TECH: Make A Scene #23: Your Protagonist's Emotional Thread

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 24 October 2008

[poking around in my files, I found this, and realized that I hadn't posted it. (Whoops! Never finished or posted this one. Sorry about that :-) Sometimes we aren't as organized as we might be, eh?]

Chapter 23: Your Protagonist's Emotional Thread

Wrapping up the last pieces of Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld, this chapter looks at the transformation of the character really across the scenes. Most narratives include some growth or change in the character, which really adds meaning and depth. This emotional thread cuts across the individual scenes, and Rosenfeld has some comments about it.

First, of course, is the point that changes in personality -- in beliefs, attitudes, and so forth -- shouldn't be sudden or easy. People don't change without a struggle. To make it feel authentic, to give credibility to each scene, you need to make sure that the change is motivated, and probably somewhat gradual.

In the early scenes, we're establishing everything. Characters, conflicts, problems, etc. Right up front, you can include character-related plot threads:

• Involvement. How is the protagonist related to the significant situation? Is it his fault, centered on him somehow? Is he integral to it or does he stumble into it?
• Stakes. What does the protagonist gain or lose because of events?
• Desires. What does the protagonist want?
• Fears. What scares the protagonist?
• Motivation. Why does the protagonist do things?
• Challenges. How does the significant situation challenge the protagonist?

At the end of the early scenes, you as author can ask yourself if the protagonist is shaky enough? Are there enough problems and conflicts that readers will be worried? Is the protagonist directly involved in a significant situation? Does the protagonist seem to be struggling, trying to act, being forced to change? Is there enough uncertainty -- readers should be trying to figure out what will happen, not betting on a sure thing.

Scenes in the middle make the reader and the protagonists work. This is where the protagonist gets tested and stretched. These scenes need to include:

• opportunities for crisis and conflict. Makes things harder, more complicated, add problems on top of the problems.
• opportunities for dramatic and surprising changes. Given the pressures and complications, the protagonist can start acting differently, perhaps in anger, perhaps in achieving more than seemed possible.
• opportunities for plot complications. Things were bad before, now they're going to get horrible. New complications and new complexity.
• opportunities to test drive new behaviors. Emotional reactions can start to pop under the pressure and stress. The protagonist can surprise us.
• opportunities for dramatic tension. Put the protagonist in danger, emotional or physical, and build an aura of tension -- tighten the suspense.

Desperation, uncertainty, trials and tribulations. Some protagonists get worse before they get better. That's okay. This is the part where the character shows how they really behave when things get hot and tough. The protagonist learns who their real friends are and what their own strengths and weaknesses really are, all in preparation for the final scenes.

The final scenes are where all of the changes get wrapped up. This is where we show who is left after the climax -- who has the protagonist become? So you need to know:

• what are the consequences of having desires met?
• what are the consequences of having fears realized?
• did what the protagonist wants change? What is it now?
• did what the protagonist fears change?
• how does the protagonist view the significant situation now?

This is where you demonstrate character change. You need to show through action or dialogue what has changed. You also need to answer any plot questions that are left. Tie up the major consequences. In most cases, this includes showing:

• the protagonist has learned something
• the protagonist's attitudes and behavior have changed
• the protagonist has started a new journey or direction

"The key to successful character transformation is to let your character changes unfold dramatically but also realistically. Let the reader see your characters change by how they act and speak, and by the choices they make within the framework of scenes, not through narrative summaries."

That's what Rosenfeld says about the emotional threads in the plot.

What shall we add? Well, how about taking a look at a story or novel that you like, and consider the growth of the protagonist? Even in a thriller or action story, we're likely to find that the protagonist learns something, changes, faces up to their fears and beats them down, etc. So start at the beginning, and track that golden thread of the protagonist's emotional fabric, beliefs, etc. How is it set up in the beginning? What happens to it in the middle? And at the climax, how does the writer handle it? Normally there is a definite shift from the well-worn emotions at the beginning through tearing and holes in the middle into a restructuring and rebuilding at the end. Something like that, anyway. How does it work in the stories you like?

Then, turn around and consider a story or novel that you are working on. Do you show the readers the emotions, the beliefs and attitudes of your protagonist? In the beginning, do you let them know how the hero feels, and where the flaw is? What about in the middle? Do you keep that thread going? And in the climax and ending, do you show how the person has grown and changed? You don't have to spend pages in internal turmoil and debate, but make sure that the reader feels for the protagonist.

S'aright?

How about a third one? Okay, let's start with picking two numbers from one to 12. Two different numbers, okay? You may roll two pair of dice if you like. Got your numbers? Now find them in this list:

1.  sadness  2. distress  3.  relief  4.  joy
5.  hate  6. love 7.  fear  8. anticipation
9.  anger  10.  guilt  11.  gratitude  12. pride

What you have there is two emotions. Maybe sadness and guilt. And here's the exercise. Consider how you might show a reader that the protagonist feels sadness, right at the start of a story. And then consider how you might show a reader that they feel guilt -- at the end of a tale. And for bonus points, consider how sadness transforms into guilt. Now can you put that together into a story? From sadness over his parents' death to a lurking sense of guilt? Or . . .

Get those writing neurons crackling, and write.

where were you when the lights went on?

FILL: Nanowrimo? Little tiny wrimos? What?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 29 October 2008

No, no, no. Nanowrimo is National Novel Writing Month. November! Just around the
weekend.

So, for those heading into NaNoWriMo, let's consider. 50,000 words in November? That's 1,666 a day or do 2,000 a day to build up a backlog. Of course, you could look at it as 12,500 words per week for the next four weeks. Or maybe tackle it as four weeks of five weekdays at 2,000 words per day, with just 2,500 to do over the weekend? Or if your weekdays are busy, try doing just 1,000 each weekday, and then polish off 7,500 over the weekend. Maybe 4,000 a day? Or 5,000 Saturday and 2,500 on Sunday?

Looking at the calendar, this is a good November. It has five weekends! So you can get a jump on things, starting with the first weekend. That will help when someone drags you out for turkey and stuffing and all that. Remember, Thanksgiving! So put some slack in the schedule and build up a reserve early.

The main point, of course, is to sit down and grind out those words. Hum-I think I saw a quote that fits here.

Yep. From Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg, under First Thoughts. She's talking about writing practice, and suggests timed exercise. And for that time, you should:

1. Keep your hand moving. Don't pause to reread
2. Don't cross out. Don't edit as you write
3. Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar.
4. Lose control.
5. Don't think. Don't get logical.
6. Go for the jugular. If something comes up in your writing that is scary or naked, dive right into it.

Forward momentum. Keep writing. Next month or next year you can come back and clean it up, go back and do the revisions, make all the changes you want. But for one month, just let the words flow.

And you may be surprised at what comes out.

So what'll it be? 2,000 words a day? You can do it.

(318 words? 1,700 more to go...)
Keep those words a'rolling, rawhide?

TECH: GMC for Nanowrimo?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 31 October 2008

[General Motors Car? What?]

A few days ago, someone on another list mentioned being a pantser. Since I hadn't heard the term in a while, I went ahead and looked up "plotter pantser" on Google. Plotters are the people who pre-plan their work -- outlines and so forth. Pantsers write by the seat-of-their-pants. Not that everyone buys these, nor does everyone fit completely into one or the other side, but generally, there are those who work it out largely in abstract form ahead of time and then write almost mechanically and those who are improvising as they write, boldly forging ahead.

But I don't really want to get into the discussion about which approach is better. Plotters and pantsers have pros and cons, and most of us will try both roads at different times and find out which one seems to work best for us. However, in the various links, I glanced at this one http://www.hodrw.com/ppii.htm and happened to get caught on an acronym. GMC charts? What are they talking about?

A bit of poking around revealed that Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts have been reduced to an acronym. Where is the character headed? Why do they want to get there? And what problems crop up to block them from just doing it?

So, for the nanowrimowers, let me suggest -- even while grinding out the daily quota, take time to think about your characters. What are their GMCs? Then bang them into each other, and let the words flow.

[counting down to November . . .]