During plot consultations, my most reliable judge of whether something is working in a writer's story is goosebumps. Weird... I know. Still, that sublime sensation of connection, of perfection sweeps over me and I know the writer is onto something special. A writer in London tells me her story. Scene after scene and the sensation pops up. Once. Twice. Several times. That said, this writer has many plot lines: character emotional development, dramatic action, political, thematic, cultural. …
Launch of How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? YouTube Plot Series
For the past couple of years, tens of thousands of writers from NaNoWriMo and points near and far follow Plot Whisperer daily in December. PlotWriMo is day-by-day guidance for writers who have finished a draft of a story and the desire to re-vision and shape the thousands of words into an actual plot. Recently, I had a hunch perhaps pre-plotting guidance might be helpful, too. Aspiring Writers and Writers Ready to Craft a New Story and interested in attending the 5-Day WRITERS PLOT RETREAT Nov. …
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Another Tip to Bolster the Sagging Middle
Premise:Impossible for writers with an appreciation of all the Middle encompasses to write a sagging Middle. I've written extensively in previous blogs about the Middle being:Territory of the Antagonists The Exotic World(2 Tips for bolstering the Middle)To add to that, the scenes in the Middle are made up of opportunities for the protagonist to learn the skills and knowledge she needs in order reign victorious at the Climax and achieve her long-term goal. Though she is unconscious or oblivious …
Authentic Details Reflect Ultimate Transformation
The authentic details you identify when writing the scenes in the Beginning (1/4) show the objects the protagonist most identifies with. These objects reflect the protagonist's conditioning by her environment, upbringing, and culture.When the protagonist moves into the Middle (1/2), she moves out of the ordinary and conditioned world into an exotic and unknown world (thus, the need to create two unique settings). Whether she is a willing adventurer or resistant is reflected by the degree of pain …
Overarching Tension
Meddlesome, murky, sagging are words often used to describe the Middle of an early draft of a novel, memoir, or screenplay. One way to support the Middle is by providing an overarching tension -- Will she or won't she? When the reader is clear there is something significant at stake, like life or death, and will be revealed later in the story, the reader is willing to wait and first enjoy a bit of a romp in the exotic world of the middle of the Middle.More than any other part of a writing a …
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