Magna Carta 1 and 2
Dec. 3rd, 2019 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pastryqueenI tried to participate in NaNoWriMo in November. It didn't pan out, because real life interfered like always. Even so, it was fun, and I read a novel in the middle of the process: No Plot? No Problem!
The author suggested a process where you create two separate lists: one list in which you name all the things you love in a novel, and another list in which you name all the things that depress or bore you. Magna Carta 1 and Magna Carta 2, if you will. I composed the list at work.
What makes a good novel? (Magna Carta 1)
1. First and third person narration. If you can find a way to combine both in the same novel, more power to you.
2. Quirky characters with depth.
3. Soft and sweet characters that remain this way no matter what the plot throws at them. Let them grow, but don't crush their spirits.
4. Nearly no one is straight.
5. Characters who are at turning points in their lives.
6. Forbidden romance.
7. Women disguised as men.
8. Characters who learn to love themselves.
9. "The Chosen One" narrative subverted, or outright destroyed altogether.
10. Characters overcoming trauma and grief.
11. Boys who pursue boys in a sweet and respectful manner.
11.2. I meant to say boys pursuing girls, but you know what? I'm all for this, too.
12. Queer awakenings.
13. Found families.
14. Realizing that the family you thought hated you actually cared about you the whole time.
15. Women having relationships with each other and it doesn't pertain to men whatsoever. It has to pass the Bechdel Test.
16. Mentally ill protagonists.
17. Sibling drama.
18. Happy endings.
19. Couples with a height difference.
What bores/depress you in a novel?
1. Irredeemable, malicious main characters.
2. Straight romances in which the man is possessive and jealous and somehow it's framed as a romantic gesture.
3. Love triangles, most of the time.
4. Unhappy endings, or endings without positive takeaways, hopeless without resolution. I can handle complicated endings, but I can't handle bleak conclusions.
5. Last minute twists thrown in to manipulate readers into feeling angry or sad because "that's how life works" even though there was absolutely no buildup towards it or any rhyme or reason as to why it happens.My Sister's Keeper, I'm looking at you.
6. Sassy gay friends who are only there to elevate the straight characters (i.e. white women) when they feel down and depressed.
7. Quirky characters who never take anything seriously, and they lack depth.
8. Dark twists in fairy tales that are designed to shock you - they're already dark if you trace them back far enough. Modern takes should add something new to the story. Just "Little Mermaid except the mermaid dies or is evil" isn't enough for me.
9. Couples fighting for no reason other than the plot demands it, and they split over a "misunderstanding" that can easily be resolved with a five minute conversation.
10. Arcs that never get resolved.
11. Coma/it was a dream the whole time twists.
12. Rich/upper middle class white women go on life journeys and find themselves.(Eat, Pray, Love, I'm looking at you.)
The author suggested a process where you create two separate lists: one list in which you name all the things you love in a novel, and another list in which you name all the things that depress or bore you. Magna Carta 1 and Magna Carta 2, if you will. I composed the list at work.
What makes a good novel? (Magna Carta 1)
1. First and third person narration. If you can find a way to combine both in the same novel, more power to you.
2. Quirky characters with depth.
3. Soft and sweet characters that remain this way no matter what the plot throws at them. Let them grow, but don't crush their spirits.
4. Nearly no one is straight.
5. Characters who are at turning points in their lives.
6. Forbidden romance.
7. Women disguised as men.
8. Characters who learn to love themselves.
9. "The Chosen One" narrative subverted, or outright destroyed altogether.
10. Characters overcoming trauma and grief.
11. Boys who pursue boys in a sweet and respectful manner.
11.2. I meant to say boys pursuing girls, but you know what? I'm all for this, too.
12. Queer awakenings.
13. Found families.
14. Realizing that the family you thought hated you actually cared about you the whole time.
15. Women having relationships with each other and it doesn't pertain to men whatsoever. It has to pass the Bechdel Test.
16. Mentally ill protagonists.
17. Sibling drama.
18. Happy endings.
19. Couples with a height difference.
What bores/depress you in a novel?
1. Irredeemable, malicious main characters.
2. Straight romances in which the man is possessive and jealous and somehow it's framed as a romantic gesture.
3. Love triangles, most of the time.
4. Unhappy endings, or endings without positive takeaways, hopeless without resolution. I can handle complicated endings, but I can't handle bleak conclusions.
5. Last minute twists thrown in to manipulate readers into feeling angry or sad because "that's how life works" even though there was absolutely no buildup towards it or any rhyme or reason as to why it happens.
6. Sassy gay friends who are only there to elevate the straight characters (i.e. white women) when they feel down and depressed.
7. Quirky characters who never take anything seriously, and they lack depth.
8. Dark twists in fairy tales that are designed to shock you - they're already dark if you trace them back far enough. Modern takes should add something new to the story. Just "Little Mermaid except the mermaid dies or is evil" isn't enough for me.
9. Couples fighting for no reason other than the plot demands it, and they split over a "misunderstanding" that can easily be resolved with a five minute conversation.
10. Arcs that never get resolved.
11. Coma/it was a dream the whole time twists.
12. Rich/upper middle class white women go on life journeys and find themselves.
