The Artistic Product

Desire, Appeal, Demand, Art....

In any creative venture there is an element conceptual fulfillment and appeal. Often many choose to define their works as an art. These concepts demonstrate a defined expression and communicate emotion through specific aesthetic criteria, in short works that are of more than ordinary significance.

There are many different mediums that can be termed art, ranging from the standards of painting and sculpture to writing and even film or gaming. The ideal of conveying a concept through a medium in such a way as to be desirable is a fundamental motive for many artists. Through practice, refinement of technique and expression a work can be viewed as art.

While any work can be viewed as a work of art it is undeniably the aesthetic criteria that permits the work to be classified and termed "a work of art" within the medium. The aesthetics of a piece, while entirely subjective, are often representative of the 'high-concepts' that determine the appeal of the piece.

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As with any creative work, the determination of appeal is quite subjective however the broader the appeal the more accepted the piece is overall.

It is the appeal of a piece that many artists seek so that the work is broadly accepted as a work of art without dispute. Many artists are willing to sacrifice for the sake of their work, barely making a living while trying to find 'mainstream success' in their desired field. These Starving Artists epitomize the concept of an artist and are entirely dependent on the demand for their work.

Starving Artists and demand are where a couple of misconceptions enter.

Many writers/artists that are new to the industry often claim that their work is art as a defense to changing their work. As previously discussed, there are components to this that determine viability of their claim and then there is the misconception about the 'Best Seller' author.

The Best Seller author may have made their way into the best selling ranks but it does not mean that they have left 'Starving Artist' status. Most authors work other more permanent jobs because it often takes more than six published works and at least 2 'best sellers' before they can even consider focusing on being an author as their career.

In reality, an artist creates a work that they hope has enough appeal to drive the demand for their work including future works. Successful artists can convey their work with broad appeal but still remain truthful to their original concepts so that it is a work of art. Even starving artists who have sacrificed for their art dream of 'breaking into the business' and having their work desired. This desire effectively makes the work of art a product.

Products rely on marketability to determine success and even art needs an audience to claim success. In the writing industry success is measured in more facets than stars in the sky but claiming a work is art is not a defense against change, it only means that you'll be left by the roadside in an industry of unique artistic products.

Establishing Style

Each and every composition is born of a unique idea that the creator desires to convey through their work. The idea, concept and overall composition may be unique; however conveying the distinctiveness of the piece can be one of the more difficult prospects.

Out of the more than 300,000 books published in the US each year, the difference between one composition and another can be as little as character names despite the unique idea that the creator originally had.

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The audience is often drawn to similar works and when one composition is difficult to distinguish from another on premise alone, the unique idea needs a strong means of conveying that distinctiveness. Adjusting tone, setting and specific details can take a composition from similar average work to something iconic.

Examining some of the most iconic media compositions, Burn Notice, MacGyver, Supernatural, X Files, Twin Peaks, The Matrix, TrueBlood, GhostBusters, The Shining, even James Bond it is apparent that each of these compositions established their distinctiveness through tone, setting and the manipulation of character details.

Adjusting the tone of the entire piece not only changes how characters perceive others and elements in the composition but it affects how the piece is perceived through the narrator and ultimately the audience's own perceptions. Changing the setting to something unique or even changing how the setting is perceived can establish a unique aspect that shifts the composition to something iconic. One of the most powerful means of establishing a composition's uniqueness can be through the details of the piece. Does the main characters wear expensive suits? Drive a classic car? Have an obsession with coffee?

When there are millions of different narrative compositions and the audience has a preference for things that are uniquely distinct but remarkably similar to what they are comfortable with, the struggle to be distinct becomes synonymous with Style. Even when the theme or concept is familiar establishing the uniqueness becomes a drive for the distinct style of the work.

Suspended Perceptions

Any narrative journey is a confluence of events, lives and emotions. It is a carnival ride that the participants are thrown onto and it's up to the gathered crowd to judge the entertainment value of watching participants on the rides.

Like any carnival there are a great variety of rides available and a number of ways that the crowds can experience them. Each can be equated to a narrative avenue and an emotional outlet that is available to experience.

Some individuals prefer to experience the ride first-hand, experiencing all of the emotions, events and the personal interactions along with the participants. In the narrative journey these adventurous individuals would choose a first-person perspective, they want to experience what the participants experience.

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Others prefer to watch participants reactions to the rides, enjoying not being on the ride that is evoking all of the emotions in its participants. Honestly, it can be quite the experience watching the brave climb aboard the Orbiter and then watching them scream in terror as they are hurled about. These observers typically choose the third-person perspective for their narrative journey.

Between the adventurers and the observers the carnival rides offer endless opportunities and countless experiences. Examining these attractions from an outside perspective it is possible to identify the key emotions that each ride is designed to exploit.

Regardless whether it's the Tunnel of Love, a calm ride that brings the participants closer together or  a Tilt-a-whirl that offers non-stop excitement each is an abstracted concept focused on one singular emotion that exploits the behaviors of participants. Every participant boards a ride with their own expectations and perceptions of what the ride will convey to them. In the narrative sense these are all just genres. Just as the participant is aware what each ride is meant to convey, so too is the reader aware of what each genre entails.

Interestingly, despite the cliches and the preconceived notions participants and observers have, they still enjoy the ride.

Intriguing Observations: How Choreography Helps a Scene

The Intriguing Observations series was created to gather some of the greatest supporters and bloggers to provide their own insight on all things creative both in their ventures and their techniques. This week on the guest series is another all-star supporter and an outstanding wordsmith Jill Kemerer.

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Each October I spend hours choreographing a dance routine for our school’s cheerleading squad. First, I select fast-paced, appropriate music—no suggestive lyrics or cursing—then I think of possible sequences, often searching YouTube for new-to-me dance moves.

The real choreography doesn't begin until I throw on my yoga pants and practice performing eight counts. It’s a fun but arduous process of repeating moves until they’re memorized and then deciding which order to put them in. Often, I have to throw out entire eight counts for being too difficult, too fast, or too confusing. When I have the routine finished, I rehearse it often to keep it fresh until practices begin in December.

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As a fiction writer, I incorporate choreography in every scene. If you’re a writer, you do too, but you might not have realized it. First, we select the location of the scene the same way I select music for a dance. It must be the appropriate locale for the season—we wouldn’t put our characters on a sunny beach during a Canadian winter—and it should be a venue where our characters would logically appear.

After we’ve determined the setting, we have to figure out how to start the scene, who is in the scene, and what the viewpoint character wants to accomplish. The real choreography doesn’t begin until we open up our manuscript and start writing. I don’t believe I’ve ever written a scene where the characters didn’t move. Even if the scene is mostly in one character’s head, movement should occur. Maybe she stomps to the kitchen in frustration as she tries to figure out who sabotaged her project? Or he tries to ignore his problems by flipping through the television stations at the speed of light?

When there are several characters in a scene, the choreography gets trickier. We have to clarify who speaks, responds, and walks away when the scene is crowded or we risk losing the reader.

If you, like me, overuse gestures from scene to scene, choreography can help. Visualize the interaction between characters and strive to find the unique actions they take. If nothing new comes to mind, picture them moving within the scene.

Try to provide tension and conflict even in their actions. Let’s say your characters have reluctantly paired to solve a crime. Maybe one shuffles slowly through life and takes the time to notice little details, while the other has a goal and won’t be distracted by anything. You could show their personality traits by setting the scene in a store and having one striding to the counter to question the clerk while the other picks up merchandise and examines walls, prices, even the other customers. The dialogue will remain the same, but the little actions tell a reader much more than their words ever could.

In many ways, our characters’ interaction is a dance. We simply choreograph their movement on each page and throughout the story.

How do you choreograph your characters’ actions in a scene?

Jill Kemerer writes inspirational romance novels. Coffee fuels her mornings; chocolate, her afternoons. A former electrical engineer, she now enjoys a healthy addiction to magazines, fluffy animals, and her hilarious family. She is a member of ACFW and RWA and also serves as vice-president of MVRWA. Jill is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Agency.

To learn more about Jill, head to her website, www.jillkemerer.com, stop by her blog, http://jillkemerer.blogspot.com, be friends with her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJillKemerer), and follow her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/jillkemerer).

Intriguing Observations: Art In Writing

When this blog was first launched early last year, there were concerns about subject matter and finding an audience that would be interested in these ramblings. Over time, topics became more creative and more distinct, focusing on not just writing but all creative aspects. On the anniversary of the initial launch it only felt appropriate to gather together some of the greatest supporters and bloggers to provide their own Intriguing Observations on creative ventures and techniques.

Kicking off the Intriguing Observations Series this week is an outstanding supporter and wordsmith Amber Keller. 

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When you read a book have you ever felt like you were in a scene? Maybe you could see what the character sees, feel their anxieties or fears, maybe even smell certain scents or hear a particular sound. This is what a writer strives for; to have their audience as lost in and passionate about their work as they are. In order to achieve this, several things must be taken into account.

This is also a way to incorporate art into writing.

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When you write a scene, place yourself in your characters head. What do they see? What do they hear or feel? What would they do? If you start with these questions, many times you can branch off into much deeper details in a natural progression. Like an artist with a canvas, the writer needs to convey emotions and meanings. Give the readers a real, visceral interpretation of the scene so that they can lose themselves in it.

Also much like a potters’ wheel, a writer starts with a crude idea and begins to mold it into the right words and phrases, building elements such as scene, characters, setting and plot. It is a work of passion, of sweat and tears, maybe even literally at times, but one that is not meant to show the work. It needs to seem flawless and fluid. The delicate balance is what we attempt to achieve.

Another way to assimilate art into writing is to use symbolism. This can be in the form of a repeated phrase or item throughout a story. Once the reader sees something repeated, it becomes significant and there will be a meaning bestowed upon it.

One example of a widely known artistic movement is Surrealism. There were works of literature being created at this time that are fundamentally considered a part of this movement. The method was to concentrate on undertones instead of the literal meaning. This can be a powerful tool in a writer’s toolbox.

After all that’s been previously discussed, there is one discernable truth that speaks to the totality. 

Writing itself is an art. 

Amber Keller is writer who delves into dark fiction, particularly horror and suspense/thrillers. Besides having finished two horror novels this past year, she has numerous short stories available on her blog, and is fortunate to be a part of two anthologies. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association and also contributes to various websites and emagazines, including horror and science fiction movie reviews. When not at her laptop, she can be found looking for things that go bump in the night.

Amber's blog ~ Ramblings by Amber

Amber on Twitter ~ akeller9

The newest anthology that was just released is the Night Terrors II anthology and can be found here.

New Year's Review

As 2011 is coming to a close everyone takes stock of the trials and tribulations, the victories and validations of the year and what all of these have meant to each of us.

At the start of this year I was editing my manuscript and looking to get my series published. Through the conversations of the amazing writing community, I decided it was time to build my 'author platform' starting with a blog. I had never 'blogged' before other than a few contributed articles. I was nervous about finding material, even having a topic others would be interested in reading. I wasn't sure how this was really going to turn out, how it was going to develop and most importantly to me, how this would help with publication.

I started with a few topics that seemed logical to me and started sharing my rambling thoughts out to my friends and contacts out on the inter-webs.

My first observation was that I really did have some outstanding writer friends in the twitter-verse and through the comments I saw, I really did have an interesting take on things that more than my virtual-friends were willing to have an interest in reading. I also started producing articles for a regional media outlet that started gaining significant attraction for them.

In April together with a few friends we set about investigating and spending the night at one of the country's most notorious locations, a dilapidated asylum that is now a mainstay of television shows.

Through no small feat I signed with my publisher in May and gleefully started organizing my thoughts to make sure the series would not only be coherent but also something significant when it debuted. All of my research, all of my ramblings and dreams worked out.

In the summer I went back to the beautiful Massachusetts coast where I was able to draw on more inspiration and restructure some of the later events in the series as well as catch some breathing room.

Later in the summer I stumbled upon a novel idea for my weekly articles, a look at compositions, not just the writing idea but how any story is told through a composition. Whether it's a film, a still shot, writing or even sculpture all components work and if looked at from the right perspective the techniques could work for any medium. It was also about this time that along with some friends we went out to the Qunicy Harbor and spent a night investigating a retired Cold-war Era naval destroyer.

In the fall, my fiance and I were married. After being together for more than 5 years we decided it was what we both wanted. It was the next step in our lives together and while a bit nerve-wracking at the time, it was life.

So at the end of 2011, after all that has happened in this year what was the outcome? Well, for Writing Files it was a number of guest posts and highlights on some outstanding writing friend's blogs. Highlights included  Jill Kemerer in June, Jen Talty in Sept, Samantha Combs and Donna Galanti in Oct and oh so much more. Significant thanks to all of my writerly friends, fellow word-herders to borrow a phrase. After a single year of blogging, Writing Files has had more than 9K views, 290 comments, and almost a third of all traffic is from twitter. The remaining visits are courtesy of friend's blogs like Jami Gold, Michele Shaw and Jill Kemerer. After a year of Writing Files it's hard to imagine not being part of these communities, author platform or not.

Looking back at 2011 the easiest thing to say is that life happened. There were challenges, difficulties and there were triumphs, dreams that came true and plenty of adventure to be had.    

As I look toward the new year and know how much I have changed over this past year, it is clear that life dictates change. The first big change for the new year is actually going to be saying goodbye to Writing Files.  2012 will be the launch of the first novel in my series Nightfall, the new home for this composition needs to reflect more of the character of this piece but also focus my ramblings. As any composition, the theme needs to be unified. Writing Files is becoming The Surveillance Report next post.

Happy New Year everyone!

Filtered Perspectives

Perceptions, Tones, Filters…

A writer's challenge in crafting a narrative is conveying the piece they envision to an audience that has no concept of the piece. The creator has to balance the elements of the piece, the settings, characters, thrills and the visual elements that can affect the perceptions of the piece.

Even as a piece is painstakingly balanced between the elements, it still may not convey the vision that the creator desires. It may not have the appropriate tone or saturation.

Conveying the appropriate tone for a piece can often be the most challenging due in-part to the preconceptions that audiences carry. Every individual has differing experiences and most often what one person perceives is not what another understands.

Ex. "She let out a sigh and leaned against the damp brick wall. Somewhere down the alley she could hear the rats fighting."    

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The setting in this example may convey a gritty and dark tone to some, to others that have lived or experienced this type of setting only conveys a night-time city neighborhood. The piece fails to utilize the preconceptions and carry the appropriate tone.

Drawing the appropriate saturation for an audience can be an equally strong challenge. The saturation of a piece is dependent on how long the audience is exposed to a setting or scene. Certain individuals will require longer time in the scenes to reach the appropriate saturation levels to convey the envisioned composition.

Adjusting the tone and saturation of a composition is similar to the visual arts. In photography and cinematography, when all of the elements are drawn together and the composition is still not what was envisioned, the artist typically applies filters to create the vision. Red filters to 'warm' a composition, 'blue' to cool and still more to affect the saturation levels in the piece. The more the light is controlled through filters, the more artists are able to control the audience's perceptions of the piece.

In a narrative it is possible to control tone and saturation through this same 'filter' concept. Adjusting tone is possible through filtering the narrator's perception. Expanding on the previous example with a 'filter' it is possible to ensure that the right tone is conveyed.

Ex. "She let out a sigh and leaned against the damp brick wall. It was hard to believe it had come to this. Somewhere down the alley she heard the footsteps over the fighting rats."


Through filtering the narrator's perspective it is possible to adjust the tone to a perceptible level. Extending the scene through a few slight details fully saturates the audience. Attaining the envisioned composition is not only an assemblage of the right elements but often the right application of filtered words.

Defining the Absence

When any creative piece is crafted the artist must analyze and interpret a number of elements to bring their vision to life. Just as a painter or sculptor must consider the aspects that they must insert into their composition they must also consider how they will use what they will not include.

The Negative Space of a composition is just as integral to the piece as every brush stroke or chisel mark. The artist can use it to add depth to the composition, further define the structure of the piece and act as a transition between the elements.

As an artist sculpts their piece from the void they select the elements that will serve the piece best whether by insertion or omission. The negative space is not a simple void but strategically implemented space that can bring the composition to life. Sculptors often utilize the negative space of a piece to draw the shadows and light the piece with emotion much like a writer can wield implications through omitted events. That which is omitted can bring events, actions and even emotions for characters into sharper focus.

While the negative space defines the piece, the structure and shape of that space can be molded to guide the audience's perception. In the visual arts this can be done to define the focal point of the piece, while a literary perception on this can be called a theme. A specific attempt by the creator to shape a piece towards one singular point, one event, that the creator wishes to convey.

The most common use of negative space in any creative piece is it's use as a transitional element to prevent inconsistencies or detract from the piece. It is not only more powerful to bypass the 'mundane' parts to keep the piece cohesive but by leveraging that negative space a piece can enhance the emotional impact of what is crafted.

In writing, negative space is just as prevalent as in any other art. When characters are describing traveling to location and the next scene is the characters at that location the journey to that location is implied, it is negative space. When characters act according to their past history but do not explain it, it is implied even though it is omitted. These omissions in the writing are actually the negative space in the piece.

In any creative piece what is sculpted and what is omitted are equally important elements. While there is an extensive amount of attention that is given to what is crafted, it is imperative to understand that what is omitted is still integral to the structure of the piece and has its own impact.

How do you use the negative space? Do you arrange your piece with the impact of that space in mind?

Abstracting the Antithesis

Antithesis, Synthesis, Logic...

In a narrative the writer will often go to extensive lengths to explore and understand the logic of characters. Information may be derived from previous events, details and psychological conditioning of characters but it is often a question of where does the author stop displaying the information openly?

While a writer can be absolutely transparent with their main character's motivations it is ultimately necessary for them to keep information from their audience to construct a sense of emotion. Whether it is love, happiness or even fear, the only means of preventing a narrative from reaching an early conclusion is to withhold information from the main character and the audience.

As a story unfolds, the writer may have all of the motivations penned but to keep the level of tension high they do not reveal these to their audience. When the main character and audience are left with the question of 'Why?' it should not be answered right away and in-truth, in a horror or suspense it probably should not be answered at all.

Stephen King once wrote that nightmares exist outside of logic and there’s little fun to be had in explanations; they’re antithetical to the poetry of fear.

Questions are the driving force in a story. The narrative thrives on the antithesis of knowledge that the primary characters hold regarding the primary question. The characters journey to answer the defining question is the heart of any piece. Every step that the characters take will yield its own questions but the singular driving question should never find its' answer until the story draws to a close.

The driving logic behind characters' actions and their motivations can assist the audience in connecting with the piece but it is the absence of that knowledge, that logic, that can make an emotion resonate through a story. In the end the audience will demand an answer and to a degree it must be given but there is more power to be found in withholding the entirety of that logic. A narrative is not about the logic, the explanations, it is a story about the quest for those explanations.

How much information do you give your characters? Your audience?

Palpable Pressure

As a narrative begins to unfold the writer's choices of motivations and settings will ultimately dictate the atmosphere of the piece.

There are a multitude of avenues for an author to indirectly reflect the atmosphere within a piece whether it is the mental state of the characters, the state of an environment or just a consistent pressure on the characters through events. The atmosphere of a narrative can determine whether the narrative is a page-turner or a casual read. 

The mental state of a narrative's characters can be instrumental in establishing the atmosphere in a story. Viewing the world through the eyes a character with a bleak outlook will inherently bring an oppressive and dark atmosphere to the narrative. Just as well, a character that is unstable can add a sense of instability and uncertainty to the piece. 

The choice of settings and the general state of those environments can serve to engross the audience with an almost palpable atmosphere. Are the characters interacting at a casual coffee shop that easily vanishes into the background? Visiting the standard fare of iconic landmarks?  Settings that only serve as a stage for the scenes and easily vanish into the background. Or are your characters in a weathered old boathouse? A secluded small town locked away in the wilderness? Environmental settings that add to the overall tone.

Events within a narrative follow a steady rising flow like a wave that will eventually come to crashing end with the audience. It's the intervals of those events that can determine the pressure on the characters. A lengthy space between events can create a strong tension while short spaces and rapid pacing can establish a sense of urgency. 

The strongest examples of indirectly building atmosphere include Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, Stephen King's The Shining, Dean Koontz's Phantoms and even TV shows like the X-Files or Twin Peaks. Each of these excelled not only because of design but the subtle and indirect approach to building atmosphere. 

Establishing an atmosphere directly can be extremely difficult based upon the chosen genre. In many Urban Fantasy pieces the author will choose dark settings and lace the story with numerous deaths but the atmosphere seldom rises to consume the piece and envelop the audience. In most instances it is a failure for the events to have a sense of weight. In many instances of directly establishing atmosphere it almost always depends on the overt setting.

The atmosphere of a narrative should be almost palpable. It should consume the audience to the point that they feel they are living in that world.

Sustaining Curiosity

First words, sentences and chapters.

In crafting a narrative there is an extensive amount of emphasis that is placed on the opening of the piece. Perfecting the hook of a narrative is one of the most important components of a piece but when the hook is set what comes next?

Whether it's the theme, conflict or the gestalt of the piece that piques the interest of an audience the piece doesn't end after the hook. The creator must continue to evolve their piece but also match the design of the hook. In many instances a vast amount of effort will go into refining the first chapter or hook so that an audience will be engrossed.  Unfortunately the same effort is neglected for the proceeding chapters.

To sustain the curiosity of the audience it is necessary to orchestrate the premise in such a way as to nudge the reader to follow a character through a series of events. This is no different than taking the first hook and replicating it across pages where every page leads to the next.

The standard methods of creating narrative flow ensure cohesion between components however, the most notable methods to maintain interest in the piece is to never duplicate a situation or event. Every chapter should open with a new situation and not re-visit the events that brought the character to that point.

A supporting method to continue the cohesive flow of the narrative is to end each chapter with the hook, a 'cliffhanger.' If an audience is continually asking 'what is next' then it is possible to sustain their curiosity.

Every narrative is it's own mystery carefully crafted to sustain the curiosity of the reader. Like a guide casting breadcrumbs to lead their party to an unknown destination, the creator keeps the plot hidden to give them a chance to speculate. When the final pinnacle is reached it will ever the more breath-taking.

Drawing the Spectacle

Conflict, carnivals, spectacles...

At the core of any narrative is the conflict whether that is conflict between characters, external factors or even within a solitary character. The conflicts are the attractions for an audience, they're the rides that either draw or turn away participants.

Like a carnival, the core attractions will have a cohesive tone to attract the primary audience and convince them to participate. The core attraction in the narrative is often one of primary narrative themes; good versus evil, man versus nature etc. The premise conflict is the primary spectacle to draw the attention of an audience.

The creator of the work is no different than the ring master or the carnival manager. Every attraction has it's purpose, if it under-performs than it shall be cut. To the writer these are the revisions.

Once the audience can identify the major attractions they begin to explore the carnival. Not every attraction will suit every participant but every attraction should be able to obtain its' own crowd. These smaller attractions are designed to hold the attention of attendees until the they can experience the major spectacles. These attractions are often conceptualized character conflicts that examine both external and internal contention. Relationships, feuding friends moral dilemmas all orchestrated to maintain the attention of the masses.

As the attractions are selected and assembled the arrangement becomes key. If there are too many attractions the participants will grow tired before experiencing the full extent of the project. If there are too few attractions they will lose interest quickly. Spacing the attractions out at regular intervals will keep the interest of participants and maintain the tone.

When the architect begins crafting their piece, they must ask is this a sufficient spectacle to draw the crowd? Are the attractions enough to entertain? Is the main attraction a ride that others want to take?

Defining the Scope

Much like a painter who uses both broad and elegant brush-strokes to draft their work, a writer chooses subtle and overt elements to craft their narrative. As the narrative is created often the author can unintentionally define the scope of their work.

Through overt references, a writer produces long, broad brush-strokes to give frame to the entire piece. Elements such as genre and even antagonists can define the scope of a narrative. The broad brush-strokes can determine the appeal of piece for an audience. Is it the right tone? Genre? Any number of larger strokes can be used to draw in an audience or turn one away but the details can ultimately determine the success of the narrative.

After the large sweeping brush-strokes frame the piece the finer work comes into focus. The first detail that comes into focus is the main character. Their gender, attitude and especially their voice can determine the gestalt. Are they male or Female? Are they a hard-boiled detective or a devoted wife? The minute strokes used in detailing a character will ultimately determine the relatability of the audience to the piece.

While the audience inspects the piece they begin to identify the details surrounding the subject. The very backdrop,setting, will assist the audience in seeing the subject in greater detail. Is it a rural landscape or a city?

To bring out contrast in the work complimentary colors are chosen to support and define details. In a narrative the colors of the piece are tone and conflict. Respectively as the colors are selected and added to the piece, the piece brings out appeal and contrast. While tone must remain intact for piece, conflict can be spread throughout to add points of interest and keep the attention of the audience. Misuse of color can result in the failure of a piece, the narrowing of  scope either subtly or drastically. Is the antagonist aiming for global destruction or Hell bent on destroying the lives of a few? Are the conflicts well constructed so that they are part of the piece or almost random?

As the audience takes a step back to observe the piece as a whole, they look at it with their own perspective to bring their own interpretation of the work. When perspective is applied, the piece either comes to life as the creator intended or fails due to the inconsistencies in the gestalt.

Through broad strokes to frame the piece and details to define the subject of the piece a narrative's reach is determined. Its breadth and scope both for the narrative itself and for the potential audience.

Crafting the Style

As a project comes to life out of the emptiness of a blank page the creator is challenged to produce a work that will resonate within the psyche of readers and define itself as a unique perspective.

Out of the mountains of narratives that are produced, every reader has a desire to discover something that stands out. 

While there are many elements a writer can choose to emphasize to impose distinction on their creation, among character, premise and emotion the strongest can be the simplest. Style. 

When looking at the most distinctive stories the first thing that strikes the reader is the style of the narrative. Is the main character a trench-coat wearing detective? Are they a sharp dressed executive? A goth girl & sassy witch? Do they ride the bus or drive a Porsche? Do they live in an apartment or a motel?

Every element that the writer expands upon further distinguishes the world and characters. The objects and settings around the characters become extensions of the characters. If a character needs to be revealed as resourceful and a bit 'rough around the edges' then it can be described through segments throughout the narrative or it can be explained in a battered pick-up truck that they drive.

Genres are born of distinction, unique styles that a number of writers manage to perfect. Once the genre is created it becomes subject to saturation and what was once distinct becomes the standard cliché. Rather than rising to distinction the narratives fall to the wayside adding to the mountains of projects. 

While every narrative has the ability to rise from the mountains of material, it is style that can elevate a project and engross a reader.