I woke up at 3:45 am and thought I was coming out of a dream. After a couple of minutes, it was clear that it wasn't a dream, it was a new character screaming at me. I mean, actually screaming because she was being chased through a forest. Okay, I thought, enough of this. I do not write fairy tales, so shut up and let me go back to sleep.
Except...she was being chased, she was in a forest, and it was not a fairy tale.
Her name is Gabriela, she is Italian, the forest is in New Jersey (?), and somehow a town called Whitesbog is involved.
The thing is...I'm not writing about a character named Gabriela, I know little to nothing about New Jersey ( except that one of the Mafioso Families is there), and I never heard of some place called Whitesbog...if such a place actually exists.
Obviously, this new character has a story she wants me to tell, but right now I have no idea what it is. Whitesbog, New Jersey?? Now I'm intrigued. I must do some research!
A dream? Or can a character actually come into your head, and demand that you tell her story? Even if you have absolutely NO idea what that story is? Actually, I did have that happen with my very first novel. AJ woke me up one morning about the same time as Gabriela...uh oh, now I'm talking about HER as if she's really going to exist...anyway, AJ wanted her story told, too. But with AJ, I had some idea of what she wanted me to tell, and eventually her story became The Year of the Scream.
What does Gabriela want? What is her story? Frankly, I can't imagine. Perhaps if I start researching some place called "Whitesbog" to see is there is such a place, I'll have a better idea. Why is she so insistent? I can't get her name out of my head, it's like it is plastered there. When something like that happens with me, I know nothing is going to matter until I get started on the story. Usually, I have at least a few thoughts about the direction it will take. Today? My mind is blank...all I can hear or think about is this little voice saying...Gabriela Gabriela Gabriela.
It's driving me crazy!!
Do you ever have a character wake you up and make demands on you? If so, do you always know WHY this character has shown up so unexpectedly? Please, share your thoughts...you might help me know what to do with this girl !
Until next time,
That's a wrap.
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Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Originality: Trends and Plots...continuted
For awhile there, I was afraid I was going to lost this blog. I had been hijacked! ! Yep, my pretty crystal clock, a Blogger gadget, was the culprit, so after many hours of frustration, I finally got it and the other gadgets deleted. Wish it were not so, I really liked that clock !
Anyway, today we're going to talk about plots and originality. We all know that people have been making up stories ever since they learned how to communicate, and even more so once they developed written communication. So...has every plot that is conceivable been written? Well...yeah, probably. I once had a Creative Writing professor tell us that there were only 7 plots in existence. That may be true, but did you know that there are a lot of people who have 7 different plots that they believe to be the only ones in existence? So, let's take a look at some of them:
William Foster Harris, in his Basic Patterns of Plot, written in 1959 lists these:
Then there are another 7 which were proposed by Christopher Booker in The Seven Basic Plots, published in 2005:
Let's go about this from a different point of view. Remember what we are taught in writing classes, whether it's ICL, online classes, college classes, or whatever...we are taught that every plot has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. What does that mean for our characters, especially our main character?
1) Our MC has to want something very, very badly.
2) If she (or he) doesn't get what she wants, there are going to be consequences of some kind for her.
3) So she goes about trying all sorts of different things to attempt to get what she wants or reach her goal, and
4) in doing so, all sorts of things happen to hinder or prevent her from attaining what she wants.
5) Finally, though, there is some kind of resolution, wherein she either gets what she has been striving for, or...she doesn't and some of those consequences come true.
Now, don't these things happen in every single story you write, or you read? It doesn't matter if the basic plot is a murder mystery, a contemporary novel, a novel about vampires, a fantasy about an orphan boy and a school of magic, an historical novel about the Civil War, or anything in between. The above 5 elements are what make up the beginning, the middle, and the end of your story.
And that, in turn, is your plot, right ?
So where does originality come in? In your characters: their behaviors, emotions, actions and reactions, dialogue, background, motivation, and so on; in your settings: modern day, historical era, fantasy world, etc; in your location: city streets, country/Western town, jungle, alien planet, suburbia, etc.
The basic plot of every story ever written or ever to be written is always going to be basically the same...or perhaps one of seven...but YOU are what makes it original...your voice, your characters, your scenes, your dialogue, your narrative description, your motivations, your "supporting cast," and everything else about the story that makes it YOURS. That is your originality.
Writing is a journey. It starts, it continues, it ends. It is up to you to make it a journey all will want to take.
Think about it. Let me know.
Anyway, today we're going to talk about plots and originality. We all know that people have been making up stories ever since they learned how to communicate, and even more so once they developed written communication. So...has every plot that is conceivable been written? Well...yeah, probably. I once had a Creative Writing professor tell us that there were only 7 plots in existence. That may be true, but did you know that there are a lot of people who have 7 different plots that they believe to be the only ones in existence? So, let's take a look at some of them:
William Foster Harris, in his Basic Patterns of Plot, written in 1959 lists these:
- [wo]man vs. nature
- [wo]man vs. man
- [wo]man vs. the environment
- [wo]man vs. machines/technology
- [wo]man vs. the supernatural
- [wo]man vs. self
- [wo]man vs. God/religion
Then there are another 7 which were proposed by Christopher Booker in The Seven Basic Plots, published in 2005:
- Overcoming the monster
- Rags to riches
- The quest
- Voyage and return
- Comedy
- Tragedy
- Rebirth
Let's go about this from a different point of view. Remember what we are taught in writing classes, whether it's ICL, online classes, college classes, or whatever...we are taught that every plot has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. What does that mean for our characters, especially our main character?
1) Our MC has to want something very, very badly.
2) If she (or he) doesn't get what she wants, there are going to be consequences of some kind for her.
3) So she goes about trying all sorts of different things to attempt to get what she wants or reach her goal, and
4) in doing so, all sorts of things happen to hinder or prevent her from attaining what she wants.
5) Finally, though, there is some kind of resolution, wherein she either gets what she has been striving for, or...she doesn't and some of those consequences come true.
Now, don't these things happen in every single story you write, or you read? It doesn't matter if the basic plot is a murder mystery, a contemporary novel, a novel about vampires, a fantasy about an orphan boy and a school of magic, an historical novel about the Civil War, or anything in between. The above 5 elements are what make up the beginning, the middle, and the end of your story.
And that, in turn, is your plot, right ?
So where does originality come in? In your characters: their behaviors, emotions, actions and reactions, dialogue, background, motivation, and so on; in your settings: modern day, historical era, fantasy world, etc; in your location: city streets, country/Western town, jungle, alien planet, suburbia, etc.
The basic plot of every story ever written or ever to be written is always going to be basically the same...or perhaps one of seven...but YOU are what makes it original...your voice, your characters, your scenes, your dialogue, your narrative description, your motivations, your "supporting cast," and everything else about the story that makes it YOURS. That is your originality.
Writing is a journey. It starts, it continues, it ends. It is up to you to make it a journey all will want to take.
Think about it. Let me know.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Bookshelf Muse
Do you have trouble showing emotion for your characters? Do you sometimes wonder how to describe certain places or things? The Bookshelf Muse is a wonderful tool, and I have a link to it on my blog.
Here you will find an array of emotions and how to describe them. For example, suppose you want to show sarcasm. We've all used rolling the eyes, raising an eyebrow, smirking or perhaps waving a hand in the person's face to indicate dismissal of their words as unimportant. But have you thought of having your character raise her chin to create the idea of looking down on the other person, or uttering a belittling comment "under the breath" but still loud enough to be heard?
These a just a few examples of physical actions that will imply sarcasm or verbal disrespect which are found in the Bookshelf Muse.
If you aare looking for Settings, and how to describe them, there is a world of information about many common place settings at this web site. For each setting, there are the five senses listed, as well as helpful hints and examples. One setting that I used was a school office. Here are just a few of the ideas given for each sense: Sight: besides chairs, desks, carpet and secretarial paraphernalia, there are educational posters on walls, student artwork, sign-in books, visitor passes, trays for pens and pencils, lost and found jars full of cell phones, glasses, jewelry, and the ever-present kid waiting to see the principal. Sound: phones ringing, parents/students whispering, period bells ringing, etc. Smells: coffee left too long in the pot, arid scent of recently printed copies, fragrance of secretary's perfume, etc.
There are also items listed for taste and touch, such as the taste of an eraser or the feel of the hard metal chair that a kid is sitting in.
This is a very useful blog, with not only a Thesaurus of Emotions and Thesaurus of Settings, but it also has ideas for colors and shapes, and how to describe them.
Here you will find an array of emotions and how to describe them. For example, suppose you want to show sarcasm. We've all used rolling the eyes, raising an eyebrow, smirking or perhaps waving a hand in the person's face to indicate dismissal of their words as unimportant. But have you thought of having your character raise her chin to create the idea of looking down on the other person, or uttering a belittling comment "under the breath" but still loud enough to be heard?
These a just a few examples of physical actions that will imply sarcasm or verbal disrespect which are found in the Bookshelf Muse.
If you aare looking for Settings, and how to describe them, there is a world of information about many common place settings at this web site. For each setting, there are the five senses listed, as well as helpful hints and examples. One setting that I used was a school office. Here are just a few of the ideas given for each sense: Sight: besides chairs, desks, carpet and secretarial paraphernalia, there are educational posters on walls, student artwork, sign-in books, visitor passes, trays for pens and pencils, lost and found jars full of cell phones, glasses, jewelry, and the ever-present kid waiting to see the principal. Sound: phones ringing, parents/students whispering, period bells ringing, etc. Smells: coffee left too long in the pot, arid scent of recently printed copies, fragrance of secretary's perfume, etc.
There are also items listed for taste and touch, such as the taste of an eraser or the feel of the hard metal chair that a kid is sitting in.
This is a very useful blog, with not only a Thesaurus of Emotions and Thesaurus of Settings, but it also has ideas for colors and shapes, and how to describe them.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Characters and emotions
Do your characters show conflicting emotions? Sometimes mine do, and it's always a struggle to figure out how to show it rather than to tell it. For example, in my novel, The Year of The Scream, AJ, the MC, has conflicting emotions about Celine, the antagonist. Celine seems to hate AJ for no reason that AJ can think of, but while she dislikes what Celine is doing to her, she doesn't really hate her. Yet, when the time comes that she can get back at Celine by revealing some devastating news, AJ hesitates. She wants everyone to know who and what Celine really is, but on the other hand, she doesn't want to become the kind of person Celine is.
According to Nancy Kress's book, "Characters, Emotions and Viewpoint," you have to show in some way that the character is capable of a "change of heart." She says that you can show this in three different ways: by showing the conflicting emotions in different scenes; showing them in the same scene; or instead of showing, you can tell in an exposition which explains why the character has these confusing or conflicting emotions.
In the first way, we can use the example of two girls who like the same boy. Jane used to be friends with Kathy, but once Robert made it clear he liked Kathy, Kathy turned against Jane and started belittling her. Jane now dislikes Kathy as well as being jealous of her. Jane goes to a dance with another boy and sees Kathy there with Robert. She feels hurt and angry because she still likes Robert. Then she sees Robert kissing still another girl while Kathy is waiting for him inside the dance. Jane then realizes she is feeling both pity and protectiveness towards Kathy, and wishes that Kathy would see Robert for the two-timer he is.
Stay tuned for an explanation of the second way to show conflicting emotions in your characters!
According to Nancy Kress's book, "Characters, Emotions and Viewpoint," you have to show in some way that the character is capable of a "change of heart." She says that you can show this in three different ways: by showing the conflicting emotions in different scenes; showing them in the same scene; or instead of showing, you can tell in an exposition which explains why the character has these confusing or conflicting emotions.
In the first way, we can use the example of two girls who like the same boy. Jane used to be friends with Kathy, but once Robert made it clear he liked Kathy, Kathy turned against Jane and started belittling her. Jane now dislikes Kathy as well as being jealous of her. Jane goes to a dance with another boy and sees Kathy there with Robert. She feels hurt and angry because she still likes Robert. Then she sees Robert kissing still another girl while Kathy is waiting for him inside the dance. Jane then realizes she is feeling both pity and protectiveness towards Kathy, and wishes that Kathy would see Robert for the two-timer he is.
Stay tuned for an explanation of the second way to show conflicting emotions in your characters!
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