shimo -- my second post on fiction being fiction.
I used to be a voracious reader for many years where I would gobble up several books in a week. romance and crime were the two genres I enjoyed.
here is how I approach fiction in drama -- yes, there is creative license and certain amount of reality you have to ignore. however, when you create a fictional world, there are certain literature rules that do apply in order for you to create a good work.
I recently watched the movie "dungeons and dragons" and we went because of my niece. I liked the movie for what it was and thought it was well-written. 😆 the conflict was believable (a father trying to connect with his daughter, a husband dealing with loss) and it continued through to the end of the movie. the resolution made sense and you walked away with the feel that it was money and time well spent. so even in a fantasy movie, there is a certain amount of internal logic and reason a work should follow. then only it is enjoyable. so when I crib that it isn't logical, I mean within the sense of the world they have created.
years ago, I remember the Mills & Boon website (later bought out by Harlequin) have a set of rules for wannabe romance authors. it was really interesting to see them place so much importance on conflict building and conflict resolution -- essential to having a good romance book and character development.
here is what one site said:
I ♥ my characters: At the heart of all great romances are two strong, appealing, sympathetic and three-dimensional characters.
I ♥ my conflict: Emotional, character-driven conflict is the foundation of a satisfying romance. Conflict spawns tension and excitement.
There are two types of conflict: internal and external.
Internal conflict should be the writer's main focus: defined by either character - the opposing forces within a personality, motivations and aspirations - or by an emotional situation within a relationship - for example, an unexpected pregnancy or an arranged marriage.
External conflict should only be brought in as additional support to the developing romance and plot. External conflict is defined by misunderstandings, circumstances or a secondary character's influence.
Check that your conflict is believable and that it can be sustained over the course of a whole book - ideally two or three conflicts that unfold and are resolved in the course of the story work best. Conflict doesn't mean endless arguments; layer it with emotional highs and lows. All the best stories have stormy weather and sunny days.
I ♥ dialogue! It's the key tool to giving life, energy and pace to your writing. Great dialogue can propel your story; bad dialogue can grind it to a halt. Remember to keep it relevant and consistent to your characters.
so I have mentioned this before that the initial 30-50 episodes of the drama were really well-written. then it veered off sharply. we are not having conflicts resolved in a believable manner. instead, they are resolved within one episode which does not make sense in any world. there are no highs and lows when it comes to such resolution. you feel nothing. also abrupt changes in character development means you lose the connect with the characters and interest in drama.
then when it comes to certain aspects -- like children and law -- I do think that any pieces of fiction should have sense of responsibility and deal with such issues sensitively. also you shouldn't feel like the ML and FL are irresponsibile people. 😆
while I laugh about EK shows, there are many which were well-written. yes, the plots were utterly dumb but it made sense within the world they created. none of the characters grow any brains and theirs fights and struggles feel believable in the world they created. 🤣
so basically when you hear many of us cribbing, we are essentially looking for consistency in writing.
Edited by mango.falooda - 2 years ago