Mr Ed goes on to say there are five no-nos when it comes to story openings. Never start with a dream (where you tell a whole story and then finish by saying “It was all a dream.”) If you do start with a dream, like Biggie does in “Juicy,” […]
I did not reflect on the last chapter, because it was essentially a recap. So quickly let us recap. According to Mr Ed, all good beginnings have, to various degrees, the following: Backstory (or events before the book) Setup (events leading up to the start of the story) […]
The next chapter in Les Edgerton’s book resonates with all of me. I think it’s one of the greatest chapters on story problems. And life problems. Hitting me right on schedule. It begins by looking at the relationship between a story’s two types of problems: story-worthy problems and surface-level […]
Fun fact: the mascot at my university was a longhorn bull and our motto was “Hook ’em!” Sad fact: rarely do writers grow horns and hook their reader in the gut. In a sense that’s what Mr Ed’s book is all about: not so much throwing a line into the […]
The next book on my journey is called Hooked. The book, written by author and professor Les Edgerton, takes an 11-chapter look at the craft of writing beginnings. The opening sentence, like the opening paragraph or opening scene, must convince the reader to continue reading. It’s pretty self-evident — given […]
HERE I WILL SLIP AND SLIDE USEFUL TOOLS FOR WRITING — UPDATED: 11:11 AM, 26 Sept 2020 Motivation: Tell stories of transformation (how did you change?) Write about topics that fuel emotions (what upsets you, what politics, what news) Great fears (of yours and of others) Deep secrets (of […]
Phew. Now that we got through that whole book, it’s time to sketch a quick plot. Mr Bell suggests we take everything we know and write a plot summary. So, we need LOCK for the general layout (lead, objective, conflict, knockout). We need ARM (action, reaction, more action). And of […]
In Mr Bell’s final chapter (FINAL CHAPTER!!!) the gentleman of plot offers us a peek inside his tool chest. Inside is an assortment of techniques we can use to spruce up a tricky novel. The metaphor, which he offers at the beginning of the chapter to help us understand this […]
Today’s exercise stretches our imaginations just a little bit further. It tasks us with picking a well established genre. Then flipping it upside down. The example it gives is of George Lucas setting a western story in outer space. In my case, we’re going to pick the Romance genre, but […]
Find a novel on your shelf that didn’t work for you. How would you have done it better? It makes sense why this exercise appears in the repair chapter. Helping us to objectively make someone else’s book better for us might help us make our own books better for […]
Mistakes in real life cannot be repaired. If you say something awful to a loved one, you cannot take it back. In my experience, sometimes it feels like anything you say is just a pile on to the previous words. As if new words could repair the old. The same […]
You probably guessed my last post featured the pattern of revenge. Today’s exercise asks us to do the activity again — pick a pattern, sketch a plot — but this time to mix two different patterns. I want to mix a love pattern, with another kind of pattern, one that […]
Mr Bell suggests we get a feel for plot patterns by picking one of the ones mentioned in his book. And then to sketch out a whole new fresh plot around it. Boy oh boy, I’m excited. Here is goes. Can you guess what pattern I’m using? . . […]
It’s been a while! I was on an adventure with the Mrs. A get-away. A vacay. Anyway . . . I missed completing these exercises. A part of me is so ready to start writing Awake & Asleep, but I really want to get through my semester of plot. That […]
Make a list of your favorite novels. Put down at least ten titles. Now look at the list. Is there a similarity to them? Are they heavy on plot and action, or do you prefer more character-driven books? Or is there a mix? . . . Take this into account […]
Security or variety? To plan or not to plan? These are the questions a writer must ask himself when setting out on this adventure. In the conversation are two styles when it comes to plot: write from the seat of your pants, or plot out the order of events in […]
Remember. These 8s are exercises in generating ideas for plot. Also a great way to keep the mind limber. It absolutely sucks to drag your heels through hell, when it comes to writing. I speak for all writers when I say, preferable is it to write without thought, empty of […]
We are back to cropping ideas for plot. Today’s, claims Mr Bell, works like this: Develop a dynamic character, and see where it leads. I think Cortázar claimed this method. He was always interested in the people populating his stories. The story could be about anything, so long as […]
Make a character arc table. The top row has the major challenges to your character’s inner life. The bottom row has how these challenges affect the lead as a result. I’m thinking this is a good way to get some waypoints plotted, just imagining how the lead will react […]
(Image from Reedsy’s Character Development Exercises post.) Write a short profile of your Lead character’s personality at the beginning of the plot. Describe his Beliefs, Values, Dominant Attitudes, Opinions. Now ask what will happen in the course of the plot to change or challenge these elements. Juan Saudade […]