Hi there! I have returned from my wedding and honeymoon. The wedding went off perfectly, and the honeymoon was wonderful. My new husband (still feels weird to say that) and I returned Wednesday afternoon. Today I am trying to get caught up on the laundry and prepare for work.
I don’t have any pictures on my camera from the wedding (since, you know, I was IN the wedding) but I will show you some pictures of the area up in Gatlinburg, Tennessee where we got married and stayed for most of our honeymoon. On our way back into Georgia we stopped by a quaint town called Helen, which was made to resemble a Bavarian village. We had German Potato salad, and Spaetzle, and knotwurst, and all kinds of awesome German food.
We visited the aquarium right there in Gatlinburg, and we loafed around in our beautiful cabin, and did some sightseeing in Helen, but I also brought writing stuff with me. I know, I am terrible. But my husband and I both like to spend time just sitting around, so I knew I would I would have some free time. I didn’t work on a book, but I did play around with Awkwords a lot. It’s a word generator my friend Lena told me about. I use it to generate a word pool for my constructed languages (called conlangs for short).
I write urban fantasy and fantasy. Some people who write fantasy, like yours truly, enjoy making up a fake language (or two…or three…) in order to make the world seem more realistic, and have an internal sense of order to the names of the characters and cities.
You don’t have to make up a new language, or a skeleton of one, in order to make your fantasy novel work. On the contrary, I have read plenty of fantasy novels that established a realistic setting without using a conlang. But I personally enjoy making up languages, so it’s something I do for the worlds I am making from scratch.
I had a great time. I will start posting again on a regular basis starting Monday, even though the end of the month might get a little crazy, since I am moving.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
An Update (with Squirrels)
I am alive!
Just very busy. I am not exaggerating; just about every day before work I do something wedding related, and spend most of my days off getting ready too. Last Sunday, on my day off, I went shopping with my mom, and it felt like we bought half the city. But we took care of a lot of stuff we needed (cake topper, toasting glasses, and other fiddly odds and ends), so everything is coming along nicely.
I haven’t even looked at the Internet most days except in passing, and forget blogging or reading blogs. I have a lot of catching up to do, sorry guys.
Mom gave me some more pictures of the squirrels she practically tamed in their backyard, so I shall use those to break up my text.
I keep telling myself I won’t be this busy forever, but I also know that after I come back from my wedding, I will be immediately involved with preparing to move.
Last night my fiancée got his final confirmation from the Federal Aviation Association that he starts training July 30th. Yep, you read that right. We’re getting married June 19th and a month later he leaves for Oklahoma City. I am going to move in with my parents during this time, because the money they give him to train at school is a joke, and we’re going to have to pay for his living expenses out there. He will be gone for about 4 months or so.
But the great news is that when he comes back, he’ll be working out of a large radar center a few towns over, and making good money doing something that he loves.
So yes, it’s going to be a busy, busy summer.
My writing, in the meantime, has screeched to a halt. I haven’t edited in a week, I haven’t even LOOKED at my book in a week. I goofed around on the Internet yesterday doing some preliminary research for my next novel, but mostly I haven’t had the mental capacity to write or edit.
Strangely enough, I don’t feel weird. Usually when I go this long without writing, I go through withdrawal, but I have been so busy I think it’s made up for that. I have WANTED to write, however. I look longingly at my computer and manuscript and give a little whimper. My muse is going crazy. He thinks I am on strike or something, because he’s frantically throwing book ideas at me.
I read a book yesterday, and it was a little disappointing. The beginning, middle, and end all felt like they were from different books, and the character development was uneven for the main character, and nonexistent for the rest of them. I could have cared less when they all started dying off like flies.
So yes…there you have it. I am alive and doing well.
How is everything else doing? I miss all of you guys. How are all of your summers going?
Just very busy. I am not exaggerating; just about every day before work I do something wedding related, and spend most of my days off getting ready too. Last Sunday, on my day off, I went shopping with my mom, and it felt like we bought half the city. But we took care of a lot of stuff we needed (cake topper, toasting glasses, and other fiddly odds and ends), so everything is coming along nicely.
I haven’t even looked at the Internet most days except in passing, and forget blogging or reading blogs. I have a lot of catching up to do, sorry guys.
Mom gave me some more pictures of the squirrels she practically tamed in their backyard, so I shall use those to break up my text.
I keep telling myself I won’t be this busy forever, but I also know that after I come back from my wedding, I will be immediately involved with preparing to move.
Last night my fiancée got his final confirmation from the Federal Aviation Association that he starts training July 30th. Yep, you read that right. We’re getting married June 19th and a month later he leaves for Oklahoma City. I am going to move in with my parents during this time, because the money they give him to train at school is a joke, and we’re going to have to pay for his living expenses out there. He will be gone for about 4 months or so.
But the great news is that when he comes back, he’ll be working out of a large radar center a few towns over, and making good money doing something that he loves.
So yes, it’s going to be a busy, busy summer.
My writing, in the meantime, has screeched to a halt. I haven’t edited in a week, I haven’t even LOOKED at my book in a week. I goofed around on the Internet yesterday doing some preliminary research for my next novel, but mostly I haven’t had the mental capacity to write or edit.
Strangely enough, I don’t feel weird. Usually when I go this long without writing, I go through withdrawal, but I have been so busy I think it’s made up for that. I have WANTED to write, however. I look longingly at my computer and manuscript and give a little whimper. My muse is going crazy. He thinks I am on strike or something, because he’s frantically throwing book ideas at me.
I read a book yesterday, and it was a little disappointing. The beginning, middle, and end all felt like they were from different books, and the character development was uneven for the main character, and nonexistent for the rest of them. I could have cared less when they all started dying off like flies.
So yes…there you have it. I am alive and doing well.
How is everything else doing? I miss all of you guys. How are all of your summers going?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Hiatus
Okay guys. In case you haven’t noticed, I have been blogging sporactically at best. So instead of feeling guilty when I miss a blogging day, I think I am going to let you all know that through the month of June, I will not be blogging on a regular basis. It’s just too crazy between work and trying to finalize everything for the wedding.
I will try to update with prompts and pictures, but I just don’t have the time for much of anything right now. I haven’t even been checking other people’s blogs, something I miss.
So in the meantime, have a good summer, and I will see you around!
I will try to update with prompts and pictures, but I just don’t have the time for much of anything right now. I haven’t even been checking other people’s blogs, something I miss.
So in the meantime, have a good summer, and I will see you around!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Progress and Revision Note Cards
Song Playing: Wrong to Love You by Chris Isaac
Quote: “You have written a scene when something important changes.” Holly Lisle
So! Lots of progress was made over the weekend by yours truly on the editing front.
On Sunday I spent just about the entire day working on my revision note cards for my book Masquerade. I am taking a revision class (Holly Lisle’s How to Revise Your Novel), and this is one of the early steps of revision. If you have never used note cards for revision, well, allow a recent convert to sing the gospel. Revision note cards are different than plot note cards you use before you write a book.
Basically, you write one note card per scene, and condense the scene down to one very important sentence. You write the setting, protagonist, antagonist, the conflict, and the twist of the scene in one sentence. It’s difficult to get the hang of at first, but once you get it down, the process goes rather quickly.
So, for example, a complete scene might look like “At Suzy’s apartment, Suzy and Kyle argue about who will get to use the time travel machine first, but then an elephant comes out of the machine.”
Suzy’s apartment is the setting, Suzy is the protagonist, Kyle is the antagonist, their argument is the conflict, and the elephant is the twist. You don’t have to set it up in the same “setting, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, twist” order every time, but I did. It makes the scene easier for me to dissect, even if it made for some awkward sentences.
Allow me to briefly explain those elements. You all know what setting is, and the protagonist is the protagonist of THAT scene, not necessarily the protagonist of the entire book. So if you have some scenes from the book’s antagonist POV (like I do) then they become the protagonist of the scene, because it’s their needs and wants we are currently concerned with. A scene from the POV of your serial killer, for example, will place the serial killer as the antagonist, because it’s his needs we are currently wrapped up in, even if the serial killer isn’t the main protagonist of the book. Likewise, if you have secondary characters, and the scene is about what they need and want, then they are the protagonist for that scene. You as the writer gets to decide who the protagonist of each scene is, and the POV character isn’t always the protagonist of the scene, but they normally are.
In my opinion, save for rare instances, the POV character SHOULD be the protagonist of the scene, because if not, why are you writing the scene from their POV to begin with? If you are writing something from the POV of a secondary characters, like Watson is for Sherlock Holmes, then make sure you keep the focus on the protagonist, not the POV person. Through Watson, we clearly care about what Sherlock wants. It also helps that Watson’s and Sherlock’s goals are normally the same.
The antagonist is the primary character or motive power opposing the protagonist. So if someone is shooting at the protagonist, he’s clearly the antagonist. If a character’s mother isn’t letting her go to prom, the mother is the antagonist. If your character is stuck on a deserted island, then the elements are the antagonist.
The conflict is need of the protagonist against the opposing need of the antagonist. So, for our example, the argue is the conflict. The conflict can also be subtle, like a man stuck on island. That’s subtle conflict because nothing is actively opposing our stranded dude. Sometimes the conflict of the scene isn’t what you think it is, as I discovered with my book. The main character might be arguing with her parents, but the real conflict of the scene was she knew her parents would never approve of her love interest.
The twist is the element in the scene that changes, taking it in a new direction and surprising the reader. Another way to look at the twist is the plot advancement. Every single scene in your book must have a reason for being, must advance the plot in some way. This plot advancement is called the twist by Holly Lisle (and I personally like her take on it). The easiest way to figure out what the twist of the scene is to add “And then.”
Witness:
Mary and Carl were walking down the street, and then…
Mary was hit by a bus.
Carl threw her into traffic.
A large pterodactyl picked them up and carried them away.
By the way, I was really happy I got to look up "pterodactyl" on wikicommons. I don't think there are enough dinosaurs on this blog. Not enough at all.
And so on. You get the point. The reason why you were writing the scene about Mary and Carl walking down the street was so they could get picked up by a pterodactyl, because you needed to explain how they got to the Land of the Lost. In thrillers and mysteries, the twist is also when we get new information about the killer or the crime being committed.
So much for a brief explanation… but I wanted to explain everything in enough detail that if someone wanted to try this out for themselves, they would have enough information to do it properly. Or better yet, if you really like this idea, and want to know more, you could PM and ask me about the course. I would recommend it to anyone looking to streamline their revision process. I know one person’s methods aren’t going to work for everyone, but I like to find other methods of revision so I can refine my own.
Back to the revision note cards: If you are missing one of these elements, you put it in brackets at the end. So if you have a scene where the character just thinks, you put “At Suzy’s apartment, Suzy thinks about the time travel machine.” [no antagonist] [no conflict] [no twist].
I went a step further than the lesson said, and highlighted each scene element with a separate color (I am using white index cards). So I highlighted the setting green, the protagonist yellow, the antagonist blue, the conflict pink, and the twist orange.
Then, I spread out all my note cards and eyeballed my book in miniature. It was very telling. I could tell there was something wrong with some scenes while I was reading through the book, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Now, looking at my book on note cards, I can see I don’t have enough conflict, or weak conflict in a lot of the scenes.
This process sounds arduous, but it actually didn’t take too long to write everything out on a note card and highlight the different elements, and it was a lot of fun to see the end results. I moved onto the next lesson, which had you label the note cards as “Plot” for the scenes that directly related to your main story, “Subplot A” Or B, or C, whichever subplot it is. I currently have two subplots, so I have some note cards labeled Subplot A and some Subplot B. Last, for those plot lines you threw into the book, hoping for something cool but fell short, or subplots you planned that actually have nothing to do with your book (I am guilty of this one) you labeled “Not Plot”.
After I finished labeling all the cards, I pulled all the similar cards (all the cards for Subplot A, and Not Plot A for example) and laid them out in order of what happens. I could clearly see the story arc *cough* or lack of, for the main plot, each subplot, and the Not Plot.
Now I can see exactly where I dropped the ball. And let me tell you, it’s much, much, MUCH easier trying to analyze a subplot by itself, than to try and weed through the entire novel in order to catch my mistakes.
I made notes on a worksheet about any missing action, any leaps from one place to another, and any development and progression I left out. I am really excited about revision. I feel like I have a handle on the bucking bronco that is my novel.
My next step is to develop my subplots better. I think once I get them smoothed out, most of my conflict problems will go away.
I also need to strengthen the internal structure of the novel. As I mentioned earlier, I wrote this book a little over a year ago, and I have learned a lot about novel writing since then. So some of the essentials steps in novel writing I skipped and wrote by the seat of my pants. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I salute those of you who can wing an entire novel and not spend a year revising it into something readable.
What about you guys? Does anyone use note cards for brainstorming or revision, or I am the only one single-handedly keeping office supply stores in business? Does anyone have any nifty revision tricks they learned and now cannot live without? Who else thinks I need more cowbell and dinosaurs on my blog?
Quote: “You have written a scene when something important changes.” Holly Lisle
So! Lots of progress was made over the weekend by yours truly on the editing front.
On Sunday I spent just about the entire day working on my revision note cards for my book Masquerade. I am taking a revision class (Holly Lisle’s How to Revise Your Novel), and this is one of the early steps of revision. If you have never used note cards for revision, well, allow a recent convert to sing the gospel. Revision note cards are different than plot note cards you use before you write a book.
Basically, you write one note card per scene, and condense the scene down to one very important sentence. You write the setting, protagonist, antagonist, the conflict, and the twist of the scene in one sentence. It’s difficult to get the hang of at first, but once you get it down, the process goes rather quickly.
So, for example, a complete scene might look like “At Suzy’s apartment, Suzy and Kyle argue about who will get to use the time travel machine first, but then an elephant comes out of the machine.”
Suzy’s apartment is the setting, Suzy is the protagonist, Kyle is the antagonist, their argument is the conflict, and the elephant is the twist. You don’t have to set it up in the same “setting, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, twist” order every time, but I did. It makes the scene easier for me to dissect, even if it made for some awkward sentences.
Allow me to briefly explain those elements. You all know what setting is, and the protagonist is the protagonist of THAT scene, not necessarily the protagonist of the entire book. So if you have some scenes from the book’s antagonist POV (like I do) then they become the protagonist of the scene, because it’s their needs and wants we are currently concerned with. A scene from the POV of your serial killer, for example, will place the serial killer as the antagonist, because it’s his needs we are currently wrapped up in, even if the serial killer isn’t the main protagonist of the book. Likewise, if you have secondary characters, and the scene is about what they need and want, then they are the protagonist for that scene. You as the writer gets to decide who the protagonist of each scene is, and the POV character isn’t always the protagonist of the scene, but they normally are.
In my opinion, save for rare instances, the POV character SHOULD be the protagonist of the scene, because if not, why are you writing the scene from their POV to begin with? If you are writing something from the POV of a secondary characters, like Watson is for Sherlock Holmes, then make sure you keep the focus on the protagonist, not the POV person. Through Watson, we clearly care about what Sherlock wants. It also helps that Watson’s and Sherlock’s goals are normally the same.
The antagonist is the primary character or motive power opposing the protagonist. So if someone is shooting at the protagonist, he’s clearly the antagonist. If a character’s mother isn’t letting her go to prom, the mother is the antagonist. If your character is stuck on a deserted island, then the elements are the antagonist.
The conflict is need of the protagonist against the opposing need of the antagonist. So, for our example, the argue is the conflict. The conflict can also be subtle, like a man stuck on island. That’s subtle conflict because nothing is actively opposing our stranded dude. Sometimes the conflict of the scene isn’t what you think it is, as I discovered with my book. The main character might be arguing with her parents, but the real conflict of the scene was she knew her parents would never approve of her love interest.
The twist is the element in the scene that changes, taking it in a new direction and surprising the reader. Another way to look at the twist is the plot advancement. Every single scene in your book must have a reason for being, must advance the plot in some way. This plot advancement is called the twist by Holly Lisle (and I personally like her take on it). The easiest way to figure out what the twist of the scene is to add “And then.”
Witness:
Mary and Carl were walking down the street, and then…
Mary was hit by a bus.
Carl threw her into traffic.
A large pterodactyl picked them up and carried them away.
By the way, I was really happy I got to look up "pterodactyl" on wikicommons. I don't think there are enough dinosaurs on this blog. Not enough at all.
And so on. You get the point. The reason why you were writing the scene about Mary and Carl walking down the street was so they could get picked up by a pterodactyl, because you needed to explain how they got to the Land of the Lost. In thrillers and mysteries, the twist is also when we get new information about the killer or the crime being committed.
So much for a brief explanation… but I wanted to explain everything in enough detail that if someone wanted to try this out for themselves, they would have enough information to do it properly. Or better yet, if you really like this idea, and want to know more, you could PM and ask me about the course. I would recommend it to anyone looking to streamline their revision process. I know one person’s methods aren’t going to work for everyone, but I like to find other methods of revision so I can refine my own.
Back to the revision note cards: If you are missing one of these elements, you put it in brackets at the end. So if you have a scene where the character just thinks, you put “At Suzy’s apartment, Suzy thinks about the time travel machine.” [no antagonist] [no conflict] [no twist].
I went a step further than the lesson said, and highlighted each scene element with a separate color (I am using white index cards). So I highlighted the setting green, the protagonist yellow, the antagonist blue, the conflict pink, and the twist orange.
Then, I spread out all my note cards and eyeballed my book in miniature. It was very telling. I could tell there was something wrong with some scenes while I was reading through the book, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Now, looking at my book on note cards, I can see I don’t have enough conflict, or weak conflict in a lot of the scenes.
This process sounds arduous, but it actually didn’t take too long to write everything out on a note card and highlight the different elements, and it was a lot of fun to see the end results. I moved onto the next lesson, which had you label the note cards as “Plot” for the scenes that directly related to your main story, “Subplot A” Or B, or C, whichever subplot it is. I currently have two subplots, so I have some note cards labeled Subplot A and some Subplot B. Last, for those plot lines you threw into the book, hoping for something cool but fell short, or subplots you planned that actually have nothing to do with your book (I am guilty of this one) you labeled “Not Plot”.
After I finished labeling all the cards, I pulled all the similar cards (all the cards for Subplot A, and Not Plot A for example) and laid them out in order of what happens. I could clearly see the story arc *cough* or lack of, for the main plot, each subplot, and the Not Plot.
Now I can see exactly where I dropped the ball. And let me tell you, it’s much, much, MUCH easier trying to analyze a subplot by itself, than to try and weed through the entire novel in order to catch my mistakes.
I made notes on a worksheet about any missing action, any leaps from one place to another, and any development and progression I left out. I am really excited about revision. I feel like I have a handle on the bucking bronco that is my novel.
My next step is to develop my subplots better. I think once I get them smoothed out, most of my conflict problems will go away.
I also need to strengthen the internal structure of the novel. As I mentioned earlier, I wrote this book a little over a year ago, and I have learned a lot about novel writing since then. So some of the essentials steps in novel writing I skipped and wrote by the seat of my pants. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I salute those of you who can wing an entire novel and not spend a year revising it into something readable.
What about you guys? Does anyone use note cards for brainstorming or revision, or I am the only one single-handedly keeping office supply stores in business? Does anyone have any nifty revision tricks they learned and now cannot live without? Who else thinks I need more cowbell and dinosaurs on my blog?
Friday, May 21, 2010
Why Life Will NOT Be Like Star Trek
Also another hilarious website.
Life will NOT be like Star Trek
This is an article by the guy who wrote the “Dilbert” comic. I laughed the entire time I was reading this. I think the funniest thing about this article is it’s TRUE! That’s exactly how people would respond to those technologies!
This also provides a nice reminder to science fiction writers to remember to extrapolate with your new inventions. Don’t assume that people will use these inventions exactly as they are intended.
Have a happy Friday guys! Back to the revision trenches for me!
Life will NOT be like Star Trek
This is an article by the guy who wrote the “Dilbert” comic. I laughed the entire time I was reading this. I think the funniest thing about this article is it’s TRUE! That’s exactly how people would respond to those technologies!
This also provides a nice reminder to science fiction writers to remember to extrapolate with your new inventions. Don’t assume that people will use these inventions exactly as they are intended.
Have a happy Friday guys! Back to the revision trenches for me!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Plot-o-matic
Okay, this website is tons of fun.
Plot-o-matic
I was looking for some good plot prompt generators, and found this little beauty. Totally not usable for a story, but oh so much fun to play with.
Here is my screenplay. I expect Hollywood to call any minute now:
Things Go BOOM!
An original screenplay concept
by Elizabeth Poole
Period Piece: A precocious child teams up with a well-built female cyborg to win a wager. In the process they sign a suicide pact with a super intelligent chimpanzee. By the end of the movie they shoot 42 oogly mothers-in-law and end up winning the admiration of their spouses, living happily ever after.
Think Priscilla, Queen of the Desert meets Equilibrium.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [CUT HERE] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
How to make a million: Print this page now. Make a copy, send it to your favorite movie studio, and before you know it an armored car will pull up to your door and unload bag after bag of beautiful green entertainment bucks. And they’ll be yours to do whatever you wish!
Isn’t that just pure genius?
Enjoy!
Plot-o-matic
I was looking for some good plot prompt generators, and found this little beauty. Totally not usable for a story, but oh so much fun to play with.
Here is my screenplay. I expect Hollywood to call any minute now:
Things Go BOOM!
An original screenplay concept
by Elizabeth Poole
Period Piece: A precocious child teams up with a well-built female cyborg to win a wager. In the process they sign a suicide pact with a super intelligent chimpanzee. By the end of the movie they shoot 42 oogly mothers-in-law and end up winning the admiration of their spouses, living happily ever after.
Think Priscilla, Queen of the Desert meets Equilibrium.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [CUT HERE] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
How to make a million: Print this page now. Make a copy, send it to your favorite movie studio, and before you know it an armored car will pull up to your door and unload bag after bag of beautiful green entertainment bucks. And they’ll be yours to do whatever you wish!
Isn’t that just pure genius?
Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A Plot Bunny for You
One month from today, I will be getting married! Yippee!
Okay, done with the mushy real life stuff!
Back to the blog.
I have recently found a great website for writing prompts, otherwise known as Plot Bunnies (You all know what a plot bunny is, right? It's an idea that spreads through your manuscript, procreating like...well, bunnies. The new idea usually have nothing to do with the main plot, and can lead you astray. But sometimes plot bunnies can spark some creativity to your first draft and take it places you never imagined.). I don't like to use writing prompts to write something completely new, but they have helped me out of a sticky scene a time or two, or recharged a saggy manuscript.
So I thought I would post some of the more interesting ones on my blog from time to time.
I can hear you groaning from here.
I promise, I will only post the prompts I think are different, and actually have a chance of sparking someone's imagination. I don't like the writing prompts like "A man meets a mysterious stranger". Too vague. A good writing prompt should spark something inside you, and make you immediately think of the possibilities. I will only post the most high quality, writer-tested prompts for your enjoyment.
And before you scoff, saying “I don’t need no stinkin’ prompts”, remember the last time you stared at the computer screen, knowing the story should be going somewhere but you aren’t sure where?
Sometimes prompts can help. They can provide a springboard for you to jump into the scene in a cool new fashion. Most prompts I have used never go into the book exactly as it reads, but are changed to fit the story or situation. Sometimes I don’t even use the prompt itself, but thinking about the prompt made me think of something else, which in turn made me think how cool it would be if…you get the idea.
Think of them as inspiration Energy Drinks. A Red Bull for your Muse, if you will.
Here is today’s prompt, from the Forward Motion for Writers forum story idea generator:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
FIRST IMPRESSIONS...
You only get one chance to make a good first impression, and that's never truer than in fiction. What you write about a character when they first enter a story will create that character in the reader’s mind, so make sure the intro counts!
Today, see how many one line character sketches you can do, giving attention to making a vivid first impression for each of them. For example:
'Long blonde hair and a face so sweet it was hard to believe she could be standing there with the bloody knife still in her hand, the smell of death and gunpowder clinging to her gown like lilies in at a funeral.'
Okay, your turn!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
I especially like this one for vamping up your secondary and tertiary characters. Not exactly main characters, but people that exist in your story to make it more real.
You could also revamp the introduction to your main characters, paying attention to the most unique details of the person. Let us know who that character is immediately, and your chance of hooking the reader goes up exponentially.
So what do you guys think? Do you like the prompt? Should I be burned at the stake for posting a such cliché writing tool? Do you have a favorite search engine for story prompts? How do you like to use them?
I would also love to know if anyone has actually created an entire book from a writing prompt. I assume this mythological creature exists, but I have yet to sight one.
Okay, done with the mushy real life stuff!
Back to the blog.
I have recently found a great website for writing prompts, otherwise known as Plot Bunnies (You all know what a plot bunny is, right? It's an idea that spreads through your manuscript, procreating like...well, bunnies. The new idea usually have nothing to do with the main plot, and can lead you astray. But sometimes plot bunnies can spark some creativity to your first draft and take it places you never imagined.). I don't like to use writing prompts to write something completely new, but they have helped me out of a sticky scene a time or two, or recharged a saggy manuscript.
So I thought I would post some of the more interesting ones on my blog from time to time.
I can hear you groaning from here.
I promise, I will only post the prompts I think are different, and actually have a chance of sparking someone's imagination. I don't like the writing prompts like "A man meets a mysterious stranger". Too vague. A good writing prompt should spark something inside you, and make you immediately think of the possibilities. I will only post the most high quality, writer-tested prompts for your enjoyment.
And before you scoff, saying “I don’t need no stinkin’ prompts”, remember the last time you stared at the computer screen, knowing the story should be going somewhere but you aren’t sure where?
Sometimes prompts can help. They can provide a springboard for you to jump into the scene in a cool new fashion. Most prompts I have used never go into the book exactly as it reads, but are changed to fit the story or situation. Sometimes I don’t even use the prompt itself, but thinking about the prompt made me think of something else, which in turn made me think how cool it would be if…you get the idea.
Think of them as inspiration Energy Drinks. A Red Bull for your Muse, if you will.
Here is today’s prompt, from the Forward Motion for Writers forum story idea generator:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
FIRST IMPRESSIONS...
You only get one chance to make a good first impression, and that's never truer than in fiction. What you write about a character when they first enter a story will create that character in the reader’s mind, so make sure the intro counts!
Today, see how many one line character sketches you can do, giving attention to making a vivid first impression for each of them. For example:
'Long blonde hair and a face so sweet it was hard to believe she could be standing there with the bloody knife still in her hand, the smell of death and gunpowder clinging to her gown like lilies in at a funeral.'
Okay, your turn!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
I especially like this one for vamping up your secondary and tertiary characters. Not exactly main characters, but people that exist in your story to make it more real.
You could also revamp the introduction to your main characters, paying attention to the most unique details of the person. Let us know who that character is immediately, and your chance of hooking the reader goes up exponentially.
So what do you guys think? Do you like the prompt? Should I be burned at the stake for posting a such cliché writing tool? Do you have a favorite search engine for story prompts? How do you like to use them?
I would also love to know if anyone has actually created an entire book from a writing prompt. I assume this mythological creature exists, but I have yet to sight one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)