writercises | Entries tagged with outline

Original Posting 2022/2/25

Over here, https://writingexcuses.com/2022/02/20/17-8-the-alchemy-of-creativity/ they spent considerable time chewing over the question of how one goes from idea to expression, or perhaps how does one shift from one form to another. Interestingly enough, it seemed clear that some people on the podcast basically have a movie running in their head, and need to figure out how to convert that to prose, while others seem to have words running wild, and are more likely to start with drafting, and then work their way into revisions. Anyway, different approaches for different folks.

I have to admit, I'm a word person. Movies? Nah, not in my head. But I can sort of see how some people might start with that kind of visual playground, and need to convert it into words. And, of course, there are folks who are doing what one of the people mentioned, basically starting with a script, seeing what kind of movie that prompts in their head, and then annotating the script with various notes about the cameras, the settings, the scenes, all of that, and then taking that and converting it into a storyboard...

There was also a bit of amusement when one person pointed out that they are a dessert first writer. I.e., they write the parts that excite them first, then have to step back and put it all together. This might be opposed to the "in order" writer, who starts at the beginning and goes on until the end.

Whew! So we have outliners and pantsers or discovery writers, those who prefer to lay it all out in some kind of outline (or perhaps a mindmap or othe visual format?) and those who dive right into the writing, working out the structure as they get the words down... And we have movie in the head people and words and feelings folks? Plus we have dessert first writers and in order writers...

Fun and games! What kind of process do you find yourself using? Do you recognize these differences? Is there something else that shapes your writing, and makes it different from the way other people seem to tackle things?

Something to ponder this weekend, maybe?

Write?

mbarker

Original posting 2022/01/03

I suspect some of you remember JC, one of our Writers from a while back. I still contemplate his advice for writing from time to time. It was pretty simple.

Write the ending first.

See, when you visualize your story, fairly often the ending is the exciting, fun part. It's where the climax is, the detective pointing out whodunit, the fateful happily ever after, the ride into the sunset, or whatever. So, JC recommended that you start by writing that piece. Write that great ending scene, the climax of your piece.

Then, of course, you get to work your way backwards. You can do tentpoles, highlight scenes along the way to that ending, and then tie them all together. By the way, foreshadowing gets easier when you know where you are going! Or you can literally write it backwards, one scene at a time, until you get to the beginning. Or, of course, you can ratchet all the way back, and start from the beginning and go on until the end (which you already know, because that's what you wrote first!).

Heck, even if you are an outliner, carefully working out all the bits and pieces in outline before starting to write, you still might want to consider starting at the end, both for the outline, and for the actual writing. Keep your goal in mind!

It's an interesting twist. Instead of starting at the beginning, and then bogging down in the middle, and never quite getting to the end...

Write the ending first.

Then you can keep your eye on that horizon while you beat your way through the jungle towards it.

Write?

mbarker

Original Posting 3/14/2020

Just a kind of brainstorming exercise. Many of you, I think, are writing, or have written, or maybe would like to be writing. Of course, one of the tricky parts of writing is facing that blank page, or more likely, blank screen, and getting yourself engaged and pouring words out. Now, I know, there's advice about sitting down at a typewriter and opening a vein. Other people swear by, or swear at, a particular framework, like the three-act structure, hero's journey, or some such. 20 minute freewriting sprints. Reddit prompts! Or what have you...So, your challenge. Write down whatever you use to spark that writing frenzy. Tell us, in a few lines, or more extensively, just what you use to start yourself. Is there a checklist of questions that you like? A particular way of looking at things? Do you start with a character, a situation, a setting, or something? Whatever it is, tell us about it!Go ahead, write it up, as if you were telling us how to get started. Then post that, right here on writers. Don't worry, rubbing that worry stone before starting is not ridiculous if it works for you!Hey, your outlining method, or your pantsing approach, might be just what someone else needs to help them get started again!Okay? Think about how you tackle it, write it up, and tell us!

mbarker

Original Posting 11/01/2019

If you do, you are probably already set up and ready to roll, just as soon as November First starts wherever you are. On the other hand, if you have missed it...It's November! For many writers, that means it's nanowrimo time again! National Novel Writing Month! There's a website (https://nanowrimo.org/) with support, and all that, but the main idea is simple. Toss the internal editor in the back, and write! Aim at 50,000 words (or more! Just because you hit the goal, don't stop now! Keep going!) during the month of November. That means 1,667 words a day, or 12,500 per week. Although I'd recommend doing a bit of overloading or front-loading, because there may be turkeys and other interruptions towards the end of the month. So, say 2,000 words a day, or even 2,500 words a day to start?But part of the fun is not fretting too much about the target, and just settle down and write whatever you can, whatever feels good! Push to do more than you have done before. Try a genre you haven't tried, but always wanted to. Switch from that hackneyed third person to first person (or, for the very adventurous, give second person a try!). Maybe play with present tense instead of the well-trodden past tense?Oh, yeah, there's also the fun of trying discovery writing if you have been an outliner, a planner. Or play with some planning, if you have always done discovery writing.Rediscover the fun of writing! Remember why you wanted to do this stuff, and go ahead and enjoy it for a month!One notion that I've seen a lot of people suggesting is what I might call incremental outlining or planning. Basically, sure, go ahead and at least have a kind of idea of what you want to write, maybe a few of the characters and so forth, but don't worry too much. Then, every day, start out with a little brainstorming and outlining. Probably a scene or two. Set the goals, figure out what you want to have happen in this scene, who you need, and... write! Yes, you may find yourself needing to go back and rearrange scenes or rewrite stuff later, but... don't worry about it for now, we're pushing for words, and more words! Okay? Just write those daily pieces, and we'll fit them into the quilt later.So, even if you haven't tried nano before, let me invite you to join in, and write! Don't worry, you haven't lost much preparation time. Actually, I think you could include whatever preliminary sketches and so forth you want to do before you dive into writing, writing, writing as part of your nanowrimo word count.And when people ask if you nano, you can smile, and say, "Yes!"Go ahead, write! You've got a month to run wild, and an invitation to, as Nike likes to suggest, just do it!

mbarker

Original Posting 9/19/2019

Nanowrimo, as most of you know, is the National Novel Writing Month that used to be known as November. The challenge is simple -- write 50,000 words during November!Now, there's a website over here https://nanowrimo.org/ that can help. They let you register, provide tracking for your numbers, will count the words in your final draft, and give pep talks, certificates, and other stuff.Right now, they are running a preparation course. Apparently, a six week course that started last week (whoops!) and runs through the middle of October. You can download the whole handbook, and catch up if you want to. The six pieces they are tackling?1. Develop a story idea you're passionate about2. Create complex, believable characters3. Construct a detail plot or outline4. Build a strong world for your characters5. Organize your life to support your writing goals6. Find, schedule, and manage your timeI find it slightly amusing that they are giving a six week workshop to get ready for a month-long (four weeks, right?) writing binge, but...Some of us like preparation, others prefer jumping in and discovery writing (aka pantsing). If you are interested in getting yourself ready for Nanowrimo, their prep program looks pretty good! Go for it!And then... in November!WRITE!

mbarker

Original Posting Oct. 5, 2018

Oh, ho! Nanowrimo, which means National Novel Writing Month, is coming up! That's write, November is the time when people everywhere fire up their pen and paper, computer, tablet, or even cell phone, and scribble, scribble, scribble! The goal? Simple. 50,000 words in one month. Roughly 1,666 words a day, but I like to think of it as 2,000 words a day, to give myself a buffer.

https://nanowrimo.org/

has all kinds of information, and you probably want to sign up.

Now, one of the tricky questions about Nanowrimo is whether or not you can prepare ahead of time. While everyone agrees that you need to write the words during November, for at least some people, it works better to go ahead and do outlines and such ahead of time, and then settle down and just write during November. Of course, some people do eschew any preparation, preferring to start fresh on November 1 and just write madly... Personally, I think it's okay to do some brainstorming and outlining ahead of time. So, I'll probably post some exercises and such aimed at helping you to get ready. Okay?

In any case, along with the Halloween contest, it is something else to think about. Just 2,000 words a day makes November go by, November go by, November go by...

WRITE!

mbarker

Original Posting Jan. 20, 2018

I was thinking about starting an outline for a story, and happened to think of this exercise. I guess I’d call it either the Victor Appleton Challenge, or maybe the Tom Swift challenge. I don’t know if you are familiar with the Tom Swift series, either the older ones or the Tom Swift, Jr. ones that I grew up with, but according to what I have heard, they were all written under a house name by various writers, following standard plots provided by the house. So if you were to write a Tom Swift book, the publishing house would provide an outline, you would write it and get paid, and then... it would be published with the author Victor Appleton!

So, the exercise. It comes in two parts.

First, well, what if you (that’s right, you!) were to take a story — short story, novel, movie, anime, song, poetry, whatever story you like and know pretty well — and put together an outline for us. Include whatever you think is important, genre, setting, characters, events, and so forth, but in outline form! Do whatever level of detail you think is needed. Now post that, right here on the list.

Second, of course, would be when you (yep, you! The other one!) take that outline that someone has posted here on the list, and you write a story based on it. Feel free to ask questions if necessary, but mostly, take that outline, and develop your story from it. You may need to add some things, you may want to shift the genre, setting, characters, and so forth a bit, but... try to make it somewhat related, okay? Again, post your response right here on the list.

You might label the first part OUTLINE and the second part RESPONSE to make it easy for us to put them together?

There we go! Two exercises for the price of one! You do the outline, and you write a story from that outline. Go for it!

Write!

mbarker

Original Posting Nov. 1, 2017

It’s November again, and that means some of us are probably doing Nanowrimo. National Novel Writing Month! The goal? 50,000 words or more in a month. Roughly 1,667 words a day, but you might as well round it off and say 2,000 words a day. Do you have 2 hours a day? That would be 1,000 words an hour.

Of course, you can think about in other terms, too. Can I structure an outline, or a story, and keep chunking on it for a month? Can I dream up an interesting set of characters, settings, situations, and so forth and keep plugging with them for a month? Can I weave some subplots and bit characters in to boost that word count? Oh, what about the problems, plans, try-fail cycles, scene/sequels, and of course, the suspense and climax to make a plot of sorts out of all those words, instead of just a random collection of incidents and oddities? Hey, it’s a word count challenge to push you along, but you can also push your other skills even while you’re beating that word count.

In fact, Nanowrimo is an opportunity to play with writing, to rediscover the fun in the art. Yes, there’s that framework of 50,000 in a month. But as haiku, sonnets, flash fiction, and lots of forms teach us, having a framework can actually make the effort better! So take that challenge, to write 50,000 words this month, and use it to push yourself on something that excites you. You always wondered what writing a romance would be like? Or a mystery? How about a western, out on the lone prairie under the shining moon? Go for it!

And, of course, you can enjoy the company, the fun of people actually talking about writing. All too often, writing is a lonely craft, hunched over a notebook or keyboard in solitude. But at least this month, as in a marathon, there’s a whole group of people running along the same way, heading for the same goal. Oh, they may have a different pace, some may drop out, others race ahead, but they are all in the race together.

So — for all of you who are writing or about to start, yay! It’s a strange and proud thing you are doing, tackling a month of churning out the words, grinding along, singing your song. Congratulations!

Write on!

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original Posting 11 Nov 2012

Okay. On another list, someone commented that this article was really helpful to them in getting their nanowrimo story under control and rolling, so what the heck, I went and took a look. It's notes on a writing seminar that Mary Robinette Kowal ran, and indeed, it's pretty good. If you want, you can go over here and take a look:

http://blog.karenwoodward.org/2012/10/mary-robinette-kowal-and-mysteries-of.html

But since I know you're trying to avoid distractions and crunch out those nanowrimo words (one, two, three, four... A hundred here, a hundred there, pretty soon you've got a thousand, and then a couple thousand, and... Keep on adding to that wordcount!) Where were we before I got distracted? Oh, right, here's a summary of the key points.

1. Start by writing down a list of all the events in the story. Note that you really shouldn't get crazy about trying to be complete, totally accurate and so on, just make sure you have the major stuff down and accept that you are probably going to adjust this list as you go.
2. Look for plot holes and fill them.
3. Look for duplication and extra stuff, and remove the extra!
4. Flesh out your scenes. For each one, list what happens, where, when, character arc, time of day, and who is the main character.
5. Consider whether you want to mess with multiple POVs or not. If you do, look at the balance. You may want to change some scenes, which may involve adjusting the stakes in those scenes. Do make sure that the POV character has something at stake in the scenes they are involved in -- change the POV character if they don't, or change the scene to give them something! Oh, and overall? Make sure that the main character is the first character we meet, and really is the main POV.
(And from the next posting...)
6. Nest MICE subplots as needed. Milieu plots are about going to a strange place and returning, with the focus on the strange place. Idea stories are the traditional problem and solution tales. Character stories are about changes in the person or his role. Event stories are where something is out of whack with the world, and we are either restoring it or moving into a new world.
7. Use the power of "yes, but" and "no, and." Nearly every step in the story, and most of the scenes should end with either yes, they got their goal, BUT things got more complicated OR no, they didn't get what they wanted, AND things are even worse than they were before.
8. Use scene-sequel to make things go. Scenes are the action parts. For each one, figure out who the POV character is, usually based on the question of who has the most at stake. Give them a goal, active and specific. Mix in the conflict, or scene question. And finish things off with a setback, the scene answer (yes, but OR no, and?). Sequels are the reaction parts, where the character shows us the events being digested. First the emotional reactions, then the rational review and consideration of the facts, followed by setting up new plans and directions, and making a decision as to what should happen next.

The main part of this is really the idea of the outline. Make that list, refine it, and make sure that every scene does what it should.

And keep going! Remember, only you can write your nanowrimo tale! So get those words down now.

Write?

Current Mood: wobble

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original Posting 29 October 2011

I know Nanowrimo actually doesn't start for a couple of days. Still, I think it's fair to do some preparation. For example, you may want to think about how you're going to do your writing. Personally, I set up a folder for Nanowrimo 2011. One thing that's in it is a spreadsheet. Yes, I know that Nanowrimo provides a tracking facility, so that you can put in your daily word count and see the graphs they make up. But... I find it worthwhile to keep my own. I've actually done it as a Google spreadsheet, so it's available to me anywhere there is a browser.

There's a public copy available over here if you'd like to get your own copy. I'm pretty sure it's set up to allow you to grab a copy -- let me know if it isn't?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlXxRgbVerJHdDViM0psNkdzU2t5b3p6T2JoREdlb0E&hl=en_US

Depending on your writing style, you might want to do some thinking or even outlining. Think about questions like these:

1. Who hurts? This helps you figure out your characters.
2. What can go wrong? This helps you with plot.
3. Who's going to pay, and what will they pay? That's often the driver for the climax.

I actually got those from someone who suggested that was enough. Pretty clearly they're mostly going to write by the seat of their pants.

There is the old four points from the definition of a story:

1. A likable character
2. Overcomes Opposition and conflict
3. By his or her own efforts
4. To achieve a worthwhile goal

Pick a character, set them up with opposition and conflict, have them work to achieve a worthwhile goal. Simple, right?

I often use the 10 questions from Barry Longyear's Science Fiction Writer's Workshop 1. I group them this way:

Background

1. Where are we? (Setting)
2. Who is involved? (Characters, strengths, flaws)
3. Where are they headed? (Goals, motives)
4. What stops or blocks them? (Obstacles)
5. What are they going to do about it? (Plans to overcome problems)

Story

6. What hook(s) or bait for the reader will I use? (Where will it start) What story question do I pose for the reader?
7. What backfill is needed? (Background that needs to be filled in)
8. What build up do I want? (Scenes)
9. What is the climax?
- How does the character change? (Overcome weakness, etc.)
- How is the plot resolved? (Problems overcome and goals achieved)
- What answer does the reader get to the story question?

Higher level

10. What purpose, moral, or theme am I writing about?

Another useful list of points that I have used is:

1. What is the main character's self-concept?
2. What is a significant event that threatens that self-concept?
3. What is the moment of change to start with?
4. What intentions or goals does the character have?
5. What do they plan to do?
6. When, where, and how are you going to answer the story question?

I have to admit, I think that last one is interesting because they didn't mention the story question before that. I suppose in order to answer it, you have to figure out what is.

I've also got a little table, where I've put down various notes about the three act format. For example, act one usually starts with a hook, or inciting incident. Someone suggested that this needs to present the character, the problem, and the crucible -- why are they sticking around to face this problem? Sometimes this is one of the problems with bad horror -- someone or something is killing everyone around this lake. So why doesn't the hero just leave? The other end of act one is the first doorway of no return. This is where the hero makes the commitment to deal with the problem. Fairly often, before that they might turn away. But once they take this step...

Act two begins. Act II is conflicts and complications. Struggles, actions, worry and hope, and getting the hero locked in. The end of act two is the second doorway of no return. This is where the hero gets up, decides they're going to take one more swing at it, and frequently has realized what is going to take and decided to do it.

Act three is the climax. This is where we get our resolution. Everything gets tied up, and we see what it all means.

What about you? Do you have some idea who your characters are, what the main plot is all about, what the problem is? What about the general genre? Are you on your marks? Ready?

Current Mood: Reviewing

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original Posting 6 Oct 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Got it? Good. Reset your timer, go.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current Mood: ring!

mbarker.livejournal.com

Writer's Digest, December 2006, pages 46 to 49, has an article with the title, "All Mapped Out" by Daniel Steven. Basically, this is another look at outlining, especially for those who really don't want to do those old English class outlines.

Let's take a look. Daniel points out that "outlining allows you to think creatively about plot and plot lines, while freeing you from wasted effort, backtracking, and rewriting." He also points out that mystery, thriller, and suspense stories depend on twists and turns that are easier to keep straight with an outline. Finally, the point isn't to make a Roman numeral monstrosity of a hierarchy. Instead, use a simple template focusing on your concepts, characters, and plot points, and let it evolve as you work on your story. So here's the steps that Daniel suggests:

1. Develop and refine your concept. You need to be able to summarize the plot in a sentence or two. It should be original, imaginative, and have an interesting character in trouble. Start by sketching that out.

2. Develop your characters. How many characters do you need, what are their roles, and who are they? A lot of people use character sheets. The key is what's important background for this character -- education, family, experiences, appearance, problems, strengths, weaknesses. While you're at it, pick the viewpoint character or characters. Decide on first or third person, and present or past tense.

3. Develop plot points. What are the major events and conflicts in your story? What are the pivots -- the scenes where the direction of the novel changes. Short novels probably have about six plot points, longer novels might have up to 15. Plot points, pivots, and the grand climax. Make a simple chart of these.

4. Make your outline. Daniel suggests a four column table. Each row is one scene -- a setting and a time. Column 1 is the scene number. Daniel puts checkboxes in here, so that you can check things off as you go along. Column 2 is chapter number, filled in later when you're assigning scenes to chapters. Column 3 is the point of view and plot line for each scene. Who is the viewpoint character, and is this part of the main plot or a subplot? Column 4 is going to be the scene description. Leave it empty for now.

5. Develop and expand the outline. Now fill in the outline, putting scene after scene into the fourth column. Just a brief summary, phrase, sentence, but no more than a paragraph. If you're not sure -- skip it, or put a placeholder. Fill in as much as you can. Don't worry if you can't fill in the whole thing.

Your choice -- you can start writing with a partial outline, or you can try to fill in more of the outline before you start writing scenes. And then as you write, feel free to modify.

When the outline is starting to feel pretty final, that's when you group the scenes into chapters and fill in the second column.

Incidentally, by adding transitions between scenes and chapters in the outline, you've got a pretty good synopsis.

If you want to practice this, take your current work in progress, a favorite story, or maybe something coming up -- are you planning to do Nanowrimo? Whatever, go ahead and try it out. What's the concept, who are the characters, what's the high-level plot? Then sit down and work out the scene-by-scene details. After that, of course, you've still got writing to do :-)

Current Mood: splotch

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original Posting 22 July 2010

Writers Digest, February 2008, pages 36 to 40, has an article by Jon Robertson with the title, "Write From The Ground Up." Basically, Jon suggests thinking about writing a book as being like building a house.

Start with the blueprint -- your outline. "We all work in different ways -- our writing habits, the tools we use to stay on track and how we organize the writing day. An outline can be as simple as a few notes scribbled on a napkin or a single premise filed in the mind. Super brains can keep it all in their heads throughout the duration of the project. For others, the detailed outline is a must."

Pictorial flowchart, visual grid of topics, keywords -- whatever helps you organize the work.

Next, excavation and foundation -- research. Dig around, find out what's out there. Pick the location, check out the surroundings, make sure you know where you're going to build.

Framing -- fill in the outline. Knock together scenes, sketch things out, and start filling in.

Plumbing, heating, electrical? Foreshadowing, flashbacks, and all that stuff that helps to tie the story together. That's transitions, surprises, hooks.

Wallboard plaster and paint -- cover up the rough edges, double check the grammar and the spelling, rewrite polish and refit. Do a final inspection to get rid of redundancies, tighten up the words, and make sure that the sights and sounds and feelings bring your story to life.

It's an interesting example of using an extended metaphor to walk through the process of writing a book. What metaphors do you use to keep yourself on track? If writing a novel is like building a house, what is the short story? Building a doghouse? Or maybe putting together a temporary shelter in the woods? What about poetry? Sharpening a sword? Or just breaking down the walls between our minds?

Current Mood: shed

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original posting 17 July 2009

Okay. So let's say you've got some notions, there's a goal, maybe a bit of an inciting incident, some characters, all that stuff swirling around in your head. How do you organize it?

Let's take a look at a website that might help. Jim Butcher writes a very popular fantasy detective series (the Dresden Files) and others, and he's been blogging about his process over here. http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/ I thought it was a little odd -- he seems to have written the blog postings in order, which means the ones for starting are at the bottom... (psst? Anyone else recognize that Scene-Sequel structure? Yeah, James Bickham's Scene & Structure http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/tag/sequel ) Anyway

Jim's story skeleton is this:

*WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS*, *YOUR PROTAGONIST* *PURSUES A GOAL*. But will he succeed when *ANTAGONIST PROVIDES OPPOSITION*?

Okay? Pretty simple, right? Plug in

What happens to kick things off? (the inciting incident)
Who's the protagonist?
What's the goal?
Who's the antagonist? How do they oppose the protagonist?

Go ahead. Take the ideas you're playing with, and plug them into Jim's skeleton. (Oh, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone's connected to the shin bone, the shin bone's connected to the knee bone, keep on moving up the line...)

When Jim finds a treasure map in his dead uncle's sea chest, he decides to recover the fortune. But will he succeed when the Bloody Hand Gang finds out that there's a treasure out there?

Current Mood: bony

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original posting 27 September 2007

How do I plot?

Or how should I plot?

Let me recount some ways.

Imprimus, perhaps, we have the way of the English teacher. Outlines, character sheets, and more detailing until the words are almost an afterthought. Prepare first is the byword on this path.

Secundus, there are the improvisational players, jazzing it up on the spur of the muses. With a hope and a dream, they whip out the story in rough form, and then revise and tinker their words to fame. Onward, onward, into the teeth of the plot, wrote the seven hundred.

Tertius, if that's the word, there are approaches like the steppingstones. Put down a word or phrase for a starting scene at the top of a sheet of paper, do the same for a climax at the bottom, then sketch in the key scenes to get from one to the other. Rearrange the steppingstones as needed. Then write adding smaller scenes and details as you go. A rough plan, but my own, and then write, write, write.

Let's back up a moment and consider what we mean by plot. I think of it as selecting and ordering the scenes for dramatic impact. You can do it several ways. Some people find it easier to see in bullet points or outlines, others use 3x5 cards tacked to a board, and others make up a sequence in their head. Some simply write, then clean and hack to find the story in the verbiage. No matter how you tackle it, thinking of alternatives and changes is likely to be a part of the process, so relax and work with it. Remember, readers only see the final version, but those cleanups are what make it really good.

There are some clues to help guide your choice of ways to plot. For example, starting with an ending - a climactic scene- often seems to help pull the rest of the menagerie of writing into shape. Having a rich stockpile of bits and pieces - stock plots and dramatic situations - makes it easier, so read widely. Many people find it useful to consider characters and plot separately, but the plot is these characters in action so you can also consider the plot as the expression of the characters - or maybe we see the characters reveal themselves in actions which develop a plot?

One thought from the World Science Fiction Convention. One of the panelists commented that English teachers have taught us all tools for analysis, for taking apart stories that are already written. But what we need are tools for construction, for tackling a blank sheet of paper and generating a story. So perhaps instead of trying so hard to pin down the plot and other pieces, we need to encourage alternatives and growth?

How do I plot? Well, part of it is scanning lists of archtypes - the master plots and other lists like that. E.g., I even find the short summaries of old westerns, kabuki plays, and such evocative. Part of it is putting together characters - a strong character helps define their own actions. And part of it is just mystery, something that sparks while writing, something that catches my attention when I'm reading the news, odds and ends that combine to suggest a story. I do find that scribbling bits and pieces here and there is helpful. I'm not, personally, one of the great outliners, although I like having at least a rough idea of the sequence of major scenes and the climax. I'll often write a version of the climax first, then figure out how to get there.

Not perhaps the best answer or the most complete, but it's an answer.

You might also take a look at some of the web postings about plot. For example, Holly Lisle at http://hollylisle.com/fm/Workshops/plot-outline.html walks through her approach to creating a plot and http://hollylisle.com/fm/Workshops/notecard_plotting.html talks about fast plotting.

A search for "plot outline" nets a bunch of links.
http://www.wendy-wheeler.com/7point.html provides a seven point skeleton.
http://www.atfantasy.com/view/84 yacks about outlining and creativity.
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/outlining.html has a nice discussion of various approaches.
and so on . . .

Good question. How do you plot?

And how do you use your plot while writing?

Something to contemplate as we look ahead to Halloween Horrors, NaNoWriMo, 6 in 6, and the rest of a writing winter!

tink

Current Mood: silhouetted

mbarker.livejournal.com

Original posting: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 11:30:57 JST

Hi, Ipatia

I'll keep this short.

1. Outline. Then fit bits into the outline. Repeat. Each attack on the outline may be only a few words, but in a very short time you'll have a long outline. Then expand a little bit at a time again. Just like blowing up a balloon, you don't have to do it in one big whoosh, you can do it with little puffs and when you finish, no one but you will know the difference.

2. Scribble sheet. Write the extra thoughts and side issues on another sheet of paper (I keep a clipboard by the computer). Then make yourself go back to the part you promised yourself you would work on.

3. Reward yourself AFTER doing a bit. Then set your goals a little longer/higher and don't reward yourself until you hit them. That snack is a reward for not writing - which isn't what you want to do, right?

Try those three.
tink

Current Mood: one bit at a time

Profile

The Place For My Writers Notes

Navigation

February 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28

Syndicate

Page Summary

Style Credit

Base style: Heads Up by momijizuakmori
Theme: A Brighter View by zaluzianskya and skylark_photos

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Aug. 22nd, 2025 10:52 pm

The Place For My Writers Notes

Entries tagged with outline

TECH: Capturing Lightning In A Bottle?

TECH: Write the Ending first!

EXERCISE: How do you kickstart your writing?

WOW: Do you nano? (500 Words)

WOW: Nanowrimo?

WOW: Getting Ready for Nanowrimo?

EXERCISE: The Victor Appleton Challenge?

NANOWRIMO: Get going!

TECH: the mysteries of outlining?

TECH: Nanowrimo? Get set?

TECH: Do you have a half hour?

TECH: All Mapped Out

TECH: Building as writing?

CONTEST: A backbone?

TECH: How Do I Plot?

TECH: Filler Short Attention Span

Profile

Navigation

February 2025

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags