When it comes to my writing style, I am a pantster. Which means I write by the seat of my pants. No outlines. No idea of where the plot is going or what my characters are going to do next.
I like writing this way. I can't believe some of the things that happen to my characters. Just a few minutes ago, I met somebody I had no idea would ever, in a million years, be in my novel. And he's added a lot of tension to the story. Necessary tension.
To me, these surprises feel right. They feel natural. And I like that they come in and make my story better and take it to places I may never have imagined if I sat down to write an outline.
But, of course, like anything that sounds too good to be true, there are some drawbacks to life as a pantster. Sitting down to write, with no specific idea of what is going to happen next leads to a lot of blinking. And staring.
And once that wears off, it can lead to a lot of unnecessary wandering. A very literal, "well let's go down this street, or open this door, or take these stairs, or talk to this stranger, and see what happens." The thing is...sometimes you can make the decision to go there and...(gasp)...nothing happens. Nothing useful, anyway. That means a lot of Ctrl X-ing.
The good thing is, the more I write, the better I can see when I am going down a wrong path and stop myself a little sooner. Not soon enough. But sooner. :-)
So far, that's the way I write. That's the way it all goes down. I don't expect it to change, but who knows.
If you are a writer, are you a plotter or a pantster?
And what about in real life? Plotter or pantster?
I'm pretty sure I'm a pantster in both cases, although sometimes I keep a strict calendar. A strict...flexible...calendar. Ok fine. My calendar is very flexible.
Showing posts with label Plot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plot. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Filming the Hole
My. Brain. Hurts.
I literally googled 'blog post ideas' because I'm completely tapped out. It didn't lead me to anything useful.
I remember one of my screenwriting professors once told our class that if there's a hole on the set, film the hole. So this is my attempt at that. Basically, it means that sometimes the funk, the bunk, the mishaps and mistakes, they are the things that make the art, so it's best to admit your shortcomings and see what happens, before you try to cover it up.
I did that once. In my writing. I'll tell you about it.
I once wrote a cheesy scene. I'm not really one for writing cheese. I prefer the depressing reality of things. Give me war torn villages, cancer with a capitol C, suicides and murders, unrequited love. Anything that allows me to say This is the way things really are, when, in fact, they're probably not... While I can get past the cheese in novels and films and television shows, and musicals, musicals, musicals, I love me some big ensemble happy clappy tappy numbers, it's not what I tend to focus on in my writing.
But a cheesy plot twist found it's way into my writing (I'm sure there have been many throughout the years) and, when I was finished, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I figured it would be best to throw it away. But a strange voice whispered: Film the hole. So I tried it. My main character basically looked at what just happened (1st person narrative, how I love thee) and said, all that stuff that just happened... That was cheesy. That was Hollywood. And, to tell you the truth, it worked out well. It said a lot about who she was and the way she observed life and highlighting that was one of the best things I could have done.
I don't think you should consistently make excuses for mistakes in your work, or put a spotlight on the things that aren't working, but I urge you to experiment with this idea a little. See where it takes you.
I had no blog post and I admitted I didn't and now I do. So there's proof in the puddin'. ;-)
What do you think about filming the hole?
I literally googled 'blog post ideas' because I'm completely tapped out. It didn't lead me to anything useful.
I remember one of my screenwriting professors once told our class that if there's a hole on the set, film the hole. So this is my attempt at that. Basically, it means that sometimes the funk, the bunk, the mishaps and mistakes, they are the things that make the art, so it's best to admit your shortcomings and see what happens, before you try to cover it up.
I did that once. In my writing. I'll tell you about it.
I once wrote a cheesy scene. I'm not really one for writing cheese. I prefer the depressing reality of things. Give me war torn villages, cancer with a capitol C, suicides and murders, unrequited love. Anything that allows me to say This is the way things really are, when, in fact, they're probably not... While I can get past the cheese in novels and films and television shows, and musicals, musicals, musicals, I love me some big ensemble happy clappy tappy numbers, it's not what I tend to focus on in my writing.
But a cheesy plot twist found it's way into my writing (I'm sure there have been many throughout the years) and, when I was finished, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I figured it would be best to throw it away. But a strange voice whispered: Film the hole. So I tried it. My main character basically looked at what just happened (1st person narrative, how I love thee) and said, all that stuff that just happened... That was cheesy. That was Hollywood. And, to tell you the truth, it worked out well. It said a lot about who she was and the way she observed life and highlighting that was one of the best things I could have done.
I don't think you should consistently make excuses for mistakes in your work, or put a spotlight on the things that aren't working, but I urge you to experiment with this idea a little. See where it takes you.
I had no blog post and I admitted I didn't and now I do. So there's proof in the puddin'. ;-)
What do you think about filming the hole?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Flap Copy
Every once and a while I wander down to the first floor of our office building to chat with a copywriter in our packaging group. We have similar tastes in books and often spend quite a bit of time discussing what we're reading, what we've read, and what books we might like to swap. I recommended a book to her and then directed her to Amazon so she could see what it was about. She told me that she'd rather take my word for it and very adimately stated that she "does not read flap copy."
"Never?" I asked.
"Never."
She went on to say that all these book jackets give away far too much about what will happen and it takes away a lot of the pleasure of reading for her.
I thought about this and decided that, for many of the books I got at BEA, I would not read the book jacket before reading. In the first place, I decided to get most of the books by simply hearing from a friend that I might like them or from the one sentence description in the BEA program. Since I didn't have to invest any money in them, that seemed like enough. I could always stop reading and give it to the used book shop around the corner without any guilt.
I have to tell you, I enjoyed reading this way, knowing very little about what I was getting into. I'm not sure there's an exact science to my experiment, but it did seem to aid in my reading pleasure. Then again, there have been many times I have been reading a book, excitedly wondering when I'll get to the part they describe in the flap copy. But maybe it shouldn't be that way. Maybe I shouldn't wonder when I'm getting to a specific moment. Maybe I should wonder what that moment might be.
All of this made me think a lot about film trailers. Film trailers have evolved throughout the years from simply being a short, heavy advertising sell to a long, involved edit that gives away nearly the entire plot of the movie. This is a purposeful move on the part of the film industry. As it becomes more expensive to go to the theater, they want viewers to be assured that they are going to enjoy what they see. Because we all know that word of mouth can make or break the success of any film.
Is this what flap copy is? A way for publishers to ensure that we're spending our hard-earned money on a book we are going to like? A way to keep us from reading books we hate?
I'm curious to know what you think of flap copy. Does it heavily influence your book purchases? How do you think these descriptions affect the way you read?
And, one last thought, I know everyone on the NYC subway is reading Chris Cleave's Little Bee. I read this book and really enjoyed it with slightly mixed feelings as a whole, and I also have mixed feelings about the book's description (it's a little pretentious perhaps?) but I like the idea of the secret, of the promise that the excitement is in the journey. I actually had a very good friend and book lover tell me she absolutely would not read this book because the flap copy is, and I quote, "Stupid." But given the success of this book might this be the wave of flap copy future?
WE DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS BOOK.
It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:
It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific.
The story starts there, but the book doesn't.
And it's what happens afterward that is most important.
Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.
"Never?" I asked.
"Never."
She went on to say that all these book jackets give away far too much about what will happen and it takes away a lot of the pleasure of reading for her.
I thought about this and decided that, for many of the books I got at BEA, I would not read the book jacket before reading. In the first place, I decided to get most of the books by simply hearing from a friend that I might like them or from the one sentence description in the BEA program. Since I didn't have to invest any money in them, that seemed like enough. I could always stop reading and give it to the used book shop around the corner without any guilt.
I have to tell you, I enjoyed reading this way, knowing very little about what I was getting into. I'm not sure there's an exact science to my experiment, but it did seem to aid in my reading pleasure. Then again, there have been many times I have been reading a book, excitedly wondering when I'll get to the part they describe in the flap copy. But maybe it shouldn't be that way. Maybe I shouldn't wonder when I'm getting to a specific moment. Maybe I should wonder what that moment might be.
All of this made me think a lot about film trailers. Film trailers have evolved throughout the years from simply being a short, heavy advertising sell to a long, involved edit that gives away nearly the entire plot of the movie. This is a purposeful move on the part of the film industry. As it becomes more expensive to go to the theater, they want viewers to be assured that they are going to enjoy what they see. Because we all know that word of mouth can make or break the success of any film.
Is this what flap copy is? A way for publishers to ensure that we're spending our hard-earned money on a book we are going to like? A way to keep us from reading books we hate?
I'm curious to know what you think of flap copy. Does it heavily influence your book purchases? How do you think these descriptions affect the way you read?
And, one last thought, I know everyone on the NYC subway is reading Chris Cleave's Little Bee. I read this book and really enjoyed it with slightly mixed feelings as a whole, and I also have mixed feelings about the book's description (it's a little pretentious perhaps?) but I like the idea of the secret, of the promise that the excitement is in the journey. I actually had a very good friend and book lover tell me she absolutely would not read this book because the flap copy is, and I quote, "Stupid." But given the success of this book might this be the wave of flap copy future?
WE DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS BOOK.
It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:
It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific.
The story starts there, but the book doesn't.
And it's what happens afterward that is most important.
Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I'm Going to Tell You A Story
I am meeting a new character right now. The main character of a new WIP. After reading this post about character sheets from Lydia Kang's "The Word Is My Oyster", I was reminded to tell you about an exercise I use for almost everything I write. I learned it back in a play writing class my sophomore year of college and I use it to this day at any given point while I'm writing a piece.
I call it the, "I'm going to tell you a story..." exercise. Basically you write or type these words on a page:
"I'm going to tell you a story. It's a story about: __________ "
In that blank space you can put anything. Anything at all. If you know nothing about the character, maybe you want to put in the word "yesterday". The key is to launch into a story from your character's POV (that's the important part) about what happened yesterday. This is a great way to find out how they feel the moment you start the story.
Maybe you need to get deep. Maybe you need to get into some serious psychological stuff. Maybe you need to know the story about the character's "childhood." Oh boy. That's an earload.
Maybe you don't want to be so plot heavy. Maybe you just want to get to know them or maybe they are getting too predictable. So maybe you want to just put in something completely random. My personal favorite is: "my shoes." I've discovered that everyone has a story about shoes. And what's great about this is you don't just hear some opinion about heels. It's not a rant. Because the purpose of setting up the exercise is that they are telling you a story. An experience. A memory. You get what we all need in our work: A SCENE.
If you're in the middle of your WIP and you're stuck somewhere or there's a plot hole, feel free to use it again. Fill in the blank with what's gnawing you. Make that character tell you the story about: "what happened when I found the key."
Once you fill in the blank, just go. Let that character ramble. It doesn't have to be good. It's an exercise. Let them talk and talk and talk for pages and pages and pages until you find the answer. Like a reporter, keep investigating until you have your story.
What's nice about this is often we use our first draft to discover things. We take a crazy route until we find our way. There's nothing wrong with this. We all do it. But sometimes it's nice to take it away from the manuscript before getting lost.
What I love about this exercise is it's simplicity and flexibility. You can use it to learn about any character or plot point from the most minor to the most major. I've learned so much about my characters and my work using this method.
I hope you'll try it out at some point. And if you have trouble filling in the blank, don't overthink it. Turn your head and fill it in with the first thing you see. Or send me an e-mail and I'll send you a topic! Because the thing is, once you get them going, your characters will have A LOT to say.
I call it the, "I'm going to tell you a story..." exercise. Basically you write or type these words on a page:
"I'm going to tell you a story. It's a story about: __________ "
In that blank space you can put anything. Anything at all. If you know nothing about the character, maybe you want to put in the word "yesterday". The key is to launch into a story from your character's POV (that's the important part) about what happened yesterday. This is a great way to find out how they feel the moment you start the story.
Maybe you need to get deep. Maybe you need to get into some serious psychological stuff. Maybe you need to know the story about the character's "childhood." Oh boy. That's an earload.
Maybe you don't want to be so plot heavy. Maybe you just want to get to know them or maybe they are getting too predictable. So maybe you want to just put in something completely random. My personal favorite is: "my shoes." I've discovered that everyone has a story about shoes. And what's great about this is you don't just hear some opinion about heels. It's not a rant. Because the purpose of setting up the exercise is that they are telling you a story. An experience. A memory. You get what we all need in our work: A SCENE.
If you're in the middle of your WIP and you're stuck somewhere or there's a plot hole, feel free to use it again. Fill in the blank with what's gnawing you. Make that character tell you the story about: "what happened when I found the key."
Once you fill in the blank, just go. Let that character ramble. It doesn't have to be good. It's an exercise. Let them talk and talk and talk for pages and pages and pages until you find the answer. Like a reporter, keep investigating until you have your story.
What's nice about this is often we use our first draft to discover things. We take a crazy route until we find our way. There's nothing wrong with this. We all do it. But sometimes it's nice to take it away from the manuscript before getting lost.
What I love about this exercise is it's simplicity and flexibility. You can use it to learn about any character or plot point from the most minor to the most major. I've learned so much about my characters and my work using this method.
I hope you'll try it out at some point. And if you have trouble filling in the blank, don't overthink it. Turn your head and fill it in with the first thing you see. Or send me an e-mail and I'll send you a topic! Because the thing is, once you get them going, your characters will have A LOT to say.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Update
I figure I owe you all an update on what's been going on with my manuscript.
1. Spared is still the working title of the novel. It's stuck around the longest of any title so far and I don't even have room left in my brain to wonder about it anymore. So that's it! For now.
2. I am on the 200th revision of my query letter. I think it's looking pretty good. I have a PR guru willing to look at it. I guess we'll see if the pitch is punchy enough for the publicity peeps.
3. I've received 2nd-hand, quick, more-to-come feedback from a beta reader who said simply: "I love it. I love her style and 'turns of phrases'". That's always good to hear. Especially when the reader is a published writer. (After hearing this, I immediately reverted to middle school and asked, did she say 'like'. Or 'love'? Are you sure it was 'love'? 'Cause there's a big difference between 'like' and 'love', ya know. I was assured it was 'love', but I still don't believe we're going to the dance.)
4. I've also received more in-depth feedback from a beta reader that provided me with A LOT of valuable insight for my next edit.
5. It's in the hands of 2 more readers from my original writing group who were with this thing from the very beginning, when it was in absolute shambles.
6. I'm working on line editing what I have, knowing there may be some additional chapters and re-worked chapters from the incoming feedback. I already have a lot to think about regarding some of the pacing and plot points that need to be fleshed out more. Or the ones that need to take a step back.
7. That's about it on the novel front.
8. In other news: On Thursday I will meet Ann M. Martin, author of the Babysitter's Club series, and consequently die a happy woman.
1. Spared is still the working title of the novel. It's stuck around the longest of any title so far and I don't even have room left in my brain to wonder about it anymore. So that's it! For now.
2. I am on the 200th revision of my query letter. I think it's looking pretty good. I have a PR guru willing to look at it. I guess we'll see if the pitch is punchy enough for the publicity peeps.
3. I've received 2nd-hand, quick, more-to-come feedback from a beta reader who said simply: "I love it. I love her style and 'turns of phrases'". That's always good to hear. Especially when the reader is a published writer. (After hearing this, I immediately reverted to middle school and asked, did she say 'like'. Or 'love'? Are you sure it was 'love'? 'Cause there's a big difference between 'like' and 'love', ya know. I was assured it was 'love', but I still don't believe we're going to the dance.)
4. I've also received more in-depth feedback from a beta reader that provided me with A LOT of valuable insight for my next edit.
5. It's in the hands of 2 more readers from my original writing group who were with this thing from the very beginning, when it was in absolute shambles.
6. I'm working on line editing what I have, knowing there may be some additional chapters and re-worked chapters from the incoming feedback. I already have a lot to think about regarding some of the pacing and plot points that need to be fleshed out more. Or the ones that need to take a step back.
7. That's about it on the novel front.
8. In other news: On Thursday I will meet Ann M. Martin, author of the Babysitter's Club series, and consequently die a happy woman.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday Books for Writers! Marcello In the Real World
Marcello In The Real World
by Francisco Stork
Read this if you are writing:
From a young adult male POV
About people with developmental disabilities
About faith
About a difficult ethical decision
A quite/tame legal thriller
A coming of age story
It's been a while since I've done a Tuesday Books for Writers! post, not because I haven't wanted to, but because I haven't found anything I wanted to write about. I don't go into the archives of my reading past for these things, I'm all about living in the moment, writing and recommending as a read. I read a lot of books I think people will like, but to recommend it to a writer has a whole set of bizarro Melissa rules that, honestly, aren't worth getting into (and the head cold isn't making it any easier).
In any case, me oh my, love that country pie, this book makes the cut. And boy does it ever. This book delves into some of my favorite themes as a reader/writer: religion, ethics, faith, and self-discovery. It involves a narrator with a cognitive disorder (loosely labelled as Asperger Syndrome) and part of it takes place in Vermont (my favorite state).
I could gush all day. I finished with a sigh...an ache in my heart...hope in my soul! (Bear with the head cold, people, bear with it!) But that's of no use to you.
So I'm going to talk about character goals. And birth scenes.
I think it's Writing 101 that your novel needs to begin with something new. A new person walks in the door. Your character is charged with a new mission. He or she is dumped into a new place. And the character must cope. They must survive. The moment this is introduced is what somebody once told me is called the birth scene. And I rather liked it being called that. And it's always a birth scene, even if it means somebody died and left your character all alone. No matter what, they have to be born again into something new. And this novel does it well. Marcello is cast out, against his will, into what we all call the 'real world', to work at his father's law firm for the summer. And when you're a person with special needs who has been sheltered from the real world, as Marcello has, this is a rebirth of epic proportions. And, yet, it's done quietly and beautifully in this novel. So, read this book, and make sure your characters have a 'real world' too.
Then we've got goals. This is also pretty basic. Your character has to have a goal. Something that drives the novel forward. I know you're all thinking, yeah, duh, I know that already but I'm going to challenge you. Does your reader know? After I wrote the first 100 pages of my novel I realized, 'er, uh, Melissa, your peoples ain't ever specified a darn here goal'. It's amazing how the basics can slip away when you're in the trenches. The reason this novel is a good resource for goals is because it's very clearly spelled out. Marcello is someone who thrives on structure, order, and rules. Stork spells that out as soon as we're thrust into the novel. This is Marcello's on-the-surface-goal: If I follow the rules of the law firm, I will get to choose what school I get to go to next year. And I want to go to Patterson. Thank you Marcello. You know about goals. I think it's important to write out a character's goal for the reader. It doesn't have to be as blunt and plain as Marcello's (his character warrants a straight forward telling) but it should be there. Even if it's as subtle and quiet as your character shaking fists at the sky and shouting, "I'll never go hungry again!" Thank you Scarlett O'Hara. You know about goals too.
Anyways, there's that. I hope you'll read this book even if you don't care about birth scenes or goals. What a beautiful story. Just the right balance of plot and character drive. And Marcello. A character who will stay with me always.
Has anyone else read this book? Please share your thoughts if you will :-)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Plot, plot. Plot's the problem.
I only have nine more scenes to write in my novel before I begin the dreaded edit.
I quietly and neatly outlined these scenes by hand, sitting at my little desk. I know where they all take place. I know which characters are in them. And I know what I need to accomplish. There are emotional beats that need to happen. There are revelations that need to be had. Issues that need to be resolved. And relationships that need to work themselves out. I outlined all of this in red pen in a nice, happy little notebook.
Thing is...I don't actually know what happens.
Beyond the climax of my story, one strange scene I've been very excited to write, and the last scene of the book, I've got 6 other scenes to write in which there is, quite simply, no plot.
It turns out my neat little outlines are vague notions of how my characters are developing internally, rather than what is actually, physically happening to them.
So, I've got a lot of brainstorming to do. Mainly, how to translate emotional beats into physical action. What has to happen to show jealousy? What has to happen to show personal growth? To show betrayal?
I can't believe that 6 things actually have to happen! How'd that work out? ;-)
And I'd love to know how a person gets to this point without having even the faintest notion. Oh lawsie me... Plot's the problem.
I quietly and neatly outlined these scenes by hand, sitting at my little desk. I know where they all take place. I know which characters are in them. And I know what I need to accomplish. There are emotional beats that need to happen. There are revelations that need to be had. Issues that need to be resolved. And relationships that need to work themselves out. I outlined all of this in red pen in a nice, happy little notebook.
Thing is...I don't actually know what happens.
Beyond the climax of my story, one strange scene I've been very excited to write, and the last scene of the book, I've got 6 other scenes to write in which there is, quite simply, no plot.
It turns out my neat little outlines are vague notions of how my characters are developing internally, rather than what is actually, physically happening to them.
So, I've got a lot of brainstorming to do. Mainly, how to translate emotional beats into physical action. What has to happen to show jealousy? What has to happen to show personal growth? To show betrayal?
I can't believe that 6 things actually have to happen! How'd that work out? ;-)
And I'd love to know how a person gets to this point without having even the faintest notion. Oh lawsie me... Plot's the problem.
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