TECH: All Mapped Out

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Writer's Digest, December 2006, pages 46 to 49, has an article with the title, "All Mapped Out" by Daniel Steven. Basically, this is another look at outlining, especially for those who really don't want to do those old English class outlines.

Let's take a look. Daniel points out that "outlining allows you to think creatively about plot and plot lines, while freeing you from wasted effort, backtracking, and rewriting." He also points out that mystery, thriller, and suspense stories depend on twists and turns that are easier to keep straight with an outline. Finally, the point isn't to make a Roman numeral monstrosity of a hierarchy. Instead, use a simple template focusing on your concepts, characters, and plot points, and let it evolve as you work on your story. So here's the steps that Daniel suggests:

1. Develop and refine your concept. You need to be able to summarize the plot in a sentence or two. It should be original, imaginative, and have an interesting character in trouble. Start by sketching that out.

2. Develop your characters. How many characters do you need, what are their roles, and who are they? A lot of people use character sheets. The key is what's important background for this character -- education, family, experiences, appearance, problems, strengths, weaknesses. While you're at it, pick the viewpoint character or characters. Decide on first or third person, and present or past tense.

3. Develop plot points. What are the major events and conflicts in your story? What are the pivots -- the scenes where the direction of the novel changes. Short novels probably have about six plot points, longer novels might have up to 15. Plot points, pivots, and the grand climax. Make a simple chart of these.

4. Make your outline. Daniel suggests a four column table. Each row is one scene -- a setting and a time. Column 1 is the scene number. Daniel puts checkboxes in here, so that you can check things off as you go along. Column 2 is chapter number, filled in later when you're assigning scenes to chapters. Column 3 is the point of view and plot line for each scene. Who is the viewpoint character, and is this part of the main plot or a subplot? Column 4 is going to be the scene description. Leave it empty for now.

5. Develop and expand the outline. Now fill in the outline, putting scene after scene into the fourth column. Just a brief summary, phrase, sentence, but no more than a paragraph. If you're not sure -- skip it, or put a placeholder. Fill in as much as you can. Don't worry if you can't fill in the whole thing.

Your choice -- you can start writing with a partial outline, or you can try to fill in more of the outline before you start writing scenes. And then as you write, feel free to modify.

When the outline is starting to feel pretty final, that's when you group the scenes into chapters and fill in the second column.

Incidentally, by adding transitions between scenes and chapters in the outline, you've got a pretty good synopsis.

If you want to practice this, take your current work in progress, a favorite story, or maybe something coming up -- are you planning to do Nanowrimo? Whatever, go ahead and try it out. What's the concept, who are the characters, what's the high-level plot? Then sit down and work out the scene-by-scene details. After that, of course, you've still got writing to do :-)

TECH: Short Stories

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Original Posting 23 August 2010

Writers Digest, December 2007, pages 77 and 78, has some notes on short stories. There's several different pieces, by Simon Wood.

It starts with a two paragraph description under the title, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff." This points out that short stories are hard. They're concentrated, streamlined, storytelling. You have to focus on key elements, without wasting words.

So how do you write a better short story? Simon Wood offers six points:

1. Get to the point. Begin with a crisis or conflict, weave backstory in and keep going. In novels, by the end of Chapter 1, you've established the story's conflict. In short stories, you need to do that by the end of the first page. Action, dialogue, provocative statements by characters... get to the point.

2. Scope. Short stories are limited in size. Think of a play -- limit the set changes, and the characters. Short stories are intimate snapshots of a handful of key characters.

3. Think small. Not in terms of theme or complexity, but in execution. You can have big conflicts, but the resolution needs to be fast.

4. Short stories need beginnings, middles, and ends. They may be snapshots, but they need to start with a conflict and end with a resolution. You need a series of actions that the characters take to get to the resolution. Take readers on a journey with a destination. Conflict, obstacles, and resolution -- make sure they're all there.

5. Too much information. Short stories don't need long character histories. Keep the story moving. Snappy descriptions, simple yet elegant sentences. Hint, don't go into details.

6. Show, don't tell. Actions -- characters doing things -- show the readers everything they want to know.

And Simon Wood provides a questionnaire that can help guide your short story.

1. When is the story's conflict introduced? (On the first page?)
2. What action starts the story's conflict? (Dialogue or physical action)
3. How many major characters are in the story?
4. What are the pivotal plot developments for the beginning, middle, and end?
5. Does each sentence push the story forward or show readers something about the characters? (If not, delete it)
6. Does each word move the story forward? (If not, get rid ot it)
7. Is the story focused or are there irrelevancies and redundancies in characters or plot?
8. Are descriptions simple, but effective? (Do they make people and places seem vivid without a lot of words?)
9. Is the dialogue tight, and sound genuine? (Read it aloud)
10. Do we see how the characters act?
11. Is the story's conflict resolved?

There's even an exercise. Pretty straightforward -- first try using the questionnaire on a short story of your own. Are there things you can improve? Next, take a favorite story written by someone else and try out the questionnaire again.

Write?