FILL: Off and writing?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting Nov. 1, 2015

Let's see. Over here

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html

We have this lovely metaphor from Saint Augustine.

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."

So we need to have a goal, something we are trying to achieve? Although I guess penguins get along reasonably well with their little stubs, and the emu doesn't even go that far. Hum... Penguins underwater are pretty graceful, when it comes down to it. But... No, let's stick with putting wings on our intelligence, and aim to achieve something!

In fact, in the world of writing, one of the facets that every character needs is at least a story goal, and fairly often a scene goal (for each and every scene!). So the ambition threads throughout the story, tying it all together as the character tries to achieve their ambition, their goal?

However, on the first day of Nanowrimo 2015, we need to get a kickstart. So sit down and write, write, write!

You mean writing 2000 words a day for 30 days isn't ambition? Hey, watch out, that tablet over there is trying to take off!

tink

FILL: Onward, Nanowrimo Writers! Neither sweat nor sleep nor... (260 words)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting Nov. 6, 2015

Day five, or maybe six? So 10,000 words or so socked out, and just another 40K to go?

You haven't got that far? Or maybe you've got more than that? The characters are disgusting, the plot is turning into spaghetti, and why did you ever start this, anyway?

KEEP GOING!

Whether you make the 50,000 word target or not, whether you like the way it all turns out or not, keep on writing. The trick here is that you're practicing, you are training yourself, for the marathons of writing. Sorry, but most novels aren't churned out in a day, nor do wonderful writers just sit down and suddenly start producing great works. Nope, this is a long distance marathon, where day after day, week after week, month after month, even... really? Yes, year after year! You sit down, you write, you revise, you work.

And Nanowrimo gives you a practice ground for doing that, along with some fine friends and support to help you keep on writing.

So. No matter how far you get, no matter how badly this project goes off the rails, no matter how the characters wail, the plot unravels and twists, the setting turns into mush and malarkey -- keep going. Write those words, fill that page, go on, you can do it!

"His vorpal blade went snicker-snack!" Lewis Carroll said, once upon a time.

Have you slain the jabberwock?

YAY!

Onward, Nanowrimowers. Refill those tanks, wipe the sweat out of your eyes, and keep wording.

tink

FILL: One-Third of a Nanowrimo? (280 words)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting Nov. 10, 2015

Would that be a skoosh or a pinch?

Anyway, it's about day 10, right? Which means you should be at about 20,000 words, more or less? One third of the way through the month, rumbling away at that word count...

This is often where the discontent of the middle sets in. You've written that flashing start, got those characters living and acting, and... now there's the muddle in the middle to write through. Ugh! But you knew the job was dangerous when you started it, right? Keep on pounding those keys!

Take a look ahead for a moment. Remember that ending you are headed for? Maybe you did a draft of it to start with, or at least a little sketch? Anyway, think about that ending, that glowing climax, where the good triumphs and evil is vanquished! Set your sights on that glowing star, and then back into the muck of the middle.

This is where that notion of the try-fail cycle comes in handy. What can your characters try, and fail at? Remember to use the yes-but and the no-and -- yes, they succeeded, but things got worse and no, they failed, and now it's even worse. You may also want to drag out the scene-sequel format to reinforce the middle. Write a scene, full of action and dialogue, and follow it with a sequel, where the characters react to what has happened, rethink their strategies and goals, and reset where they are going next.

Mostly, settle into your pace and keep writing. One-third of the way through? That means only about two-thirds to go! Crank up the music and hum along now...

tink

EXERCISE: A quickie!

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting Dec. 8, 2015

What a writing prompt!

I waved at the covert bicycling tyrannosaurus as he rode past, then I clipped another rose...

Go ahead. Finish that story. A covert tyrannosaurus? or was it that he was bicycling that was covert? Or maybe the way he was bicycling was covert? Anyway, it's all up to you and your imagination. What happened next to our rose clipper? And just where did that tyrannosaurus go?

(jetlagged and generally confused, but... thought I would toss this one out there and see what you make of it! Come on, write a little!)

tink

TECH: A Thrill A Minute?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting Dec. 31, 2015

Well, maybe not quite that fast. But... Over here

http://madgeniusclub.com/2015/12/30/thrill-me/

Sarah Hoyt talks about what the key parts of a thriller are. So fasten your seatbelt and keep your head and arms inside the car at all times, here we go!

First off, Sarah tosses off a definition of a thriller fairly lightly. Simple, eh? A book where good and evil race before something horrible can happen. So we have the good guys (aka the guys in white hats?) and the bad guys (black hats, anyone?) racing to prevent or cause something horrible. That makes sense, right?

Now, Sarah does point out that the horrible thing may range from losing a cookie (children's book? Hey, losing a cookie is a horrible thing to have happen at any age!) up to blowing up the planet (or for those of you who remember E. E. Smith, we can toss in blowing up the sun, blowing up the Galaxy, or perhaps even blowing up the universe -- world-shattering booms!). But it needs to be something really horrible, okay?

The place to start your thriller? With the evil protagonist, and the horrible things that he or she can and will cause. Start with something that establishes just how bad they are, and how horrible the horrible thing is.

An optional tweak is whether you hide the identity of our bad boy, or reveal it up front. For mystery, keep them in the shadows. For a bit more horror, let us see that they are the boy next door.

Next up, build urgency by showing us both the bad boys busily preparing to pull the pin on their boom and the good guy riding to the rescue, intent on stopping them. Alternating scenes, letters back and forth, perhaps a Skype interview? You figure out how to do this, but make us feel that urgency building.

Yes, this is a ticking clock, of some variety. In a thriller, they tend to be explicit and very present, ticking away with the numbers dwindling...

To the climax!

Let the villain build in horror, stepping closer to the final horrible event that we have been afraid of from the start. And keep the hero struggling to catch up, running, running...

Until the final fight. The thriller needs that final confrontation, villain against hero, right on the edge of the final disaster. This is where the hero pays for victory, in pain, loss, or whatever.

Sarah recommends a Writer's Digest book if you want to know more about thrillers.

I have to admit, I think this is one genre where reading helps quite a bit. Reading thrillers, that is, not advice. Then step back and think about just how that thriller kept you turning the pages, racing along with the good guy until...

Exercise? Well, one simple one is to take a thriller that you like and simply go through it, identifying the good guys, bad guys, the ticking clock, and the final horror... What are the parts of your favorite thriller?

Then, of course, you can either try crafting one fresh, or perhaps consider adding some or all the thriller parts to a story you have already. What does it take to turn your story into a thriller? Does punching up the antagonist, adding a horrible thing, and a ticking clock do the job? What else needs to change?

Go ahead, take your readers on a roller coaster ride with a thriller! Just watch out for the final drop!

tink

TECH: Romance is in the air! And everywhere!

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting Jan. 7, 2016

Well... at least over here

http://madgeniusclub.com/2016/01/06/lets-get-romantic/

Sarah is taking up the banner of the romance! So let's see...

The stereotype Romance is boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl. Or vice versa, mix-and-match, feel free to throw in a best friend or whatever. It's a play about the attraction between two (or more) people, okay? (not to be confused with buddy cop shows and odd couples and such, except... they do look kind of similar, don't they?)

But since the 80s or so, romances have gotten complex. Often they mix in a healthy helping of mystery, for example. Something like girl accused of crime, runs away and meets hero, who finds out about crime and one or both run away, but... hero solves mystery, redeems her, and they forgive each other, then happily ever after (marriage, children, or something like that).

So, basically, two people meet, circumstances push them apart and then back together, and pow! Love and romance save the day.

Some problems to watch out for:

1. Just because it has a romantic subplot does not mean it is really a romance.
2. Romance, mystery, and science fiction can dance together just fine. In a romance, the relationship is the central element, though.
3. You can always use romance to complicate things! After all, competent people fall in love and lose track all the time.
4. Just because your character is not interested in romance doesn't mean that romance is going to skip right past. Romance trope says if two characters spend time together, sparks will fly! To avoid this in SF/F/mystery/thriller land, you have to strongly signal it.
5. Enjoy the love triangles (and more complex geometries of romance). When A loves B, B loves C, and C loves... anyone but B, you have built-in conflict.

Key concept, and I'll quote from the master here, "Use romance. Be aware of the leads you're laying down, and follow them."

Now, what can we do as an exercise? An obvious one is to take that story you are working on, and consider mixing in a little romance subplot. Or even just make explicit the hidden romance that you've been ignoring!

Or, of course, you could try outlining a romance plot. Classic, or one of the modern variations? You choose!

And write about it. With all the fun stuff!
tink

EXER: a first line, anyone?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting Jan. 17, 2016

Mitsuko took me out for a walk around one of the local malls this afternoon, since it was chilly. Wandering around, watching the crowds, wondering what they were all doing there, my eye was caught by the blue glitter around the wrist of a young girl, maybe six or seven years old. Then I realized it was handcuffs! One fastened on her wrist, the chain dangling down, and the other fastened on the wrist of a plump brown teddy bear, jiggling and dancing along beside his young friend. The handcuffs were a bright metallic blue, like a beetle or perhaps peacock feather?

Anyway, as I was pondering on just what led to this juxtaposition, I realized there might be a writing prompt there. So...

They had handcuffed us together.

There. That's your starting line. Who got handcuffed together, why, and what are they trying to do as the odd couple who are literally chained together? You decide. The old escapees, one from each group that can't stand each other, but now they need to work together to get away? Or maybe something more modern, like my young friend and her teddy bear? Pick your two characters, get the cuffs on them, and... Tell us what happens!

Write!
tink

TECH: Is there a mystery in your story soup?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting Jan. 31, 2016

Over here

http://madgeniusclub.com/2016/01/27/mysteriously/

Sarah Hoyt talks about mysteries. No, not the sweet mystery of life, although if you haven't seen Young Frankenstein, you should. But in this case, we're talking the mysteries of novels, or actually, novels that are mysteries! Yes, the cozies, the hard boiled, the private detective, the police procedural, and anything else where whodunit is a key question. Puzzles! There's a dead body in the living room, and instead of just stepping over it, we want to know who did it, how, and all those fun questions. Sometimes we just want to know how to catch the rascal, but that's a question for Elmer Fudd.

Cozies go for the hearts and minds, focusing on the pain of death. Hard boiled gets into the bloody nuts and bolts (okay, intestines, broken ribs, and other body parts) along with a good hard stroll through gritty alleys and such. Police procedurals are how we wish the police did things, more or less. (and yes, Sarah skipped the PI subgenre. Guess what, there's a private eye somewhere in there!).

Strictures on structure? We've got a few...

1. A dead body (aka murder!) as close to the beginning as possible. If they don't stumble over that dead body up front, at least give us a foreshadowing or other hint that nastiness hides in the nasturtiums, okay?
2. Normally, mysteries revolve around a murder. Yes, there are plenty of other crimes, but... the canonical mystery starts with a dead body.
3. There's a reason for the character to be involved. Friend, discovered the body, the last act was to call or write, something links the character and the death.
4. The murderer appears early in the book. Not usually as the murderer, but... visible.
5. A timer! Something counting down to horrible keeps things moving.
6. Watch out for interviews and other boring hunts for a clue. Use a timing device, make some of the meetings dangerous, or maybe someone is trying to kill the character? Or even all three!
7. The private life of the character (detective) often is rocky, providing extra thrills to keep things moving.
8. Give the readers all the clues. You can bury them in various ways, but give them a fair chance. Detectives who suddenly figure it out because they have information the reader doesn't usually get thrown across the room.
9. Tie up everything! If you don't tie it up, highlight it so we know it was deliberate.
10. Let the reader see that everything has gone back to normal, order is restored.
11. Plenty of other genres can (and do) use mystery structure.
12. Mystery shorts ... go read Sarah's description.
13. Make sure the bad guy(s) get punished!
14. Make your villain motivated. Give them a good solid reason for killing.

So, there you have it. Plenty of how to write your mystery advice around. Do be aware that mystery readers tend to be very picky, and want you to do it right if you're going to do it. So read some of the stuff!

Then go ahead and kill that sucker. In the kitchen with a pipe? Okay...

tink