Ask an Author: Too much sob story?

David Gonzalez of Fantasy State asks: “I’m a rookie taking on fantasy field, I’ve been wondering for quite some time about writing tragedies, even so the work is more aimed to be a bit comedic, I can’t stop wondering when you do the past of a character, how dramatic you can get? Something heart touching, is there a “penalty” for getting “carried” away?”

Another question; this is beginning to be pretty encouraging. I’m feeling the blogging bug come back again and I think working full-time is now starting to breathe new life into me.

Firstly, I’d like to point out that you do not need to be discouraged because you’re a ‘rookie.’ In terms of writing, we all seem like beginners still learning our craft. I think that’s what makes writing so fun; the ability to keep on learning and honing our skills. In the end, the best way to do this is to actually put pen to paper and write.*

I think part of your approach will depend on how comedic the story is. There’s certainly an opportunity to get carried away on purpose and exaggerate it and that could have a good effect if that’s the thing you’re looking for. But in general, it all depends on your ability to get your audience to connect with your character.

For me, I think tragedies resonate with me the most when you’ve travelled through the whole story with a certain character – one you sympathise with and like – and then the tragedy hits you. Writers can too often make an error by doing something to a character they may like, but you haven’t even gotten a few pages into the story to get your audience to like them, so it doesn’t always have the effect intended.

In terms of back story, there are rules, in general, on how much to tell. For instance, you shouldn’t dump your main characters whole life story in one chapter. It totally takes the reader away from the story and it can bore them, because I could probably say most of it is not relevant. And if your characters life story is particularly heart wrenching and tragic, it’s not going to resonate with the reader if they’re bored. It’s best to weave in certain appropriate facts at the right time, when your character might recall those memories themselves, for example.

There are definitely instances where writers can go over the top with the sad back story. These people may even grace the shelves of your local Borders. This kind of story is corny, boring and most importantly, if there’s a lot of back story, there’s less actual story. But I don’t think there’s a clear line between fine and too much. It will depend on how well you make your audience connect with your character and how well you show and not tell.

So, how do you know when you’ve gone over the top? First, write your story as it comes to you and don’t think about it. Secondly, read it over when you’re done and if you’ve done it badly, it’s apt to hit you in the face like a blunt saw – slow, painful and grating. If you don’t pick it, there are always your beta readers that can give you a hint or two. So, David (and other budding writers with the same concern), hopefully some of my points can help you avoid the over the top sob story.

Again, my forum is open for discussion on this topic. So I encourage you to pop in and offer your thoughts, questions, disagreements.

Too much sob story? – Benjamin Solah’s Writing Corner

* I feel like the biggest hypocrite when I say this. Aside from the spurt in blogging, I’m still not writing much fiction. I aim to change that in 2007, or before that.

Have you got something you want to ask a writer? I’m here to answer you! Just send your questions to benjamin@benjaminsolah.com with the subject line, ‘ask an author,’ or leave a comment in this post with your name, URL, and question, and you may well see your question answered here.

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