ext_88293 (
mbarker.livejournal.com) wrote in
writercises2009-07-23 02:00 pm
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Entry tags:
CONTEST: A backbone?
Original posting 17 July 2009
Okay. So let's say you've got some notions, there's a goal, maybe a bit of an inciting incident, some characters, all that stuff swirling around in your head. How do you organize it?
Let's take a look at a website that might help. Jim Butcher writes a very popular fantasy detective series (the Dresden Files) and others, and he's been blogging about his process over here. http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/ I thought it was a little odd -- he seems to have written the blog postings in order, which means the ones for starting are at the bottom... (psst? Anyone else recognize that Scene-Sequel structure? Yeah, James Bickham's Scene & Structure http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/tag/sequel ) Anyway
Jim's story skeleton is this:
When Jim finds a treasure map in his dead uncle's sea chest, he decides to recover the fortune. But will he succeed when the Bloody Hand Gang finds out that there's a treasure out there?
Okay. So let's say you've got some notions, there's a goal, maybe a bit of an inciting incident, some characters, all that stuff swirling around in your head. How do you organize it?
Let's take a look at a website that might help. Jim Butcher writes a very popular fantasy detective series (the Dresden Files) and others, and he's been blogging about his process over here. http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/ I thought it was a little odd -- he seems to have written the blog postings in order, which means the ones for starting are at the bottom... (psst? Anyone else recognize that Scene-Sequel structure? Yeah, James Bickham's Scene & Structure http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/tag/sequel ) Anyway
Jim's story skeleton is this:
*WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS*, *YOUR PROTAGONIST* *PURSUES A GOAL*. But will he succeed when *ANTAGONIST PROVIDES OPPOSITION*?Okay? Pretty simple, right? Plug in
- What happens to kick things off? (the inciting incident)
- Who's the protagonist?
- What's the goal?
- Who's the antagonist? How do they oppose the protagonist?
When Jim finds a treasure map in his dead uncle's sea chest, he decides to recover the fortune. But will he succeed when the Bloody Hand Gang finds out that there's a treasure out there?