EXERCISE: Wrap that analogy in romance!

[mbarker]

Original Posting 2021/5/21

There is a funny bit going around on Facebook, where some poor guy is whispering into his lady love's ear about how he thinks there is a landscape inside every woman, that needs to be unfolded... it ends with him saying, "Let's construct an assemblage."

Now, admittedly, it's kind of a rough and ready version of romance (when I read it, I was reminded of the old joke about the guy who asks women a fairly rude question, and someone asks what happens? He says he usually gets slapped, but once in a while... constructing an assemblage seems almost as far out). But it suggests an interesting twist.

Take an analogy, a process, something like that. Now, wrap it up in a romantic meeting between your two lovers. You can make it their first date, a somewhat more steamy scene, or even an outright adult scene, but let one of them be trying to lay out this analogy as part of their dialogue.

So, perhaps they see the relationship as a chess game, and they are about to force a checkmate? Or it's like automobile repair, and we're about to make the engine run? Or... go ahead, take your wildest analogy, and wrap it in a romantic dialogue.

Write that scene!

TECH: Scenes

[mbarker]

Original posting 2021/6/5

Over at https://writingexcuses.com/2021/05/30/16-22-scenes-and-set-pieces/ this week, they are talking about writing scenes (and set pieces?) for role-playing games and interactive fiction. This week, they recommended thinking about several key elements for a scene. The elements they suggested are setting, challenge, adversaries, rewards, and story development. Basically, where are we, what is the problem or task, who is opposing us, what are the stakes (or maybe consequences?), and how does this scene fit into the overall story.

Now, an interesting question is just how well do these elements play in writing scenes for ... what should I call it? Regular fiction? Short stories, novels, and so forth? And did they miss some things? I have to admit, they seem to be focusing more on providing a background, a stage set, where the players can then act out their version of the scene. They didn't really talk much about the steps in the action, what I guess you could call the fine structure of the scene. That may be a difference between writing for RPGs and writing fiction, of course.

Anyway, something to think about. What are the pieces you put together to make a scene? We talk about them as the building blocks of stories, but what are they? How do you build one?

TECH: Common First Page Mistakes?

[mbarker]

Original posting 2021/7/13

Over here, https://writingexcuses.com/2021/07/11/16-28-common-first-page-mistakes/ they talk about three different mistakes, and why they are problematic. Starting with your character waking up, starting with dialogue, and starting with a fight. Interesting, but I got to wondering, because that seemed pretty short. So, ask google!

https://www.google.com/search?q=common+first-page+mistakes

Aha! Zillions and zillions of hits... and right up front, here's Writers Edit with a list of seven...

https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/7-common-mistakes-to-avoid-in-your-first-chapter/

1. Overly slow opening
2. Generic or cliche opening
3. Overwritten prose
4. Too much descriptive detail
5. Backstory or info dump
6. False beginning/bait and switch
7. Unnecessary prologue
Of course, there's a lot more discussion over there if you are interested...

And then we have the Manuscript Shredder, with another list of seven mistakes...

http://themanuscriptshredder.com/most-common-first-page-mistakes/

1. Doesn't start the story
2. No conflict
3. Main character does nothing
4. Info dump
5. Setting dump
6. Backstory dump
7. Too many characters...
And again, more info on that site...

Hum. So, let me ask you. What do you consider to be the real mistakes that writers make right at the start of their story? What mistakes have you made, or seen turn up in your reading? Perhaps had to wrestle with in a writing group? Which of the ones up there do you think you might want to watch out for?

Starting page blues? Clear out the mistakes, and try again!

TECH: Romance, did you say?

[mbarker]

Original posting 2021/7/21

Oh, my. tvtropes has many things to say about romance. Starting at https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RomanceNovel

Apparently the single requirement to be a romance is a "Happily Ever After" (you know, and they lived happily ever after...). Which allows many versions to slip in. 

Hum, there's the Strictly Formula stories? Harlequin and others, where the story follows the tried and true plot line? 

If you have time (and a strong interest) https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RomanceNovelTropes has plenty of suggestions! Wow!

I think I'll stop here. So we're going to mix up this romance with a hollow metropolis setting? Fun and games... He lived on the West Side, she lived on the East Side. But when they met downtown, where no one lived, it was destiny...

Write! 

TECH: Oh, crime? In an emergency room?

[mbarker]

Original posting 2021/7/29

Let's see. Our old friend, tv tropes (https://tvtropes.org) has a number of pages in this general area. Crime and Punishment tropes, criminals, organized crime tropes, crime fiction... hum? I suspect detective literature or mystery literature is probably where we are headed, although... oh, detective fiction!

Detective drama ... a type of mystery fiction... follows the cases of a central detective character as they investigate a crime, usually from initial investigation to arrest. Police detective or private detective, perhaps an amateur sleuth? Two main varieties, closed, where the audience doesn't know who dun it, and the open variety, where the audience has the omniscient view, and watches to see how the detective unravels it (think Columbo!).

Mystery tropes has a huge list of things you might want to consider using...

Mystery fiction, mystery story, or just plain mystery? A genre that focuses on a mysterious happening. Figuring out who dun it drives the story.

And, of course, we want to mix in an emergency room. Perhaps the victim is found in the emergency room? Or the detective does the grand reveal there? Or... up to you! Still, crime and emergency rooms do kind of go together...

Yipes! Did we say this weekend as a target for the story? I hope some of you have gotten more done than I have...