Writing Great Fiction

she grew up in a household where she was considered an outsider, but

she knew how to stick up for herself.

o The difference between -DQH(\UHand (PPDis that we don’t

OHDUQHYHU\WKLQJZHQHHGWRNQRZDERXW-DQHLQWKH¿UVWIHZ

paragraphs. Instead, we are drawn only gradually into the story

while being given hints of her struggles to come.

o This technique works better than Austen’s would in this

instance because -DQH(\UH is a darker, more serious book.

There’s more at stake here than romances and marriages among

WKHLGOHULFKLQWKH¿UVWIHZSDUDJUDSKVRI%URQWs¶VERRNZH

JHWWKH¿UVWKLQWRI-DQH¶VVWUXJJOHWRVXUYLYHLQDZRUOGLQ

which she has no money, no connections, and no prospects.

z +RZ\RXGHFLGHWRFRQ¿JXUHFKDUDFWHUV²IURPWKHRXWVLGHLQRUWKH
inside out—has a profound effect on the sort of story you end up writing;
the cause and effect here are inextricably intertwined.
o A comedy, for example, often announces itself right from
the start by being funny and staying funny, which requires
FKDUDFWHUVZKRFDQEHTXLFNO\DQGHDVLO\LGHQWL¿HG,QFRQWUDVW
a drama often draws the reader in with an intriguing situation,
the distinctive voice of a strong character, and the suggestion
of more trouble to come.

o Jane Eyre’s world is more complex and more unpredictable

than Emma’s, and this extra complexity requires a more subtle

and complex main character. Although Emma eventually

grows up and learns not to meddle in the affairs of others, she

doesn’t do much to surprise us. But Jane, having shown us that

VKH¶VVPDUWDQGMXGJPHQWDOIURPWKH¿UVWSDJHWXUQVRXWWR

be surprisingly wrong in her judgments of some of the other

characters, particularly Mr. Rochester.

z Another way to look at the difference between these two approaches is
to consider how much you want the reader to identify with the character.
By writing in the third person and by telling readers directly of Emma’s
vanity, Austen invites readers to detach themselves from the character.