writercises | Entries tagged with goal

Original Posting 2022/01/14

Writer's Digest, January 1994, had an article on pages 42 and 43 by Loriann Hoff Oberlin with the title Learn from My Mistakes. Loriann lays out six mistakes that she feels she has made, along with suggestions about why they are mistakes and what you can do about them. Let's take a look at the mistakes, and what she says about them. You might want to think about your own responses to each of them.

1. Not following up. Actually, she starts with a short anecdote about submitting a manuscript to a new magazine, and not hearing anything. Until she happened to be reading an issue of the magazine and realized her article had been published! The trick here is don't just assume that the parts you can't see are running smoothly, be proactive. Make a phone call, send a follow-up email, check what's going on.

2. Personalizing rejection. "Whether it's an abrupt response to a phone call, a form rejection slip jammed into an SASE, or a kiss off letter from a new editor, rejection is never easy." Ouch! When you get rejections, Loriann recommends admitting your anger to yourself and a friend, but don't argue with the editors. You're going to get rejections, and you may never understand why. One suggestion is to look for publications that pay on acceptance. Your article may not be published, but at least you got paid.

3. Shooting for the stars. You can certainly submit to big-name magazines and publications, but that also means the competition is harder. "Set realistic goals and view your writing as a career."

4. Lacking confidence. "You want me to do what?" You may be surprised at opportunities that come up, but go ahead and take a shot at them. You can boost your confidence level with workshops, classes, and conferences. Join some organizations, experiment with different genres, try out some different projects.

5. Drifting with the clouds. "Success can be an evanescent joy.… The moral is to be confident, but be realistic and never complacent." Just because you're starting to succeed, don't let up. Keep working on it.

6. Failing to read and write every day. Deadlines everywhere, work that needs to be done, I'll just put off reading and writing? "If you fail to read and write every day, you're cheating your creativity. Be kind to yourself. Take time to recharge your batteries, gather new ideas, and try different approaches." Books, the library, all kinds of places can provide ideas and information. You need to feed your creativity. You also need to play with your writing, experiment and grow.

Some of this seems to be tied to the old freelance magazine market, but I think it's worth thinking about anyway. Even with do-it-yourself publication on Amazon or other social media sites, part of the process is handled by other people. You need to make sure they are doing their job. Rejections – what about one star reviews on Amazon! Ouch. Trying to do too much too soon, or not feeling ready to take the next step? We all get caught between those two extremes. And having success blind us to the need to keep working… Oh yeah. Or what about feeding your creativity on an ongoing basis?

What are your mistakes? Have you stopped to think about what went wrong, and how can I avoid it in the future? What can I do to make sure that the next time I don't trip over that same stumbling block?

Some things to think about. And of course, write about!

mbarker

Original Posting 10/18/2019

Okay, take a deep breath! So far, Weiland has laid out a conceptual framework, with the Lie the character believes, what the character Wants, and what they Need, and the Ghost, the backstory behind the Lie. Then we’ve got the Characteristic Moment that introduces the character, and the Normal World. Plus six beats for the first act, and the first plot point (or first doorway of no return). Next, in Chapter 8, Weiland talks about the first half of the second act. See, the second act is often about half of the total story, so instead of tackling it in one big lump, Weiland suggests breaking it into three parts, the first half, the midpoint, and the second half. In this chapter, she’s only talking about the first half.So what is happening, now that we’ve gone past the first plot point and ventured into unknown territory? Well, usually the character gets lost! And starts to discover that the Lie may not be as strong as they thought it was. Whoops! Reacting to the first plot point, and still chasing the Wants, he’s in trouble, whether he knows it or not. He’s going to be doing things, and learning that some ways to achieve the goal just don’t work.So, what landmarks do we include in the first half of the second act?1 Provide tools to overcome the Lie. Not everything, but at least a few hints, pieces of the puzzle, to get started. Information on how to overcome the Lie! Advice, perhaps, along with physical skills they will need for the climax. Some Truths to unsettle the lie, and useful truths.2 Show difficulties pursuing the Lie. Let the character try out the old ways, and... run into problems. The Lie is going to get in the way, here in the second act. So, some of the character’s approaches will evolve. He’s going to see the failures, and start looking for ways to change.3 Move closer to what he wants and farther from what he needs. The balance is shifting, but... it’s the wrong way! The character is working harder than ever to get what they want, and letting what they need slip away. While still seemingly moving towards the goal. But... the inner conflict is growing, even if they seem to be winning on the outside.4 Give the character a glimpse of life without The Lie. Probably from other characters, but it might be a personal glimpse. Let them start to wonder, to see some flaws in that Lie.Questions for the first half of the second act? Sure...1 How does the character react to stepping through the first doorway of no return, the first plot point?2 What tools can you give your character to start getting ready to break the Lie?3. What minor character (or characters) can mentor your hero, either through example or advice? What do they do or say?4 How could you show the hero the first step towards breaking the Lie?5 How will the character try to use the Lie to solve the plot problems?6 What will go wrong when they try this?7 What is the character’s reaction to these failures? What do they learn, how do they adjust? What do they try?8 How does the hero’s focus on the plot goal push him closer to what he Wants?9 How does getting closer to what he Wants pull him away from what he Needs?10 After stepping through the first doorway of no return, past the first plot point, how does the new world (or the changed normal world) give the hero a glimpse of life without the Lie?In the first half of the second act, your character is going to try very hard to reach the plot goal. He’s trying to get control and beat the conflict, and it might even seem to be working. But actually, it’s running away, with the Lie and the Want breaking down.This is where you can really explore the character, their personality, beliefs, and desires. Lots of chances for fun, conflict-filled scenes!Exercise? Try sketching out three to five possible scenes or bits for each of the four landmarks that Weiland recommends. Now, add in other scenes that you want or think might fit in this part. And try laying them out in different sequences. What happens if you do this one first, and that one last? Go ahead, play with it!Watch out, because the midpoint is coming. Our reactive hero is about to flip, and become active. But that’s the next episode!

mbarker

Original Posting 9/10/2019

Over here, https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-write-stories-that-matter/, K. M. Weiland has a guest posting by Daryl Rothman. Plenty of people look for the "silver bullet," the "secret formula" that will make your writing good. Well, Daryl is giving it away!"Writing's Secret Formula: How to Write Stories that Matter." WOW!Daryl starts with a little pondering about a quote from Stephen King. It starts out "Writing is magic..."Then he turns to the formula. Writing's Secret Formula: SW2C. So What and Who Cares. Make readers care about our characters and what happens to them.But when you put together all the parts, characterization, plot, setting, POV, will the readers come?Find your why! It's in that formula, So What and Who Cares.Go read the article. I think you'll find his musing thought-provoking.He ends up with five questions that he recommends to help figure out why your story matters.1. Why does it matter to you?2. Why will it matter to others?3. How can you make it matter?4. What effect do you want to produce?5. Do you want readers to feel something, and if so, what?You might want to start with his little exercise, near the end. Three steps. First, "consider what your favorite stories did for you, and how they did it." That's right, what stands out for you, and how does it work? Second, "Why do they matter to you?" Stop and think about why this means something to you. Third, "What are the things that matter most to you in life?" Oh, what are your stakes? What are your goals? Now...WRITE!

mbarker

Original Posting 8/30/2019

I'm rather slowly working my way through Creating Character Arcs by K. M. Weiland. Chapter 1 talked about the Lie that the character believes. Some belief, some model, something that is out of step with reality, but the character believes it, and it causes problems, symptoms for them. Chapter 2, that I want to talk about today, is another conceptual chapter, where K. M. takes a look at what the character wants as opposed to what the character needs. The Lie that the character believes is the reason for the character arc, for their change. But, what they want usually is a perceived cure for the symptoms of that Lie. What they need, on the other hand, is truth. Truth with a capital T!So, what the character wants, often is a goal. What does the character want? Is it a major story goal? Looking at the goal, we are often taking the plot and making the goal an extension or reflection of something that really matters to the character at some deep level. So think about why does the character want this? Fairly often, what the character wants is external, physical.On the other hand, what the character needs is Truth, an antidote to the lie. Typically this isn't physical, although it often manifests as something physical or visual. It's a realization that transforms the character's view of the world and of themselves. Fairly often, the character is called to sacrifice what they want for what they need. Sometimes, this sets up them actually getting what they want.So, some questions to consider.1. How is the Lie holding the character back?2. How does the lie make the character unhappy or unfulfilled?3. What truth will disapprove the lie?4. How will the character learn the truth?5. What does the character want more than anything?6. How is the plot goal related to or an extension of what the character wants?7. Does the character believe that what he wants will solve personal problems?8. Is what he wants blocking what he needs?9. Does What He Needs block What He Wants, or, will he only be able to get What He Wants after getting What He Needs?10. How will the character's life be different once they embrace What He Needs?Remember, what he wants versus what he needs drives the internal conflict, and provides gasoline for the fire of the outer conflict.So, we have a lie, an untruth, that our character believes. Because of that, they want something. However, that's not what they need. So...As an exercise, take a look at a story with a positive character arc. Last time I asked you to identify the Lie that the character believes in this story. This time, add what the character wants, and what the character needs. See if you can pick those out and identify them in a short phrase or sentence. The lie the character believes, what the character wants, and what the character needs. Three pieces of information that shape the character arc. Watch for Part 4, where we'll talk about your character's ghost!

mbarker

Original Posting Jan. 4, 2019

Okay. Death, brainstorming, keeping creativity going while you write... and now, scenes! The building blocks of fiction. But, what do you need in a scene? Well, James recommends these ingredients...

1. Objective. What is happening? In particular, what does the POV character want in the scene? It might be explicit or just implied, but... it is going to be there. So what is the objective?

2. Opposition! What person, place, thing, or circumstance is keeping the POV character from their objective? Might be outer or inner, individual, social, natural? But what is in the way?

3. Outcome. James suggests it could be good, bad, or horrible. Usually, for fiction, it isn’t going to be good, in fact, it is going to be pretty bad. Now, elsewhere I’ve seen it suggested that this is usually either a yes-but or a no-and. Yes-but? Yes, they succeeded, but now there’s another problem. No-and? No, they didn’t succeed, and there’s an added complication. Trials and tribulations make a story strong, and a character.

4. Something unexpected. It might be a plot twist, a new character, a new setting, or something else that the reader wouldn’t expect. How do you come up with them? James suggests brainstorm for five minutes. Write down the POV character, objective, and possible obstacles. Put down a tentative outcome. Now, what is something unexpected you could put in? Make a list, and go Wild! Then pick one that you like. And... you are just about ready to write!

We’re about to dive into the beats of Super Structure. But before we get there, James has one more section, looking at emotions. Then we’ll look at the beats that Super Structure lays out for you to use...

mbarker

Original Posting Oct. 19, 2018

Aha! What do you want to say, what is the meaning of your story? You might as well start out with that old cliché, "And the moral of the story is…"

This usually ends up being something you figure out after you have finished the first draft, or even during revision, when you can look at the whole story and see what's going on. Although maybe you'd like to start with a general idea or purpose.

Now, one part of this can be thinking about the genre. Here's one list:

Monster in the house
wish fulfillment
dude with the problem (ordinary person, extraordinary situation)
rite of passage
fool triumphant
superhero (extraordinary person, ordinary situation)
buddies (a.k.a. the odd couple, romance, and so forth)
whodunit (the mysteries!)
Institutionalized (individual versus institution)
quest
adventure
love
one against the odds

Go ahead, which genre do you want to write? Then, in that genre, what you want to say? If you had to sum up your story, the meaning of your story, in a short phrase or sentence, what would it be?

Now, for Halloween... I suppose one of the themes is that there are things in the dark that go bump! Or maybe it's scary in the dark?

You know the next step, right? Yeah...

WRITE!

mbarker

Original Posting Oct. 12, 2018

[Halloween stories? Nanowrimo plotting... it's all about stories, right?]

Let’s start with a simple definition of a story. “A likable character overcomes opposition and conflicts through their own efforts to achieve a worthwhile goal.”

Simple, right? Likable character, opposition and conflicts, their own efforts, and a worthwhile goal. Mix well, and write!

I’ve also seen people suggest starting with the character and their goals, then add in the opposition and conflicts, and work out the efforts. Same four pieces, just a little different order. Of course, there are people who like to start with the goal, add opposition and conflicts, then efforts, and figure out who is doing it last?

Well, that’s the core of the story, anyway. Now, in the next few pieces, we will take a look at some points about that character, the purpose or theme, the plot, and even the setting. But for now, you might think about how Halloween, horror, and such might tie into ... a likable character overcoming opposition and conflicts through their own efforts to achieve a worthwhile goal. Perhaps little Jack really wants to collect a nice bag of treats for Halloween, but... there’s a black cat in the path? A gang of zombies marauding? A ....

Okay, write!

mbarker

Original Posting Sept. 7, 2018

Okay, take a deep breath!

Now, pick a number from one to six.

1. Carol Brown
2. Lisa Williams
3. Rachel Taylor
4. Alfred Martin
5. Howard Wilson
6. Philip Davis

That person is a… Pick a number from 1 to 6?

1. Bartender
2. Cabdriver
3. Football player
4. Mechanic
5. Soldier
6. Waitress

Now, repeat that a couple more times. In other words, pick out three names and three occupations. Feel free to mix-and-match a bit. Blow on them a bit, until they feel real to you... i.e. fill in the details? Who are these people?

And then…

Pick a number from 1 to 8. Here's what you chose…

1. Falling in love, continuing love, romantic involvement, and of course, separation and problems along the way.
2. Inheritance, financial problems, changing careers…
3. Trips, vacations, hobbies…
4. School and all the fun and games that go with that
5. Illness, fears, phobias, drug, drinking, gambling
6. A secret from the past
7. Being forced to move, trying to find a new place to live
8. Trying to find someone, keep appointment, fulfill a promise…

Take your three characters, and one of these. Somebody has a goal, roughly fitting into your area. Someone else may want to interfere? And of course, you have a third character who may be playing on either side. So, figure out what's going on and lay it out? Where do things start, how does the protagonist expect to achieve what they want, and what happens in the middle as they try and fail and try and fail… And then! What's the resolution, what's the climax?

There you go. Kind of sketchy, but… See what you can do with it.

Bits and pieces of this are from The Fiction Writer's Silent Partner by Martin Roth. He provides pages and pages of female names and male names, and the most common family names in the order frequency! Here you go:

Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown, Miller, Davis, Anderson, Wilson, Thompson, Moore, Taylor, White, Thomas, Martin.

Feel free to use those for the last names of your characters.

And if you're looking for plotting ideas, pages 35 to 57 are loaded with lists. Themes to get you started. Primary goals. Means of involvement. Conflicts. Subplots. Ticking clocks. Obstacles. Suspense. Twists. Crisis. Resolutions!

But, start with three characters and a problem. See what happens!

Write!

mbarker

Original Posting March 14, 2018

So, let's see. A likable character faces opposition or conflict, and by his or her own efforts, achieves a worthwhile goal. So we need a character, opposition and conflict, efforts, and a goal? Or maybe start with the character and goal, then the plan to get there, and finally the opposition or conflict, what's going to be in the way?

Heck, start with any of these. Characters, Setting, Plot, or even theme or purpose. Then brainstorm away at the others.

Here, start with a character. Who are they? What are their goals and desires? What are their problems and faults? In your story, what changes?

Or maybe a setting? Where are we? What are the scenes and locations?

Of course, plot is a really common starting place. What threatens the character's self-image? What can go wrong, and what will it cost? What blocks the character, and what are they going to do about it? Think about the events you want to have in your story, and especially the climax. Are you going to have some small try-fail cycles, bumps along the road, before you get to the climax?

Another simple plotting approach is:
1. What is the moment of change that starts the story moving?
2. What is the hook for the reader?
3. What is the story problem?
4. What is the first doorway of no return? What is the point where the main character, the protagonist, commits to solving the problem?
5. What are the complications that they are going to face in trying to achieve that?
6. What is the second doorway of no return? What is the twist, the revelation, the point where the main character figures out how to achieve their goal, and starts into the climax?
7. What is the ending? What is the climax, the character change, and the answer to the story problem?
8. Now go back and consider, what backfill and back story do you need?

Another way to brainstorm about it is answering questions. Here's one set:

1. Where are we? Setting!
2. Who is there? Characters, with their pluses and minuses.
3. Where are we going? What are their goals and motivations?
4. What blocks them? What are the obstacles or opposition?
5. What are they going to do? What are their plans?
That's all kind of background. The story itself revolves around:
6. What's the hook? What's the story question or problem?
7. What background do we need?
8. What's the build up? Lay out the scenes, the information, the turning points, the reveals, the surprises.
9. What's the climax? What is the character change, the plot resolution, the story answer?
10. What is the purpose or theme? You may not be able to answer this until you have written at least a first draft.

Or maybe you want to think about genres? Lots of different lists, here's one from Save the Cat:
1. Monster in the house: a monster, and the house. Something scary, and a restricted field.
2. The Golden Fleece: we are on a quest to get…
3. Out of the bottle: wish fulfillment.
4. Dude with the problem: ordinary guy, extraordinary circumstances
5. Rites of passage: life changes
6. Buddy love. Love stories, odd couples, mismatched…
7. Whydunit. A mystery by any other name.
8. The fool triumphant. The underdog wins!
9. Institutionalized. What happens inside.
10. Superhero. An extraordinary person in an ordinary world.

Take your character, your seed of a plot, or whatever, and try running it into some of these questions, or maybe brainstorm how you would write it up as several of these genres. Remember, it's still early, so you've got time to kick the tires. Next week, we'll start having to actually write a story every week! But, I'll let you do a little preparation if you want to. That way you just have to pick out a story idea and sit down and write, write, write.

Whoosh! All that for a little story? Well, you don't have to. You can just sit down and write by the seat of your pants. Many great writers swear that they just sit down and open a vein, and... the words come. The arguments between seat-of-the-pants writers (pantsers, or discovery writers) and outliners have been going on probably since the first cavemen sat down to tell a story over that new invention, the fire. Frankly, do whichever works for you. Some people swear that thinking about it, outlining and planning, takes all of the excitement and interest out of it, and they just can't write a story once they've done that. Others find that blank page terribly intimidating, and a little bit of brainstorming and planning helps reduce that terror.

And just think! Starting Sunday, March 18, we'll all be scratching our heads and churning out a story (or 6!). So watch for the submissions, starting March 24! Right here on Writers! Okay?

Okay? So who's with me? 6 stories. Any size, but write a story, okay?

Get on your marks...

mbarker

Original Posting Nov. 4, 2017

Hum. Poking at my files, I found one called nano template. Sounded intriguing, so I read it. Aha! Just a short list of things that might be worth thinking about while crunching away in the Nanowrimo word mines. Here's the main ones.

First, consider a logline or premise.. What's the story about? Think about the Hook, compelling image, or killer title.

Second, consider this simple description of a story. A likable character overcomes opposition/conflict through his own efforts to achieve worthwhile goal. Can you pick out or describe these for your story? A likable character, opposition and/or conflict (things in the way!), the efforts of the character, and the worthwhile goal?

Third, which genre is your nanowrimo tale? It doesn't have to be one of these, but sometimes you can use one or more of these as a framework to build on. These are taken from Save the Cat, but you can add your own favorite genres, too. Monster in the house, Golden Fleece, wish fulfillment, dude in wonderland, rite of passage, buddy love, whydunit, fool triumphant, institutionalized, superhero next door. The Golden Fleece is the well-known quest by any other name. Dude in Wonderland? That's an ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation. Oh, and the superhero next door is the extraordinary person in an ordinary situation.

Fourth, pay attention to that main character. What are their goals and motivation? What do they dream about?

Fifth, look at beats. I like a simple structure, basically just 5 big points. Inciting incident, door of no return, complications, door of no return, climax. The 2 door of no return are where the character first commits to the struggle and then takes on the final climactic action. You can use one of the many other plot outlines if you prefer (e.g. 7 beats, Hero's Journey).

Sixth, especially for Nanowrimo boosting word count, think about scenes galore! Give us settings in plenty, with characters in conflict, emotional change, and more conflict (who wants what, and what blocks them). Set pieces? Sure, why not?

There you go. Oh, if you're happily turning out the words about how your hero faced the big bad and fought like never before, keep going! But if you need a little breather, something to help shape the dazzling rainbow of images that you are creating, well, you might find these helpful.

Write, and having written, write some more. To make Nanowrimo 2017 shine!

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original posting Nov. 1, 2015

Let's see. Over here

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html

We have this lovely metaphor from Saint Augustine.

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."

So we need to have a goal, something we are trying to achieve? Although I guess penguins get along reasonably well with their little stubs, and the emu doesn't even go that far. Hum... Penguins underwater are pretty graceful, when it comes down to it. But... No, let's stick with putting wings on our intelligence, and aim to achieve something!

In fact, in the world of writing, one of the facets that every character needs is at least a story goal, and fairly often a scene goal (for each and every scene!). So the ambition threads throughout the story, tying it all together as the character tries to achieve their ambition, their goal?

However, on the first day of Nanowrimo 2015, we need to get a kickstart. So sit down and write, write, write!

You mean writing 2000 words a day for 30 days isn't ambition? Hey, watch out, that tablet over there is trying to take off!

tink

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original Posting Sept. 18, 2015

You mean a story can be short-sheeted? Oh, wait, no... these are templates for drawing up short stories! Okay...

Over here

http://madgeniusclub.com/2015/09/09/short-story-cheat-sheets/

Sarah explains why she dallied with short stories once up on a time (you should read all about it!) and includes the Cheat Sheet. Here it is, in case you missed it:

Title

1. Setting (this includes time and future history if needed) It sets the stage for the conflict.

2. Story Characters

3. Problem or goal

4. Complications

5. Turning point/black moment (often also called mirror moment, when your character realizes he’s been pursuing the wrong goal or the right goal in entirely the wrong way.)

6. Resolution

She also tossed in a couple examples, from story plans that she's not planning to use. You might find those useful if you're wondering just what a story plan using this cheat sheet might look like.

So... the assignment for us, I guess, is to take that Cheat Sheet and try outlining a short story (or four or five!). Then, of course, write it!

Current Mood: soggy

mbarker.livejournal.com

original posting 26 July 2011

Writer's Digest, October 1992, pages 31 to 34 have an article by Gary Provost with the title, "The Sport of Fiction." The subtitle is "Unless your plot causes characters to strive to win and risk losing, your readers will walk out before the final gun." It's basically an approach to plotting based around sports. Sounds simple enough, right?

Now, Gary is not really talking about basketball, so much as the general framework of sports. As he says, you can apply what he's saying to hockey, football, checkers, just about any game or sport. Let's see what kind of things he has to say.

"The ultimate goal in a basketball game, as it is in most games, is to score more points than your opponent. On route to that goal, there are intermediate goals, such as scoring field goals, scoring free throws and blocking shots. And in order to reach those intermediate goals, one must achieve minor goals such as stealing the ball, grabbing rebounds and getting fouled. All of these intermediate and minor goals are exciting to the fan for only one reason: they move a team toward the ultimate goal, a win."

The key here is that you need to know what the goals are, and you need to know how to keep score. Pretty simple, right? The same thing applies to writing fiction. "For readers to enjoy your story or novel they must know what each character's goals are. They must know how to keep score." The goals need to be specific and clearly defined, and the reader needs to know them from the beginning. Opposition, of course, creates the possibility of losing. And that conflict is what makes up the plot.

"At any given point in your story, your character has a goal. It might be a very minor goal such as he wants to get across the street so he can (intermediate goal) call his friend down at police headquarters so he can (ultimate goal) get the last piece of information that will prove Jenkins is the murderer."

Ultimate goals and intermediate goals. That's what you need to set up. The continuing narrative question in the reader's minds is will this character achieve his goal. But you have to tell readers what the question is.

Make the goal clear, teach the readers how to keep score, and watch their interest go up. Opposition is what makes it last. And pay attention -- everybody has goals. All the characters score and miss.

Notice that missing a basket is just as significant as making one. You want the readers to cheer, but you also want them to be worried. So the scenes need to move characters towards and away from the goal.

Three key points.

1. You, the writer, should know all the character goals all the time.
2. The reader should usually know the character's immediate and ultimate goals. Sometimes, you want to throw the reader in. But pretty soon, let the reader know what the character is trying to achieve.
3. Finally, the character should always know his immediate goal and should believe that it will help him reach the ultimate goal -- as he understands it at that moment. Sometimes ultimate goals change. That's okay.

One of the nice things about this is that character goals let you make boring scenes more compelling. Look for what the goal of the character is in the scene. Then make it clear early in the scene. Voila! Readers will be waiting to see whether the character will achieve their goal or not.

You don't have to specifically state a goal in every scene. But you have to know a goal. Sometimes goals are stated before the scene began. Sometimes they're obvious. If someone is standing at a bus stop, we expect that they want to catch the bus. But do make sure that the goal is obvious to the reader.

Contrived usually means that somebody doesn't have a goal. Look at all the characters and see who's doing things because you wanted them to, instead of for their own purposes -- then rework it so that they have a good reason!

Set up the goal and the narrative question so the readers can keep score right from the beginning.

How you build a plot around goals? Well basically:

Ask a series of goal related questions for the main character, working from the end of the story. The answers to the questions suggest goals.
Now ask yourself about the goals of the minor characters who are in conflict with the major character.
Now outline all the scenes in your story around this idea. Who is the main character in the scene and what's his goal? What minor characters are in the scene and what are their goal(s)? What's the action in the scene? What's the result? Pretty simple, right?

So, set up your goals, and let the teams compete. See who wins. And by the way? Write.

Now there's a goal!

Current Mood: Cheering

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original posting 12 May 2011

Out of the pile of old articles, let's pull another one! Writer's Digest, October 1989 (do you remember that time in October when we were young... imagine me crooning, if you like :-). Pages 26 to 29 have an article with the title, "Hot to Plot! A plotting 'system' that works" by Mary Kittredge. The secrets of superb stories, how to build plot skeletons, and grow stories from them... sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it?

OK. So let's get down to business. Mary suggests starting with a story idea. Almost any one. For her example, she uses a mystery about an attic that drips blood. That's it. Just because it's a place to start. Pick something that sounds interesting to you.

The first thing that Mary suggests to start building our plot is to think up a main character. The main character needs three things: something that they need or want, a strong point, and a fatal flaw. So they want something, they have a desire or goal. They've got some personality trait, something that gives them the potential to win. And, they've got a problem -- a personality trait that could lead to them failing.

Next, put the character in a fairly stable situation and introduce the story problem. This is what the character has to solve to get what they want.

In trying to solve the problem, the character only makes things worse. As they try things and get some insights from their strong point, they learn about the fatal flaw.

And then, with a final climactic effort, they overcome the fatal flaw using their strong point to beat the story problem.

Problem, struggle, climax... that's the story. The trick of course is developing it. And by setting up the strong point and the fatal flaw, we're setting up the plot.

Next, Mary works her way through this process. Who is the character with blood dripping from the attic? A housewife, whose husband vanished recently, leading the police to think that perhaps she did it. Her strong point? Well, how about a love of nature. And her weakness? Fear of authority sounds good.

What's the story problem? A murder suspect with blood dripping from the attic has a story problem. The police are sure to come knocking on the door. So... a housewife calls a friend for help. But somehow, the police here about it instead, and turn up to investigate! Whoops, things just got worse.

Now, when the police go upstairs to look -- there's the body of the dead husband!

This is the Black Moment, when things look just as bad as possible. In this case, the police are sure they've got their suspect. So the character has to figure it out.

Take the strong point and develop an event that naturally uses the strong point and shows the character their fatal flaw. In this case, since she loves nature, maybe she's got a birdfeeder. And watching the police walk by the birdfeeder, she sees the birds get scared. And realizes that fear can kill. Then she realizes that it's her own fear of authority that will kill her, if she doesn't overcome it. Now, she thinks about it. And realizes that the only way that the police could know that her attic was dripping blood is that the friend told them. And the friend must be the murderer. But how can she prove it?

Ha ha. How can she use her strong point to beat this problem? Well, given that she knows her attic inside and out since she uses it to store herbs and so forth (remember that love of nature?), maybe she can explain to the police about the different temperatures in the attic -- and why would anybody put a body in the warmest spot?

So one key to growing a story with this system is developing the character's fatal flaw, which they need to recognize and then overcome. The other key is figuring out a scene or event that shows the character recognizing the fatal flaw. Make it an event that grows out of the strong point.

That's all there is to it. And the fun part is that it's not nearly as mechanical as you might think.

"Fiction is life by design. And fictional design, like other kinds of design, comes from design elements -- from the plot elements we have been discussing." This particular plot shows the good character winning. So the strong point is more powerful than the fatal flaw.

You can read the article to find out what happens if the fatal flaw of stronger, or if outside forces just smash the character, but I wouldn't recommend those. Mary also discusses some bad character versions.

In summary, get an idea. Match it with a main character who wants something. Set up a fatal flaw and strong point. Let the character do things to try to solve the problem, but fail, making everything worse, until things are as bad as possible. Take an event that uses the character's strong point and forces the character to look hard at their fatal flaw. Let the character decide to beat their fatal flaw, and the story problem, with one enormous effort based on the strong point.

"A 'hot-shot' plot is one whose parts are present and working because you put them there. So -- put them there. Do it again... and again, until plotting comes to you as naturally as breathing. Before you know it, you'll be building more than plots. You'll be writing the stories that go with them."

Oh, wow! All that from blood dripping from the attic.

Current Mood: fiddling

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Original posting 15 July 2009

Just some quick thoughts about our contest challenge.

So our hero -- the protagonist -- is going to go on a quest for something. While we might start the story a bit later, we might want to start thinking about the story in terms of the initiating event or the inciting event. What got the protagonist started? Did a letter arrive describing the something? What about a treasure map, perhaps found in the odds and ends left in great grandpa's trunk? Or maybe the protagonist is in a junk shop -- excuse me, a recycle store -- and recognizes that the strange old hanging actually is a map? Or that the slip of paper in the book is directions? Or... does someone pay the protagonist to go and get the something for them? What about...

What is the protagonist going to get? What is the goal of the quest? Literal or figurative? Unique or one of several? Animal, mineral, vegetable?

How did they find out about it?

Are they going to get it for themselves, for someone else? What's motivating them to go?

What do they know about it? Even worse, what don't they know about it?

Do other people know about it? Do they care? Is the opposition going to try to get the something before or away from the protagonist? Or is the opposition simply blocking the protagonist, perhaps because they don't like him or her? What is the opposition's stake in this? Do they want the something, do they want to simply preserve the status quo, or is there something about the protagonist that makes them want to keep him or her from completing their quest?

What fun, and I haven't even gotten past the something that we're going to go searching for!

How about some possible things?

A piece of art (painting, sculpture, pottery -- your choice)
Portable wealth (bearer bonds, piles of money, jewels, gold -- guess who gets to decide)
Important information (birth certificate, marriage license, the will -- what else?)
The key to unlock... (password, key, the secret name, etc.) [the fun part here is get the real one!]
A hostage (person, animal, whatever -- which can add a ticking clock to reach them before...)
Christian V of Denmark (more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_V_of_Denmark -- I have no idea why we are trying to reach the King of Denmark and Norway, but I thought I would give the random article at Wikipedia a chance.)

A quest, a quest... a writer in search of a story? No, that's very common. A quest...across the pages...

Current Mood: brainshowers

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original posting 30 December 2008

Writing with a Partner

Writers Digest, June 2005, pages 45 and 46 have an article by Jennifer Lawler and Bev Bachel, with the title, "Who's Your Buddy?" The subhead tells the story: "If self-discipline isn't your strong suit, pairing up with a goal buddy can help you keep your writing goals on track. But make sure you pick the right partner."

Jennifer and Bev start out by remarking that writers have something to work towards -- whether it's getting a byline, having that novel published, or just finishing a short story. And most of them have concrete, manageable goals to help keep us pushing along. A writing quota. Sending out queries. Spending time at the computer. But at least some people find it easier to stick to those goals if they're working with a partner. They do suggest some guidelines for getting the right partner:

Seek a like-minded partner. Sharing some interests and being roughly at the same stage helps. Similar goals makes it easier to help and support each other.
Accept no excuses. Keep each other on track. Accountability is what the partnership is for. Don't let the other person down -- hold their feet to the fire and help them make that goal.
Agree on the rules. Decide how you're going to do things together.
Be open with your goals. Partnerships are based on honesty. Share your goals and be honest about them. Tell your partner what you want to do, not what you think people expect.
Be free with support and information. Share the resources, share the encouragement, and enjoy it.
Report and track your progress. "Measure what you want to improve.... For each goal your goal partner has, ask for a regular progress report..."
Take a holistic approach. "Goal partners help each other achieve their goals, but they also help each other deal with the roadblocks that get in the way of success, such as perfectionist tendencies and fear of rejection. Sharing your nonwork issues with your goal partner will help you clear the way for achieving your goals."
Celebrate each other's success. Reinforce success with rewards. Congratulate each other, celebrate reaching a goal or a milestone. Motivate the other person! Sometimes we have trouble recognizing our own success -- a partner can pat your back without you feeling embarrassed about it.

I think it's really a good idea. One of the difficulties of writing often is the solitude -- a partner, someone to talk about goals and direction, someone to help stay on track, can help with that. Notice that this isn't a writing partner that you share work with necessarily -- this is just someone that you tell about your deadlines, your quotas, your goals -- and then they help you by cheerleading and reminding you to meet those.

So try setting your goals with the buddy system. Just like in swimming, you're less likely to drown that way.

(So, have you got your resolutions ready? Which way do they go, which way do they go? I must follow them, for I am their leader?:-)

Current Mood: unfocused
Current Music: Cowgirls Don't Cry, Brooks & Dunn

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Latest posting 30 May 2008

Here we go! I know, I know, the start of summer is kind of a lazy time, and in pasting up oldies and goodies, I saw this one. So - a goal? A process? Or just a game? Anyway you look at it, write -- soon and often, and don't forget to share whatever here, okay?

original posting: Fri, 08 Aug 2003 11:24:22 +0900

August always seems like a lazy time of year, with vacations and summer heat setting the tone. But month eight also means two-thirds of the year have galloped past. So it's a good time to trim the sails and lay out a goal, a process, and some games for the trip.

A goal. This is, as always, a personal choice, but setting a quota seems to work for many. Set one that's challenging but reachable, okay? E.g., one piece (story, chapter, essay, poem) a month? A week? Or what tickles your fingers to write?

(Or, of course, you could try the challenge! Just write one piece a week - write, revise, and mail out one piece every week - for a year. According to legend, everyone who has tried this has been published. It's a little like those shot glasses of beer every minute - it seems simple, but the cumulative effect is somewhat larger than the shot glasses appear.)

A process. Here, too, your preferences may vary. Some like to brainstorm, then outline. Others free write, write, write. Hack and slash - er, revise in one grand frenzy, or perhaps a little every day?

Then finish. And send it out, even if you still don't think the golden sunset sings quite right.

Then start another.

Or play a game?

Pick a phrase - quotation, overheard fragment, first or last line, whatever you may find - and write from it. How many ways can you stretch that phrase, twist that metaphor, and make your words dance?
Ah! Metaphor and simile. What is and what is like our topic? Your love is a green tomato, drowsing in the garden? Or merely like a snail, slipsliding down the dewy rosebush? Take a metaphor or simile (or two or three) and expand, twist, and play with it. Turn those tired cliches on their side and see if there's still a new wrinkle or two left in them for you to show us.
Last, but never least, unravel a pop story and redo it as your very own. That movie, old children's story, or whatever you might have around can be the basis for practice. What's the plot? Now repopulate it with characters you prefer, change the scenery, and tell us your tale. Or, if the poetic effect catches your eye, try to imitate it? What is it about the rhythm, the wording, the imagery, and the moan that makes that line or stanza work? (p.s. I'm not sure what moan is doing in there, but it seems to fit, so I'll leave it there. :-)

So, an antidote for the August doldrums. Set your goal, refine that process, and play some games. And see if the winds don't fill your sails, sending you skimming over wordy depths under the blue skies of the Muse.

"Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry." Mark Strand

The writer's job is to get out of the way of the reader.

Current Mood: doldrums

mbarker.livejournal.com

Originally posted 11 June 2007

I'm slowly working my way through Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell. Right now I'm on page 8, with a section about the power of story. This is where Bell talks about "telling a story in a way that transports the reader." Let's face it, most readers want to get away from their world. They want an experience that is different than their normal day-to-day routine. Or as Bell puts it, "what the reader seeks is an experience that is other." A story gives the illusion of a different side of life events. And we want conflict, story, experience. The plot is a structure that helps readers get into the fictional dream and stay there. Okay? I don't think we need to pound this little two page section to pieces, but it is important to think about it.

Bell says we'll be going over it again, but his basic approach to plot is called the LOCK. Lead, Objective, Confrontation, and Knockout. Simple, right? Just four letters to remember to get a lock on your plots!

L is for Lead. I am pretty sure he means lead character, not lead pencils. So a strong plot needs an interesting lead character. "In the best plots, that Lead is compelling, someone we have to watch throughout the course of the novel." Not necessarily sympathetic, but someone that we want to watch. Okay? So that's our Lead, the L in our LOCK.

O is for Objective. Where is the character going? He needs an objective, a want, a desire. Normally the character either wants to get something or get away from something. The story question is pretty simple -- will the lead achieve their objective? Note: the objective needs to be important to the lead. So now we have LO in LOCK, our Lead and their Objective.

C is for Confrontation. Opposition, obstacles, something gets in the way. Make it tough for the lead to get to their objective. Confrontation! That's the LOC in LOCK - a Lead with their Objective and the Confrontations on the way.

Last, but obviously not least, K is for Knockout. What Bell is talking about here is the ending. A clean finish, with one person standing and the other knocked out. It shouldn't be obvious, necessarily, but it should have a real knockout finale that makes the reader satisfied. Send the lead over the top, let them find a hundred yellow ribbons round the old oak tree, blow the bad guys into little balls of juicy hamburger, whatever, but don't wimp on the ending.

And that, in a nutshell, is Bell's basics. A Lead, with an Objective, who faces Confrontations, and has a Knockout ending. LOCK that up and write!

Page 13? And there's over 200 in the book. We are going to be reading a while, aren't we?

Current Mood: illusive
Current Music: Lookin' For A Good Time, Lady Antebellum

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original posting: Thu, 29 Apr 1993 18:32:01 JST

Please note that this is a summary of what I consider the important parts of Bickham's book. It does not reflect all the material in his book (you really should read it), nor does it contain a lot of my normal fascinating prose stylistics. Having said that - hope it gives you a few clues about a reasonably good craft book...

Scene & Structure
Jack M. Bickham
Writer's Digest Books, 1993

One point to make clear at the beginning is that Bickham is NOT prescribing the form of presentation. You should use your best dialogue, description, and other tools to drape and form the selected scene. All that he is describing is the bare bone structure that underlies your writing. How you doll it up is left to your discretion - whether you like scenic description, stream-of-consciousness inwardness, flashback fantasies, or some other way of covering the structure is your choice. He is definitely NOT providing a canned plot for you to work with, although you might use his tools to extract such a plot from your favorite book or two...

The main structural component described is the sequence of scene and sequel.

A scene starts with the goal of a viewpoint character, proceeds through conflict, and ends in tactical disaster for the viewpoint character. The reader responds to the goal by forming a scene question, which should be specific, definite, have an immediate goal and clear connection to the overall plot goal, and have a simple yes/no answer.

A scene consists of moment-by-moment action constructed using stimulus (internalization) response pieces. Stimulus and response must be visible, usually dialogue or action, while internalization allows the thoughts of the viewpoint character to be explained.

The tactical disaster ending a scene should be an unanticipated but logical development that answers the scene question, relates to the conflict, and sets the character back. The three possible endings are no (simple failure); yes, but... (conditional success - usually setting up a dilemma); and no, plus... (failure, plus new problems).

While scenes may be linked with a transition (simple change in time, place, viewpoint), the full element needed is a sequel, containing emotional response, thought, decision, and new action. In a sense, the scene acts as stimulus, which must be followed by sequel acting as response. If a sequel must be skipped (due to time pressure, etc.), there should be a later "flashback" sequel, completing the sequence for the reader.

A story (basically novel) begins with a significant change that threatens the main character's self-concept. This, in turn, causes the character to form an intention or story goal in response, which provides the reader with a story question. The end of the story occurs when the story question is answered. The story focus must be on material that relates to the story question.

To plan a story -

1. identify the main character's self-concept
2. pick a significant event that threatens that self-concept
3. determine the moment of change that you will start with
4. lay out the intentions/goals the character will attempt to use to fix
5. lay out a plan of action for the character to try
6. determine when/where/how to answer the story question

Bickham suggests the following major ways to structure the scene/sequel sequences:

1. scenes move main character further and further from quick attainment of goal
2. scenes develop series of new and unexpected troubles, although not obviously related
3. scenes require character to handle unrelated problem before returning to original action line
4. interleaved subplots
5. plot assumption puts deadline (ticking clock) into action
6. plot arranged so that options dwindle
7. plot arranged so that complications and developments previously hidden are revealed

One point should be made clear - a scene/sequel sequence is NOT a chapter. Bickham points out that "chapter breaks" are a relic of earlier publishing (when novels were published as serials), and you should never use a chapter break as a transition. Place chapter breaks at the moment of disaster ending a scene, in the middle of conflict, or some other point that keeps the reader reading. Bickham suggests that most chapters have more than one scene.

(my gloss - remember 1000 nights and a night and make each chapter break a cliff-hanger!)

The book also contains a large amount of material dealing with problems in handling scenes, variations you might want to try, and other fine points. There are plenty of exercises, annotated examples, and so forth to make this a useful study book.

-----------------------
Strategy Worksheet
    Main character's self-concept
    Significant event that threatens self-concept
    Moment of Change to start with
    Intentions/Goals to fix
    Plan of Action
    When/Where/How answer story question
    Scene Planning -
        Move further and further from quick path to goal
        New and unexpected troubles
        Unrelated problem that must be solved first
        interleaved subplots
        deadline (ticking clock)
        dwindling options
        hidden complications/developments revealed
-----------------------
Scene/Sequel Worksheet
Scene (consists of Stimulus - Internalization - Response)
    Goal:
    Conflict:
       Who?
       Where?
       How long?
       Twists (4+):
    Disaster (No!, Yes, but..., No, plus)
Transition
Sequel
    Emotion (description, example, discussion)
    Thoughts (review, analysis, planning)
    Decision
    New Action
-----------------------

Current Mood: herringbone
Current Music: Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy), Big & Rich

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