TECH: Swallowing a fly (aka a novel plotting method)

Jan. 8th, 2016 04:23 pm
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original Posting Oct. 30, 2015

First of all, the Mad Geniis (One genius, many geniis, right?) have been busy this week contemplating Nanowrimo. It is right around the corner, starting November 1, but if you are interested, take a look at their reflections on the issue, and then drop by nanowrimo.org and give it a shot. All you've got to lose is your sleep...

Now, over here

http://madgeniusclub.com/2015/10/28/swallowing-a-fly-2-how-to-plot/

The lady with the pointy boots provides us with a lesson on how not to lose the plot in the muddle, based around one of those odd old time songs that we all know, about an old lady who swallowed a fly (I know not why... Ezaferalderay?) That is the inciting incident! And from there... Well, she swallowed a spider to catch the fly, then... Yes, she swallows a whole string of interesting things, getting in more and more trouble. And that is what your plot needs to do to the main character. One attempt after another to solve things, but it just gets worse and worse!

Until, naturally, the climax. Which you might have been slowly building towards, with foreshadowing and clues and hints buried in the logical chain of disasters, or perhaps you prefer the sudden drop into deepest darkness, followed by a mirror moment when the character takes stock and decides to do something about it, and... We get a sudden turnaround, a breakthrough, and stand-up-and-cheer, he's back off the ropes and fighting!

Or something like that.

The key, of course, is that the little old lady swallows a logical, reasonable chain. She doesn't decide to swallow a bowl full of flowers. Nope, spider, cat, dog... Was there an elephant on there?

So, go check your chain of events. Does it follow right along, getting the character in deeper and deeper?

Good!

And by the way, if you are doing nanowrimo, just let the words flow. Remember the little old lady who swallowed a fly, and keep writing... Maybe she'll die?
  • Current Mood: flying
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TECH: 6x6: Getting Started!

Jan. 31st, 2012 07:21 pm
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original Posting 22 Jan 2012

Okay. Quick ways to get an idea for your very own 6x6 story (or any other story, for that matter).

1. Dictionary!

Almost every online dictionary offers a "word of the day" which can be helpful. For example, over here http://dictionary.reference.com/ they were giving out remora when I wrote this (although the meaning -- an obstacle, hindrance, or obstruction? Wait, I thought a remora was a fish that went with a shark... later! :-) But one word doth not a story make, right? Well...

Go over here http://www.ypass.net/misc/dictionary/index.php?random=1 and you can get a random word. Refresh the page, and you get another one. Plus, you can select verbs and nouns, for example. So you might select a noun, a verb, and another noun -- filling out the pattern noun-verb-noun to make a sentence. E.g. I got "feather ball", "work", and "Norfolk jacket" so I might have a sentence like "The feather ball worked over the Norfolk jacket." Or maybe against? Anyway, you get the idea.

And best of all, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Dictionary.htm gives you a list of several words, all at once! The start of the list I got was "city, driveway, now, sprint, read, daisy, surveillance, and doily" -- imagine trying to use those in a story? Or just take the five across the top -- homeland, liking, consult, holland, dish.

Anyway, random words from a dictionary sometimes can be the tinder where the fire starts. So pick your words and link them up!

2. Pictures. Nope, dictionaries aren't going to do it? How about pictures? If you google "random pictures" there are sites out there devoted to just this! Although most of them seem to be aimed at funny pictures. Or you could toss something into the google image search and see what you find there. Take a look at CNN -- the Daily Snapshop over here
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/06/travel/daily-snapshot/index.html?hpt=hp_bn3 which is actually 7 pictures -- pick one, and tell us what's going on there.

3. Jokes. Oh, did you hear the one about... Yipes! I did a search for jokes, and everybody and their brother seems to have a joke list. However, the first ones I looked at... well, maybe my idea of humor isn't quite what they have? Anyway, yes, if you can find a list of jokes that makes you laugh, you might consider using that as a seed for a story! Just don't yuck it up, okay?

4. Urban Legends. Our friend Snopes over here http://www.snopes.com/ has more urban legends than anyone could read. But hit the randomizer, or the Hot 25, and see if you get inspired. What if... there was some truth in that legend?

5. Plots. Take a look at 20 Master Plots (psst? Try this list, if you like http://writercises.livejournal.com/47510.html ). Or any of the other wonderful lists of plots -- quest, revenge, love, adenture, one against the odds? Or do you prefer journey and return, betrayal and revenge, boy meets girl, overcoming opposition, rescuing the victim, overcoming monsters, finding treasure, sin and redemption, impersonation, comdey, and come to realize? Or... pick a framework or list of plots, and consider doing one. Or part of one? Now, add characters and setting, and write!

6. Quotes. This will take some work. First, go somewhere like http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 and take a look at a collection of say 10 random quotes. Pick 3. Now, write your story around those philosophical concepts, those jokes in wordy disguise, those realizations. The hard part here is that random quotes, while typically amusing and witty, often don't exactly suggest characters, scenes, actions, and all that directly. So you will have to work a bit more to wring the story out of the quotes, but... You can do it!

Okay? Some seeds to sprinkle into your 6x6 garden. Then urge them to grow!

and WRITE!
  • Current Mood: splintered
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TECH: Classic Plots

Jul. 21st, 2010 02:26 pm
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting 30 April 2010

Writer's Digest, October 2005, pages 27 to 31, had an article by James Scott Bell with the title, "Pull it together." The subtitle was rather long, "You don't have to start from scratch when determining the best framework for telling your tale. Here are five classic plot patterns that will give your novel good form." Maria Schneider wrote the introduction, comparing the plot to a pattern that pulls "all of the pieces together into some meaningful whole." A plot gives your novel structure and lets you focus your imagination on other parts of your writing.

The five plot descriptions are excerpted from Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell. Quest, revenge, love, adventure, and one against. A little description, essentials, and structure. So let's take a look at one...

The quest:

"a hero goes out into the dark world and searches for something." Physical items, people, knowledge, anything and everything.

Essentials:
  • The main character is someone who is incomplete in his ordinary world.
  • the thing searched for must be of vital importance.
  • there must be huge obstacles preventing the protagonist from gaining it.
  • The quest should result in the protagonist becoming a different (usually better) person at the end. A fruitless quest may end in tragedy.
Structure:
  • the lead character shows some inner deficiency that the quest will help to remedy.
  • There are often a series of encounters, giving the plot an episodic feel. The character encounters setbacks, struggles to overcome them, moving step by step closer to the objective.
  • the final act often has a major crisis or setback, with a discovery or major clue transforming or providing a revelation.
  • "The quest is a powerful pattern because it mirrors our own journey through life. We encounter challenges, suffer setbacks and victories but move on."
Revenge:

Revenge is an old plot pattern. You killed one of mine, I will kill one of yours. An eye for an eye, heroic revenge. Revenge is emotional.

Essentials:
  • the lead character should be sympathetic, because revenge is often violent.
  • the wrong done to the lead that initiates things usually isn't his fault or is out of proportion.
  • desire for revenge affects the inner life of the lead character.
Structure:
  • Act I introduces the protagonist in his ordinary world. It's usually comfortable, making the violent disturbance sharper.
  • the initiating incident is the wrong, breaking the ordinary world.
  • following the wrong, the protagonist has a period of suffering, which helps the readers empathize.
  • the wrong often occurs through betrayal by an ally, and may involve framing the protagonist unfairly.
  • the protagonist needs to discover who did it and how they can punish them.
  • the obvious motive is revenge, but the deeper motive is to restore order. To try to return to the ordinary world.
  • Act II focuses on a series of confrontations, frustrating the protagonist by circumstances or opposition, leading up to an opportunity to punish the opponent. But the protagonist is defeated.
  • achieving revenge can be satisfying, although sometimes sacrificing the desire for the greater good can restore the balance.
  • revenge plots explore human nature. You need strong characters.
Love

Either one of the lovers is the protagonist, or you can have parallel plots with both lovers alternating. Winning love, or overcoming obstacles to love, there's always opposition. Rivals, family, etc.

Essentials
  • one or two people have to be in love.
  • something has to separate them.
  • do they get back together or not?
  • one or both of the lovers grows because of the conflict.
Structure
  • the structure changes a little bit based on what kind of story you are telling.
  • Act I may have the lovers meet for the first time, and one falls in love. Act II then becomes the struggle to convince the other to love them in return.
  • Or Act I may have both of them falling in love, while Act II introduces something that forces them apart. The lovers struggle to get together against opposition.
  • sometimes lovers hate each other when they first meet. Then the challenges of act two teach them to love.
Adventure

"Adventure stories are among the oldest in literature. They originally created a vicarious thrill for the listeners or readers, who were typically stuck in one physical location for life. These stories were also used to inspire and encourage acts of discovery for the benefit of the community."

Even with travel much easier now, most of us live predictable lives. So we still wonder, what if I went looking for adventure? These stories answer that. The core of an adventure story makes the reader wish they were the protagonist.

Essentials
  • The protagonist sets out on a journey. There is no particular quest for an object, just a desire for an adventure.
  •  There are encounters with interesting characters and circumstances.
  • the protagonist usually gain some insight because of the adventures.
Structure
  • Act I briefly introduces the life that's being left behind, and then the protagonist leaves in search of adventure.
  • Act II often consists of a series of mini plots or adventures, with colorful characters and settings.
  • the challenge of the adventure plot is avoiding simple episodic stories without any relationship.
  • often the character change or reflection, the new understanding, ties it together
One against

"There are times when we must stand up for what we believe, even if most people are against us. This takes a lot of inner strength -- more than in most other plot patterns. We value reputation. The one-against story is powerful because the lead carries off that moral duty, and we admire him for it."

Essentials
  • the protagonist embodies the moral code of the community.
  • There's a threat to the community from the opposition, who is much stronger than the protagonist.
  • the protagonist wins by inspiring the rest of the community.
  • that inspiration may come through self-sacrifice.
Structure
  • Act I presents the protagonist as hero. It also presents the threat by the opposition, or the declaration of their fight.
  • Act II develops the conflict, with characters passionately committed.
  • Act III is where the community stands up to the opposition.
"Plot patterns free up your writing. When you have structure, you can be more creative because you don't have to worry about having a cohesive plot."
  • Current Mood: plotting
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TECH: Beating Plots Into Stories

Mar. 21st, 2009 05:54 pm
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting 4 February 2009

Beating Plots into Stories

Writer's Digest, July 2005, in the column on niches on pages 53 and 57, talks about screenwriting. Aury Wallington describes a beat sheet, and how the TV industry beats out a script. It's a little different approach to the question of how to put your story together, and I think any of us might find it useful.

First, there's some terminology. Apparently in the TV industry, "beating out a script" is the phrase that used to describe breaking a story into individual story points -- step by step, what will happen next? Each beat is one unit of action. A beat sheet is "a chronological list of all the story beats they're going to use in their script." So beats are little chunks of action, and you put them together to make a scene. Scenes of course form acts, which are the script. "The best way to approach a new script is to be out of each story line individually, then decide how best to combine them to tell your story." TV scripts have 5 to 7 beats per act for the main ("A") story line, 3 to 5 beats per act for the "B" storyline, and one or two beats per act for any other subplots.

So how do you work out the beats? First, decide what the individual storyline is going to be about. Then consider -- a three-act script has about 20 beats to tell the story. Try writing up a list of the possible actions for the "A" line. Don't make them too detailed -- you don't want to get stuck in second-by-second stuff, but you do need to know what is going to happen at each step. Then look at the "B" line, and figure out those beats. Somewhere around 12 beats for that storyline. And then tackle any subplots.

Once you have the beats for each story line individually, you can start moving them to the final combined beat sheet. Look for places where two or more beats can be combined into one scene, and for spots where the sweep of the action moves from one beat to the next without pause. Also, watch for the beats that require time passing. Weave the bits and pieces from the individual storylines together.

Most of the time, you'll be putting "A" and "B" lines together. Try to balance the acts, so that all the main characters get some time on the stage. Juxtaposition beats -- indoors and outdoors, funny and dramatic, etc. Don't forget to work the subplots in, too.

The key here is that your finished script includes beats from all your plots, woven together into a cohesive script.

Exercise? Take the work in progress, and make up individual beat sheets for the main lines. Then create the combined one. And use that as a part of the framework for putting the tale together.

Or, if you prefer, take a story, novel, TV show, or whatever that you enjoy. Now take it apart. First make a draft of the combined beat sheet. Then tear that apart and make up the individual beat sheets. Then think a little about how you might have created those plot lines and wove the whole thing together.

Kind of kewl. Weaving plot lines 101 for writers? Knit one, purl two . . .
  • Current Mood: tap-tap-tap
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TECH: More tropes and plots than you can throw a cat at!

Mar. 5th, 2009 11:11 am
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting 10 December 2008

Just be forewarned. This site can chew up much time. Especially when you're on deadline for something in the boring non-fiction world . . .

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes

(who, me? No, I'm writing the chapter for the book. Really. Focused! Yep, that's me. Shiny! :-)

[Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to go to http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RomanceNovelPlots and pick a plot, any plot -- then twist and turn it into something wonderful! and write, write, write!]
  • Current Mood: sparkles
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WOW: I've looked at the web from both sides now

Feb. 17th, 2009 11:15 am
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting 22 August 2008

and found some links and links and links :-)

Okay, this is just some scattered links that I want to keep track of. Do a search for science fiction, fantasy, etc. and plot, cliche, whatnot, and you might stumble over:

Assorted generators:
http://nine.frenchboys.net/index.php
http://www.warpcoresf.co.uk/fantasyplot.php
Lists of Plots
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/Handbooks/WWWPlots/genre.html
The Big List of RPG Plots http://www.io.com/~sjohn/plots.htm
Bad Ideas and The Plot That Wouldn't Die and Well-Worn Ideas
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/turkeycity.html
http://www.seetuscany.com/writd/notdie.htm
http://www.strangehorizons.com/guidelines/fiction-common-horror.shtml
http://www.strangehorizons.com/guidelines/fiction-common.shtml
SF Cliches http://www.cthreepo.com/cliche/
Fantasy Cliches http://www.amethyst-angel.com/cliche.html
Horror http://www.darkhart.com/blog/?p=1
Romance Cliches http://www.writing-world.com/romance/cliches.shtml

The Well Tempered Plot Device http://news.ansible.co.uk/plotdev.html
Evil Overlord List http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html

Lots of fun to look over. So what links have you seen recently that were useful to your writing voyage?

Huh? Oh, I missed TV Tropes? Here -- http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes
  • Current Mood: hooked
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