A Writer's Dozen - Archive

12 Design Principles for Writers
By Lorraine First posted September 2006
Using common landscape design principles as a way to look at writing fiction. Point/Emphasis It is just as one of my university professors used to say: “A woman can only wear one broach.” The “point” therefore becomes the focal point, where the emphasis of a design is placed and your gaze is automatically drawn. In landscape design, it is the main interest in a space – like a bell tower or a stage. And, like in the landscape, a story needs to have a dominant focal point. It could be a character or a particular story line, but it should be clear to the reader who/what you want them to focus on or who/what you want them to care about. Form/Size/Shape Like when a designer approaches a new landscape project, you need to decide early on what you are writing/designing for. What is the shape of your story? Is it a romance? When is it set? Are you writing an epic or a short story? Define it in order to give it form. Balance Balance is consideration for the importance or weight of a composition. Think of balance as the plot through your story. How does the story balance? Do you have too much weight on the subplot? Is the story building to a pinnacle? Is the middle sagging? Is your story front heavy? Scale/Proportion Scale and proportion are important in landscape design, because these are what help define how people to feel in a space. What is in scale with the story you are writing? Something as simple as returning a tattered old photo album could be a powerful moment, if the story calls for it. Tension does not have to be synonymous with action. You don’t always have to have nut-balls out to destroy the world – keep in mind what the scale of your story is and have the tension and pivotal moments in proportion with the story. Rhythm/Repetition Although I think this is fairly self-explanatory, let’s look at this in landscape terms first. Rhythm or repetition might be an elm lined street in an old neighborhood: the trees are uniform in species/shape/size and planted at regular intervals. No, I’m not suggesting that your story should be repetitive. However, you need to understand the value of having your character react in a particular way in similar situations. Then, when the character reacts differently due to what has happened to them in the story... there is contrast. Contrast Back to the tree lined street... contrast would come if one of the trees had to be cut down and it was replaced with a little flowering crabapple. Everything about the crab would stand apart from the old and stately elms. Driving down the street, you would notice the crab because it is a contrast to the others. Likewise, contrast will stand out among the other points in your story because it is different. If your character always gives money to the busker on the street and suddenly he is grabbing a five dollar bill out of the guy’s guitar case... it will stand out. However, you cannot have your character continually reacting in different ways, or the contrast will not be noticeable. In that case, the contrast would become the repetition. Sequence/Gradation Sequence and gradation refer to the gradual transition of spaces or elements as you move through a landscape. The transition relates to what has come before and what comes after. In writing, this reflects the way the story is plotted. For example in a romance, the characters might move through a gradual or sequential transition from meeting to falling in love. If they transitioned from an appreciative ogle on the street to declaring their undying love for one another...it would be abrupt and seemingly inappropriate. Unity/Harmony Like in landscape, when things are all in harmony... it can be a bit boring. There is nothing unexpected. Sure, it can be calming... but unless your goal is to help your reader sleep, don't be afraid to stir things up. Texture/Color Texture is something you can see to some extent, but to have the best understanding of it you have to touch it. Color is something you see, it doesn’t innately have texture. Create colorful characters but also give them texture. Not everything can be revealed just by seeing a person. Color (another look at it) Okay... but color theory does have something to offer here too. How do your characters interact with one another? Complementary colors are opposite one another on the color wheel (purple/yellow, red/green, blue/orange), and yet there is something balanced and beautiful about those combinations. Analogous colors are related (red/orange/yellow), and yet they also work together, but perhaps the differences are more subtle. Two of the same color... well, no matter if we’re talking about two reds or two pastel blues... the result is the same. The effect is washed out, causing the boundaries between the characters to become indistinct or blurred. So, watch out, you want your characters to be distinct! Simplicity There is something wonderful about simplicity...you know, that whole thing about “sometimes less is more.” It is one of those design mantras. And like in design, it works in writing too. What one sentence encapsulates your story? Keep that posted by your desk as you write to keep you focused on your “big idea.” If you can’t come up with a one liner... consider why you can’t. What is standing in your way? Is there a way to simplify your project? Maybe you are trying to do too much? Maybe you are trying to force a story on one character when it really should be a story about another? Dynamics In a landscape design, we think of dynamics as something that changes without our control... like the changing of the seasons or the movement of the sun. The landscape moves and is dynamic. And when a reader picks up your work, it becomes something other than the words you’ve stuck on a page. Although there is no way for the writer to control this, the reader will bring to the story their own set of experiences. Your story will become dynamic through their interpretation.

September 2006