The Place For My Writers Notes

Original Posting Oct. 14, 2015

Writer's Digest, April 2003, pp. 24-27, had an article by Laurie Rosin with the title 10 Tips for a Stellar Revision. The focus was on 10 basic concepts to help you do revision. While the details are worth reading, here's a short summary of what I thought were the important points.

1. A revision takes as long as it takes. Don't get in a hurry. Relax, take your time, and see what you can learn from the process.
2. Revise toward a marketable length. Especially first-time novelists often write too long, and have trouble revising this huge mass of material. Think about cutting unnecessary material before you polish. Is everything as tight as possible?
3. Torque the power of your scenes. Scenes, characters, settings -- make sure it all works towards your story. Frame your scenes with a quick here's where we are, who's there, how much of a gap from the last scene, who is the point of view and what are they thinking?
4. Begin scenes close to the action. In media res isn't just for openings!
5. Tease the reader forward into the next chapter."Each chapter's conclusion should leave the reader excited, anticipating what might happen next. Good endings, linked to powerful beginnings in the succeeding chapter, keep your audience fully engaged." What is the protagonist planning/worrying about? What is the antagonist doing? Look ahead, but save the full impact for the next scene.
6. Replace discussion with action. Meetings and routine activities are dull. Skip it, and keep your characters in action!
7. Give your antagonist some depth. Bold, intelligent villains make heroes shine! What does he want, why, and what is he willing to do to get there?
8. Make sure your dialogue matters. Characters should talk like themselves, not all the same. Make the dialogue real!
9. Incorporate your research where appropriate. The job is inform and entertain. Help the reader learn something new, give them some fun facts, something interesting.
10. Dramatize, dramatize, dramatize. Make the events immediate and real. Watch for stretches of narrative without dialogue -- you're probably telling! Let the point of view character show us the story, instead of the storyteller.

Okay? So rvise. Revse. Revise!

Original posting 20 November 2010

Drat, skipped a day again. Yesterday was an odd day for me, as far as nanowrimo goes. I mean, I'm making my words, but somehow? middle of the afternoon, I found myself just sitting there saying I'm not so sure this is going anywhere. Then I took a look at Holly Lisle's Plot notions, and got confused, because she starts with characters? and I wasn't quite so sure I knew my characters in the kind of depth she seems to expect, even if I do know the story I'm telling! So? I took the afternoon off. And went ahead and wrote some words in the evening, just to keep things moving.

Then today, I took a look at a set of YouTube talks by Dan Wells on story structure (5 of them, about an hour's easy listening). Very interesting, because he seems to be stressing a much more event-oriented approach to plot. And along the way, I decided I liked doing events, not trying to delve deeply into my characters' background and personalities.

Link for the first chunk is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcmiqQ9NpPE

And then? I was waiting for Mitsuko, and the TV was on. The daily kid's program, oddly enough. And they had a little tiny vignette. See, there's the big, strong, somewhat dumb character, and the short curious friendly character, and a couple of others. Big, Dumb is a brown slab of a character costume. Short is a little white ball of one. The others are more human.

And they're all playing ball. And the ball gets lost. Short goes to find it, and runs into a stranger! Who is holding the ball, and says, "Hey, you! Is this yours?" Short says, "Yes. Can I have it back?" The stranger shrugs, and tosses it to Short. Then he turns to leave.

And Short says, "Wait. Thank you!" The stranger turns around and kind of sneers. "You're welcome." Then Short says, "Say, would you like to play with us?" The stranger says, "Your friends won't like me." And Short says, "Sure they will."

And then the friends show up. And they aren't very happy to see a stranger. They ask Short if the stranger hurt him, and so forth. The stranger starts to leave again!

And Short says, "Hey, let's play tag. You're it!" and touches the stranger. Who looks around, shaking his head, and says, "Tag? Well?" So the stranger touches one of the friends, who immediately starts screaming. And Big, Dumb grabs the stranger.

At which point Short pushes Big, Dumb who starts to trip and fall on the screaming friend. And the stranger pulls Big, Dumb back, so that he falls on the stranger. Then they all help get everyone standing again. And now we're all friends.

For some reason, that little vignette caught my attention. And reminded me of other "little stories." And I realized that these little stories usually are just actions, very little character development. And yet they are FUN! I mean, yeah, the stranger goes from being a rude unknown to being a new friend, but really, we still don't know what's making him tick. And that's okay.

Anyway, that's what I'm chewing on yesterday and today. The balance between action or event-oriented storytelling and the internal stuff, the psychological intrigue of the internal world.

Let's see. Over here http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/145852.html I reflected a bit on the way that just letting the words flow in nanowrimo can be relaxing, maybe even cleansing. Fun, per se? And then here http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/145935.html I borrowed from Bradbury again, and his lists of words. So many writers talk about making lists, lists of words, lists of phrases, lists of one-line scene ideas? sit down and make your lists! Before writing, while you're writing, whenever you need to stretch a bit. Make a list, check it twice, gonna write out some naughty and nice, nanowrimo month is running along.

By the way, this is the third of the four weekends in nanowrimo this year. And if you're going to be tied up with Thanksgiving (oh, turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, stuffing, ah, all that great eating!) you may consider this the last weekend that you can devote to nanowrimo. So let the words roll! Make those wordmills grind hard and long.

Write!

Original posting 7 January 2009

(6x6 Saturday? That's like day after tomorrow? Hurry, hurry!)

The Logic of Emotion

Writer's Digest, July 2005, pages 28 to 31 have an article by Eric M. Witchey with the title, "The Logic of Emotion." Basically, this lays out an approach to character-driven stories. Now why would you want a character-driven story? Well, they sell faster, and readers like them. Why? Because readers get engaged in the emotional reality of characters. So what's that mean?

"The character needs an emotional foundation of motivations. Those motivations drive decisions, the decisions lead to actions and the actions create conflicts that the character can't walk away from. When the conflicts are resolved, the character enters a new emotional state -- and from those emotions flow new decisions, actions and conflicts. Emotion drives Decision drives Action drives Conflict drives Emotion -- ED ACE." Five components that work together to produce character-driven stories.

1. Emotion. What does the character feel at the beginning of the scene? Let the reader know! There are lots of ways to do that, and your selection of sensory details and subjective commentary will be unique. But make sure that your scene starts with the character's emotions.
2. Decision. With an established emotional state, let the character make some decisions. Make sure they are consistent, and that they show the reader what's going on. Explicit decisions, choosing an action that builds on characterization, character needs, and character history.
3. Action. Let the character do something. Whatever they do, it shows the reader what kind of person this is.
4. Conflict. Opposition! Self versus self, person versus the environment, or that old standby person versus person. Willful opposition builds tension and make stories come alive. Especially when the character has shown us their emotions, their decisions, and their actions -- and now they run into opposition.
5. Emotion. The conflict pushes the character into a new emotional state. Show that transition, the reactions and feelings. And start the cycle again.

"Reader engagement depends on a connection with character motivation and emotional change. You have to create a sense that your characters have lives filled with emotions that drive their decisions and actions."

An exercise? Well, take your work in progress, and look at a scene. Does the beginning clearly show how the character feels? Is there a decision by the character that moves us into action? Does the action run into opposition? And does the opposition create emotional consequences? If you're missing one or more steps, consider how to fill it in. And keep the rhythm going.

Another exercise might be to take two emotions, and work out what kind of decision-action-conflict chain could move the character from one to the other. Take someone walking into their house, smiling and happy looking ahead to the three-day weekend, and bring them to the brink of tears? Or perhaps to silent raging? You pick the emotions, and connect the dots.

And don't forget to write!

Original posting 4 May 2008

Make a Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld

Chapter 2: Strong Scene Launches

And we're back, with more notes from Make A Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld. The introduction and chapter one were last - do you remember what they covered? Right, that's it. Keep the reader entertained. And scenes are the basic elements of stories, with characters in action right in front of us. Each scene has a beginning where it gets started, a middle that fills in the conflicts and consequences, and an ending that sets up the next scene and wraps up this scene. Okay? For more details, read the last posting or get a copy of the book and read it -- it's pretty good! And now, on to the beginning of scenes, where we drag the readers into the scene.

First of all, since the beginning of the scene may actually pick up in the middle of action or continue something from before, Jordan suggests using the term launch -- where the reader's attention is engaged again. He suggests starting to construct a scene launch by asking two questions:

1. Where are my characters in the plot? Where did I leave them and what are they doing now?
2. What is the most important piece of information that needs to be revealed in this scene?

You need to think about which kind of launch to use. Jordan suggests four flavors: characters, actions, narrative summary, or setting.

Character launches focus on getting the main characters out there. You should probably think about the scene intentions of the characters -- what is the purpose, goal, or intention of the character? This involves four decisions:

1. What are the immediate desires of the character?
2. When do the characters achieve their intention or encounter some type of opposition?
3. Does the intention makes sense to the plot?
4. Who helps your characters achieve their goal, and who opposes them?

Scene intentions usually involve some kind of conflict. It doesn't matter what your character's intentions are, but you must know them from the beginning of each scene so that you can make sure that they are enacted, met, or thwarted.

Action launches are a good way to avoid getting tied up in narrative summary, trying to explain things. Just jump right in and start the action without explaining anything. You do need to pay attention to time and momentum -- it takes time for actions, but once started, they keep going until they are finished. The keys are:

1. Get straight to the action. Jump off the cliff, don't waste time looking at it.
2. Hook the reader with big or surprising actions. Big or surprising action at the launch of a scene allows for more possibilities within the scene.
3. Make sure the action is true to the character. It should create conflict, too.
4. Act first, think later. Lead with the action, then let characters react and think about what they have done.

Narrative launches. We've said so much about avoiding narrative summary, but the launch of a scene is one place where a short, well-written narrative summary can work out. We need to get to the action quickly, but a narrative summary can help sometimes. The keys are:

1. Use a narrative summary where it saves time.
2. Use narrative summary to communicate information before action. A little bit of background or setting can go a long way.
3. Use narrative when thoughts or intentions cannot be revealed in action. Some characters cannot speak or act easily, so narration can let the reader know what they think and feel.

Setting launches. If the setting details are important to the plot or character development, you may need to include the setting in the launch of the scene. In particular, unusual, exotic, or challenging locations that bear dramatically on the characters and the plot can launch us in the right direction. For effective scene launches:

1. Use specific visual details.
2. Let the scenery set the tone and the language of the scene.
3. Use scenery to reflect a character's feelings and perceptions.
4. Show how the character sees the scenery.

The real danger with scene launches for the writer is that they are short and easy to rush through, trying to get to the real meat of the scene. Don't do it. Take the time to get the scene launch right -- or at least go back and revise it into what it needs to be. The scene launch invites the reader to come along, and should be as intriguing and alluring as possible.

So we need to launch the scene, providing the reader with something that gets them oriented and interested in reading in this scene. I think that along with Jordan's question about what's the most important information to be revealed in this scene we need to think about how to make the reader curious about that this information. We want them to read the scene looking for an answer, trying to figure out that piece of information. You want them to be puzzled and curious.

I do think that every scene launch needs to involve all four of Jordan's flavors -- the characters, the action, probably a little narrative summary, and setting. I think the difference is likely to be more in emphasis. So a character launch shows us the characters more than the action or setting, an action launch emphasizes what's going on, and the setting launch tells us more about where we are than the others. But the character launch needs to have some conflict in it, the action launch certainly has to have someone who is doing all that dancing, and the setting launch needs to include someone looking around, at the very least. Still, I think Jordan makes a good point - think about which one you are trying to do, and focus on getting that emphasis right. Think about how that launch leads the reader into your scene.

So your assignment for this chapter is to take a look at a book or story of your choosing, and find at least one scene launch. Take a close look at how the author introduces the scene and gets you into it. Did they use a character, action, narrative summary, or setting launch? If they used a narrative summary, how long is it and what happens right after it? How does the launch orient you as a reader, and how does it get you interested in reading further? I think as writers we often try to explain too much, and miss the fact that some mystery and suspense can be very good for getting the reader interested.

When we write, we invite others to come along?

original posting 22 April 2008

Ramp up the action: Keep your scenes active to give your readers the heart-pounding intensity they demand.

That's the banner headline on the Writing Clinic article by Paul Bagdon in Writers Digest, Oct. 2004, pp. 55-57. Bagdon looks at the first chapter of a thriller , but I think the advice is good for any writer.

First, open with action. The piece that Bagdon is looking at has a little teaser about what that day was supposed to be, setting the stage for something cataclysmic to happen, but then it spends several paragraphs on background material. Bagdon says, "The problem is that now -- on the very first page -- isn't the time to present that material. The reader needs to be hooked -- dragged directly into the adventure --to the point where there's no possibility of her putting the book back on the shelf."

So the initial problem is to avoid spending too much time doing setup and background. Jump into the middle of the action and keep going. Especially in a novel, there's plenty of time later to come back and explain whatever background is really necessary, but the beginning of the story -- the place where you are convincing a reader that they really want to read this book -- that's not where you want to slow down and dump that information up all over the page. So cut, cut, cut.

"It's the writer's obligation to create dynamic and engaging situations and scenes in the first paragraphs and pages of an action-adventure novel. Readers (and editors) not only expect such leads --they demand them."

Second, consider the mix of Active vs. Passive. Readers of thrillers are looking for action, what Bagdon calls "good ol' spine-tingling, I-can't-put-this-book-down action." But he adds that in the mix of the thriller we also need a fully articulated protagonist and a plot with rich enough dynamics to support all that tension, intrigue, and violence.

Next, Bagdon points out that action needs to be written in an active way, presented as direct experience perceived by a character through physical senses, emotions, fears, and feelings to make it vital and engaging. Don't let up -- keep the reader right there beside the person having the experience. Beware of stepping back and narrating or describing, keep it acutely active. Write totally in the protagonist's senses and emotions. Make it purely active, a vehicle that lets the reader move, feel, hear, and see what the protagonist does.

But ?

Not just nonstop feverishness and vehemence. "Unintrusive narrative is as much an essential part of a successful thriller as is dialogue or description."

"Visceral, active scenes keep your thriller focused and provide the reader with the heart-pounding intensity he seeks."

So, we've really got two simple pieces of advice. Start with action, and then make sure that your action is really active!

And, of course, write!

When we write, we act.

Tightening the Screws On Plot and Structure (16)

Chapter 7 on Scenes in Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell starts right out with two pithy paragraphs.

"A good plot is about disturbance to characters' inner and outer lives."

"Scenes are what we use to illustrate and dramatize those disturbances. Scenes are the essential building blocks of plot. And the plot is only as strong as its weakest block."

So we are going to talk about scenes for a little bit. Bell starts by telling us that a scene is a fictional unit, and that we need to make them unforgettable. Fresh, surprising, emotionally intense, with characters we care about doing things that we must pay attention to. Tension, originality. Most often, unforgettable scenes have an intense clash between two characters who have the strongest possible reasons for their opposition.

Bell suggests four chords of fiction that thread throughout the scenes. The two major chords are action and reaction. The two minor chords are setup and deepening. They are often combined in a scene. Oh, and don't forget to separate scenes and beats. A scene takes place in a single location, usually in real time. A beat is a unit within a scene, a stroke of action, an exchange of dialogue, etc.

The action chord is when a character does something to attain an objective. In the scene, the character has a scene purpose. This is a step towards the story goal. Usually, there is conflict and confrontation, with someone frustrating the character, pushing them away from achieving their objective.

Reaction scenes are the emotional response of a character when something happens to them (often bad). Instead of getting the information that would help, the character gets information that makes it harder for them. How do they feel when they are tired, frustrated, and nothing seems to be working? Sometimes reaction is just a beat within a scene.

"Character takes action, is frustrated by conflict, and usually ends up with a setback. He reacts to this development, thinks things over, and decides on another action."

Action and reaction, a ping-pong game to keep the reader watching.

Setup scenes or beats are units that occur to provide a basis for subsequent scenes. They introduce the characters, what they are doing, and their motivations. They reveal the problem that leads to the central predicament of the book. At various places in the story, there may need to be other setup scenes or beats. To avoid making them dull, make sure there are some problems, some conflict, in every scene. Remember, setup scenes are a minor chord, and should be kept to a minimum. Most of them will occur early in the book, leading to a series of action and reaction scenes that drive the rest of the book.

Deepening scenes? Or beats? These are the spices, added to deepen the reader's understanding of the character or setting. Don't overdo it, but the little interludes where a character suddenly tells a story or displays an unexpected talent can be good for pacing, and help to make your story rich.

Not a scene? Bell talks about summarizing, the editorial descriptions that move the reader from one scene to another. I'd also think about scenic descriptions, those word pictures that some authors provide to help us "see" the setting.

Okay. That's probably enough of Chapter 7 for this time. There's a bit more in the book about three essentials for a scene (hook, intensity, and prompt) and Bell's Intensity Scale, but those will have to wait for a while.

An exercise? How about taking a chapter or so of a book you like, and analyzing how it uses scenes? Is the chapter one long scene or several short ones? Can you identify the beats in a scene, and how is the mix and balance between action and reaction, setup and deepening? What kind of scene do you feel comfortable writing, and which do you think you need to practice?

Walking through the Action

We're coming down to the final days of Nanowrimo, but there's still some odds and ends that might help you keep your story smooth and your word count up. So let's take a look at action scenes -- fisticuffs and other blazing actions. How do you put them together -- especially keeping the bits and pieces going the right way at the right time -- and what do you put in them?

I couldn't find a reference for it offhand, but I seem to remember in the sports and physical fitness fields that there is a saying or a approach to basically starts with thinking it through -- visualizing the steps or the actions before actually doing them. I do know that there are various people pointing out that if you plan to hit a hole-in-one or some other specific target, visualizing and focusing on exactly that makes it much more likely that you will do it.

Anyway, the key here is that as writers, we need to think through the exact actions. Not just, "he stepped forward" but "he stepped forward with his right foot, his right arm rising at the same time, his fingers curled" or something precise like that. I still remember reading one description of a protagonist running across a field -- but the various actions and conflicts along the way seemed to have the right and left descriptions mixed up, so at times, my mental picture ended up twisting madly to get him facing the next direction. I ended up commenting on that, and the writer and I walked his protagonist across a sheet of paper, step-by-step, with each of the incidents marked on it. Then he rewrote the piece -- and it was exciting action!

So take the time to walk your characters through the actions. Figure out if they need to swing their legs up as they jump, or whatever, to make it work out. You may even have to get up and try out some things -- just be careful not to hurt yourself :-)

So once you know all of the steps of the action, what do you include in your write up? There's a number of possibilities. For example, you might consider sportscasts of various kinds. Even the live real-time broadcast usually picks out a few things, highlighting specific parts of the action. And as for the various summaries, they pick out the really exciting parts. They don't show minute after minute of the football team going back to the huddle, getting set, slowly slogging their way forward. No, they pick out the key block, the quarterback falling back, and the long pass . . . into the hands of the receiver, who scores?

Or take a cue from the TV shows and movies. One approach to action scenes is to do it with quick flashes and cuts, a shot here, some light and dark there, and something flashing past - and we're done. Almost impressionistic, and very very fast. Another approach is the slow motion close-up details version of an action scene. As the action starts, everything slows down. The camera focuses tightly on each and every detail of the action. As a writer, you can do either one of these. You can pull back and let the action occur in a flashing tumble, or you can go in and give all the little detailed steps. The thing to think about is how it fits your story. Also how does the point of view character -- first-person narrator or third person limited POV character -- experience the action? Is he or she a policeman, military, or other trained observer who is going to notice lots of detail? Or he or she an average bloke who probably won't get it all right, and will miss some of it in the shock of realizing that it's really happening?

As with most things, I think I'd suggest starting out with a list of possible details -- what could you show about the action -- and then pick a selected set -- two or three -- that really suit your story. Something that helps with characterization and plot, will be exciting and interesting to the readers, and that isn't the way everyone else does it. Imagine that cliche car chase -- how could you show us that in a whole new light? Tell it from the POV of the kidnapped character in the trunk of the car? Or how about . . . Anyway, pick your details. Make them effective -- one's that make the readers lean forward, trying to help the characters.

Another twist that is sometimes used is to skip the action. This is especially useful for the third time that a similar action occurs. Instead of walking through yet another encounter with the bully, skip to the next scene, with the character trying to see through eyelids that are puffy. Now the reader isn't quite sure what happened, and the characters can fill in -- through dialogue and such -- the backstory. Build up to it, perhaps with the character preparing, and . . . skip ahead! Don't do this too often, since many readers really enjoy those action scenes, but as a change of pace, this can work quite well.

We've already lightly touched on the notion of changing the point of view. This can sometimes be very helpful with action that is difficult for the reader -- instead of immersing them in the action, give them some distance by having this scene viewed by a news reporter, someone who isn't up-close-and-personal with the action. Even switching from third person limited either to a cinematic view or even to an omniscient point of view can help give the reader a little bit of extra distance from the action. This might be particularly useful for violent action or other kinds that the reader may have difficulty with.

So really two pieces of advice. First, take the time and figure out the details of the action scene. Make a little map, get up and move through the actions, maybe even have action figures (okay, pieces of paper with names on them) that you step through the action. Make sure you know how the action will unfold. Second, then, decide how you are going to portray that action to the reader -- deliberately vague and flashy, slow-motion, which details, real-time or skip-and-recall, and what point of view? Plenty of choices.

And for nanowrimo, you may even want to play the alternatives game -- write it up more than one way, with the plan to select and revise later. After all, it's a whole lot easier to decide which alternative you like when you've got them already written out. And for nanowrimo, extra words are not a problem.

tink
(about 1,100 words)
dreaming of turkeys and pies and other Thanksgiving delights?