A while ago, I had a friend read the opening chapters to my novel. He was very supportive, but he said that there wasn’t enough momentum to my story. Not enough momentum?! What does he know? He’s an illustrator. He reads picture books and graphic novels. He doesn’t know ANYTHING about young adult books!

Okay. Maybe he does. Maybe he was right.

The main problem with my book was that it wasn’t exactly sure where it was going. Or actually, it knew where it was going, it just wasn’t sure how to get there. And it didn’t know what the rules were.

Rules are what give your story boundaries. They give your words room to stand up and stretch. Plot points can be powerful and huge, or quiet and small, because they know exactly how far to go. And the reader can get comfortable, too. They may not know what’s going to happen, but at least they know what game is being played.

Another friend of mine said to me, Fantasy writers spend so much time creating their worlds, no wonder they write sequels and series. You wouldn’t want to have to start over!

The same thing is true for contemporary fiction. Each story has to have its own set of guidelines. How far are your characters willing to go? What principles lead them through life, determining what they would do, and what they would never do, even if it would be so convenient for your plot. And how far are you, the author, willing to go? Are your character’s lives in jeopardy, or just their lunch money?

My book has a foot in both worlds. It takes place in a contemporary setting, but all kind of unusual, supernatural things are happening. The reader never feels comfortable, if they don’t understand what the rules are. Magic wishes cannot be unlimited. Super heroes cannot be completely invincible. And life cannot always be fair. It is the limitations, and what the characters do with them, that gives your story power.

Posted in Characters, Revision, Writing

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