5 Burning Writing Tips
Currently my favorite TV show is Burn Notice...which is quite a feat since I don't have a TV.
It all started when we visited friends over Christmas break. The guys watched the show upstairs while the girls worked on crafts downstairs. When we got home, my hubby was hooked enough to watch more episodes on his iPhone via Netflix before going to sleep. My eyes were drawn to the little screen and I got sucked into the drama...big time.
Even though Burn Notice is a boy show with guns and explosions and geeky secret agent kinds of gadgets, I can't wait for the new season to begin. Which is really weird. You couldn't pay me to watch a James Bond movie. So if it's not the genre that reeled me in, then what?
After much thought, I realized that Matt Nix, the writer of Burn Notice, consistently applies some principals that can benefit any genre of story...
Be clear about what your protagonist wants so that the reader knows exactly when that goal is slapped out of reach.
All hero Michael Westen wants to find out is who burned him and why. Episode after episode, this goal isn't necessarily front stage, but it is present. Always.
Keep your hero's goal as an underlying thrum in your story, the ol' carrot dangling in front of his face. That way when that goal is threatened, your reader will understand how devastating the consequences will be if that goal isn't reached.
Create mini-conflicts that increase the protag's problems.
Michael Westen is always taking on side jobs, usually justice related, while he works to discover who burned him. And often when he's in the middle of one of these dangerous jobs, he'll get a call to meet with a lead for his burn notice. What will he do? Drop his current crucial mission for the overall big picture of getting another piece in the whodunnit puzzle?
Don't give your hero an easy life. Ramp up the tension in your story by throwing in road blocks. And not just pansy white plastic roadblocks. I'm talking big teethy dangerous roadblocks...not necessarily the blood and guts type. Emotional roadblocks can stop a hero flat in his tracks just as well.
Mislead the reader.
Just when we think Carla is the head of "Management," the entity who issued the burn notice, we find out she's merely a cog. Just when we think Strickler can get Michael his old job back, he turns out to be a schmuck. Yada, yada.
On your route to solving your hero's main conflict, add in a few rabbit trails to throw the reader off track, otherwise your story will become too predictable. Too many yawns are a deal breaker.
Make your antagonist Satan incarnate.
That white headed dude who's the face of Management? Yeah. Let's just say that if I ever came face to face with him in real life, I'd slap him into tomorrow, he's that evil.
Which makes for a great example: the darker the villain, the more your hero will shine. Your hero will have a chance to show off his great strength of character if he's pitted against a devious slimeball.
Create a sympathetic character for your hero to protect.
There's no doubt about it...Michael Westen loves his mom. She's not a sissy girl, but she is vulnerable. His care for her tugs at the heart strings.
And that's exactly what you need to do. Doesn't have to be a person. You can create the same effect with an animal, though that's a bit trickier. Showing your hero concerned for the well being of a 'weaker' character is admirable and attractive...traits every great hero should have.
The new season of Burn Notice starts this June. Diligent blogger that I am, I suppose I'll force myself to watch every episode just to see if I can pick up any more writing tips.
Right. Who am I kidding?
Word Count: 41,021
Sentence of the Day: Her friend Bella collected shoes, Millie men, but bonnets? Ahh. She'd take a new bonnet any day and every day had she enough space to store them.