TECH: Rambling About Nanowrimo

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Original Posting 22 Oct 2013

Ho, ho, ho...

I seem to have tagged a bunch of postings over here! nanowrimo? What do we have?

http://writercises.livejournal.com/tag/nanowrimo

reflections, outlining, a posting after ten days, scenes and daily writing, Save The Cat meets Nanowrimo, and then back up a year? Wow, there's lots of stuff!

So what do you need to get started? Well, there's the discovery writer approach -- dive in, start swimming, and see where you end up. (aka seat-of-the-pants writing :-) Although Dan Wells and other discovery writers often admit that having a glimpse of a destination, wavery and vague as it may be, sometimes helps you hit the water flailing. Then there are the outliners, ranging from those who feel a great need for details down to the fairly vague, broadbrush folks, who sometimes seem to be discovery writers with a figleaf. E.g., here's one author claiming to be a strict outliner, then admitting that he always creates the characters as he goes. Oh, and his outlines are a page, at most -- and he writes goatgagger epic fantasy tomes! And, well, yes, of course, as you write, you find that things aren't quite what you thought, so you need to follow that new idea wherever it leads. But he's a strict outliner?

I really think the question is not whether to outline or not, but just how you like to prime your pump. When you sit down on November 1 or whenever to start to write, whether you are an outliner or a seat-of-the-pantser – excuse me, discovery writer – I think you are likely to have some ideas, some seeds, some thoughts already working away at some level in your head. Some people, the discovery writers, are fairly comfortable with keeping the whole thing in their head. Other people, the outliners, feel better with at least some parts of it down on paper.

Incidentally, there are lots of ways to outline! A writer's outline really isn't the well-organized, strictly indented and formatted outline that your English teacher may have insisted on at one time in your life. No, this is a working list, that may have key points, snatches of dialogue, entire paragraphs, lines and sketches, or whatever helps you capture and organize your thinking. If you happen to be someone who prefers mind maps or other visual layouts, use them!

I suppose what we're really talking about are ways to provoke your thinking, and capture some of the early results in a way that makes it easier for you to write. If we think of writing as the task of producing text, doing world building, dreaming up characters and motivations and goals, laying out events and plots and conflicts and problems, all of this set up work can be done before hand. Some people will do it in their heads, some will do it in various written or visual formats. Some people use a process, some people just play with a checklist of questions.

In a sense, this is the warming up exercises before you start running the marathon. You need to stretch everything out, make sure you understand where the goals are and which lane you are running in, and get ready so that when the firing gun goes off, you can hit the track running.

I hope you are getting warmed up!

TECH: One Way to Prepare for Nanowrimo

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Original Posting 23 Oct 2013

So, you want to get ready, but you're not quite sure how? Well, if you go over here

http://johndbrown.com/2012/05/generating-story-6-the-story-development-framework/

John Brown has a pretty organized approach to generating a story. It really starts with the development objectives, where he lays out what we're trying to do. Then there's a step-by-step process. Seven, maybe eight steps. So let's go!

Take a look at the development objectives. We need to make the story come alive for use. We need to know the genre, characters, setting, problem, and plot. And we need to make a reader see the story! Simple, right?

Then skip down to Where to start. Here's where the step-by-step process takes off.

First, figure out when you are going to work on this. Lay out your work schedule. And the very first time, think about whatever you already know. What ideas do you have?

Second, what do you want to do? What genre or genres? What kind of story, characters, plots, and settings do you like? In two paragraphs, 200 words, summarize this.

Third, look for some patterns. What are two or three stories kind of like the one you think you would like to write? How big were they? What kind of characters did they have, and what did you like about them? What was the main problem, and what was the plot? Based on thinking about those stories, what do you think your plot would look like?

Fourth, look for the zing! What are some interesting, fun, exciting points you would like to include. Look around on the web, maybe even find some books, and see if you can identify characters, setting, problem, or plot ideas that are exciting to you.

Fifth, compare your zing and ideas. Do you have a story concept yet? Character, setting, goal, opposition?

Sixth, play with characters and problems. Make a list of some possibilities. If you're looking at character ideas, make a list of 10 types of characters commonly associated with the idea you're poking. Then make a list of types not usually associated. Now pick about three characters that you think you would enjoy writing. If you generating problems, do the same kind of thing. List threats, opportunities, and mysteries usually associated with this topic. Then list some problems that are usually associated. Now pick three problems that you think might be fun. Finally, mix-and-match.

Seventh step, make a plot. Think about what kind of problem your character is facing. Write the character's goal in 50 words or less. Make a list of steps that people would normally take to solve that kind of problem. Now make a list of at least 12 obstacles, conflicts, surprises, blockages that the character can run into. Next, figure out what the antagonist is trying to do, and what steps they are going to take to get the hero's way.

At this point you should have a pretty good notion of what you're going to put together. You might want to write a bit to help you explore the character and the setting, maybe like to outline things. In either case, get to work.

Lay out your working time. Then, what do you want to write? What are some similar stories? What can you throw in that's exciting, intriguing, fun? So is there a story between those ideas and the zings? Try mixing up some characters and problems. Now dream about plot, goals, steps toward that goal, and obstacles that are going to make getting there hard. Mix well, and see what bubbles up. Now organize that... and get ready to write!

FILL: Tell a Tale?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting 26 Oct. 2013

Well, Nanowrimo is about a week a way! And while we're all relaxing before we start the marathon, let me mention a funny little application you can get that some of you might find helpful. It's available for the iPad, and it's called "Tell A Tale."

Apparently it's intended to be a game, where two (or more) people construct stories based on...

One starting sentence, three pictures, and an ending sentence.

Simple, right? The sentences and pictures are randomly selected. The free edition comes with a small starter set to let you try it out, and there's a large additional set available for 99 cents (I think -- it was pretty cheap).

So when I start it up, for example, I might get:

When it comes to reading maps, he said
A picture of a curly haired young woman looking at a letter in her hands.
A picture of an old stone-walled church with headstones in the foreground.
A picture of a doll's head, with short curly hair, carefully arched eyebrows and wide eyes.
This made them decide to move away.

and a button to click for a "New story." Which would be two more sentences and three pictures.

Anyway, it's another way to provoke some thoughts. How can I use that sentence? What can I do with those pictures? And what can I do with that ending sentence?

Might help you keep writing, when the Nanowrimo bell rings?

TECH: What Show, Don't Tell Really Means (Moldy Oldie!)

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Original Posting 29 Oct 2013

Writer's Digest, March 1995, has a technique of the month article by David Curran with the title "What Show, Don't Tell Really Means." It starts out by reminding us that this phrase may be the most repeated writing advice of all. But how do you use that to make your storytelling more engaging?

David starts with a small anecdote about an editor opening a manuscript, reading the beginning "Nathan rounded the corner and saw the most frightening thing he had ever seen in his entire life..." The editor then sighed, and wrote across the top of a printed rejection, "Please take a writing course. Learn to show rather than tell." David admits that he was that editor, and he hopes the writer understood. But he's afraid not.

That phrase has become a cliché that is too often misunderstood. David suggests that perhaps the confusion comes from trying to divide the world into simply showing and telling. It might be better to divide words -- the tools that we use -- into three groups. One a sense data, things, actions, behavior that we detect with one of the five senses. That's what we're pointing to with the word show. But we really mean all five senses.

The second group of words are interpretations, statements filtered through a human mind and fed to a reader. Interpreting is what we do when we tell. Instead of showing an action, we tell the reader what the character feels. It's a shortcut.

And of course, besides sensory data, showing action, and interpretation, telling about feelings, there are kind of neutral terms, math rules, recipes, and so forth.

So having divided the world of words into three parts, David suggests three rules to make sure you're showing more than telling:

-- Always try to use sensory data as much as possible.
-- Avoid abstract language whenever possible.
-- Only use interpretations from within a character's point of view.

"Show, don't tell" really means "Report to your readers the sensory data that your characters experience, sensory data that will arouse your readers' emotion rather than tell them what your character's emotions are." Simple, right?

He describes an exercise, with two volunteers in a classroom role-playing a situation guaranteed to be an argument. Then he asks the class who had more power? Why did you choose that person? And the point of the lesson, "If you all saw exactly the same thing, why don't you agree about who had more power?" Because they are relying on interpretations. So how do you convey what happened?

"Describe exactly how the people behaved. Repeat what your senses took in. Show."

To show something frightening, don't use words like eerie, frightening, sinister, or scary. Start by imagining a frightening situation. Break it into small, easily described scenes show each scene and describe the action in detail.

(Trust your reader to interpret it!)

Now why do we want to avoid abstract language? Mostly because we need to clearly show actions, and abstract language avoids clarity. Meaning is words plus context. Abstract mostly means we don't know the context. For example, relative words really need a basis for comparison. A big mousetrap -- how big is it? Most of the time, reducing abstraction means making the context richer. More details! Give your readers details to work with.

Finally, only let the characters interpret. Don't do your own labeling! Interpretations and feelings are tools to get into a character's head -- not to get into the author's head. "Interpretations are okay, and even valuable when they are presented as a character's inner thoughts." The corollary to this rule is, "Even when you want to give an interpretation, you should use as much sensory data as possible." Show it with sensory details, then tell us what the character thinks about it.

So remember. Use sensory data and show action in terms of the five senses. Avoid relative and abstract words, give us the context and details to make your words mean something. Tell us about interpretations only as a way to help us understand the character.

Here's some examples, taken from the article.

When Gretel looked beneath the eerie-looking chairs in the darkly lit dining room, something frightening happened. Something sinister began moving as if sensing her.

There was a growl that half-scared Gretel to death. And then the things started towards her and she ran as fast as she could.

Or here's another version:

In front of her, surrounded by chairs that were twice as tall as she was, chairs whose backs looked like church steeples, was a long table. Beneath this table, out of the corner of her eye, Gretel saw something move: a gray shadow in the light that seeped through the closed Venetian blinds.

The shadow growled. Claws scraped on bare wood, and the things seem to grow larger. Gretel clutched Hansel to her and turned, running. She was almost to the staircase by the door and knew it was still following because its claws went silent on the carpet.

Which one is more scary? Which one shows us instead of telling us?

How about this one?

The monster seemed to have strange scales.

Or

At full height, the monster was almost twice as tall as Gretel. The first thing she saw, now, as the walls filled the dim room with light, was that what she thought were scales were beer cans. The monster was covered with beer cans, many of them crushed. She started as the monster's face became clear: the monster looked just like her father.

Abstract scales or beer cans? Which one shows you the monster?

One more?

Gretel held out the book to her father. "I really liked it a lot."

Or

Gretel held up the book to her father. "I couldn't put it down," she said. "I stayed up reading until I finished it."

Remember, show, don't tell!

And write!

TECH: More Nanowrimo Preparation!

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Original Posting 31 Oct 2013

Do you have a half hour you could spend? Maybe you'd like to try 30 minute sketches?

Start with your protagonist. Set a timer and spend:
Three minutes writing about who this character is.
Three minutes writing about the goals and desires that this character has.
Three minutes writing about their faults, weaknesses, and problems.
10 minutes expanding on the key traits that define this character. What is their main goal in the story, and what is their main problem or weakness?
10 minutes describing how they will change, and what will not change.

Take a break, and then spend another 30 minutes doing this same exercise for the antagonist. Who is against your protagonist? Who is competing with them, who is getting in their way?

If there are other major characters involved, you may want to give them a 30 minute sketch, also.

Next, try this for the place, the main setting. Set your timer and spend:
10 minutes describing the place, the setting.
10 minutes letting the protagonist describe the place or the setting.
10 minutes letting the antagonist describe the place or the setting.

Finally, get ready to make a list of events. Set your timer and do:
Five minutes writing about what could happen to test your protagonist? What would challenge them?
Five minutes writing about what would stress the protagonist's faults and problems and weaknesses?
Five minutes writing about what could happen to test your antagonist? What would challenge them?
Five minutes writing about what would stress the antagonist's faults and problems and weaknesses?
10 minutes writing about events where the protagonist and the antagonist could face off against each other.

Take a deep breath. In two hours more or less you have just explored your protagonist, your antagonist, the setting, and at least some of the events that you might want to write about. You may want to spend another 30 minutes just organizing the bits and pieces from your 30 minute sketches along with whatever ideas may have gotten stirred up doing all this.

There you go! Now take the results of those 30 minute sketches and start expanding on them. Keep going! (PSST! Doing these is writing! So if you want to spend your first few nanowrimo sessions doing this, it still counts as WORDS! Don't ignore it!)

Here's another set of quick questions or frameworks that might help you organize your thoughts for nanowrimo.

1. Who is your likable character (protagonist)?
2. What is the worthwhile goal that they are trying to achieve?
3. What is the opposition or conflict they face?
4. What are his or her own efforts to overcome that opposition?

Note that this is usually organized as a likable character overcomes opposition and conflicts through his or her own efforts to achieve a worthwhile goal. But I think when you are putting down your thoughts, it may be easier to think about the worthwhile goal before getting into the opposition or conflicts on the way to that goal.

Another approach is to think about:

1. Who hurts? This defines the characters.
2. What can go wrong? This defines the plot.
3. Who pays the most and what do they pay? This defines the climax.

Or you could take the 10 questions (Barry Longyear):

Background
1. Where are we? Setting
2. Who is involved? Characters with their strengths and weaknesses
3. Where are they going? Their goals and motivations
4. What blocks them? Obstacles and conflicts
5. What are they going to do? Plans
Story
6. What is the starting hook? The story question
7. What backfill is necessary?
8. What is the buildup for the story? What scenes?
9. What is your climax? How will the character change, how will the plot be resolved, and what is the story answer?
10. What is the purpose or theme of your story?

Yet another approach...

1. What is the main character's self-concept?
2. What significant event threatens that?
3. What is the moment of change to start your story with?
4. What intentions or goals does your character?
5. What is their plan of action to fix that the threat to their self-concept?
6. When, where, how will you answer the story question?

Or perhaps you prefer it organized this way?

1. What do you want to say?
2. What ending would show that?
3. What characters do you need? What are their strengths and flaws?
4. What situation leads to that ending? What are the opportunities and threats?
5. How do the characters meet that situation?
6. How will you introduce the problem?

Another way to look at it is:

1. Who are your characters? What do they want or need, what are their strengths and weaknesses?
2. What is the story problem?
3. What are the efforts of your characters that will make the story problem worse? How?
4. How can the characters use their strength to overcome their flaws?
5. What is the final effort that allows them to overcome their flaws?

Of course there's the simple three act format:

1. What is the inciting event?
2. What is the first doorway of no return, where the character steps out of their everyday life and faces the extraordinary?
3. What complications do they face? Try-fail cycles test your characters.
4. What is the second doorway of no return, where the character takes the challenge and faces it?
5. What is the climax? What do they face, what do they wager, and what is the outcome?

I sometimes find it useful to just run down one of the lists of plots or genres. Here's the list from Save the Cat.

1. Monster in the house. Facing a monster or disaster in a limited arena.
2. Out of the bottle. Wish fulfillment, and what happens then.
3. Dude with a problem. An ordinary guy facing an extraordinary situation.
4. Rite of passage. Life changes, coming-of-age at one of the nodes of our lives.
5. The fool triumphant. Underdog beating the odds.
6. Superhero. The extraordinary guy in an ordinary situation.
7. Buddies. Usually the odd couple, but also romance and other pairs.
8. Whydunit. Mysteries in all their complications and clues.
9. Institutionalized. The organization versus the individual.

I'm not sure where the rags to riches story fits in his list. But I certainly think it belongs in the list somewhere.

Probably the most important part is to keep writing. Don't get bogged down in lists of questions, character templates, or whatever – pick some stuff and keep going. The point of nanowrimo is not to produce a final finished polished piece of work, but to reinforce BICHOK – butt in chair, hands on keyboard (or pen on paper, voice to the microphone, or however you produce words). 30 days, 50,000 words, and... You're starting to build a habit. That's the real payoff, I think.

Ready for Nanowrimo? Nov. 1 is... EEEK! TOMORROW!

On your marks. Get ready. WRITE!