Not just sweet SCBWI writers experience resistance to putting their protagonists in true peril. At last Sunday's CWC Blockbuster Plots Intensive, writers of adult fiction and memoirs balked in an effort to prevent loss and trauma, disappointment and rejection, hurt and betrayal from befalling their beloved protagonists. Then today, I heard from a writer of a very successful memoir, wail about the same feelings about her character, too.
Nearly every single one of the 21 writers who opted to pay extra for a 15 minute private plot consultation with me during the retreat weekend showed the same weakness when probed about the Crisis scene. Thanks for the luxury of time spent together, I was able to reinforce the need for a powerful crisis, especially in character-driven stories, along with providing a variety of examples of a crisis in novels, memoirs, screenplays. On the final day, writers confessed to nightmares where the perfect crisis was revealed, while others wore bragging rights to ideas that came when pushed to dig deeper.
One-by-one writers shared an added angle or focus they'd come up with for their stories' crisis. One writer in front, shed tears as she described a dramatic loss her protagonist suffers. The writer next to her followed by exclaiming she was going to throw-up. Worried she'd picked up the flu that was going around, she surprised me instead by crying out: "the pig has to die!"
Wedged between the retreat and the all-day plot intensive was the release party for The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing. Thanks to the request at the retreat for an example of a prompt, I integrated reading Writing Prompts into the Plot Tips I shared at the bookstore.
At last Saturday's plot workshop, I found that after explaining the nuances of the Energetic Markers, reading the prompts for each turning point gave concrete direction where the writers might find their Crisis and how to develop the scene with more intensity. An added bonus to writing the book to help writers write a story with a plot from beginning to end is in finding how helpful and useful the prompts are as a teaching tool, too.
Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.
Today, I write.
To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:
1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: and screenplay, Most Recent at Top [Help]
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By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 1/30/2013
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Memoir, character-driven stories and the need for the crisis, and screenplay, How to maximize the crisis scene of your novel, private plot consultations, Add a tag
By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 6/12/2011
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, a memoir, and screenplay, plot and writers, Add a tag
A joy working with a writer who looks to the end of her story for clues as to what belongs in the beginning.
By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 2/24/2011
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: story-telling, the universal story plan, plot points, and screenplay, directory for youtube user/marthaalderson Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Add a tag
To the right of this post is a list of the 22 Steps in the Plot Series: How do I Plot a Novel, Memoir and Screenplay? (a few more coming soon complete the series)
Benefits of watching the Plot Series:
By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 2/19/2011
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: plot whisperer, how do I plot a novel, plot series, a memoir, youtube channel marthaalderson, /user/marthaalderson, keeping to the writing deadlines you make, youtube series, and screenplay, Add a tag
Nothing worse than when a writer commits to a deadline and then is unable / unwilling to accomplish the feat. Well, that's a bit extreme but too often, I see what happens when writers fail to meet deadlines.
Such a failure frustrates me personally because rather than move forward in our consulting sessions, even if the writer tells me how much research she accomplished or thought she gave or plotting she did, if she is not writing, we are standing still.
Two, a writer's writing time is just that. Time to write. Not to brainstorm with others or to organize your space or to read internet news or play solitaire on your computer. Your writing time is time to write.
When breaking deadlines is chronic, though I can always cancel sessions until productivity improves, the writer's disrespect of herself costs her spirit (energy).
Once or twice is to be expected but when a writer comes up with more excuses than writing, such an abuse signals a problem.
There are two kinds of writing deadlines:
1) Deadlines imposed on you by another professional
2) Deadlines you set for yourself
Meeting the first kind of deadline is a critical if you wish to be a successfully published author. Book and magazine publishers, acquisition editors and critique groups expect you to be true to your word. Do that and you become a trusted and reliable team member.
Meeting the deadlines you set for yourself is great practice for when you are asked to keep a deadline for someone else. Also, meeting the deadlines you set for yourself is a personal message that you think enough of yourself to do what you commit to do and that you are able to count on yourself.
Be realistic when you commit to a deadline with others and with yourself.
Breakdown the total number of scenes or chapters or words you need to write overall
Divide by the number of writing days you have between now and the deadline
For every working day, schedule how much productivity is required for ultimate success
Show yourself and the muse that you are to be trusted.
Only make promises to yourself you know you can keep.
Show up for yourself.
Live up to your commitment and write.
Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? is playing on my YouTube channel. Currently, there are 21 Steps. Step 22 goes up later this weekend. A directory of the program is to your right. Each link takes you to a video that explains that particular writing concept.
Benefits of watching the Plot Series:
Yes, better get some planning in before you start. That brilliant idea can lead to years of drafts because you haven't put thought into it before starting.
Doesn't mean you have to blueprint the thing down to the scene length -- each writer works differently. What it does mean is that you'd better know where you're trying to get before you take that first step on the road. Otherwise, which direction on that road do you take?
I always know the beginning and the end of a story. It's the stuff in the middle that changes on me, but everything usually comes together. I've written and rewritten 11 books this way. I'm anticipating that my current WIP will be finished in another month. Thanks for all the useful sites.