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
Showing posts with label plotting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plotting. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2016
Friday, October 16, 2015
On the Fifth Day of NaNo Prep my Novel Gave to Me...
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
Monday, October 5, 2015
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
Sunday, October 4, 2015
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
Friday, October 2, 2015
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
Thursday, October 1, 2015
On the First Day of NaNo Prep My Novel Gave to Me...
Hey guys! So I decided to do a blog post series on NaNoWriMo preparation, and because I'm way too excited for the holiday seasons, I am naming each post something akin to the 12 days of Christmas, though it might be 31 days, or it might be 2 (let's hope not).
So First, why participate in NaNoWriMo? Well, there are plenty of good reasons, and you can find them all over the web, or even come up with some of your own, but here are a few of mine.
1. A strong sense of accomplishment at the end. Honestly, it feels so good to be a winner. If you're still in High School or younger, you could do the Young Writer's Program (YWP) and set your word count for what you think you can do, or you could go for the 50k, or even shoot for more, if you're up for it.
2. It kills your inner editor. Why am I excited about this one? Because I believe in small goals. Let me explain. I like to have checkpoints periodically spread out through everything, because if I don't, then I look at the entire project as a whole and get discouraged as I take "forever" to complete it. Using a book as an example, The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas. This is a long book. Not as long as some, but still long. It can take a very long time to read it, and without chapters, I would never have finished it. Reading a chapter a day is doable (Though with this particular book, I finished it in three days because I couldn't put it down), but what happens if there aren't any chapters to finish? You get discouraged because it seems like you aren't getting anywhere fast. (This is mostly hypothetical for example's sake). With an inner editor, you go back and fix your typos, correct clunky sentences, and rewrite character's lines over and over again till they sound like the character. You sit, blocked at a certain point in the book because you can't climb the hill nicely. Without an inner editor, you get a first draft like my current one (which shall never see the light of day, by the way). The amount of typos, out of character sentences, and clunky sentences is embarrassing. (This is probably because last NaNoWriMo I killed my inner editor stone dead. When editing time comes around I'm gonna need a major miracle). So since my inner editor is dead, I can finish the first draft sooner. Checkpoint no. 1. Then I edit the first draft of all typos. Checkpoint no. 2. You get the idea? Cutting the steak into small pieces is easier to eat than stuffing the entire thing in your mouth.
3. It's fun. Okay, this can be opinion, but as a writer, writing, is fun. Writing in a semi-social, extremely encouraging "you can do anything and we're all here to help you" is amazing. I honestly didn't know that writers were all super supportive of each other until I joined NaNo. People make it fun by making sure that you know that they believe in you. Even if you procrastinate until two days are all you've got left, I've heard of someone who wrote the entire 50k in those two days. (Also, Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 450 [about 46k] in nine days) Some great authors have written entire novels in 6-8 weeks, (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is one of them) and the word count is way above 50k. So you can do it! 1,667 words a day, isn't actually that much, all things considered. You may be thinking "But I'm not like that", but how do you know, if you've never tried? In the words of my favorite band, Superchick, "Failures are flyers who touch down, only they know what it's like to leave the ground." and the song (Rockstar) goes on to say that it's okay to fail sometimes, as long as you try, and keep trying. Honestly, it's fun to fail for the first time in NaNo because you see that this gigantic community of writers, don't judge you. They understand the challenge, and that everyone is different.
4. It's a reason to drink excessive amounts of coffee, sit around in sweats and a t-shirt all day, and write. Okay, I don't need a reason to do this, because I do college online and sit around, drinking coffee all day, in sweats and a t-shirt, but what I like about NaNo is it's a celebrated action. I'm just kidding... sort of. When you do this in your daily life, you get dressed up to go to social events. When you do this in NaNo, social events are write ins on Youtube, and they expect you to be nice and comfortable for it all. Anyways, it relates back to No. 3. They (Wrimos) understand. And that is very amazing.
So now that I've rambled for a bit about why, I'm going to talk about some prep in this the first installment of "The days of NaNo Prep" (Yeah, I just made that up)
On the first day of NaNo Prep my novel gave to me… An idea.
Whoop. Yep, that's it. You can't write anything without an idea. So this fancy schmancy idea is a genre, and a basic setting, or maybe a character, or maybe even a single line of dialogue that inspired you to write a book centering on it. Mine was the genre and the setting. This NaNo I'll be writing historical fiction (yeah, yeah, I know, I've already dug myself a hole with all that research) set in the Great War (WW1), and actually, I got the moral of it, which is a little bit of a different take on the conventional method of looking at forgiveness. This is all very hefty stuff, so I'm probably going to mull it over for a few days, whilst brainstorming (and researching).
So how does one get an idea? Well here's a few of my suggestions, and ideas.
1. Go for a walk. Whaaaa? Yep, I said it. Leave the house? You bet. Look about at the trees, listen to the wind (or swelter under a blazing sun, depending on where you are), and just generally be aware. Think about what ifs, and such, because, what if you get a story idea that really inspires you? Also, exercise and clean air (Okay, where I live the air isn't exactly clean, but it is refreshing from the stuffy house) are great at clearing your head and opening new thoughts.
2. Look at items in front of you. Right now. Yes, now. You probably have your device (whatever you're reading this on), some sort of piece of furniture, maybe a few embellishments. I have a coffee table, pencil box, binder, three books, three coffee cups, a water cup, some hair stuff, scissors, and some other misc stuff. What story ideas can I get from that? Maybe a character wake up every morning and drinks their cup of coffee. What they don't realize is every morning, their cup is clean, and they didn't wash it. So they're taking for granted that someone in the house loves them enough to clean up after them every single day. They can go on to realize that you don't miss something until it's gone, when they realize one morning their coffee cup isn't where it normally is. It's still on the table, still dirty. Then you can have a bunch of subplots and stuff.
3. Listen in on people's conversations at your local cafe. People watch. You can get a lot ideas just from the daily life happening around you. You just need to open your eyes (no.2) and ears (no. 3) . Pay attention, and take notes (not necessarily literally). I wrestle with my brother, quote endless movies with my family, break out into song with my entire family (Actually, literally. Me, my brother, and my aunt made one of our friend's mom look back at us from her conversation with my mother in confusion when we all broke out into some song together). So what story ideas can I get from my daily life? Maybe a character sings all the time, until one day somebody they look up to tells them to be silent for once, and they live the rest of their life endeavoring to climb out of the insecurity that one person, who had a lot of influence over them, tossed them into. There is so much you can get from life by just paying attention.
So what do you think? Do you have any specific ways you like to find inspiration? Or reasons you like to participate in NaNoWriMo (if you do participate in NaNoWriMo). Let me know in the comments section!
Viola June HFA-DGN
Monday, September 28, 2015
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
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
Monday, September 14, 2015
3D Characters-Voicing
Hey guys! Today I would like to discuss voicing, and how you can help your characters to each find their own individual voices.
When you speak to your friends, you probably don't use the same phrases and terms as they do, do you? I sure don't. (To be honest, I think I'm the only person I know to use words like "groovy" and "radical").
So why are character voices so important? Because without different voicing, it becomes all one blended, muddled voice that, should you clear it up a bit, turns out to just be your voice. There's a type of music that is in Baroque music (Yeah, yeah, I know, "if it ain't baroque, don't fix it") called Polyphonic. This music means there are several voices, enabling the music to feel more 3D, instead of just notes on a page. Different voices for the characters are exactly the same. All the same voice equals 2D writing, and different voices equals 3D. It's actually amazing how much this is true.
Here's a tiny bit of what my character's different voices sound like, so you know what I mean:
Ember: "Could you please find something else to do?"
Winter: "It'd be nice iffen ye could find something better to do."
J.P.: "I'd be mighty pleased if you would be findin' somethin' more productive to be doin'."
Now these characters really are extremes, which is handy for the sake of example, but a change in voicing could be as small as changing one word in a sentence, like asking "anything" instead of "something", but all the other words stay the same
So how do you find, and differentiate your character's voices? There are several methods.
1. Journal your characters! Write a journal entry from your character's perspective. I found this method in James Scott Bell's book "The Art of War for Writers". When I used this method in particular, I didn't find it entirely helpful, but it did allow me to dig a bit deeper into their personalities.
2. Role Play your characters. I DID find this one helpful, though I didn't learn about it from any particular source, me and my friends were just trying it out. It's very helpful because you learn how the characters interact with other people. You can use any of your characters and squeeze them into any setting you think fit then watch them run. Once I used three characters from three different projects. Your characters can gradually find their own voice when they interact with others. Let them speak their words.
3. Just write their story! I didn't quite find the three above's voices until I began actually writing their story. They came out of their shells then, and really came into their own. Now I can almost hear J.P. before I write what he says. (Ember and Winter DO need work, still, but what are edits for, if not for fixing your mistakes?)
So what do you think? Do you have different methods for finding your character's voice? Have you tried any of the three I listed? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments section!
Viola June HFA-DGN
When you speak to your friends, you probably don't use the same phrases and terms as they do, do you? I sure don't. (To be honest, I think I'm the only person I know to use words like "groovy" and "radical").
So why are character voices so important? Because without different voicing, it becomes all one blended, muddled voice that, should you clear it up a bit, turns out to just be your voice. There's a type of music that is in Baroque music (Yeah, yeah, I know, "if it ain't baroque, don't fix it") called Polyphonic. This music means there are several voices, enabling the music to feel more 3D, instead of just notes on a page. Different voices for the characters are exactly the same. All the same voice equals 2D writing, and different voices equals 3D. It's actually amazing how much this is true.
Here's a tiny bit of what my character's different voices sound like, so you know what I mean:
Ember: "Could you please find something else to do?"
Winter: "It'd be nice iffen ye could find something better to do."
J.P.: "I'd be mighty pleased if you would be findin' somethin' more productive to be doin'."
Now these characters really are extremes, which is handy for the sake of example, but a change in voicing could be as small as changing one word in a sentence, like asking "anything" instead of "something", but all the other words stay the same
So how do you find, and differentiate your character's voices? There are several methods.
1. Journal your characters! Write a journal entry from your character's perspective. I found this method in James Scott Bell's book "The Art of War for Writers". When I used this method in particular, I didn't find it entirely helpful, but it did allow me to dig a bit deeper into their personalities.
2. Role Play your characters. I DID find this one helpful, though I didn't learn about it from any particular source, me and my friends were just trying it out. It's very helpful because you learn how the characters interact with other people. You can use any of your characters and squeeze them into any setting you think fit then watch them run. Once I used three characters from three different projects. Your characters can gradually find their own voice when they interact with others. Let them speak their words.
3. Just write their story! I didn't quite find the three above's voices until I began actually writing their story. They came out of their shells then, and really came into their own. Now I can almost hear J.P. before I write what he says. (Ember and Winter DO need work, still, but what are edits for, if not for fixing your mistakes?)
So what do you think? Do you have different methods for finding your character's voice? Have you tried any of the three I listed? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments section!
Viola June HFA-DGN
Sunday, September 13, 2015
3D Characters-Intro
Hey guys! I'm going to start (my first) a blog series, 3D Characters. Now, why in the world would I write about characters when there is all those plotting topics to talk about? Because I believe characters are what make the writing world go round. They are the thing that writers alway struggle with. Writing the perfect character is really based on imperfection.
Without 3D characters, the enjoyment level of the book goes down substantially. It still would fly, and be enjoyable, with a good plot and story, but something would be lacking. So these 2D characters, the cardboard cutouts that are there merely to depict your idea of your character, are extremely hard to avoid, at one point or another. In order to be 3D, a character must have their own voice, personality, conflict, and many other things. They have to be someone who can bend to sit down and have coffee without breaking in half.
So how does one avoid cardboard characters? By filling them with personality! Think of the cardboard as a sack that's waiting to be filled. How much you pour into it equals how healthy they are as 3 dimensional characters. You give them personality and they fill up a bit. Give them their own voice, and they fill up a bit. Give them their own internal conflict, boy do they plump up! But you need all of these to truly make them 3 dimensional, so in this series I will be delving into the deep recesses of each.
So are you guys excited? Because I am. Lets dissect! (Not really, but sort of)
Viola June HFA-DGN
Without 3D characters, the enjoyment level of the book goes down substantially. It still would fly, and be enjoyable, with a good plot and story, but something would be lacking. So these 2D characters, the cardboard cutouts that are there merely to depict your idea of your character, are extremely hard to avoid, at one point or another. In order to be 3D, a character must have their own voice, personality, conflict, and many other things. They have to be someone who can bend to sit down and have coffee without breaking in half.
So how does one avoid cardboard characters? By filling them with personality! Think of the cardboard as a sack that's waiting to be filled. How much you pour into it equals how healthy they are as 3 dimensional characters. You give them personality and they fill up a bit. Give them their own voice, and they fill up a bit. Give them their own internal conflict, boy do they plump up! But you need all of these to truly make them 3 dimensional, so in this series I will be delving into the deep recesses of each.
So are you guys excited? Because I am. Lets dissect! (Not really, but sort of)
Viola June HFA-DGN
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Brainstorming.
Hello, once again, guys! Today, I'll be talking briefly about brainstorming. Now, I'm not sure how pansters do it, but I, as a plotter, like to brainstorm my ideas, before getting them on paper.
Now, my brainstorming process normally goes something like, I sit down, stare at my plot board, and force myself to think about it. Then I just progress along the story line, slowly adding stuff. Then, there are the days when my brother takes me to our local Starbucks, or to lunch, and we'll talk. Those days are the real nuggets. For example, recently me and my brother went to Starbucks, and we brainstormed. I walked away with so much extra character development in two characters I thought were underdeveloped, and now I love those two, and almost regret making one a negative character arc.
Now, not everyone brainstorms, but I, from experience, would definitely recommend it. It really is helpful to have someone as your partner, too, since there are two minds working at it. Now, I've never worked with other people, but I would think that you would also be more effective with someone you're really close to, because then you guys know each other's brain process better than most.
How you brainstorm is a tricky question, because everyone probably does it different. I like to sit down, present my brother with things I feel like there are holes in, and fill him in on my thought process and see where he runs. Today I found out that one of my characters is a nun who gets abducted right before she takes her vows. Another is a gambler who hides his age, and ends up becoming a bounty hunter. Originally, the girl was just a typical valley girl teen who didn't have anything special about her, and the other character was a 14-year old hustler, who just becomes more and more rebellious. This is why I like brainstorming so much. It morphs so many things into something you never thought of, and it's even more brilliant than the last idea you had. Now, of course, some ideas get tossed out the window, but that's all okay.
Now I said it was a brief post, so don't say I didn't warn you. How do you like to brainstorm? Do you like to brainstorm? Let me know in the comments!
-Viola June HFA-DGN
Now, my brainstorming process normally goes something like, I sit down, stare at my plot board, and force myself to think about it. Then I just progress along the story line, slowly adding stuff. Then, there are the days when my brother takes me to our local Starbucks, or to lunch, and we'll talk. Those days are the real nuggets. For example, recently me and my brother went to Starbucks, and we brainstormed. I walked away with so much extra character development in two characters I thought were underdeveloped, and now I love those two, and almost regret making one a negative character arc.
Now, not everyone brainstorms, but I, from experience, would definitely recommend it. It really is helpful to have someone as your partner, too, since there are two minds working at it. Now, I've never worked with other people, but I would think that you would also be more effective with someone you're really close to, because then you guys know each other's brain process better than most.
How you brainstorm is a tricky question, because everyone probably does it different. I like to sit down, present my brother with things I feel like there are holes in, and fill him in on my thought process and see where he runs. Today I found out that one of my characters is a nun who gets abducted right before she takes her vows. Another is a gambler who hides his age, and ends up becoming a bounty hunter. Originally, the girl was just a typical valley girl teen who didn't have anything special about her, and the other character was a 14-year old hustler, who just becomes more and more rebellious. This is why I like brainstorming so much. It morphs so many things into something you never thought of, and it's even more brilliant than the last idea you had. Now, of course, some ideas get tossed out the window, but that's all okay.
Now I said it was a brief post, so don't say I didn't warn you. How do you like to brainstorm? Do you like to brainstorm? Let me know in the comments!
-Viola June HFA-DGN
Monday, June 29, 2015
Ideas, Ideas.
Hello again! So today I'll be talking about ideas, if only briefly.
Yesterday I was thinking about my newest project, and I was wondering "What could I add?" Because my biggest writer problem, is that I condense things, and need extra plot to keep the story going. So, I was sitting on my bed, commuter on lap, and I glanced off to the side, where my bed table is, and saw my Bible (If you have read the page about the blog's name, then you already know that I'm a Christian). I picked it up, deciding to try something for plot points. I flipped to a random page and chose a verse. It was Song of Soloman 8, and it said something about a pile of pomegranates. I thought "huh. What if they ran into a pile of fruit? Where would the fruit come from? Where would it go? (where would it come from Cotten-Eyed Joe)" And I brainstormed off that single verse. Now, I understand you might not be Christian, but thankfully, this method works for any book, not just the Bible. Just pick up a book and brainstorm off one random sentence you come across. It gave me 5 plot ideas for my book, so it seems a reasonable method, right?
Now, I agree with what many writers say. Don't wait around for ideas and inspiration to come say hi. You have got to sit down and write, inspired or not. But I prefer to be inspired. Another good thing to do with that method is to find an idea, mid-writing, and put the idea right where you are "blocked" (Like several other writers, I too, do not believe in Writer's Block. That's waiting for Inspiration to come to you, and sometimes it has to visit other friends. In that case, it'll be a long while before it comes around to you for you to write the second chapter of the book. That book will take FOREVER to write), then see how the characters react to your random insertion.
However, don't always make it random. You really shouldn't have a pile of fruit in one scene for no reason at all. Instead, take the pile of fruit, and let the characters take some. Maybe later they'll be absolutely famished. Hey look! They now have something to keep them from dying, which is good in most cases.
How do you get ideas or inspiration? Share (If you want) in the comments!
-Viola June HFA-DGN
Yesterday I was thinking about my newest project, and I was wondering "What could I add?" Because my biggest writer problem, is that I condense things, and need extra plot to keep the story going. So, I was sitting on my bed, commuter on lap, and I glanced off to the side, where my bed table is, and saw my Bible (If you have read the page about the blog's name, then you already know that I'm a Christian). I picked it up, deciding to try something for plot points. I flipped to a random page and chose a verse. It was Song of Soloman 8, and it said something about a pile of pomegranates. I thought "huh. What if they ran into a pile of fruit? Where would the fruit come from? Where would it go? (where would it come from Cotten-Eyed Joe)" And I brainstormed off that single verse. Now, I understand you might not be Christian, but thankfully, this method works for any book, not just the Bible. Just pick up a book and brainstorm off one random sentence you come across. It gave me 5 plot ideas for my book, so it seems a reasonable method, right?
Now, I agree with what many writers say. Don't wait around for ideas and inspiration to come say hi. You have got to sit down and write, inspired or not. But I prefer to be inspired. Another good thing to do with that method is to find an idea, mid-writing, and put the idea right where you are "blocked" (Like several other writers, I too, do not believe in Writer's Block. That's waiting for Inspiration to come to you, and sometimes it has to visit other friends. In that case, it'll be a long while before it comes around to you for you to write the second chapter of the book. That book will take FOREVER to write), then see how the characters react to your random insertion.
However, don't always make it random. You really shouldn't have a pile of fruit in one scene for no reason at all. Instead, take the pile of fruit, and let the characters take some. Maybe later they'll be absolutely famished. Hey look! They now have something to keep them from dying, which is good in most cases.
How do you get ideas or inspiration? Share (If you want) in the comments!
-Viola June HFA-DGN
Friday, June 26, 2015
What Tools Do I Use to Write?
Hey guys! Okay, so everybody has different tools they use for writing and sometimes it's fun to see if anyone does something different. That's what I'm doing, showing you the tools I use to write.
The question is "what tools do I write?" And the answer is: Well, for plotting, I like to use permanent marker and post its. I'll add a pen in too, occasionally. I've also used white board to easily write things down and change them if I don't like them. Then I'll transfer the notes on that to my sticky notes.
Something else I like to use for plotting is just good ol' pen and paper, but that's not as fun.
For the actual writing process I'll use my laptop, mostly. I really want to start writing it down in pen first, because I agree with what one blogger said and that's that if you use pen and paper for your fist draft, it's helpful for editing, and you don't have to worry about the computer deleting it. While I do want to do that, I find that I don't have enough paper right now, and no funds in my pocket to buy any, so I'm sticking to my laptop. I'll also occasionally use my phone if I'm on the go, but that's tedious sometimes. Programs I use on my laptop are:
Scrivener. This is an extremely cool AND extremely organized word processor. I bought it using the winners goodies from NaNoWriMo 2014, and as of yet, I haven't regretted it.
Pages. This is the Mac's natural word processor, and sometimes I like to skip the fancy stuff and get right down to business (anyone else singing a Disney song in their head?).
iCloud. This is really helpful. At the end of the day, I'll back my work up onto my pages on iCloud, which makes it easily accessible from anywhere that has a device and Internet.
YouTube, Pandora, and Spotify. I know YouTube is not generally a music place, but sometimes if I don't want suggested music from Spotify or Pandora and just want to listen to a single album (my spotify doesn't work on the computer sometimes) I'll use YouTube, but that is rare. Pandora and Spotify kind of speak for themselves. Music.
Alphasmart Neo. Now I don't have one of these yet, but I thought I'd put it down because I am highly anticipating getting it (I'm going to get one soon). This is a word processor that does not connect to the Internet. It's basically a digital typewriter, without the distraction from the Internet and Gallaga like the computer does. (Yes that was an obscure reference to the Avengers). Sounds cool, right?
For editing I like to use the traditional red pen and printed out manuscript, but like I said, we're low on paper, so I'm not quite sure what I'll do this time around. Guess we'll have to wait and see, eh?
Well, thanks for reading, and hope your day is excellent! Au revoir!
-Viola June HFA-DGN
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