There Are No Rules - A Plot-Defining Disturbance

Today's guest post is by Jim Adam. It is part of a series on storytelling and The Strengths of the Potter Series. Check out Jim's book, Motherless.

Each of the Potter books includes a major disturbance in Harry’s world. These disturbances typically involve a threat to Harry’s life, which is the sort of disturbance readers take seriously without needing additional motivation. Just as, in the last few books, we automatically take seriously the escalating situation, which threatens the entire wizard way of life—and perhaps the Muggle way of life as well.

While the exact nature of these threats is sometimes hidden from the reader, the books reveal the existence of the threat early on. In Book 1, for example, Harry’s scar flares during that first meal in the Great Hall, but he blames Snape, not realizing that Voldemort (hidden under Quirrell’s turban) is the one responsible. A bit further on, Book 1 gives us a more overt clue that something is amiss when Harry is nearly thrown from his broom during a Quidditch match. Even then, though, the exact nature of the threat isn’t revealed. In fact, the book goes out of its way to direct our attention to Snape and away from Quirrell.

All the Potter books have a major disturbance, one that readers can relate to.

Those disturbances get introduced early, and they form the backbone of each book. Nearly every event in a Potter book either reveals new information about the disturbance, moves Harry closer to resolving the disturbance, or else exacerbates the disturbance. This is the definition of tight plotting, and the Potter series is a poster child for the cause.

Next in series: Details and Immersion

Photo credit: gullevek

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Looking for more help on the craft of fiction? Check out our Elements of Fiction series:

Beginnings, Middles, and Ends by Nancy Kress
Scene & Structure by Jack Bickham
Description by Monica Wood
Plot by Ansen Dibell
Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
Conflict, Action, and Suspense by William Noble

Also—get your work critiqued by a Writer's Digest instructor over at WritersOnlineWorkshops.com. Voice and Viewpoint starts this month! Save 15% with the code FEB10.

Craft & Technique | Guest Post

Thursday, February 04, 2010 12:24:39 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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