretizing ideas that come up in the process. With this concept defined, start a list of concretes that illustrate, exemplify, or symbolize this theme concept. Later, from the list, you can pick some of the items and use them in your story. But, for now, just make the list.

Hmmmm... okay. I've always had trouble with this, but I suppose I'll practice.

- Describe your character as thoroughly as possible. Who do you want him to be? Write a mini-biography or profile or both. Here again, note any "concretiziing" images or situations that come to mind. As before, DO NOT EVALUATE them at this point, just note them.

I like this suggestion... I always start with the character when trying to write a story.

However, I have trouble creating original-seeming characters. What I come up with usually feels like a characterless clone of myself with minor alterations (fictional me has blond hair and a love life. )

Do you have any advice on how I could "spice up" my character... how to give him some unique characteristics and qualities, rather than constructing a pretty realistic but uninteresting twin brother?

Give yourself plenty of time to concretize the plot. Keep in mind the long struggle Ayn Rand had in coming up with the Cortland Homes dynamiting scene as the climax of The Fountainhead. For some scenes, the concretes pop into mind immediately; for others, a long time must pass during which you will use both your conscious mind and allow your subconscious computer to do its processing.

ARRRG!! I always hated this step. All that waiting around, twiddling ones thumbs and wondering when inspiration will strike. But I've managed it before. *Sigh* -- I can be patient.

[pianoGeek 0]

Several exercises can help. One is to develop the habit of concretizing your abstractions. The next time you encounter an abstraction (say, "man") come up with a list of clear, obvious concretes (Ayn Rand, President Bush, Ronald Reagan, Victor Hugo, the grocery store clerk down the block, my high school US history teacher, my dance instructor, etc.) Then repeat for other abstractions as well. Eventually it becomes automatic: when you encounter an abstraction, your first thought is to look at reality for concrete instances. This will help make your thinking more objective, by putting your primary focus on reality.

What kind of concretes I am looking for with Honesty? The way honest/dishonest people act? What the consequences of dishonesty are? Dishonesty is much more a mental process than a physical activity, so how do I really concretize it?

I think I picked a pretty tough theme to illustrate, but I'm sticking with it no matter how crazy it drives me!

As far as specific writing suggestions beyond the above, keep in mind the principle that good fiction requires conflict of values.

How essential does the conflict need to be to grab the reader's attention? Does it have to be a life-or-death struggle, or can it be a more minor conflict (such as choosing whether to be honest --and hurt someone's feelings --or lie)? I've read a pretty large range of conflicts in short stories--anywhere from the fate of the world to the fate of a friendship--but the conflict always feels deeply imporant and personal. How do I achieve this?

Happy writing!

I'm sure it will be! Thanks to both of you for taking the time.

[Betsy Speicher 0]

The theme is a simple statement, almost a "moral to the story:" "Never be dishonest with yourself, because no matter how it seems, you have nothing to fear from your own mind." The character in the story will have some issue he has not faced that is behind a forbidding "locked door" in his mind. He does not want to open it because he's afraid what's inside will hurt him; but by the end of the story he opens his "locked door" and discovers he had nothing to fear.

That has the makings of a good story and I have something that might help you write it.

Since you've read The Art of Fiction I would like to suggest a wonderful "how to" companion book that takes you, step by step, through the process of creating fiction as Ayn Rand did. It is called Structuring Your Novel by Meredith and Fitzgerald.

But don't take my word for it. Click on the title above, read the reviews for this book, and see if it is just what you are looking for. I'll bet it is.

[pianoGeek 0]

That has the makings of a good story and I have something that might help you write it.

Since you've read The Art of Fiction I would like to suggest a wonderful "how to" companion book that takes you, step by step, through the process of creating fiction as Ayn Rand did. It is called Structuring Your Novel by Meredith and Fitzgerald.

But don't take my word for it. Click on the title above, read the reviews for this book, and see if it is just what you are looking for. I'll bet it is.

Thanks, that looks wonderful! It looks to be more about fiction writing in general than about novels, which is great.

Now to convince my parents to buy it for me...

[Ed from OC 0]

What kind of concretes I am looking for with Honesty? The way honest/dishonest people act? What the consequences of dishonesty are? Dishonesty is much more a mental process than a physical activity, so how do I really concretize it?

When you use the term "honesty," what do you mean by it? If you're trying to explain it to someone, what examples do you cite? THAT'S the kind that I have in mind. If you want to write about a topic, first and foremost be clear in your own thinking about it. Much of the time, a writer's block stems from insufficient or incorrect thinking about the topic. What you describe sounds like a common problem: an author wants to write about a grand theme, but the idea is floating up in the clouds.

Now, specifically as a writer, the types of concretes you use and how you concretize an idea is entirely up to you; that's the specific job of a writer.

Ayn Rand chose the theme of individualism vs collectivism for a novel. She could have had the hero have one of many types of jobs, with many types of romantic relationships, and take place in many locations. She chose architecture, Dominique, and NYC. There's absolutely nothing stopping an aspiring writer from choosing the exact same theme but completely different concretes and subordinate value conflicts, and it could turn out to be a damn fine book. My point is, the plot is up to you.

I would assume if your theme is honesty, then you would be showing people acting honestly or dishonestly. Maybe there's a way around that, but I don't think so. Remember that your theme has to be tied to action, to what people really do, which doesn't mean strictly physical action. Remember AR's short story The Simplest Thing in The World?" That story is entirely inside the head of one character.

[Burgess Laughlin 0]

Remember AR's short story The Simplest Thing in The World?" That story is entirely inside the head of one character.

"The Simplest Thing in the World" is indeed an excellent example of concretization -- in this case, concretization of a tremendous conflict inside one man's mind. Reproduced in The Romantic Manifesto, the story is only about 15 pages long. Its narrative viewpoint is third-person omniscient. It mostly describes the actions of the main character, Henry Dorn, a man torn by conflict. The narrator also tells us directly about another character (the proud woman, Kitty) and indirectly, through a description of Dorn's thoughts, about other characters (such as the popular writer, Fleurette Lumm).

The omniscient narrator shows readers the physical actions of Dorn: sitting, looking, turning, standing, hiding a book with a magazine, folding his hands in his lap, and reaching for a newspaper.

The narrator also shows readers Dorn's thoughts. (The narrator is said to be "omniscient" partly because he can hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of one or more characters. He then narrates these to the reader.)

Ayn Rand has taken an abstract theme -- the impossible conflict of an artist momentarily struggling, unsuccessfully, to act against his most deeply held values -- and has turned it into a sense-perceptible experience for the reader. The reader sees the characters move. The reader hears the characters speak. The reader even hears one character think.

With these facts available, the reader experiences the story -- and can "get the point," that is, infer the theme, by thinking about what he has seen and heard.

[bignosedcopperking 0]

Ex-O'ist:

Here's a link to Edgar Poe's review of Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales, which I find helpful. Also at the bottom of the page you will see a link to his "philosophy of Composition". It might help:

http://pages.prodigy.net/krtq73aa/tales.htm

A little note on plot-theme:

It's the central conflict of the story. Either whose against who and what value against what value; or a man against himself; or a man against the physical world.

Think of the plot-theme in this way: it has to be a point in time in the story where this central conflict is revealed. An action event that will lead the reader to see it. So, all material before should be leading up to the revelation. It's best to do it with action and dialogue. But in a short story it can be very difficult. So start with just describing through narration of the character(s)'s moral premise, at the beginning, and then write the action that will be interesting because it either supports and counter's that beginning moral premise. Upon editing you should be able to begin to show actions that express a certain moral outlook.

But Poe's analysis is very helpful at least to get a story on paper. You have a goal--now write to get there! You can always beautify your story upon editing. It's only a short story.

For me now, often when writing a short story, the outline is just there, so that I don't even have to see it. I know where I'm going and the story seems to write itself. It's only a short story, you can mould, re-mould it, and revise it as you wish. But check out Poe.

Sincerely,

Jose Gainza.

[Betsy Speicher 0]

Thanks, that looks wonderful! It looks to be more about fiction writing in general than about novels, which is great.

Now to convince my parents to buy it for me...

On that Amazon page I gave you, click on the "used and new" link. There are dozens of copies for $2 and under. With postage, it is about the cost of lunch at McDonalds.

[EdFab 0]

My trouble lies in taking this raw, abstract shadow of a plot and finding some way to illustrate it using *concrete* situations. What might be an external conflict that illustrates this character's situation?

and

What kind of concretes I am looking for with Honesty? The way honest/dishonest people act? What the consequences of dishonesty are? Dishonesty is much more a mental process than a physical activity, so how do I really concretize it?

and

I've read The Art of Fiction (and loved it!) but haven't yet read Art of NonFiction. I read Romantic Manifesto too, but I have to confess a lot of it went over my head.

Hi, pianoGeek. So how have you made out? It's been a while since this thread has been active, but I'd like to offer some advice regarding these three excerpts that I've pasted in.

First, if you have not reread The Art of Fiction, I recommend that you read it and reread it until none of it is over your head. There is gold in that book.

Second, the key to a good plot, according to Ayn Rand, is that the character must be in a situation which causes him to have conflicting values. In "The Art of Fiction," she offers as examples Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", and her short story "Good Copy". If you study that chapter (Plot-Theme), you'll see that the conflicting values are concretized through the actions of the characters. In Hunchback, a priest falls in love with a gypsy, which conflicts with his duty to God. The conflict is a mental one, but it is concretized through the action that takes place. This is something that Ayn Rand hits upon often as very important. The conflict must be concretized, showed through action, and not simply by way of a static situation of mental anguish playing out inside the character's head. With "Good Copy", a newspaper reporter kidnaps a girl for the sole purpose of ginning up a story, and ends up falling in love with the girl. The conflict here is that he has done something bad (kidnapped her) to the woman he evenutally falls in love with. There are more than just these conflicts in Hunchback and Good Copy, but in each, though the conflicts are mental, they are portrayed (and resolved) through concrete actions.

Third, about concretes dealing with honesty and dishonesty. To come up with some examples of concretes, you will need to have a good conceptual framework, as others have mentioned here. I suggest that you read "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology" along with "The Art of Fiction". Warning: "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology" is no walk through the park. I suggest that you read it and keep reading it until you understand it completely. Once you do, then you will have no problem concretizing concepts, because your conceptual framework then will be built up from concrete existents (what you perceive with your senses). You will always be able to tie the higher level concepts, like dishonesty and honesty, to concrete reality, by descending down through the chain of concepts. By doing this, you will eventually arrive at instances of honesty and dishonesty that are acted out in reality.

Let's say, for example, that dishonesty is a concept that designates all types of human untruthfulness. Some types of dishonesty would be lies, untrustworthiness, acts of cheating, acts of defraud, misleading, etc. Now for a concrete, how about a guy buys something at a store and is given back too much change. He knows it, yet he keeps the extra money. This is a type of cheating, which is a type of dishonesty. If this person prides himself on being honest, there is now a mental conflict that has been portrayed in an action. A dishonest act that directly conflicts with his self-appraisal as an honest person. It might be a little thin to build a short story on, so now you add to the conflict, intensify it, perhaps by making the cashier be a friend of the guy, or maybe the cashier is a girl he's attracted to. Perhaps he finds out that he/she had to pay for the shortage, or maybe even gets fired. Now you have a real story going, with some good juicy conflicts.

The main thing I suggest is that you read "The Art of Fiction" and "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology" until you know these works like the back of your hand.

[Bill Bucko 0]

I recommend concentrating on story-telling -- not philosophy.

Tell a story--first, last, and always! If there's any philosophy in it (and there needn't be any), let it come naturally, and unforced ... in the course of telling the story.

If you try to teach, rather than tell a story, it'll show--much to the story's detriment. Teaching is an entirely different profession! People need to get that through their heads! If you want to teach, write a textbook, not a story.

If you want to write the more meaningful kind of story, recognize that it's still a story. The craft of story-telling comes first. Neglect that, and you'll create botched abortions that aren't really art.

But write as the world's great story-tellers have written, and you can create something vastly more exciting, colorful, and moving than some preachy tract masquerading as fiction:

Don Diego can't tell his father that, far from being an unmanly fop, he is really the masked hero Zorro.

A young man dying of cancer tries, in the last 6 months of his life, to prove that his oil-prospecting uncle who froze to death in the Canadian Rockies was a great discoverer, not a swindler.

Arthur Dimmesdale pleads with the woman he loves, to reveal the dreaded secret he's hiding from the entire world.

Matt Helm helps a lady defect with her husband's secret plans--a mission so important he must even kill U.S. agents if he has to.

Rudolph Rassendyll ponders whether to rescue the king the princess he loves is destined to marry.

John Ridd falls in love with Lorna Doone, of the robber band that killed his father.

An idealistic youth, intent on righting wrongs, becomes leader of an outlaw band--and learns that in rescuing his best friend from the scaffold, he's killed 83 innocent people.

To save the world, Buffy has to thrust a sword through the heart of the man she loves, sending him to hell.

In a hail of bullets, Mr Phelps helps the woman he loves escape from behind the Iron Curtain--to find that she must now leave him, before she can love him.

Captain Future travels to a distant galaxy, to discover that the great leader from the past he's impersonating is actually--himself.

Chip, leader of a band of rebels, breaks into the stronghold of the dictatorship he's trying to overthrow--and is welcomed with applause.

Alan Quinton has to hide from his wife Singleton that the woman stealing his love away is actually she herself.

THAT'S STORY-TELLING!