Writing Theory: Some folks looked at my latest science fiction story. It was warmly received, with the comment that the plot needed to be stronger, and that it's currently a one-character story. Since the plot isn't a self-vs-self plot, it might be helpful to make some of the other characters more three-dimensional, or "round" as E.M. Forster would say.
Speaking of Forster, I've been making my way through "Aspects of the Novel." The aspects are story, character, plot, fantasy, prophesy, pattern, and rhythm. I'm enjoying the bon mots scattered throughout the essay. I've just gotten to the fantasy section, and as near as I can tell, what we call "the speculative element" is what he's calling fantasy. I'm hoping that he'll use H.G. Wells as an example of what he's talking about--he's not talking about science fiction much since this is a collection of talks given around 1920--but at the moment he keeps referencing authors like Thomas Hardy or Charles Dickens and currently he's talking about "Ulysses."
It's been useful to see his formulation of what a novel is, and in terms of the story I just turned in, I think he'd say that it has focused on the character of my protagonist at the expense of the plot.
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