Elaborating On Story & Plot

What Do You Know About Story?

Aside from the fact that maybe you want to write them? 

Hey, I just got down from a three day kick-back and I'm feeling kind of mellow, so I don't want to write about anything to technical or complicated so I thought I'd give some time to the general idea of writing stories. An extension of what I posted last week about Plot.

Now here's the thing.  People  have been telling stories for thousands of year. Realistically, it's the same story over and over.  People, events and locations will change, but stories basically remain the same. They're based on fear, anger, love and hate. What motivates us humans; kindness, envy greed, ambition, power and lust, will always provide the writer with the fuel needed to hold a mirror up that human condition and create even more variations on stories that have been told many times over.

So, to manipulate all that information you need to have a plan.

Even a simple plan.

As the writer the setting and background needs to be plain in your own mind. You need to think of things like how the weather might affect your story ("It was a dark and stormy night"). Does the story cover some territory or is it set entirely inside an old mansion? Have you decided on a particular genre? Horror? Sci/Fi? Fantasy? Western? Mystery? Romance?

This all goes back to the planning. Some writers plan out every detail of every nuance in the story, some just go ahead with a minimal outline and fill in the meat at they go. Plainly, no matter the amount of planning characters will not always do what they're supposed to, action will change and locations will be adjusted to fit the evolving tale, BUT some preparation is necessary and many authors don't take the time to accomplish that step. This can lead to characters wandering aimlessly, a story that is disorganized and uninteresting and a possessing a number of other ailments.

For myself the best approach has proved to be having a structure - an organization of events I plan to have take place that lead in a path from beginning to end.  One problem solved from the get-go.  Many writers never finish the story they begin telling. It's good to have a horizon line in view - a destination. Of course a horizon is pretty much a moving thing so the writer has to keep tabs on what's happening and keep the horizon evolving. That's where destination comes in handy. You have a goal to reach, but much can change between here and there.

Part of the trick is to begin the story as far in as you can manage. Don't feel you have to pave a road to lead your reader down. He or she will be delighted to jump right in there with you. Readers are always ready to suspend their disbelief and real knowledge of the world, but the skilled writer gives them a reason to read. A hook to get started and a great tale to keep them going.

To accomplish that again, we go back to planning. If you as the writer know where you're going the reader will follow along. If you're rambling and your characters seem to have no purpose you're going to lose them.

So know where you're going, give your hero lots of obstacles to overcome and complications to deal with. Give him dead ends and frustrations, times he has to double-back, but always keep your end in sight and you're going to find no matter how complicated you've made it, no matter how many twists in your story, your hero will find a way forward to a satisfying end.

And now I'm sharpening my own focus, returning to the 'grind' so to speak and I have some great ideas as to where I'm going.

Writers Websites Wednesday - Screenwriting; The Hero's Journey

Screenwriting: The Hero's Journey  Okay right up front I'm going to tell you if you get enthused by this site it could cost you if you buy the Complete Hero's Journey for about $199 US.  On the other hand there's quite a lot of great info right in your face for free.  A couple of videos of instruction, some very clear text on the hero's journey, an offer to sign up for their mailing list of tips of the day and a free sample you can download before even thinking about whether you want to make the $ commitment.

For the record, no, I don't get any kick-back should you decide to buy the Complete Hero's Journey.  Yes, I looked quite closely at the sample and liked what I saw, and I do have a copy of Chris Vogler's The Writer's Journey in my library which I've often referred to.

What Do You Know About Plot?

Plot Isn't Just Stuff That Happens

It doesn't matter whether your story is full of action in that things are gonna blow up and people are going to race around in cars or if it's more cerebral and emotional, like are John and Jane going to find true love. The fact of the matter is you as the writer have one imperative job and that is to make sure your reader is compelled to turn that page in order to find out what happens next.

To accomplish that it is essential that you have a plot and like I said, plot isn't just stuff that happens. So, what's the difference between a good plot that leads to publication and large readership and a bad plot that leaves the manuscript of hundreds of pages and hours of blood, sweat and tears, unpublished?

Here are the basics:

The (frankly bad) unpublished novel will usual introduce a 'hero' or 'heroine', then take the reader by the hand and introduce the main character's friends, mother, father, siblings, cat, neighbor's dog, co-workers and the neighborhood spy by putting each one in an interminable scene in which they demonstrate their many flaws and characteristics, one following another in an endless stretch of pages.  That's followed by long and plentiful scenes in which one or the other or multiples of the group interact with each other, react to each other while pacing floors, sitting on porches or driving across town.  Oh, and each element of every location is described in painful detail. The reader  is now nodding off - presuming he or she is even still reading which is highly doubtful. In fact, almost certainly not happening.

The good novel, and one which will have a much more positive chance of publication, begins with the introduction of a sympathetic character who has a truly thorny problem. It may be action oriented, it doesn't have to be. The plot moves forward and details emerge as the protagonist goes to the limit to solve the problem while coping with disturbing, shocking, even confusing information which flows to or is dragged to his attention. He may take action at every turn, may be temporarily paralyzed by events, but eventually the problem is solved - and in a way that hopefully surprises the reader. But, even with surprise, the ending must be satisfying, inevitable.

Basically, writing the novel that begs to be read boils down to the simple adage: cut to the chase. 

In order to do that you, as the writer, need to know what that is. Don't sit down and write, simply grinding out pages, not knowing where the story is going. Don't write pages explaining why you're writing the story you're writing or why the characters are doing what they are doing. 

Begin your story as late into it as you possibly can. Know where you are taking it. You may write an outline or just work it out in your head. Whatever works. Just don't cut off your story-telling momentum by spinning circular tales that may have some background interest but don't move the story forward. Background info necessary to the story must be woven into events as they unfold, not laid out in the beginning like a banquet. Don't give the reader your hero's life story to this point as a prolog to everything that's about to happen.

Instead feed your reader tidbits of information to draw him along, to provide small explanations as to behavior and goals and don't leave things hanging.  An element introduced must be  integrated, explained or tied up by the end.

Read your favorite book again, this time examining for plot. Note the way the author spun the tale, wove in details and finally concluded.

Because, you know, plot isn't just stuff that happens. 

Writers Websites Wednesday - Creativity Generators

 Visit Seventh Sanctum if you want a generator to help the creation of your novel along. It's a site of ite of random tools for creativity. Here you'll find a collection of 'generators' that make random characters, plots, ideas, and more to use in your writing, games, art and more.A collection of generator sites in one place. They even link to sites with more links to generators.   A fun way to spend a day in prep.

Wanna Go Play?

Writers at play.  Not a sentence you read very much.  Most writers are pretty single-minded working their way into stories in their own fashion, mostly a pretty straight-forward, sometimes grimly determined adventure. 

See, writers have to discovery their stories and most don't value or even think about the process they use to get there.  Because we write alone we develop our own work ethic.  Don't have the nose to the grindstone, getting words on paper, then you're not working. Most of us go through this. Cover white space with black letters. The mark of your accomplishments.

But, in fact a writer needs to play just like anyone else, in some ways more than anyone else. Writers need not to simply allow themselves to play, but rather to order themselves to play.  In several articles and posts in other places I've mentioned the idea of writers working with, developing and getting involved in new hobbies. It's one way to play.  One way to let the mind wander enough so that it acknowledges new ideas and recognizes the path to the story the writer wants to create.

To touch off that creative spark within, we have to do things that are fun. Watch movies, work in the garden, read books (yes writers need to read - a lot), knit, create with beads, carve wood, ride a bike, go for a drive - something!

It's when you do something you enjoy when you engage the brain in other areas, that you'll discover the story you're about to write.  That's when the pieces will come together, when it will make some kind of sense and you'll be ready to assemble the final product. Ever notice that great ideas may come to you while you're driving your car or riding a bike?  That's because what you're doing is so automatic you allow your creative self to surge to the fore.

The same thing happens when you garden or carve or knit. What you're doing is so automatic tat the creative side of the brain is freed and ideas flow uninhibited.  And since, well, it's a whole lot less dangerous to write an idea down when doing something that doesn't involve forward motion, engage the part of your brain that wants stuff to do with something you really enjoy and can about do blind-folded and free your creative brain to take flight with those ideas.

Enjoyment should be the writer's key for the period immediately before beginning a new novel. The amount of time dedicated to this pursuit is up to the individual writer and should be considered part of the 'work' to be done to get the juices flowing. Plainly we can't all just waltz off, go play, and not work for months at a time, so it's best to figure out a shorter, comfortable timeframe, then stick to it. Once you've reached the end of that time, dig in. Take all the bits and pieces of the puzzle you’ve jotted down and write your story.

Will everything flow with perfect rhythm after that? Probably not. But you'll have collected a lot of the bits and pieces you need to write your novel and when you hit a place where you’ stumped you won't panic as easily.

An that’s another key to the writer’s life. Don’t panic. Allowing yourself the freedom to have fun, to play, you create an environment that allows you to push through things like temporary writer’s block much more easily.

Stuck? Then allow yourself a play break. Go grub in the garden, grab your pen knife and whittle, knit, go for a drive (if driving relaxes you and gets the ideas flowing please stop the car to write down ideas and then continue on), whatever you use to relax, play and just have fun. Whatever you do, don't just beat your head against the wall determined you WILL break through. Give yourself a couple of hours or maybe a day away from the work.

Ideas will begin to flow, trust me on this. Make notes. When you return to your writing you’ll be amazed at how the new pieces you’ve created will fit. You’ll find the flow of solutions to your problems have become much smoother and clearer.

Writers Websites Wednesday - writer's tools

Dictionary.com is an excellent online, at your fingertips resource for writers. It offers an extensive dictionary, a thesaurus, Famous quotes from writers, an encyclopedia, even a translator. I've used it a number of times and have always found it helpful and interesting - in fact I have to guard against being drawn off into fun research land by the site.  Add this one to your bookmarked pages if you haven't already.

Writers & Readers & Books, Oh, My!

Writers talk about many things regarding their craft and all the varied aspects of it. The nuts and bolts, the how-tos of the craft, the jungle of the publishing world, how tough it is it find a great agent/editor/publisher...etc. However, not enough time, I think, is spent considering the symbiotic relationship between reader and writer.

We as writers must remember only one person at a time reads your book. It's not a theater crammed with people who react and share the experience. One person, with a book, reading. That's it. The truly excellent writer must learn to link with his or her's reader's imagination. The writer offers ideas, thoughts, a story, but it is the reader who sits with the book and strings those thoughts and ideas together. It is the reader the writer must seduce and draw into the story. It is the single reader the writer must trust to 'get it'. Much better to assume your reader is smarter than you are than the reverse.

So what is is about the reader that we as writers must remember?  Well most writers are readers, think about what it is you get out of what you read.  What you expect from a good writer you read.

In addition to that, here are a few thoughts.

*Why read a story? To see someone struggle against all odds, succeed, and somehow grow while succeeding. Such stories are uplifting and give hope to what is experienced in non-reading moments.

*People love to read about themselves. Writers, in great books, convince their readers they're doing just that.

*Readers really do want to suspend disbelief. They don't want to just read the words you've written, the story you've created - they want to be drawn in, seduced to experience it. They don't want to, however, suspend credibility. Your created worlds must be real and true to their own reality.

*When it comes to book series, readers love them. A good series provides familiarity and deeper connection to the characters. Emphasis on the words "good series".

*When you really think about it, the gift of the writer is to stimulate other peoples' imaginations. The book is given birth in the writer's mind, but it is in the reader's mind where it truly lives and expands beyond the limits of what was written.

*Another bit of reality: it doesn't matter how good your book is, someone won't like it. There is no way for any single piece of writing to appeal to everyone equally. And, whether you as the writer see it or not, accept it or not, the writing will not speak to all readers in the same way.  Each one will take something different away from the experience.

There are  many other aspects of the reader/writer relationship; all sorts of nuances to discuss. But remember, in order for a writer to create a really great book that will appeal to his reader he must keep in mind the fact that readers automatically ask several questions when picking up a book:  Who are the people?  Is this story even possible, could it happen for real? and Why the heck should I care about any of it? They may not ask those questions out loud or even consciously think about them, but they're there.

Fortunately for the writer the reader wants to be convinced. He wants to care. So the writer's job is to bear these questions in mind and answer them even before the reader picks up that book.