The Risky Choices Behind Eden, Dawn
Crafting a story involves moments of delightful inspiration and periods of agonising internal debate. Flying high, fresh from a spike of insight, an author can quickly plummet into a mental meltdown, crashing into a crucial decision, an at-the-fork-in-the-road choice in which he or she, hoping for longer-term gains, runs the risk of being misunderstood (or criticised) by readers for sacrificing a short-term thrill. Allow me to explain one such instance in Eden, Dawn. [Warning: spoilers ahead]Read More
There are many tools to keep a story engaging and to keep a reader turning the pages—and most of them involve a degree of conflict. Whether it’s an internal conflict within the mind of the protagonist, or a clash of wills in a conversation, or a full-throttle action scene; without a measure of conflict, a chapter can feel shallow and lifeless. And herein lies the challenge of description.
Plunge your protagonist deep into trouble from the off, mess him up sideways from every angle, and don’t give him a whiff of relief. How does he respond? And more importantly, why does he respond the way he does? Herein lies the value of well-worked flashbacks and its lesser-spotted cousin, the flashforward.
In the original draft of Eden, Dawn, I didn’t include a prologue. Unless an author has a good reason for a prologue, and gripping content to fill it with(!), a prologue can be meaningless. An unnecessary distraction, an attempt at being too clever. I’ve skipped over more prologues than I care to remember. Yet, I learnt once more that there’s truth in the statement: never say never.