Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Writing lessons learned from WORLD WITHOUT END


"World Without End" is the sequel to Ken Follett's bestseller, "The Pillars of the Earth." I read Pillars, but cheated with World Without End and watched the series on Netflix. The books are huge, but if you like historical fiction, these stories are juicy and fun.

Here's the blurb for World Without End from Amazon:

In this epic sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, it is now two centuries after the townspeople of Kingsbridge have finished building its exquisite Gothic cathedral. On a cold November day, four children slip into the forest and witness a killing--an event that will braid their lives together by ambition, love, greed, and revenge.

Follett is a master storyteller, and he's brilliant at conflict. Here are some of the writing lessons I learned from watching World Without End:

  • Show good vs. evil--Lines are drawn early in the story, and we're shown, not told, who is good and who is evil. Siblings kill each other, the queen hires a henchman to kill the king, and lovers are kept apart by cruelty. Story events push the good guys further to the good, and the evil guys further into evil. 
  • Let villains win--In this story, the good guys can't catch a break. A traitorous lord gains power. A murdering rapist gains favor with the king and is given land and a title. A vain religious man and his wicked mother kill their way to the top without consequences. It's frustrating yet fascinating to watch.
  • Revive Biblical premises--There's a Cain and Abel storyline that threads through World Without End, beginning with an opening scene and following through to the climax. Brothers are torn apart and forced to fight from opposite sides. Bible stories are packed with built-in conflict and tough choices.
  • Keep lovers apart--Two of the main characters love each other, but can't be together. First, the girl is married off to her beloved's cruel boss. Then she's accused of being a witch, and is forced to become a nun to save her life. The guy tries living his life without her, but he's drawn back to her time after time. It seems they'll never be together.
  • No way out--The town of Kingsbridge will battle the king's army, and there's no way they can win. Their backs are against the wall. Community leaders muster the courage of the townspeople, and they figure out A Plan. The storyteller did a great job of making me think there was no way these simple people could win against royalty and his mighty army.
  • Character traits during the climax--The story comes down to a battle of freedom vs. tyranny, and all the character work that had been done before comes into play at the end. What seem like flaws for the good guys become their strengths. What made the bad guys seem invincible now make them vulnerable. I love it when that happens.
What's your opinion of these writing lessons? Have you used any of them before? And have you read or watched The Pillars of the Earth or World Without End? Any of Follett's other stories? 

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23 comments:

  1. Writing stories loosely based on characters and events of the Bible could keep a thousand writers busy for that many lifetimes!

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    1. Alex, I absolutely love stories with a Biblical angle. So much built-in drama and conflict!

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  2. Sounds like a master's course in creating/maintaining tension! I've wanted to check these out along with Pillars ... someday I'll have time. Until then, back to writing. :-)

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    1. EJ, they're definitely time sucks. I tell ya, there were plenty of things I should've been doing instead of watching Netflix!

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  3. Pillars... Is on my to-read pile. I just watched the tv adaptation and thought it was amazing.

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    1. Pillars was amazing, and World Without End was worth the wait. I loved it. I hope you enjoy it, too!

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  4. Ken Follett is a master of writing. But sometimes it's hard to see why we love what we love when we get engrossed in the story. Thank you for breaking this down. I always learn so much from you! And I will from Ken too. Thank you!

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    1. Karlene, I've loved Follett for years, and only now am I reading with an eye open for why is stories are so great.

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  5. My dad loved Follett's work. I'm exhausted after reading all the twists and turns - lots of excitement and action. I'm working on being more evil to my characters. I have such a hard time leaving them in emotional pain :)

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    1. Evil to your characters...I know what you mean! Each time the storyteller got mean with the characters, I tried to remember that this is why his work is so gripping!

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  6. This sounds like a fast paced book!!

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    1. Beth, I loved it. The books are super big, though, but man, they're good. I've loved each of Ken Follett's books. I'm a big fan.

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  7. I'm just about to dig into Fall of Giants. It'll be my first Follett. Many of your lessons also apply to Games of Thrones which I'm in the middle of AND LOVING IT.

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    1. I don't think I've read that book! And you know what? I have GOT to see Game of Thrones. Is it an HBO thing or Netflix? I'll figure it out.

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  8. I haven't read any of Ken Follet's work, but your description made me want to. I listened to an audio podcast where he did an interview once; he seemed really interesting. I especially liked the part you mentioned about character traits; it's interesting to think a person's flaws can turn out to be their strengths, especially when they spend a lot of time wishing they didn't have those flaws.

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    1. Oh my gosh, when those character traits came through in the climax, I thought, Dang! That's brilliant!

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  9. These are great lessons. I love this series of yours so much! I especially love your point about making character flaws into strengths. I love that idea in theory, but never seem to be able to pull it off.

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    1. Oh boy, Martina, I haven't been able to pull it off yet. But boy, when someone else does it beautifully, I'm so impressed.

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  10. Isn't it amazing what we can take away from a reading lesson?

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    1. Traci, I totally agree. Now that I'm paying attention, I learn all kinds of great stuff. Now, if only I could apply it all perfectly to my own writing :/

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  12. Don't you love how you can never relax when you're a writer??? Whether you're watching a show, reading a book, or just *thinking* while you're picking up the kids, our brains never stop... !!!!

    Loved the list of things you picked up, Julie. Totally spot on. Now the challenge for me is applying all of these fantastic elements. :)

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  13. I love your breakdowns! It sounds like quite an epic story. I'm tempted...

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