I've been following Kristen Lamb's blog for some time. You can find her blog here.
Kristen is doing a great series of blog posts about novel-writing. During November, she's also offering, to everyone who leaves a comment on her blog, to put their name into a hat. By commenting and linking back to her blog you get your name in twice, and if you also mention her book We Are Not Alone - the Writer's Guide to Social Media then your name goes in three times.
Each week during November, the prize is a critique of your first five pages.
And that's not all! At the end of November, Kristen will pick a winner for the grand prize: a free critique on the first 15 pages of your novel.
So get on over to her site here, read what she has to say and get your name into that hat.
Showing posts with label writing tip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing tip. Show all posts
Monday, 21 November 2011
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Tuesday Tip
What Story Do I Want to Write?
Whether pantsing or plotting out scene cards, sometimes I find my self in a position where I can see the story going one of two ways. It can hold me frozen while a flick back and forth from one to the other.
I guess one way of dealing with it is to toss a coin!
What seems to work better is:
Take a piece of paper (working with pen and paper somehow helps me think more clearly but that's just me) and turn it landscape.
Then divide it into two columns.
Across the top of each column I write a short summary of each scenario eg JV fell in love with her at the ball at the beginning and JV fell in love with her much later in the story.
Under each heading I brainstorm all the consequences of that heading.
Usually, it becomes clear fairly quickly which is the better option.
I'd really like to have a clear, fixed idea of the story I want to tell; to be able to make quick decisions about where the story is going. Instead, I need to spend time working it out.
How does your storytelling go? Clearly? And if not, what steps do you take to winkle out that story that your Muse is hanging on to?
Whether pantsing or plotting out scene cards, sometimes I find my self in a position where I can see the story going one of two ways. It can hold me frozen while a flick back and forth from one to the other.
I guess one way of dealing with it is to toss a coin!
What seems to work better is:
Take a piece of paper (working with pen and paper somehow helps me think more clearly but that's just me) and turn it landscape.
Then divide it into two columns.
Across the top of each column I write a short summary of each scenario eg JV fell in love with her at the ball at the beginning and JV fell in love with her much later in the story.
Under each heading I brainstorm all the consequences of that heading.
Usually, it becomes clear fairly quickly which is the better option.
I'd really like to have a clear, fixed idea of the story I want to tell; to be able to make quick decisions about where the story is going. Instead, I need to spend time working it out.
How does your storytelling go? Clearly? And if not, what steps do you take to winkle out that story that your Muse is hanging on to?
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Tuesday Tip
Yes, I know it's Wednesday but imagine you're reading this yesterday :)
I'm writing a mystery and thinking I was on the home straight with very little book left to write, it was a shock when a brick wall appeared, I ran into it and bounced off. This happened when all the major characters gathered together. They'd started off together, then gone their own ways, but eventually meet again. It would be unnatural if they didn't do a bit of catch-up with each other - a lot has happened since they last met.
It's been so long since I started this story and during revision there have been major changes. I've lost the thread and the plot.
So, I want to look at what each character knows, and what they cannot possibly know at this point. I need to fill in the gaps but not rehash the whole story otherwise the reader might go to sleep. So, I think a little table will do nicely, with the following info on it:
* each of the characters involved
* what each character knows
* what each character doesn't know
* what the reader knows at this point
* what the reader does not know but needs to know.
The table should make it clear what information the characters need to drop in their chat together so the reader is fully informed.
Agatha Christie was great at doing this. She made it easy for herself though by having one character who carried all the information and who usually did the resume at the end.
How do you keep track of what your characters do?
I'm writing a mystery and thinking I was on the home straight with very little book left to write, it was a shock when a brick wall appeared, I ran into it and bounced off. This happened when all the major characters gathered together. They'd started off together, then gone their own ways, but eventually meet again. It would be unnatural if they didn't do a bit of catch-up with each other - a lot has happened since they last met.
It's been so long since I started this story and during revision there have been major changes. I've lost the thread and the plot.
So, I want to look at what each character knows, and what they cannot possibly know at this point. I need to fill in the gaps but not rehash the whole story otherwise the reader might go to sleep. So, I think a little table will do nicely, with the following info on it:
* each of the characters involved
* what each character knows
* what each character doesn't know
* what the reader knows at this point
* what the reader does not know but needs to know.
The table should make it clear what information the characters need to drop in their chat together so the reader is fully informed.
Agatha Christie was great at doing this. She made it easy for herself though by having one character who carried all the information and who usually did the resume at the end.
How do you keep track of what your characters do?
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