Three solid tips for writers from “A Man Called Ove”
There are few books which can hook you from the first line and make you cry in the initial fifty pages, few books which can open your eyes to perspectives you could have never thought about, few books which can teach you a plethora about writing despite their simplicity.
A Man Called Ove was a cracker packed in a chocolate box.
I enjoyed it terribly, both as a reader and a writer.
Written by a Swedish blogger, Fredrik Backman, it is the life story … of a man called Ove. Yes, my sense of humour is fantastic. The protagonist is neither devoured by a mighty dragon nor does he get to conquer one.
Ove is the stereotypical grumpy old man navigating the world in the last stage of his life.
What amazes me is, despite the book’s simple premise, it was a number one bestseller across Scandinavia and has sold over one million copies worldwide.
After a gratifying read, here I am to share the writing lessons from this tour de force!
Tip 1: An understandable mystery
As a writer, your first mission is to hook the reader as soon and as hard as possible.
One way is by creating a sense of intrigue.
This advice urges you to begin your work with a fantastic event, like an intense fight scene where ten new names and an unknown magic system are introduced. The reader, however, remains clueless and overwhelmed.
As a writer, your first mission is to hook the reader as soon and as hard as possible.
Your intention may be pure, but you can mess this up.
If the mystery or the intrigue is too difficult to understand in the initial chapters — a sensitive spot where the readers must first care — they will yawn and put your book away, deciding to binge-watch Friends again.
Backman began with an “understandable” mystery (irony intended).
The first few chapters give mundane details about Ove’s life as an aged man and walk us through some hilarious moments. Yet, they also leave us pondering.
Slight spoilers follow ahead.
Ove constantly remarks on life to his wife, yet we never hear back from her. Soon, we witness him trying to hammer a nail perfectly into the wall, and his dedication towards the task is suspicious.
Backman builds the mystery about his wife and the nail successfully.
He ensures that we get a slight clue to what is happening and get invested. The readers are not left in chaos or told to find their way on their own, because that takes hard work nobody likes.
Backman builds the mystery about his wife and the nail successfully.
The premise is simple. The intriguing element is manageable.
We, the readers, would love to continue.
Tip 2: A beautiful theme
The book was an easy read.
I didn’t have to keep it down and ponder the intended meanings behind every word and line. It didn’t give any unknown revelations about life; we all know the importance of friendships.
Yet, it became one of my favourites.
We hold certain books closer to our hearts than others. It isn’t always about the perfect writing style or the mind-blowing plot. The reason why you love a book revolves around how the theme resonates with you.
A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work. (Source)
Backman worked on the universal themes of love and relationships.
The reason why you love a book revolves around how the theme resonates with you.
Who isn’t lonely these days to not like reading about it?
What is remarkable is the way how he delivered it. With wise use of characters, plot pinches, and a relatable storyline, he made me realise how people are important in my life. The nuances touched my heart.
Reinforcing these themes made him win the world.
Backman worked on the universal themes of love and relationships.
However, neophytes often make the mistake of focusing too much on the theme in the initial drafts. This can frustrate you. Forcing the storyline and the characters to act in ways that don’t suit them ruins the joy.
Begin with a vague idea of the theme.
Let it be. Have the structure and the characters fixed before making it your focus. Polish the theme of your novel towards the end.
Tip 3: A fresh and perfect aspect
The world is done being viewed from a sixteen-year-old I-am-not-beautiful, the-world-is-unfair, let-us-rebel teenager’s perspective.
I am done.
A few troupes work too well and then get saturated.
Old men and women are rarely protagonists of a novel. Writers often use them as the “mentor” with pearls of wisdom than people who still have a lot to learn from and discover in life. Because they still do.
A Man Called Ove was special in this aspect.
Backman gave us a fresh perspective — a lens we never considered worth checking out before. The novel got its novelty from this aspect. I enjoyed putting myself in Ove’s shows and analysing the old man’s thoughts.
I am not saying you should be completely “original.” That’s not possible.
Rather, as said, “Steal like an artist.”
George Orwell is known for his satire on politics. It lets us enjoy his simple language. J. K. Rowling is praised for the relatability of her books, which makes us overlook the prose.
Pick an element in your novel and master it.
It can be your writing style, or maybe your characters or the plot twists. Make it as good and unique as you can. Let it shine over the other flaws.
Make it as good and unique as you can.
With this, you give your book an identification mark, similar to Harry Potter’s scar.
This is how the read gets memorable.
To conclude
Every book offers unique insights.
From A Man Called Ove, we can learn to have an understandable start than a difficult one. Develop your theme as your novel takes shape; later make its presence sharper in your work. Lastly, make your novel your own by mastering any aspect.
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How a Simple, Plain and Easy Fiction Novel Best-Sold was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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Author: Saanvi Thapar
