The big no-no with MacGuffins in novel writing.
What truly sells a novel. what to focus on as a writer. what the reader cares about.
There’s a mistake a large number of new writers make when writing a novel, trying to use a “MacGuffin” to sell their book. But shockingly can actually hurt their novel, but if fixed correctly can lead to sales.
In this blog, we will be looking at the big no-no with MacGuffins in novel writing.
THE BIG NO-NO WITH MacGUFFINS IN NOVEL WRITING
Table of Contents
Now before we go any further we first have to understand what a “MacGuffin” is. It’s a term made up by Alfred Hitchcock. It’s an object, device or event that is necessary for the plot and the motivation of the characters. But it has no interest to the reader. The object is either seen or mentioned in the beginning but the reader loses interest in the object as the story moves forward.
In some books the characters are after an object (like how Indiana Jones was after the Ark along with the Nazis). But the object they’re after has meaning to them, but we don’t have the same passion towards the object. But we do care about the characters going after the object.
ANOTHER TERM IS “HOLY GRAIL”
Another way of describing a MacGuffin is the term “holy grail” and in the third Indiana Jones movie that is the very thing they’re after. But in reality, the movie’s success is not about obtaining the grail. It was the relationship Indy had with his father. It starts off rocky between them, but by the end they’re united. The grail was the physical object they were after but the heart of the movie was their relationship. If you take the relationship out there would still be a movie, but it would lack heart. We would not be able to have an emotional investment in it. Leaving the viewer to try to care about an object that has no meaning to them. Sadly countless movies and novels have made this mistake in the past. Believing the MacGuffin is the selling point and the reader will care about it.
In “Raiders of the Lost Ark” the focus was not the Ark. In fact you only see it a few seconds here and there. But that’s not important. What made everyone watch the movie where the enjoyable characters who were after the Ark, We cared about Indy and Marion. We feared the bad guys. You could’ve taken the Ark out of the movie and we still would’ve cared. This is proven by having sequels made with the same characters. If we did not care about the characters the sequels would not have done well.
IT IS WHAT TRULY DRIVES THE VILLAIN
Here’s an interesting point for an author, acquiring the MacGuffin is what truly drives your villain. It will interest the hero as well, but not as much. Most of the time the hero is trying to stop the villain from obtaining the MacGuffin. The villain wants it for a negative reason and the hero needs to save the day by getting it first.
The problem writers make when putting a MacGuffin into their novel is how much they make the object itself the focus on the story, to a point where the characters take a back seat. The writer is trying to make the reader care about an object, as though it is supposed to mean something to us.
IT’S HARD FOR THE READER TO CARE
The problem is no matter how much the writer tries to make an object important it difficult for the reader to care for it. In the novel “The Maltese’s Falcon” the reader never feels anything for the actual falcon. But we care about the characters wanting it.
It was great to read. But it wasn’t the falcon that made so may turn the page. The author Dashiell Hammett could’ve changed the object into anything and it would still have done well. The reader wanted to see how it ended. How the characters got out of the problem. The falcon simply brought them together.
THE READER WILL LOSE INTEREST FAST
Too many new writers would’ve made the falcon the main thing. As though having the reader care about an object and having the characters mean nothing would make us turn the page. If a writer made that mistake the reader would lose interest fast.
Stephen King knows how to make the reader care about the characters in his novels and not the actual object they’re after. It might have been the MacGuffin that drew you to his story but it’s the characters who take over afterward as the selling point.
MAKE THE CHARACTERS THE SELLING POINT
It doesn’t matter what novel of his you’re reading. It starts off with a MacGuffin of some kind but within seconds the characters take over as the driving force of the novel’s success. Too many authors try copying his books by focusing on the MacGuffin and the books fail. But if they copy his true style they would’ve made the character the selling point.
Look at his novel “Christine” about a car that’s alive. Your average writer would write about the car and only the car. The characters would become secondary. But Stephen King knew to make them the focus of the conflict. Developing a powerful emotional connection. Yes, the car is there but in reality, we care about the people dealing with the car.
THE SELLING POINT IS NOT THE CAR
It’s about a nerdy boy who buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury and fixes it up. But to everyone’s surprise, the car is alive. It can think and act on it’s own. As the novel progresses Arnie starts changing into a colder meaner person. As though the car is taking over him, his friends and parents try helping him. In the end the story is about a nerdy boy losing his soul. The book might be called “Christine,” but the selling point is not the car itself.
A new writer would’ve spent the whole book about the car, ignoring the characters. In fact, when Stephen King started writing his first 3 books were rejected. With the literary agent saying “not enough focus on the characters.” He changed his style and became successful.
STEPHEN KING FOCUS ON THE CHARACTERS
When movies are made of Stephen King novels the focus is on the object not the people and the movie does not do well. The directors fail to realize the success of Stephen King is the characters. The MacGuffin just pulls you in to start.
Here’s a good tip for you. You should be able to take the MacGuffin out of the story and not have it affect the story, but if you take the characters out it will fail.
THE PIG WHO COULD FLY
There was a literary teacher who on a Friday told the students in the class to write a story about a pig who could fly. The students came back on Monday and the teacher asked, “Who wrote a story about a pig that could fly?” they all put up their hand. The teacher then said, “I want you to take the flying pig out of your story.” The students were all shocked saying, “If they did they’d have no story.” Only one student had a story. That student wrote about the family who own the farm the flying pig lived on. The focus of the story was the family and their lives a long with the pig. Making for a better story.
It’s not enough to pull a reader into your story about a pig who can fly. But if you create a family owning a flying pig then you give the story depth.
DO WE CARE ABOUT RED WINE
There is a movie released in 1992 called “The Year of the Comet” about an 1811 bottle of red wine. In the movie, there are a group of bad men wanting the bottle as the two protagonists have to keep it away from them. The movie is filled with action and humour. However, the movie did not do well. The critics said there was too much focus on the bottle of wine and action scenes and not enough on the characters. Can you write a story about a bottle of wine? Of course, but do not make the wine itself the focus of the story. The reader has no emotional attachment to an object like a bottle of wine. The characters in the story have to be the driving force. They care about the wine, we care about them.
As a writer, you can focus on the people and their lives as they pursue the bottle of wine. Making us care about the people but not having to care about the wine bottle.
THEY WILL STOP READING
Characters going after an object can pull us into the novel at the start, but what makes us turn the pages are the people within the book. If you try to use an object as the selling point there will come a point where we stop reading.
you might be interested in these blogs…
HOW TO MAKE YOUR NOVEL IRRESISTIBLE TO ALL READERS
THE GREATEST SECRET TO WRITING AN AMAZING NOVEL
IS STEPHEN KING A PLANNER OR PANSTER?
