Today's consultation challenged conventional point of view and arrangement. Most stories revolve around a protagonist who is changed at depth over time by the dramatic action that happens to her. The story is arranged into chapters and told through either:First person present -- I revel in the balmy ocean breeze First person past -- I reveled in the balmy breezeThird person present -- she revels in the balmy ocean breeze Third person past -- she reveled in the balmy ocean breezeToday's …
Memoir Writing
I'm personally excited about an upcoming plot consultation with a well-respected veteran writer and photographer of some 50 years for most of the top news agencies and magazines in the country and the world.From the early info I require about the character (for a memoir writer that is the writer himself) and theme, I sense this writer is interested in using his action-packed background of intrigue and danger to illuminate his flaws and fears and thus give meaning and significance to his …
2nd Draft Blues
He finishes the first draft with a vengeance. His vision of a complex story crystalizes. The characters reveal themselves. The story world captivates. Action builds to a dramatic climax. Character grow and transform. Thematic threads run deep throughout the manuscript. Celebration over his accomplishment is short-lived and little acknowledged in his eagerness to keep going. He rounds up his notes and begins crafting and writing draft #2 and immediately comes to a screeching halt. The quality of …
Resistance
Comment from yesterday's post Great Doubt. Great Faith. Great Effort:"This is one of my biggest struggles. I have faith in myself and my story, but I have a hard time finding the energy to actually write. Any tips on dealing with this?"The comment came anonymously, so my answer won't appear personal.Your lack energy for your writing is like a character who resists the call to adventure. Resistance generally comes from one or more of the following character profile traits (each of which has the …
Great Doubt, Great Faith, Great Effort
The final plot phone consultation of '08 illustrated to me how thirsty we writers are for support and someone to believe in us. A writer with an incredible gift for dialog and in collaboration with an accomplished illustrator is creating a graphic surfer girl novel for middle grade. The plot rocks, the protagonist feisty, the setting unique, the father-daughter issues universal, the theme significant. The problem? Somehow along the way the writer lost energy for the story. The longer we chatted …
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