Dec. 28th, 2010

[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting Nov. 4, 2010

Whoops, snuck that extra bit in about putting a dragon in your imagination (or something like that) and forgot to reflect on the old nano notes from day 3.

Let's see, what were they now? Actually, what were they then? Here we go, over at http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/140933.html I rambled on about the fun of writing the parts that you can see, that come trippingly to the fingers or mental vision or however you gather your wordy delights. Pick out scenes that you are excited about, that you want to explore, that you want to write NOW -- and write them. Then add in some prequels and sequels and probably the sidequels here and there, and before you know it, pow! You've got a peacock of scenery ready for grooming.

Now, admittedly, in the heat of the nanowrimo drive for words, you probably have some disarray to deal with -- like having the wedding before the proposal, and other minor sequence and plotting issues such as that, but hey, that's what January is for, right? So for now, hit those scenes you can see, the highlights and low dives and other fun places for your characters to congregate and get in trouble. Later on, when you have time, you can delve into the alleyways and other hidden crevices that you need to dig into to get these scenes connected, foreshadowed, reactions properly tucked in, and all that.

Hopscotch, and skip the bogs.

And then there's the old adages from over here http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/141064.html to give different viewpoints a try. After all, we talk about using first person, third limited or perhaps third cinematic, a drop of omniscient, and such options. We also fiddle around with which viewpoint character to use. But for nanowrimo, go ahead and try them out. Write the scene in third limited. Then write it again in first person. What does it look like from the villain's point-of-view? Write it and see! Or how about from the dorky sidekick who never says very much? Drop us into that first person and see what happens!

Or you could even play around with some radical viewpoints. Second person? You really want to write a scene that way? You can do it! Or perhaps you just want to tell us how that fight scene felt to the sofa that everyone was crashing over? Ouch?

So, explore some of the options that we often skip. Give them a whirl. See the scenes from both sides now, and then maybe from another direction. Focus on the scenes that make you want to write them, the high points of your story. Make those words count up, and let the story flow (well, actually, since you're not worrying about order, I guess it's more like running randomly along, here, there, and over somewhere else, but at least the words will flow, right?).

Where were we before I got distracted? Oh, yes. High points and traveling points of view. I did it, he did it, they all done it, and then someone else saw it.

Write!
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting Nov. 4, 2010

Ha! Here's a fun little teaser, if you're having trouble figuring out what to write about for nanowrimo (hey, it could happen, right?).

First, go over to http://tvtropes.org/ -- but DO NOT START BROWSING, because it's way too easy to spend hours here without any words. Instead, click on random (top right hand button). That will give you some kind of weird trope from the troves, with which you should...

Second, consider how this might apply to your characters, scenes, etc. Go ahead and sketch up at least one scene using this trope. Or if you happen to get a series or something, scramble through it and pick out something to use for your story. And write, write, write...

Go!
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting Nov. 5, 2010

Hah! Over here, Mercedes Lackey (who has a few books under her belt -- 80 something?) gives a pep talk for the nanowrimowers suggesting that fanfiction is a good way to go! Link right here http://www.nanowrimo.org/node/3853430 What's fanfiction? Well, take that novel, short story, movie, TV show, or whatever that you really loved, and wish someone would just write a little bit more -- and DIY (DO IT YO'SELF!).

That's right, take those characters, setting, and what not, and write your own episode, scene, etc. Now, if you happen to walk into the story and turn yourself into a shining example of everything that is good, true, and marvelous, that would be a Mary Sue, but you don't have to do that. Pick up that unfinished thread that bothered you, write up the background story that was hinted at, tell us the tale behind the shoe that never fell... whatever you want to do. Not for sale, not for anything else but the fun of it. After all, you enjoyed the original story enough to wish for a little bit more, right? So why not whip it up yourself?

And along the way, during nanowrimo time, you can get a little word count, put it in your account, watch the total words grow! 'saright? Do the fan fiction version of daydreaming, and see how you can tell the tale.

Aha! That actually ties in with this little well-aged bit of advice for nanowrimowers. http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/141507.html I suggested exploring alternatives. After all, even the simplest decision, action, whatever, usually comes at the cost of several other possibilities. In ordinary life, if you decide to have hamburger for dinner, you aren't likely to also have shrimp, steak, tofu, or something really exotic, right? But through the magic of writing, we can do multiple possibilities, right here, write now.

Write the scene with the hero chewing on a hamburger. Then do it again, but have them swallowing shrimp. Sizzling steaks, torturing tofu, or whatever you like. Try writing a scene more than once, with the different possible outcomes, or playing with who is there, the setting, the weather, and whatnot. See how your florid, baroque, overdone wordiness provides an opulent setting for the corruption of the mafia lord, or how the mean streets and simple killing suits the dark Sith? Try things out. Take that list of possible outcomes of the confrontation -- Joe wins, Joe wins but gets a broken arm, Joe loses, Joe isn't quite sure what happened, and the cops break it up? -- take that list, and write them ALL!

How does that go with fan fiction? Well, one of the possible things you can do is to take a story or scene that you like, but wring some variations on it. You didn't like the way it went? Write it your way! And then see what happens next.

Take a decision point, write out the alternative possibilities, and then write up scenes with each of them. Your very own small-scale alternate history, played out on the monitor (or paper, or wherever you write) just for you!

Write! And write again, and again, and again.

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