Review: Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle and Creating Character Arcs by K. M. Weiland

[lantairvlea]

This one was pretty engaging. I didn't realize that it was written in first person. That was a surprise.

The story had several twists and turns that were both surprising and intruiging. The long explanations and reveals to bring it all together and tidy up the conclusion felt like a bit of a pause in the story because it was pretty long block of words. It was still interesting, even if it appeared to arrest the story.

The descriptions were great and painted the scenes well. The reader was much better than the one for "Father Goriot." Very engaging and well-read.

The story is less about how the characters develop and more about the circumstances in which they find themselves.

Audiobooks definitely get me through stories a whole lot faster than I would read them otherwise.

"Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development" was reccommended to be by Muss. I picked up a physical copy and have been workign through it the last few months.

The book is divided into our parts: The Positive Change Arc, The Flat Arc, The Negative Change Arc, and FAQs about Character Arcs.

The first part was the most detailed and informative, the other parts built upon it so she didn't have to be as thorough. She used both literary and film works in her examples. I wonder if she assumes people are more likely to know the same films than the same books? Either way, the examples were informative and helped illustrate her points well.

I don't think this book will make me outline everything I write now with careful planning and exacting detail, but I think it has helped make some things clearer as I get near the end of FFK and figure out how to properly wrap things up in a pleasing way.

I am not a naturally linear writer. I am also not a natural planner with my stories. I write rather organically, what feels right in accordance to what I know and feel of the characters. Maybe I let my stories dictate to me too much, I don't know.

I would recommend it to other writers, especially those struggling with how to cohesively structure their stories. The advise can be pared down to short story length or expanded out to a series.

Anyway, I do think it was very informative and I'm sure I'll be referring back to it now and again and it feels useful especially as I try to close out Fire Forged Key this year.

Comments

[madman101.livejournal.com]

I loved that book, but actually loved his SH stories better. More crystalised and solid.

Have you read Tale of Two Cities? I really loved that one and think you might too.

[lantairvlea.livejournal.com]

I think I'll read more of Mr. Doyle in the future.

I remember trying "Tale of Two Citites" in Jr. High or High School and not making it through. I picked up a Dickens collection this winter and plan on giving it another go.

[madman101.livejournal.com]

I loved them both!

I think Doyle was trying to fill in as a deep-feeling, etc., novel writer, with the book, but his best element was in serialising his shorter Sherlock Holmes stories. Quiet involving and electric, at least I thought so when I read them.

Maybe To2C had a lot in interweaving soap-opera and intrigue plot going on - I can see one not staying with it. I could never rise above my ADHD to do that now. But there was a time when I was giving my time and attention over to drawn-out writers, like Dostoevsky, who were, through the tedium and boringness, very rewarding! But, one has to be unfettered by other demands, normally.

I possibly mentioned that I believed I liked "Kidnapped" much more than "Treasure Island."

[lantairvlea.livejournal.com]

It did take me two tries to get all the way through "Les Miserables" and I maintain a love/hate relationship with Mr. Hugo. Some of the writing was simply sublime, and other portions felt like they had no point or connection to the story and were just there to fill space.

I'll have to look at "Kidnapped" eventually and will also be poking at Doyle's other works.

[madman101.livejournal.com]

Yes, I was thinking of that novel, and Anna Karenina, etc. I haven't read these, but of course they must be incredible since they remain classics despite their lengths. I haven't seen any play or film of Les Miserables that ever appealed to me, though. I think I felt as you described, when reading Hunchback of Notre Dame. Maybe it was the times - readers had more time on their hands and less interesting lives or something - so they ate it all up. lol