Learning from Alpha: Back to Basics

 

Learning from Alpha: Back to Basics by Rebecca Seaton

 

There’s nothing like coming back to where you began for a bit of perspective. I’ve recently started helping with an Alpha course a little over twenty years since the one where I became a Christian. One of the things I really like about Alpha is that it goes back to basics: Who is God? Who is Jesus? What is Christianity? Whether a tentative explorer of Christianity or an experienced Christian, there is something vital about getting to grips with the key points.

The same can be said for our writing. What are the basics of your story? It’s so easy to get bogged down. Years ago, I co-wrote a play with a friend and I was very keen that the actors really knew their characters. My co-writer, however, did sometimes have to point out the importance of plot (much more his forte than mine) and the fact that perhaps Carlo’s back story as a turnip farmer wasn’t integral to the main action. It’s all too easy to get carried away with character quirks or interesting facts about the world we’ve built (especially in fantasy but not only there!) when it’s not what the reader needs.

What does getting back to basics look like?

Stages – less meandering around the story. Instead, clear events. If someone was retelling your story, would they pick the same main events? If not, something may have got lost somewhere.

Relationships. I’m a sucker for an interesting minor character but have a check as you go along. Have you added so many interesting chorus members that the stars got lost somewhere? A sign of this is characters appearing and disappearing throughout the text. If you’re going to elevate a character, do it, make the time spent on them worth it. If you forgot they were there, maybe cool it with their earlier scenes.

Messages. What is your story saying? This could be a clear moral or just the themes you’re interested in. if there’s too many things, any message gets lost and your reader is found juggling. Don’t make the book too much hard work!

Ultimately, remember the elevator pitch. Could you describe your story in a sentence? Could you write a blurb, just one paragraph, to make a reader pick it up? Could anyone reading it explain it easily when they recommend it to someone else?

If you find you’re getting stuck when you’re writing, leave the book for a week, maybe more. Go back and read it. What are the themes? Who is the story about? Refresh your basics to find the gold in your story, don’t let your readers have to exhaust themselves panning for it.

 

Rebecca Seaton mostly writes fantasy but has also been known to dabble in magazine articles and playscripts. Her second novel, A Prophet’s Grace, is currently with her beta readers.

 

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