"Agency" is one of those terms that gets bandied about by writers and editors. But what IS agency?This is something I've been delving into recently as I've been working on novel edits. I thought I understood agency. I have a main character with profound magical powers. If a building is on fire, she's the one who will dash inside to save people. She will go hungry if her coins will buy food for a beggar child. She's brave and resourceful when needed, and known to sling about a witty comment or two.
I had the big aspects of agency down, but what I forgot were the everyday details. Yes, my protagonist may be the one to dash into the burning building--but was it her suggestion to go to that street in the first place, or did a minor character coax her that way?
Minor characters are called minor for a reason. When I scrutinized my text word by word, I found that all too many times, the minor characters were the ones making the choice in those little directional shifts in the plot. Being the amiable sort, my protagonist nodded and went along.
Note: Agency shouldn't be confused with making a protagonist brash or bitchy, though some stories (urban fantasy in particular) do this well (or not well, depending on how you like the genre). It's about having the protagonist speak up first, even if it's in a whisper. They need to be the one to say, 'No. Let's go this way.'
Your character can be a god incarnate, but if someone is always telling them where to go, how much power do they really possess?
Beth Cato was the featured author in the Penumbra EMag May 2013 ocean-themed issue with her story "Clementine, Who Swims with Mermaids." In conjunction with Musa Publishing's birthday celebration this issue, and several others, can be purchased here at a 30% discount. Her poems also appeared in our Zombie and Space Opera volumes.
Her debut steampunk novel will be published by HarperCollins Voyager in late 2014.
Learn more about Beth’s stories, poems, and tasty cookie recipes on her website.
No comments:
Post a Comment