The Pit and the Pendulum…and Other Writing Traps.

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” –EAP

I  love Edgar Allan Poe.

His writing drips with florid prose, but no matter. Poe nails horror. His distinctive voice, tenebrous and terrifying, still captivates. One of my favorite Poe stories is The Pit and the Pendulum. Confusion, weakness, and fear plague the nameless protagonist as he struggles to escape a series of torturous traps.

Read the original? Check out this awesome(!) hip hop version from Flocabulary.com

Confusion, weakness, and fear are a common motif in Poe tales. They’re also a common motif in my development as a writer. Sadly, like the poor schlub dodging the pendulum, I fall into traps. For me, there are many pits and pendulums:

Pit #1: The Pacing Pit

A story suffers when a writer mishandles rhythm and pace. An author is given only the first few pages to draw the reader in. Each chapter should end on a tantalizing note. This tidbit compels the reader to keep turning pages.  If tension builds, either through a cascade of smaller conflicts or through the increasing intensity of major conflict, the reader payoff is richer. If nothing much happens for 50 pages here and there, the writer has fallen into the pacing pit.

Pit #2: The Proportion Pit

Then he did this, then he did that. Shower. Bathroom Break. Breakfast. Jewel Heist.

Really? Does the reader really need to read everything that happens to your protagonist? No. Only write the interesting bits which advance the story. It’s the jewel heist, stupid! Cut the rest of the pointless details out. Use appropriate breaks and transition paragraphs to fill in the blanks.

Pendulum #1: Predictable Swings

Back and forth, back and forth. Dull, flat writing kills interest in a story. Yes, edit and tighten up that manuscript. And then go back and highlight the best bits. Analyze why those passages are great. Look for opportunities to add that magic to other crucial moments in the story. With my first manuscript, I found that after the first several rounds out edits, I’d killed my voice. Surgical cuts are necessary, but sometimes healthy grafts of voice are good, too.

Pendulum #2: Linear Swings

The road to writing purgatory is a straight shot. Poe plots are twisted, monstrously crooked things. For good reason. If your manuscript is languishing in a linear funk, shake things up. Don’t move from breakfast to the car ride to the jewel heist. Think about starting with the jewel heist and then move the story along by sliding the puzzle pieces, past and present, into place in an intriguing way.

Pit #666: The Bad Writing Pit

Can’t help you with this one. I haven’t crawled out of this pit myself. You tell me, what writing traps ensnare you?

If #666 has you down in the dumps, try my Delectably Easy (and foolproof!) Pumpkin Dump Cake. Misery loves dessert.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Ingredients:

1 15 oz.  can pumpkin

1 12 ounce can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines is best. Always.)

1 cup chopped pecans (optional: I don’t. You might wanna.)

1-1/2 sticks butter, cut into small pats