Darwin’s Paradox

So, I’d like to share what I’ve learned over the years. This will come to you in three parts: 1) characters; 2) language; and 3) structure.

Let’s start with characters, since they are, in my opinion, the most important part of the novel. Characters carry the theme of the book. Each characters needs to have a role in advancing the plot and/or overall theme; each character needs a reason to be there. A character therefore needs to be distinctive and usually shows some character development or story arc (i.e., they change) from beginning to end of story. Your characters are the most important part of your book (more so than the plot or premise). Through them your book lives and breathes. Through them your premise, your plot (which is essentially just a way to create problems for your characters to live out their development) and story come alive. Through them you achieve empathy and commitment from the reader and his/her willingness to keep reading to find out what’s going to happen next.  And this is equally important in any genre and style of book, whether it is a thriller, action adventure, romance, detective story or literary fiction. If the reader doesn’t invest in the characters, they won’t really care what happens next.

Characters need to be real. They come to life by giving them individual traits and real weaknesses and heroic qualities that are consistent and which readers can recognize and empathize with. Weaknesses or “bad” traits are most important to give to your “good” characters. Not only does this make them more well-rounded and compelling but it heightens tension and investment of the reader (hoping they will overcome them). Something many authors do with their main characters (particularly in action adventure and thriller stories) is to give their main character a weakness that actually ends up being a strength in the situation they have created in the book (e.g., a misfit whose proclivity to be an individualist helps him become a leader in a calamity). You play these traits against each other to achieve drama. For instance, a man who is afraid of heights but who must scale a mountain to save his love is far more compelling than one who is not; a military man who fears responsiblity but must lead his team into battle; a scientist who is afraid of success, discovers a cure to a disease, etc.

Often, characters of beginning writers suffer from lack of distinction, purpose and often simply clutter up a story. For a character to “come alive” their “voice” must be unique. Give them distinctive body movements, dress, facial features and expressions that reveal character, inner feelings, emotions, fears, motivations, etc. Then keep them consistent. There are several techniques writers use to increase empathy for a character and make them stand out from the rest. This includes use of third person POV, keeping the story with focus on fewer rather than many characters, creating character dossiers and keeping them consistent, providing each character a distinctive “voice” (figuratively) as in how they behave, react, walk, etc. Another way to make your characters distinct (and works to also tie into plot and theme) is to make your characters not get along. Make them argue, disagree (at least!), have suspicions, betray one another, laugh and ridicule. By doing this, you increase tension, conflict (two things every book requires) and you enlighten the reader into each of the characters involved. Make them fight or argue over what they believe in — or not. You need to describe your characters in effective brief but vivid language as the reader encounters them.

Here are some questions you need to ask about your characters:

 1. if I can remove the character, will the book fall apart? (if not, you don’t need that character; they aren’t fulfilling a role in the book);

2. how does the character portray the major or minor theme of the book? (that’s what characters are there for);

3. what is the role of the character? (e.g., protagonist, antagonist, mentor, catalyst, etc.);

4. what is the story arc of the character? Does he or she develop, change, do they learn something by the end? If not, they will be two-dimensional and less interesting;

5. what major obstacle(s) must the character overcome?

6. who are your major protagonist(s)– the main character who changes the most?

7. who are your major antagonist(s) — those who provide the most trouble for your protagonist, the source of conflict, tension, the obstacle(s);

8. what’s at stake: for the world (plot); for each individual (theme) and how do these tie together? Every character has a hole to fulfill in the plot and to other characters. Don’t be afraid to remove characters if they do not fulfill a role.

To summarize, each character is there for a purpose and this needs to be made apparent to the reader (intuitively through characterization, pointing out their failings, weaknesses, what they need to overcome, etc.). Make them bleed, hurt, cry, feel. This needs to be clear to the reader, who wants to empathise with some and hate others. How characters interact with their surroundings and with each other creates tension, a key element to good storytelling. Tension, of course, builds further into the additional conflict of protagonist with antagonists. In truth, it’s more fun to read about the tension from within a group that’s supposed to be together than those they are fighting against.  Think of Harry Potter and what was juicy there… It wasn’t really Voldemort… it was what went on at Hogwards between Harry and his friends and not-so-friends. That is what makes a story memorable; that is what makes a story something you can’t put down until you’ve finished it.

Hope this was useful to you. My next post on the beginning writer will be on language.

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I met Nina briefly in Paris and we got her book, Darwin’s Paradox, into the hottest bookstore there: Shakespeare and Company. This bookstore, which offers shelves of books from a variety of genres and topics–and all in English–is situated in the Latin Quarter, which for centuries has been the centre of bohemian Parisian creativity and intelligentsia.

For over fifty years, the bookshop has housed numerous writers and hosted readings by published and unpublished authors. Run by Sylvia Whitman, daughter of the legendary George Whitman, the bookstore looks like something in a Harry Potter movie, with stacks upon stacks of all sorts of literature. Upon entering, you’ll find yourself in a place Henry Miller described as “A wonderland of books”.

Shakespeare and Company is open evey day from 10:00 to 23:00. If you’re touring Paris go check it out. The selection of English books is impeccable, with many by local writers.

If you’re a young traveling writer looking for a place to crash, Sylvia might put you up too!
While I was there, we briefly toured the city, including the impressive Tuillerie Gardens on the Right Bank.

Nina took me to her “outdoor” office, located in Place Saint-Michel on the Left Bank with a great view of Notre Dame Cathedral. I asked her how she liked Paris over a pastis (anise-based liqueur) and cafe creme.

“I love Paris,” she said. “I love everything about it, the food, the people, the architecture, the streets…The street performers who sing with feeling…the couples kissing on every street corner…that quiet reserve that just melts once they recognize that you are lost… their reverence for art and literature… Parisians know how to live. They have no problem waiting at length in line for fresh croissants at their favorite patisserie or will linger over lunch at a cafe to discuss the finer points of life over an espresso or cheese and wine. They are so civilized.”

I asked her how her research was going.

“I confess that I have done some of my best work here… that pastis can be very inspirational!” Nina confided to me with that typical impish smile of hers.

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Almost two weeks ago, and with great coverage by the local press (the Surrey Leader), I fulfilled a fantasy by appearing at the Strawberry Hill Chapters store in Surrey, British Columbia, to sign my book, Darwin’s Paradox. Once or twice a month I used to meet three other friends who’d formed a writer’s group we’d called Critical Ms. Starbucks coffee in hand, I used to meet them in the small alcove with comfortable chairs to trade industry stories, critique each other’s work, and dream of having my book on the shelf behind us (it was the science fiction section of the store). Last week I realized that dream and more! What’s really cool is that one of the other Critical Ms writers, Lois J. Peterson, is also launching her book this fall. It’s a YA novel called, Meeting Miss 405 by Orca Press. I even had a surprise visit from Brian Hades of Edge Publishing, the parent company of Dragon Moon Press—he was just passing through town… Sure! Brian had found these cool see-into-the-future glasses at a strange Vancouver antique shop and thought of me… funny that…But don’t I look intelligent in them?…

My signing at the Granville & Broadway Chapters store in Vancouver the following week was yet another adventure. As always, I met very interesting patrons, including two Romanian ladies (Silvia Boiceanu and Maria Moise) who, after introducing themselves, decided to linger and watch me “in action” and occasionally waved at me, smiling. I also met Twyla Anderson, a budding novelist and practiced my French with Agnes Lacombe, an elegant lady from France. Hildegard Zander engaged me in a long philosophical conversation that ranged from the transcending songs of French singer Gilbert Becaud to the environmental basis of cultures.

Then Stephen Saint Laurent, Prince George videographer, stopped by and gave me an impromptu interview. I also had the unexpected pleasure of meeting a long-time friend who I hadn’t seen in a while. She’d spotted Chapter’s billboard advertisement outside the store and had noted the time. Barb Meier is a talented artist and craftsman who makes books from scratch (paper, cover and binding!). That’s Barb pointing at my display. My sister, Doina Maria (and my partner in imagination from when we were kids) is standing beside her. She’d come to lure me away with promises of calamari and red wine.

My book signing at the Granville store experienced some added excitement as a student rally of over 500 protesters passed the store in a flourish of banner waving and boisterous shouting. The patrons of the store, myself included, emerged to watch as police-escorted demonstrators waving “Free Tibet from China” signs and shouting slogans, marched past us. Tibetan supporters from Vernon to Victoria were rallying against the violence in the tumultuous Chinese-controlled region; they marched from the art gallery to the Chinese consulate, where they chanted, burned Chinese flags and acted out scenes of violence.

I will finalize my local book tour with a signing at Blackbond Books in Richmond and a Chapters store in Burnaby (Metrotown). Then I’ll be flying to Paris, France where… I think Darwin will take a holiday with me. Truthfully, I am travelling there (and possibly to Berlin) to research my next book, a historical fantasy about a young girl in medieval Prussia who discovers that she can alter history.

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Brian Brown of Dragon Page recently reviewed Nina’s book, Darwin’s Paradox.  This is what he had to say:

The Gist: Julie Crane has a lot of skeletons in her closet. She had the unleashed the Darwin virus on the world, murdered a government official, and then ran away from all the chaos she had created.

That is what the history books say, but often history is changed, twisted and confused from what really happened.

Julie fled into the wilderness outside of the cities with her husband. Outside of the influence of everyone and everything Julie learned to live in this wilderness. She gives birth to her daughter Angel and looks forward to living a life with nature.

All of this is shattered when Julie discovers that she is being hunted again. She makes a journey back to the city, alone. Julie’s daughter convinces her father to go after Julie and they too make their way to the city.

Back in the city Julie is confronted with the political intrigue, societal differences, and the mass of humanity she left behind.

It’s up to Julie, her family and new friends to unravel what is true and what is false and set things right for the future

The Good: This is a book of heavy, heady concepts in this book, chaos theory, human neurophysiology, ecosystems and sustainability, viruses, AI’s and more. It really gives some oomph behind the story of Julie and the other characters.

The vision of the future is well done and I’m a sucker for near future stories that have all of the elements of political intrigue, cybernetics, rebels against the system, AI’s going wonky, and a glimpse at future life.

The Bad: The human story elements seemed a bit weaker than the world itself and the concepts of humans living in the future. It seemed that Julie was moving on a very linear path through the world and not really deviating. For me, some of the supporting characters seemed more interesting, like her daughter Angel or the quirky, sleazy ex-Mayor.

It’s a bit confusing at the start with the barrage of the background information you get at the beginning.

The Ugly: Nothing really ugly to report.

Nina Munteanu weaves a good story that has some large concepts peppered through it. The story does have warts but they are easy enough to gloss over and dig into the main story. There are some nice twists and turns and rabbit holes to follow the tale down. I hope that future books have more about the world, the citizens who inhabit it, and the politics of city states.

I easily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a nice mix of science fiction, political intrigue and some big scientific concepts. Go pick it up!

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I recently managed to snag Nina for a phone interview about her success with Darwin’s Paradox and here it is:
 

Karen: You’re pretty busy these days with your ongoing book tour, radio interview appearances and other marketing endeavors. You also work as an environmental consultant and mother of an active family. How and when do you get a chance to write?

Nina: (she erupts into wild laughter) You mean fiction writing? What’s that?… Well, I’m actually marketing a science fiction space adventure trilogy that I recently finished. My current novel, which is a historical fantasy—about a girl in medieval Prussia who discovers that she can alter history—is three-quarters done and awaits a trip to Paris to confirm setting and other accurate portrayals in the book, like the taste of wine and cheese. So, I’ve already written quite a bit. But, that is not to say that I am not writing now… I still actively blog (see the Alien Next Door, her blog on science, movies, books and pop culture), write short articles for magazines and newspapers and, of course, I also write full time in my job as a scientist.

Karen: So, when do you do your non-science writing?

Nina: (grinning) When I should be sleeping!

Karen: How long did it take you to write Darwin’s Paradox?

Nina: (laughs) I’ve been writing Darwin’s Paradox all my life, I think. No, really…(now with a crazy smile)…I started writing stories when I was ten years old, amusing my older sister with tales of outer space and aliens. Darwin was actually my first book—not counting the two manuscripts in my dresser drawer—even though it was published after I published my two e-books (Collision with Paradise and The Cypol) and it took the longest to write. My subsequent books have taken me on average a year to write, which includes research.

Karen: What inspired you to write Darwin’s Paradox?

Nina: Darwin actually evolved literally from a concept and a story I wrote when I was seventeen (which I never did publish). It’s only taken a few decades for Darwin to evolve into the form it is now! I was always fascinated by nature’s ability to “perceive” and align herself to changes imposed upon her. Lovelock’s concept of Gaia and how we humans relate to our ”intelligent” planet was always something I wanted to write about. When a classmate in university ecology half-seriously told me that his ambition was “to make algae sing” I laughed. But then something actually resonated with me. I started seeing evidence for Nature’s Intelligence everywhere. In chaos theory, fractals, synchronicity, co-evolution and endosymbiosis … I also saw how we separate ourselves from and abuse nature. But, even when humans build a better mousetrap, nature always seems to build a better mouse. That we are evolving is inevitable and irrevocable. How and into what and through what means…that’s the open question for all of us. You’ll have to read the book to find out how I answer it. 

Karen: You mentioned research. Can you tell us how important research is in your writing?

Nina: I find it indispensible. I prefer to both read and write a book that has substance, something that grounds me, and, as a reader, has something to learn. So, my books invariably explore real questions and issues that require attentive research. Darwin had many such concepts: chaos theory, artificial intelligence, viruses, biotechnology, autopoiesis, and co-evolution to name just a few. Of course, I am skilled at doing research from the work I do as a scientist, so I find it both facile and very enjoyable to do. It is difficult not to get too enamored with all the neat things you find and throw them all into the novel. I know of at least one very well regarded Canadian science fiction writer who falls in this trap time and again. It’s hard not to do. It’s exciting stuff. But, it doesn’t fit into a story, particularly a fast paced one. Less is more.

Karen: What do you think the role of science fiction is in our lives?

Nina: Well, SF provides an excellent metaphoric platform for social commentary within the context of an entertaining story. The best form of education is also entertaining.  Look at the best comedians.  I think education is the responsibility of storytellers in any genre. To illuminate, to provoke, and to inspire all lie within the purview of the writer as artist. To quote Susan Sontag: real art makes us nervous. 

Karen: Having lived on both sides of the fence—fiction writer and educator of science—which side of you wants to dominate the other or keeps on popping up in your mind?

Nina: That’s a good question!—oops, usually when someone says that, they don’t have a clue, but, I’ll try…I’d say that being a scientist and a science educator has given me the objectivity and discipline to study and research topics and premises I use in my stories. As for dominating and popping up in my mind, I’d have to say that the fictional side, the story-telling side, always wins. I get some of my best ideas from my science workplace and my scientific research. But the thematic elements of stories (the relationships and characters) take over and rule my imagination. To put it simply, I suppose I would say that I’m an artist who uses science, rather than a scientist who uses art—but don’t tell my boss!

Karen: Has your fiction helped your non-fiction?

Nina: Yes, it has! Thanks, Karen, you’ve exonerated me. Any form of writing is still “storytelling”; journalists would be the first to agree with me. Even a good science dissertation tells a story, of some sorts. I found that, as I crafted my fiction writing, my non-fiction writing—mostly my technical and science writing—became more readable, more palatable to a wider audience. Many of my clients are not scientists, so communicating complex science to them is often a challenge. Most scientists fail miserably at this. My fiction writing has helped enormously with my communication skills. And, yes, I do tell them a story, one they enjoy reading, because they understand it.

Karen: In fact, I’ve noticed several reactions on your science blog, The Alien Next Door, that have said that very thing. You have a talent for taking real and often difficult science topics and making them accessible and interesting to the non-scientist. How do you think that came about?

Nina: (laughing) Thanks for saying that, Karen. Anyway, it’s probably because I needed to understand it first! I’m not really a very complicated person when it comes to science…

Karen: Name some of your favorite books and why.:

Nina: Oh, I have so many, Karen. Check out my virtual library at www.librarything.com and you’ll find my fifty favorite SF books. My all-time favorite books, however, include classics, literary fiction and even non-fiction. I have an eclectic taste and like to read many different things. Here are just a few: Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy; Maximum Ice by Kay Kenyon; The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles; The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman; Lord of the Flies by William Golding; Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje; Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak; One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; The Night Country by Lorne Eisely; and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. Why these, you ask…because each one is a masterful story, even the non-fiction ones. Because they make me think and cry and laugh and feel so alive.

Karen: Thanks, Nina.

Nina: Thanks, Karen! A pleasure!

Check out Nina’s very popular blog, The Alien Next Door, for more of her unique and insightful thoughts on science, books, movies and pop culture. 

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