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March Meeting Report: with Rick Mofina
By Katherine Hobbs
According to Rick Mofina, when it comes to process and structure there is no right way or wrong way, it's a matter of finding your own way.
That might mean whether to outline your book or not; i.e. roadmapping versus discovering the story with each new paragraph.
When Rick started out in the business he provided a 7 to 60 page outline — as that's the way his books were purchased; the decision to buy it was based on the outline. Nowadays he doesn't require an outline.
But as Rick began his talk at the meeting in March he concentrated on the process of putting pen to paper. And the starting point? Rick says, "In the beginning you need a nuclear reactor of inspiration; a strong idea that will get you through to the end, with a good character and a problem intertwined. This needs to be a compelling problem that will change the characters lives by the end of the story."
RICK'S TIP: Be aware of what readers are buying -- not writing to market, but writing to stay published.
Rick starts his novels with a grain of truth; usually something he'd reported on in the past. But some writers read clippings of real cases.
That provides a good foundation to build the "what if" scenario. Then the writer needs to bring it down to a person -- a type of protagonist.
Rick talks about the need to threaten the protagonist, their loved ones or community as a whole. Help them work through the problem. Have your character be an everyday person that your reader will sympathize or empathize with. There is universal real estate in certain emotions. Rick explains it further, "We can all identify with feeling like an underdog, feeling less than perfect, or having a secret to hide. Use that in your fiction and wrap your character in it. Have they have been cheated, betrayed or shortchanged in some way?"
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| Trish Dyer, Alina Popp, Tom Curran, Rachel Pitcher & Darlene Cole. |
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In Rick's book Cold Fear, a 13 year old girl camping in Rockies with her parents went missing. The police did look at the parents as possible suspects -- so right away you have a foundation. Suspicions are raised. A family is in crisis, there is culpability and guilt.
SHOWING VERSUS TELLING.
Make your readers feel the story. Author
Tony Hillerman once talked about a case where a student said a character was "obviously homeless." Tony told him instead to "describe the person you see."
You do have to catch yourself. Saying something like, "She was so angry," for example. You don't need to use the word angry -- apply the emotion to your character.
PACING
Pacing is important. You need to determine how much dialogue to use versus description.
RICK'S TIP: Too much description? Think about how you go through things everyday and use it as a natural guide. How much do you need to know? How do you communicate?
When you meet someone for the first time you don't get their life story. Less is more.
"A writer is like a platespinner," Rick explains, "you need to give enough information to let your character be revealed and keep the story moving forward. You should always be driving the story forward. Try to avoid flashbacks, they can slow the action down."
RICK'S TIP: You need drama, tension conflict, uncertainly suspense and fear in almost every sentence, every paragraph — or what's the point?
It doesn't have to be a huge problem; a small fire in the basement of the house will do. The characters don't need to know, but the reader does. Take some time before smelling the smoke -- and throw in a hurdle or two. The original problem has to continue to mount — the stakes have to rise. As Rick advises, "Resolve an issue at one turn, and have another one pop up. But it must make sense; you can't build a house of cards."
RICK'S TIP: Keep an eye out to create suspense at every turn. Come back to real life — where things naturally break down or are delayed.
Use it when it suits the story, but don't use the WILD exception. There is a limit to suspension of belief.
Truth is stranger than fiction, but it doesn't give you carte blanche to use it. The reader will give you the benefit of the doubt but don't have something really exceptional, even if it happened to you.
Use hooks at the end of chapters to compel to read another chapter and not go to sleep.
Sinclair Lewis once critiqued a book set in Spain, telling the author, " Your book doesn't start till page 52. People don't want to read about Spain — they want to read a story."
Rick went on to explain this concept further, "Little Red Riding Hood is not about the woods." He cautioned us to make our setting as accurate as possible but not to worry too much. For example if your in Christchurch but want to set your story in Ottawa; while Ottawans might be harsh judges of the setting details, probably not as many others in the world would notice.
"I've never been to Paris, but I find something there that works for me. It may be a little scene as a back-drop, but I limit how much I say about it. The reader will get it," Rick advises.
RICK'S TIP: Research is an excuse, don't do too much of it. Write the story first. Run them across the river and then go back and put the rocks in for them to step on. Allow yourself flexibility.
Your story is going to be set in Cincinnati Ohio? Research the neighborhoods, i.e. Walnut Hill, Oak Park. Look for the type of demographic, type of neighborhood you want, then make up a fictional place close to them. But if you do need complete accuracy then that is something different.
RICK'S TIP: Go to real estate sites. What would this person see in this neighbourhood? You can even take a virtual tour of the house you want to use in your story.
RICK'S TIP: Find websites with popu-lar names for boys and girls. Character names should ring true.
RICK'S TIP: At every point in the story check in -- what is the problem?
If it is that the child is missing, keep on trying to find the child.
Don't lose sight of the problem. And meeting the larger goal involves a series of smaller goals.
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| Tom Curran, Bev Panasky, Ken Gibson & Brenda Chapman |
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ON SCREENWRITING
When Rick was writing a pilot for a TV series he discovered screenwriters are good teachers to help you get rid of stuff. He described the system they use — a series of beats to tell a story.
For example:
Idea: woman and husband are in car crash. The husband has amnesia and stumbles off.
Beat 1: Car crashes
Beat 2: Gun to her head, there's a guy with one ear
Beat 3: Reunion, happy ending.
This forms the beginning, middle and end of your story. Expand it to 15 or 20 of these beats and put them in order. They become an outline.
Then flesh it out; i.e. she gets help from her long lost daughter. Then break down your outline to a chapter.
RICK'S TIP: Don't get hung up on saving all your chapters -- it is like a ladder, you may not need every rung.
RICK'S TIP: Consider time. It is a very important aspect. The woman in the car has a medical problem that could leave her with not much time to get help. Or the husband only has six months to live.
Never forget the importance of time.
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| Joe Italiano, Rick Mofina and Paul Sadler |
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While novelists have too much time, screenwriters compress time. Ask yourself, "Can I make it happen in 3 days, in one day?" Compressing time introduces drama and tension and suspense.
You don't have to kill someone, but in a mystery story it is probably a good idea.
Or emotion toll, environmental toll, relationship toll, ultimate toll, i.e. car was treasured and is gone.
Take the pleasurable things we're all experienced and enlarge them as you go along. It will start to become quite natural. If it's historical facts, info from a news clipping, try to keep it real. If reader can relate, they will follow your character.
TENSION & SUSPENSE: RAISE THE STAKES
Stakes = Toll
Toll = Someone is not go-ing to make it.
To raise the stakes you don't have to kill someone, but in a mystery story it is probably a good idea.
But emotional tolls also count, as do environmental tolls, relationship tolls, and an ultimate toll, such as a treasured car is gone.
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| Rick Mofina signing his most recent book Six Seconds for Maggie Taylor. |
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RICK'S TIP: Make sure you flesh out your antagonist. As you are building toward the end you have to make sure your antagonist is every bit as compelling as your protagonist. A little bit of understanding will go a long way. Explain their actions. It is the difference between the why, and how could you?
THE FINAL SCENES
At every step you have to give hope and take it away — start to give hope at the end. Rick says, "In the final scenes make it seem like all hope is gone. Have some doubt that the good guy will win; put in a final twist. Here the cliché truly holds -- it is darkest before the dawn. Have it all come down to the wire. When it's resolved and justice prevails, you just have to ask yourself: Is this true to the original problem? And has your character been changed in some way?
RICK'S TIP: Take the reader on a roller coaster ride. A roller coaster carries an implied contract. You get on it and there will be twists and turns. You know how its going to end, but you put your money down to go on that ride.
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