Wednesday - On Plot - Rules, rules

Every fictional world has rules and these rules are set by the writer. Sometimes the moral of the story is painted in black and white and sometimes in shades of gray. The characters may seem to be facing a situation that seems to have no conclusion. Sometimes the antagonist seems to be the one winning rather than the protagonist. This deepens the meaning of the story.

"Writing a story without presenting a meaningful opposing force is propaganda." Ronald B. Tobias

What does this mean? As the writer you need to know the moral rules of your world. Two characters stand on opposite sides of an issue. Is one going to win and the other lose or is the solution somewhere in the middle? What the writer has to do is stand in the middle and act as a referee between the two forces.

The good or bad guy can't be so one-sided that he becomes a puppet the author dangles on strings. Though in real life the writer may choose sides of an issue in the fictional world he has to give each character an equal opportunity to win or lose. Taking sides makes one character or one side of the issue too strong or two weak and the reader will find propoganda. What this boils down to is making the characters have strong and for them logical reasons to win or lose.

One of my favorite characters is a story is the villain in "Obsessions." Now he chills some readers but everything he does is centered around his obsession for what he sees as justice. Opposing him is a heroine who is a care-giver to the end. Neither of them ever steps out of their view of the world even to the end of the story.