Diana gave us a good overview last week about how
reactions can be either physical or emotional. Good writing requires both,
because it gets the reader in the character’s head and helps create that
emotional bond that makes for the most excellent reading experience.
Physical reactions are part of an Action/Reaction sequence.
It’s important to get these in the right order or your reader will feel like
something is off, even if she doesn’t know what it is.
Dwight Swain in his Techniquesof the Selling Writer goes in depth on this subject, and it’s worth
studying.
The points to remember are that every action has a reaction, and they need to come in the proper order. That’s how we process
information in the real world, and if our characters do it differently, it
pulls us out of the story.
Motivation and Reaction
There are two parts to keep straight: Motivation and
Reaction. They are based on the POV character and what they can see,
experience, and feel.
Motivation is what your POV character sees.
It is external and could be seen by anyone.If a camera was
filming the scene, it would be visible or audible.
Example: There’s a
knock at the door. Anyone can hear that knock. There’s no question or
interpretation needed.
Reaction is what your POV character does in response to the Motivation.
It
is internal and subjective. And it occurs in a physiologically
precise order.
- Instinct and feelings
- Reflexive actions
- Rational actions and speech
Example: Joe jumps and
his heart pounds (1). He leaps from
the couch (2). Could Marie be at the
door? How did she get here so quickly? He peeks out the window. (3)
When you read it, it makes perfect sense. You can see it
playing out. But if we move the pieces around, it just seems wrong.
He leaps from the
couch. There’s a knock at the door. He peeks out the window. Could Marie be at
the door? How did she get here so quickly? Joe jumps and his heart pounds.
I’ve seen sentences like that and so have you. But it
doesn’t feel right. It feels jerky, and it keeps your reader from getting in
emotionally deep with the characters, which is the only reason we do anything! You
lose the emotional reaction of the reader because there is nothing to respond
to.
The Reaction is where
the emotionally compelling part is. Get us in your POV character’s skin and
let us reaction to the Motivation exactly like your character would react.
The Reaction will vary based on your POV character and their backstory
It all comes around to backstory, doesn’t it? Look at this
example with the same Motivation.
There’s a knock at the
door. Joe’s heart pounds, a grin spreading across his face. He leaps up. Could
Marie be at the door so quickly with his birthday present? He flings open the
door.
A knock at the door could mean something good or something
bad depending on your character. But notice that the order of the Reaction
stayed the same.
Not every step of the Reaction must be included, but those that are must be
in the proper order.
There’s a knock at the
door. Joe leaps up. Could Marie be at the door so quickly with his birthday
present?
Here it is the wrong way:
There’s a knock at the
door. Could Marie be at the door so quickly with his birthday present? Joe
leaps up.
It just feels wrong, like a campy SNL skit.
The final Reaction step will lead to a new Motivation and the cycle
continues.
There’s a knock at the
door. Joe’s heart pounds, a grin spreading across his face. He leaps up. Could
Marie be at the door so quickly with his birthday present? He flings open the
door. (First set.)
Marie stands there
with a present in her hands (objective Motivation). Joe smiles. He hopes it’s the new video game he wants. He reaches
for the present. “Won’t you come in?” (Subjective reaction, second set.)
See how the Motivation and Reaction got simpler, faster, and
closer together as the action peaked? Using this correctly helps with the pace
of your story.
The cool thing about nailing the Action/Reaction sequence is
that it keeps showing and telling in their proper places, and it keeps your POV
straight. If your sequences aren’t behaving, check those two areas to see where
something has slipped.
We know now that the Motivation has to be showing. It has to
be something we can all see. The Reaction is where it sometimes gets dicey. It
can be easy to slip into telling, where we start telling what the POV character
is thinking and feeling. Better to get us into those three steps of reaction
and let us feel what she’s feeling.
Let us see the world from behind her eyes.
Now go write something great!
Jennifer's latest books~ Protective Custody:
A cop burned by love falls for a key
witness in a crime implicating the town’s rich and powerful. Coming Home A strong-
willed young woman must discover her brother’s killer before she’s the next
victim. The prequel, Be Mine,
is also available. Can a simple thank you note turn into something more?
Get the first chapter of Coming Home and Protective Custody by
signing up at www.JenniferVanderklipp.com
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