THE CAREER NOVELIST
For instance, in a well-built alien civilization there is not only reli-
gion, but warring sects; not only rich and poor but rival minorities
and ethnic hatred; not only industry but declining resources.
What is the lesson in this for writers whose stories are set in our
world? In searching for details that will bring a place alive, one can
look not just at what may be seen, touched, heard, or smelled but
at what may be feared, enjoyed, misunderstood, forgotten,
blessed, or buried. A place is more than its externals. It is a col-
lection of aspects, the depiction of which will make that place
either real, vivid, and exciting or blurry, dull, and uninvolving for
the reader.
Settings are packed with potential. The details are up to you.
TWISTS AND TURNS
Little is more disappointing than a novel in which nothing seems to
happen. I do not mean that a story has to be action-packed. I am
talking about characters that grow, a plot that swings in new direc-
tions (or even reverses), the offstage revolution that suddenly puts
onstage events in a whole new context. I am talking about variety,
plot shifts, twists, and turns.
Causing a plot to shift is often a matter of breaking free of linear
structure, or allowing the characters to make a mess. Spring the
unexpected. Suppose, for instance, that in your coming-of-age story
the hero's house burns down or his mother suddenly commits sui-
cide. What would that do? Shake things up?
Well, there you have a shift. If your shift also manages to per-
manently change the direction of your story, you have a full plot
turn.
Plot twists are surprises that connect story threads, or perhaps
tear them apart. They provoke the response, "Ah-ha!" The disclosure
of a killer's identity is usually, one hopes, a twist. Other ways to ini-
tiate a twist? Suddenly elevate the status of a minor character, or kill
off someone essential to the plot.
Scary? Then perhaps your story is too tame.
Sometimes turning the whole ship is a good idea. Blow a hurri-
cane into the middle of a romance story. What would happen to
your detective's investigation if all of a sudden the state legislature