The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 9 Nov 2011

All right, so I'm getting confused about which day it is. For me, it's Thursday, November 10, but due to the wonders of the international date line, you are probably still back on November 9, right?

In any case, you're cruising along with nanowrimo! Words, words, and more words, right? If you happen to be doing a three act structure writing from beginning to end, you've probably posed some kind of a story problem, kicked off your character in pursuit of the goal, and are wandering along somewhere towards the doorway of no return -- the point where the character commits themselves to going on the journey, turns away from the old homestead and sets out to do what he has to do! Or maybe you've already passed that doorway? In any case, you may be looking at the muddled middle, where you need to add complications, distractions, and all kinds of other problems.

One thing you might do is take a look over here. http://www.mindtools.com/smlcu.html has the Holmes and Rahe stress scale -- 43 elements of modern life that are known to cause stress! Notice that the ones near the top are more stressful, while the ones near the bottom add less stress, but they're all problems! Even things like an outstanding personal achievement. I tried grouping them, just for fun, and came up with these nine areas. Death, family, legal problems, health, work, money, achievement, school, and changes in almost anything and everything. It all makes trouble for us. But, for your story, a little trouble goes a long way. Consider mixing some of these into your nanowrimo tale. Keep your protagonist struggling! Not quite as bad as the character in little Abner who walked around with a black cloud dumping rain and lightning bolts on his head -- Joe something or other? But you definitely don't want your protagonist to have an easy time, so go ahead and add some stress in their life.

1. Death: of a spouse, close family member, close friend
2. Family: marriage, change in the number of arguments with spouse, divorce, marital separation, marital reconciliation, change in number of family
get-togethers, gain of a new family member, son or daughter leaving home, trouble with the in-laws
3. Legal: Jail, minor violations of the law
4. Health: personal injury or illness, change in health of a family member, pregnancy, sexual difficulties
5. Work: trouble with boss, change in work hours or conditions, spouse begins or stops work, business readjustment, change in responsibilities at work, change to a different line of work, fired at work, retirement
6. Money: change in financial state, a large mortgage or loan, a moderate loan or mortgage, foreclosure of mortgage or loan
7. Achievement: outstanding personal achievement
8. School: begin or end school/college, change in school/college
9. Changes: change in living conditions, change in eating habits, revision of personal habits, change in sleeping habits, change in residence, change in recreation, change in church activities, change in social activities, vacation, Christmas

Or if you want something a little bit wilder, go visit http://www.snopes.com/ and take a look at some of those urban legends. Try the randomizer, or just the Hot 25 for the ones that seem to be hitting the top of the charts. Postcard virus, egg whites for burns, General Electric outsourcing to China, changes in the Pepsi-Cola can... All kinds of stuff. Use it as is, think about the fear or worry behind it and use that, anyway that you want to use it, there's some good stuff there to help make your plot boil. Your character flaw? Something like that.

Okay? Add those complications and make your words count... Or at least your word count!

Original posting 4 Jan 2010

Writer's Digest, March 2004, page 42 to 49, has a bonus section with the title, "Novel Writing Boot Camp," by Bob Mayer. I'm probably not going to summarize all of the bits and pieces, but let's pick out some of the odds and ends.

Pages 44 and 45 describe narrative structure. Bob focuses on five elements: inciting incident, complications, crisis, climax, and resolution. That's the basic blueprint for the story.

The inciting incident is the hook. It's dynamic, something happens that upsets the balance and kicks your protagonist into action. The rest of the novel is the protagonist responding to the inciting incident. Inciting incidents don't have to be bad -- positive events can certainly make protagonists react, too. What happens when Joe wins the lottery?

Complications pile on complications. The growth of complications -- suspense and conflict -- is what fills in the middle. Make sure that it keeps the readers interested.

The crisis forces the protagonist to make a choice. It should not be obvious to the reader which way they're going to go. The crisis is usually the darkest time for the protagonist.

The climax? With the choice made, the balance is restored or a new balance achieved. The protagonist needs to be involved -- an active part of finishing the job.

The resolution is where you wrap up plots and subplots. Make sure that the reader knows what happened, and has a sense of closure.

Plot. This is the sequence of events -- what happens in the novel. Usually, looking at the climax and making the events drive towards that goal helps keep the story focused. But beware of coincidence, and of plots where the author's fingerprints are too obvious. The plot should have internal logic -- it should make sense.

Where to begin. "There are actually two beginnings to a novel: the first words the writer puts down to start the manuscript, and the first words the reader sees as she opens the completed book." Bob points out that since you're probably going to rewrite the beginning extensively, it's not worth worrying too much about where to start. Just get started and plan to redo the beginning. When you do get around to picking the starting line, think about the purpose of the beginning. You need to get people started reading. The beginning needs to hook the readers, introduce the story theme or problem, and introduce the main characters. Don't overwhelm the readers by putting too much into the first chapter. Leave some for later.

The meat of the story. Characters are the most important. Know their motivations -- just like actors, you can't write a part unless you know their motivation. Setting it is also important. Make sure you know where and when things are happening. Point of view -- there are lots of possibilities, but the key is to make sure that the reader knows what is going on and doesn't get confused.

Ending. Characters, locales, points of view, the plot lines -- it all comes together at the end. This is the resolution of the problem that you introduced at the very beginning.

Inciting incident, complications, crisis, climax, resolution. A sequence of events that takes us through all of that. A beginning that grabs the readers. Characters with their motivations, setting, and a firm hand with the point of view. Finally, an ending that ties it all up and makes the reader sigh with the emotional release.

Write!

Original posting 28 July 2009

A quest, a quest...

I was thinking about our challenge -- to write a quest story. And it struck me that quest sounds so serious and major. And I think there is a common quest that most of us engage in fairly regularly.

I call it a shopping trip. You know, where you set out to go to the grocery or a shopping center -- some store -- to get something. That's a quest.

Of course, most of the time, our shopping trips are rather boring. Especially people like me who tend to go directly to the appropriate store, pick up the items on the list, and come back. Not very exciting.

So what would make it more interesting? Clearly some complications along the way. Getting there can be more complicated -- the roads are out, there's a flood, the car breaks down, and so forth. Perhaps the store isn't where we thought it was, or we aren't quite sure which store is the right one?

Having arrived at the place, there are a number of possible problems. What happens when you're supposed to buy bananas, but yes, we have no bananas? Or the bananas we have are strange little green ones? Or perhaps the shopping list isn't so clear? Flower? Which one of the varieties? Or a bundle? Or could that be a bag of flour?

This is when cell phones are useful.

Other possible diversions? Well, there's all those other people, all kinds of advertising and things that aren't on the list, even the simplest store offers a number of sidetracks. And that's before the robbers break in, the roof caves in, the flooring gives way, the freezer unit fails, and all those other little bits and pieces.

But having battled our way to the store, found what we were supposed to get, what's next? Aha, the dreaded checkout. Plastic or paper? Do you have a club card? Cash, credit card, check, debit card, fingerprint and blood samples...

And through the might of cold cash, he won free of the final Guardian of the Gates, and carefully placed the golden eggs in a simple paper bag. He lifted the hard-won prize into his arms and bid the store farewell.

Of course, as we all know, between the store and home there are possible problems. That pedestrian deciding to cross the road without looking? The cat that decides to freeze in the middle of the road. The paper bag that slides off of the seat and onto the floor, with a hearty crunch of egg shells. Or perhaps it's simply the popsicles melting in the sunshine? Flat tires, a song on the radio that scrapes the heartstrings, who knows what could go wrong?

You do. You're the writer. You decide whether the shopping trip is going to be pretty straightforward, or whether it's going to be a fight for life through the hurricane, to bring back the baby food to keep the kittens alive?

A shopping trip. What are we going to get? Who's going to get it? Where do they need to go? What problems and conflicts block them from getting it and returning? What resolves the problems and helps them get the golden eggs?

Or a heroic quest.

However you want to think about it, write.
tink

And just in case you missed it -- here's

The Contest!

In a Nutshell: Write a Quest Story. Submit it to the list. YEAH!

At lengthy...

1. Write a story. Here is the topic:

From What If? By Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter?

Write a linear story, in which a strong main character is on a quest for something important and specific (e.g., a shelter for the baby, medicine for a sick mother, or the key to the storehouse where a tyrant has locked away all the grain from a starving populace). The object is a given -- don't explain its importance. The main character starts acting immediately. She then meets a (specific) obstacle; finally she triumphs over the obstacle by means of a magic or supernatural element that comes from the outside (like Dorothy's red shoes in the Wizard of Oz). You may introduce minor characters but the narrative should never abandon your main character. This story should be told through action and dialogue.

In Checklist Format:

1. main character is on a quest for something important and specific
2. Start with action
3. Have them meet at least one specific obstacle
4. Have them triumph over the obstacle by means of a magic or supernatural element that comes from outside
5. Focus on the main character
6. Action and dialogue

When? Write NOW. But the quota is -- first ten stories posted makes a contest! Or the end of August (when we will start preparing for the big Halloween Contest, right?)

How long? How many? As long as you need, and as many as...

Crits? Yes, please critique/comment on the stories.

And yes, when we have a pile of stories and crits, we shall vote and pick winners!

So, get on your keyboards, pencils, or other writing implements, and write!

original posting 15 May 2008

Chapter 3: Powerful Scene Middles

From Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld

So we've taken a look at launching the scene, using characters, action, narratives, or settings. One way or another, the reader has been invited into the scene. What happens next? That's the focus of this chapter.

Jordan starts by defining the middle of the scene. "The best explanation is to think of each scene's middle as a realm of possibility between the scene opening and its ending, where the major drama and conflict of the scene unfolds." However, the middle also can tempt the writer into wandering down narrative side roads and burying the reader in words. You want to hook the reader and keep them going. So how do you keep a reader interested?

Up the ante, heavy on the complications. Most of us like to solve problems and make the world a better place. But the writer needs to complicate the lives of their characters. Make it harder on them. When your characters stake everything they have, it builds anticipation, significance, and suspense that drags readers along.

Jordan suggests using a four column chart to organize your steps. He labels the first column protagonist, although I think it might be character. The second column is the scene intention -- what is this character trying to achieve at this point in the scene? The third column is a complication, what can happen that gets in the way of achieving this? The fourth column is the result -- what happens or what does the character do in the face of this complication. Jordan shows how a scene may have a linked set of these, moving from the original scene intention down the page as the character dances and reacts to the continuing complications of the scene.

Take people and possessions away from the character, withhold desires, add stumbling blocks and intermediate problems, spice with danger, there are lots of complications! This is part of the fun, making lists of what might get in the way and picking the ones that are hardest for your characters to handle, that reveal just what they really are made of. Keep that dramatic tension high.

Jordan reminds us that "While complications build anticipation and drama, you should not make things difficult on characters just because; complications have to reveal character and push your plot forward."

One of the specific tactics or techniques that you can use to raise the ante is to withhold something. Characters have goals, desires, and ambitions. Dangling an object of desire just out of reach -- you've seen children looking in the candy store window, wishing that they could have just a little? That's your reader! So what kind of withholding can you do? First is emotional withholding, where another character isn't giving emotional approval, love, or something else that the character wants. Second is withholding information. All of the clues, secrets, and even simple information can be teasers for your characters -- and your readers. Third is withholding objects. Maybe your character wants something, and other characters keep passing it around, just out of reach. Or maybe they have to find the one true crystal?

Another technique is to introduce danger to the protagonist or someone he or she cares for. Physical or emotional danger can force the character to reveal themselves.

Finally, a third technique is the unexpected revelation. Let the character learn that secret about their life that forces them to reevaluate everything. No matter how the revelation comes -- letters, babbling friends, strangers, television reports, Google snippets -- these are pieces of plot information that transform the self-image of the characters and drive the narrative forward. Think about how you're going to introduce the revelation, and how the character is going to react to it. Sometimes they can be positive, too. Winning the lottery, finding out that father really is still alive, and other positive changes can also make characters jump. What happens when the world changes in an instant?

That's what Jordan has to say about scene middles in this chapter. It's not much about the peanut butter in the sandwich, but it gives us a something to stick to the roof of our mouths? Hum, maybe we should skip lightly past that metaphor.

Okay. Your assignment? Take a scene from a book or story, or even one you are working on. Try making up a chart like the one Jordan described. Simple, right? Here's the headings:

Character
Scene Intention
Complication
Result

Something like:

Character	Scene Intention	Complication	Result

You might try doing my trick -- set yourself a quota! -- especially if you are working on the scene. Don't just come up with a single complication, come up with five possible obstacles or complications that could get in the character's way when they are trying to achieve that scene intention or goal. Then pick the one that you think works best, and come up with five possible outcomes or results. Pick the best of those, and then go on.

Or how about taking a few scenes, and thinking about the complications and obstacles involved? That beloved little scene with the short guy trying desperately to figure out how to climb the mountain -- why is he so driven? Which of the various techniques that Jordan mentions really make you cheer for the protagonist, leave you sweating and turning the pages to find out what happens next? Now can you put some of that same high tension in your writing?

Launch your scene, fill the middle with rising ante, and . . . next week, on to the endings!

(or if you are at a conference, you can fill your middle with too much food! I guess that might raise the stakes in some ways?)

Turn your head and cough?

Okay. I know that the nanowrimo folks are happily writing away, with characters here there and everywhere, right? But you might need a little bit of a complication? Everyone needs a complication in their writing now and then!

You've come to the right place. Today we're having a sale on illness. From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, disease, bad health, affliction, ailing, ailment, attack, breakdown, bug, collapse, complaint, confinement, convalescence, disability, diseasedness, disorder, disturbance, dose, failing health, fit, flu, ill health, indisposition, infirmity, malady, malaise, poor health, prostration, relapse, seizure, sickness, syndrome, unhealth, virus, what going around!

Hum - Synonym Collection V1.1 adds in colic and distemper, but Roget's 21st seems to have the bases covered. I suppose we should also mention good health and well-being, since those are also part of the picture.

See, what we're looking at is whether your characters are healthy or not. Colds and sniffles and bruises and scrapes. Cuts! Broken fingers, arms, legs, and so forth (oh! I knew someone who accidentally kicked the corner of a wall at night going to the bathroom -- and ended up with a broken toe! Apparently very painful, and rather slow to heal. And they were kind of embarrassed to explain it to people.) Headaches. Earaches, toothaches, sore muscles.

And we haven't even gotten to the serious stuff yet! What about appendicitis? Food poisoning.

Oh and there's all those wonderful childhood diseases. Measles and mumps and so forth?

What does all this have to do with your characters? Well, it's all too likely that someone might get hurt or simply catch a cold. And now you've got some complications. How does the bank robber wear a mask and blow his nose every few minutes? Or what about the hero planning to attend his daughter's ballet performance? Does he get out of the hospital and limp into the back of the auditorium on crutches in time?

Over-the-counter, prescription only, emergency rooms, doctors' offices and dental drills -- there is all the fun of trying to treat the problem, dealing with its effects on work and home, and so forth.

Go ahead. If you're trying to throw some grit into the character's smooth path, a little dose of indigestion or perhaps something more serious, may be just the complication you need. So take two and write until the morning.

Incidentally, if you want a really exhaustive list of possible ailments, diseases, and all the other goodies, take a look over here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/ has them listed by age, parts of the body, and by category. Wounds, injuries, and poisons? Poisonous plants? Hah, did you know that babies can get sick from chewing the leaves of a philodendron? Or what about pets getting irritation from the sap of a poinsettia?

And you thought your character was healthy! They might have been, but that egg salad at the picnic sat out for a little too long, and now they're suffering . . .

Okay? Pick a character from your story. Decide which illness or difficulty they're going to encounter, and how they and others will react to that. Then let them run into the road sign cleverly hung so that it slices their forehead open. Or let them start feeling just a little poorly -- and what's that odd spot on their neck? Or . . .

Quotes for the healthy:

"It's no longer a question of staying healthy. It's a question of finding a sickness you like." Jackie Mason

"Health is not valued till sickness comes." Dr. Thomas Fuller

"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you." Rita Mae Brown

"The more severe the pain or illness, the more severe will be the necessary changes. These may involve breaking bad habits, or acquiring some new and better ones." Peter McWilliams

Remember, illness is all in your head -- but as the writer, you get to make it your character's problem.
tink
(about 670 words)
gargle and spit