Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
I’m off for a late autumn break soon. I’m looking forward to a return visit to lovely Northumberland. It is what breaks are for – to refresh, revitalise etc. Having said that, a good cup of tea and a decent reading session can also act as a mini break and I welcome that kind too!
Breaks in Fiction
Breaks aren’t just for us. They’re relevant to fiction too.
Characters need breaks. One problem with having relentless action in your fiction is the pace can become too relentless. Your characters, and readers, need time to take in what they’ve been through so far and figure out what they will do next. The latter is hard to do if your characters are on the go all the time. The problem with putting in a break is you don’t want that to be the bit which readers skip. The break period for your character should give them time to regroup but not send your reader off to sleep (or to another book).
If your characters don’t have time to process what’s happening and what they’ve still got to do, there is the risk they’ll be seen as cardboard cut-outs. A character who agonises over what they will do will have readers rooting for them. We’ve all been in situations where we’ve needed time to work things out so a character doing this will come over as more realistic than one who doesn’t.
Interesting Breaks
When I’m reading and a character is working out their next move, I want to feel like I’m inside that character’s head. I want to understand what they’re thinking and why. As long as I’m doing that, I will read on because I want to discover what conclusion they reach. I then want to find out whether they’ve made the right decision or not. That is what I call an interesting break.
I’m hooked on the character and what they will do, having been through the emotional mire so far. There will be something for them still to do. They will have to overcome or deal with in some way the situation that dumped them in the emotional mire in the first place.
Just as none of us can know exactly what we will be doing because circumstances change, that same principle applies to your characters.
Some interesting breaks will be as outlined above. Others will be where a character consults with a mentor. For those, I’m looking to see if the mentor’s advice is sound and what happens when the character follows that advice or not as the case may be.
A break in the action should never be boring. It should move the story, and the character, on in some way.
Breaks in Shorter Forms of Fiction
You can have breaks in short stories and flash fiction. For the latter, I find when I’ve used scene breaks, my flash stories are at the upper end of the word count limit of 1000 words. For anything under 500 words, the action there is immediate and the conclusion reached before there is any need for a break.
I’ve occasionally used a diary format for a flash tale (Losing Myself in Tripping the Flash Fantastic). Here I am using the gaps between diary entries as breaks for my readers to take in what has happened so far before going on to read the next bit where the story continues. Each diary entry ends with a mini cliff hanger to encourage readers to keep on reading.
For short stories, which are mainly 1001 words to 2000 for the magazine market and most competitions, a break can act as the tipping point for your character to then go on to overcome whatever obstacles they’ve faced.
Break points are often shown as scene breaks and the only thing to remember here is formatting. It is standard practice to have a line gap, then something like ***, then another line gap and off you go into the second half of the story. Sometimes it is shown as a double line gap. Different publishers will have different requirements here but you should find out what these are on their Submission Guidelines.
What matters here is the formatting is an indication to the reader the story is continuing but the author is changing the scene. Something has happened in Scene A. Something else will happen in Scene B or a significant amount of time has passed between scenes. What matters is the two scenes will tie up and be crucial elements of the story.
Lucky Breaks – Do They Exist?
Not for your characters! Readers don’t believe in is coincidence in fiction. (Doesn’t matter if they accept it happens in life either!). Why? Because they want to see causes and consequences.
They want the characters to “earn” their good fortune or deserve their rotten one. They want characters to be proactive in reaching their goals. Even in a fantasy setting where magic might come into play, the characters must still “earn” any magical help they get. This is a link to the classic fairytales as in those it is the virtuous characters who get the help. The arrogant ones get nothing or are transformed into something horrid and their only form of redemption is to earn the love of someone else – Beauty and the Beast in a nutshell there.
For writers? Hmm… jury out. Why? Firstly I do have to put the work in myself for any article or flash story I want “out there”. Nobody else can do it for me. I put the work in, edit, submit the piece and so on. Secondly I also need to do my research as to which market, competition, or online magazine would be best suited for what I write. I know I have to be the square peg in the square hole but I need to know where those square holes are.
Directories such as The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and/or the Mslexia Indie Press Guide are wonderful resources here.
So is your network of writing friends. Where some “luck” can come in is in chatting to another writer and they tell you something you know you could find useful. You have no way of knowing that will happen. I’ve had the good fortune to meet people who, in one case, went on to become my publisher, and, in another, has put certain opportunities in my way. Again, couldn’t know that would happen.
What I do know is it is never a waste of time to interact with other writers or to go to courses/retreats/day writing events and so on. One thing, aside from the courses, I learned from that was how to describe my writing succinctly to another writer when chatting over a cup of tea. That is invaluable. You can take that skill and use it when pitching to a publisher/agent.
I prefer to think of “lucky breaks” as “possible opportunities” which I might be able to use because they fit in with my writing. Not everything I am told about does but sometimes something not relevant to me at the time does go on to become useful later. Someone told me about the 100-word challenge issued by CafeLit and that led me to having two books of flash collections published. I’m currently polishing up my third ready for submission. Yet at the time I was told that, I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try. To be fair, I was right!
Conclusion
Breaks are invaluable for us and your characters need them too. I would say you can’t rely on “lucky” breaks to get published.
What you do need is determination to write regularly, accept rejections or not hearing back is something everyone goes through, and be prepared to research where to send your manuscripts.
I’d also add it is important to follow publisher requirements to the letter. For the short story/flash fiction markets in particular, often the publisher’s formatting requirements are amongst the reasons why they ask you to submit work in a certain way. One site I write for regularly wants a comma after my title. So they get that comma!
The lovely thing here though is getting to know other writers is fun, informative, and you’re building up a support network of people who know the ups and downs of the writing life. This is invaluable (especially when you’re having a lean time of it).
By researching, learning your craft and being prepared to edit and edit again, you are increasing your chances of getting your work out there.
Speaking with my competition judge’s hat on, I will say you can tell those who are at publication standard or close to it and those who are new to writing and there is work to be done.
The good news here is we must all start somewhere and in being prepared to learn and develop, that is when your “breaks” are more likely to happen. You have to put in the groundwork. By submitting stories and learning from feedback given, your work will improve and that will put more “possible opportunities” your way.
You will learn your stories suit this market better than that one, say. So you learn to target the places where you’re more likely to have your work accepted.
How do I know? Because it is what has happened to me (and continues to do so).
Happy writing!
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Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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One learns a lot from other writers, even if it is how not to do it. At a recent writers’ conference, I discovered two inspirational speakers, so I abandoned my plans of attending other lectures and followed these two like a roadie. They offered insights and knowledge on a plane above the others.
I like 100-word stories. Makes you understand which words convey information and which are padding.
Many thanks, Mike. Am glad you found the right inspiration for you. It helps so much. (I love On Writing by Stephen King, yes that one, incidentally. Good insights into the writing life here and a memoir combined).
Am pleased you like the 100-word stories but then I would be!