tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post4328617890158145006..comments2024-03-28T09:13:07.455+00:00Comments on MOODY WRITING: Choices, Decisions, Dilemmasmooderinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-52965785378518929792011-07-27T05:35:32.964+01:002011-07-27T05:35:32.964+01:00A thought-provoking post. You make an excellent po...A thought-provoking post. You make an excellent point here:<br /><br />"Reporting the choice made is not enough. The choice has to be interesting and in some way consequential. Remember that if the next step in your story seems natural and obviously what the character would choose to do, then there’s a good chance it will seem obvious and predictable to the reader too."<br /><br />This is something I hadn't heard before, but it makes total sense (I guess subconsciously I knew it ;)) I'll keep this in my conscious mind from now on.Lorenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17848249911635132594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-64082783522141005382011-07-18T16:21:16.508+01:002011-07-18T16:21:16.508+01:00Up those stakes, and build and maintain!
Ellie Ga...Up those stakes, and build and maintain!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.elliegarratt.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Ellie Garratt</a>Ellie Garratthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03731071128348213067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-61411930166699518292011-07-17T04:59:20.536+01:002011-07-17T04:59:20.536+01:00Yay! Finally got to join your site, and I'm a...Yay! Finally got to join your site, and I'm a huge fan of this blog post. I was recently told by an agent during a revise/resubmit that I needed to increase the stakes in my work in progress, so I've been slaving away like crazy. Wish I found this blog post first! ;)LisaAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02084670148565013397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-78674270365385877532011-07-17T00:40:09.496+01:002011-07-17T00:40:09.496+01:00Great points. If a problem presents itself to a ch...Great points. If a problem presents itself to a character, there have to be meaningful consequences, otherwise there's really nothing to keep the reader's attention.Golden Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08721520451194318436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-20139972613435361062011-07-16T00:28:51.408+01:002011-07-16T00:28:51.408+01:00@Christa - can I assume you agree?
@elizabeth - t...@Christa - can I assume you agree?<br /><br />@elizabeth - thank you.<br /><br />@Lydia - cheers.<br /><br />@Stephen - I think challenged is a good way to put it.mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-34902421865376850272011-07-15T20:04:18.593+01:002011-07-15T20:04:18.593+01:00Characters need to be challenges, and one way of d...Characters need to be challenges, and one way of doing that is giving them two alternative paths with consequences at the end of each one. I like this kind of internal and external conflict.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-74345818425275201552011-07-15T19:25:50.819+01:002011-07-15T19:25:50.819+01:00I always struggle with this, so thanks for the gre...I always struggle with this, so thanks for the great post!Lydia Kanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00484415427764822386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-60503355183919912642011-07-15T17:25:10.138+01:002011-07-15T17:25:10.138+01:00Interesting post! I enjoyed this. Details do make ...Interesting post! I enjoyed this. Details do make all the difference on the realism of the Characters. Thank you! :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥</a><br />Can Alex save Winter from the darkness that hunts her?<br />YA Paranormal Romance, <a href="http://www.authorelizabethmueller.com/" rel="nofollow"><i>Darkspell</i></a> coming fall of 2011!<br />Pre-order your copy <a href="http://www.authorelizabethmueller.com/" rel="nofollow">now</a>!Elizabeth Muellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06028099814857743134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-56743658379013698992011-07-14T17:03:06.713+01:002011-07-14T17:03:06.713+01:00"If things turn out bad no matter what you ch..."If things turn out bad no matter what you choose and even worse if you don't choose, then you’ve got the start of a story."<br /><br /><br />Yes! Yes! Yes to this!Christa Desirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15614441465633549710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-1892726156729436442011-07-14T16:43:19.645+01:002011-07-14T16:43:19.645+01:00@Sophia - thanks, plenty profound for me.
@AA - y...@Sophia - thanks, plenty profound for me.<br /><br />@AA - you'd think someone would mention something.<br /><br />@Donna - I think as long as it's interesting it doesn't have to be an extinction level event.mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-70048621603458293842011-07-14T15:32:10.169+01:002011-07-14T15:32:10.169+01:00Exactly. I think it's like compliments. You re...Exactly. I think it's like compliments. You really can be complimented to death ... and they become meaningless. If every choice your characters make are major drama, you lose credibility with the reader.Donna K. Weaverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15763832177263927311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-2137260413488832952011-07-14T15:30:25.764+01:002011-07-14T15:30:25.764+01:00I love how you pointed out response is needed from...I love how you pointed out response is needed from other characters when the MC chooses whatever he/she chooses. So important.Alleged Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04869021184116123477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-78036984502181949402011-07-14T14:25:03.956+01:002011-07-14T14:25:03.956+01:00The 'Ambre Solaire Beige upholstery' is a ...The 'Ambre Solaire Beige upholstery' is a fantastic line of description, and that is my deep comment for the day.Sophiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17926811798176739307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-14861161250856501242011-07-14T12:21:18.638+01:002011-07-14T12:21:18.638+01:00@Emily - I think developing layers in choices so t...@Emily - I think developing layers in choices so there are various unforeseen and far reaching consequences helps deepen a story.<br /><br />@Juliana - yeah, overfondness for a main character can make you soft on them.<br /><br />@Jen - definitely more fun when things go in an unexpected direction.mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-1987791341733404022011-07-14T05:34:04.437+01:002011-07-14T05:34:04.437+01:00Great post, Mood. I also think that sometimes it&#...Great post, Mood. I also think that sometimes it's helpful to have you character make the decision that you wouldn't, and then justify it.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12314617048592538691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-3019252677248609102011-07-14T03:17:43.895+01:002011-07-14T03:17:43.895+01:00Great post to get me thinking on my new WIP. It...Great post to get me thinking on my new WIP. It's easy to let your MC make all the right decisions when really, that never happens in real life and makes for one boring story!Juliana L. Brandthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15903360100714298208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-5433411993442497322011-07-14T01:50:02.429+01:002011-07-14T01:50:02.429+01:00I'm a fish girl!
Thanks for the post. So great...I'm a fish girl!<br />Thanks for the post. So great to remember everything in a story should be building, even the little choices.Emily R. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03892444969625637064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-8169196814463259462011-07-13T23:43:52.791+01:002011-07-13T23:43:52.791+01:00@Michael - well, it depends how you mean. There ar...@Michael - well, it depends how you mean. There are some genres, for example thrillers, where the imperative to act is naturally so high that you can get away with quite underdeveloped characters. <br /><br />But on the other hand if you have no particular incentive but a very deep understanding of the character, you know why he hates fish and will never eat it, then he chooses chicken, that doesn't really make the scene work any better. <br /><br />Even if you know what his hang ups are, you still need a predicament to put him in that pushes the right buttons.mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-22591293787019679752011-07-13T23:16:22.001+01:002011-07-13T23:16:22.001+01:00Do you think that pouring more into your character...Do you think that pouring more into your character development could have the effect of making the stakes much higher? I think so.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-465202732976406392011-07-13T22:32:37.136+01:002011-07-13T22:32:37.136+01:00@Alex - yes, but that doesn't mean every decis...@Alex - yes, but that doesn't mean every decision has to be life or death. And even if it is, if the soultion is obvious or the option chosen the predictable one, it will suck the tension out of the situation.mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061937348591302555.post-3699537975089024702011-07-13T22:16:46.572+01:002011-07-13T22:16:46.572+01:00In other words, ramp up the stakes!In other words, ramp up the stakes!Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com