I Learned Something Today

Today’s lesson in Build a Better Story by Hank Quense was on Motivation.

1. He pointed out that many authors, especially new ones, have problems with character reactions within scenes. For example, Sue, a minor character the reader has not met before walks up to our protagonist, Joe.

“Hi, Joe,” said Sue.
Joe looks up at Sue and yells, “Get the hell out of here.”
Sue turns and runs off.

From this scene we have no idea why Joe is acting the way he is. As writers, we must make the motivation explicit.

As readers, we would understand why a character would duck when bullets are fired but if the character runs into the line of fire the writer must show why.

2. A character’s motive must fit the character’s persona. For instance, a quiet, whimpy character can’t all of a sudden jump in front of a moving car to save someone. As writers, we must build to the change.

3. A character’s outlook on life must remain consistent. A pessimistic character can’t be all chipper and happy out of the blue.

4. The antagonist’s motivation must be as strong as the protagonist’s to make a good story.

5. My favorite hint was on the protagonist’s motives. Hank suggests giving the protagonist conflicting inner and outer motivations. Here’s Hank’s example: Joe has to save Fred who is trapped on a mountain because that is Joe’s job. Once Fred is saved, Fred will marry, Martha, the love of Joe’s life. Joe will lose Martha if he rescues Fred. Joe is now very conflicted.

***

I completed everything on my daily writing checklist including adding more to my character sketches from yesterday and I started my general setting sketch. These are part of the First Draft in 30 Days by Karen S. Wiesner. 

Success, One Day at a Time

Two of my goals for this year are to develop some writing self-discipline and consistency.

Daily:

(Each entry noted on my Facebook and Twitter pages which produces at least 5 entries on each per day)

Post a meme on my blog The Chrysalis Stage.

Post a Century Scenes entry on my website The "other" Chrysalis Stage.

Tweet a quote on a monthly theme.

Tweet at least one entry for Artwiculate's word game.

Tweet an original haiku.

Comment on every person's blog who made comments on posts.

Write at least one page in my hand-written journal.

* * *
I am trying to finish the re-write on my 2006 NaNoWriMo novel. I am tired of saying "trying."

I finally have a title I like. It was "Happenstance" which is just yucky. The new title is "Married to Death."

To finish, I am using Build a Better Story by Hank Quense. Today, I worked through chapter 2: story idea, acceptable ending, single sentence summary, cast of characters and locations.

Tomorrow, I will do the 4 to 8 paragraph story synopsis, including several plot problems.

I am also working through First Draft in 30 Days by Karen S. Wiesner.

Day One involves starting the Character Sketch worksheets for the main characters and I've done this.

Tomorrow, I do Setting Sketches and Research Strategies.

Since the story is already done, I hoping these exercises will produce a draft reading for review by the end of February.

It's time to put up or shut up.

Character Assassinations – Week Three Assignments

Fun Assignment: Find pictures of people who look my main characters.


Sunday (20100912): Did I complete all of last week's assignments? If not, why not? What specific things got in the way? How will I prevent or avoid these pitfalls in the future?


Write a statement about one specific writing goal I want to achieve by Saturday, 20100918.



This week is focused on my main characters. Do I know enough about them?





Gotham Writers’ Workshop has a couple of questionnaires to get to know my characters better. Part of their 1st questionnaire includes 7 questions to make me really think of my characters. 


This week’s seven assignments are to answer the seven questions for my two main protagonists and my one main antagonist. Of course, I will adjust the questions based on my time period.


Bonus Assignment: What are my main characters' birth dates? What are their astrological signs? What are their main good and bad characteristics based on the astrological signs? Do these match my character sketches for them?

Write in joy. Write in pain. Write On!

(c) vvk

Fun and Bonus Assignments

Fun assignment - Write a list of book or story titles for my publications. 

“Happenstance” is the current working name of the novel I am working on. It’s horrible I know. I have no idea why I chose it 4 years ago.

So here’s some others in a random brainstorming fashion:

Murdering My Loves

Love is Deadly

Marriage for Fun and Profit

Save Me, Save You

Will I Ever Love Again?

Love Me or Die

Stalk Me, My Love

Ok, that’s enough of that.

Bonus Assignment:  Choose a favorite book by an author I admire. Find out how many words the book contains (paperbacks are approximately 250 words per page.) Divide that total word count by 365 (days.) Can I write that many words a day?

Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon is 816 pages in mass market paperback which puts it at around 204,000 words. That would be 559 words per day for a year. I can do that.

Opening Lines

I re-wrote my opening scene and I am finishing up my first chapter which should be done by Sunday. Plus I am working on my story outline, sketching out chapters and their plots / scenes.

Summarizing My Summary

I've gone through the first 2,285 words of what I wrote in 2006 and i realized I have a story summary going on. The first "chapter" is really an outline of about the first three or four chapters and about ten scenes. I have eleven characters (all of whom are needed) and 7 different places (and I need them, too, damn it.)


I do remember about 3/4 of the way through that I've got a fairy tale I shoved in out of the blue that will have to go (hey it was my first completed NaNo and words are words.)


I am going to break it down into an outline with chapters and scenes and i can now start doing the actual writing now that I know where I am going.

I'm Ready for My Close Up, Mr. De Mille

Over the weekend, I was day dreaming about my future as an author, realizing I would have to go on book tours and be on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. So I thought I better get in shape so I look good on the TV and I would have enough energy to do all of that traveling and stay up so late. 

This morning when I wanted to go get something salty and fatty for breakfast, I pictured myself being interviewed. 

I ate my apple.

Assignments 20100907, 08, 09, 10 and 11

Tuesday (20100907): Write my story idea in one very basic sentence.

Rich widow must marry or lose everything.

Wednesday (20100908): Write a brief ending to my story.

Rich widow does marry.

Thursday (20100909): Write a one sentence story summary.

Rich widow marries one of the men on the list of acceptable suitors that is still alive only to discover she married the man she loves who helped her find the serial killer and the murderer of her first husband.

Friday (20100910): Write a basic list of the main characters.

Alena - rich widow and heroine (protagonist.)
Greydere - Alena’s future forbidden love, her helper in finding the murderer.
Wolfram - serial killer (antagonist.)

Saturday (20100911):  Write a basic plot problem statement.

Alena loses her husband. She must remarry to keep her home, town and people safe. She must marry someone of her station.  
No appropriate suitors are immediately available.
As possible candidates become available they are killed and time is running out.
Alena with the help of an attractive  slave searches for the murder while trying to fulfill her obligations.


This helped me focus my idea of my story and will help me make my heroine more active which is what I want for her. Since she's going to detect I need some clues and I have to find a way to make her lover and her future husband seem like two different and yet leave clues so you could possibly figure out the are one and the same person. And I have to make my serial killer more scary while keeping him around.


I have included these notes in my story notebook for easy reference.

Assignment 20100905 and 06

Sunday (20100905): Did I complete all of last week's assignments? If not, why not? What specific things got in the way? How will I prevent or avoid these pitfalls in the future?

I did complete all of my assignments from last week and I did them on time. I even did some preliminary work on my novel.


Write a statement about one specific writing goal I want to achieve by Saturday, 20100911.


Review and re-write my opening scene which I like making it stronger.



Monday (20100906): Write a statement refuting or debunking each excuse on my list (from Monday, 20100830) of the 10 reasons why I haven’t pursued or achieved what I want.



TEN EXCUSES PLUS ONE - debunked

I work 50 hours a week and I am exhausted. - I can work less intensely and take breaks and my lunch hours. I can invest less emotion in my job.

I have housework to do. - Yeah, since when do I care about this?

I am scared of failing - In reality, I rarely fail, so where does this come from? I am even more frightened of not trying.

I am no good. - I may not be the best but I am rarely no good at things I try.

It’s a hobby and other things are more important. - This doesn’t have to be true. It can be a profession and affect many people in good ways.

I need a large block of time. - I can write lots in a few minutes. I have done so many times in the past.

I have writer’s block. - No. Bull shit.

I don’t feel like it. - Again, no. Bull shit.

I don’t know what I am doing. - I learn by doing.

People will laugh at me. - Like this hasn’t happened before and I have survived.

I am crazy to think anyone would pay good money for what I write. - Crazy can be a good thing when doing something new.