EXERCISE: It Came From The Spam Folder!

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 9/30/2019

Just checking spam, and noticed that these might actually spark some interesting stories. Here you go, pick a number from 1 to 4 (sorry, I dump my spam regularly, I only had four collected). All prompts courtesy of ComplianceIQ, which seems to think I need training a lot...

1. How to survive an Emotionally Toxic Workplace. Feel free to make the workplace, home, or whatever location you prefer emotionally or literally toxic. Add characters trying to survive, and... WRITE!

2. Inspiring Leadership Through Conflict, Courage, and Creativity: The Art of "Passion Power" Hoho! Take a dash of conflict, a heaping spoonful of courage, and a pinch of creativity. Stir well, and let the passions play in your story! Inspired leadership, or just perspiring? Up to you...

3. Assertive Training for Executives, Managers, and Supervisors. Because they don't know how to be assertive enough? How about assertiveness for the rest of us? Feel free to portray the havoc as someone starts being assertive, and the rest of the world reacts.

4. How to Create a Drama Free Workplace! No Drama Queens here! Or maybe you want to flip it, and consider how to add drama to the workplace? After all, we could use some background music, sound effects, applause, maybe a laugh track...

Sorry, just an oddball exercise. Hope it works for some of you.
tink

EXERCISE: WOW: Inktober?

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 10/3/2019

This is really aimed at artists drawing in ink, but... over on their site (https://inktober.com/), they have a list of the daily one word prompts. Seems almost as if you could take one or more of the words for this week, and write a story? I mean, look at the first seven...


  1.  Ring

  2.  Mindless

  3.  Bait

  4.  Freeze

  5.  Build

  6.  Husky

  7.  Enchanted


Go ahead, let each of those words trickle through the little grey cells, and see what else pops up. Do they crisscross and connect? Who is that peeking around the corner? What, there's a problem hiding in there?


Consider writing a scene that shows us what that word conjures up for you? Go ahead, make us feel that mindless horror, or the squeaking of the beat, or maybe the fear and trembling as someone yells, "FREEZE!"?


Feel free to use the words to prompt some stories! Here, I'll give you the whole list.


  1.  Ring

  2.  Mindless

  3.  Bait

  4.  Freeze

  5.  Build

  6.  Husky

  7.  Enchanted

  8.  Frail

  9.  Swing

  10. Pattern

  11. Snow

  12. Dragon

  13. Ash

  14. Overgrown

  15. Legend

  16. Wild

  17. Ornament

  18. Misfit

  19. Sling

  20. Tread

  21. Treasure

  22. Ghost

  23. Ancient

  24. Dizzy

  25. Tasty

  26. Dark

  27. Coat

  28. Ride

  29. Injured

  30. Catch

  31. Ripe


There you go. A prompt a day, or mix and match? Go for it!

TECH: Character Arcs (part 8) (500 words)

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 10/7/2019

Now, with the first act just about in place, in Chapter 7, K. M. Weiland turns to the first plot point. I've also seen this called the doorway of no return #1, which I think makes a good name, too. This is where setup ends, and the heart of the story starts. The character commits themselves, irrevocably. Some decision that means I'm going to do it.

This is a major scene! It may be forced on the character, but they are also taking that step! With three decisions.

Decision #1, before the first plot point, is your character deciding something that leads up to the first plot point.

The first plot point then blows those plans to bits! A tornado sweeps the character off! The world gets shook up, and we are out of the normal world!

Decision #2, during the first plot point. This is all about the character's reaction to it. Basically, they need to decide to go ahead. To walk through that door, as scary as it may be, and start the adventure.

Decision #3, after the first plot point. Your character probably either charged ahead without really knowing what was coming, or got dragged into it. But now, they need to grab a clear physical goal. Tied to what he wants! Often, this is either an attempt to return to the normal, or to establish a new normal.

Questions? Sure...
1 What major event crashes into your character's normal world and forces them to change their plans?
2 What decision leads the character to the first plot point?
3 Does the first plot point seem favorable? How will the complications turn out worse than expected?
4 Is the event obviously disastrous? How?
5 Will the protagonist willingly step through the door, into the new world?
6 Or is he going to be forced through it?
7 Does the first plot point destroy the normal world? Or just physically move the protagonist from one world to the next? Or does it change the world around the protagonist?
8 How does the character react to the first plot point?
9 What new plot goal does the character form in response to the first plot point?
10 How does the first plot point start your character on the journey to that new Truth?
11 How does the new world beyond the first plot point penalize or stress the character for continuing with the Lie?

The first plot point throws the character into a world where the Lie doesn't work, and the character needs to learn the Truth, changing, and growing. So, plan a first plot point that really challenges your character to step into the adventure of their life.

Exercise? Probably the best is to take something you are working on, and brainstorm, oh, five to ten different first plot points. Go ahead and dream about what might happen! What kind of doorway of no return will your hero face, and how will they react? Then pick out the best, and make it real.

?Write?

EXERCISE: Meddle with the Muddle in the Middle

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 10/16/2019

Based on the prompt by Julie at storyaday https://storyaday.org/2019-13/...

1. Write a sketchy opening. Here's one:

Scene: Woman alone in her living room. The door comes smashing into the room!

2. Pick your inciting incident. Something happens to change things (like the door being blown into the room!) and your character reacts, probably not in a helpful way.

3. Write a sketchy ending. YOU CAN CHANGE THIS LATER! Just give yourself a quick sketch of a possible ending.

4. Now, go back and topple dominoes from that first incident and reaction. And then this happens! And then this happens! And...

Work on the middle. Try-fail cycles (I'm going to try this. DO IT! And... yes, success, BUT more problems. OR no, failure, AND even worse...) are a great way to go. But just keep pushing the next domino over...

GO! Get the middle laid out. Then go back and fill in the beginning or the ending as needed.

Whoosh! The muddle in the middle is the muddle with the mess?

TECH: Character Arcs (part 9) (770 words)

[mbarker]

 Original Posting 10/18/2019

Okay, take a deep breath! So far, Weiland has laid out a conceptual framework, with the Lie the character believes, what the character Wants, and what they Need, and the Ghost, the backstory behind the Lie. Then we’ve got the Characteristic Moment that introduces the character, and the Normal World. Plus six beats for the first act, and the first plot point (or first doorway of no return). Next, in Chapter 8, Weiland talks about the first half of the second act. See, the second act is often about half of the total story, so instead of tackling it in one big lump, Weiland suggests breaking it into three parts, the first half, the midpoint, and the second half. In this chapter, she’s only talking about the first half.

So what is happening, now that we’ve gone past the first plot point and ventured into unknown territory? Well, usually the character gets lost! And starts to discover that the Lie may not be as strong as they thought it was. Whoops! Reacting to the first plot point, and still chasing the Wants, he’s in trouble, whether he knows it or not. He’s going to be doing things, and learning that some ways to achieve the goal just don’t work.

So, what landmarks do we include in the first half of the second act?

1 Provide tools to overcome the Lie. Not everything, but at least a few hints, pieces of the puzzle, to get started. Information on how to overcome the Lie! Advice, perhaps, along with physical skills they will need for the climax. Some Truths to unsettle the lie, and useful truths.

2 Show difficulties pursuing the Lie. Let the character try out the old ways, and... run into problems. The Lie is going to get in the way, here in the second act. So, some of the character’s approaches will evolve. He’s going to see the failures, and start looking for ways to change.

3 Move closer to what he wants and farther from what he needs. The balance is shifting, but... it’s the wrong way! The character is working harder than ever to get what they want, and letting what they need slip away. While still seemingly moving towards the goal. But... the inner conflict is growing, even if they seem to be winning on the outside.

4 Give the character a glimpse of life without The Lie. Probably from other characters, but it might be a personal glimpse. Let them start to wonder, to see some flaws in that Lie.

Questions for the first half of the second act? Sure...

1 How does the character react to stepping through the first doorway of no return, the first plot point?
2 What tools can you give your character to start getting ready to break the Lie?
3. What minor character (or characters) can mentor your hero, either through example or advice? What do they do or say?
4 How could you show the hero the first step towards breaking the Lie?
5 How will the character try to use the Lie to solve the plot problems?
6 What will go wrong when they try this?
7 What is the character’s reaction to these failures? What do they learn, how do they adjust? What do they try?
8 How does the hero’s focus on the plot goal push him closer to what he Wants?
9 How does getting closer to what he Wants pull him away from what he Needs?
10 After stepping through the first doorway of no return, past the first plot point, how does the new world (or the changed normal world) give the hero a glimpse of life without the Lie?

In the first half of the second act, your character is going to try very hard to reach the plot goal. He’s trying to get control and beat the conflict, and it might even seem to be working. But actually, it’s running away, with the Lie and the Want breaking down.

This is where you can really explore the character, their personality, beliefs, and desires. Lots of chances for fun, conflict-filled scenes!

Exercise? Try sketching out three to five possible scenes or bits for each of the four landmarks that Weiland recommends. Now, add in other scenes that you want or think might fit in this part. And try laying them out in different sequences. What happens if you do this one first, and that one last? Go ahead, play with it!

Watch out, because the midpoint is coming. Our reactive hero is about to flip, and become active. But that’s the next episode!