Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron Read Free Book Online Page A

struggles, and ultimately survives against all odds, the key ingredient is
gumption
. Fair enough. But is that the novel’s main thematic focus? Does it drive Scarlett’s reaction as calamity after calamity befall her? Is it the lens through which we watch the tale unfold? The secret ingredient that holds us fast, whether we can define it or not? It is.
    What keeps us reading is the knowledge that Scarlett’s headstrong will, her guts, her nerve—her gumption—is stronger than her need to conform to society’s dictates. But we quickly learn that, as potent as her untempered gumption is, it’s also capable of completely blinding her to what is in her best interest—which, as we’ll soon see, is where her internal issue lies. We know what would make her the happiest. And we realize pretty quickly that chances are it’s the last thing she’ll do. Which raises the question:
What will she do instead? Will she ever wake up and realize what she truly wants?
And that’s what keeps us reading.
    But what about the other themes that run through the novel—for instance, the nature of love, the constraints of class structure, and of course, nineteenth century society’s tightly corseted gender roles? Couldn’t any one of them be the central theme? Good question. Here’sthe litmus test:
the central theme must provide a point of view precise enough to give us specific insight into the protagonist and her internal issue, yet be broad enough to take into account everything that happens
(again: the plot). Let’s see what happens when I try to sum up
Gone with the Wind
with these other contenders. First, the nature of love:
    Set against a backdrop of the Civil War,
Gone with the Wind
is about a Southern belle whose misguided love for the wrong man blinds her to the one person who could give her what she wants.
     
    It’s not a bad description—if the book were solely a romance, with everything else merely “setting.” But given the novel’s scope, it’s much too limiting.
    Well, then, what about the way Scarlett disregards social norms?
    Gone with the Wind
is about a Southern belle who bucks the societal tide in order to survive during the Civil War.
     
    This one isn’t bad either. That is, if you go in for the general. What societal tide, exactly? Buck it, how? Without any specifics, it’s hard to get a real picture of … much of anything. Okay, what about class structure?
    Gone with the Wind
is about how traditional class structure in the South gave way during the Civil War.
     
    Sounds like nonfiction, doesn’t it? And since nonfiction sells, and there are millions of Civil War buffs, this could be a bestseller—that is, until they realize it’s really a steamy romance about a gutsy woman who ruthlessly bucks the societal tide. Of course, by then even the staunchest history buff might keep mum, too busy hoping against hope that Scarlett wakes the hell up and realizes that Rhett is the man for her before it’s too damn late.
    So, although this isn’t to say that my descriptions wouldn’t entice some readers, there is nothing in them that suggests a sprawling, steamy epic, and
Gone with the Wind
is nothing if not that. But when I begin with gumption—the notion Mitchell used as her defining theme—it’s another story:
    Gone with the Wind
is about a headstrong Southern belle whose unflinching gumption causes her to spurn the only man who is her equal, as she ruthlessly bucks crumbling social norms in order to survive during the Civil War.
     
    Aha! While my description of
Gone with the Wind
might not be there yet, we’ve hit on something well worth mentioning. One way to help identify a story’s defining theme is to ask yourself: is it possible to filter the story’s other themes through it? In
Gone with the Wind
, Scarlett’s gumption came first, so—for better or worse—it affects everything else: her love life, her refusal to be constrained by the mores of the day, and her insatiable need to take