To end my small series on the basic plot, I'm lumping Falling Action and the Conclusion together. Why? Because this already has the potential for a short post, so if I did them both separately they'd be even shorter. And also because I've always personally seen them as one and the same, happening at the exact same time within a novel.
The third reason's just because I can.
So. You've got your hook, you've ruined your character's life and sent them on some sort of journey/mission, you've pushed them off the cliff of no return multiple times, and just recently they hit the climax of their novel where they find out Darth Vader's their father.
Now what?
To be fair, this is probably what your own characters are asking. What do they do now that their world's been shattered, in some form or another? This answer, like so many others in the writing world, is simple: there is no answer. No right one, at least. By now, you're the only one who knows your characters and your world enough to know what happens next. There's two things I can help you with, though: what you need to look at is whether this is the end of your story.
If your novel's a stand-alone or you're at the end of a series, you've got the job of finding the exact right spot for ending the story. You can leave some uncertainty, because like the characters the reader has no clue what happens next, only that there is going to be a "next." The problem arises, however, that you can't leave too much unanswered. Remember, this is it: leave your reader with a sense of closure. Does your character hop on a boat and sail off like Bilbo and Frodo? Live happily ever after? Lives, but doesn't have a happy life? How are they dealing with what happened to them? Are they hopeful? Broken but standing strong?
Ask yourself any number of these questions.
If your novel's the first/second/third/etc installment of a series, admittedly it can be a bit tricky. Here's why: there's your series's that continue the same plot from one to the next with other, smaller arcs in between. Think THE HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT, THAT RAVEN CYCLE, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. There's also what I'm going to call a "serial series" where each novel has a remarkably different plot than the ones surrounding it, but all touch on a same overarching arc or theme, and if you didn't know better you could probably read the fifth one for fun and be perfectly fine. Think the RACHEL MORGAN series by Kim Harrison, or on a different scale the GOOSEBUMPS books. What's the difference between these two? The former can be answered in the paragraph below, and the latter has the ability to function with an ending like that of stand-alones: more closure for that one book in particular.
The difference between these books and the stand-alones from above is that you're allowed to leave some questions hanging. Cliffhangers can be a good thing if you use them right, and while you typically need some sort of closure for the particular plot-arc of that book, you're most likely not going to have solved the problems of the main plot of the series. So you get a little bit of headway, which means you get to leave a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of mystery in order to invite readers to look forward to the next book in the installment.
*
I consider Falling Action and the Conclusion of a novel to be practically the same (not exactly the same) due to where they typically stand. I mentioned in last week's post on Climax that you're more than likely going to see it towards the end of the novel. Which means that, after, there's not much room for more. This is good. The thing is, you don't want a hundred more pages after the "big reveal" that is the climax because you risk losing your reader's interest. What's more, they'll expect something else to happen, bigger than before, and if they don't get it they're going to feel cheated.
The falling action is the recuperation, both for characters and the reader. It feeds straight into the conclusion of the novel, and I'd even argue that they have a large overlap. What you're trying to do is smooth the waters save for a few ripples, and then find that sweet spot that allows for some sort of closure before typing those awesome words: "The End."
My biggest test: give your book to a writing or critique partner. If they tell you the ending dragged? Most likely you have too much falling action. Sometimes this step can be figured out by yourself, as well. Case in Point: on my first draft of THE HOLLOW MEN, I reached the ending, sat back, and then thought: "That took way too long." And I wasn't just talking about the entire writing process. The amount of time it took for me to get from the climax to the very end was about 10-15 k and even I was exhausted and kind of bored and finally said, "Okay, yeah. Something needs to go."
Listen to your gut when that happens, and if you're still unsure then pass it along to a CP, or somebody you know will tell you the truth on the matter. The end of your book is just as important as your beginning, and maybe even more so because the last thing you want is for your reader to think that you wasted their time.
Don't waste your reader's time.
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Don't waste your reader's time. @Rae_Slater's thoughts on ending your novel (Click to Tweet)
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Showing posts with label plot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plot. Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
On Plot: Climax
So your character was falsely arrested, thrown in jail, and just as they're about to be executed for a crime they didn't commit the warden comes in and slaps them on the back and says, "Just kidding! This whole thing's been a big misunderstanding. You're free to go!"
...then your character goes on their merry way and the end.
If you're wondering if something's missing, you're right. Where's the action? The suspense? The big reveal that the character's long-lost father is really the warden and he's afraid of his son/daughter taking over the family business that is the mafia and so must have them executed by the justice-driven eyes of the law (which really isn't that justified since the mafia owns the law)?
I have a golden rule about writing: don't cheat your readers. They've already invested their time in taking a look at your novel or short story, so why let them down and make them feel like their emotions were totally wasted?
The climax of your story is the top of the mountain, the moment that your characters have been working toward the entire rest of the book. There's no real formula for when, exactly, this moment should take place, but in many cases it's at the end of the novel (due to the fact that the events following it are more of a cool-down, sort of for the character but also for the reader because odds are you nearly gave them a heart attack).
This is the moment when Luke finds out Darth Vader's his father. When Harry Potter faces Voldemort (every time). When Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch of the West. It's the grand finale, the moment the good battles the bad (in some form or another) and you know that only one of them is making it out alive.
Of course, all of these examples are for the more action-y of plot lines (which, admittedly, I'm more well-versed in), but let me say: there is a climax in every genre. Romance, action, sci-fi...you name it. In PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER I'd say it's the moment when Charlie remembers his traumatic childhood. In IF I STAY, it's the moment that Mia decides whether she stays or leaves.
The climax is the moment everything changes (again). Where the inciting incident is the point of no return, the climax is where the bridge falls the moment you step off; when you look behind you there's just a wide black chasm. The only way to continue, is forward.
Like I already mentioned: don't cheat the reader by taking them to the end of the line and leaving them flat. It's like the taboo of having your character die, then wake up and say, "And it was only a dream..."
Yeah, don't do that.
So ask yourself: what's the game-changer? What's the moment your characters have been working toward, and what kind of big-reveal is there going to be? Emotionally and mentally, how is it going to affect your characters? Typically, there's a cost. So ask yourself: what will your characters pay?
When thinking about the climax (I call it the moment when "shit gets real"), it's also important to think about your character's motivations. More often than not, the climax is going to play directly into what your main character's been working toward for the entire novel (think about it: if Dorothy wanted to get home, she had to kill the Wicked Witch first, right?). Here's where I repeat: don't cheat your readers. On the same line: don't cheat your characters, either.everybody deserves some kind of closure, even if the "big reveal" leaves some questions answered and even more hanging open-ended.
Basically (and excuse my language): both your readers and your characters have dealt with enough of your shit. Give them something, even if it means taking things away at the same time.
Okay...I think I've just talked in circles. So I think I'm done, here. Maybe? *rereads*
Sure?
If you get anything out of this, it should be this: don't cheat your readers. It's just not nice, or fun.
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When everything changes (again). Character motivation, the climax of their story, and moving forward. (Click to Tweet)
Don't cheat your characters, or your readers. @Rae_Slater talks the climax of your novel and why it matters. (Click to Tweet)
...then your character goes on their merry way and the end.
If you're wondering if something's missing, you're right. Where's the action? The suspense? The big reveal that the character's long-lost father is really the warden and he's afraid of his son/daughter taking over the family business that is the mafia and so must have them executed by the justice-driven eyes of the law (which really isn't that justified since the mafia owns the law)?
I have a golden rule about writing: don't cheat your readers. They've already invested their time in taking a look at your novel or short story, so why let them down and make them feel like their emotions were totally wasted?
The climax of your story is the top of the mountain, the moment that your characters have been working toward the entire rest of the book. There's no real formula for when, exactly, this moment should take place, but in many cases it's at the end of the novel (due to the fact that the events following it are more of a cool-down, sort of for the character but also for the reader because odds are you nearly gave them a heart attack).
This is the moment when Luke finds out Darth Vader's his father. When Harry Potter faces Voldemort (every time). When Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch of the West. It's the grand finale, the moment the good battles the bad (in some form or another) and you know that only one of them is making it out alive.
Of course, all of these examples are for the more action-y of plot lines (which, admittedly, I'm more well-versed in), but let me say: there is a climax in every genre. Romance, action, sci-fi...you name it. In PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER I'd say it's the moment when Charlie remembers his traumatic childhood. In IF I STAY, it's the moment that Mia decides whether she stays or leaves.
The climax is the moment everything changes (again). Where the inciting incident is the point of no return, the climax is where the bridge falls the moment you step off; when you look behind you there's just a wide black chasm. The only way to continue, is forward.
Like I already mentioned: don't cheat the reader by taking them to the end of the line and leaving them flat. It's like the taboo of having your character die, then wake up and say, "And it was only a dream..."
Yeah, don't do that.
So ask yourself: what's the game-changer? What's the moment your characters have been working toward, and what kind of big-reveal is there going to be? Emotionally and mentally, how is it going to affect your characters? Typically, there's a cost. So ask yourself: what will your characters pay?
When thinking about the climax (I call it the moment when "shit gets real"), it's also important to think about your character's motivations. More often than not, the climax is going to play directly into what your main character's been working toward for the entire novel (think about it: if Dorothy wanted to get home, she had to kill the Wicked Witch first, right?). Here's where I repeat: don't cheat your readers. On the same line: don't cheat your characters, either.everybody deserves some kind of closure, even if the "big reveal" leaves some questions answered and even more hanging open-ended.
Basically (and excuse my language): both your readers and your characters have dealt with enough of your shit. Give them something, even if it means taking things away at the same time.
Okay...I think I've just talked in circles. So I think I'm done, here. Maybe? *rereads*
Sure?
If you get anything out of this, it should be this: don't cheat your readers. It's just not nice, or fun.
Tweet It:
When everything changes (again). Character motivation, the climax of their story, and moving forward. (Click to Tweet)
Don't cheat your characters, or your readers. @Rae_Slater talks the climax of your novel and why it matters. (Click to Tweet)
Monday, September 22, 2014
On Plot: Inciting Incidents
Last week I talked briefly on exposition, the "hook" of your book. This week I figured I'd keep going and talk about the inciting incident because, well, it kind of just makes sense to me.
The inciting incident of your novel is basically what I'd call the cannon. It's huge in some way or another, and it shoots your story off into the sunset at a breakneck speed (figuratively). This is the point of no return, where the plot takes off and your character's life is changed in some way forever.
Think of it another way: the inciting incident is your first domino. If it's never tipped over, then there's an entire series of events that would never happen and at least half of your book would become obsolete.
What I personally love about these things is that they can be so different from novel to novel. It can involve the death of a character, meeting a new character, something good happening or something bad. It can be anything so long as it has an impact on your character's life. Want a third analogy? Picture a giat boulder on top of a hill. The inciting incident is more than likely going to be that tiny little nudge that sends the thing carreening into the village below, and it doesn't care who suffers for it.
Keep in mind, though, that it doesn't have to necessarily be huge or even impact everything in your plot. I'll give you an example of each:
It Doesn't Have to Be "Huge"
In my Secret Project, my main character gets high, and that's basically the cause of everything that happens next. Because of her inebriated state, she almost gets hit by a car, and she's pushed out of the way by a rather rude guy who proceeds to insult her.
The end.
My MC later meets a set of people, thinks nothing of them, and doesn't notice them again until she realizes they're friends with the guy who saved her life. Then she cozies up to them for a reason completely unrelated to the first incident. And so the dominoes fall, all because she met the rude guy when he saved her life.
Nothing catastrophic happened, and yet the plot is kicked off.
Special Note: there is an event that happens ten years before the book takes place, which is considered extremely huge. While it is an inciting incident in some ways, the happenings within the book are kicked off by the event I already described. The point? You can have more than one incident that sets things off in your book, they'll just apply to different story lines that will eventually tangle together.
Which leads me to my next point:
It Doesn't Have to Impact Everything
My other current project, THE HOLLOW MEN, follows two girls: Moe and Ronnie. They both have completely different inciting incidents, as well.
In Moe's case, this incident impacts her entire plot line; her half of the story simply would not exist had her incident not taken place.
In Ronnie's case, though, the inciting incident only pushes through about half of her storyline, inviting questions about a mole within her rebel group and making her retreat even more into her quiet and violent nature than usual. She's really just extra hard on herself. It's not until her path and Moe's intersect that the rest of her story really starts to take off.
My point here: Ronnie's inciting incident didn't kick off her entire storyline because there are still a number of events that rely on outside influences.
*
I really hope that makes sense. Sometimes I'm bad at explaining things, and if you're confused then shoot me a message and I'll do whatever I can to make myself clearer.
My point is: your inciting incident has to be a point that impacts your character in some way or another so profusely that they might never recover from it. If they do, they'll never forget it. It can also be a tremendous push, giving your character the incentive they need to keep moving forward throughout the novel.
If it helps, here's the events in a few novels I've read, recently, that I personally view as the inciting incident:
Servants of the Storm (Delilah S. Dawson)-Dovey sees her best friend at their favorite cafe, a year after the best friend died.
Dorothy Must Die (Danielle Paige)-Amy Gumm is transported to Oz through a twister.
Gates of Thread and Stone (Lori M. Lee)-Kai's brother, Reev, goes missing.
Notice something: if you look up the summaries to these books on Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes and Noble, each of these incidents is one of the first things you'll read. This can help you figure out your own: write a small pitch/summary of your novel. The inciting incident-the thing that ignites the fire-will probably be one of the first things you write (or hint at) in order to catch the appeal of a reader.
Tweet It:
The point of no return. What it means to kick off a plot and why the inciting incident is so important (Click to Tweet)
The cannon, the first domino, and the boulder that rolls down a hill. @Rae_Slater talks inciting incidents (Click to Tweet)
The inciting incident of your novel is basically what I'd call the cannon. It's huge in some way or another, and it shoots your story off into the sunset at a breakneck speed (figuratively). This is the point of no return, where the plot takes off and your character's life is changed in some way forever.
Think of it another way: the inciting incident is your first domino. If it's never tipped over, then there's an entire series of events that would never happen and at least half of your book would become obsolete.
What I personally love about these things is that they can be so different from novel to novel. It can involve the death of a character, meeting a new character, something good happening or something bad. It can be anything so long as it has an impact on your character's life. Want a third analogy? Picture a giat boulder on top of a hill. The inciting incident is more than likely going to be that tiny little nudge that sends the thing carreening into the village below, and it doesn't care who suffers for it.
Keep in mind, though, that it doesn't have to necessarily be huge or even impact everything in your plot. I'll give you an example of each:
It Doesn't Have to Be "Huge"
In my Secret Project, my main character gets high, and that's basically the cause of everything that happens next. Because of her inebriated state, she almost gets hit by a car, and she's pushed out of the way by a rather rude guy who proceeds to insult her.
The end.
My MC later meets a set of people, thinks nothing of them, and doesn't notice them again until she realizes they're friends with the guy who saved her life. Then she cozies up to them for a reason completely unrelated to the first incident. And so the dominoes fall, all because she met the rude guy when he saved her life.
Nothing catastrophic happened, and yet the plot is kicked off.
Special Note: there is an event that happens ten years before the book takes place, which is considered extremely huge. While it is an inciting incident in some ways, the happenings within the book are kicked off by the event I already described. The point? You can have more than one incident that sets things off in your book, they'll just apply to different story lines that will eventually tangle together.
Which leads me to my next point:
It Doesn't Have to Impact Everything
My other current project, THE HOLLOW MEN, follows two girls: Moe and Ronnie. They both have completely different inciting incidents, as well.
In Moe's case, this incident impacts her entire plot line; her half of the story simply would not exist had her incident not taken place.
In Ronnie's case, though, the inciting incident only pushes through about half of her storyline, inviting questions about a mole within her rebel group and making her retreat even more into her quiet and violent nature than usual. She's really just extra hard on herself. It's not until her path and Moe's intersect that the rest of her story really starts to take off.
My point here: Ronnie's inciting incident didn't kick off her entire storyline because there are still a number of events that rely on outside influences.
*
I really hope that makes sense. Sometimes I'm bad at explaining things, and if you're confused then shoot me a message and I'll do whatever I can to make myself clearer.
My point is: your inciting incident has to be a point that impacts your character in some way or another so profusely that they might never recover from it. If they do, they'll never forget it. It can also be a tremendous push, giving your character the incentive they need to keep moving forward throughout the novel.
If it helps, here's the events in a few novels I've read, recently, that I personally view as the inciting incident:
Servants of the Storm (Delilah S. Dawson)-Dovey sees her best friend at their favorite cafe, a year after the best friend died.
Dorothy Must Die (Danielle Paige)-Amy Gumm is transported to Oz through a twister.
Gates of Thread and Stone (Lori M. Lee)-Kai's brother, Reev, goes missing.
Notice something: if you look up the summaries to these books on Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes and Noble, each of these incidents is one of the first things you'll read. This can help you figure out your own: write a small pitch/summary of your novel. The inciting incident-the thing that ignites the fire-will probably be one of the first things you write (or hint at) in order to catch the appeal of a reader.
Tweet It:
The point of no return. What it means to kick off a plot and why the inciting incident is so important (Click to Tweet)
The cannon, the first domino, and the boulder that rolls down a hill. @Rae_Slater talks inciting incidents (Click to Tweet)
Monday, September 15, 2014
On Plot: Expositions
So I've been honestly racking my brain for things to write about here. I know I haven't covered anywhere near every topic ever, but I'm also afraid of repeating myself. However, I'm not too sure that I've actually talked much about individual plot components.
Let's change that, shall we? I'll even start from the beginning.
Ya'll all remember that "plot mountain" from elementary and middle school. Personally, I've always hated it; then again, I'm not much of a visual learner. At the same time, it is a good, basic visual, and it always starts with the exposition.
Exposition = (roughly) your first chapter/page/250 words. Choose any of the above. It's the very beginning, the hook of your book, the little shiny thing that needs to catch your reader's eyes. It needs to be interesting, in some way; it needs to invite your reader to keep turning the page.
What's the magic formula for this? Sadly, there isn't one. Some say start with action, others with something slower. Granted, there's both pros and cons to both of those (if the beginning of your novel is too slow your reader will get bored, and if you shove them in the middle of an action scene too willy-nilly, they'll get lost). There's an extremely delicate balance of excitement and background that needs to be involved in writing the beginning of your novel.
It can also be seen or said that the way you can start your novel depends on the genre. I kind of figure this baloney. This would be the thing that says action-filled beginnings go with thrillers/action/dystopian/sci-fi and slower go with gen-fic and contemporary. One look around the bookstore should debunk that myth pretty well for you, though.
In addition to grabbing your reader, your exposition has a few other things to get done: introduce your main character(s), establish a setting (including helping the reader establishing a genre), and pave the way for your inciting incident. That's a big job.
And like I said, there's no right way. Basically you've got to do what's right in your gut, and don't be afraid to move your beginning around once you're in the second, third, fourth, etc. draft until you find the right place and the right way to suck your reader in.
There is a bit of help I can provide you with: The Write Life has this list compiled from a bunch of literary agents, quoting them on the worst ways to begin a novel, and I've found it extremely helpful and occasionally funny. It includes the obvious:
-Do not begin with your character waking up slowly
-Do not have your character look in the mirror and describe themselves
-Do not fake out the reader: the entire first chapter's only a dream? Waste of time.
Something else to be aware of is the weight that voice has. First person, third person? It doesn't matter. Every writer and character has a voice, and I would put money on the fact that you can pull off almost any kind of exposition with the right voice. Find it, study it, explore it, write it.
Tweet It:
Magic formula for beginning a novel? @Rae_Slater talks exposition and why that magic formula doesn't exist. (Click to Tweet)
That thing called exposition. Why the hook of your novel is so important, and why there is no right answer. (Click to Tweet)
Let's change that, shall we? I'll even start from the beginning.
Ya'll all remember that "plot mountain" from elementary and middle school. Personally, I've always hated it; then again, I'm not much of a visual learner. At the same time, it is a good, basic visual, and it always starts with the exposition.
Exposition = (roughly) your first chapter/page/250 words. Choose any of the above. It's the very beginning, the hook of your book, the little shiny thing that needs to catch your reader's eyes. It needs to be interesting, in some way; it needs to invite your reader to keep turning the page.
What's the magic formula for this? Sadly, there isn't one. Some say start with action, others with something slower. Granted, there's both pros and cons to both of those (if the beginning of your novel is too slow your reader will get bored, and if you shove them in the middle of an action scene too willy-nilly, they'll get lost). There's an extremely delicate balance of excitement and background that needs to be involved in writing the beginning of your novel.
It can also be seen or said that the way you can start your novel depends on the genre. I kind of figure this baloney. This would be the thing that says action-filled beginnings go with thrillers/action/dystopian/sci-fi and slower go with gen-fic and contemporary. One look around the bookstore should debunk that myth pretty well for you, though.
In addition to grabbing your reader, your exposition has a few other things to get done: introduce your main character(s), establish a setting (including helping the reader establishing a genre), and pave the way for your inciting incident. That's a big job.
And like I said, there's no right way. Basically you've got to do what's right in your gut, and don't be afraid to move your beginning around once you're in the second, third, fourth, etc. draft until you find the right place and the right way to suck your reader in.
There is a bit of help I can provide you with: The Write Life has this list compiled from a bunch of literary agents, quoting them on the worst ways to begin a novel, and I've found it extremely helpful and occasionally funny. It includes the obvious:
-Do not begin with your character waking up slowly
-Do not have your character look in the mirror and describe themselves
-Do not fake out the reader: the entire first chapter's only a dream? Waste of time.
Something else to be aware of is the weight that voice has. First person, third person? It doesn't matter. Every writer and character has a voice, and I would put money on the fact that you can pull off almost any kind of exposition with the right voice. Find it, study it, explore it, write it.
Tweet It:
Magic formula for beginning a novel? @Rae_Slater talks exposition and why that magic formula doesn't exist. (Click to Tweet)
That thing called exposition. Why the hook of your novel is so important, and why there is no right answer. (Click to Tweet)
Monday, September 8, 2014
The Plot Summary
So I've been extremely excited all weekend thanks to a New Idea (which thus far I will only refer to as 'New Idea' because I don't want to jinx myself). And it's awesome, I promise. And as I've started plotting it out and writing notes about it and basically figuring what the heck it's about, I've realized something.
I think I might have lied to you.
Now, hold off the angry mob. See, I've always prided myself on being a panster; I've mentioned it many, many times that I can't write an outline pre-writing to save my life. For the most part, this is so amazingly true that it's not even funny.
But there's this thing I do that I don't really qualify as an outline, but many others might. I call it my Plot Summary. *points to title*
The thing about this summary is that it's not so much a summary as a list. A list of what? A list of scenes. And that's how I plan, because when I write my new novels come at me in scenes, just tiny little glimpses into the world that I want to create. So I write down 2-3 lines about that scene. Then I get another, and I kind of eyeball if it comes before that scene or after. So I add that one in 2-3 lines. This process continues until I get from the beginning to the end, most likely with large gaps between some areas.
For the most part, though, I get a little road map from the beginning to the end that can guide me through the plot.
Here's why I deny that it's a real outline, though: I tend not to follow the summary. I mean, I feel like the summary that gets written is like the Pirate Code: they're more guidelines than actual rules, you know?
So why am I telling you this? Writing summaries like that-whether it's an actual general summary or a list of scenes-will help you from burning out. I promise. I'm one of those people who probably has around 50 started and unfinished novels that I just started willy-nilly, and it's only those that I took the time to actually think about in terms of the scenes beforehand that have actually gone anywhere substantial.
Last month, Ava Jae wrote on her blog, Writability, about writing a synopsis before the first draft. Even when I read it, I told myself, "Psh! Yeah, not for me." Then, like I said, when I started looking at the New Idea I realized that I've been lying to myself basically my whole life.
Basically: before you start writing, try out the synopsis. Try writing a scene-list. It doesn't matter if you take a detour from that synopsis or scene-list along the way; the point of it is to make sure you at least have one idea of where your novel could take you, regardless of the road you actually take.
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Ever written a summary or list of scenes before you started writing? @Rae_Slater explains why it might be helpful (Click to Tweet)
@Rae_Slater fesses up the reason why writing a novel summary pre-writing might not be a bad idea, after all (Click to Tweet)
I think I might have lied to you.
Now, hold off the angry mob. See, I've always prided myself on being a panster; I've mentioned it many, many times that I can't write an outline pre-writing to save my life. For the most part, this is so amazingly true that it's not even funny.
But there's this thing I do that I don't really qualify as an outline, but many others might. I call it my Plot Summary. *points to title*
The thing about this summary is that it's not so much a summary as a list. A list of what? A list of scenes. And that's how I plan, because when I write my new novels come at me in scenes, just tiny little glimpses into the world that I want to create. So I write down 2-3 lines about that scene. Then I get another, and I kind of eyeball if it comes before that scene or after. So I add that one in 2-3 lines. This process continues until I get from the beginning to the end, most likely with large gaps between some areas.
For the most part, though, I get a little road map from the beginning to the end that can guide me through the plot.
Here's why I deny that it's a real outline, though: I tend not to follow the summary. I mean, I feel like the summary that gets written is like the Pirate Code: they're more guidelines than actual rules, you know?
So why am I telling you this? Writing summaries like that-whether it's an actual general summary or a list of scenes-will help you from burning out. I promise. I'm one of those people who probably has around 50 started and unfinished novels that I just started willy-nilly, and it's only those that I took the time to actually think about in terms of the scenes beforehand that have actually gone anywhere substantial.
Last month, Ava Jae wrote on her blog, Writability, about writing a synopsis before the first draft. Even when I read it, I told myself, "Psh! Yeah, not for me." Then, like I said, when I started looking at the New Idea I realized that I've been lying to myself basically my whole life.
Basically: before you start writing, try out the synopsis. Try writing a scene-list. It doesn't matter if you take a detour from that synopsis or scene-list along the way; the point of it is to make sure you at least have one idea of where your novel could take you, regardless of the road you actually take.
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Ever written a summary or list of scenes before you started writing? @Rae_Slater explains why it might be helpful (Click to Tweet)
@Rae_Slater fesses up the reason why writing a novel summary pre-writing might not be a bad idea, after all (Click to Tweet)
Monday, July 28, 2014
Organizing Your Novel's Plot
AKA: Creating a Murder Board is Extremely Helpful When Plotting (or Replotting) Your Novel
The summer before my senior year in high school I took a Creative Writing course at the local community college ("local" meaning forty-five minutes away, but that's another story). During this course, we focused not only on writing short stories, but methods in which you can revise them.
One of my favorite included printing out the manuscript, and taking a pair of scissors to it. Literally. You physically cut the manuscript into different scenes/paragraphs/sentences, so instead of x pages you've got countless little snippets of the short story. Then you get to put the puzzle together, not in the way it came but in an entirely new way.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ever heard of this method. It's a great way to reorganize scenes, pieces of dialogue, etc, so that you can see how your MS would be different had you simply ordered things a different way (for example, Bob going to the store after he runs somebody over with his car, instead of before).
The thing is, this method is a whole lot harder when you have a full-length novel on your hands. if you tried taking scissors to it, you'd have a miniature mountain of snippets, instead of a small anthill that would come from a short story.
Luckily, I devised my own fool-proof way to turn my novels into puzzles, which enables me to reorganize the order of my scenes without actually cutting the pages (either on the computer or with a physical pair of scissors).
What You Need:
-Index Cards
-A Flat Surface (I enjoy using a bulletin board, in which case you'll also need some fun push pins)
-One Colorful Sharpie (choose a color that makes you happy; I enjoy pink and orange, personally)
What You Do:
-Write every scene of your novel onto an index card, one scene per card
-If your novel is finished, put those cards in the order the scenes happen in your book (I like choosing a grid-like formation, but you can also put them in one straight line like a timeline, or any other design that makes sense to you)
-Play. Take one card and slip it before a different one. Think critically about how that move would affect your novel, and whether that change would be positive or negative. Heck, maybe it opens some new doors?
It's that easy, really. Want to know something cool? This trick is also extremely handy when your novel is unfinished, as well.
When I write, I try to write in order. Occasionally, however, I get ideas for scenes that won't happen for another 10-20 k, sometimes further on. And, sometimes, I get a whole jumble of these, which means I have more scenes than an actual, coherent, plot.
Take those scenes and write them on index cards. Then start playing with the order until you come up with something you like. Perk? It's like a visual outline, and all you really have to worry about is filling in the blanks with fluff ("fluff" used in a very endearing way).
I use this method because it's an easy way to take a step back from your novel and look at it differently. Instead of paragraphs and sentences, you have maybe a phrase on a card. Those cards are then way easier to move around each other than trying to maneuver huge blocks of text on a screen (or on a piece of paper, if you've printed your MS out). This is the big picture you're looking at; instead of the details, it allows you to work with the main idea/plot point of each scene within your novel, and look at how that point interacts with all of those around it.
This means that it's extremely useful for both revisions and when you're in the beginning phases of writing a new novel.
Here's an example (yes, this board is virtual, but my excuse is that I accidentally left my own bulletin board at home. Thus, it's currently 350 miles away from me at this moment in time *cries*):
Original Board:
 |
Revised Board:
 |
Take Sam (short for Samantha; the MC). In the original version, she has a normal day. Then she overhears things between two family members that isn't good news for her. Then she bakes a cake (which, in all actuality is just weird to see placed there). In the revised version, the order of those things are switched around, and placed after nightmares. Therefore, in the revised version Sam would be on edge from page one. The baking makes more sense, as a gesture of goodwill, but after she overhears the conversation I can imagine her leaving the cake to burn (or maybe she drops it).
This way, when she meets a new character, she's even more on edge and distrustful of people than usual.
But do you kind of see where I'm going with this? This way, you can step back, look at the bigger picture that your novel offers instead of bogging your brain down with the details. And, trust me, a physical board and index cards is a lot easier to work with than a virtual copy than I made with photoshop (just saying).
**In case ya'll are wondering about the title of "Murder Board," it's actually a funny story. The first time I created one of these, I was making a character map: each character had an index card, and there was string connecting them so I could see who knew who and how. My mother walked in, saw it, and compared it to those boards you always see on crime shows. Thus, the Murder Board was born.**
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@Rae_Slater has an easy method for re-ordering the scenes of your novel (Click to Tweet)
Editing? Step back and look at the big picture. @Rae_Slater talks plot points and how to pack the biggest punch (Click to Tweet)
Monday, May 26, 2014
Creating History
This post is completely double-edged. Not only is history important in terms of the setting and plot, but characters as well.
So, triple-edged sword?
Setting
My friend, Hannah, wrote a post on her blog about a month ago, encouraging her readers to explore the history of their worlds. To put it in her words: "Every setting has a backstory. Every neighborhood sits with a silent--or not so silent--story, waiting to be heard."
And she's right. Like always.
Cities, countries, empires, etc. didn't just pop into existence from nothing, and neither did whatever setting you're working with. There were settlements by outside people, clashes with natives, wars-so many wars-and finally something that looks like peace (*snorts*) in the present-day United States. I just finished reading The Pledge, by Kimberly Derting, and we're given a mini-history lesson about why there's only queens, why there's no presidents or ministers or any male leader whatsoever within the countries that now inhabit the world.
The history of a place is important. While you don't have to spill every detail about it within the span of your novel, it's an important aspect of the author to understand so that they can create a world that's consistent with events that happened in the past.
Plot
History also has a huge impact on the plot. I gave an example above about The Pledge: at one time in the history of this world, there were royal families who lead their countries. Eventually they were brought down in favor of other leaders, which didn't work out too well. So, the people took them down, too, and reestablished the rule of queens which, for the most part, has worked out.
This history, and the fear of repeating it, is so strong that the people are adamant that, while the current queen must be brought down, there has to be another queen to take her place.
No parliaments or Congresses. No presidents, senators, or representatives. A queen.
History often acts as a lesson for the present and the future. It scares people into making laws and creating societal order that might crumble sooner or later, but it's better than what used to be. And when it does fall, then it, too, becomes a lesson. Understanding the history of your world can have a direct impact on the events that befall your characters, depending on how much of it the characters know and understand, and it can affect the way they think and the way they act, and thus somewhat dictates their actions.
This is actually a really great lead-in to:
Characters
The history of a certain character will legitimately shape their attitudes and the way they see their world when they're older. For example: in Cinder, the main character has been raised under the awfulness of her step-mother/guardian and the prejudices of everybody else who knows she's a cyborg. So she's kind of bitter, and hardened. And because people don't tend to pay attention to her, the moment somebody does (like the Prince) she finds herself willing to think about them in different ways.
Characters who are brought up around money with parents who give them everything they've ever wanted will tend to be a bit more on the bratty and privileged side, while those raised around money with parents to expected perfection out of them in return might be more stressed, even quiet, and probably a bit more rebellious.
Was your character ever abandoned by somebody, or betrayed, or they've spent most of their lives alone? They probably don't trust easy.
This might border more on psychology, as well, but the experiences that face a character during their lifetime shape them; their histories make them who they are and determine their thought processes and instincts. So knowing your characters' histories, as well, is an immensely important aspect of a novel, even though the majority of it might never be read by your audience.
Thoughts or questions? Let me know!
Rae
So, triple-edged sword?
Setting
My friend, Hannah, wrote a post on her blog about a month ago, encouraging her readers to explore the history of their worlds. To put it in her words: "Every setting has a backstory. Every neighborhood sits with a silent--or not so silent--story, waiting to be heard."
And she's right. Like always.
Cities, countries, empires, etc. didn't just pop into existence from nothing, and neither did whatever setting you're working with. There were settlements by outside people, clashes with natives, wars-so many wars-and finally something that looks like peace (*snorts*) in the present-day United States. I just finished reading The Pledge, by Kimberly Derting, and we're given a mini-history lesson about why there's only queens, why there's no presidents or ministers or any male leader whatsoever within the countries that now inhabit the world.
The history of a place is important. While you don't have to spill every detail about it within the span of your novel, it's an important aspect of the author to understand so that they can create a world that's consistent with events that happened in the past.
Plot
History also has a huge impact on the plot. I gave an example above about The Pledge: at one time in the history of this world, there were royal families who lead their countries. Eventually they were brought down in favor of other leaders, which didn't work out too well. So, the people took them down, too, and reestablished the rule of queens which, for the most part, has worked out.
This history, and the fear of repeating it, is so strong that the people are adamant that, while the current queen must be brought down, there has to be another queen to take her place.
No parliaments or Congresses. No presidents, senators, or representatives. A queen.
History often acts as a lesson for the present and the future. It scares people into making laws and creating societal order that might crumble sooner or later, but it's better than what used to be. And when it does fall, then it, too, becomes a lesson. Understanding the history of your world can have a direct impact on the events that befall your characters, depending on how much of it the characters know and understand, and it can affect the way they think and the way they act, and thus somewhat dictates their actions.
This is actually a really great lead-in to:
Characters
The history of a certain character will legitimately shape their attitudes and the way they see their world when they're older. For example: in Cinder, the main character has been raised under the awfulness of her step-mother/guardian and the prejudices of everybody else who knows she's a cyborg. So she's kind of bitter, and hardened. And because people don't tend to pay attention to her, the moment somebody does (like the Prince) she finds herself willing to think about them in different ways.
Characters who are brought up around money with parents who give them everything they've ever wanted will tend to be a bit more on the bratty and privileged side, while those raised around money with parents to expected perfection out of them in return might be more stressed, even quiet, and probably a bit more rebellious.
Was your character ever abandoned by somebody, or betrayed, or they've spent most of their lives alone? They probably don't trust easy.
This might border more on psychology, as well, but the experiences that face a character during their lifetime shape them; their histories make them who they are and determine their thought processes and instincts. So knowing your characters' histories, as well, is an immensely important aspect of a novel, even though the majority of it might never be read by your audience.
Thoughts or questions? Let me know!
Rae
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