Tech: Stories, piece by piece (part 3: Purpose/Theme?)

[mbarker]

 Original Posting Oct. 19, 2018

Aha! What do you want to say, what is the meaning of your story? You might as well start out with that old cliché, "And the moral of the story is…"

This usually ends up being something you figure out after you have finished the first draft, or even during revision, when you can look at the whole story and see what's going on. Although maybe you'd like to start with a general idea or purpose.

Now, one part of this can be thinking about the genre. Here's one list:

Monster in the house
wish fulfillment
dude with the problem (ordinary person, extraordinary situation)
rite of passage
fool triumphant
superhero (extraordinary person, ordinary situation)
buddies (a.k.a. the odd couple, romance, and so forth)
whodunit (the mysteries!)
Institutionalized (individual versus institution)
quest
adventure
love
one against the odds

Go ahead, which genre do you want to write? Then, in that genre, what you want to say? If you had to sum up your story, the meaning of your story, in a short phrase or sentence, what would it be?

Now, for Halloween... I suppose one of the themes is that there are things in the dark that go bump! Or maybe it's scary in the dark?

You know the next step, right? Yeah...

WRITE!

EXERCISE: Scary Bits and Pieces? Halloween prompts...

[mbarker]

 Original post Oct. 22, 2018

Ho, ho, ho... I just put together a little random generator, using horror ideas, elements, devices, and locations from The Fiction Writer's Silent Partner. Let's try hitting it six times, and see what we get?

1.
Idea:  mysterious circus lures young victims to a performance
Element: abominable snowman
Device: flying monsters
Location: locked room

2.
Idea: an artist uses real people for his sculptures
Element: forces of energy
Device: hot wax
Location: a ghost boat

3.
Idea: a monster/wild animals/reptiles/rodents infest a village or town
Element: bats
Device: reptiles
Location: garage

4.
Idea: a train or other vehicle departs its route
Element: prehistoric monsters
Device: flying monsters
Location: locked room

5.
Idea: a scientist creates life or energy that goes out of control
Element: dragons
Device: gouging
Location: deserted warehouse

6.
Idea: an electrical field feeds on other energy, growing stronger and more deadly
Element: monsters
Device: hatchet
Location: deserted fun park

Well, they may not be the greatest, but… Perhaps they will provide you with a starting point? Tell us about the locked room in the circus, or perhaps the ghost boat, filled with sculptures that are eerily realistic? How about the wave of bats and reptiles taking over the town, trapping our heroes in a garage? Or maybe it's the locked room on the train, driven off of its tracks by flying prehistoric monsters? Or the dragons that the bio technicians thought they had under control, out in the warehouse? What about the electrical monsters growing in the deserted fun park?

Go ahead, make it your story!

Tech: Stories, piece by piece (part 4: Plot)

[mbarker]

 Original posting Oct. 23, 2018

Looking for more? Well, how about starting with these little questions. What threatens the character's self-image? What can go wrong, and what does it cost? What blocks the character, and what are they going to do about it?

Or, you might just think about what events you want to put in your story. Or maybe which candy bar scenes, those ones that you know everybody expects, like the chase scene in a movie.

What about starting by thinking about what is the climax, where are we headed? Then back up, and think about what are the small try-fail cycles on the way there, or the bumps in the road?

Now, if you want a little bit more sequential approach, try walking through this list:

1. What is the moment of change that starts things going?
2. What is the hook for the reader?
3. What is the story problem?
4. What is the first doorway of no return?
5. What are the complications in the middle?
6. What is the 2nd doorway of no return?
7. What is the ending? The climax, character change, and the plot answer?
8. Now what backfill and back story is needed to support this?

There you go. Get the story started, get the character committed, complications along the way, kick off the final confrontation, and explode your ending! Wow!

A likable character overcomes opposition and conflicts through their own efforts to achieve a worthwhile goal…

Characters, purpose and theme, plot…

Write!

EXERCISE: Plot bunnies?

[mbarker]

 Original posting Oct. 25, 2018

Just to get your brain working, here are six plot bunnies, ready to hop into your story. Pick a number from 1 to 6 if you like, or you can read through them and see what happens.

Let's see. 1. The characters are refugees, the genre is the affective plot: the tension between thoughts and feelings (a.k.a. rationality or compassion? That is the question). The scruple is "on the street, you meet a couple who have recently arrived from South America, and want to remain in the country illegally. They are destitute. Do you help them?" The plot is a mystery. And if you like, you might have a cell phone in your tent.

Nope? Okay how about this one?

2. Again, the characters are refugees. The genre, however is the disillusionment plot, the loss of ideals and consequent effects. The scruple is simple, "you owe the bank $4000 from a student loan. You have moved, and the bank has failed to trace you. Do you repay the loan?" The plot is that of a hidden base, a safe place. And the oddity? Well, there is an alien pet in your briefcase.

No? All right, here's another one.

3. Aha! The characters are explorers. The problem is that you have witnessed a crime. The genre is rites of passage, or life changes. The scruple? "Waiting at a bus stop in a downpour, you see a blind man attempting to cross the street. You are in a rush and see your bus coming. Do you offer to help?" The plot? A quest to get the X, a.k.a. a treasure hunt. And an oddity? Well, how about a cell phone in the bathroom.

Not that one either?

4. How about the police as characters? The problem is the beginning or the ending of school. The genre? The admiration plot, where an ordinary person wins through. The scruple is very short. You find an expensive pen in a public lounge. Do you keep it? The plot is that of travel, you meet a group, head for X, deal with blocks and attacks and problems on the way, and do you get there or not? For an oddity, well, you have an alien child in your locker.

That doesn't quite do it? All right...

5. The characters this time are traders. The problem is moving. The genre is that of the dude with the problem, an ordinary guy in extraordinary circumstances. The scruple? A childhood friend from overseas is in the country and wishes to visit you. You have not been in contact for 20 years and have little time or space. Do you extend your hospitality? The plot? Stranded in a strange place, the best advice you have is don't eat the purple ones. And the oddity is that there is a quilted snake in your locker.

That doesn't do it either? All right one more...

6. Aha. The character is a veterinarian, who has the problem that they have gained a new family member. The genre again is the affective plot, with the tension between thoughts and feelings, rationality versus gut feeling. The scruple is that a friend who is a strict vegetarian is coming for dinner. You're feeling proud of your bean stew until you remember that you used a beef stock. Do you keep quiet and serve the dish? The plot is that of shelter, any old port in a storm. And the oddity this time is that there is a gun in the living room. Remember the advice, if you hang a gun over the fireplace in act one, you need to fire it before the ending!

There you go. Random prompts to help make the stories go round!

WRITE!