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WingZ · Site Admin Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Posts: 127

On Writing

Preface
There are no rules in writing, only principles. Whereas a rule cannot be broken, a principle should be followed but can be ignored or altered if the situation dictates (thank you Ernest Hemmingway). Though some would have you believe that writing is a lofty art form borne of high ideas and God-given talent, it bears far more resemblance to a craft in terms of its everyday usage and practical application. And, like any other craft, writing has conventional knowledge that should be respected if not followed exactly. Just as a carpenter would not try to use a hacksaw for detail work, neither would a writer attempt to begin every sentence with “the.” I readily admit to having violated a few of these principles myself (either through ignorance or innovation), but I can attest to being better off knowing them than not. Godspeed and make good use of them.

Plot
Plot is one of the most basic elements of craft. It refers to what happens in a story and what actions are taken by the characters involved. Even in an ABDL story, a plot is requisite, even if it is something as threadbare as a means of getting the character into diapers.

Plots may be linear or non-linear. A linear plot often takes the form of a chronology, where the events of a story are told in the order in which they happened. A nonlinear plot (think Pulp Fiction) presents the events out of order. Though this can lead to confusion, nonlinear plots offer a great deal of versatility.

Conflict
At the heart of any story is one or more conflicts. Conflict provides the sense of tension in a story and keeps the reader interested. In an ABDL story, the conflict typically takes the form of protagonist vs. domineering parent or protagonist vs. inner feelings towards diapers.

Conflicts may be either external or internal. An external conflict is one centered on action (man vs. nature, man vs. man, etc.) and pits a character against another character or force. An internal conflict is one centered on thoughts and feelings and pits the character’s feelings against one another.

Every story must deal with conflict and make an effort to resolve it (that effort needn’t always be successful). Conflict resolution is often a difficult balancing act: wrap things up too neatly and the reader won’t feel convinced; leave too many loose ends and the reader will be disappointed by the ending. Having multiple conflicts in a story leaves the author with the ability to focus on/resolve some and leave others in the background.

Character
Characters can make or break a story. They can be taken directly from the author’s life or from the wild fringes of imagination. Regardless of their orientation, all characters have one thing in common: they should be believable (even characters that are outlandish should be described in a way so they can be imagined by the reader).

Characters must have traits. These traits should be a combination of personality (is the character funny? Angry? Sad?) and physical attributes (is the character short? Tall? Fat?). To say a character is ‘normal’ or ‘average’ is to attempt to take the easy way out. What is average to one person may not be average to another. Be specific. Give your characters names and identities.

Within each story, there will exist a variety of character types and roles. Characters are usually either static or dynamic. A static character will stay the same throughout the story, from beginning to end. A dynamic character will develop and change. Characters may also be round or flat. A round character is one who is well-developed with a variety of different traits whereas a flat character is one-note and stereotyped (think Disney movie villains). Flat characters should be avoided whenever possible.

Though characters usually differ from story to story, the roles that they take remain constant. For instance, every story has a protagonist, or main character. The story often revolves around the protagonist’s attempt to do or change something. Opposing the protagonist is the antagonist (also known as a foil). The antagonist needn’t always be a villainous creep; just someone who gets in the way of the protagonist’s attempt to achieve his/her goal. Other often-recognized character roles are the Sidekick/Supportive Friend, the Voice of Reason, the Mentor/Caretaker and the Temptress/Voice of Temptation. While characters should not be bound by these role descriptions, establishing what role they have will enable the author to determine what effect they will have on the story.

Setting
Every story takes place somewhere. Setting, like characterization, may be rooted in either reality or imagination. It can be an anonymous Anytown or a specific location. In either instance, the setting should elicit a consistent “feel” throughout the story. For example, if the story is set in a suburb, it should have the features (geographic and otherwise) of a suburban town and not a large city.

Setting refers not only to the place where a story is set, but the time as well. Though most ABDL stories are set in the present, setting one in the past or the distant future is not unheard of. Authors who experiment with setting would be wise to avoid anachronism (the use of a thing outside of the time in which it existed). A story set in the Middle Ages, for example, should not feature automobiles.

Perspective
If plot is what is told in a story, perspective (or point of view) is the way in which it is told. Point of view may be first person, second person or third person. A first person point of view features the main character as the narrator, telling the events in the story as they happened to him/her (“I said…”). While this point of view enables the author to convey a more personal feel, it prevents them from narrating beyond the scope of that character. The second-person point of view attempts to put the reader in place of the narrator (“You said…”) and is not often used.

The third person point of view is not told from any one perspective and makes frequent use of pronouns (“He/she/it said….). Third person point of view may be limited, dramatic, or omniscient. A limited point of view focuses on one character, allowing the reader to see his/her thoughts but no one else’s. A dramatic point of view (also known as the “fly on the wall” perspective) shows the actions of every character, but not their thoughts. The omniscient perspective does not focus on any one character, but allows the author to convey the thoughts and actions of all.

Voice
Voice refers to style of the narrator. If the narrator is an old person, for example, he/she should SOUND like an old person (ie: no modern slang). If the narrator is a young person, he/she should SOUND young (ie: no outdated slang).

Closely related to voice is the idea of narrative reliability. The narrator acts as a vessel for conveying the action of the story, but sometimes what the narrator says and what actually happens are not one and the same. For example, a narrator who is a rebellious adolescent will usually describe authority figures as being worse than they actually are. Similarly, a narrator with a mental illness will not provide an accurate picture of the world around him/her. If the author intends for the narrator to be unreliable, he/she should probably let the reader know as much. Otherwise, narration should be kept at an even keel.

Tone
Tone is the mood or attitude of the story. A story can be funny and ironic or bitter and sad. Tone is often conveyed through description, as well as the voice of the narrator. A “feel-good” story, for instance, would likely not feature a lot of dark imagery whereas an angry story would likely be profanity-ridden.

Theme
Theme ultimately asks the question “what does this story mean?” Usually, theme expresses the characters in terms of a metaphor (Scrooge=greed) and strives at some higher meaning (“There are more important things in life than money.”). Though every story has a theme, not all themes are instantly perceptible. Only message-driven stories need worry about making the theme a point of focus.

- 2004