The Place For My Writers Notes

original posting 4 January 2009

Just in case you were wondering, today's the first day of the 2009 Writers 6x6!

Yeah!

So what does that mean? Well, some of us are going to write one story each week for the next six weeks and put them up here. Somewhere between 300 and 5,000 words. And we will be posting on Saturdays -- so keep your eyes open.

That doesn't mean that we have to stop all the other fun and fantasy. If you want to talk about an interesting insight, go ahead. But I have to admit I'm probably thinking about this week's story. Nothing up this sleeve, and, well, yeah, there's a little pile of scribbly notes in that pocket, but ignore them, here, just pull the curtain across them.

Hey! If you'd like some hints about putting together a story, let's take a look at some of the bits and pieces from Plot And Structure.

The intro talks about the need to get motivated, try stuff, play, get those first drafts out there, and keep going. Good thoughts for the 6x6 scribbling, eh? See http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/157549.html for a little summary, or read the book -- James Scott Bell.

Then there's the notion of LOCK. Lead character, Objective, Confrontation, and Knockout ending. Someone that we want to empathize with, who wants to go somewhere or do something, and runs into conflicts, complications, and problems on the way. And then there's the climax, the knockout ending that makes the reader say, "WOW! I didn't expect that, but it's really satisfying." Over here http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/158673.html is a summary. And this one http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/158902.html talks a little bit more about it, including this handy template:

• My lead is a [fill in the blank]
• Her objective is to [fill in the blank]
• She is confronted by [fill in the blank] who oppose her because [fill in more blanks]
• The ending will be a knockout when [fill in the final blank]

Fill in the blanks, and you're partway to a story!

But what about the plot? Well, we can use the old standby three act structure. Over here's there's more details http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/159814.html but for now, let's consider it as a disturbance and two doorways. The disturbance is at the beginning, when something takes the hero out of their normal routine. It could be small, or it could be catastrophic -- your choice. But the hero starts moving. The doorways are one-way doorways. The first one commits the hero to the action. This is where the hero decides they are going to do it. And then the complications really start! The second doorway ushers in the climax -- and usually has the hero at their worst, beaten, bleeding, and close to surrender. But then, they turn around, and . . . beat the odds, win the impossible gamble, do it! Simple, right? But it's amazing how many stories and novels use this structure.

What, no ideas yet? Okay, okay, take a look at these. http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/160687.html and http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/160805.html and http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/161770.html all provide some approaches to the fun of ideas. The first one talks about digging into your own beliefs and attitudes. The second one has a number of suggestions about ways to spark ideas. What if, borrow a plot, flip a genre, randomize, and have fun! And the third one helps you decide which ideas are really good -- hook, line, sinker!

And you probably thought this was going to be a quiet session of introspection? Huh. Pick a number from one to six? Got it? Good, here's your quote:

1. "Determine never to be idle... It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing." Thomas Jefferson
2. "We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them." Abigail Adams
3. "I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile." Goldie Hawn
4. "My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." Oprah Winfrey
5. "For me, it's that I contributed,... That I'm on this planet doing some good and making people happy. That's to me the most important thing, that my hour of television is positive and upbeat and antidote for all the negative stuff going on in life." Ellen DeGeneres
6. "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." Rodin

Okay? Now, take your quote. What does it mean to you? Can you imagine a character trying to live by it, and having trouble? What kinds of trouble? Go ahead, build on that. Mix well with the LOCK and the disturbance with two doorways. Scramble well, season as needed, and . . . we'll be posting on Saturday.

Do it. Talking about it isn't enough.

Come on, six weeks, you can do it. One little story this week. See you at the storyboards.

Original posting 18 Dec 2007

Tricking out with Plot and Structure (27)

All right! Just in time for the holidays, when you may be off watching movies, talking to stranger-than-fiction folks, and doing other odds and ends, Chapter 14 in Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell looks at tips and tools. But probably the key here is to realize that you can and should collect your own. Watch for how things are done, talked about, written; think about whether it works for you or not and how you would do it; and add another little wrench to your tool chest.

Some starters for your kit? Sure. All borrowed from Bell's chapter, go right to the source for the actual explanations in depth.

First off, take that old saying about show, don't tell. Put it in your own words. Think of some good examples. Take a piece of your writing and redo it, replacing each bit that tells the reader something with a bit that shows them the something.

Oh. Bell says showing is like watching a scene in a movie, what the characters say or do reveals all. Telling, now, that's where the writer just explains it for us, summarizing and telling us what's going on inside the characters. Description versus exposition. Or in the original words, show, don't tell.

Beware the list. Bell gets this from Perry Mason books. Erle Stanley Gardner apparently got rushed from time to time, producing bits such as "Perry Mason was urbane, fair, logical, and smilingly frank to the jury." Well, yes, but how about showing us, Mr. Gardner?

Learn from soap operas. They just keep going and going, but there's an art to juggling the storylines, interlacing cliffhanger after cliffhanger, questions, and so forth. Pot boiling? Don't resolve so soon, leave readers dangling. Cut away from one scene that has just dangled a cliffhanger in front of us to another scene, then do it again. Braid those plots!

Plot journal. This seems to be a common practice among better writers, of spending at least part of their writing time talking to themself in journal form about the plot and the writing. Kind of encourages you to take a bit of a step back and think about what you're doing.

Raymond Chandler's provocation. If the story is starting to drag, send some guy with a gun into the scene. It's a surprise, everyone has to react and it gets the story moving again. A telegram arrives, the fire alarm goes off, there is a power outage or whatever, toss in something unexpected and see how your characters handle it.

Start with chapter two. Fairly often we fill chapter one with setup, and it is boring. Chapter two, then, is where the action starts, so skip that setup and start with chapter two.

Step back. Go ahead and write act I or some major chunk with passion. Then set it aside. Come back in awhile, and read it as a first-time reader.

Bell calls it unanticipated. I call it a quota of alternatives. Whatever you call it, learn to stop at the cliches and make a list of alternatives, then pick the one that no one expects. Like the Spanish Inquisition!

Analyze plots. Bell gives us a heavy duty version involving 6 books at the same time, but the basic idea is to take a book of the type you want to write. Read it, and spend at least a day thinking about it. Next, make a set of index cards, one per scene. Number the cards, and fill in the setting, point-of-view character, 2 line summary, and scene type (action, reaction, setup, deepen, etc.)  Next, read through your cards, running through the plot in your head. Finally, lay out the pack in three acts, looking for the beats and doorways that make it up.  As Bell put it, actually taking the time to learn six or so plots like this puts you a big step ahead of those who are waiting for inspiration.

Invert the rifle rule. Chekhov told us that if we put a rifle over the fireplace in Act 1, then somewhere in the play we need to pull the trigger. Bell points out that as writers (or maybe rewriters) part of the trick is making sure that when a character pulls the trigger later in the novel, we go back and plant that gun under the seat early on.

A notebook.  What an old-fashioned idea? And yet . . . You might want somewhere to keep plot ideas, character notes (including name lists, odd sketches, and what not), research, a clean plot summary, and questions. Or whatever headings help you -- this is your notebook after all!

So, that's the main part of this chapter. Bell's got some notes and tips about genres, and if we're lucky, we'll get to those next week. But in the meantime, think about what you might glean out of the family gatherings, office parties and other seasonal delights. Who was that character in the black fur? How did the N'yarker talk? Why did that action movie put everyone to sleep, while the cartoon about the little kitten and the great dane made everyone sniffle?

And just think, we'll be doing 6x6 soon. So tuck those tales away!

T(h)ink
(enjoying the quirkiness of "Batteries Not Included," showing now on Japanese TV for the holidays.  "I think we got elves." Good line!)

Original posting 27 November 2007

Spinning Webs with Plot and Structure (25)

And just in time for 6x6, here comes chapter 12 of James Scott Bell's handy little book on Plot & Structure. What's so good about that? Well, chapter 12 is about plot patterns, which can be quite handy when you are trying to fill out a plot in a hurry.

Skipping lightly past the question of just how many basic patterns there are, with vexatious references to 36, 3, 20 and 7 as particular favorites, let's take a look at the patterns. You may also want to take a look at 20 Master Plots (see http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/47510.html for a list, or http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/tag/master+plots for a bunch of stuff) or perhaps the Writer's Journey (see http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/1390.html for a book review).

Bell starts out with the venerable and still widely used Quest. Our hero searches for something. The Lead needs something or is somehow incomplete in the ordinary world where they start. The thing they are searching for must be vital. And there need to be major obstacles to getting it. Usually the Lead changes significantly at the end.

The structure of the Quest is very straight forward. In the beginning, the Lead needs something and gets motivated to go look for it. The doorway of no return is where the Lead starts the Quest. Encounters, conflicts, and setbacks make up the middle. The second doorway is often a major crisis or set back and often involves some discovery or mayor clue. And the finale, the climax, revolves around finding the object of the search and learning the lesson of the search.

I think I'll skip lightly through the list of patterns that Bell describes. We all know these, and making up your own description of the fundamentals and the structure is good practice. Or you can buy the book. It's pretty good. So Bell also describes:

1. Revenge - they done him wrong, and now he is going to return the favor
2. Love - it takes two to tangle, and will these two do it?
3. Adventure - What a thrilling place to go, what a rollercoaster ride!
4. Chase - will they catch up or not? Who will win?
5. One against (I would call this Taking A Stand) - to dream the impossible dream
6. One Apart (aka the anti-hero) - the outsider
7. [Rise in] Power - from rags to riches, and what happens next
8. Allegory - don't take this literally (e.g. Animal Farm)

Are any of these unfamiliar? But the trick is to put your own characters in their own setting with their own goals, conflicts, etc. using the pattern as an underlying guide. Or perhaps mix a couple of them? For example, suppose one person is intent on their quest, while the other is busy with love. Oops!

That's chapter 12. I'd suggest two exercises. First, think about your favorite stories and novels, and make up your own list of your patterns. (These are a few of my favorite tales?) Second, pick out the bones of those patterns, perhaps in a one page summary.

Third, of course, (No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!) would be to do a short story based around one of those patterns, or perhaps combining two. You could do that for the 6x6 coming up!

And that's the short version of Chapter 12! Watch for chapter 13, common plot problems and what you can do about them, coming soon to a mailing list near you!

tink
tink
and
tink again!

(then write!)

original posting 15 November 2007

Reading Through with Plot and Structure (23)

A bit late, but . . .  here we are again with our old chum James Scott Bell and that perennial favorite Plot & Structure (no, don't clap yet, wait for the cue)

Moving right along, we're in Chapter 11, revision! And we've done two steps, letting it cool and preparing mentally (aka girding up our ego and id and all those neuroses). So now it's time for step three, read it through. (psst? If you want to, you can cheer a little now. Don't overdo it, though:-)

Okay, this is gonna take sometime. First up is a quick read through just to get an overall impression. Don't let yourself get bogged down, and don't start tinkering yet.

If you feel that you really want to mark things up, use a quick system. Bell suggests a checkmark on pages where you think the story is dragging, parens around sentences that don't make sense, a circle in the margin if something needs to be added, and a question mark where you think you might need to cut. I suggest that colored markers can be your friends, but make a legend (red means cut, green means edit, etc.) But whatever you do, don't slow down, keep going.

Why? Well, we're going to triage. That means dealing with the big stuff first.

So our first concern is answering the question, What story am I telling?

See, sometimes when we finish the draft and look at what we've written, there's another story there trying to get out. So we need to look and decide which story we really want to tell.

Some questions that may help with this analysis:

• are there parts of the story that surprised you? Why? Do you want to expand any of those parts?
• What are the characters really doing in this story, now that you can look at the whole thing? Do they have issues that you want to explore more deeply?
• Look at the places that drag or jump. These may be scenes or reactions that you could deal with more deeply. What are the characters really thinking at those points? What are their passions, frustrations, and desires?
• Imagine alternative plot developments. What would happen if your plot went off at a tangent at some point in the tale? You don 't have to use these, but they may suggest other streams to use in your plot.

If any of this catches fire for you, consider writing a summary of your plot with the modifications or additions that this has suggested.  Do a two or three page synopsis and rework it, adding the new thoughts, characters, and themes.

Next, look at structure. Think about:

• Does your story fall naturally into three acts?
• Is there an early upset in the Lead character's world?
• Does the first "doorway of no return" happen before one-fifth?
• Do the stakes go up enough?
• Does the second "doorway of no return" put the Lead on track to the climax?
• Does the rhythm and pace match your intent and the style?
• Are the characters strongly motivated?
• Are coincidences established?
• Does something happen right at the start? Did you show us a person with a problem in a concrete setting, facing change or threat?
• Is the timeline logical?
• Is the story too predictable in its sequences? Should it be rearranged?

The key at this point is making sure the plot structure is solid. Take notes of changes, adjust your synopsis, and then consider the next five areas. And take notes!

Questions about the Lead character

• Is this character memorable, compelling, interesting? Will they keep the reader intrigued all the way through the plot? Lead characters need to be alive for the readers - is yours?
• Does the character avoid clichés? Does he surprise us? What is unique or special?
• Does the character have a strong objective?
• Does the character grow? How?
• Does the Lead show inner strength?

Questions about the opposition

• Is the opposition interesting?
• Is the opposition fully realized or just a cardboard puppet?
• Are the actions of the opposition justified and sensible from that point of view?
• Is the opposition believable?
• Is the opposition as strong or stronger than the Lead?

Questions about the Glue

• Is the conflict really important to both the Lead and the opposition?
• What keeps them from walking away?

Questions about the scenes

• Are the really big scenes ( with an Ed Sullivan accent : -) big, surprising, original, and unanticipated? Have you gotten all you can out of them?
• Is there enough conflict in the scenes?
• Which scene is the least memorable? Why not cut it? Now, take a look at the new "least memorable" scene and ask yourself about whether to cut it, too.
• What else can you cut to make the story move forward relentlessly?
• Does the climactic scene go too fast, just because you were in a hurry? What can you do to make it more, to wring every bit out of it? Would a ticking clock help?
• If the middle sags, consider whether a new minor subplot can help it?

Questions about minor characters

• What is their purpose, their contribution to the plot?
• Are they unique and colorful?
• Can you get rid of some? Combine them?

Okay, lots of questions, and lots of notes. But remember, find the big problems and take care of them first, then think about the little stuff.

So that's step 3, reading through the draft to find out what to work on. Use a simple system to mark as you go. Then think about what the real story is. Next, check the structure. And then look at your Lead character, the opposition, the glue that keeps them in the fight, the scenes, and the minor characters.

And you probably thought revision was about grammar, spelling and typos, didn't you??A generation of English teachers have taught us how to be proofreaders, but right now you need to be an editor, deciding which story to include and which to cut, how big that headline should be, and which story goes on the front page. Re-vision, not proofreading.

Okay, I'm going to stop here, and we'll pick up with step 4 next week. In the meantime, take a look at the questions and think about which ones you think are the most helpful for you. Yon might even put together your own cheat sheet to guide your rereading.

And don't forget to

tink

(write, of course!)

[oh, yeah. CUE! Now you clap!]

Original Posting 31 October 2007

Zipping along in plot and structure (21?)

Actually, this may be timely for those who are about to head into nanowrimo. In the book Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell, chapter 10 is all about plotting systems. There's a lot of meat here, so let's get started.

The first question is whether to outline or not. Bell talks about the long-running feud between NOPs and OPs. No outline people (NOPs) like to take off without a plan, seeing what pops out as they go. Outline people (Ops) prefer to have a very specific plot, 3 x 5 cards pinned securely to a board or 30 or 40 pages of plot treatment and character sheets in hand. There's good things and bad things about both of them.

You may want to play around with it, and see which way really works for you. Borrow some pieces from the other approach, and keep your writing lively and on focus. Bell does suggest using the LOCK system (you remember, lead character, objective, confrontation, and the knockout) and the back cover copy. The marketing copy that makes the reader by your book -- and makes you want to keep writing.

Some suggestions for NOPs. Even if you don't want to outline, you might want to try some of these. First, set yourself a writing quota. Maybe that's every day 2000 words, or maybe it's two hours at the keyboard, but set yourself a daily target. Second, start your writing each day by re-reading what you wrote yesterday. This isn't an editing and major change point, although you may want to add new pieces -- insert a whole new scene or flashback. Third, one day every week record your plot journey on a plot grid. That's probably all for a real dyed-in-the-wool no-outlines-for-me person. Bon voyage!

OPs! There are lots of systems that you might want to try. This is just an overview, and you should feel free to mix and match and modify to suit you. First, try index cards. Write scene ideas on them, and spread them out or put them in order as a pack, on the floor, or pinned to a corkboard or wall. You may want to pick out the ending, then the major scenes, and then put everything in order. Don't be afraid to shift things around, and add in pieces where you need them.

An interesting way to provoke your brain to think is to put them all in order and number them with pencil. Then shuffle the cards and look at them two at a time in this random order. Look for new connections and fresh perspectives.

Second, try the headlights system. When you're driving at night, you can only see a little ways -- so you drive that far and see what's next. This is the progressive outlining approach. Start with what you know and write a little ways, the opening chapter and maybe some ideas about the next few chapters. Ask yourself what the characters' emotions are at this point and how they'll react next. What is the next action that they need to take? Is there a strong scene up ahead that needs some buildup and transitions? Are there any new characters that need to be woven in, or are there plot developments because of the characters in this scene? Then write a little more, and outline a little more. Write a little, outline a little, rinse and repeat until you finish.

Third, there are narrative outlines. Many writers produce 20 or 40 pages of narrative outlines, a large canvas overview. These may get rewritten several times before they ever start writing the real story.

Fourth, the David Morrell method. "It's a simple concept. You write a letter to yourself. You ask yourself questions about your idea. The most important question is, Why? Keep asking that one over and over." Even NOPs like this one!

Fifth, there's the Borg method (you remember the Borg? Star Trek cybernetic
assimilation?). Here's Bell's steps for an all-encompassing system:

1. Define the LOCK elements (lead character, objective for the lead, confrontation by an opposing force, and a knockout ending)
2. Write your back cover copy
3. Create the overall structure. Three acts, two doorways of no return, etc.
4. Describe your characters. You may like to use character sheets or biographies. Bell does a simple grid with the headings: name, description, role, objective and motive, secret, emotions evoked.
5. Create summaries for each act
6. Create chapter summary lines
7. Do full chapter summaries
8. Take a break -- you deserve it
9. Write the novel
10. Revise the novel
11. (and he forgot to say it) submit it!

Bell has two exercises in this chapter. The first one is a fairly unscientific list of opposed choices for you to make, with the suggestion that people who like one end of the scale probably prefer outlines while people at the other end probably don't. The second one is I think interesting. Make a list of at least 10 of your favorite novels. Look at the list. Are they mostly plot and action, or are they mostly character driven? If you prefer character driven novels, you are probably a NOP. If you prefer a plot driven approach, you may want to have an outline in hand. Write what you like to read.

Okay? Something to think about as our nanowrimo challengers start into their frenzy! To outline or not to outline, that is the question. Whether tis easier on the fingers and minds to work to a plan or dance merrily in the morning sun, that is the play wherein we'll capture the nodding head of the writers!

Anyway, write now!

Original Posting 16 October 2007

Complicating Plot and Structure (19)

Wandering through the book Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell, we find our way to chapter 8 where Bell talks about complex plots. Straightforward fast plots are easy enough, but how do you make it a little bit more complicated. Readers remember little bit more complex plots, but only if they seem simple. That's a contradiction you might want to keep them in mind.

The first suggestion about making memorable complex plots is to think about theme. This is a value or lessen or insight -- a new way of seeing things -- that you want the reader to take away from your story. One way to help clarify it in your own mind is to write it down in one line or sentence. You don't want to force your story to fit the theme, you want your characters and their struggle to create a theme.

The second suggestion is subplots. Add in those extra strands and themes, weave them in so that they feel organic, and make sure that they add to the overall effect. Sometimes these are the personal or interior reflections of the overall theme.

The third suggestion is to think about symbols and motifs. This is tricky because it can be overdone so easily, but done carefully and lightly these can add quite a bit. Symbols represent something else, while motifs are repeated images or phrases. These often come out of the sensory detail that you write into the scenes.

The fourth suggestion has to do with long novels. Especially with the current trend towards thick bricks of books, you may be dealing with a sweep of time and space that is just plain bigger than old-time novelists had to deal with. Bell suggests breaking it into shorter pieces and dealing with each one of them using the LOCK and three act structure.

Parallel plots. Simply two or more plot lines running in parallel. One of the nice things about these is making each plot complete and having a suspense build each time you switch to the other plot.

Structure and style games include nonlinear stories of various kinds. One of the keys to making these work is remembering that the reader wants to know what happened. One way or another, they want a coherent story. Presenting things in a nonlinear way -- the readers will try to fit it into a coherent narrative. Make sure that at the end of your novel they have the pieces they need.

Okay. This chapter is sketchy, since frankly this is the advanced piece. Still, Bell provides several interesting exercises. First, take a piece of paper (or a word table) with three columns. In the first column, list rich or outstanding details from your scenes. In the middle column, list the main characters. And in the last column, list the major settings. Then look across the table for connections between the columns. Pick two or three connections that really stand out, and consider how you might emphasize these in your novel as motifs or symbols.

Second, figure out what you want the reader to learn from your novel. Write it down in one sentence. Then consider ways to bring this out naturally. Avoid the old-fashioned "and the moral of the story is . . ." but make sure there are natural places to see this.

Third, relax and see what images you think of for your novel. You might try playing some music that stirs you, and just let it wash across your mind. Jot down the images and scenes that float up while you're doing this. Repeat this occasionally while writing and revising your novel. You may be surprised at what your subconscious wants to put into the novel.

So that's the chapter on complex plots. Next we'll take a look at character arcs.

Of course, in the meantime, write!

Original posting 3 October 2007

Slithering along in Plot and Structure (17)

So here we are again, with James Scott Bell and a fine book Plot & Structure. We're looking at scenes in Chapter 7, and have already talked about action and reaction, setup and deepening. Now we're about to charge on into Bell's advice for making sure that your scenes always give readers the best they can. What you need are hipboots!

Well, not exactly. Bell suggests that your scenes need to be hip -- hook, intensity, and prompt (HIP).

Hook? Yup, just like we used at the start of the story, you need to make sure that each scene grabs the reader's attention and pulls them into the narrative. It may seem logical to start with a lengthy description of the location and characters, but that's not really a good way to start. Instead, think about dialogue, teasers, action, or even careful mood setting description. Don't always use the same thing. Try different approaches, vary the methods, and keep the reader interested in what is going to happen next. Whether you call it hooks or bait, make sure that the beginning of your scene catches the reader's attention.

Once you've got them paying attention, that's where intensity comes in. Whether it's physical tension or danger or emotional turmoil, keep the tension climbing. The key to this of course is conflict. Characters with opposing agendas, environmental dangers, make sure that your scenes have intensity.

The last ingredient for scenes that sizzle is prompts. This is the ending of the scene, where you need to provide the reader with a hint of what's coming so they keep reading. Make them turn the page and stay up an extra hour reading your book. Don't let your scenes trail off, give them a twist that makes the reader keep going. It's a hint of impending disaster, a flood of emotional release, or a haunting image. A mysterious line of dialogue, a secret revealed, a decision or a vow, an announcement of something unexpected or disasters, new information that reverses and surprises us with a new understanding of the story, or even a question that's just left hanging. Any one of these can provide readers with a reason to keep reading, and that's the prompt. And if you're having trouble because the scene just wants to trail off, try cutting a paragraph or two. Maybe the scene ended before you stopped writing.

Okay. Bell is going to talk about The Intensity Scale next, but I think we'll devote a full posting to that, especially since he uses diagrams that I'm going to have to figure out how to describe in words. Not to worry, for now, practice taking a scene that seems a bit slow or flabby and making it HIP - tighten up the hook, wind up the intensity, and make sure that the ending has a prompt to keep the reader going.

And keep writing!

Moseying Along Our Way through Plot and Structure (15)

Once more we venture into the pages of Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell. We're on page 99, about to start walking through Chapter 6 on endings. Plenty of tricks and tools so far, from the LOCK (lead character, objective, confrontation, and knock out), through a disturbance and two doorways of no return, 20 ways to ideas and the filter of passion/potential/precision, hooking the reader, establishing a bond, and forcing the reader into the middle where we find the opposition, adhesive, ARM (action, reaction, more action), stretching the tension and raising the stakes all before we get to endings. Right now are going to look at endings that knock your readers out.

Your ending needs to do two things. It should feel perfect for your novel, and it should surprise your reader. You have to tie up all your loose ends with a flourish that really isn't predictable. You need a knockout ending. Keep the tension on until the last possible moment, making it look like the opposition is going to win. Then let the lead find the strength to fight back with a knockout blow.

Bell recommends adding the "ah!" and the "uh-oh!" The ah comes with the main action of the story wrapped up, and a final scene where something from the hero's personal life is resolved. A little ray of hope.

Quite a few stories also add a sense of foreboding, the "uh-oh!" This is the hand clawing out of the grave, or the other tiny hint that the resolution isn't quite as solid as the hero thinks.

There are three basic endings, the positive ending where the lead gets his objective, the negative ending where the lead loses his objective, and the ambiguous ending where we aren't quite sure. An ambiguous ending needs to cause strong feelings and feel right. It isn't just that we as writers get to skip the ending, it needs to be positively ambiguous. Now, while I've got you confused about that, let me toss in a couple of variations on positive and negative endings. First, the lead may gain his desire but have a negative result. He gets the job, but finds out that losing friends isn't worth it. Or he may lose his desire, but get something better. He lost the job, but kept his pride and self respect. When the hero is on the horns of a dilemma, sacrifice is one of the options.

How do you get these wonderful endings? Bell suggests that we usually don't start with it, but instead, just write towards a generic ending. But when you get close to the end, sit down and make a list of at least ten alternate endings. This is brainstorming time, do it quick and easy. Bell suggests this should take less than 30 minutes. Then set it all aside and let your back brain work on the problem for a day or so. Come back and pick the top four. Push them out a little bit, see where they would go Set aside a little bit again. Then pick the top surprise, and work it into the ending you had planned. Go back and justify it with clues and foreshadowing planted throughout the novel

Tying up loose ends? Well, yes, the end of the novel usually means the loose ends are tied up. But take a look at the ones you have. Are they crucial or ancillary? Try to pick the ones that your readers really need resolved, and make sure you have the scenes or hints to finish them. For some minor ones, have some character explain it. But for others, you may need to work on scenes. Be cautious about epilogues - you really want to put the climax of your story as close to the end of the novel as possible. Incidentally, Bell suggests that finding loose threads is an excellent job for your first readers - listen to their questions and make sure you tie up those loose threads.

Last page resonance. Your last page should make the ending more than satisfying, it needs to be memorable. I know this is the ending, and you may just want to put it away and send it off, but this is a part of the book where you need to focus. Make sure that the language is the best you can do. Sometimes you can have some particularly telling dialogue, but make sure you have hints of it previously. A bit of description may top off the story with reminders of what has been and what may be. Or there's the hint of the character's feelings, his or her hope for tomorrow, reborn. Be gentle with something like that, don't overstate it. Less is more here.

Avoid the final page rush. Bell suggests giving yourself time to daydream throughout writing the novel, and then making sure you keep up your practice of daydreaming when writing the ending. Also, think big. The ending is where you really want to have big bold writing and thoughts, so go for it. Cutting back is easier than trying to stretch writing that is too timid. Finally, take your time with the ending. If you can, avoid writing it under time pressure. Give yourself some slack so that you can write it, rewrite it, and then fix it up again

We actually got through the chapter on endings. Bell's exercises start with analyzing the last couple of chapters from five novels that you like. What kind of endings do they have? Why do you like that kind of thing? You probably will like to write the same kind of ending that you enjoy reading, so take a good hard look at your preferences. It's

Second, Bell suggests thinking about the ending that you had in mind. Go ahead and try writing the climactic scene. You may not use this, but it least it will help you understand where you're headed and what your characters are doing.

The third exercise is to try dreaming up some alternative endings. Start by making a list of ten one line possibilities. Then pick two or three that seem the most interesting, and sketch them in short summaries of 250 words or less.

Fourth, make a list of the loose ends in your novel. Some writers keep a separate document No matter how you got your list, for each one figure out how you are going to tie them up, through scenes, small plot developments, minor characters talking, or whatever.

So there you have it! Endings, in one posting. Of course, next week we'll come back and take a look at scenes, but hey, we've got an overview of all three parts now, right? Beginnings (with their disturbance), middles (through the first doorway of no return), and endings (through the second doorway of no return into the climax).

So write, already.

Meandering Our Way through Plot and Structure (13)

Where were we before we fell into the summer doldrums? Ah, yes, muddling through the middles in Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (nothing to do with Muggles, honestly). That means we're in Chapter 5 and we are about to ARM ourselves for confrontation. Action, reaction, more action. Your lead character needs to be doing something to move the plot along. Plot results from the character taking actions to solve problems trying to gain their goal or desires. So we need a character with an objective and the action towards it, along with opposition, obstacles, problems to overcome.

One of the problems is that often you have characters who are on the same side with similar interests. This can result in lifeless scenes without much interest. To spice them up, you need to add conflict or tension. Maybe the surroundings, or perhaps other characters, can add opposition. However internal tension is probably the strongest driver. All you have to do is think about why the characters would not cooperate. Fear, competition, all those good emotions and motives. Of course, as someone suggested, if things are getting boring, have someone pull a gun. Instant tension.

Write actions and justify them. Remember that the lead character should almost always lose, not attain their desires or their goals, actually end up in a worse situation. Action.

And then reaction. Emotional, but then a commitment to more action.

One of the big problems of act two or the middles is keeping the reader interested. Action, reaction, more action, but what keeps them going? Two big principles: stretch the tension and raise the stakes. Now let's see, Bell has 10 pages about stretching and raising.

Stretching the tension. Step one: set up the tension. What problem has the potential to seriously hurt the character? Step Two: Stretch the physical. Slow down. Put in every detail of action, thoughts, dialogue, and description. What is the worst thing from the outside can happen to your character? What is the worst trouble that your character can get into? Have you provided the setup for the danger for the readers? Step three: stretch the emotional. Show us the roiling emotions and doubts and anxieties. Now what is the worst thing from the inside that can happen to your character? What is the worst information that the character could get? Have we set up the reader to care about the lead character? Make sure that you stretch the big picture and the small details.

Raising the stakes. Always ask yourself "who cares?" What will the lead character lose? Is it important enough? Look at the plot stakes -- the threat to the lead character from the outside. What physical harm can occur, what new forces can come in, and what professional duty or commitments are at stake? Look at the character stakes -- the psychological or personal image damage is involved? How can things get more emotionally wrenching, who does the lead care about that can get caught up in trouble, and are there dark secrets waiting to be revealed? Finally, look at the social stakes. Are the conditions in the society dire? What are the social aspects of the story that could affect the characters, are there large issues that they are dealing with, or are there groups of characters that can line up on sides?

Be mean to your characters. Make lists of things that can go wrong and sort them from least to worst. Most of the time you want trouble to increase as the story moves along. And your readers will want to know what happens.

Okay. There's a couple more pages at least talking about middles, but we'll stop at this point. Arm yourself with action, reaction, and more action. Then stretch the tension. Set it up, and stretch the physical and emotional tension. Finally raise the stakes -- plot stakes, character stakes, or social stakes. Got it?

Write!

Originally posted 9 August 2007

[drat, drat, I forgot to post this - sorry for the delay. Is it next week yet?]

Waddling Slowly through Plot & Structure (11)

Let's see. Somewhere in Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell? Oh yes, chapter 4, did getting your reader hooked and establishing a bond between the reader and the lead character. So it must be time for . . .

Presenting the story world! Or as Bell says, "What sort of world does your lead inhabit? Not merely the setting, though that is important. But what is life like for the lead?"

In other words, what is the life and routine that are about to become disturbed? What kind of work does the lead do? What do they want, what are they dreaming about? When they say, "there's no place like home," where do what they want to go?

Along with that, the beginning often sets the tone. This is the narrator's voice, his or her attitude, what kind of a book is this -- melodramatic action or laid-back contemplation? A mystery with a murder on every page or a romance with a kiss on every page? Serious, comic, dramatic, hard-boiled, overdone?

[We interrupt this chapter for a sidebar. Bell borrows from The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes by Bickham the recommendation to start the story from the first sentence. Sounds simple, and yet often the story stalls with excessive description with no character or action in view, backward looks attempting to fill in the back story before actually starting the plot, or a lack of threat, with no disturbance or difficulty in sight. Get the story started!]

The next thing that the beginning does is to compel the reader to move on into the middle. An interesting lead character has a problem, a disturbance that pushes them into the middle, and the reader is dragged along. The beginning shows us the first door of no return, and the lead character walking through it. And the reader wants to know what will happen next.

But what about the information that we know the reader needs? Can't we just give him a dump of information? Just a chunk of exposition to move things along? Bell suggests that sometimes, if you keep it short, you can get away with this. The problem is that most of us don't really keep it short. In response, Bell developed three rules to help control his own expository tendencies. Here they are, although you'll need to read the book for details:

1. Act first, explain later. Always start with a character in motion, and then drop in little bits of information as necessary.
2. When you explain, use an iceberg. Give the reader the 10% that is necessary to understand what is happening, and leave 90% hidden for now.
3. Set information inside confrontation. Within intense conflict, the character can drop crucial information in front of the reader.

Skip past some examples . . .

And some exercises! Here we go.

1. Take a look at the opening chapter of your work in progress, or write one now, or even borrow one from a book that you like. What techniques do you use to grab the reader from the very first paragraph? Is there a feeling of motion? If not, try using some of the techniques from this chapter to rewrite.
2. What is the story world? Do you really know it in detail? What in your beginning gives the reader a detailed sense of it, without blocks of descriptive dump?
3. How do you introduce your lead character? What makes this character memorable? Brainstorm five possibilities for your lead character in each of the following categories:

   a.        Identification: how is the lead "like us?"
   b.        Sympathy: Jeopardy, hardship, underdog status, vulnerability
   c.        Likability: wittiness? Cares for other people?
   d.        Inner conflict: what two voices or agendas are battling inside your lead character?
   

4. What disturbs your character' s world? What change has set off ripples or waves?
5. Why is your opposition doing what they're doing? What explains the way they are acting? What aspects of their character are charming, attractive, or seductive? Remember that your villain is a hero in their own eyes.

Okay? So that is Chapter 4, all about beginnings. Frankly, I often think that we should start with the other parts of the story and then finish with the beginning. It's the hardest part of the story to get right, and probably will need the most revision, so don't sweat it too much if the first draft doesn't seem to have everything just perfect. I've seen at least one editor advise that you should spend 90% of your effort on the beginning, since that is the part that pulls the reader in - and if they don't make it past that, having a great middle and end probably won't matter. I think that's an exaggeration, but you definitely need to work on the beginning. I find that often just finding the right place to start takes a few versions and revisions.

So, let's see. We start with a LOCK: a lead character, with an objective, running into confrontations, with a knockout ending. Take the world and disturb it, then force them through the doorway of no return into the middle, and finally into another doorway of no return that leads to the ending. Wheel and deal and expand those ideas, then sort them out by looking for passion, potential, and precision. Once you get into writing the story, make sure that the beginning drags the reader in, gives them a bond with the lead character, shows them the story world, sets the tone, forces the reader on into the middle, and introduces the loyal opposition.

Write!