Adding cohesive elements:
Believable Plots,
Appropriate Conflict,
Setting, Theme
Build it Right Series by
Dora Hiers
So that there should be no division or discord or lack
of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all
alike should have a mutual interest
in and care for one another.
(1 Cor. 12:25 AMP)
Last week we talked about building our story on a firm
foundation. This week we’re adding cohesive elements by installing walls, windows, and doors.
When we built our house, we used a general contractor. Although
he visited the site frequently, he rarely participated in actual labor.
Instead, he subcontracted the work to various trades. He didn’t expect the
plumber to install the air conditioner, or the carpenter who mounted the doors
to paint. Sub-contractors added their individual component, their skilled trade, creating another valuable
element to the house as a whole.
Just as different subcontractors work together to
contribute essentials to make our house a home, a writer must join various elements
for a cohesive story, or risk discord with the reader. Let’s talk about some basic
elements, using romance as an example.
Believable
plots.
In romance, we want our readers to journey along with the
characters as they fall in love. Unless the characters were in a prior
relationship and the fire hasn’t quite burned out, a declaration of love on the
fourth page doesn’t work. The same goes for a suspense plot. Readers don’t necessarily
care about the heavy technical details, but the plot must be believable.
Appropriate
conflict.
Who wants to read a romance where the main characters
constantly argue with each other? Aren’t they supposed to be falling in love? Conflict
doesn’t mean regular clashes with one another. Conflict should arise internally,
from their dreams and ambitions, their insecurities, and their belief and value
system. Externally, what stands in their way of reaching their goals?
Setting.
Your setting is as fundamental to your story as the
siding on your house. Stucco is common in Florida, but stucco would strike a
discordant note in North Carolina where the majority of houses have brick or
vinyl siding.
Whether fact or fiction, you can cement the reader into
your setting. If your book is set on a tropical island, readers expect salty
breezes and palm trees, the lingering scent of suntan lotion, and seafood
dinners on a sandy beach. Offering sensory details harmonious with your setting
will make the locale more realistic.
Theme.
Whether you write for the inspirational or secular
market, a theme should weave through
your story, as integral and seamless as the electrical wires running through
your house. Simple messages of forgiveness, that it’s never too late, of second
chances and rebuilding trust, and that with God all things are possible will
resonate with the reader and keep them turning the page.
Do your
individual elements work in harmony for a cohesive story?
Join us next week as we discuss adding the finishing
details.
~~~~~
Journey's Edge:
A Routine Audit? Hardly. Red flags-including some goon who's following
her-raise McKinley Frasier's suspicions that numbers don't add up at the
insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley's daughter from
school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman-the
cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner's not
the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a "new
man." She trusts the new Renner with her daughter's safety...but what
about her heart?
~~~~~
After a successful auditing career, Dora Hiers left
the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom to her two sons. When her youngest
son didn’t want her hanging out at school with him anymore, Dora started
writing heart racing, God-gracing books. Dora belongs to the American Christian
Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Carolina Christian Writers. Her first
inspirational romance, Journey’s End,
released with White Rose Publishing in 2011, and her second, Journey’s Edge released in March 2012.
White Rose also contracted her third book in the Marshals of Journey Creek
series, Journey’s Embrace, and her
first short romance, Small Town Treasure.
Dora
and her husband make their home in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
Connect with Dora:
Website: www.dorahiers.com
Email: Dora@DoraHiers.com
Facebook:
Dora Hiers Author
Twitter: @DoraHiers
Twitter: @DoraHiers
