The Story Drop

[The Drop: source]

 I've been blogging about how to make writing more literary. A while ago, we looked at the normal world. Whether you're writing from a hero's journey perspective or not, there's usually a point at which your story really kicks into high gear, and you've confirmed your genre. You don't want the normal world to be exactly boring because you'll lose your reader. That is the time to really make your reader care as you develop your character and make them and their world interesting. But then, the drop comes, like a drop in music. The shift comes from the normal world to the real story, and that is when you should really engage your reader through the story. 

[Decisions: source]

That drop can happen in any of a number of ways. If you're writing literary fiction, it may be when a new character enters to alter the dynamic or when the first major choice on which your story is based is made. This is when Hamlet meets his father's ghost or Macbeth first decides to kill the king. If you're writing a romance, that drop may come when the protagonist meets their romantic pairing or when they go into the underworld, figuratively or literally, where they will meet or engage with their future significant other in the plot. Romeo meets Juliet. If you're writing an adventure story--western, sci-fi, fantasy, horror etc.--it should absolutely be when your story goes from world and character introduction to the first step into the underworld. Harry Potter meets Hagrid or is introduced into the Wizarding World on Platform 9 3/4. Either could be seen as a drop. 

[Engaging the Reader: source]

By this point, you should have made your character engage emotionally with your protagonist through the normal world, through loss, through humor, through empathy, curiosity, etc., so when the conflict comes, we care what happens. Sometimes, the drop comes, and there's no significant difference. They step into the underworld, and the character and reader don't realize it until they're in the thick of peril or engagement. Sometimes, the character doesn't realize it, but the reader does because they've spent the first several pages waiting for the protagonist to meet the future significant other. If the drop is too slow, too uninteresting, you could lose your reader. I held on with a sci-fi version of Pride and Prejudice until Lizzy showed up, and that moment was flat and dull. I walked away. Sneaking up on the reader can be good if it's done with subtlety instead of awkwardness or boredom. Especially if there's a solid payoff. However, it can also hit like a tsunami, launching the reader into a wild adventure

[Gandalf: Gatekeeper of the Underworld: Source]

Whatever is driving your story starts kicking into high gear. There should be some kind of ramping up, some increase in intrigue, suspense, excitement, tension, or the like. If your story is character-driven, there should be an increased awareness of their desire for things to be different. Val Jean yearns to break free of his prison cell, both exterior and interior. If your story is plot-driven, your character might just then realize the world is broken, whether or not they realize they will have to fix it. Harry Potter learns about Voldemort as part of learning about his past. If your story is question-driven, this is when the central question is posed. It's that moment the femme fatale walks into the gumshoe's office with her mystery. If your question is milieu or world-driven, this is usually when the protagonist enters the strange world. Gulliver sees the little people, or Gandalf introduces the Hobbit to a world outside his Hobbit hole. 

[Make the Drop Special: source]

One way or another, the author needs to be aware of that drop and take pains to make it mean something. This is when the story really starts. What do you do in your story to mark the entry into the underworld or the introduction of the other romantic lead? What do you do to really engage the reader to a higher degree? If you can't find anything, is there some way you can improve or rework that part to make the reader care? 

Balancing Light and Dark

[Balancing light and darkness; source.]

I've been blogging about writing in a more literary fashion.  One thing authors have struggled with is finding the right balance between light and darkness.  Some authors intentionally keep their pieces light.  Modern versions of fairy tales often have almost all light with very little darkness.  Yet the human experience rarely reflects this kind of existence.  If it's a book specifically for children, this makes sense.  But if it's for an older readership, there ought to be some kind of real challenge, some kind of difficulty or experience grappling with the darkness of this world.  If there's no real challenge/struggle/drama, there's no story.  However, a story that is unremittingly dark can overwhelm and turn off many readers.  Part of the point of writing is to entertain and to bring enjoyment to someone's life.  Most people don't find enjoyment when a piece is either all dark or all light. 

[source.]

So where can a writer find that balance?  Part of it is in the genre.  How much light or darkness is appropriate for the genre you're pursuing?  To find this, it's a great idea to read a lot of that genre.  Familiarize yourself with how others balance light and darkness.  Read materials about writing that genre.  You can push the envelope one way or another, but most people have certain expectations for the level of light or darkness and will find the experience of reading your book unpleasant if you stray too far outside the norm. 

[Hamlet]

Shakespeare is a good model for balancing light and darkness.  He writes characters with both light and dark aspects and tends to alternate dark scenes with light scenes.  A good model for this is "Hamlet" with the porter scenes.  We get a heavy, dark scene of Hamlet learning his father was murdered by his uncle, who now inhabits the throne and is married to his mother.  That is immediately followed by the porter scene, the source of the knock knock joke, full of whimsy and humor.  Another source for light would be love, hope, and joy.  However, I once read a book that went predictably back and forth like a wavelength, joy then sadness then joy then sadness then joy then sadness.  It got a little old and redundant. 

[Map your balance; source]

When you have a draft, I would recommend mapping out your areas of light vs darkness.  If it feels like there is too wide a span where it's one or the other, it may be a good idea to lighten the dark scenes with a bit of humor/hope or darken the light scenes with foreshadowing of hardship to come.  This doesn't mean undercut the emotional depth with humor.  It helps when the darkness and light can appear together, one enhancing the other as in a painting. 

[source]

The story needs to be balanced, but the first step is often to balance your characters, particularly hero and villain.  If you have a character who is just too dark with no redeeming characteristics, think of a way to help the reader see their point of view, even if the point of view is not one the reader can condone.  Show his/her humanity.  If you have a character that is so light that he/she becomes a Mary Sue, perfect without flaw, it's time to consider flaws that work within the context of the story.  Snow White is only a perfect Mary Sue in Disney.  In the Grimm Brothers' version, the evil queen reflects Snow White's own vanity, selfishness, and other dark traits back at her.  In destroying the queen, she's symbolically destroying the darkness from her own soul.  It's best when you plan these flaws from the beginning, so the story actually works as a way to help them work through those flaws, so the darkness springs somehow from or relates to the character him/herself.  Jane Austen's Emma highlights a character whose drama and exploits spring out of her own selfishness and ego.  Dr. Jeckyll self destructs--taking many people with him--because of his hubris and his drive to create a perfect world, instead, turning himself into a serial killing creature born of nightmares. 


It's important to figure out what balance would work for your story.  Are your characters a mix of dark and light?  Does this balance keep them intriguing?  Does your story balance dark and light in a way that works in your genre and with your plot line?  If not, it's time to work on it.