Photo by Fernando Arcos
Cautionary tales exist for a reason – they give crucial warnings for everyone to heed. Knowing what they are can save you the trouble of making huge mistakes as you write your novel.
It’s common for story writers to make mistakes. After all, we’re only humans who happen to have figments of imagination waiting to be laid in pages until it becomes a fulfilled book. This line of work requires thorough training and constant practice because honing the craft of writing is a tedious process. Of course, the result will always be worth it.
Seeing the “New York Times bestseller” stamped on the cover of your book feels good. Or even being able to publish your very first work is an accomplishment in itself. And along the journey were countless sound advice from people you trust and harsh but constructive critiques from reliable professionals. While their words of wisdom are enough, there might be things overlooked and need a recap.
What do we mean by “cautionary tales”?
It originally meant a story that was told to warn its readers. All the events leading up to the ending of a cautionary tale must let everyone know about the harmful or undesirable consequences of the characters’ actions. The book “Old Men and Infidels” by Walter Clark Boutwell is a clear example.
It tells the story of the world as it gets younger before they part from this world. It details the life of Lieutenant Malila Chiu, who became a clueless pawn for the coup that General Eustace Jourdaine staged. Her experiences in the lawless outlands helped open her eyes to the fact that there’s more than just a simple mission to be done. As the series progresses, more is uncovered, warning readers not to easily trust anyone, not even their close confidantes and the governing authorities.
Five cautionary tales for every writer must know.
No matter how simple your story length and format are, the best course of action is to remain vigilant as you write. It won’t hurt to be cautious for your good. As you write along your story, here are five essential warnings you need to consider:
Avoid writing periodically.
Pacing yourself while cooking up a good novel is good, as it helps you develop the proper sequence and get your plot in order. However, too much dilly-dallying can cost you the quality of your work and, worse, encounter writer’s block and render your draft unfinished. Admittedly, the first few words are crucial but can also be the most challenging point for any writer. Simply writing without much thought is enough to counter the loss of ideas that often occurs at the beginning.
Never disregard story structure.
Hopping from one arc to another is natural when writing a novel with an adequately-stretched plotline. But discarding the primary narrative arc you had in mind will disrupt the story, and mind you, and there are readers sharp enough to know if there are any plot holes busted as they read. As much as you love to take a quick turn and risk the original storyline, you must consider the technical aspects of telling a story, the essence of character development, and climax building.
Editing alone might be a bad thing.
After everything is done, you naturally proceed to several bouts of editing. Once the story takes shape, you let it go through multiple grammar checks via editing sites/programs that are very useful today. However, too much self-reliance on everything, down to the editing, can be sketchy for a writer. Choose a set of professional and experienced editors that can help with the story structure and nip the unnecessary parts, especially one well-versed in grammar, primarily when the whole editing process depends on the story’s total word count.
Flat characters are a red flag.
Metaphorically speaking, if something is a “red flag,” it is dangerous and must be avoided at all costs. The entire narrative is led by your characters, regardless of their position as the main and side ones in the story. You must dedicate your time and energy to creating a believable and appealing personality and work on their aspects to avoid them being one-dimensional as yourself, who they are and how they each play a part in creating the story’s rich inner world. Developing character arcs is challenging, and excessively complex characters can still be detrimental to the plot, so tread carefully.
Avoid sudden series jumps.
Seamlessness is crucial to making a good series, especially in books. You’re essentially unifying the plot stretched into several books by stitching together different sets of books with varying arcs. There’s also the unspoken belief of many book authors and enthusiasts alike – the horror of adding a sequel. Speculations about a sequel going wrong or bland have been happening ever since. That’s why smoothly done sequels are rare and a risk worth taking.
Why do cautionary tales exist for writers?
All writers work differently, each with individual timing and pacing. Their techniques vary to write a smooth and sensible storyline. In contrast, others work in bits, with small sequences pieced together that often take a long to finish. Either way, the goal is to reach the ending or stitch a subsequent series.
Whether a novel, novella, short story, or flash fiction, writers must work on different voices and styles for their story type. Because depending on the type of story they write, that’s where the pacing heavily relies on. It’s also good to learn from other writers, especially when they give valid points about common pitfalls in writing. While the term “cautionary tale” is initially meant as a type of story that offers a blatant warning, the same rule applies to writers for them not to repeatedly make mistakes along the way.
