Writing Slumps- Cause and Effect

Hey guys!  A while back I posted and said I was going to try an experiment… Right around Christmas too.  Well, you only learn from experience, right?  Well, turns out, posting right around the holiday season is not very easy, so here I come, a couple weeks late.  Oops!  Well, as per promise, I tried to think about my WiP as much as I could over the holidays.  Actually, though, I didn't think about it until after New Years, at which point I was beginning to really feel behind, and guilty for being so, so I began to analyze why I was avoiding it.
So, I've been writing 500 words every day as a challenge from the Write Chain (Look it up, it's super cool!), and as I wrote every day, I was painfully aware that every morning I woke up and planned to work on my WiP, and every night I had put it off till nine at night and ended up typing 500 words on some random project on my phone as I lay in bed, all the lights out, bedtime being postponed by my 500 words.  Now, the other day, I was sitting on the couch watching an interview on Youtube with a ballerina, something I stopped doing a while back because I began to want to be a ballerina (trust me, I am no ballet dancer), and I knew in my heart of hearts, I wanted to be a writer.  So this time, watching this interview, I, once again, began to want to be a ballet dancer.  Then I got angry with myself.  I couldn't even write the book I had wanted to for half a year, and now I was pining after something I really didn't want to do.  So, I figured, if a ballet dancer had made me want to be one of her kind, then I could find writers and bloggers who inspired me to be who I was meant to be.  I looked at articles, took notes, and I unintentionally began to revise my book to be better as I went along.  This is where my conclusion comes in.
I have realized, in these last two weeks, that my book was too underdeveloped to be in production just yet.  I realized that two characters serve no purpose (so they're going to be extracted and put into a folder, because I want to use them later), I was telling too much, instead of showing, that if I switched from my 3 person PoV to a single Main Character, I could add a lot more interest and the characters would have more reason for conversation, that some creatures I had created were ludicrous, that my settings were too vague, the theme was not very strong at all, it wasn't serving the purpose I wanted it to, and I needed a better, stronger plot.  This thing was as broken as Jamie in the Bionic Woman.  I needed to make it stronger, faster, and better.  The 6 million dollar novel.  (Sorry for the lapse into 80s culture, I'm all better now, I promise).
  That was why I couldn't bring myself to write it, I had no direction, and I knew that it wasn't living up to it's full potential.  Honestly, I hadn't believed that my novel would undergo the drastic change so many authors had said that their novels had done.  Silly me!  Now it's back in the preproduction stage, missing two characters who I fired and the plot is under reconstruction.

How about you?  Have you done a novel overhaul?  Are you planning on it?  Any tips of your own for writing slumps?  Let me know in the comments!

Viola June HFA-DGN

On the Fifth Day of NaNo Prep my Novel Gave to Me...

Hey guys!  Sorry about the wait on this post, I had some stuff come up last week that required me to put some things off for a bit.  On the fifth of October, the NaNoWriMo website was all fixed up and prepared for our event of the season, NaNoWriMo 2015!  So it's up and running and ready for you to put your novel up!  Make sure you head over and do that.
Okay, now down to business.
On the Fifth Day of NaNo Prep my Novel Gave to Me… A general plot (part 3).  Here we are at the last stretch of this whole general plot thing.  The middle.  This is the part that I feel like is the most challenging, because this has to be exciting enough to keep the readers reading.  The middle is actually my favorite part of reading a good book, because by now, you should love it, and there's still an entire half of it to go!  I was reading the Fellowship of the Ring the other day and right about in the middle I was at the peak of my excitement.  I loved the book, and there was still a long way to go before it ended.
So how does one get a phenomenal middle?  Well, the midpoint is as middle as you can get, and this is where the excitement gets amped because of an event that happened.  For example, in the Incredibles (Pixar, Disney) the audience's interest level is dwindling, right before Bob's wife presses a homing beacon and Bob gets captured by the enemy.  Woo! That dwindling interest level is certainly not dwindling anymore.  Or at least, something like that.  So think of it as the second of your three plot points.  They all need to be just as interesting and exciting, so they're all equal.  Number one is the beginning, this is number two, and number three is the ending.
Number one in my book is the character enlists in WW1
Number two is his best friend deserts him
Number three is he lives happily ever after (or will he?)
So now that we have the three main plot points, we can fill it in with smaller events that we want to happen.  My recommendation for this is to write each event on a separate index card (I cut my index cards in threes so I don't use up more than is necessary), or a sticky note, then use tape that you can take on and off (I use artists' tape) or a tack and tack it to a cork board, or tape it to a piece of paper.  The reason for all this is so you can rearrange things as you see fit.

So how is your guys' NaNo plotting coming along?  Have you got a middle?  What's your favorite part of a book?  Let me know in the comments!

Viola June, HFA-DGN

On the Fourth Day of NaNo Prep my Novel Gave to Me...

Hey everyone!  We have reached the fourth day of NaNo prep.  Let's get right in.
On the fourth day of NaNo prep my novel gave to me… A general plot (Part two).  Well this is way more exciting than yesterday, right?  *crickets*.  Yeah, that's what I thought.  In part two of my general plotting I go to my ending, skipping the middle because normally the middle is the hardest to figure out (for me).
The ending is critical, because the readers have to leave feeling satisfied, unless it's a series, then you should probably dish out dissatisfaction, but that's another subject for another time.  Sometimes you'll know your ending down to the very lines the characters speak, or sometimes it'll be simply a blur that gives you a rough idea of where you're headed.  For my current WIP I have it down to the line, but for my NaNo work, it's all a blur, so it really could go both ways.
What does your ending need?  How about a resolution?  Series or not, this is very important.  My current WIP is book one in a five book series.  Even though I plan on leaving a cliffhanger of sorts, I still have to give the readers something to hold on to, because I want to keep my readers.  So I'll end with leaving the characters in uncertainty, with a degree of certainty.  The readers will know where the characters are headed at that moment, but it'll almost be a frying pan into the fire situation, so even though the readers will know where the characters are going, they'll have absolutely no clue how the characters will get out of it.  For a one book show, the readers need to feel like the character is secure, wherever they're headed.  There can't be any "how will they get out of it this time?" because then it calls for another explanation, which isn't a resolution.
For my NaNo novel, the blur for the ending I have is the character learns their lesson, and lives semi-happily ever after.  The beginning is the character is involved in the new war, World War 1, or, the Great War.

How about you?  Have you figured out your ending?  Do you have a blur, or do you have it pinned down to the line?  Let me know in the comments!

Viola June HFA-DGN

On the Third Day of NaNo Prep my Novel Gave to Me

Hey everyone!  Day before yesterday for the NaNo prepping days I discussed the making of your Main Character.  Later I'll be exploring a bit more into this, since yesterday was only meant as a jump start, but I will say this:  Keep thinking about your character!  Write down anything you think you want to add to them, and keep tweaking them.  They'll never be perfect (though that's sort of the point).
Anyways, on the third day of NaNo prep my novel gave to me… A general plot (part one).  This sounds boring, doesn't it?  Hang in there.  A plot in general has three acts, with special features in each acts.  You can go to K.M. Weiland's blog for a very good breakdown on plot structure.  Another label for these three acts can be "beginning" "middle" and "end".  You'll want to discover each in order to have a good idea of where you're headed.
Today I'm discussing the beginning we need something exciting to get the reader hooked on it.  Get them interested in what is going on, get them interested in the characters.  But that's all a bit too detailed for starts, today we'll just start with finding what the beginning of your story.  Not the exact moment that things start, just a general overlook.    My beginning starts with the characters trying to figure out what's going on (they're disorientated for… reasons).  If I were to go more exact, I would stay I start with a kidnapping, but tonight we're not talking about exactness, right now, we're just deciding what we start with.
So my beginning of my NaNo novel is World War One begins whilst the MC is tossed into the midst of it.  Beyond that, I've got absolutely no clue, but that's what we're brainstorming for!  Tomorrow I'll be touching on the middle, so look forward to it (or dread it, your choice).

What do you think?  Do you like to begin with plot, or characters?  Do you have your beginning figured out?  Let me know in the comments!

Viola June HFA-DGN

On the Second Day of NaNo Prep my Novel Gave to Me...

Hey all!  So today, I won't be rambling on and on about why you should join NaNoWriMo, I'll just get straight to the point.

On the Second Day of NaNo Prep my Novel gave to me… my Main Character.

I feel like character and plot play off of each other, and it doesn't particularly matter which on you start with, except for preferences.  If you start with plot, you end up with morphing your character around your plot, and if you start with plot, the character shapes the plot.  I personally prefer the latter, so I start with character.
So there are a few things you should know about your character before you write them, for instance, their gender.  That's slightly (not slightly, it's really a lot) important.  Let's go over a few!
1. Their Name.  Okay, so actually, I have heard of someone who has began their book without a name, but I feel like even a name adds conflict, and personality.  Why do you need these for your first draft?  Well, actually, I'm not sure you do.  But preparation for your first draft in ways like this lets you edit easier later on.
2.  Their gender.  Yes.  This is important.  Boy or girl, it matters.  I am not really sure if you can bypass this, but either way, I wouldn't.  It's a bit of easy prep (It should not take you hours to decide whether or not your MC is a gal or guy) that is pointless to bypass.
3.  Their favorite color.  Okay, this probably does seem a bit excessive, but I have heard multiple quotes about knowing much more about your character makes them feel more real because they actually have their own opinions and thoughts backing them, even though they may not show it.  You know I'm opinionated when I state my view on the Civil War with as much passion as I am wont to do, but you won't know my favorite color, my political position, my favorite book, or anything like that, unless I tell you.  However, even though I don't tell you what they are, you still (should.  I promise I'm not cardboard) get this sense or knowledge that I have a favorite color, political position, and a favorite book.  The same goes for a fiction character, because we're trying to help the reader trick their minds into thinking they're not reading fiction, but instead, living in fantasy.  The characters should have things like a favorite color (among other favorites [my friends will tell you that this is my favorite introductory question.  What is your favorite everything]).  Again, this you could probably skip, but knowing the most about your character before sending them into their story is better, because weaving personality into an already woven work is a lot harder than weaving it as you weave the work.
4.  What they look like.  I'm sorry, yes I did say things you need to know earlier, but I actually do consider these all necessary when I make characters.  I'll go on Pinterest and find who looks like them, then I'll save that mental image in my head, as well as to my board.  Why do this?  Because as your readers read, they don't hear the name, they see the face.  Our brains remember things so much better when we have a mental image of it.  If you, as the writer, don't see their face every time you type their name, picturing how they act in the scene, then you probably don't know what they look like enough to keep that mental image in your head, which means the readers don't either, which means they're probably seeing a blur when they think of the character, which ruins the illusion that they're in a real place.  This can be edited in later, but again, it's so much harder to put it in later, because it's part of the character's fabric of reality.
5. Their MBTI (optional).  See, this time I put optional down.  But I do highly recommend it.  Knowing their MBTI is very helpful in creating a cast for your character so they don't occasionally slip out of character and shake the reality of the book.  (I believe I've said it before, but I'll do so again, I don't believe that using whatever site you're using says you are [i.e. INFP] as a cast for you.  You can be whatever you want to be, as long as you're not being fake, but characters are a different thing because in reality, they are fake things pretending to be real, and in the long run, you decide what they do, not them.)

So I like to take all the information I deem necessary and I like to spill it out onto a single page.  I'll give you an example of one of my character sheets (I make them even if they don't have a book they belong to.)

SAGE OWENS- ENTJ
Female; 22; Ginger hair; Pale skin; British; Freckles; 5'5; 120lbs (Yes, I know the Brits use a different measuring system for weight); ...  Despite her TJ (Of the ENTJ) part of appearing evil, she's actually a good girl at heart, and always endeavors to see things from other people's perspective, even though she mostly fails.  She's very smart, though she never planned on following her parents' plan of several doctorates.  Instead, she simply decided on a doctorate in engineering...She hasn't got time for relationships, since her parents siphon money off her like a blood bat, but she secretly hopes that one day a tolerable man would come along.  ...  She doesn't make jokes often, but when she does, you'd probably miss them.  Emerald eyes; thin upper lip, thick bottom; round face; long legs, short torso; delicate skin.  She's allergic to dairy, and doesn't like it anyways.  She adores flowers, but doesn't tell anyone that.  Born February second.

So why did I give you half my info load on one of my characters?  As an example.  When she is in a book, you will probably never know she loves flowers, or is allergic to dairy.  So why in the world is it there?  Because it adds to her, giving her a richness she wouldn't have if I simply put:

SAGE OWENS
Female; 22; Ginger hair; Pale skin; British; Freckles; 5'5; 120lbs (Yes, I know the Brits use a different measuring system for weight);  Emerald eyes; thin upper lip, thick bottom; round face; long legs, short torso; delicate skin.

One feels more real, doesn't it?  Writing the latter Sage Owens would be hard because I wouldn't know her.  Writing the former would be much easier, having spent time with her.

So what are your thoughts?  Do you like to think of plot or character first?  How do you get to know your characters?  Let me know in the comments!

Viola June HFA-DGN

Flash Fiction

Hey all!  So today I was thinking about Flash Fiction, and all, a lot, a few, or none of you may be wondering what Flash Fiction is, so I'll start out with a short description of it:  "fiction that is extremely brief, typically only a few hundred words or fewer in its entirety."  If you look "Flash Fiction" up in the search box on Google, that is literally what you get.
So why would one write flash fiction when they can write novels, or short stories?
1. Practice.  They are practice for quite a lot of things, actually.  I have a small problem with condensing everything I say, so flash fiction for me is easier than for the normal writer, so how would I use it to practice?  By expanding it into a short story.  What I do is I write the flash fiction, then I stretch the story out into 7.5k, or something akin to that.  For those of you who have problems with making your stories too long, you can use Flash Fiction to practice being concise.  
2. Satisfaction.  I believe satisfaction is very important in the writing world.  I don't like those "How to write faster" or "Write a book in a week" or "How to get paid easy for your writing" or stuff like that because I believe that you've got to work for your daily bread.  There is no easy way out.  "Nothing ever comes to anyone that is worth having, except as a result of hard work." -Booker T. Washington.  However, if you spend 8 years writing one book, you never feel like you're accomplishing anything.  If you write and complete a short story, or flash fiction in a week (whilst still working on your current novel project), then you feel like you got something done, which should give you more energy to continue on with your project.  Anyways, it works for me.
3. You Gain Experience.  Yep, I said it.  Exp.  You know, in video games (let's use Minecraft as an example) you do stuff to gain experience, or "Exp".  In Minecraft when you mine coal, which you need constantly, you get experience, but when you mine iron, which you don't need, and you don't gain exp when you mine it.  You need to practice writing, and as you write short stories, or flash fiction, either one, you get experience in developing character, plot, and setting, and you can practice with more different situations because you don't need as much time to complete one.  

So my suggestion to you, if you want to write some flash fiction, is to get out and research a bit (Before I put up my own post about flash fiction, of course) about it.  They are easy to write, and don't take that much time to write, at all.  Seriously, just 15 minutes of your day to write 250 words, or half an hour to write 500, or whatever your WPM (Word per minute) is, it's not a lot of time.  Even a Hemingway (6-word story) is considered flash fiction.  You could utilize dishwashing to think up a story in six words, then edit and revise this six word sentence later.  While washing dishes.  That is an incredibly efficient way to use your time.  Of course, there are times when vegetables seem like they have a good idea of life and you just wish to join them, and so you use dishwashing time as veggie time, and in that case, you'll get no judgement from me, actually I do that sometimes too.  

Anyways, what do you think?  Have you tried Flash Fiction?  Let me know in the comments section!

Viola June HFA-DGN