Just thinking of the novel in terms of structuring scenes. It's the emotional content that often determines what scene comes next. Happiness than tragedy. We've all seen that pattern. When the protagonist is at her happiest, look out, tragedy is sure to follow. We've seen it before because it works.
A sad scene followed by a funny scene. That works well too. Humour can bring us out of our sadness. It can heal the wounds. What doesn't work? Tragedy in one chapter. Happiness in the next. How did the character get there? We're not convinced. Too fast.
Generosity. There always seems to be room for characters to be generous to each other. After anger, generosity. After sadness, generosity. After misunderstanding, generosity. Generosity that surprises the protagonist (and the reader) is satisfying. If it comes in an interesting form or it comes from an unexpected person, that's nice.
Sometimes when structuring the next event in my novel I tried to follow logic, but it often didn't work. It was only when I paid attention to the emotional experience of my protagonist and my reader that I got it right.
1 comment:
I was reminded of this while reading "Annabel" by Kathleen Winter. She builds suspense so well with her chapter breaks, and because she's chosen an omniscient narrator, she can move into a new realm and leave us hanging. It's a wonderful, compelling book.
I think this can be more of a challenge with a first person POV. But I know you've done it well, and I look forward to reading your novel, Laurie!!
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