3 More Lessons From John Flanagan's Writing
Last month, I shared 11 Lessons From John Flanagan's Writing. It's a massive series so there's a lot I still haven't covered. Here's three more lessons relating to character and the series in general.
1. Important character need to have purpose.
This one is mostly for Brotherband. You have the Flanagan's standard cast: the main character (Hal), his best friend (Stig), the mentor (Thorn) and the girl (Lydia). But apart from them, you also get the other six members of the Heron crew.That doesn't include the relevant family members, the bad guys, the other crews from Book 1, the side characters and a whole bunch of random dudes (with a few dudettes).
Out of all these characters, the only ones who are truly important are Hal, Stig, Thorn and the bad guy, whoever it happens to be in that book. Sometimes Lydia, but that's because she's the only female. The other characters aren't really important besides their one defining trait.
Ingvar is the strong guy, Edvin is the backup guy, Stefan and Jesper are the brunt of the joke, and Ulf and Wulf are the twins. Kloof is...Kloof.
Ingvar and Edvin are more serious than Stefan, Jesper, Ulf and Wulf. Ingvar and Edvin are mostly forgotten until their one role is needed. For the latter four, whatever traits and personality that they had in Book 1 is pretty much gone. All they do is complain and act as punching bags to prove how strong they Big Three are.
2. Important characters need to drive the plot.
Following on from Point 1, I'd say the whole Heron crew are important characters. Even if they're not the main characters, if we need to remember their names and skills, they're important.
Unfortunately, they don't move the plot along. I can summarise the dynamic in three lines:
Hal: So, guys, I need to do this. If you don't want to do it, that's fine. *sniffle*
Everyone else: Of course we will, Hal! We're your brotherband!
Hal: Aww! Thanks, y'all! You're the best!
Then the story proceeds to have Hal, Stig, Thorn and sometimes Lydia to do all the cool action scenes while the others do...stuff?
If an important character doesn't purpose or drive the plot, they're a loose end. They might as well not exist. While they might not be as impactful as the main character - and rightly so - a small of impact as just always being there when the MC is feeling down is enough to make them memorable.
Without purpose or drive, the character becomes simply a name.
3. Know when to end the series.
Once upon a time, I was sitting down with a mug of hot chocolate when I overheard an interesting conversation.
Person 1: "Have you heard of Ranger's Apprentice?"
Person 2: "Nope."
Person 1: "It's that series that keeps getting bigger and bigger."
Person 2: "Oh, that one!"
I might've choked on my hot chocolate a bit, but it also made my realise how true it is. The whole saga in that world has been going on for years and years. And years.
The first few books are cool. After that, there's a few gems, but it becomes the same thing over again. The original novelty has worn off and we're left with repetition of past events. Reincarnated villains. Even the jokes become progressively non-existent.
You're left with stale bread.
Nobody wants stale bread.
To prevent your bread from becoming stale, you eat it before it becomes stale. Likewise, you need to eat end your story before it becomes stale. End it just before the fried chicken becomes cold.
~
Three takeaways from today's post:1. Characters need purpose and to drive the plot.
2. End a series between the warm-cold phase.
3. Fried chicken is a good analogy for anything.
Related Posts:
11 Lessons From John Flanagan's Writing
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