As I
mentioned before, I’m not a plotter. The
thought of outlining causes an eerie sensation to crawl up my spine. To me outlining is like school work. Not the
fun - dissecting frogs and exploding volcanoes in science lab - but more like where
the teacher drones on and on in a monotone voice that puts me to sleep. My brain gets all fuzzy and a drowsy feeling
overcomes me, effectively shutting down the creative process. However, I’m trying to approach my writing in a different way in the hopes of strengthening
the writing muscles.
Since, I don’t
know the first thing about outlining a fiction novel, I’ve been scouring the
Internet for tips. There are various
ways to go about outlining. And at this
point I’ve read so many different ways to do it, that I’m cross-eyed. The lower than average gray matter that is my
brain has gone on strike, apparently from information overload. The end result being that I’ve absorbed
nothing but I’ve bookmarked a couple of sites for future reference.
After that I
was like - “This sucks! What do I do next?”
And then it hit me – “What if I searched on YouTube?” Which I did and I’m
sure other people would’ve thought of it sooner, but I’m slow. Anyway,
there’s a five part video series with Dan Wells, author of “I Am Not a
Serial Killer”. I liked the way he
explained story structure - a seven point system not created by him. In this video he uses examples from Batman Begins, Harry Potter and The Fellowship of the Ring.
As he explains, the seven point system goes as follows:
The Seven Point System
- Hook
- Plot Turn 1
- Pinch 1
- Midpoint
- Pinch 2
- Plot Turn 2
- Resolution
Here's part one of Dan Wells on Story Structure:
Now I can refer to these videos whenever I feel stuck. And his book has been added to my TBR list.
Sometimes hearing information works better than reading it :-)
ReplyDeleteI’m a talker. I gab whether alone or with company. When trying to determine where the story is going to go next, I work things out by going through the scene out loud. If it sounds right, I write it down.
DeleteMy outlining and plotting process is very elaborate. It takes me a week if I'm inspired, even longer if the inspiration is intermittent.
ReplyDeleteI outline the entire novel, then write a paragraph for the main conflict, twists, inner desires of lead characters, their outer wants, too, and a sentence for the end of the story. After that I write one or a couple of sentences for each chapter.
Then I start fleshing out the story... somewhere along the way the characters and the situation take over everything. By the time I'm done, my plot glares at me, asking, "Why did you pencil all these sweet nothings, told me I was the soul of everything, and then put me aside to look at me--maybe--three times?"
Yes, my plots are a bit melodramatic and needy.
However, they are blueprints in the most basic sense of the word. My characters and conflict can be recognized from conflict to story, but the structure, point of view and sometimes the protagonists—yep, the protagonist—turns into something different as I write. And these changes, are the things I love most about writing and about plotting.
I knew you had a system! Wish I had one – working on it. However, those pesky characters that want to take over can be frustrating.
DeleteDon’t they know that I’m the Goddess of the novel – the Creator? The story goes where I take it, not where they want it to go. But either I’m weak minded or they’re very strong characters because they usually get their way.
I guess my stories are more character driven than plot driven.
From what you wrote about your plot being melodramatic and needy, may I suggest plotter's therapy? You two need to work on your relationship - the plot should stop being so needy and you should try not to neglect him so much. You player, you. :0)
I think we've gotten to that comfortable place in our relationship where we both pretend we are letting the other have his/her way, but in reality we are always machinating new ways to do things the way we want to. It keeps the writing love interesting.
DeleteI'm right with you on the bit about character driven stories. I always have to work extra hard on worldbuilding, for I enjoy "learning" what's going on with the characters that I've been know to neglect their dwellings. (You can see proof of that in "The Haunting," which is a first draft--I'm writing the story the day of posting and just proofreading it once before hitting the 'publish' button).
Oh, I wonder if your characters are devout free will believers ;-)
And of course I'm a plotter, my OCD wouldn't have it any other way ;-)
DeleteI've watched this lecture over quite a few times and have blogged about it too! Extremely helpful in more ways than one. Structure is sometimes so overlooked! There's a great section in the video on "pacing" too!
ReplyDeleteI've watched it a couple of times myself. Going to rewatch it to see the "pacing" part again.
DeleteThis is a really helpful lecture. I have the dream of being a published writer someday, and this was really helpful. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com
I’m glad I decided to check YouTube. He has a way of explaining the steps that didn’t bore me to sleep and that helps a lot!
DeleteI'm getting ready to outline my second book and it's been so long since the first one, I sort of don't know where to start. I'll go check this out. Thanks for the tip:)
ReplyDeleteYou’re welcome. Good luck on your second book. Now, if I can only finish my first. One day - soon - before I retire. :o)
DeleteGreat information!
ReplyDelete