Karen S. Wiesner - Bring Your Fiction to Life: Crafting Three-Dimensional Stories with Depth and Complexity

WritersDigest.com
Cincinnati, Ohio

Three-dimensional: Of, relating to, or having three dimensions; giving the illusion of depth or varying distances; having or appearing to have length, breadth, and depth; having volume; describing or being described in well-rounded completeness; true to life, lifelike; having different qualities that are like the qualities of a real person; solid, concrete, vivid, realistic, rounded; sufficiently full in characterization and representation of events to be believable; simulating the effect of depth by presenting slightly different views of a scene.

Applied to writing, the word three-dimensional is easy to define as solid, realistic, rounded, and lifelike, even living. The hard part for authors comes in translating these concepts into the craft of writing. Most writers know what is not three-dimensional writing. Simple words and phrases convey whats lacking: flat, cardboard, paper doll, archetypal, convenient to the story, lacking history with loose and undefined ties, predictable, unrealistic, unremarkable, undeveloped or underdeveloped, dead.

Writing that is three-dimensional seems to have length (essentially the foundation of a story), width (structure), and depth (the completeness of fully fleshed-out characters, plots, and settings, as well as multiple layers and rich, textured scenes). Length and width are story basics, and generally even novice writers grasp these concepts. Depth is where complications arise.

Three-dimensional writing is what allows a reader to step through the pages of a book and enter a fictional world, where plot and characters are in that glorious, realistic realm that starts with little more than a line and progresses into shape and, finally, solid form. Once three-dimensionality is within reach, all things are possible: direction, motion, focus, vivid color, texture, harmony, and variety in which change is attainable and value becomes concrete.

But three-dimensional writing is also so much more than this. Three-dimensional writing has three aspects that need to occur to bring about the potential for truly three-dimensional, living fiction:

1. three-dimensional characters, plots, and settings
2. complex, three-dimensional scenes
3. multilayered storytelling

Once we come into a project with the necessary preparation for crafting three-dimensional characters, plots, and settings, were left with the hands-on process of translating these dimensional foundations into opening and closing scenes, along with those all-important bridge scenes. Thats where three-dimensional writing becomes sketchy and requires an examination of step-by-step technique. A multilayered approach to storytelling is also required for authors who intend to make writing their careers. Well explore all of these in detail in the pages that follow. Ill also provide aids that can be used to ensure three-dimensionality for each story.

The purpose of Bring Your Fiction to Life is to show writers at every stage of their careers the distinctive layers of a story and how to build three-dimensional aspects through all stages in the process. Three-dimensional thinking needs to start immediately, even during the brainstorming phase, and its crucial that three-dimensionality be maintained throughout the writing and revising of your story. Every work of fiction needs three-dimensionality. It doesnt matter if the story in question is two pages or two thousand. Its a mistake to believe that a shorter length means the story doesnt have to be well developed. Its more than possible to express a tremendous amount in just a few words, but readers cant connect with your characters, plots, or settings if those aspects of your story arent fully fleshed out. So, regardless of length, do everything you can to ensure that you build in the potential for three-dimensionality.

This book is broken down into seven chapters followed by two appendices, with bonus material online.

Chapters one through three explore the three core elements of character, plot, and setting, and how to create three-dimensionality with each. The provided Character Sketch Worksheet will ensure that your characters, plots, and settings are all three-dimensional.

Chapter four covers the anatomy of three-dimensional scenes, namely, opening, resolution, and bridge scenes. The furnished Present, Past, and Future (hereafter referred to as P/P/F) Scene Worksheet should remove any doubt as to whether youve properly set up and set out, anchored and oriented readers before leading them with purpose through your story landscape; examined the past in careful increments to fill in realistic layers; and made certain theres a whisper of whats to come.

Chapter five offers two additional techniques for ensuring your story has the required depth. First, well learn how to construct back cover blurbs with P/P/F Dimensions. Next, well talk about evaluating an outline or manuscript with a P/P/F Dimension Development Chart. Although this book assumes youll be using the method described throughout for a brand-new project, the technique can also be used for projects that are in a second draft or revision stage. The chart contained in this section will help you pinpoint the exact scene where a lack of three-dimensionality may plague your story.

Chapter six focuses on the crucial need to write in stages to create the layers necessary for three-dimensional writing.

The conclusion sums up what weve learned about the vital role three-dimensionality plays in producing multilayered, complex stories readers can step into interactively.

The two appendices and online material contain all the supplemental materials youll need to work your way through the three-dimensionality process:

• APPENDIX A contains blank worksheets, checklists, charts, and additional aids you can use to build three-dimensionality into your story.
• APPENDIX B provides exercises to help develop your three-dimensional writing muscles by using back cover blurbs and chapters from published novels.
• THE ONLINE MATERIAL offers a detailed exampleusing a published novelof all the three-dimensional aids presented in this reference, including the Three-Dimensional Character, Plot, and Setting Sketch Worksheet; the Three-Dimensional Scene Worksheet; the Three-Dimensional Back Cover Blurb Breakdown; the P/P/F Dimension Development Chart; and an excerpt from the published novel I mentioned here to see how the three dimensions were brought to life. When analyzed in this manner, youll see for yourself how three-dimensionality is created and layered through progressing scenes in a story.

Some clarifications about the examples from published novels Ive used that youll find in this book: I didnt feel comfortable fabricating material for published books to fit into sections of my worksheets. Therefore, I could only use what was found in the text, and there may not have been much to find since the authors werent using my worksheets or methods when writing their books. Needless to say, its not easy to work backwards with something published (not even in using my own, as youll see in the online material). The works already done, and I cant speculate what might have been done during the writing of the book. For that reason, Ive used direct quotes from the text when citing specific examples from published books. As youre filling out your own worksheets, youll be using a different techniquesumming up whats needed in each worksheet section into a handful of focused sentences. Ive provided simple examples that include random pieces of story (all using a basic theme so you can see definite development), as yours probably will be when you use the worksheets. These show a succinct way of filling out the worksheet. If youve read my book