Catalysts

I think I'm safe in saying that just about everything happens because of something else ("...for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction"). Take a look at the picture on the right. Without the ball the dominoes would simply stand there. But because the ball happened to move in just the right direction at just the right speed and bumped into the first domino, the entire line of dominoes reacts. The ball was the action--the catalyst--that created a reaction.

Catalysts are generally encountered in and associated with chemistry. According to dictionary.com, a catalyst is a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. In literature it is something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected; a person or thing that precipitates an event or change. It can be a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic. The catalyst can be thought of as an instigator whose job it is to keep the story moving using action to further accelerate conflict. These guys love to create disturbances in the story’s flow, and they can sometimes be quite annoying! 

The catalyst in literature is usually a character, but it does not have to be. In The Perfect Storm the weather is the catalyst that creates the premise for the entire outcome. In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series multiple catalysts exist, both characters and non-characters, that motivate actions: Worm Tail, Sirius Black, Luna Lovegood, Rita Skeeter, George and Fred Weasley (the twins), magic and spells, to name a few. Think about these characters' and non-characters' roles. They are definitely more than merely flat characters (as discussed in last week's blog), as they actually move the story along and are a part of the plot. They appear over and over throughout the entire series, though they are not the main characters.

Tidbits from JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION: Maintaining the Correct Tense

   Past, Present, and Future walked into a bar...it was tense!
   OK, enough foolishness. Tense is serious business when writing a story. Look at the following example:
        Jack approaches the small rowboat tied to the dock. He looked out over the lake and sees the      
        whitecaps. The boat was pitching and rocking, so he steps directly into the center of it to keep it 
        from capsizing. 
Confusing? Most definitely! First Jack approaches (present tense). Then he looked (past tense).
Then he sees (present tense). The boat was pitching (past tense). Finally he steps (present tense). We don't know whether this has all happened in the past or if it's happening right now. It certainly can't be happening at both times simultaneously. Yet this confusion of tense is quite common among novice writers. The solution to this problem is to choose one tense and stick with it throughout.
   It is true that the best writing process is to get your thoughts on paper ASAP so you don't forget an idea. HOWEVER, it is imperative that you go back and correct such blatant errors before submitting your story for publication. This is part of your self-editing process. Remember that no reader wants to spend time trying to figure out "what's going on when" in the middle of an action scene.
   Using the example above, make the corrections necessary to create an entire story in present tense. Then go back and make it all in past tense. It's not so difficult once you realize that you need to pick one or the other--the choice is yours--and keep the action happening at the same time.
   Here's another example that mixes the tenses, but in this case, it makes sense:
        Jill says to Lily, "I went shopping and found some great bargains." 
        Lily says, "You're always lucky when it comes to saving money. I have never had that kind of 
        luck. I wish I could find the same kinds of buys you always seem to come across." 
Believe it or not, all of the mixed-up tenses are perfectly acceptable. In this case, the actual conversation is taking place in the present, but Jill and Lily are discussing things that happened in the past, and Lily is wishing for things in the future. WHAAAAT? It is because all of the action is in the present (Jill says and Lily says), and the things they are talking about are not happening at the very same moment.
   These are points you'll need to become familiar with when writing for publication. And yes, it's tense!