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“Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.” Right you are E.L. Doctorow. I can’t argue with you.
Up until recently, I’ve been a writing pantser–someone who flies by the seat of her pants like a magic carpet. Weeeeeee!!! It was a fun, exhilarating, spontaneous, surprising, unfettered, chaotic, halting, sputtering, who-knows-how-the-heck-I-got-here way to write.
When I’ve considered a popular alternative, outlining, my skin literally crawled. No kidding. It wriggled clean off muh bones. (See why I can’t outline? I can’t even write without doubling back and making silly asides.) SO, anyway, outlining was not attractive to me. What a time and fun-sucker. Why not just jump in? I wanted to be surprised! At the same time, I liked the idea of pre-planning as a means of making steadier writing progress.
But as a card-carrying AntiOutlineist, I yearned for a way to enjoy the benefits of outlining without actual doing it. There were plenty of alternatives involving Post-it Notes, index cards or oversized sheets of paper, but I wanted something even simpler. It if could involve my adoration for list-making, that would be a bonus. That’s why I chose bullets. Round. Simple. Readily Accessible. Inexhaustible in supply.
Now, my little warm cinnamon crumb cake, you know I mean these kinds of bullets. . .
Yes,
I
knew
you
would.
When I recently approached an extensive novel revision, I chose bullets to help me compile the sequence of events and actions of my characters. I didn’t write long descriptions of each scene. I wrote just enough to ensure I’d have what I needed when I returned to my list later. As I compiled this list, naturally, I’d identify roadblocks. But then, I could easily scan back to see, and then change, the sequence of events to release that blockage. I was able to think through each character’s actions or responses and their natural consequences. I could think proactively about how to crank up the story’s tension or humor or tenderness.
And now, armed with my bullets (hardy har har), I’ve had an easier time approaching the revision process. Plus, I’ve felt energized and encouraged because the bullets serve as an assurance that it’s going to be okay. Keep going. You know you can work this out. You’ve already untangled your plot and mapped out a path for your characters. And I know they won’t fail to surprise me, so there’s still fun to be had.
E.L. Doctorow is right–we can’t just yack about writing, we need to actually do it. But, before you do, see how you like writing with a batch of bullets by your side. G’head. Give it a shot. (Ouch.)
I’m one of those writers who tends to be really good at making outlines and sticking to them. I’m very good at doing that, but I don’t like it. It sort of takes a lot of the fun out. ~ Neil Gaiman
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about Inciting Incidents that seemed to be helpful for a lot of our readers at PubCrawl, and I’ve had a few requests to continue dissecting story beats. So I’ve decided to tackle the next one on my list: The Midpoint.
I am sort of making up my own story beats here, loosely cobbled together from Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat, K.M. Weiland’s website Helping Writers Become Authors, and our own PubCrawl alumna Janice Hardy’s Fiction University. I myself don’t actually adhere to story beats all that strictly when I’m drafting; I figure the beats out when I revise.
I know a lot of writers struggle with middles, but I’m actually not one of them. For me, the middle of the novel is simply an extension of the beginning, and in fact, I tend to think of my books more or less in halves: the beginning, and then the end. The point that delineates the beginning from the end is the midpoint.
First of all, let me say: there is no wrong way to write a novel. Write however works best for you. For me, my stories tend to naturally structure themselves into four acts, with three inflection points: Revelation (end of Act I), Realization (end of Act II), and Resolution (end of Act III). The Realization (end of Act II) generally tends to be my Midpoint.1
So what is the Midpoint, exactly? Why is it given such emphasis in all these story structure/plot books? I mean, a middle is just the boring bridge between the opening and the ending, right?
Personally, for me, the Midpoint is the moment of greatest change; in fact, I would argue it is the top of the mountain of your story arc. Everything builds up to it, and then everything unravels from it. The Midpoint is what the beginning of your novel is working towardsand what the ending of your novel is working from. Because of this, I actually think the Midpoint of your novel is where your story reveals itself.
What do I mean by that? I mean that the sort of plot point/character development that is your Midpoint2 reveals the type of story you’re writing. The “point” of your book, as it were.
For example, in Pride & Prejudice, the Midpoint of the novel is when Darcy sends Lizzy a letter, explaining himself after she has turned down his offer of marriage. Until she reads his letter, Lizzy has been staunch in her prejudice against Mr. Darcy based on a bad first impression, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Suddenly, she realizes she has interpreted all his actions incorrectly due to a mistaken pride in her own cleverness.
And there you have it, the entire point of Pride & Prejudice, as neatly summarized by the Midpoint.
The Midpoint is often referred to as a Midpoint Reversal, because there is often some sort of reversal of fortune or big twist or some other reveal that changes the entire context of the story (as in the case of Pride & Prejudice). However, not all Midpoints involve a reversal of some kind. For example, the Midpoint of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone3 is when Harry discovers just what Hogwarts has been protecting: the eponymous stone itself. And there you have it: the point of the first Harry Potter book.
All stories, regardless of how they’re structured, have Midpoints. They may not fall in the exact middle of your book, but they are in that neighborhood nonetheless. Without them, you have a “sagging middle” and, I would argue, no actual point to your story.
So there you have it: Midpoints! Are there any other story beats you guys would like for me to cover? Sound off in the comments!
There are many, many, MANY ways to structure your novel. Traditionally, Western movies and screenplays are divided into three acts. Plays are often one or two acts. Tragedies can be five acts. Far Eastern narrative structure tends to fall into four acts. ↩
And to be honest, the Midpoint is the one of the few places in your manuscript where the plot point and character development should be the same thing. ↩
I HATE that the title was changed for the U.S. edition; it makes absolutely no sense to call it a “sorcerer’s stone” when a philosopher’s stone is a real thing. ↩
We are lucky today to present you with a guest post by not just one but two amazing authors! Laura and Melinda are the dynamic writing/editing duo behind the Roswell High series as well as some Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels. Together, they have double the insight into plotting and outlining. We hope you'll find some inspiration from their post. And be sure to check out their upcoming release, Sanctuary Bay, at the end!
Outlining With a Partner: A Craft of Writing Post by Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz
To outline or not to outline?
For us, that's not really the question. Each of us has written one book on our own without doing an outline first. That's all it took, in the 15+ years we've been writing. Once through without an outline was such a horrifying experience that we've never done it again. You'll notice that we said we did it "on our own"—as in, Melinda did it on a book she wrote by herself, and so did Laura. Together, we've never made that mistake. That's probably one of the best things about being writing partners. We didn't have to learn this lesson the hard way!
I’ve been fiddling with the opening of the second book of a trilogy, Blue Planets, for several weeks, trying to plot, trying to think of new and exciting ways to tell the story. I KNOW the story. It’s bringing it down to specifics that’s hard.
Part of my problem is that Book 1 in this trilogy opens with a scene that echoes the movie “Jaws.” That book and movie has a powerful, action packed opening image and scene that sets up the stakes clearly. My Book 1 opening echoes the action, and twists the meaning into a new, surprising direction. I like the opening I create there.
But it also set up a problem: How can I echo the “Jaws” opening for Book 2?
I’ve struggled for a couple weeks with this question and finally found the answer.
Don’t. Find another image that works.
Using a Mentor Text or Story
Perhaps, though, the process I used in the opening for Book 1 can be repeated for Book 2. I used “Jaws” as a mentor text, echoing its action and setting the stakes very high. What if I found a different mentor text/movie for the next book?
At Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat site, they’ve done a series of analyses of movie plots that are called Beat Sheets under his system. I decided to go through them and write a short summary of how I could or couldn’t echo the different movies for this opening. I knew that I had to approach it as a writing exercise and just go overboard and let the ideas flow.
In an hour, I wrote the summaries for the following twenty possible opening scenes. After, I went back and wrote a sentence of how the closing scene might echo back to the opening scene. That closing scene ideas — only written after all the opening scene summaries were completed — helped me evaluate how well this opening fit my story. Note also that I drew a blank on about three of the movie openings and couldn’t figure out how it would fit my story.
The Grunt Work: Writing 20 Possible Summaries of Opening Scene
Note: You won’t understand what some of this means, since I’m not explaining all the background, setting, characters, etc. That’s OK. The point is to see how I echoed the mentor text/story in some way. The link for each movie title goes to the Save the Cat plot analysis for that movie, where you can read the opening image synopsis and compare it to mine. You may think some of my opening as strangely at odds with the mentor text. That’s fine. I consider the mentor text/story as merely a starting point and go where the story takes me.
A la Ultron.
The opening image is of a huge conch shell that is blown and echoes throughout the ocean. Jake is swimming and hears it—has to stop up his ears it’s so loud. But no human hears it—at a weird frequency. It’s an emergency call to the Mer, but Jake doesn’t know that yet. The umjaadi plague is spreading and they still don’t know what it is. Final Echo: A hospital ward full of sick patients and the doctor telling someone that unless someone finds a cure, they’ll all die. The Mer will be gone.
A la The Conversation .
The opening image is Edinburgh, Scotland the castle with a full moon overhead. Home of Harry Potter, the setting is almost mythical. But the reality of walking the seven hills, and climbing up the highest pulls Jake back to Earth (so to speak). From the top, he sees the Frith of Forth and the bridge—with the aquarium under it, where they’ll go tomorrow. Final echo: back on the hill, Jake now understands what is beneath the waters he sees.
A la Whiplash.
Jake is swimming laps in a pool—with no one around—when Cy Blevins walks in. You’re not related to the Commander, you’re the Ambassador’s son—we know all about you. OK. So, what? You can’t live here.
Jake swims, but wants to jump out and beat up Cy. Final echo: No. Doesn’t work.
A la Birdman.
Jake is swimming and keeps asking himself, “How did we wind up here? Am I Earthling or Risonian?” He turns sharks into tour guides, he is thrilled with electric shock from eels, he talks to octopuses.
Final echo: I am Earthling.
A la Tommy Boy.
Jake is a toddler swimming on Rison and when a camouflaged creature (octopus-like) unfurls, he is startled and starts to cry. Turns to Swann for comfort, but Swann turns him around and says, SEE. Watch. Learn to see. Final echo: Swimming and points out a camouflaged creature to Swann.
A la Ratatouille.
B/w documentary about octopuses, compared with what we know today. They were once feared as monsters, but we now know they are very intelligent (playing with toys to get crabs). We see what we expect to see, and that changes slowly. (Or: what’s alien comes from what’s in OUR heads, not what we see in front of us.) Final echo: B/W Risonain documentary on first contact Earth—from the Risonian POV. We now know Earthlings are much more complicated and intelligent than we thought at first.
A la Babadook.
Go for a memory and emotion. Jake relives a moment with Em where they kiss—or almost kiss. But then shakes himself. No. She didn’t want to be friends. Final echo: A final kiss.
A la Star Trek (2009).
The camera moves along an underwater ship and reveals it to be a U-Boat. Follow with the scene of the DCS dive. Final echo: Maybe Mom is sick from something on Earth?
A la American Sniper.
(Scene with dramatic first kill – will he shoot a kid?)
Scene with dramatic first ______?
Clearly, this one didn’t work.
A a Lego Movie.
From a boat, Dr. Max Bari lowers a figure on a stretcher into the ocean, then dives in after her—without scuba gear. He tugs the stretcher deeper and deeper until there are lights in the distance. . . Final echo: Jake lifts off in a rocket ship and watches Earth get smaller and smaller in the distance, and turns his face toward Rison and hopes. . .
A la Big Hero 6.
Setting: Sanfransokyo
My Setting: Aberforth Hills
Final echo: Earth leaders touring Aberforth Hills
A la Liar Liar.
In a classroom, they are going around telling what their fathers do. A young Jake says his father is a test tube. No, it’s the Leader of our People. No, it’s really a test tube. Final echo: Jake with Dad.
A la Fury.
(Ambush of triumphant soldier by vanquished.) No ideas. Didn’t work for me.
A la Gone Girl.
(Sharp contrast of emotions: head on shoulder of husband contrasted with his thoughts of killing her. Result: Worry for her safety)
Contrasting emotions? Invade Earth and just take it! Take the long, slow route to a long-term healthy relationship.
Mom is giving a speech to the world leaders about Rison’s needs. Jake is drawing pictures of skulls and wishing he could blast all of Earth so Risonians could take over. How can they ever live together on the same planet and not kill each other? Final echo: Fight that ends in a truce.
A la Guardians of the Galaxy.
Sitting alone, Jake is listening to a cd mix that Em gave him and wishing they hadn’t quarreled. He gets a call from Marisa, who says she wants to meet with him. I hear you’re going to Edinburgh. Mom and Dad aren’t saying much—but I think Em has been kidnapped and they know who did it, but they won’t go after her. I think she’s somewhere near Edinburgh. Final echo: Jake gives Em a cd of Risonian operas and says, I’ll be back with the cure.
A la How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Jake is spinning a globe of the world and narrating for his class (OR Swann) back home-videoconference call. He tells of how Earthlings/US once put it’s citizens in jail because they “might” have been traitors. How they questioned the loyalty of citizen merely because of their heritage. How unfair it is and how he’s worried that the Risonians will be even more feared and how suspicion will abound. Final echo: Suspicious news reports: There are fears that Jake Quad-di is returning home with intelligence that will allow the Risonians to attack. His mother, Ambassador Dayexi Quad-di assures us that he only returns to bring back a cure for the Phoke. But why would he risk his life for them?
A la Twilight Zone.
The camera pans across oceans, racing across the seas, until it zooms in on a conference room where Mom is talking to world leaders, a clear image of politics/diplomacy. Final echo: Not emotional enough to pursue.
A la Muppets Most Wanted.
Start with pan down from The End—the last movie—and sing about how the studio ordered a sequel. Final echo: No. Don’t like this metadata stuff.
A la Her.
Jake is writing a letter to the editor, or editorial or something—and we pull back to see that he’s writing it for Mom. He’s her assistant now, and she trusts his knowledge of English and culture. (Not emotional enough. HER is a love story, so the emotions there are about truly falling in love. It’s not going to work in this story.)
A la Inside Llewyn Davis.
The scene opens on a rowdy swimming pool with kids taking bets. Jake lines up with another guy and when the whistle blows, the other boy dives in and races away. When that guy touches the opposite wall, Jake dives in, velcroes his legs and swims. He almost beats the other guy back, but is won out by a touch.
I win! Says the other swimmer.
Jake shakes his head. He swam almost twice as fast—and the Earthling says he won? That’s crazy.
We’re never letting you compete in the Olympics! Says one kid.
Final echo: Argument: You think I can do miracles. Sure, I can outswim any human boy, but on Rison, I’m nothing. I’m just a normal kid. How can I find the cure to the umjaadi in time? I can’t. But I have to try.
Notice that I didn’t hold myself to an impossible standard. If the movie’s opening didn’t spark something almost immediately, I moved on. Further, I didn’t stop at just one try. I persevered, knowing that I needed to fully explore my options.
Evaluate the Possible Openings
After writing all of these, I had to evaluate which one fit my story best. First, I went back and added the Final Echo to each, so I’d know if it fit the theme/plot/characters well enough to carry through the whole story. In other words, I double checked my ideas about the story, my intentions.
Then I asked these questions of each opening:
Which sets the tone I want?
Which sets the emotional problems?
Which sets the themes?
Which one sets up the stakes as very high?
Results of Opening Images Writing Exercise
I found several good images that took me in new and different directions than I’d previously been trying—and that’s exciting.
Warning conch shell – warning comes true, all Mer sick.
Jake as toddler scared by octopus-like creature un-camouflaging – Watches old Risonian documentary and realizes that Earthlings are complicated.
Dr. Max lowers a patient into the water and goes into a foreign world – Jake lifts off in rocket for a foreign world.
Listens to Em’s cd – gives her a cd when he leaves.
Jake narrates the globe – a news show narrates Jake’s trip to Rison.
Jake outswims Earthlings – but realizes he’s just a normal kid on Rison.
Which one did I choose? Actually, several. Because I have a main plot and several subplots, I realized that several of these can work in sequence to open the different subplots.
Sometimes, I approach a story methodically, just doing a writing exercise. This time, I was stuck, and the exercise unstuck me. That was a valuable hour of writing!
One of the problems with regular blogging is that you sometimes feel like every single post should be breathtaking, new, insightful, and most of all exciting. But, truly, none of us has anything new or exciting to say. Maybe different ways to say the same thing. Or new-to-us insights into the same old material. Disclaimer: this is one of those mundane posts that may not have anything new to say, but perhaps it at least offers a new twist on the same old stuff.
Random Thought #1: Strategies for first draft writing come in all different sizes. Some like outlines, some prefer complete plot diagrams, some are pantsers (writing by the seat of your pants). I'm usually a pantser. I frequently know where I'm starting and where I'd like to end up, and maybe a few scenes in the middle, but beyond that, my first drafts are where I discover how I'm going to get from start to finish. I have a lot of fun with rough drafts, even though it's agonizing to create something out of nothing. Here's one thing I've discovered that helps me keep the momentum going--I stop writing before the scene or chapter is over. I send the character into the midst of the problem of the moment, build the tension, and then leave the character there while I go make dinner or whatever. A lot of my writing takes place in the synapses of my brain while I'm doing other stuff, so I let the character be in trouble for a day or two or three and when I come back to the writing, often the character has figured out a great maneuver or solution. I can write that scene, which moves me into the next one, and then I leave the character hanging off the edge of the cliff for a while again.
Random Thought #2: Things not to say to writers. Most of you reading this are writers, so if you'd like to cut and paste this section into an email to all your family and friends, you have my blessing.
"That's cute." No, cute isn't what I was going for. I don't do cute. So "cute" to me just means you're not getting what I'm writing. Or else you're illiterate and have no idea what you read. Or maybe you didn't really read it at all. Typically for me, the people who describe what I've written as cute are, in this order: 1) my mother, and 2) any of my mother's friends. So I don't show them my writing anymore. It is now my policy that anyone who calls my writing "cute" will never again have the privilege of reading it.
"How's your great American novel coming?" I hate this for several reasons. First, it implies that I am ignorant of the publishing industry and I think my novel is the ONE and ONLY important piece of literature of my age. Second, it assumes that I have only one novel in me, ignoring the many others I have already written. Also, it suggests that I'm never really going to finish this thing (despite the fact that I have already completed others), because I'm not really working at it, nor do I really have any serious intent of writing professionally.
"I like it." Okay, I know, we all like to hear this--once the thing is published and public. But until then, if I'm sharing my writing with you, it's because I want your feedback, your critique. When you have nothing useful to say, I know you aren't a helpful critiquer, which means, again, that I probably won't be sharing with you anymore. I need critique, by golly, not admiration. I'll call you when the book is for sale, since I know you'll "like it."
Random Thought #3: Why do others want characters to act consistently? People aren't consistent, are we? Nobody I know is consistent. Sure, someone might highly value honesty, say, but they sometimes fudge the truth or tell a "white lie," rationalizing it by saying it spares the feelings of others. I know some people who are definitely one persona when out in public and quite another when they're at home. I think the secret of writing characters who aren't consistent is to make sure the inconsistency doesn't appear just at the moment of highest tension or just jump up when it suits the situation. You have to build the character's inconsistency into the persona and voice of that character from the beginning of the book, so that when the moment comes for that inconsistency to rear its ugly head, it is not a surprise to the reader. Plus, most of us here are children's writers, and kids are constantly changing--sometimes for the better, but not always. So the characters in kid lit should be, I think, inconsistent too. It's a way for them to learn about themselves, see ways that the characters grow, and contemplate their own path.
There you have it--all the wisdom floating around in my brain today. Well, I do have lots of other wisdom about all kinds of other things, but I don't think you want to here that right now.
by Neysa CM Jensen
up in Boise, Idaho
0 Comments on Random, Possibly Helpful, Thoughts as of 12/22/2014 10:56:00 PM
Many years ago I attended a writing conference and one of the authors recommended writing your entire story, then throwing it away and writing it again. The rationale was that writing the first time was to help you get to know the characters. Writing the second time was to finesse it and tease out your […]
Returning to my recent obsession with outlining, I would like to offer a cool exercise from author Alicia Rasley that allows you to lay out the key points of your novel in a mere thirty minutes. It covers many basics that I typically consider for months and collects disparate pieces of information in one place. [I suspect that this would be a great exercise to complete in preparation for NaNoWriMo.] The timer aspect is also compelling in that it requires you to figure out all of the broad strokes in short order before you are tempted to sit down and try to fill in the details.
I particularly appreciate the fact that this exercise focuses on making the main character likeable and helps you figure out where to begin telling your story. While I have not yet tried this particular approach to the outline, it also seems that it would be extremely helpful in determining how external and internal conflict intersect (a particular difficulty of mine).
If you try this technique, please let me know how it works out for you. Look for me to do the same. Happy outlining! --Jeanne Marie
4 Comments on Wednesday Writing Workout: Your 30-Minute Novel, last added: 6/10/2013
I love this idea. This might help writers who don't normally use an outline and who tend to get bogged down in the details while trying to get a sense of the big picture. I'll be trying this in the next few days. Thanks!
WOW! Thank you AGAIN, Jeanne Marie, for this brilliant exercise. I'm not only sending this on too to my writers, I'm doing the exercise myself for my W-I-P. Your Fan Esther
Happy summer vacation to those of you who have already begun! My college students have finished their semester, but my husband and kids have two weeks to slog through. We are currently in major countdown mode, and my little bookworm has piles of library books all over the house in earnest preparation for lots of reading time.
I tried to sucker Kate into writing a "guest post" today to give some insight into the mind of an 8-year-old who loves to read (and write), but she was not so inclined. She did tell me, after much consideration, that she reads to "find out what happens next." While she talks to us primarily about snippets of scenes or dialogue or characters (Allie Finkle's BFF has come up often recently in real-life analogy), it's the plot that gets her to turn the pages. She added that the chapter titles often entice her to keep reading. I was somewhat surprised to hear this tidbit, but then I remembered her methodology for writing stories of her own. She scrawls out chapter titles and then writes content to bear them out in fulfillment of a nebulous plan that she somehow manages to bring to fruition. I suppose this is her personal method of outlining. [Kate also says that she likes to write stories because "you can write whatever you want instead of having to write what your teacher tells you."]
The topic of outlining reminds me of a graphic I've seen floating around on facebook recently, showing handwritten outlines of famous authors' works: http://imgur.com/a/cqWsJ
(I'm sure many of you have seen this, yes?)
I outline in narrative form (akin to a screenplay treatment), so I was intrigued by the depth and complexity of this spreadsheet format. I was particularly interested in JK Rowling's outline, and google helped me find this analysis:
Wow! She not only relates each main even to each subplot, but she knows the day on the week that it happened. As well she should. As well I should! It seems I have a lot of work cut out for me and, thank goodness, finally some time to do it.
Wishing a happy, relaxing, and productive summer to all! I am about to dive into a friend's WIP and give myself a major dose of inspiration. And, in the spirit of "reading is writing," don't forget to enter our latest giveaway contest to win a copy of This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy J. Cavanaugh. I can't wait to read this one, myself. :) -- Jeanne Marie
2 Comments on Plotting My Summer, last added: 6/7/2013
Oh, I'd love to see a guest post from Kate. Maybe when she's a bit older. :-) I'd never seen those images of famous authors' outlines, JM. Intriguing. Happy summer to you!
THANK YOU, Jeanne Marie, for sharing these spread sheets. I will share them promptly with my writers! I use a real-time calendar myself when plotting but I always thought it was because I was so darn CONCRETE! :) I, too, would like your Kate to be our Very First Young Reader Poster. Esther, who's reading this blog way too late in the week.
David Farland is an award-winning, New York Times Bestselling Author with over 50 novels in print. He has won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for "Best Novel in the English Language" for his science fiction novel On My Way to Paradise, the Whitney Award for "Best Novel of the Year" for his historical novel In the Company of Angels, and the International Book Award for "Best Young Adult Novel of the Year" for his fantasy thriller Nightingale—among many others.
Recently Dave released a book geared toward writing titled Million Dollar Outlines. In it he discusses how to write a novel or screenplay that has a wide readership, giving it the potential to become a bestseller.
Some of his past writing students that have gone on to success include #1 New York Times Bestsellers such as Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), James Dashner (The Maze Runner) and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight).
Along with providing writers with outline and audience analysis methods, Dave also offers 28 “plotting tools” in Million Dollar Outlines. A plotting tool is basically a technique that can make your story more exciting, interesting, satisfying, or complete.
Today, Dave is going to share one with us:
Crucibles
When we talk about writing, there are three kinds of crucibles—crucibles of setting, relationship, or condition. We’ll talk about those in a moment, but first we need to define, “What is a crucible?”
In metal-smithing, a crucible is a container used to hold metal or liquid as it boils. For example, to melt gold, one takes a heavy bowl made from steel and sets it in a fire. The steel, which can withstand higher temperatures than gold, doesn’t melt. But the small container quickly becomes super-heated, so that the gold liquefies in moments.
In fiction, a crucible is any setting, condition, or relationship that keeps characters (such as a protagonist and an antagonist) from splitting apart.
By forcing these characters to remain together, we may sometimes create an almost intolerable atmosphere. It allows us to super-charge the relationships, raise the heat.
For example, imagine that John and Mary have been married for years, but have grown apart. They decide that they don’t love each other anymore. The logical thing for them to do would be to divorce and split up, right?
But there’s no story in that! The characters could easily resolve the situation by leaving—so as a writer you need them to stay together.
So imagine that John and Mary have grown apart, but both love their six-month-old daughter. Neither is willing to end the relationship so long as they risk losing the child. Now you have a crucible, a binding force that keeps the two together.
But there are different kinds of crucibles. Maybe it is a child. But maybe you could do the same by putting them both in a car and having them get stuck in a snowstorm. The car is a different kind of container from the relationship, but both work to keep the couple together.
So here are the three different types of crucibles.
Crucibles of Setting
A setting may act as a crucible. You’ve all seen comedies where several people are stuck in a cabin in a snowstorm, and each of them is at the other’s throat. You will also quickly remember the movie “Snakes on a Plane,” even if you’ve never seen it. A crucible of setting might be a story set in your characters’ workplace, on a ship, or in a small town. The important point is to keep the characters together as much as possible, and to let personalities rub against one another until their tempers boil.
Crucibles of Relationship
You can never escape your family. You might try, but often the family relationship is a crucible. A child wanting to leave home is in a crucible in the same way that a father who must pay child-support is in a crucible. Any two people who are married are in a crucible, as are any two people who happen to just be in love.
I recall a fine western when I was young about two heroic cowboys who are both in love with the same woman. They are forced to band together to rescue her from a kidnapper. The men hate each other, and as the audience gets to know each man better, they both come to vie for our affections.
Soldiers in a squadron will find themselves in a crucible. For example, in The Lord of the Rings, those who had joined the Fellowship were thrust into a crucible—a small band of men forced to band together for their own protection. It may be that your character finds himself fighting beside someone he detests—a murderer or a rapist—and yet he is unable to walk away from the conflict.
A crucible may also be your conflict with your culture. We’ve probably all known various folks—Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc., who try to leave their religion behind but can never stop talking about it. But it doesn’t have to be your religious culture. My father ran away from the Blue Ridge Mountains to escape the hillbilly lifestyle. I had a girlfriend who left her fine home in Southern California because she despised her family’s wealth. In the movie My Big, Fat Greek Wedding, we have a girl whose main conflict comes about when she is embarrassed by her ethnic roots.
Crucibles of Condition
An intolerable condition may also be a crucible—such as an illness that two very different characters may join forces to beat. We see this type of crucible used every week as Doctor House tries to solve the latest medical mystery. But you can also set your characters up to fight an economic or political condition—the hunger in India, the tribalism of North Africa.
The condition might be something as mundane as crime in the streets. Policemen who despise one another are often found joining forces to fight drug lords, rapists, and other types of crime.
So as you form your story, consider how you might strengthen your conflicts by developing one or more crucibles.
To learn about the rest of Dave’s plotting tools, or how to write for a wide audience, you’ll have to check out his book: http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Outlines-ebook/dp/B00B9JYJ6W/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Here are some of the reviews it’s received so far:
“Mr Farland didn't write a book about outlines; at least not only outlines. This book shows you how to write a book, story, and screenplay from blank page to your first million. I can only imagine better instruction from Mr Farland in person, and plan to take one of his workshops based on the strength of this work alone.”
—Big Nate, Amazon
“Actually, I have a book on novel outlining which has like 5 stars ratings. It is way boring. I just couldn't get through it. So when I learned David had written a book on outlining, I knew he could do the topic justice...and make it interesting. . . . Since David wrote this, I KNEW he had something UNIQUE to teach, that is, his viewpoint, his experience and his SYSTEM. Plus, I knew his conversational, no fluff way of writing/teaching would drive me, compelling me to devour it. And it does.”
—C. Jack
Can you think of any more examples of crucibles? Can you see a way to strengthen your own story by adding a crucible? Leave a comment and let us know!
0 Comments on David Farland on Outlining and Resonance as of 3/6/2013 9:44:00 PM
I want to take a look at the stages of writing a novel. So what better place to begin than before the beginning? The big P! No I don't mean a prologue! I mean preparation. I know some of you Pantsers out there are scoffing and getting ready to skim - but wait just a second! Because I (as most of you know) tend to be a Pantser as well. The thing is, there are some things I have to prepare ahead of time to make the whole process easier later on. Of course each project is different, but for arguments sake, let's take a look at a fictitious book.
Let's say I wake up at 3 AM and decide - this is it! I am going to write a book about a human raised by vampires! After basking in the glow of my brilliance (serious exaggeration), I decide to use my newfound energy and excitement to start planning.
Step one: Who is my protagonist?
I know I've said it before, but I need someone who does NOT belong/thrive in this situation. In this case? How about a boy with hemophilia? A delicate boy, who is very scientifically oriented... Yes, I think that would do nicely. Let's call him Eugene for the purposes of this example.
Step Two: What is my plot?
So I have a situation, but that's NOT a plot! What is going to be Eugene's problem he'll have to solve? And what will get in his way? Maybe His parents are framed for a crime by another vampire and he has to clear them. But to do that he has to come to terms with his disbelief of the supernatural and face his greatest fear - bloodletting.
At this point I would try to write a one sentence pitch, followed by a summary, and finally the beat sheet from Save the Cat. That's all the outlining I do. And chances are a lot of it will change as I go, but at least I have a guideline to work with.
Step Three: Research!
At this point I would research what other books are out there in this genre that might be good comp books. I might find out that *gasp* vampire books aren't selling well right now! In which case I might decide to change the whole vampire thing. But since this is just an example, we'll keep going.
I'd also research any other real life issues associated with the book. I'd want to check out hemophilia for example to make sure I depict it accurately and without stereotypes.
Step Four: Other Notes
20 Comments on Preparing To Write A Novel, last added: 3/29/2012
I do a lot of prep work too. I don't to as much research as I used to because i know much better after I write the first draft my exact needs - this way I don't waste time researching info I don't need. When I sit down I like to know exactly where my story is going - even if it changes!
I do a lot of this, sometimes over the course of a few hours, and sometimes over a matter of months. It depends on the project. I think there's also a certain amount of emotional gearing-up that happens--it takes a lot of sustained energy to write a novel, and I tend to write mine quickly, over the course of a few weeks, so I have to really be ready when I begin.
This is a great list. The longer I write, the more I realize the value in prep work. I've been stuck with two separate MG manuscripts and I think it's because I've lacked the prep work needed to get to the meat of the story. Can you guess what I'll be doing after I finish edits on my YA ms?? :D
I'm a Pantser too! I usually start with a concept, and I have to feel out the characters, experiment with situations and dialogue until I know who the character is. I've also been trying to prepare a little more so I don't have to keep stopping to fill in research I easily could have done beforehand.
Yep, I call myself a panster, but that's exactly how I do it, too! I've even gone so far as to write a "synopsis"--really just a blueprint. It makes a big difference on those stuck days. Just keep writing~ :o) <3
This is awesome! You're a fabulous Pantser, and I'm blown away each time I read your work.
Ok, you're gonna laugh...each time I plot a book (yes, I'm a Plotter), I read through "Plot & Structure." Sounds lame, I know, but it reminds me of all the things I need to remember when plotting a book.
I also write scenes on index cards, and this gives me a good frame to work with in draft one.
I still call myself a "semi-pantser." I'm not sure if that's right because I've never written a story the same way. That is, some I make lists for, some I write the end first, some I write several scenes--all out of order. I can't stick with a system. This last one (hopefully to be out this year) I started by "seeing" the place the story would happened, then putting the characters into that place.
Well...I kinda went to the Dark Side and became more of a plotter than a pantser. I seriously used to fly by the seat of my pants and write, but here recently, by using the beat sheets and the like, I've become more of a plotter these days.
Now that doesn't discount the fact that even though I have *every* scene written out on index cards like Julie (then hung on an entire wall in our office - God love the hubs for letting me do that), I still tend to stray from that original plot. And that's just because it's not where the characters and/story feels it should go at that point in time. So I let it happen and enjoy my pantser while I have her. :)
As for research, I've learned to do very little of it (maybe only the absolutely-have-to-have-stuff) in the beginning, then I make notes throughout the first draft as I'm writing like: Research more on this town!, or find out the exact steps in expelling a ghost!. That way I can go back and fully research once that first draft's done and out of the way. It gives me time away from the MS while still contributing to its editing process. :)
My process is a bit like yours, actually. I get some of the big things formed in my head, jot notes on them, write a few beginning chapters experimenting with voice, try to plot the basics, and dive in. Sometimes I even figure out the ending as I go because I need to feel the characters first. They sometimes have a different idea about where the story will end up.
I don't do much in writing - but I do let my characters wander around in my head for a week or so as I get to know them. I tend to focus on 2 or 3 scenes then I go. I really like the idea of writing the pitch first - I think that's a good way to keep me on track :)
Normally I write very long, detailed summaries of my books, planning for months on end before actually writing them. I break a story down into 3 major parts, then into chapters and scenes complete with working titles and summaries. I know exactly how many chapters and words I will have when I'm through. I have written one novel with little if any planning as an experiment and it went just fine, too, though. Either way works for me.
Your post is very timely for me because I'm about to start brainstorming a new book. My current WIP is with beta readers so it seems like the right time. I'm excited because my first book took so long to write, so it's been a while since I started something new. I really should get my hands on a copy of SAVE THE CAT.
I'm a big plotter now, but it always starts with a Beat Sheet - which is a great planning tool! Save The Cat Strikes Back also has some great stuff in it. :)
Very timely post for me! Great tips! I pantsed my first two with just a premise and am about to start another but I wanted to do a little more prep using STC etc.... thanks!
I'm with Laura. I don't do a whole lot of research until after the rough draft is done, then I know what to look into. I usually start with an outline but I've found somewhere along the way things just take over and the story happens.
I'm becoming plottier and plottier as I go. I do like a span of time where I "brain dump" with all the possibilities. Character always comes first for me, and then I like to use the Campbell hero journey as my basic structure. My last pre-planning phase is to add dimensioning to characters & plot before I let loose on the actual draft. Then all bets are off.
Jeez, that's a brilliant idea, for just an example! Hemopheliac human raised by vampires? I'm tired of vamps, but I'd read that one for sure! Seriously!
I love the planning stage where anything and everything is possible. I follow your steps, but in more detail. Because I love working out the specifics. For my next project, I may even try using a bulletin board and index cards. I am a plotter who gives herself permission to be a pantser when it's time to write the first draft. For me, all the advance plotting acts like a safety net.
Hi Lisa - I'm so glad I read this post, because (and this might reveal a woeful ignorance of writing tools) I've never heard of Save the Cat. I Googled it and it looks interesting, so I'll need to check it out more.
I think author Roni Loren suggested somewhere on her blog to consider writing the synopsis as part of prepping. (Another reason for putting together the synopsis then is that it could be "easier" to develop in the beginning of the project vs. at the end). I'm still working on my WIP, but a few months back when I needed a break, I wrote a synopsis for my WIP's sequel. WOW! It really whetted my appetite to write AND gave me a lot of questions up front that I know I'll need to research and answer.
So that's what I'd add to the prepping pot: a first draft synopsis. :)
When it comes to story outlines, there seem to be as many opinions as there are authors.
Some will not begin a novel until they’ve constructed a voluminous “story-tree”. Others prefer to draw a loose arc, allowing for deviations as the tale unfolds.
Still others balk at preparing even a simple set of bullet-points, believing the outline enforces perimeters that restrict the natural creative flow.
I’ve had success using several different methods, leading me to believe there are no rules, only the individual needs of each writer and each story. The level of detail required in an outline will be in direct correlation to the complexity of the novel.
When I wrote The Noon God, words flowed organically from my mind to the keyboard in a series of sittings. I knew the story in entirety before I began. Even though I didn’t scribble a single word in preparation, I’d spent the better part of two years becoming familiar with my characters, their family ties and their conflicts.
By the time I started writing, an outline would have been redundant. The Noon God was already fully constructed. Not once did I deviate from the original story line.
Gold And Fishes was an entirely different matter. Because of the nature of the story and the sensitivity of the subject matter (almost 300,000 lost in the Southeast Asia Boxing Day tsunami of 2004) it was imperative to remain true to the events of that disaster. To ask less of myself would have been to disrespect the very real victims and their families.
My outline for Gold And Fishes was detailed and complex. It began with a page-by-page timeline drawn from daily news reports. Each page represented a day’s news coverage, handwritten in bullet points with references to each source. Then, at the bottom of each page, I outlined my fictional account of aid worker Ayla Harris’s struggle to find her missing brother-in-law while assisting with hospital duties and body recovery in Banda Aceh.
Gold And Fishes was a labour of love. The research involved in writing the novel spanned 6 months. Each day I spent from 1-3 hours perusing world-wide on-line journals and newspapers, constructing story details within a global catastrophe of monumental magnitude.
This was preliminary work, before I had written a single word.
For The First Excellence I used a combination approach to outlining — drawing on both of my previous methods. Originally titled Fa-ling’s Map, the story arc was formed organically in my mind long before I began to write. It first came to me while we were in China in 2003 and fermented for years until I set out to write it in 2008.
By the time I’d finished in 2009, The First Excellence was more than the sum of its intended parts. What started out as a tribute to our adopted daughter became a complex tale of murder, kidnapping, political intrigue and suspense.
However, none of this growth would have been possible without an outline. I loved my original organic story idea, but it could not carry me, a crime writer, to the final page. So I set out to draw an arc and a chapter outline, loosely mapped an
Great advice Donna. I outlined my first manuscript as I went. But my new one, I'm trying outlining on index cards. I'll see if it helps me complete my project quicker and not go way overboard on word count.
That's awesome you adopted a child BTW. I'm guessing she's from China. We adopted from China in 1998.
I always try to do some kind of an outline before I write as I like to have an idea of where I'm going. Whether or not I stick to it is another thing altogether!
Sometimes, my outlines are as simple as a bulleted list of important events in the story. Sometimes, they have so much detail, I dub them my first draft. Sometimes, they start out as one and morph into the other!
I always outline! It is just how my brain operates. I sit down and come up with the basics--inciting incident, 3 major plot turns, dark moment, climax, and resolution and then fill it, trying to come up with 40-60 plot points total, filling in the spaces. I put as much information here as I can think of, character arc and scene goals, etc, so that my outline becomes 20-30 pages. Then I open this document each day and work from the next scene listed. I hardly ever deviate from that outline, but it does take almost a month sometimes to create it to begin with :-)
It's great to read about the process of other writers.
I've always been more of a pantser when it comes to starting a new novel. I've tried starting with an outline, but I rarely follow it. (This is probably why I have a great deal of untangling to do after my first draft is finished.)
I think it depends on the book. Well-I never really outlined, and then I took an online class by Holly Lisle, to revive a failed book. We had to write a detailed scene by scene summary. It taught me a lot about how to construct a scene, but in the end, I felt like a lot of the juice that motivated me to want to write the book was lost--wrung out. I put that book aside for a while. This time, I'm going to do a loose outline, with room to breathe, so at least I know there's a workable structure. If I need to get more detailed, I will--but for me, it's important to leave lots of breathing room.
Great tips! I always have to write out a detailed outline before starting and then tweak it as I go along. I've started using Scrivener and have found that to be a HUGE help for outlining & storyboarding!
I can really see why you outlined that second novel! Whew, complex. :)
I dislike writing detailed outlines, but I am NOT a pantser. I roughly outline, and also have a character name/description document and a calendar so I can keep track of what happened on which days. I like having the flexibility of finding those "happy surprises" as I write, and adding in details and tangents as I go--things I never could've thought up while outlining. :)
Excellent post. I tried to be a Pantser just for fun in NaNoWriMo and failed miserable. I am a Plotter. My outline is my road map. It changes and evolves as the story grows, so I don't think its a hindrance to "organic flow" at all. But, without that outline, I can't refer to the key points in the story. If I get lost, I'd have to sift through pages to find my way. The outline spares me that time.
this was great advice that came at a great time! I am just getting back into the writing scene and am struggling to develop my story fully, so I know I'll be doing this to get further! thanks!
I'm a seat of the pants writer. I can't think ahead to what's going to happen next. My characters tell me if they want to jump into battle, want to kill each other. And sometimes I listen. I'm a pantser, and I'm perfectly fine that way. In my family, we don't make gourmet meals. We throw things into the pot and hope it comes out good, and then we never make it again because we can't remember the exact recipe. (That wasn't really a metaphor, just the truth.) Maybe I won't make it to the finish line, maybe I will, but it's been fun while it lasted.
My thanks to Martina and Cam for running my guest post today, and thanks to each of you as well for your comments!
Natalie, I wonder how sismilar our Chinese adoption experiences were? We have friends who adopted in the late 90's and again with us in 2003, and they couldn't believe how much China had changed, especially Beijing. I suspect even now Alex and I might not recognize it.
The First Excellence covers our experience in adopting. That's the backdrop for the international thriller.
Whatever your plotting method, whether you outline or "pants", my best wishes for success to one and all! Donna
I love that you say there are no rules. I have always felt that way, too. I consider myself a panster, for the most part, but I think with each project comes a different process. Great post, Donna! Thank you for the awesome tips.
I'm an outliner. For my WIP, I listed each scene and included bullet points to briefly describe what happens in the scene and why it's important. Since this is my first time writing a novel, outlining has allowed me to have a good handle on the various story lines.
I've encountered this question a lot and, for me, the answer is neither. I'm a binge-writer. For me, neither do I purposely outline nor do I sit and fly by the seat of my pants, either. I allow the story to build up in my head, at it's own pace, building and reworking threads until it reaches a moment where I cannot contain it and then I spill it onto the page in a great rush. I may not write for months, but I'm still creating, even if I don't follow either of the traditional methods, exactly. In a way, I suppose it's really a combination of both processes.
National Novel Writing Month has been around since 1998, but grows exponentially every year and has become an international event. The premise is simple: Write 50,000 words of original fiction from November 1st – 30th, but the process can be anything but simple. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned veteran, there are many things [...]
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National Novel Writing Month has been around since 1998, but grows exponentially every year and has become an international event. The premise is simple: Write 50,000 words of original fiction from November 1st – 30th, but the process can be anything but simple. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned veteran, there are many things [...]
Related posts:
Anyone who’s serious about writing fiction has read those books on how to write a novel—the ones that say we should sit down and create character profiles and answer 25 questions about our characters including physical description, religious affiliation, rents or owns, home décor, pets, early riser or late sleeper, favorite color, prejudices, commonly used swear words, tea or coffee, regular or decaf. We need to know what they would carry in their pockets and what they are afraid of. After that, we’re supposed to write a chapter outline, or at least a synopsis, including opening, major conflict, crisis, and resolution. I’ve tried it that way. It doesn’t work for me. By the time I’m done with all that, the juice has been wrung out of the story. It’s like an old piece of tough meat I’ve chewed on for too long. When I began writing The Warrior Heir, I had no idea what would happen. After five years of revision, it barely resembled the work I’d started with. The Wizard Heir process was similar, though a bit more efficient, because I’d already built a world and a magical system. This is so unlike me. I am very much a planner. I don’t even like to go shopping without a plan in mind. I mean, I was the kind that always did the index cards for the term paper. I can’t stand the idea of Wasting Time, backing out of blind alleys, cutting chapters, undoing and redoing. It’s just so inefficient—all that grumbling and gnashing of teeth. “Well, if I’d known this was going to happen, then back at the beginning I would have….” But I’ve had to accept the fact that, when it comes to fiction, I am very much a plunger. I have to keep writing in order to find out what happens. Connections, motivations, and relationships surface that I never anticipated. Characters? My characters reveal themselves as the story unfolds. I do keep character tables, with descriptions, etc. so my brown-eyed person doesn’t turn blue-eyed in the third book of a series. But I do it after the fact. Full disclosure: there is a character who has different colored eyes in each of the Heir books. Unintentionally. When I began to write The Seven Realms series, my agent wanted to sell it as a three-book deal. It was the first time he tried to sell books that I hadn’t written yet. I gave him forty pages. My agent said, great, now just give me an outline of each of the three books. And I’m like HAHAHAHAHAHA as I see the taillights of the three-book contract dwindling in the distance. And he said, well, how about a paragraph for each book? And I said, Do I have to stick with what I write? And he said, No once we get the money, do whatever you like. I love my agent. So he made the deal and I launched into the three books, and now, finally, at the opening of the third book, I’m using the forty pages I submitted. I often ask writers I meet—do you outline ahead of time? And most don’t. In an extremely unscientific poll on an e-list I’m on, I asked accomplished writers if they outlined ahead. After I sorted their answers, out of eight, only one described herself as an Outliner, though she referred to it as a plot skeleton. Four were middle-of-the-roaders—they had some kind of framework, even if it was notes written on a matchbook cover. Three were total plungers. There are exceptions. I heard Bruce Coville say at a conference that since he began outlining, he has fewer unfinished books. And James Patterson apparently outlines his books and hands them to a stable of co-writers to complete. For me—no outline. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, it requires a lot of revision. (Shrugs.) Do you need to know how it all ends before you begin? I usually do, but not everyone agrees. E.L. Doctorow famously said of writing, “It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” Well, maybe. But you still have to have a destination in mind. I usually know where I’m going. I ju
2 Comments on Plotters vs Plungers, last added: 3/1/2010
I'm one of those (seat-of-your) pantsers. I usually have a beginning-middle-end in mind at the onset, but inevitably my story evolves in ways I hadn't expected. As for profiles, I prefer to let the characters develop along with the story. ;-)
As I have started my revision I have struggled over this whole outlining thing. The truth is that I have never outlined. It’s not that I don’t know where my book is going - it’s just that I find it impossible to be creative in an outline. I can only think out of the box while I’m writing (or chatting on the phone).
I have great friends, like Shelli, who are incredible outliners and are able to get way creative during that process, but me? 'Fraid not. Those short sentences feel like jail bars. I can’t do it. I just can’t!
BUT, by God’s grace, I picked up On Writing, By Stephen King, this week. This book has been sitting on my bedside table in a big stack of books for over a year. I was hesitant to read it because the truth is that I can not read horror books - or watch horror movies. They scare the crap out of me and I assumed that I wouldn’t be able to relate to his book. But boy was I wrong!
It’s a book about process. It's not scary at all! In fact, it's rather fascinating.
And guess what? He doesn’t outline either, so I’m a new fan.
Therefore Dear Readers, I give you the FREEDOM to be the creative souls that God made you and write however it flows out. Perhaps I am a strange breed of savant, whose creative process defies logic like Chris Martin’s. And perhaps so are you! (His "process" is about 7 minutes in and it's almost exactly like mine - fragmented and random - but the whole interview is great.) I wonder what else lies in wait on my bedside table?
Katie
PS. Speaking of “FREEDOM”, I use this now and love it! But you have to have a Mac to use it - sorry. (Did I punctuate that sentence wrong?)
15 Comments on I don't outline. But neither does my new BFF Stevo, so there!, last added: 10/9/2009
Okay, that book has been sitting in my Amazon queue for years. I'll go and press the "buy it" link.
I outline after my first draft--just so I can get a feel for the big picture and work on the structure. I can't imagine outlining on the front end, either. I like for those characters to tell me where they want to go.
On Writing is my favorite writing book. Ever. I re-read it about once a year. Probably because he cusses and that makes me laugh.
And strangely enough, I received a comment on my blog this morning from someone pretending to be Stephen King. Or at least that's what I think...he signed it "SK." But it was a rant about the evils of social networking and how sad I'll be when I'm 90 and never wrote that book because I was too busy networking. I'm guessing it was an impersonator because I don't think Stephen King cares about my evil social networking enough to lecture me about it so early in the morning. Or maybe not??? Maybe he's MY best friend. Haha.
On Writing is a definite must have for any writer's resource shelf.
My Wednesday post on The Lesser Key was about writing scene goals, a few quick sentences of what you need to happen to propel the plot forward.
It's not as frightening as outlining, and no one says you actually have to do what the scene goal tells you-- just as long as you know you've thought through your options, the scene goal works.
I've tried outlines too, but they never have helped me when it comes to writing fiction. Maybe, I will have to check this book out. I'm not a Horror fan either so I never keep up the books that Stephen King writes.
Consider this a combination writing-process-post and request for help. There's always a debate about whether it's better to plunge right into writing a new draft or to craft a meticulous outline first. I know of hugely successful authors who do both, and I think a lot of it comes down to what works for the individual writer. But what if you're a plunger...working on a project that wants an outline?
I've never really been an outline person. More often than not, I start a new book with a bare-bones premise and a fairly clear sense of who the characters are, and then I let them guide the story. I write every night but usually go to bed without a clue as to what will happen next. Then I sit down the next night, read over what I've written, close my eyes for a few minutes, and watch and listen until the characters do or say something. Then I write it down. I keep doing this over and over until eventually I can see the end.
It's the driving-at-night approach, where the headlights illuminate things bit by bit, but only as you move forward. In THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z, for example, I was writing about Gianna's grandmother for months, following her around, thinking, "Why does she keep doing things like this?" before I could see that she was showing real signs of dementia and that was what was really upsetting the family apple cart.
All of this plowing ahead and figuring things out as I write leaves me many, many messes and dangly bits to clean up in revision, but I'm good with that. I like revision, and the whole process has worked pretty well for me. Until now.
Enter the middle grade mystery project...the one that makes me bounce up and down in my chair with excitement. The one that sent me off to Washington D.C. a couple weeks ago for research, certain that completing said research would throw open the doors and make the process work for this book, too. The research trip was wonderful and illuminating and really, really fun. But I have started writing this book five times now, and I'm ready to face the truth. It wants...no...needs an outline.
So here's the request for help part... If you are an outliner, what do your outlines actually look like? Are they formal outlines? Or just summaries of each chapter, written out in a synopsis? Do you use some fancy-schmancy outlining software that stores only sell to organized people? Index cards?
And are there any "plungers" out there who have needed to outline for a particular project? I'd love to hear how it all worked out.
I just downloaded a free thirty-day trial of Scrivener on www.literatureandlatte.com (sorry all you PC users--it only works on a Mac), and I am in LOVE! What a great writing program!
I was a little skeptical when I began to use this program--I often find things like Scrivener to be more trouble than they are worth. For example, I have tried using a palm pilot for scheduling, but I prefer carrying around a small dayplanner in my purse, and I (gasp!) write things on it with an actual pen. I love the pen-to-paper exercise and the ability to circle things and to physically mark them off. So, I approached Scrivener with the expectation that it would be a procrastination tool, at best. Boy was I wrong!
I watched the video introduction that is offered on the website, and then I went through the guided tutorial a couple of times. It took me an afternoon to really get comfortable with the program and to figure out what all it would do for me. It really is an easy program to use--and I really mean it.
Scrivener allows you to put an entire manuscript into a virtual binder which you can divide up into chunks of text. You can easily manipulate these chunks of texts around, view them together, and merge or separate them. You can write synopses of these chunks of texts which Scrivener will put onto color coded index cards for you--and you can view them on a virtual corkboard. The program will also put these synopses into an outline form for you. Manipulating and experimenting with text is simple (and, the program allows you to take a "photograph" of your text before you switch things around--so if you change your mind, you can restore it to its original layout).
I have exported my middle grade novel into Scrivener, and I am going through each chapter and writing a synopsis for each one. I am color coding my chapters based upon which plot line is developed. I am about halfway through, and it is unbelievable how many plot holes were revealed to me through this exercise. When I read the notecards in order, there were some very noticeable gaps that I needed to fill. Plus, I noticed four green cards in a row--four straight chapters that dealt with one certain character, so I quickly realized that I needed to break up these chapters with some different storylines. I finally feel like I am making some real progress!
Scrivener also has a place for you to write plot notes and research notes or files. You can view these pages in a split screen form which is incredibly helpful. For example, one of my characters is bipolar, and I had several research files bookmarked and downloaded in my computer. I was able to drag all of those files into my binder, and I could look at that information while I was typing away on my manuscript without opening another file.
I do miss the physical pen-to-paper revision process a little, and I have run into a few problems because I'm working with the rigidness of a computer program (some chapters deal with two plot lines, for example, and I'm not sure what color to make the card). Overall, though, it is an incredibly efficient way to plot and revise, and when my thirty day trial is over, I'll be forking out $39.99 to own this gem of a program forever.
Sarah Frances
4 Comments on Scrivener--where have you been all my life??, last added: 10/6/2008
I started using Scrivener a few months ago for my MG novel, and I love it. I have a lemon of a Mac, and I've been considering switching back to PC. I'm trying to be more patient now because I don't want to give up Scrivener!
You totally got me hooked but when I went to download it I noticed it was Mac only. That sucks! I'll have to poke around and see if I can find a good PC-based program like this
Wow, SF! I'm also very much a pen-to-paper person (even sometimes when writing novels), but I'm finding that collecting little scraps of paper with research links or facts on them and assembling all my character, theme, plot arch notes is turning me into a hoarder!
(Please see Cynthia Jaynes' blog for photos and a new YA novel describing the "hoarding syndrome"...very scary)
Since all your other advice (from BOTH of you) has been priceless, I may give this a go!
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I love this idea. This might help writers who don't normally use an outline and who tend to get bogged down in the details while trying to get a sense of the big picture. I'll be trying this in the next few days. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing! I'm going to try this.
WOW!
Thank you AGAIN, Jeanne Marie, for this brilliant exercise.
I'm not only sending this on too to my writers, I'm doing the exercise myself for my W-I-P.
Your Fan Esther
Dawn, Andrea, and Esther, thanks for the feedback. Please let me know how it works out for you. I hope it's as helpful as it sounds.