 Action/Adventure: April 16, 2008 Issue [#2339] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: Edited by: Puditat  
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Life without action is static, and by necessity, it would therefore be dead. Action writing takes the normal and shares it for all to live vicariously.
Adventure is the spice: the exciting, adrenalin-pumping, thrill that makes one feel so alive. Everyone has an adventuresome spirit. Maybe dreams of excavating some long-lost treasure, visiting a new country, or trying a new flavour of potato chip.  Some of us prefer our adventures to come between the pages of a book, and many of us like to write that adventure.
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Leave emotion out of any story and readers are going to have a hard time identifying with anything that happens. Even in a world completely comprised in some make-believe galaxy where up is sideways and babies grow in armpits, there has to be some emotional level in order to make the story more than just a description of events.
If a reader does not care about the main character, then the writer has failed to generate emotion. How do you generate emotion? Simply by giving your characters emotions and then testing them.
 Build your character well:
* Give them strengths and weaknesses. This brings a more well-rounded and believable identity and gives them room for growth. Growth, in any world, is natural.
* Don't be afraid to make a character your reader's will abhor. It is common for writers to create characters that the reader will have an affinity for, however the main character can be equally nasty and still grip your readers' hearts and imaginations. Even an evil person has some good qualities, so point one is especially important here.
Increase the stakes:
* Bring a human consequence or side-story into the main plot. Is the goal to cross the lion-infested plains of Africa to find the biggest diamond ever? Then make it also about the guide. eg. the hero hires him, but we find the guide has his own personal mission to find the place where his father was killed 30 years previously. Adding a personal subplot brings a lot more emotion to the storyline.
* Increase the danger. When your characters get tangled in some action, have someone hurt, or turn traitor, etc. Thus the continuation of the character's goals becomes more complicated and the feelings of those involved can expand and be tested.
Use emotive language:
* 'He liked the water, rippling under the mist' does describe a scene, but we only get a superficial explanation. See how this brings more emotion to the scene: 'He admired the water that rippled under the mist. It appeared to tease the morning shroud, and that was something he knew he could never do.'
* Thesaurus : Thesaurus : Thesaurus - an obvious suggestion, but a very worthy one. Beware of substituing words for the sake of it, but do examine the options to delve deeper into a character's emotions. Is she just afraid, or is she timid, apprehensive, terrified, overwhelmed, anxious, faint-hearted, intimidated, suspicious, or cowardly? Examing the possibilities can reveal to us new things about our own creations and bring about complex and interesting people.
So there's a few beginning tips to bring a greater sense of emotion into your Action/Adventure writing. Those bullets really do create pain, for the marksman as well as the target. Have fun exploring the personal motivations of your characters and building that into a story that not only excites your reader, but moves them as well.
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Motivation has to cause emotional responses...
The fate of the innocent is always emotive...
Give character's a brief and to-the-point history...
Action and adventure can merely be the backdrop to an emotional outplay...
Emotion for a 'thing'...
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 Hi. I'd like to know how I can show emotion in my writing. Would you givig me some tips and tricks?
profrigeli
I built my editorial around your question. I hope the tips are helpful. Best wishes.
Great advice. i especially loved the suggestion to write in some 'sleep scenes' thanks!
NanoWriMo2018 Into the Earth 
You are welcome! Thanks for the feedback. 
Puditat,
Great newsletter, this was a question that I recently asked myself when I realized no one has eaten or done anything "normal" so far and I am five chapters in. So now I think it is time to go back through and inject some of these realistic events into my story.
Sweet Musings
It is very easy to forget the mundane tasks. Each is an opportunity for so much revelation. Don't overdo it, but a nice, subtle drop-in here and there should enrich the characters, the plot, ad the reader's identification with the world you present them. Good luck with the writing.
An author who does great resting scenes is David Eddings in the Belgariad. Even when the protaganist is resting he's still experiencing things, learning things, being teased etc.
A thinker never sleeps
Thank you for suggesting that. I have not read the book, but it sounds like a good one to read up on. 
Good insight. Have you ever noticed how few writers ever have their characters take a potty break?
wildbill
Oh, yes. I have. 
Good thoughts. THANKS!!
Kyna 
You are welcome.
Pudi,
Great newsletter! I agree that even a scene of tranquility can become something other than what we think.  Oh...I'm sleepy. I think I'll stop to rest from my ardorous quest. I just hope the flesh-rending minions of darkness do not find me here while I have my eyes closed.
billwilcox
Ah, Bill. Even your feedback is entertaining. Thanks! 
Thanks for the great newsletter. I love JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and you are right about the rest scenes. Thanks for the advice, it's helpful.
lulubelle
I'm glad you thought so. Write well! |
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