This one is going to be short and sweet.
Yesterdays consensus was:
EVERY DAY we are to sit down and write something.
That is all. See you in two weeks!
-Dave
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Yesterday's W.B...
Great meet up!
This one is going to be short and sweet.
Yesterdays consensus was:
That is all. See you in two weeks!
-Dave
This one is going to be short and sweet.
Yesterdays consensus was:
That is all. See you in two weeks!
-Dave
Friday, September 9, 2016
Relationships versus the Ensemble in stories
Relationship stories...
...are set in prime motivation stories where the page turners are between two or three beings (buddy cops, romance, kid/horse/parent, forced road trip 'pals', three rebels fighting the Empire, etc.)PRIMARY MOTIVE: to observe how the relationship develops.
Theme: how why two/three beings fit together:
The formula / pattern:
- Denial in the potential of a relationship.
- Show how the thorns poke each other (dislikes)
- Reluctance to build a connection, but they have to!
- Begin the 'weave' or 'braid the roses' as the pair / trio are forced to work together.
- Exploration of the relationship.
- The (end of) Act II disaster: where things break apart (reader will say "Oh NO!"
- Acceptance of the relationship (The End).
Page turners are built around the crisis moments that occur during the relationships. Fulfilling on the promises require tone, progress, and creating the RIGHT crisis for the moments of the relationships. Do the crisis's reinforce the story? Does support between the characters exist? How did the writer indicate that two characters belong together?
1. Do the characters complete each other?
2. Have gaps / holes been defined for the relationships to fill?
3. Love stories make the reader fall in love, friendship stories make the reader part of the buddy group (such as the first Lethal Weapon, ).
4. The reader wants the main characters to MAKE A BETTER CHOICE even though the character is going to make a less than perfect decision during a crisis moment.
Ensemble stories...
...are the group of folks working in the same direction on a problem.PRIMARY MOTIVE: Get the 'band' together to stop the problem!
Even though it is a group, there is still a primary arc of one or two characters combating the heart of the problem. This will bookend the beginning / end of the story to give a sense of completion. Examples from film:
- 2 sisters torn from each other reunite in the end (Frozen)
- Tony Stark verses his narcissistic ethics of 'stepping on the wire' (Avengers)
- 2 brothers save the orphanage (Blues Brothers)
- A baker's life implodes and leaves her with nothing; she finds the strength though her friends to move ahead in life (Bridesmaids)
A preface may be needed to set up the 'big bad' of the story, then Chapter 1 should focus on the main character at the heart of the problem (even if the main character does not realize it yet). Film example: Trinity verses the Agents (preface), Next scene: Neo waking up (Chapter 1). (The Matrix)
Bring each member in while defining who / what they are through individual scenes with the main character core of the 'gang'.
Have background dialogue bring feeling in for other main characters and seed feelings / reactions.
Character voices are important and each should be unique!
Don't marginalize characters; have each bring SOMETHING more than a 'one note'; keep everyone respectable! Have each character in the group be there for 'something'. Have secondary characters be 'fans' of specific main characters / ideals.
Multiply each scene's / prop's use throughout the group. In other words, each scene should link in multiple ways to 2+ scenes coming up (whenever possible).
Characters will engage on two levels: professional and personal.
Dialogue might be a caricature of REAL dialogue (the Avengers Movie, Oscar Wilde books, etc).
Characterization of an ensemble cast:
- Large cast, but each with a little time 'up front'.
- Every scene must serve multiple 'shows of character': The mindset, skill(s), and attachment to the problem.
- Each character must have an arc to promote GROWTH or CHANGE. Create momentum for each character.
- Who is the primary Protagonist in the group? What / who is the Antagonist against the group (either from the outside or from within)? Now show us why as the story progresses.
- Think about the group tying up the Act III catharsis. How does each character arc lead to the group tie up during the catharsis? Let everyone turn to their specific strengths and support each other to do this in Act III.
- Give the characters a sense of liberation from whatever was repressing them.
- Give action moments of WHOAH! to break the fatigue to the non-stop action of the Act III catharsis point.
- Pacing is important: Once you set the pace within your first couple of chapters, you must remain true to that pace though the book (or steadily / gently quicken it as the chapters progress).
Friday, September 2, 2016
Two Common "Planner Paths"
Good day all!
Today I'm going to talk about two common ways that writers who are 'planners' set up the overall structure of their stories. Hope it helps!
Disclaimer: Yep, there are other ways to structure your story, but these two seem to be the ones most talked about in the circles where I surf. Both also follow the assumed rising-action (stakes)-until-catharsis-then-ending method as well.
#1: The Three Act Play: This is the most common 'old fashioned' form of structure. It is SO familiar and ingrained into most readers minds that it provides a 'safe' and 'comfortable' read when done correctly and a sensation of 'messiness' when done incorrectly. When you are planning this kind of structure, the Heart of your story arc is in Act II. Your character introductions, themes, and setting are set up in Act I. Catharsis is hit at the beginning of Act III, then you tie it up and write The End.
Due to our cross-media culture and concepts of 'properties' / 'franchises', most of today's three-act stories are beginning to blend into script writing rules (allowing for easier book-to-movie deals). With that in mind, the three-act structure will (more or less) come together as follows:
ACT I
1. The first sentence that opens the tale.
2. Introduce the Protagonist, hint at the Problem, tease the elements of the Setting / Major Themes
ACT II
1. The Protagonist is launched into the Heart of the Problem (some kind of disaster strikes)
2. Pinch #1: Remind the reader of the Problem, show the Protagonist failing / messing up when the Problem re-appears.
3. Midpoint: The story flip-flops or changes in some way, with the Protagonist thinking they solved the Problem, but has only made things WORSE.
4. Pinch #2: Deal with minor plot points, start hinting around at how to bring things together, even if the Protagonist cannot see them yet.
5. Dark Night Of The Soul: All seems to be lost for the Protagonist until,,,
ACT III
1. The Protagonist deals with the Problem when everything comes together!
2. The final battle / Catharsis
3. Tying up the minor points (watch out for info dumps!)
4. The final sentence that closes the tale.
That's about it for this type of planning! Try to keep the lions share of the story in Act II (keep it around 2/3rd to 3/4 of the total pages).
#2: 32 Scenes: This is a less-structured way of planning, allowing for more twists and turns and keeping the reader in a state of suspense and tension. Take care not to lose minor plot arcs and also try to keep from traveling too far off the plot (this will create distrust for the reader).
Here's how it works: For dramas and biographies, plan on creating 30-32 scenes (or chapters). For action / thrillers, bump the number of scenes / chapters to 38-40; this keeps the scenes shorter and gives the books a faster pacing.
Your first scene or Preface should introduce the Problem and/or the Protagonist. However that scene plays out will set the TONE for the ENTIRE BOOK. This creates trust between the story and the reader (be careful how you manipulate it). Early scenes should have a lot of unanswered questions and teasing of things to come.
By the 4-6th scene, you should fall into a kind of "Because of X, then Y happens..." This rhythm should end each scene with a question / problem that is dealt with in the next 1-3 scenes.
Catharsis should happen around 4-6 scenes from the end.
The last scene should tie up everything and reflect the issue presented in the first scene, to give the reader a sense of completion.
I tend to write the 32 Scenes down on a sheet of lined paper, with each line being the scene descriptor. When I am doing the novel-in-a-month thing, I try to work on expanding each (single) scene / line into 1700 - 2000 words. At the end of of the month, I've got my novel 'done'.
Have fun and write on!
-Dave
Today I'm going to talk about two common ways that writers who are 'planners' set up the overall structure of their stories. Hope it helps!
Disclaimer: Yep, there are other ways to structure your story, but these two seem to be the ones most talked about in the circles where I surf. Both also follow the assumed rising-action (stakes)-until-catharsis-then-ending method as well.
#1: The Three Act Play: This is the most common 'old fashioned' form of structure. It is SO familiar and ingrained into most readers minds that it provides a 'safe' and 'comfortable' read when done correctly and a sensation of 'messiness' when done incorrectly. When you are planning this kind of structure, the Heart of your story arc is in Act II. Your character introductions, themes, and setting are set up in Act I. Catharsis is hit at the beginning of Act III, then you tie it up and write The End.
Due to our cross-media culture and concepts of 'properties' / 'franchises', most of today's three-act stories are beginning to blend into script writing rules (allowing for easier book-to-movie deals). With that in mind, the three-act structure will (more or less) come together as follows:
ACT I
1. The first sentence that opens the tale.
2. Introduce the Protagonist, hint at the Problem, tease the elements of the Setting / Major Themes
ACT II
1. The Protagonist is launched into the Heart of the Problem (some kind of disaster strikes)
2. Pinch #1: Remind the reader of the Problem, show the Protagonist failing / messing up when the Problem re-appears.
3. Midpoint: The story flip-flops or changes in some way, with the Protagonist thinking they solved the Problem, but has only made things WORSE.
4. Pinch #2: Deal with minor plot points, start hinting around at how to bring things together, even if the Protagonist cannot see them yet.
5. Dark Night Of The Soul: All seems to be lost for the Protagonist until,,,
ACT III
1. The Protagonist deals with the Problem when everything comes together!
2. The final battle / Catharsis
3. Tying up the minor points (watch out for info dumps!)
4. The final sentence that closes the tale.
That's about it for this type of planning! Try to keep the lions share of the story in Act II (keep it around 2/3rd to 3/4 of the total pages).
#2: 32 Scenes: This is a less-structured way of planning, allowing for more twists and turns and keeping the reader in a state of suspense and tension. Take care not to lose minor plot arcs and also try to keep from traveling too far off the plot (this will create distrust for the reader).
Here's how it works: For dramas and biographies, plan on creating 30-32 scenes (or chapters). For action / thrillers, bump the number of scenes / chapters to 38-40; this keeps the scenes shorter and gives the books a faster pacing.
Your first scene or Preface should introduce the Problem and/or the Protagonist. However that scene plays out will set the TONE for the ENTIRE BOOK. This creates trust between the story and the reader (be careful how you manipulate it). Early scenes should have a lot of unanswered questions and teasing of things to come.
By the 4-6th scene, you should fall into a kind of "Because of X, then Y happens..." This rhythm should end each scene with a question / problem that is dealt with in the next 1-3 scenes.
Catharsis should happen around 4-6 scenes from the end.
The last scene should tie up everything and reflect the issue presented in the first scene, to give the reader a sense of completion.
I tend to write the 32 Scenes down on a sheet of lined paper, with each line being the scene descriptor. When I am doing the novel-in-a-month thing, I try to work on expanding each (single) scene / line into 1700 - 2000 words. At the end of of the month, I've got my novel 'done'.
Have fun and write on!
-Dave
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Satisfaction
Plotting a stories ending is the light at the end of the tunnel. Writing the story to the point of reaching this 'light' may involve a number of twists and turns, but knowing where you are going as a writer generally allows a return to the plot arc if you find yourself lost. With that in mind, ask yourself this question:
How is the story I'm working on going to end for my protagonist?
I did a little digging and found some gems:
The knee-jerk answer is generally something like this: "For any story to have a satisfying ending, the protagonist of the story must end up in a better, happier state than he or she began the story in."
That's all well and good; it gives the reader a sweet sense of satisfaction after the trials and tribulations found on the road of the stories main arc.
However...
Characters May Affect Change: Your character may change his situation, his environment, and thus put an end to the conflict. This is the classic tale of the hero overcoming cancer, the hero putting down a mutiny, the cop catching the bad guy, the farm girl marrying the handsome landowner, and so on.
Character May Change as a Result of Conflict. In this ending, our protagonist is permitted to lose, so long as he or she grows from it. So the kid dies from cancer, but learns to grow and accept death in the process. Or your hero walks the plank, loses his ship, but is better prepared for the signs next time a mutiny is about to break out. In these cases, the growth of the character becomes more important than winning. Even though the battle is lost, something is salvaged from the incident. The protagonist learns how to live.
Your Audience Can Be Changed by the Story. Perhaps each of you can dig back into your own lives and find events, books or movies that have dramatically affected you.
Why do more short stories than novels end on tragic notes?
Lazy writers not working on going for the 'fix'. True tragedy requires finesse and irony in a cautionary tale resolution (these are the 'sucker punch' stories).
How do you keep an ending from being predictable or boring?
Surprise is not always about what happens, but it can be as an unpredictable (but logical) emotion or an emotion far more powerful than expected.
How do you write a stand-alone ending with sequel potential?
Don't kill everybody.
The world should be larger than the story.
The villain's world is well populated.
What type of series is this? Will each book have an immediate follow-up or will one or more generation have passed? Will each book have unique protagonists?
What are the best ways to avoid info dump endings? (the original Psycho's last 5 minutes)
As a writer, stay interested.
Info dump becomes an appendix.
Go back and resolve the info dump 'chunks' in earlier periods of the story.
Are there differences between writing endings for the first novel in a series and other novels in the series?
You've got more endings as you end more books in the series, so you've practiced and have become better at it. Keep an eye on the Mega-plot that covers the entire series. Wrap up everything from the beginning of the book, but not the 'question' set at the beginning of the first book (save that to end the final book).
How do you know which questions to leave unanswered?
Don't let the first book be boring. You can tie things up in a nice (broken) bow, but the bow will have to be untied and fixed in later books. Don't hold too much back for the sequels. The first book should answer questions DEEPLY, but then long-range issues become forefront.
What sort of attention do you give to your last lines?
How can you make sure the ending is working. Leave the reader with an image / phrase that ties up the plot / theme. Connect the two most important characters. Look back on the emotional resonations / beats and echo the pattern in the end. Humans love echoes (it makes us feel smart). Go back and create an opening sentence that reflects the closing sentence. The first line is part of the sales pitch to the reader to read the book... the last line should tell the reader 'thank you for reading'. Encapsulate the irony.
Hope this helps!
-Dave
How is the story I'm working on going to end for my protagonist?
I did a little digging and found some gems:
The knee-jerk answer is generally something like this: "For any story to have a satisfying ending, the protagonist of the story must end up in a better, happier state than he or she began the story in."
That's all well and good; it gives the reader a sweet sense of satisfaction after the trials and tribulations found on the road of the stories main arc.
However...
Characters May Affect Change: Your character may change his situation, his environment, and thus put an end to the conflict. This is the classic tale of the hero overcoming cancer, the hero putting down a mutiny, the cop catching the bad guy, the farm girl marrying the handsome landowner, and so on.
Character May Change as a Result of Conflict. In this ending, our protagonist is permitted to lose, so long as he or she grows from it. So the kid dies from cancer, but learns to grow and accept death in the process. Or your hero walks the plank, loses his ship, but is better prepared for the signs next time a mutiny is about to break out. In these cases, the growth of the character becomes more important than winning. Even though the battle is lost, something is salvaged from the incident. The protagonist learns how to live.
Your Audience Can Be Changed by the Story. Perhaps each of you can dig back into your own lives and find events, books or movies that have dramatically affected you.
The world should be larger than the story.
The villain's world is well populated.
What type of series is this? Will each book have an immediate follow-up or will one or more generation have passed? Will each book have unique protagonists?
Info dump becomes an appendix.
Go back and resolve the info dump 'chunks' in earlier periods of the story.
Hope this helps!
-Dave
Monday, August 22, 2016
The Last Writers Block of SUMMER
Welllll, I suppose the one coming up on Sept 12 is still summer.
But school will have started back up, and that's fall-ish enough for me!
OK. Down to business.
We had a cozy turn out today! Elizabeth brought in her outline for the memoir / auto-biography that she's constructing. It's looking promising at 35 chapters! She's into the sixth chapter of writing! Keep on writing Elizabeth!
Diane spoke about her work on Real Simple's "Life Lessons Eassay Contest".
We discussed books that is inspiring the way that we are forming our writing styles and tones:
"The Last Chance but not the Last Song" by Renee Bondi, which is a structure that Elizabeth finds most appealing.
The Harry Potter series, whose style resonates strongest with Arius' planned adventure series.
"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller used a voice and style that Rose finds most inspiring.
We also discussed one of the seminars that I took during my lost weekend at Gen Con. This one was "Convincing the Reader to Care", with Elizabeth Bear, Patrick Rothfuss, Kelly Armstrong, and Daryl Gregory. The highlights were:
That's about it! I'll make it a point to blog about something random and writer-ish in a week or so!
Write on!!!
But school will have started back up, and that's fall-ish enough for me!
OK. Down to business.
We had a cozy turn out today! Elizabeth brought in her outline for the memoir / auto-biography that she's constructing. It's looking promising at 35 chapters! She's into the sixth chapter of writing! Keep on writing Elizabeth!
Diane spoke about her work on Real Simple's "Life Lessons Eassay Contest".
We discussed books that is inspiring the way that we are forming our writing styles and tones:
"The Last Chance but not the Last Song" by Renee Bondi, which is a structure that Elizabeth finds most appealing.
The Harry Potter series, whose style resonates strongest with Arius' planned adventure series.
"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller used a voice and style that Rose finds most inspiring.
We also discussed one of the seminars that I took during my lost weekend at Gen Con. This one was "Convincing the Reader to Care", with Elizabeth Bear, Patrick Rothfuss, Kelly Armstrong, and Daryl Gregory. The highlights were:
- Tools that get a reader to QUICKLY become invested:
- Within the first three pages: Show that the main character WANTS something (this is also your PLOT). Create associations between the character and the WANT, make them something that a reader can realistically connect to.
- Up front, give no more than THREE details about the WANTS to hook the reader. Tease the tidbits out after that, one at a time.
- As the story progresses, make the WANTS become an organic cycle of want-influence-change want-influence-etc. as the character grows.
- Obsticals to prevent success of gaining the WANTS.
- What are the stakes for failure? How do they grow as the story progresses?
- Also, from the onset of the story, present the character with questions / challenges one at a time. Ask question 1, then question 2, answer question 1, ask question 3, answer question 2, etc.
- Least favorite character types:
- The 20-something-blank-slate who we'll learn about over the course of the whole story.
- Running from the bear. NOTE: Running toward something is OK. Outrunning 'the other guy' is OK. Keep the cause of the fear ambiguous.
- Avoid TOTAL Mary Sues and also ANTI-Mary Sues.
- Mercutio syndrome is OK, but only if you treat the main character as the 'cookie' and the secondary (Mercutio) character as the 'chocolate chip'. Now is the most important time to show that your main character is the one with the competence and finds the most joy with the WANT. Watch out for losing interest as a writer. If you do, then drill DEEPER (explore wants / needs) of the main character and illustrate those.
That's about it! I'll make it a point to blog about something random and writer-ish in a week or so!
Write on!!!
Monday, June 13, 2016
DRILL SERGEANT TIME
OK, we talked about setting goals and making things happen by said goals. Here's the deadline list:
1. Diane's goal: Finish the first section to prep for Paris section.
2. Kathy's goal: E-version of Anatomy of a Book for publication.
3. Dave's goal: Outline for July's Camp NaNoWriMo AND Run all of the Kite's Parcel novel through AutoCrit.
4. Jen's goal: Write EVERY DAY.
5. Rose's Goal: Try out the Dragon Dictation software and look into playback / editor help (Kathy?)
We will report back to each other in two weeks (Monday 6/27) and see how we all came along!
Also, the AutoCrit editing link is up at the right corner of the page.
Have fun everyone!
1. Diane's goal: Finish the first section to prep for Paris section.
2. Kathy's goal: E-version of Anatomy of a Book for publication.
3. Dave's goal: Outline for July's Camp NaNoWriMo AND Run all of the Kite's Parcel novel through AutoCrit.
4. Jen's goal: Write EVERY DAY.
5. Rose's Goal: Try out the Dragon Dictation software and look into playback / editor help (Kathy?)
We will report back to each other in two weeks (Monday 6/27) and see how we all came along!
Also, the AutoCrit editing link is up at the right corner of the page.
Have fun everyone!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Hello SUMMER!
It's June. Looks like it has officially stopped snowing in Wisconsin!
Next Monday is Writer's Block at the Niederkorn Library. I'm planning on talking about a couple of writing things that are currently on my mind:
1. Camp NaNo (in July).
2. AutoCrit editing software and my passive writing voice.
3. Structuring a story using the three-act play as a formula.
As usual, I will bring coffee, tea, and snacks!
-Dave
Next Monday is Writer's Block at the Niederkorn Library. I'm planning on talking about a couple of writing things that are currently on my mind:
1. Camp NaNo (in July).
2. AutoCrit editing software and my passive writing voice.
3. Structuring a story using the three-act play as a formula.
As usual, I will bring coffee, tea, and snacks!
-Dave
Monday, April 25, 2016
Blooming on the Block
Hi everyone, we had a great meeting out at the Niederkorn today.
The discussion meandered around for a bit, including (but not limited to) role-play gaming, Woodman's Food Market, and Hemingway's The Garden of Eden.
Kathy brought in her self-published books that were designed to aid the artisan community (you can check out her stuff at kdidiot.com). Roland gave us an update on his upload, with a special focus on the mysteries of the IRS W-9 form. I talked about my Ars Magica publications and the writing -vs- payment side of things. Diane is compiling her work with Ms. Plaid's adventures in Paris. Marci gave us an update on a project that she is working to get her son on board with...
Ultimately, it is a good day to reflect on successes and get excited about the future of our projects! Write on everyone.
Next Writer's Block (on May 9th), Diane and I are planning on bringing in some chapters to READ in front of the group (gulp). Also, I might drag in an hour-long role-play scenario; in the hope that some of my published game book background comes into focus a little more!
Feel free to stop in, grab some Java, tea, and a goody or two. Hopefully we can work with you on whatever Writer's Block that stands in your way.
See you in two weeks!
-Dave
The discussion meandered around for a bit, including (but not limited to) role-play gaming, Woodman's Food Market, and Hemingway's The Garden of Eden.
Kathy brought in her self-published books that were designed to aid the artisan community (you can check out her stuff at kdidiot.com). Roland gave us an update on his upload, with a special focus on the mysteries of the IRS W-9 form. I talked about my Ars Magica publications and the writing -vs- payment side of things. Diane is compiling her work with Ms. Plaid's adventures in Paris. Marci gave us an update on a project that she is working to get her son on board with...
Ultimately, it is a good day to reflect on successes and get excited about the future of our projects! Write on everyone.
Feel free to stop in, grab some Java, tea, and a goody or two. Hopefully we can work with you on whatever Writer's Block that stands in your way.
See you in two weeks!
-Dave
Monday, April 11, 2016
Camp NaNo at the Block
Welcome to the W.B. Diana!
We worked on uploading Roland's book. We got it into the editor, but found some format issues. Roland is taking care of changing the 8 x 11 format into a 6 x 9 format and we should be good to go in a couple of weeks.
We also had a round table discussion on our writing plans for this Summer. It appears that the rest of the group is either well into the writing process for a first draft, or into the edit mode for their work. Either way, we are heading into having some finished projects over the next 3-6 months if the muses and fates are feeling kind in 2016.
The next Writers Block will be on Monday, April 25 starting at 9 a.m.
Bring something to read or to others to read and critique!
Last but not least; THANK YOU SMITH BROS for the coffee! This week's snack was Girl Scout cookies.
-Dave
We worked on uploading Roland's book. We got it into the editor, but found some format issues. Roland is taking care of changing the 8 x 11 format into a 6 x 9 format and we should be good to go in a couple of weeks.
We also had a round table discussion on our writing plans for this Summer. It appears that the rest of the group is either well into the writing process for a first draft, or into the edit mode for their work. Either way, we are heading into having some finished projects over the next 3-6 months if the muses and fates are feeling kind in 2016.
The next Writers Block will be on Monday, April 25 starting at 9 a.m.
Bring something to read or to others to read and critique!
Last but not least; THANK YOU SMITH BROS for the coffee! This week's snack was Girl Scout cookies.
-Dave
Monday, March 28, 2016
And Now We Will Be Returning To Our Program...
We're baaack!
Two weeks ago, we began setting up an account for Roland in CreateSpace. This week, we set up Roland's book information and got the ISBN number assigned. Our plan for the next Writer's Block is to finalize uploading Roland's book, titled God: Discovering Belief.
As usual, we were treated to 3 liters of tasty Smith Bros coffee and noshed on some Irish Apple Crumble cake.
Our talk was more of a decompression session, as many of us were coming down from the Easter weekend. However; Rose and Kathy are zipping along with their writing! More on that in a couple of weeks...
Two weeks ago, we began setting up an account for Roland in CreateSpace. This week, we set up Roland's book information and got the ISBN number assigned. Our plan for the next Writer's Block is to finalize uploading Roland's book, titled God: Discovering Belief.
As usual, we were treated to 3 liters of tasty Smith Bros coffee and noshed on some Irish Apple Crumble cake.
Our talk was more of a decompression session, as many of us were coming down from the Easter weekend. However; Rose and Kathy are zipping along with their writing! More on that in a couple of weeks...
Monday, January 25, 2016
New Faces, New Places!
Welcome to the Block, Mark and Rolland!
As you can see, we had some new faces at the Writers Block this week. For a quick recap on who is doing what, here's the list (feel free to correct me if I'm off with any of this stuff):
Dave: (New) Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy Novel - First draft complete. Editing for continuity.
Kathy: Children's Book - Writing in progress.
Jennifer: Short Story series - Writing in progress.
. Mystery Novel - First draft complete.
Mark: WWII biography - Writing in progress.
Rolland: Biblical - Complete, working through the self-publishing elements.
Rose: Memoir - Writing in progress.
We revolved the core of our discussions around the blending / ending point where research ends and focused, First Draft writing begins. Ultimately, this is a balance where the research has to progressively give over to the writing, although the writing will result in holes where further research is required.
Next get-together, we'll try to bring in some writing samples for the group to go over.
As you can see, we had some new faces at the Writers Block this week. For a quick recap on who is doing what, here's the list (feel free to correct me if I'm off with any of this stuff):
Dave: (New) Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy Novel - First draft complete. Editing for continuity.
Kathy: Children's Book - Writing in progress.
Jennifer: Short Story series - Writing in progress.
. Mystery Novel - First draft complete.
Mark: WWII biography - Writing in progress.
Rolland: Biblical - Complete, working through the self-publishing elements.
Rose: Memoir - Writing in progress.
We revolved the core of our discussions around the blending / ending point where research ends and focused, First Draft writing begins. Ultimately, this is a balance where the research has to progressively give over to the writing, although the writing will result in holes where further research is required.
Next get-together, we'll try to bring in some writing samples for the group to go over.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Happy 2016!
On Monday we had the first Writer's Block of the year. A light turn out, but still a good talk had by all.
It turned into a day to clear the air of all of last year's challenges, while plotting our resolutions for this one. We discussed book formats; specifically the use of imagery in adult lit. The book Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast became the go-to example of illustrated memoirs. I also learned a great deal about how cafeterias work in a Catholic school.
One of the other discussions was the variations in children's picture books. Wordless, words-in-picture, short descriptive sentences below the pix, and paragraphs on opposing pages were the primary formats that came to mind. Ultimately, the discussion boiled down to how the author wishes to use the imagery to convey the message on each page.
Near the end of the session, I brought out my first two chapters and my sales pitches (tagline, elevator pitch, etc.) for everyone to check out. Thankfully, everyone was honest with the issues of this (very) rough draft. On a personal note, I feel that I'm pointed in the correct direction; now I just need to tweak a number of things!
NOTE TO SELF: Bring in my Children's Lit course book for Kathy.
NEXT WRITERS BLOCK: Jan 25 from 9-1. Bring something for everyone to read!
I have two book-related resolutions on my list:
1. Read a YA book each week that holds an element of my Erin Kite series.
2. Get an agent to sell my stuff.
Feel free to post any writing resolutions that come to mind!
It turned into a day to clear the air of all of last year's challenges, while plotting our resolutions for this one. We discussed book formats; specifically the use of imagery in adult lit. The book Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast became the go-to example of illustrated memoirs. I also learned a great deal about how cafeterias work in a Catholic school.
Spooky.
One of the other discussions was the variations in children's picture books. Wordless, words-in-picture, short descriptive sentences below the pix, and paragraphs on opposing pages were the primary formats that came to mind. Ultimately, the discussion boiled down to how the author wishes to use the imagery to convey the message on each page.
Near the end of the session, I brought out my first two chapters and my sales pitches (tagline, elevator pitch, etc.) for everyone to check out. Thankfully, everyone was honest with the issues of this (very) rough draft. On a personal note, I feel that I'm pointed in the correct direction; now I just need to tweak a number of things!
NOTE TO SELF: Bring in my Children's Lit course book for Kathy.
NEXT WRITERS BLOCK: Jan 25 from 9-1. Bring something for everyone to read!
I have two book-related resolutions on my list:
1. Read a YA book each week that holds an element of my Erin Kite series.
2. Get an agent to sell my stuff.
Feel free to post any writing resolutions that come to mind!
-Dave
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Cookie therapy!
We had a little cookie therapy at the Niederkorn yesterday. It sounds like each one of us has a solid grasp on what we are going to write or what we're going to edit. It's been a rough year for the gang, but a new one is around the corner!
See everyone in 2016...
P.S. Here's the recipe for the Yuletide Kisses.
3 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon of salt (or a little less)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 1/4 cups of powdered sugar OR 1 cup of extra fine baking sugar
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Preheat oven 275 degrees.
Whip egg whites and salt until foamy. Add Vanilla extract, orange extract, and cream of tartar and whip it up until peaks stand upright when the beater is pulled out.
Continue beating. Slowly add in the sugar (I do a slow count to 10 per cup full as I pour it) until very stiff peaks form.
Fold in the pecans until (more or less) evenly distributed.
Drop by rounded spoonfulls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (the cookies will adhere and shatter if parchment is not used). Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool 5+ minutes before removing from parchment.
See everyone in 2016...
P.S. Here's the recipe for the Yuletide Kisses.
3 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon of salt (or a little less)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 1/4 cups of powdered sugar OR 1 cup of extra fine baking sugar
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Preheat oven 275 degrees.
Whip egg whites and salt until foamy. Add Vanilla extract, orange extract, and cream of tartar and whip it up until peaks stand upright when the beater is pulled out.
Continue beating. Slowly add in the sugar (I do a slow count to 10 per cup full as I pour it) until very stiff peaks form.
Fold in the pecans until (more or less) evenly distributed.
Drop by rounded spoonfulls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (the cookies will adhere and shatter if parchment is not used). Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool 5+ minutes before removing from parchment.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Just a quick note...
Writer's Block out at the Niederkorn library in Port Washington will be on the 14th and 28th for December. Happy holidays and remember: wine and cookies taste better with writing!
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
NaNo Week Number 1 is...
in the books!
Doubled (tripled?) our numbers this week at the Writer's Block. The coffee was hot and the shortbread cookies were appreciated. Thanks to all who came out!
The gang talked about a lot of stuff.
We compared editing programs, with AutoCrit being the nominated favorite. I've attached the link over their on the upper right hand side of the blog.
We talked about time travel and temporal novels; specifically When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.
Also, we had a back-and-forth about online publishing and teasing the audience with future works. Scribophile came up, and the interesting take-away was the fact that having faceless denizens critique a piece leads to a kind of erosion of the writers spirit.
Elevator spiels came up. If we had to sell our book in a 30 second elevator ride to a publishing executive, what would we say?
Yes. I failed on that one.
However; I've been thinking about it EVERY DAY since. I think I'm ready now.
Again, thanks to all who showed up. It was a big shot in the arm and fuel for the NaNo month!
Doubled (tripled?) our numbers this week at the Writer's Block. The coffee was hot and the shortbread cookies were appreciated. Thanks to all who came out!
The gang talked about a lot of stuff.
We compared editing programs, with AutoCrit being the nominated favorite. I've attached the link over their on the upper right hand side of the blog.
We talked about time travel and temporal novels; specifically When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.
Also, we had a back-and-forth about online publishing and teasing the audience with future works. Scribophile came up, and the interesting take-away was the fact that having faceless denizens critique a piece leads to a kind of erosion of the writers spirit.
Elevator spiels came up. If we had to sell our book in a 30 second elevator ride to a publishing executive, what would we say?
Yes. I failed on that one.
However; I've been thinking about it EVERY DAY since. I think I'm ready now.
Again, thanks to all who showed up. It was a big shot in the arm and fuel for the NaNo month!
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Trudging Through the Characters
Yesterday, I was in a discussion about plotting novels. One of the things that came up was character generation / concepts. As we all know, having a rich, deep, realistic character that intrigues us as readers is the mechanism that carries us through any story.
Last year, I had the opportunity to go through some workshops and came away with the below 'worksheet' for character creation. The idea behind the below checklist is that you do one step each day, giving yourself time to sleep on the next step (to give it a chance to really set in). I tend to run with the inspiration and knock out multiple steps each day, out of fear of losing important elements.
The down side to the below 'worksheet' is that it is dry and mechanical. The up side is that dry and mechanical inspires the brain to want to escape; allowing for some really creative thoughts to creep up. Use it and let the inspiration blossom!
Last year, I had the opportunity to go through some workshops and came away with the below 'worksheet' for character creation. The idea behind the below checklist is that you do one step each day, giving yourself time to sleep on the next step (to give it a chance to really set in). I tend to run with the inspiration and knock out multiple steps each day, out of fear of losing important elements.
The down side to the below 'worksheet' is that it is dry and mechanical. The up side is that dry and mechanical inspires the brain to want to escape; allowing for some really creative thoughts to creep up. Use it and let the inspiration blossom!
-- Character Build Period --
Day: Task:
1. Character Core: Write 5 (single)
sentences about Life Aspects of his / her life.
2. Each Life Aspects: For each (of five)
life aspects, do two things:
A. Write
in 2 Life Experiences.
B. Write
1 Thought, with 3+ (single) Thought Aspects.
3. Spin Life Aspects: For each Life
Aspect denote one Problem Aspect.
4. Expand Problem Aspects: For each of the
Problem Aspects:
A. Write
in 2 Problem Experiences.
B. Write
1 Thought, with 3+ (single) Thought Aspects.
5. Second Character Core: Repeat steps
1 – 4 today for this one.
6. (Goals) Character 1 and 2:
Determine (simultaneously) personal goals.
A. 1
Long-Term goal (for each character).
B. 2
Short-Term goals (for each character).
7. (Fears) Character 1 and 2: Each
of the above goals will have fears and / or obstacles.
8. Third Character: Now is the time
to think in triads. Each of the three characters will conspire from time
to time. Ultimately, one character will ascend, one character will stagnate,
and one character will fall / fail.
A. Repeat
steps 1-4.
B. Repeat
step 6.
C. Repeat
step 7.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Hammering Down A Story Concept
Here it is: October 1st.
This morning, to prep for NaNoWriMo, I picked a framework to write a story. That framework is the Grail Quest of Percival. From that, I plunked in the concepts into my nifty one-page Chapter Theme file, and this is what I got:
This morning, to prep for NaNoWriMo, I picked a framework to write a story. That framework is the Grail Quest of Percival. From that, I plunked in the concepts into my nifty one-page Chapter Theme file, and this is what I got:
ERIN T. KNIGHT
(fantasy / contemporary fiction)
Setting / Arc
Present day Wisconsin. It is the
end of being a “little kid”. (Planned reading level 9-12)
Theme
Being the creative one in middle
school (early year, grade 7). Coming of age.
13 Chapters
(Chapter
Themes)
C1 Intro hero. Saying goodbye to
the only friend. He is raised in the ‘wilds’ by his mother and sister; ignorant
of the ‘manly ways’.
C2 (pp1) Main Problem appears (and is misunderstood). “I have
to fit in”
C3 The
research period.
C4 (pinch) Main Problem challenges hero. Which cliché to choose?
C5 Cleaning
up the mess (no / part success)
C6 (mid pt 1) Main Problem goes public. A
school event.
C7 (mid pt 2) Main Problem escalates. Tempo
change; having to choose between…
C8
Public outcry against escalation and the hero, true friends are defined.
C9 (pinch) Main Problem shatters hero. Can no longer be creative;
trashes their work.
C10 Walking
through the wasteland, even friends seem distant / uncertain.
C11 (pp2) Main Problem resolution clarified.
Receives an email from old friend.
C12 (climax) Everyone back
together (even reluctantly, for the common goal).
C13 (mop up) Main Problem overcome. The
threat of lost Love / pet results in Erin finding the strength to confront his
darkness. Meets the ‘fringe’.
RAMBLE: “There
are a lot of ‘me’ out there; but one of me has to be in charge. I have to have
my place… not to let any of the others to dominate. My anchor is my craft. It
is my spirit given form. Therefore I must be the knight errant; I must seek out
that which is dubious, so that I may understand violence and temptation and
therefore reason through it. When I have faced my final fear, will my time here
end or will I simply diminish into the obscure? I will trust in and follow my
habits, I will pass my judgements and I will illuminate my thoughts and habits
as an avatar to those who have no voice. I am truth and I will wander among
you. I have been saturated into this body, Emotion, Instinct, Ethics.
Creation, atonements, blasphemy,
love & contempt, Desire & Deception, and ultimately Truth… truth found
in the embrace of personal responsibility. Not a single event, but a single
task. The present is merely activity at a standstill. Duality.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Cleaning House for October NaNo Prep-o
Good day, all!
First of all, let me point out that one up side to being the only human in the house during the day is that I can blog at 2:31 in the afternoon (rather than 4 a.m. in the morning).
I feel all caffeinated and organized.
Secondly, I re-wrote the intro to my weird fiction novel from last year: Blocgarten: Under the Green. The opening FINALLY feels right. If any of you folks wouldn't mind, I'd like to shoot out the first chapter (60 pages) for a proofread and hatchet job.
Before I do, I should point out that this book written to be a mosaic of short stories that ultimately tie together in the final two chapters. The first chapter is something of a 10,000-foot overview of the madness that is going on in the valley under Green Mountain.
Also, you'll notice that the book is written by "Ian Kenneth". This is a couple of names from my background that fit nice and tidy-like into the weird fiction elements of the story. I've even gone so far as to create a blog site by Mr. Kenneth that will eventually blur the lines between the book and his life...
http://whispsofthedarkbyway.blogspot.com/
Yah, the Kenneth blog is a work in progress like the book series. I've fleshed the series out to a total of 5 books, should it ever take off.
Thirdly, NANOWRIMO prep month is almost here! Once you are all signed up, I'm Black n Blue Knight out in the Wisconsin Elsewhere group. Let's join forces and make November a win!
OK, off to get more coffee.
Write on!
First of all, let me point out that one up side to being the only human in the house during the day is that I can blog at 2:31 in the afternoon (rather than 4 a.m. in the morning).
I feel all caffeinated and organized.
Secondly, I re-wrote the intro to my weird fiction novel from last year: Blocgarten: Under the Green. The opening FINALLY feels right. If any of you folks wouldn't mind, I'd like to shoot out the first chapter (60 pages) for a proofread and hatchet job.
Before I do, I should point out that this book written to be a mosaic of short stories that ultimately tie together in the final two chapters. The first chapter is something of a 10,000-foot overview of the madness that is going on in the valley under Green Mountain.
Also, you'll notice that the book is written by "Ian Kenneth". This is a couple of names from my background that fit nice and tidy-like into the weird fiction elements of the story. I've even gone so far as to create a blog site by Mr. Kenneth that will eventually blur the lines between the book and his life...
http://whispsofthedarkbyway.blogspot.com/
Yah, the Kenneth blog is a work in progress like the book series. I've fleshed the series out to a total of 5 books, should it ever take off.
Thirdly, NANOWRIMO prep month is almost here! Once you are all signed up, I'm Black n Blue Knight out in the Wisconsin Elsewhere group. Let's join forces and make November a win!
OK, off to get more coffee.
Write on!
Friday, September 25, 2015
NaNoWriMo Prep (If you're going for it)!
Just in case anyone wants to go for it...
NaNo Prep season is rolling, which means there are plot bunnies proliferating, light bulbs going off, and baby-name books being perused. As we prepare together to enter "The NaNoWriMo Library" this November, here are a few questions you may be asking:
Where do I create my novel for 2015?
You'll have to wait until the site relaunches to officially create your 2015 NaNo-novel. On Monday, October 5, go to "My Novels" under the "My NaNoWriMo" tab, and you'll see a space just calling out for your 2015 book.
What happens during NaNo Prep season anyway?
So much stuff! Check out the NaNo Prep page for a full schedule, a list of great resources, and a guide to deciding how you'll approach NaNoWriMo (planner or pantser?). What's coming up right away?
Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 2 PM PST: Authors Rachael Herron, Darynda Jones, and Kelly Loy Gilbert join NaNoWriMo staff to share advice about how to prepare for NaNoWriMo during our #NaNoPrep tweet-chat!
-Dave
NaNo Prep season is rolling, which means there are plot bunnies proliferating, light bulbs going off, and baby-name books being perused. As we prepare together to enter "The NaNoWriMo Library" this November, here are a few questions you may be asking:
Where do I create my novel for 2015?
You'll have to wait until the site relaunches to officially create your 2015 NaNo-novel. On Monday, October 5, go to "My Novels" under the "My NaNoWriMo" tab, and you'll see a space just calling out for your 2015 book.
What happens during NaNo Prep season anyway?
So much stuff! Check out the NaNo Prep page for a full schedule, a list of great resources, and a guide to deciding how you'll approach NaNoWriMo (planner or pantser?). What's coming up right away?
Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 2 PM PST: Authors Rachael Herron, Darynda Jones, and Kelly Loy Gilbert join NaNoWriMo staff to share advice about how to prepare for NaNoWriMo during our #NaNoPrep tweet-chat!
-Dave
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
NaNoWriMo looms...
Hi everybody!
I've been doing some pre-holiday tidying up on my writing projects and there are a few things to pass on to everyone...
First off, National Novel Writer Month (NaNoWriMo) is revving up for the November challenge. The long and short for NaNoWriMo is this: Write 50,000 words in the month of November. It's a free site, you create a log in and a writer-oriented profile, then track your work in November. There are forums and an in-site email where words of wisdom / encouragement abound. There is also a NaNo store to buy swag or to make donations. I've done it for three years and have had 2 successes and 1 failure.
Here is the link: https://nanowrimo.org/sign_in
Second, we had some good discussions about the heart of the story (Act II), but I found my mind wandering into how to make a killer intro. Especially after reading Rose's intro of a phone conversation. Coincidence being what it is resulted in this dropping into my email box from David Farland's site on Tuesday:
Your story begins when you have a character (likeable or not), in a setting (interesting or not), with a problem (and it darned well ought to be a doozy). My mentor Algis Budrys said that as a rule of thumb, if a writer doesn’t have that by page two, then the story most likely isn’t sellable. He’s right.
Farland's site link is this: https://mystorydoctor.com/powerful-openings/
Lastly; from the realm of self-publishing, below is a link to what appears to be a self-publishing site that is growing in popularity...
https://www.wattpad.com/writers/how.html
It is called Wattpad. The idea is that you can write anyplace / anytime on any device and upload it for the vox populace to read. What makes this different from other sites is that it appears to be the 'new hottness' for aspiring authors to gain a following prior to dropping a physical book. What I was thinking about doing was to create some short stories based upon stuff I'm working on right now. I'm going to drop the short stories out on Wattpad to serve as teasers to the (future) physical book.
That's all I've got for now!
Write on.
-Dave
I've been doing some pre-holiday tidying up on my writing projects and there are a few things to pass on to everyone...
First off, National Novel Writer Month (NaNoWriMo) is revving up for the November challenge. The long and short for NaNoWriMo is this: Write 50,000 words in the month of November. It's a free site, you create a log in and a writer-oriented profile, then track your work in November. There are forums and an in-site email where words of wisdom / encouragement abound. There is also a NaNo store to buy swag or to make donations. I've done it for three years and have had 2 successes and 1 failure.
Here is the link: https://nanowrimo.org/sign_in
Second, we had some good discussions about the heart of the story (Act II), but I found my mind wandering into how to make a killer intro. Especially after reading Rose's intro of a phone conversation. Coincidence being what it is resulted in this dropping into my email box from David Farland's site on Tuesday:
Your story begins when you have a character (likeable or not), in a setting (interesting or not), with a problem (and it darned well ought to be a doozy). My mentor Algis Budrys said that as a rule of thumb, if a writer doesn’t have that by page two, then the story most likely isn’t sellable. He’s right.
Farland's site link is this: https://mystorydoctor.com/powerful-openings/
Lastly; from the realm of self-publishing, below is a link to what appears to be a self-publishing site that is growing in popularity...
https://www.wattpad.com/writers/how.html
It is called Wattpad. The idea is that you can write anyplace / anytime on any device and upload it for the vox populace to read. What makes this different from other sites is that it appears to be the 'new hottness' for aspiring authors to gain a following prior to dropping a physical book. What I was thinking about doing was to create some short stories based upon stuff I'm working on right now. I'm going to drop the short stories out on Wattpad to serve as teasers to the (future) physical book.
That's all I've got for now!
Write on.
-Dave
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