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Craft of Writing

Elaine Shelton

Superman, Inner Children and Writing

We want to portray our characters in the best possible light. They should win every battle, climb to the top of every mountain, and solve every crime with ease. There is genuine feeling between author and character—some might even call it love. Of course, we want the best for them. We want our readers to think the best of them.

In fiction, however, there needs to be a reason to keep reading. Even Superman lost a few battles after his creators got smart. Superman did not capture the imagination of the reading public as he was first conceived. Not until the advent of kryptonite did the man of steel take flight. We must hurt our darlings, our heroes and heroines. Lynn Flewelling, in a chat at Writers' Village University in December 2000, said of writing, “I've really gotten in touch with my inner child and now I'm slapping her around.”

Why? Because the story has to matter; there must be something riding on the outcome. This is the basic way writers keep their audience with them. Which of the following would you rather read, someone’s idyllic vacation at a resort or how they survived while lost at sea? The progressive chain of events that spirals out of a character’s control keeps the reader glued to the book instead of falling sleep at a reasonable time.

So, how do we start slapping our inner child around?

Every decision must have consequences. As the writer of the story, our job is to think of all the consequences and how they will affect the character. Sometimes the consequences keep making things worse, but don’t worry; we will root for the character to keep going. Remember, not all crises will come out all right, and not all crises have to be physical; the emotional works just as well, if not better, in some genres.

In Janet Evonovich’s Stephanie Plum mysteries, we know the lead character is still alive at the end of the adventure because it is written in first person. However, the element of suspense, of “what happens next,” is still present. Stephanie gets shot, attacked, her cars blown up—all because of a job she took so that she could pay her rent and try to get her television set out of hock. The fundamental decision that she makes in each book—whether or not to take on a case—leads to events that spiral out of her control and keeps the reader turning page after page.

There is an old adage: What does not kill us, makes us stronger. Be sure that your character is facing odds that will make him or her as strong as Superman by the end.