Ayn Rand — The Art of Fiction
In the previous issue of my LinkedIn Write for Your Life newsletter, I offered a brief look at Ayn Rand’s insights on writing in general, and the Art of Non-Fiction Writing in particular.?
Today we delve into her illuminating and practical insights on fiction writing. As the author of The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, We the Living, and Anthem, Rand was a master of her craft and the world-changing author of page-turning novels.
She gave an informal series of lectures to a small group of friends and acquaintances. These extemporaneous lectures were recorded and became the basis for the book, The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers. (Links to the book and the recorded extemporaneous lectures are at the end of this article.)
Here are some of the topics Rand covered:
·?????? Writing and the Subconscious
·?????? Literature as an Art Form
·?????? Theme and Plot
·?????? The Plot-Theme
·?????? The Climax
·?????? How to Develop Plot Ability
·?????? Characterization
·?????? Style and its particular issues
·?????? Special Forms of Literature: Humor, Fantasy, Symbolism, Tragedy and the Projection of Negatives.
Allow me to give you just a very brief taste of Rand's insights on fiction writing. But I urge you to obtain a copy of the book. It’s chock full of a wealth of hard-earned and useful knowledge for any fiction writer or one seeking to become one.
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Writing and the Subconscious
“Your conscious mind is a very limited ‘screen of vision’; at any one moment, it can hold only so much.”
“What is colloquially called ‘inspiration’ — namely, what you write without full knowledge of why you write as you do, yet it comes out well — is actually the subconscious summing-up of the premises and intentions you have set yourself. All writers have to rely on inspiration. But you have to know where it comes from, why it happens, and how to make it happen to you.”
[Note: In our previous issue dealing with non-fiction writing, Rand also delves into the subconscious aspects of writing in general.]
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Literature as an Art Form
“When you compose a story, you start with an abstraction, then find the concretes which add up to that abstraction. For the reader, the process is reversed: he first perceives the concretes you present and then adds them up to the abstraction with which you started. I call this a ‘circle.’”
“It is on your power to create this kind of circle that your success will rest.”
“The purpose of all art is the objectification of values. The fundamental motive of a writer — by the implication of the activity, whether he knows it consciously or not — is to objectify his values, his view of what is important in life. A man reads a novel for the same reason: to see a presentation of reality slanted according to a certain code of values (with which he may then agree or disagree).”
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Theme and Plot
“A novel’s theme is not the same as its philosophical meaning. … Fundamentally, what is important is not the message a writer projects explicitly, but the values and view of life he projects implicitly.”
“The most important element of a novel is plot. A plot is a purposeful progression of events… I stress the word events because you can have a purposeful progression of ideas, or of conversations, without action. If you do not present your subject matter in terms of physical actions, what you are writing is not a novel.”
“Closely allied with the issue of plot, as an attribute of it, is the issue of suspense.”
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[Note: In this and each set of quotes, I’m only giving you a tiny tidbit from the book. I urge you to get and benefit from the entire book to experience the full depth and breadth of Rand’s writing insights and advice. This is especially true with the chapter on Theme and Plot, which is the longest chapter in the book.]
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The Plot-Theme
“The plot-theme is the central conflict that determines the events of a plot. It is the seed enabling you to develop a whole plot structure. … Also, I talk here only about plot, not about theme — about you as a dramatist, not you as philosopher.”
“When you look for a plot-theme, you must look for a central conflict…”
“A plot-theme is a conflict in terms of action, complex enough to create a purposeful progression of events.”
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So far, this is less than a third of the material covered in The Art of Fiction.
From that point onward, Rand talks about the climax, how to develop a plot ability, characterization, and particular issues of style: narrative versus dramatization, exposition, flashbacks, transitions, metaphors, descriptions, dialogue, slang, obscenities, and foreign words, and journalistic references.
Finally, she covers special forms of literature: humor, fantasy, symbolism, tragedy and the projection of negatives.
Rand gives many examples from her novels, stories, and a host of other writers. She even mentions the succinct advice Cecil B. DeMille gave her on what all good stories depend on!
If you’re interested in advancing your fiction writing career or simply desire to know what makes a great story, get this book.
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Here are the links I promised you earlier:
The book, The Art of Fiction: ?
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The recorded extemporaneous lectures:
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If you’re interested, here is the link to my free LinkedIn newsletter, Write for Your Life: Write Better, Publish More, Monetize Your Written Work.
So far, one-thousand, three hundred, and ninety-six individuals on LinkedIn have subscribed. If you’re interested, hop on board. ?
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