The Place For My Writers Notes

Let’s see. Crafting Scenes, by Raymond Obstfeld. He’s talked about what scenes are, and in chapter 2, about starting scenes. Then he’s tackled length, point of view, setting… aha! It must be time to talk about ending scenes! Indeed, chapter six is Fond Farewell or Good Riddance: Ending a Scene. Let’s see what he says!

He starts out by suggesting that the ending of a scene needs to project a physical sensation that comments on the scene that’s just ended and makes future scenes desirable. The last lines need to create a feeling in the reader, of completion and anticipation. Make the reader satisfied with what they have just read AND make them want to turn the page and keep reading.

He recommends thinking about each scene as a complete story, with beginning, middle, and end. Then make sure your ending leaves the reader with an emotional or intellectual impact or both. The end should be a reward for the reader.

Now, he says there are two kinds of scene endings, ones that emphasize plot or ones that emphasize character. 

Plot endings are a mainstay of genre writing. Basically, we’re taking the reader on a well-loved ride, and giving them the best ride we can. One key to this is cliff-hangers. Now, frequently earlier scenes in a chapter may just ratchet up the suspense, until the final cliffhanger in the chapter. 

There’s a sidebar pointing out that a cliffhanger plus a jumpcut really boosts the suspense level. I.e., ending a scene with a cliffhanger (he was hanging by his fingertips above the grinding wheels) and then starting the next scene somewhere else, with a flashback or whatever, means the reader wants to know what happened to the cliffhanger and… is still waiting to get it.

The other major type of plot ending is the if-I’d-only-known, where we imply that if they had known what was going to happen next, they would have done something different. This does mean the narrator, whether the character in the novel or an omniscient narrator, needs a dash of oversight knowledge.

Next, Raymond tells us that plot endings usually reveal a change in the direction of the plot, while character endings tend to reveal a change in the character or at least our understanding of the character. An insight into the character, in other words. Some key variations include:

I-know-what-this-means internal monologue. A reflection about the meaning of the scene events.

Poignant dialogue. Especially an exchange that just stops.

Poignant description. Often something in the setting, or some mundane seeming action be the character. But putting it last boosts the reader’s attention.

Final word? Well, Raymond reflects on writing literary and genre, and that you may use both kinds of scene endings in both of them. Yes, genre tends to lean towards cliffhangers, and literary toward character endings, but… mix it up!

His workshop points out that often we tend to stretch the ending, adding a bit more to try to make sure we hit the point. But usually it’s best to trim the extra, to stop.

Alright, where were we? Ah, chapter four. He said, She said: Deciding on Point of View. Where is the reader watching the events from? Raymond starts off by asking us to imagine writing about a basketball game. Player, cheerleader, coach, someone in the stands… hey, just pick one and start writing? But, different points of view have different advantages and disadvantages, so picking the right one can change how the reader sees the scene. Point of view not only influences what we see about the events, but also how we see the characters, and how much we care about the events. So…

Who's the narrator? Often, it’s just the character who is experiencing the events. But sometimes, having someone else tell the story helps, both by adding suspense to the plot, and by developing character. Or, it might be that the events involve several people, and being able to bop around is best. Which means, we have thre options, first person, second person, and third person (I did it, you saw it, and they came, too?). Let’s take a look at these.

First-person (I, me, my). When the narrator talks about “I did it,” it’s first person narration. Advantages? It’s popular, and it is very friendly. It also brings the events up close and personal, so they have impact. Dangers? It’s easy to get carried away with all those thoughts. Make sure the extras add characterization. Variations? Sometimes writers use a first person POV, but the action is about someone else. Or even have different chapters or scenes use a different first person POV.

Second-person (you!). “You walk into the room…” This is rare! It kind of gives a tone to the story, as if someone is giving advice or something. But it makes it hard for the reader to feel involved, too.

Third-person (He, she, they). “They didn’t know what they would find…” Two big varieties. Omniscient, and limited. Omniscient let’s you bop around from head to head, while limited usually sticks with one character, at least for a time. Dangers? Too many points of view can dilute tension, and too much headbopping gets confusing. Which is probably why third limited is so popular!

Next, Raymond takes a look at how reliable your narrator is. Again, there are times when you want the narrator to be reliable, and times when you want them to be unreliable. Even worse, sometimes the narrator may be telling us what they think is true, but… we can see they don’t really understand. 

And, naturally, you may want to think about who your narrator is. Gender, age, race, education, all those little bits and pieces of character may shape your narrator.

This time, Raymond finishes up with the advice to experiment. Try out different points of view! Write some using one point of view, then go back and do it again using a different point of view. See what feels right, see what is involving, and see what you think would be fun to write!

Okay, here we go with chapter 2 of the Novelist’s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes by Raymond Obstfeld. Title? Jump right in — the words are fine: Starting a scene. Raymond starts by reminding us that like a complete story, each scene has a beginning, middle, and end. So, what is the mission, the goal, of the beginning?

Simple, really. Hook the reader! Make the reader want to keep reading. Some of them also introduce conflict, establish stakes, or develop the theme, but the key thing is taht it makes the reader want more. So how do we do that?

One method is beginning in the middle, aka in media res. Grab the readers interest and make them care, then go back and fill in the details. Or sometimes start just after the action that kicks things off. 

Or maybe you like dialogue? That’s action, too, you know? Which gets the reader involved in trying to figure out the context, and it’s interesting, and helps a little with characterization. 

Or maybe you want to use a jump cut? After all, you may have just finished one scene, and now… give us a new bit of action or dialogue that seems disconnected from that old scene. Like a jump cut in a movie.

Yet another approach is the “big promise” opening. Often melodramatic, but it doesn’t have to be. Just give us a broad sweeping statement or claim, and make it interesting enough that we want to see how you follow it up.

Now, sometimes, you may want to just start at the “natural” beginning. For example, a description of setting when the setting plays a major role in what’s coming. Or maybe with someone waking up, although watch for the cliche… Or you might start with the catalyst action that kicks off the story.

Of course, another beginning is having one character describe another character. Often a side character describing the main character. You get immediate suspense about who is this character. 

Which brings us to beginning with character description. Usually, either self-description in first person POV, or maybe just description via third person POV. Fairly often, the self-description is… shall we say unreliable?  Not always, but often.

Hum, what about a dream? Well, Raymond warns that they can be irritating to readers, when you reveal that it was all a dream. But they can work.

So, wrap up. How do you know which one to use to start a scene? You don’t. You may have to try several different openings, and then pick the best.

Workshop? Raymond suggests you start with an opening line, and see where it takes you. Write an opening sentence that guarantees the reader will want to read the rest of the paragraph. Maybe more than one, then pick out the best. And then write the rest of the paragraph.

His suggestion for an exercise? Take this opening line, and write the next three sentences. Try writing it three times, once with a menacing tone, once with a comedic tone, and one with a combination. The opening line?

“Someone’s sitting there,” the man in the uniform said as Bill started to straddle the stool.

There you go! Write!

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.

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.

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!

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? 

Today (Jan. 10) is Seijin no Hi in Japan. That's Coming of Age day, when they celebrate everyone who turned 20 during the last year. Which means they are legal adults.

Of course, change, life transitions, are not all celebrations. Sometimes we don't really like change, even if we may have chosen to go that way...

Over here, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/well/mind/managing-life-transitions.html there's an article with five suggestions for ways to deal with transitions. 1. Focus on your superpower, the part of the transition that you do best (goodbye, muddle, new beginning). 2. Identify your emotions. Fear, sadness, shame. And figure out how you want to deal with them. 3. Shed something. Fairly often, you have to toss old stuff as you move ahead. 4. Try something creative. Do something new! 5. Rewrite your life story. Find your own meaning in the middle of the life quake. Tell yourself what it means to you.

Hum. Stages of life, changes... that notion that we all go through some changes as we go through life, or as our characters go through their stories. Seems like beginnings, ends, and of course, changes like graduations, marriage, starting a job, leaving a job, having children, retiring... you know, the change points of life, these can all provide some interesting depth to your story. I mean, along with solving the mystery, catching the bad guy, finding the romantic moment, or whatever, your character also might be dealing with these little speed bumps in the highway of their life.

Okay? Something else to think about as you tackle that tale of ... well, whatever, and...

You may have heard of the pomodoro method or technique. I know I'd heard of it, mostly as the notion that you should write in short sprints, instead of grand marathons. Kind of like doing wind sprints instead of long distance runs. Of course, I had the impression that 20 minutes was the recommended chunk, but... over here, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique they say it's 25 minutes. Then a break.

It's an interesting idea. Figure out some scene, or other bit of what you are working on, then sit down and write, write, write for 20 minutes (or 25!). Then take a short break, think about where you are going next, and... do another chunk.

Oh, the tomato? It turns out that the originator used a tomato shaped kitchen timer, and named the approach after that. Except, being Italian, he used the Italian term for it. So, it's the tomato approach! Not rotten tomatoes, but...

I have to admit, I do tend to write in short bursts, with some kind of break in between. Oh, sometimes I manage to sit down and really grind it out for a longer period, but... life brings so many interruptions, so getting a short uninterrupted chunk is a lot easier than the long stretches.

Something to think about. And maybe try using a tomato to chunk that work out.

Write?

Hum... over here, https://writingexcuses.com/2021/12/26/16-52-structure-is-a-promise/, they're talking about how the various frameworks, structures, or whatever you like to call them make promises to the reader. For example, there's the hero's journey, seven-point story structure, Save the Cat beats, Hollywood formula, M.I.C.E. Quotient, and various others. Probably some others that I can't think of right now.

Along with the various tropes and so forth of genres! I mean, when you stumble across that first dead body in the living room, you might guess you are in for a mystery ride, with a private eye, or perhaps a detective, or even a funny stranger who just stumbled into things, but you have some idea what is ahead. Lots of suspects, clues and red herrings galore, maybe a chase scene or two, and the infamous gathering where we find out what it all means...

Anyway, it's something to consider. Which frameworks or structures do you like to use? What do they do for you? How do you keep them from becoming too obvious to the reader, and still make it easy for the reader to follow along? What twists or combinations do you use, or might you consider trying?

What about new genres or different ones to try? Want to mix a little romance into your mystery? Or vice versa? How about science fiction or fantasy added to your tale? A bit of historical retrospective? Go ahead, mix them up and see what happens!