TECH: Do you have a half hour?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting 6 Oct 2011

Okay! Hey, you don't have an idea, and that contest deadline is breathing down the back of your neck? What, nanowrimo starts in hours, and you don't know what to write about?

Do you have 30 minutes? Just a half-hour?

If you do, you have time to outline a novel! (Or a short story) Here's how.

You'll need a kitchen timer or some other 3 minute alarm (cell phones and iPods and things like that often have one -- poke around in your tools, take a look at the clock app, whatever. Get something beside a clock, because you should NOT be looking at the clock).

Take a look at http://www.sff.net/people/alicia/artout.htm for the original article. Alicia Rasley explains how to "Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes." And... here's what you do. Set your timer, and write for 3 minutes about each of the following questions. When the timer goes off, reset it, and write about the next one. KEEP GOING!

A key part of doing this right is to just free write about each question. Don't try to pick up the best idea, don't even try to pick one idea, just keep writing. Read the question, answer with whatever pops into your head, read it again, write some more. You may be surprised how long 3 minutes is. Just keep writing.

All right? Got your timer, your computer/pad of paper/whatever ready, and you've taken a deep breath? Then... get set. GO!

1. At the start, what is unique about your protagonist? What sets them apart from other people? What is their strength and how does this strength get them in trouble?

Set that aside, reset the timer, and go! Next question!

2. When the story starts, what are they just about to do? Why do they think they're going to do that? What does this action represent to the protagonist?

Got it? Good. Reset your timer, go.

3. What external situation forces the protagonist to participate? How does this connect with the opening action? Does it help or interfere? Is there a deadline or ticking clock?

Talk about clicking tocks -- or ticking clocks. Shake your hand out, reset your timer, and go on to the next question.

4. What is the protagonist's goal for the time of the story? Is this connected with the external situation, or is the external situation a diversion? Why does the protagonist say they want to achieve the goal? Is there a deeper motivation that they don't want to know or reveal?

You say you want a revolution? All right. But for now, reset your timer! Go!

5. What problem or external conflict does the external situation present? How can the protagonist resolve that conflict?

A tidal wave in the middle of Omaha? Wow! Reset your timer. And here you go again!

6. List at least three obstacles to the protagonist resolving the conflict. Make at least one an internal obstacle/conflict.

How many obstacles did you get in 3 minutes? Very good. So, reset the timer, and on to the next question.

7. How does the protagonist grow in confronting these obstacles?

Growth, change, personal development, all that good stuff! Ready? Reset your timer. Go!

8. What do you want to have happen at the end of the story?

So that's what's going to happen? Very cool. And reset that timer. Here we go.

9. What has to happen or what has to change for the protagonist to make your ending happen? In particular, this should be something that the protagonist doesn't want to do, admit, reveal -- it's got to be hard for them.

Aha! One protagonist, over easy... Take a deep breath. Relax.

27 minutes and spare change! And if you followed the directions, you should have some ideas there that you can work with.

Alicia explains that what you've got here is the rough parts of the story. Questions one and two are about the beginning, the start. Use those to create your opening scene. Question number eight and nine are about how this is all going to finish. In between, we've got complications and changes.

Question number three and four -- the external problem they're facing, and where they want to go. Five expands on that a bit. Six and seven are obstacles on the road. You can use these to lay out scenes between the beginning and the end.

All right? Admittedly, you've still got work to do, but at least in 30 minutes you've got an idea, a rough sketch to get you started.

So if you're stuck and looking for what to write about, take one kitchen timer, nine questions, and a half-hour. See what you end up with!