The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 2022/3/9

And the last of the bunch! Climax (or battle), what does it mean?, what am I going to do now? and where are we now? All from  https://luisanaduarte.com/2018/03/02/trubys-22-steps/ 

19. Battle
During the battle, the goals of the protagonist and the opponent should be crystal clear. There should be no confusion about what each side is fighting for. The story’s plot and subplots usually converge of this point. The winner of the battle achieves their goal.

My comment: The climax, the face-off between the hero and the villian, the final showdown. This is where the whole plot has been aiming, now make it come alive!

20. Self-revelation
The moment after the battle where the protagonist comes to a deeper understanding of their self and what they fought for and perhaps won. The revelation should be meaningful and life-altering. Show, don’t tell, what the protagonist learned/understood. The revelation can be moral and/or psychological.
At the same time, and usually surprising the audience, the opponent can have a change of heart through the protagonist’s revelation.

My comment: Okay, so here the protagonist sees what they have done to themselves, and what they have done, in this story. Final revelation, as the battle fades away...

21. Moral decision
The moral decision is the course of action that the protagonist will take once the self-revelation happens. The protagonist, if that’s the route they’re going for, can even choose to dismiss the moral and/or psychological revelations. It is through the moral decision that the audience learns what the protagonist is truly ‘made of.’

My comment: Now that the hero knows themselves, what are they going to do? What are they planning to do with the rest of their life?

22. New equilibrium
The new stasis in the story world. The ‘new normal’ the protagonist lives in once the goal has been achieved or lost.
 
My comment: And what about the world around them? Has it changed? What happens to it in the aftermath of that battle?

So, we have the battle, and the results of that, both for the protagonist now and in the future, and for the world around them. 

It's interesting that these 22 steps really don't say much about the plot. There's a lot of reflection on the character, the setting or world, and so forth, and on how the revelations of the story affect the character.

Go ahead. Make Truby's steps your own! Take your work in progress, and see how these steps fit your work. Make some notes about the things that don't quite fit, too. And think about whether you want to incorporate some of these steps in your process, your outlining, or whatever.

Write? 

Original posting 2022/3/7

A few more steps from https://luisanaduarte.com/2018/03/02/trubys-22-steps/ 

12. Drive
The way that I think about this is a football drive. Which are the plays that the protagonist is going to ‘call’ in order to achieve their goal?

My comment: Aha! Now we're laying out the middle. These are the steps that the protagonist plans to take, what they expect to have happen on the way to that goal. I suppose these might also be the try-fail cycles (remember those?), where the protagonist tries to do something, and... yes-but, no-and hits. Yes, they succeed, but in succeeding, learn about a new challenge, or no, they fail, and in failing, learn about more problems.

13. Attack by ally
The hero of our story is never perfect, otherwise, what would be the point of the story?
The attack by an ally is the moment when the protagonist begins to diverge from their moral compass and gets called out by a true ally. This can result in a schism between the protagonist and the ally (because no one likes a goody-two-shoes). This attack also gives the story a deeper conflict, where the protagonist must decide whether or not to follow a moral path.

My comment: One of those problems along the way! The faults and failures of the protagonist get called out by an ally! And what does the protagonist do?

14. Apparent defeat
All hope is lost and the protagonist is about to give up in the pursuit of their desire. This is the lowest point in the story and the reader might be uncertain if the protagonist will succumb to the opponent, or rally and succeed.

My comment: The dark valley, the black hole in the middle of the story? This also sounds like some of the other plot structures I've seen. 

15. Second revelation and decision: Obsessive drive, changed desire and motive
Yay, the protagonist rallied! Perhaps with a changed perspective on their desire or a different goal, the protagonist continues in their pursuit.

There can also be an ‘apparent victory’ for the protagonist at this point. However, the stakes will be raised even higher when the ‘apparent victory’ dissipates.

My comment: And the protagonist bounces back! Keep going, and raising those stakes. So, it feels to me as if that drive step is really where we take the plan from step 10 and really lay out what's going to happen. Then we have some major plot points to hit, the attack by an ally, the defeat, and the second revelation/decision. So we're filling in the middle, step by step.

As usual, you might consider applying these steps to a work in progress.

Write? 

Original posting 2022/3/5

Okay, next batch from https://luisanaduarte.com/2018/03/02/trubys-22-steps/ 

Looks like one bit of plot/action, a goal, and a whole group of other characters…

4. Inciting event
The ‘spark’ moment that brings the character’s situation from bad to worse. This event also challenges the character into action.

My comment: aha! Here we go with an actual event, the kickoff start to things! Okay…

5. Desire
The goal that drives the character and the story. Usually, the desire grows/intensifies as the story progresses, raising the stakes for the character.

My comment: what does the character want? Okay, that’s what is specific to this story, to that spark we just noted.

6. Ally or allies
The best buds. Those characters that give aid/advice to the main character. The allies can also have a goal. Sometimes, the ally’s and main character’s goals are the same, promoting collaboration.

My comment: Who does the character have along for the trip? It’s good to have friends!

7. Opponent and/or mystery
Opponent: This ‘bad guy’ doesn’t want the main character to achieve their goal. This relationship is usually the most important one in the story as it provides conflict to the story.
Mystery: The opponent can be a mystery at its roots, therefore giving the protagonist the task of discovering their antagonist, and defeating them.

My comment: okay, the antagonist. If we have allies, there’s probably somebody causing trouble, too.

8. Fake-ally opponent
A ‘sneaky’ character whom the protagonist initially believes is their ally. There is usually heartbreak and deception for the protagonist when the truth is discovered.

My comment: ah, it isn’t bad enough that there’s a protagonist, we need someone who betrays the good guy, too? Okay…

So, in this set of steps, we add in something that kicks off the action, a goal for where we are going, and a set of other characters, both pro and con. 

Again, if you like, you could try applying these steps to your own work in progress. Or even start a new work, just playing with these steps, to see where you go!

Write! 

Original Posting 2022/2/14

Over at https://writingexcuses.com/2022/02/13/17-7-dissecting-influence/ they are dissecting influences. One of the things they mentioned reminded me of something I do from time to time, and I thought I'd toss it out as something you may want to try.

It's simple really. Take your favorite medium, books, short stories, movies, anime, or whatever, and make a list of your favorites. No particular number, but make sure you have several. Then, take a look, and see if there are common themes, subjects, treatments, or whatever that seem to pop up. Usually, you'll find several that share some elements. Go ahead, make a list of those common threads that attract you.

You may want to take them apart a bit. Why is that theme something that resonates with you? Why do you prefer the youngster growing up main character? Of whatever it is... think about what it means to you, and what the key parts of it are.

You may even want to go a bit farther, and think about how to use these themes, character types, plots, or whatever in your own stories and work. After all, if you really love them, you might as well use them to inspire your own work, right?

Heck, you could probably even go ahead and do some sketches, or mix and match tales, and so forth.

Write? 

Original posting 2021/11/3

Oho! I was wondering about using the Lester Dent Pulp Master Fiction Plot for Nanowrimo, and decided to poke around in my archives. Found this, which summarizes his approach nicely. Might need to add a few more repetitions of the second or third parts, but that's pretty easy. Or maybe use this for segment after segment of your potboiler? Sure! And keep those words coming! Because there's a man with a gun over there, saying, "Write!"

TECH: Lester Dent Pulp Master Fiction Plot
Original Posting Dec. 2, 2016

Let's see. Someone was talking about pulp fiction recently, and I pulled out Lester Dent's plot. They seemed surprised to learn of it, so... what the heck, let's review!

http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/dent.html has a copy, if you want to follow along.

First off, Lester recommends brainstorming about four different things. They are:
1. A different murder method for the villain to use
2. A different thing for the villain to be seeking
3. A different locale
4. A menace which hangs like a cloud over the hero
You need at least one, two is better, and three is great! Okay? So do some thinking about what's going to be your unique points.

Next, divvy up the story into four parts. Lester was doing 6000 word stories, with 1500 word parts, but adjust to taste.

First part.
1. First line, or as near as possible, introduce your hero and hit him with a bunch of trouble. Hint at a mystery, menace, or problem that the hero has to deal with.
2. Make the hero pitch in to deal with the bunch of trouble.
3. Introduce all other characters as soon as possible, bringing them on in action.
4. Near the end of the first part, let the hero's efforts get him into an actual physical conflict.
5. Also, near the end, drop in a complete surprise twist in the plot.
Suspense? Menace to the hero? Logical sequence of events? Make sure that your action does more than just move the hero around in the scenery. Let him learn things, and surprises.

Second part
1. Load more trouble on the hero.
2. The hero keeps struggling, leading to
3. Another physical conflict and
4. Another plot twist!
Make sure we have more suspense, increasing menace, and the hero is getting in more and more trouble. Also, we still need that clockwork logic progression.

Show! Make the reader see things.
Try to put at least one minor surprise o each page.
Use tags to keep your characters easy to remember.
Continuous action!

Third part
1. More trouble for the hero!
2. Hero begins to make some headway, and corners villain or someone in
3. (You guessed it!) a physical conflict
4. And yet another surprising plot twist.
Whoosh! More suspense, that menace is turning solid black, and the hero is really in trouble! All in logical lockstep, right?

Feel free to make the physical conflicts different, just to avoid monotony.

Action: vivid, swift, make the reader see it.
Atmosphere: all the senses.
Description: scenery and details.
Make each word count.

Fourth part!
1. More troubles for the hero!
2. Get the hero almost buried in trouble.
3. Let the hero pull himself out using his own skills!
4. The big mystery gets cleared up during the final confrontation.
5. Final twist, a big surprise.
6. Punch line ending!

Keep the suspense going to the last line. Keep the menace there until the ending. Make sure that everything is explained, and that the events all happen logically. Use the punch line to make the reader feel warm and fuzzy! And, make sure that your hero kills or defeats the villain, not someone else.

There you go. Simple, right? Get the character in trouble, keep them fighting and finding out new twists, build it up to another fight and twist, build it up to one more fight and twist, and then kaboom! Let the hero fight their way out, with a final big twist.

Got it? Now write it!

 Original Posting 2020/12/24

Writer's Digest, October 1992, pages 29-30, had an article by William M. Ross called The Power of Plot Irony. The subtitle suggests that "this technique can instill your story plots with drama, depth – and unexpected consequences."

He starts out by reminding us that the traditional good plot "has a problem/resolution structure: a character faces a problem, struggles with it over the course of the story, and then solves it at the end with a striking action." Good definition, but how do you make the struggle, the story, compelling? Well, plot irony "can give your story the kind of unexpected plot turns that keep readers turning pages."

Next, he describes a story by Max Brand called "Wine on the Desert" as an example plot irony. An outlaw wanted for murder, fleeing the sheriff, visits his old friend Tony who has a vineyard irrigated by vats of rainwater. Tony is friendly, but the outlaw shoots holes in the vats to keep the sheriff from having the water he needs to follow him. Then he orders Tony to fill his canteen with water. The outlaw grabs the canteen and heads into the desert.

So far, a man on the run, friendship betrayed, rugged setting, lots of action. But… Where's the irony? Well, as the outlaw finds out deep in the desert, Tony filled the canteen with wine, not water. That's the irony.

Now, he explains that plot irony is not achieved by a single incident, but by a pattern of incidents in a specific configuration. You need three interlocking events. First, someone misperceives a situation. Second, he acts on the basis of this misperception. Third, as a result of the action, he experiences unanticipated consequences, either positive or negative.

Since this is usually revealed at the end of the story, often say they like the final twist. What they really mean is they like the ironic pattern which is revealed at the end.

In the story about wine, the outlaw mistakenly believes that his friend Tony filled his canteen with water. He acts on the misperception by running further into the desert. He suffers unanticipated consequences at the end. Separately, these incidents are not ironic, but together they are.

Next, Ross takes a look at a story by O. Henry, The Furnished Room, which he says fails! The misperception is not really wrong, which means that the ending doesn't quite work. So, make sure that your character has a serious misperception. Next, O. Henry doesn't really tie the three incidents together. Specifically, there's really no unintended consequences. So make sure that your protagonist's misperception causes the action and the unanticipated consequences. Finally, O. Henry didn't characterize his characters very well. So even if you're going to use plot irony, don't neglect characterization.

Next, Ross looks at Jack Finney's Of Missing Persons and assures us that in this story, the characterization supports the well constructed irony. The ironic events tie together. The misperception is a major one. And the character traits match the perceptions and the actions.

Finally, Ross walks us through his own construction of a play using plot irony. He started with two brothers, and a situation. Jeopardy, one of the brothers is very invested in his business. But, he starts embezzling money. The other brother threatens him. The first brother sees his other brother as a threat. (A mistaken perception?) So, he lures him out and shoots him. (The action due to the misperception!). Now, a detective lays out all of his evidence, and the first brother pulls out the gun again, explains what happened, and tries to kill the detective. However, the detective had already emptied the bullets from the gun. Then the detective reveals that the dead brother had collected money to help out his brother! That's the irony, the revelation of the misperception.

So, now it's your turn. Have a character misperceive a situation. Then have them act on that misperception. And finally, let them experience unanticipated consequences of the action, either positive or negative. To make it plausible, make sure your characters have the traits that they need so that the perceptions and the actions feel real.

There you go. A dash of irony for your stories!

 Original Posting 10/7/2019

Now, with the first act just about in place, in Chapter 7, K. M. Weiland turns to the first plot point. I've also seen this called the doorway of no return #1, which I think makes a good name, too. This is where setup ends, and the heart of the story starts. The character commits themselves, irrevocably. Some decision that means I'm going to do it.

This is a major scene! It may be forced on the character, but they are also taking that step! With three decisions.

Decision #1, before the first plot point, is your character deciding something that leads up to the first plot point.

The first plot point then blows those plans to bits! A tornado sweeps the character off! The world gets shook up, and we are out of the normal world!

Decision #2, during the first plot point. This is all about the character's reaction to it. Basically, they need to decide to go ahead. To walk through that door, as scary as it may be, and start the adventure.

Decision #3, after the first plot point. Your character probably either charged ahead without really knowing what was coming, or got dragged into it. But now, they need to grab a clear physical goal. Tied to what he wants! Often, this is either an attempt to return to the normal, or to establish a new normal.

Questions? Sure...
1 What major event crashes into your character's normal world and forces them to change their plans?
2 What decision leads the character to the first plot point?
3 Does the first plot point seem favorable? How will the complications turn out worse than expected?
4 Is the event obviously disastrous? How?
5 Will the protagonist willingly step through the door, into the new world?
6 Or is he going to be forced through it?
7 Does the first plot point destroy the normal world? Or just physically move the protagonist from one world to the next? Or does it change the world around the protagonist?
8 How does the character react to the first plot point?
9 What new plot goal does the character form in response to the first plot point?
10 How does the first plot point start your character on the journey to that new Truth?
11 How does the new world beyond the first plot point penalize or stress the character for continuing with the Lie?

The first plot point throws the character into a world where the Lie doesn't work, and the character needs to learn the Truth, changing, and growing. So, plan a first plot point that really challenges your character to step into the adventure of their life.

Exercise? Probably the best is to take something you are working on, and brainstorm, oh, five to ten different first plot points. Go ahead and dream about what might happen! What kind of doorway of no return will your hero face, and how will they react? Then pick out the best, and make it real.

?Write?

 Original Posting 8/23/2019

Part one of the book is about the positive change arc. As we noted in part one of this series, the positive change arc starts with a person who has some issues. The story challenges those beliefs, they learn some things, and conquer their problems and change for the better. So where does it all start?

Chapter 1 is about the lie that your character believes. Characters don’t want to change. That resistance causes conflict, which becomes plot. “Whether the connection is immediately evident or not, the external plot is all about the character‘s internal journey.” Wow, let that sink in. The external plot is all about the internal journey?

“Plot, in its simplest manifestation, is all about the protagonist‘s goal. He wants something, and he can’t have it, so he keeps right on trying.“

Okay...  Now, the positive change arc is about a change in priorities, in realizing that the character is not getting what they want because either (a) they want the wrong thing or (b) the morals and methods they are using to get it are wrong.

So, we’re looking at change. But, what lie does the character believe that is causing this? They have something lacking, there is some reason for them to change. They are somehow incomplete on the inside. There is some misconception that is leading them astray. E.g., might makes right, you have to earn love through X, money is the most important thing in life.

The Lie! Some specific belief, that you can state in one short sentence. Now, there may be qualifiers.

Okay, how do you find the lie? Start by looking at your plot. Does the conflict show it? Then look at the character’s actions and reactions. Fear, hurt, guilt, secrets, shame… These are all symptoms of the lie. Often, the character wants to shed the symptoms, but the lie holds on to them. If you need some ideas, take a look at the listings of negative traits available in various places.

Some questions to ask to help identify the Lie:

  1.  What misconception does the protagonist have about themselves or the world?
  2.  Because of this misconception, what is the protagonist lacking, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?
  3.  How is the interior lie reflected in the exterior world?
  4.  When the story opens, is the lie making the character miserable? How?
  5.  If not, will the inciting event and/for the first plot point make them uncomfortable?
  6.  Does the lie require qualifiers to narrow the focus?
  7.  What are the symptoms of the lie?

Whoo! So there is some belief, some way of looking at the world, something that the character holds onto, that is a misconception, a LIE! What is that mistaken idea, that wrong way of thinking, that twist that is keeping our character miserable?

Exercise? Sure. Take some stories you are familiar with. Now, think about it. Does the story have a positive character arc? Does the character start out with some problem, learn some lessons, and become a better person? If so, what is the lie, the misconception, the false belief that they start with. Go ahead, write up a short statement of the lie for that story, that character. Do this for at least three positive change arcs.

Then watch out for part 3 of this series, where we will look at what the character wants versus what the character needs.

 Original Posting March 7, 2019

(The pulp era was known for churning out stories, right? How'd they do it? Well, here's one description!)

Also known as the Lester Dent Formula and other names. Heck, go over here

https://writemorepulp.club/generator/

and click Generate! Poof! A complete plot, ready to roll. Sure, it's a potboiler, pulp, but... Go for it.

Or, go over here

http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/dent.html

Where they summarize Lester Dent's method in words.

Start with
1. A different murder method! (means!)
2. A different thing for the villain to be seeking! (motivation!)
3. A different locale! (Setting!)
4. A menace which hangs like a cloud over the hero! (dumdadumdum...DUM!)

Lester said he liked to start with at least a couple of these, three was better, and all four was great.

Divide your wordcount (6000 words?) into 4 parts. In each part, put...

Part One!
1. Introduce the hero and hit him with a fistful of trouble. Hint at mystery, menace, problem... something for the hero to take care of!
2. Let the hero try to handle the fistful of trouble.
3. Introduce all the other characters. Bring them on in action.
4. Hero's actions should land him in actual physical conflict near the end of this part.
5. Near the end, put a surprise twist in the plot!
Suspense? Menace? Logical progression?

Part Two!
1. More problems for the hero!
2. Hero struggles... leading up to
3. Another physical conflict
4. Another plot twist
Suspense? Menace growing? Hero in trouble? Logical!

Part Three!
1. MORE trouble for the hero!
2. Hero is working on it, and gets villain into
3. A physical conflict!
4. Toss in another surprising plot twist, with the hero in trouble!
Suspense? Menace getting black? Hero in big trouble? Logical?

Part Four...
1. Guess what? MORE Trouble for the hero!
2. Hero is just about buried in trouble...
3. Hero breaks out, using skill, training, and muscle!
4. Remaining mysteries clear up during final conflict!
5. Final twist, big surprise, and
6. Snapper, punch line ending it all...
Suspense! Menace! Everything explained? Logical? Strong punchline that gives reader warm feeling?

There you have it. Go read Lester Dent's version for more details, but... Mostly, it's trouble, struggle, fight, and a twist. Four times!

http://blog.karenwoodward.org/2013/11/lester-dents-short-story-master-formula.html

also takes it apart and looks at the pieces...

Ding dong, the writing's done... well, no, but we have ways to make you write!

 Original posting Oct. 23, 2018

Looking for more? Well, how about starting with these little questions. What threatens the character's self-image? What can go wrong, and what does it cost? What blocks the character, and what are they going to do about it?

Or, you might just think about what events you want to put in your story. Or maybe which candy bar scenes, those ones that you know everybody expects, like the chase scene in a movie.

What about starting by thinking about what is the climax, where are we headed? Then back up, and think about what are the small try-fail cycles on the way there, or the bumps in the road?

Now, if you want a little bit more sequential approach, try walking through this list:

1. What is the moment of change that starts things going?
2. What is the hook for the reader?
3. What is the story problem?
4. What is the first doorway of no return?
5. What are the complications in the middle?
6. What is the 2nd doorway of no return?
7. What is the ending? The climax, character change, and the plot answer?
8. Now what backfill and back story is needed to support this?

There you go. Get the story started, get the character committed, complications along the way, kick off the final confrontation, and explode your ending! Wow!

A likable character overcomes opposition and conflicts through their own efforts to achieve a worthwhile goal…

Characters, purpose and theme, plot…

Write!