THE ICE PICK

Between the Lines : Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing, by Jessica Page Morrell. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books, 2006. 299 p. Includes index. ISBN: 1-58297-392-X. $16.99.

We are always being told that if we want to improve our stories, we must analyze successful novels and stories and apply the lessons learned. That’s a difficult thing for most of us to do, especially when we are just beginning.

We have enough trouble trying to analyze our own work when we are told it is melodramatic or the pacing is off or it is underwritten.

Morrell not only lists novels and films which showcase the specific techniques she is addressing, but also how to reach deep into stories and find the techniques and tricks--the subtle magic that lies "between the lines"--of successful fiction, which we would love to learn about. Then she shows us how to apply these techniques in our own work.

This is no airy-fairy book, but one filled with practical hands-on help, tips, advice, and suggestions. For example, she suggests using a highlighter pen on your manuscript to mark different sensory information: "yellow for sight, pink for smells, green for sounds, etc." (You can use small colored, removable flags or page markers to prevent marking up a book.) This helps us see if we need to add more sound, smells, or visual description in our story, scene, or chapter.

World-building is so important for fantasy, horror, and science fiction authors. To prevent story-slowing info dumps of backstory, she says, "read through your first fifty pages and highlight wherever you’ve used backstory information." If "you discover that one third or more of your pages contain backstory" in a "chronologically structured story" you have a problem. We need to hold back on information, only giving out what "is necessary to understand what’s going on," thus creating "suspense and intrigue while teasing the reader with tidbits of information and minor skirmishes. . . . What lies above the surface often only hints at a more dangerous core, and this is particularly true in the first fifty pages."

In addition to discussing how to slip in sensory details and reveal backstory, Morrell gives practical advice about how to set up cliffhangers and thrusters, use epilogues and prologues, write transitions, weave in subplots, generate suspense and maintain tension, handle epiphanies and revelations, develop good pacing, create a sense of place, make effective flashbacks and lay in foreshadowing, and use imagery and language to create mood and paint pictures.

Things like epiphanies and revelations, themes and premises, character arcs and transformations all make fiction look and sound polished and professional and make the story resonate with readers, but we may feel they are beyond our ability to handle--sometimes we don’t even understand what the terms mean. Morrell explains what they are, how they impact a story and a reader, and how we can master and use them to create deeper and more successful fiction.

This is a book I wish I’d had years ago. It is a real treasure, and I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, June 2006.}