The Place For My Writers Notes

Original Posting 11 Nov 2011

First of all, over here

http://writercises.livejournal.com/143199.html

There are some comments about Chekhov's gun -- the idea that when you talk about something early in your story, later on something should happen with it. A gun hanging on the mantle really deserves somebody taking it down and shooting it, sooner or later. Or perhaps you prefer a MacGuffin, a Maltese falcon, a holy Grail, or one of those other things to be searched for. There's also plot tokens and plot vouchers -- if you get the six parts of the ancient crown, you too can reign incandescent or something like that.

The key here is that some of the objects and bits and pieces floating around in your story imply things, and you want to show them to the reader sooner or later. A bear trap being set up in Chapter two will turn up later, probably with something or someone's leg in it. Or perhaps the music box on the dresser will eventually be played, revealing that someone really did like Fantasia? Whatever, keep those keys ready to turn in locks, alright?

Another thought, while we're at a turning point -- one third of the month roughly behind us, two thirds ahead. You might want to consider what you learned about your protagonist and antagonist. Quite simply, by writing to this point, you've probably figured out more about what's going on. Even if you had a detailed outline, character sheets, and all that planning, when you start writing, you start inventing, and suddenly you realize where the scar on your protagonist's shoulder came from, what happened to the antagonist's favorite cat, and all those little details that bring your story to life. You may also find yourself getting a bit confused.

Which makes it a great time to sit down and remind yourself who everybody is and what they're trying to do. Based on what you've already written, take a little time and write up again who your protagonist is, what their goals are, what the blocks and conflicts are that they face, what they plan to do about it, and just what's ahead for them, as you see it now. Then give the other guy equal time, and think about your antagonist. What are their goals? What about the conflicts and problems that they face? As they wind up their thin black mustache, what kind of an evil plan do they have? And what's ahead for the antagonist? Are there any other important secondary characters that you need to reconsider, now that you've come this far?

What about your plot? Are there events that you want to add to the mix at this point? Perhaps some that you want to take out? Take a look back at the 10 days worth of writing that you've done, and consider the next 20 days or beyond. You might want to think about the promises that you've made and consider when and where you're going to pay them off. What questions have you raised for the reader, and what kind of answers are you going to give them?

Okay? 15,000 words more or less already out of the way, and you probably have a feeling for what it's going to take to keep going. Frankly, I don't think it's as important to hit the quota as it is to set your own goals and keep going. Be consistent.

So, sit down and write. Word after word after word, a bit here, a bit there, and watch the pile grow.

Incidentally, as Nanowrimo likes to remind you, back up your work! You don't want your writing to fall into the great bit bucket and disappear!

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 26 April 2008

Make a Scene

Fair warning, I picked up a new book recently. I think it looks interesting, so I am planning to walk through it relatively slowly with postings here. The book is called Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time by Jordan E. Rosenfeld, Writer's Digest Books 2008.

In the introduction, Jordan tells us that he's going to talk about scenes. And there's a useful little two paragraph bit at the end of the introduction:

"To help you avoid tactics that could bore the reader, I leave you with this caveat: the audience is watching. Never forget this. Even though the audience isn't actually present at the moment of your writing, you should write (and especially revise) as if the reader is sitting behind your desk, awaiting your finished pages. What this means is that, if your eye is ultimately on publication, is your job to entertain and inform the reader through clear writing and powerful scenes; if you are using fancy prose or showy strategies to amuse yourself or prove something, you aren't keeping your audience in mind."

"Though it's not wise to write first drafts with the super-ego breathing its foul, critical breath down your neck, your readers should be the most precious people imaginable after your characters. You see, most readers are not writers; they don't know how hard it is to write. They have very little patience or empathy for your struggles. They just want a good story, and they will put down one that doesn't hold their interest. It's up to you to ensure that they don't lose is in your story."

Interesting point, reminding us of the audience -- the reader. I know we've talked in the past about just who is the reader and what is their role in the business of writing. We usually come down to saying that you write to yourself as reader in some ways, or at least to an idealized friend who is sitting there listening to your story, waiting to hear how it comes out. Sometimes I think they must be very patient.

But I do think Jordan reminds us of an essential touchstone for our writing -- does it entertain the reader? Keep that in mind, and damn the critics, write!

Chapter 1: Functions of a Scene

Jordan starts out by saying that what makes stories really come to life is strong and powerful scenes. Unfortunately, he tells us that there really isn't a formula for scenes -- although he does offer to tell us some of the ingredients, and let us put them together creatively and see what happens.

[Remember W. Somerset Maugham's dictum? "There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." But at least Jordan offers us some ingredients for baking scenes . . . er, making scenes. I'm going to put chocolate chips in mine, they are good in most things :-]

So what's a scene? "Scenes are capsules in which compelling characters undertake significant actions in a vivid and memorable way that allows the events to feel as though they are happening in real time." Jordan then provides a list of basic ingredients:

• Characters who are complex and layered, and who undergo change throughout your narrative
• A point of view through which the scenes are seen
• Memorable and significant action that feels as if it is unfolding in real time
• Meaningful, revealing dialogue when appropriate
• New plot information that advances your story and deepens characters
• Conflict and drama that tests your characters and ultimately reveals their personalities
• A rich physical setting that calls on all the senses and enables the reader to see and enter into the world you've created
• A spare amount of narrative summary or exposition

The key to this is action -- events with people acting in what seems like real time -- but well-balanced scenes include many different things.

[people doing something, spiced with talk, a few clues, conflict, and served in a fine setting? Sounds like a fine tale, doesn't it?]

Along with these basics, Jordan promises that later chapters will talk about dramatic tension, scene subtext, scene intentions, pacing, and scene length. But that is later.

Jordan also talks about the difference between show and tell in a couple of ways. First, Jordan points out that telling, aka narrating or narrative summary, is explaining. And while we need a little, we need to avoid over-explaining -- trust your reader! Second, using detailed, specific sensory clues, we help the reader build visual images in the eye of their imagination. "You want the reader to see what you describe as vividly as you see your dreams at night." Narrative summary, however, is more like someone whispering in their ear, describing what's happening. You want your reader to feel as if they are in the scene, not having someone lecture to them about it.

This chapter ends with a very short section talking about scene length. Long scenes are 15 pages or more, and usually slow down the pace, or include a lot of detailed action or dialogue. Short scenes run less than ten pages. They can make the flow feel choppy, but are good for differentiating characters, picking up the pace, and  making the reader feel the rush or urgency.

[or as the White Rabbit said, "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop." Lewis Carroll.]

Jordan doesn't talk about the scenes that are just right, but they're probably in the range between 10 to 15 pages.

Jordan finishes his Chapter 1 with the comment that every scene needs to have a beginning, middle, and an end. The beginning is vivid, memorable, and drags the reader into the scene. Middles are where the stakes are raised, characters run into conflict, and consequences flow. Scene endings set the stage for the next scenes, leaving the reader with unforgettable feelings, tastes, or impressions. And of course, that's what the rest of part one is all about!

So that's Jordan's Chapter 1. Scenes are the building blocks of stories. They involve characters in action, doing things that feel like they are happening right in front of us. They come in long, short, and just right, sort of like the three bears' pajamas. And that's about it -- the next chapters talk about how to get the scene started, what to fill it with, and how to wrap up the loose ends.

Your assignment? How about taking a chapter in your favorite book or story, which could be one of yours, and identify at least one scene? Take a good hard look at how it starts, what happens in it, and what marks the end of the scene. How do you know that you are going from one scene to the next?

You might also want to consider the checklist:

1. Does the scene have strong characters? Do they change in the scene?
2. Is the point of view in the scene clear, and consistent?
3. Is there significant action in the scene? Does it happen in real time?
4. Is the dialogue in the scene meaningful?
5. Does the scene reveal information that moves the plot forward and deepens characters?
6. Does the scene have conflict and drama?
7. Does the scene have a strong physical setting, with all the senses engaged?
8. Does the scene avoid too much narrative summary, exposition, or information dumps?

Okay? Ready to make a scene? Or at least are you interested in seeing what else Jordan has to say about making a scene?

When we write, we let others see scenes of the mind.