Stay In The Moment

Introduction

The writing advice I’m giving today is more of a pet peeve of mine than a hard rule. What I’m going to talk about is mentioned in most books about writing, and I believe it kind of relates to one of the main rules for writers, “show don’t tell.” But, I think it bothers me more than most people. It’s kind of like speed limit signs. Everyone knows they’re showing us the legal speed we are allowed to drive, but nobody obeys them. As long as you don’t go too far over the speed limit, the authorities are completely fine with it. The same with the rule that I’ll be talking about today.

Stay In The Moment

For me, I’ve found that what draws me into a scene and evokes emotion within me is what’s happening in the moment of the scene. The thing that makes it more difficult to enjoy the scene is when the author continuously interrupts the scene with his or her narrator’s voice.

As much as possible, writers should try to stay in the moment rather than take their readers out of the moment. The thing I see in so many books, especially from newer authors, is they constantly interrupt their scenes to throw in unnecessary details. This is especially troublesome if the scene is an action scene or a tense conversation between two characters. Things are just getting exciting, and then everything stops while we’re given a memory from one of the characters that explains why he distrusts the other character. Or, details are given about the political system that has made them enemies. Or, we’re told about how the evening has become chilly and one character wishes she’d worn her sweater.

Many details and backstories need to be explained at some point, but a good author will find ways of giving us those details in more natural ways that don’t interrupt the flow of the story. There are lots of “how to write” books out there on how to write details properly so I won’t go into all of that here. My main point is more about the flow of each scene. 

Example

For instance, if the scene is about a woman confronting her husband about his love affair and they get into an argument. This kind of scene should be a tense scene with angry words and sharp comebacks. However, many authors will write this kind of scene and between every line of dialogue insert some other information they think is relevant. And maybe it is relevant, but they’re putting the brakes on their scene every time they tell you about something other than what’s happening right then between that man and that woman. 

If some backstory needs to be explained, why not insert it in a transition scene, like when the woman is driving over to where her husband is and she’s getting all worked up about what she has to say? As soon as she is face to face with her husband and the dialogue starts, let’s stay in the moment. Authors should be very aware of not interrupting the tension unless absolutely necessary. 

Interrupting a Movie

It would be like watching a movie and between every line of dialogue, the film freezes, and you hear a deep-voiced narrator come on and explain why she said what she just said. Then the movie plays again, the man shouts back at her, and the film pauses again. This time the narrator explains how when the husband was a boy his mother was cruel to him. And the scene keeps going like that starting and stopping. After a while, you’re thinking about going back to the concession stand to get more popcorn. Why? Because you’re finding it hard to get into the emotion of the scene because the narrator keeps interrupting everything. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the same way with a book. As a reader, I want to be swept away by what is happening at the moment, especially during tense or suspenseful scenes.

Conclusion

I have a theory about why this happens. We authors (yes I have trouble staying in the moment too) tend to think our voice is just as important as the voices of our characters. We are, after all, the creator of the story. Of course, we’re important, but are we really? I believe the answer is “no.” The goal for an author should be to make his or her readers connect emotionally with the characters, not the author. We want readers to be so into what’s happening they can’t put the book down. To do that, we need them to stay with the characters, listening to their voices and not ours. Every time we jump in as the narrator we take the reader out of the story for a moment. They have to make a mental adjustment to follow what we’re telling them, and then they have to adjust again to get back to the story. Forcing their mind to go in and out of what’s happening makes it more difficult for them to stay engaged with the story. 

Does it bother you when the flow of a story is constantly interrupted? Do you have other pet peeves about the way books are written? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment.

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