Yes, well it is more than not moving in a positive direction. It is the ability to inspire the readers to care about that stagnation. The complete stagnation of the entire writing process is what sets us off, I think.
I always return to Gone With The Wind where we find a lot of petty characters who end up much the same as when they started the book, despite many character developing plot points. I think what makes that ART is that the writer understands what she is saying about these people and their world view. She doesn't keep the people sheltered from the events...instead, she shows us that these people are coping in a way that is natural to them, by refusing to accept the reality of their circumstances.
That is a completely different kettle of fish, in my view, than simply thinking that recording Scarlett's lack of development is all you need to do as a writer. Saying Scarlett is selfish, look at her being petty here, can you believe it? doesn't really help us understand selfishness. Put another way, Scarlett behaves as she does because that is part of the story and her lack of development is all the more tragic because she is a more complex character, too. If all she'd been was selfish and childish and nothing had happened to her, I think she would have quickly faded from our memory.
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Date: 2011-03-21 06:50 pm (UTC)I always return to Gone With The Wind where we find a lot of petty characters who end up much the same as when they started the book, despite many character developing plot points. I think what makes that ART is that the writer understands what she is saying about these people and their world view. She doesn't keep the people sheltered from the events...instead, she shows us that these people are coping in a way that is natural to them, by refusing to accept the reality of their circumstances.
That is a completely different kettle of fish, in my view, than simply thinking that recording Scarlett's lack of development is all you need to do as a writer. Saying Scarlett is selfish, look at her being petty here, can you believe it? doesn't really help us understand selfishness. Put another way, Scarlett behaves as she does because that is part of the story and her lack of development is all the more tragic because she is a more complex character, too. If all she'd been was selfish and childish and nothing had happened to her, I think she would have quickly faded from our memory.