I just finished the manuscript for graphic noiz: book 3. This volume increases the stakes in the current series and the tension is heightened. In order to do this I had to introduce a ghost from the past into the life of the bestselling writer Shiro Ijima in the story. The story is 33,261 words which is about the length of the previous book.
Because the novellas are relatively short it is easier to increase the tension in the story. With the previous books there was mention of Shiro’s past. His hard exterior is relatively tough and difficult to get through. He keeps people at arm’s length. He is full in control of his personality and the way he sees the world. In book 3 some of the hard exterior begins to fray at the edges and we see that the character has a soft interior and sheds part of his harsh words and behavior.
When a character has a shift like this, those around the character have to also act according to their personality and change how they react.
With the dynamic of the Ijima family being a central issue in the story and how Jade and Julia interact with Shiro when he reaches out to them as opposed to when they intrude we see a change in how they are perceived and deal with Shiro. The central issue at the end of book 2 was Julia trying to get Shiro into an arranged marriage with Ai Amena the fashion designer. The arranged marriage takes a back seat to the storyline in book 3 but Ai is still in the picture and the underlying reasoning of Julia marrying Shiro off is still in the background. For the first time we see Ai take a misstep and the close relationship between Julia and Ai becomes strained a little.
The drama in book 3 sparks up about a third of the way into the story and heats up affecting all the characters that surround the writer. We see some become protective and others back off. When the possibility for violence sparks up the story leads to climax.
Locating the Point of Tension
In order to increase tension you need to determine an inciting factor that will directly or indirectly affect the character. It is easier to know how a character will react if you know how the character will be impacted by or after the inciting event. Shiro has a hard exterior and not many things phase him as he is usually in control. When he is affected by the inciting event the initial reaction affects his ability to write and he gets a case of writer’s block. This in and of itself would not be so much of an issue except that the writer’s block in itself is a triggering event which is an overreaction to the inciting event.
Once you know how a character will be affected by any event you will be able to determine the negative reaction that the character will have and how violently they will react. As there are other people involved around Shiro when the initial inciting event happens we don’t see everything happen at once. It is a gradual change in the character’s personality.
Gauging the Damage
Since Shiro has a narcissistic personality which can be a personality disorder there was a need for me to do research into personality disorders to understand how the inciting event could affect him. Shiro uses his strong exterior to hide a gentle pain that he has not fully dealt with. When he is rubbed the wrong way we see his hard exterior fray at the edges. The influence of the past comes roaring back and Shiro descends into the 19 year old kid that he was when the issue first rose its head. Since the event in the past had a drawn out duration happening at 16 and then dragged out until the climax at 19 the reaction he has to the inciting event is larger than possibly it would have been if the past had been less damaging. This sort of shatters his strong exterior even through he holds some parts of it and keeps in control of certain things. Seeing the influence the inciting event has on the character causes us to look at Shiro in a different way.
Since it was important to keep the current characters circling around each other we see the inner circle around Shiro get tighter as the events continue. Like circling the wagons, the Ijima family come to Shiro’s aid even in an impossible situation. When the event spirals out of control we see some of Shiro’s strong exterior inch back in as he takes control again even if the steps are small.
We see the ability to write as a symptom which has an impact on Shiro’s personality. His ability to write or not is central to his understanding of the world and himself so anything that affects that ability can have a profound impact on him.
With the ending of book 3 and the excitement in this volume, the rest of the story will have to focus on Shiro’s interactions with the other characters, particularly Noiz who grows in this volume and we see a different side of him as he opens up to his feelings a little more. The inciting event could bring these two characters closer together or it could drive them apart. You will have to stick around for volume 4 and the continuation of the manga to really see what is in store for the two of them.