"Who's on first?"
We're not talking baseball. We're asking: Who is the power person in a particular scene? Who is the character that holds the control over present and future outcomes? Who will most easily score the home run?
Once I identify that player, I can begin to work the elements of tension in my fiction and memoir more skillfully.
To create tension, two or more elements of power combine, and one wins out. Just like people try to exert control over their lives every day. so must characters on the page. Story is about that give and take, that gain and loss of control over oneself and one's circumstances.
Friday, April 9, 2021
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
