More Annoying Movie Stuff

I caught a double feature of Steven Seagal's Under Siege movies on TV a while back. The first movie I've always enjoyed even if it is a little unrealistic. It's the second movie, Under Siege, Dark Territory that bugs me. It's not an escape this time, it's the way the bad guy dies twice.

The drama takes place on a passenger train in the Rocky Mountains. The bad guys take over the train to use as a platform to wrest control of two secret CIA satellites, Grazer One & Two. The bad guys have set then train is on a collision course with a huge train hauling gasoline and other fuel to kill all the passengers

They plan to escape via a Huey chopper with a rope ladder at the back of the train. After Casey Rybeck (Steven Seagal) does in all the mercs and gets the hostages safe he's faced with one last bad guy, Travis Dane a computer genius (played well by Eric Bogosian), the villain who dies twice. 

Dane is hugging a laptop with a cell phone attached. He tells Casey he has no way of stopping the satellite from completing it mission, blowing the reactor under the Pentagon. Casey shoots the cell phone and laptop, then Dane falls out of the window of the train moving at about 60 MPH or 96.56 KPH. Casey and his niece climb up to the chopper, already under the control of the porter Bobby Zachs (played by Morris Chestnut). As Casey closes the chopper door, guess who comes climbing up the ladder, Travis Dane????? Casey slams the door shut, severing Danes fingers and dumping him into the inferno he created.

Now consider this. The train is doing 60 MPH, that's a mile a minute. They are traveling through rough, rocky terrain. Dane fall out the window, wounded by the bullet, Casey put into the laptop. Hitting the ground at that speed would break most of, if not all the bones in your body. You think that's the last of the bad guy.

The scene continues, leaving Dane's smashed body at least two miles back if not more. The chopper's ladder never touched the ground. How does a man with bullet in his chest, and the bones in his body smashed, climb up a ladder he can't reach on a chopper at least two mile past where he hit the ground? 

The movie is has some mild entertainment value, but the ending destroys the whole film. 

Come on Hollywood, Dane died when he hit the ground. Stop with all these sleazy endings, just for the sake of a scene for the hero to look cool, he's already saved the world

Book Progress

Second Genesis: We're stalled for the moment. Considering were to go. Ty has proposed to Mirasol. On their way back to their quarters they are attacked and Ty is injured.

Eastward Toward Eden: Shawn Mackenna, Arturo Santiago and Liam McDonald have gotten off world just ahead of those seeking their lives.

The Adam Eradication: Finishing up the edit and putting it to bed.

The Eve Beguilement: Making fantasic progress with this book.  Our work count had jumped from 70,000 to 133,683. I should finish by Mid December, end of Janurary at the latest. This may wind up as a two part book.

From the Garden Cast: After consulting with some new pages of the journals, we're moving some of material from the third book to this story. There was some confuison at to the order of events. That's cleard up now.

The Hobbit

I went on line today to check on the progress of the movie The Hobbit. Since I've had my head buried in the Tyranny Series and The MacKenna Saga I haven't been keeping up with the progress of the film. To my surprise I discovered the the book,  a favorite of mine, (I've read it at least a dozen times)is actually 3 three movies. I thought I would be going to the theater to see one movie. Leave it to Jackson to stretch it into three. I say that not as a criticism, but in the way of a compliment. Breaking the book into three movies give Peter the ability to tell the story in greater detail. I look forward to seeing Peter's work and the attention to detail only he brings to the screen. I'm sure his love for Tolkin's work will show through as it did in the Lord of the Rings series. From the online pictures of the characters the movie should be another amazing addition to Peters growing body of work.

The film is the first of The Hobbit Trilogy made by Oscar-winning director Sir Peter Jackson is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's famous novel. The wizard Gandalf tricks Bilbo Baggins into helping the dwarfs reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the powerful dragon Smaug. Along the way the timid hobbit finds there is more to him than he imagined. By the end of the novel the dwarfs come to look at Bilbo as a leader and not just a hire burglar.

The Hobbitt and The Lord of the Rings are required by anyone wishing to understand the true are of writing. J.R.R.Tolkin was a master.

The First Film:      The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due out on December 14, 2012
The Second Film: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, should be released on December 13 2013.
The Third Film:    The Hobbit: There and Back Again is slated for release July 18, 2014.

Peter, I cannot say thank you enough for all your hard work, though I know to you it a lot of fun. I also like to ad that your choice for the portrayal of Legolas and Aragorn were spot on.

The World is Laughing (At Us)

Is that A Condom or Cash in B.O's Hand

HO, HO, HO! It's sad, but true!

The world IS laughing at our government, And maybe for some of the right reasons...

These floats were part of the annual Carnival Parade in Germanywatched by an estimated three million people in three German cities including Dusseldorf.

Translation

Obama The Redeemer

 

Looks Just Like Her

They Know Slick Willy Soooo Well

Note the Skirt. This picture speaks for itself

You can bet the pro-Obama media will never print these pictures!!

Doesn't it make you so proud that the whole world is laughing at our country? Tell all your friends..... 2012 is HERE....

Annoying Movie Escapes

I spotted a blog entry on Nicholas Forristal website titled Car Chases in Most Movies. Nick's point on wild impossible car chases through crowded city streets where the driver never hits anyone or smashes through lines of cars and just keep going, is well taken.

I thought I'd give my view of the alligator over the transom type escapes.
(In case you're not familiar with the previous reference. It is the fine old tradition of dumping something into the story, unrelated to the plot so the Hero / Heroin/ both, can escape)

Nothing drives me crazier the some of the stupid ways screen writers and directors deal with close calls in the movies. I'm not talking about Scifi movies were you are expected to suspend your belief for the length of the movie. In those cases I can deal with the phenomenal jump, dives and chases they come up with. What I don't deal well with is a movie that takes an everyday guy in the real world and puts him in a no win situation. To amaze the viewer and thrown in a great special effects they use a totally unrealistic way of rescuing the hero from that impossible scenario.

For example, in the movie Die Hard 2, Bruce Willis' character, John McClane is locked in the cabin of a military transport plane. The bad guys shoot the windows out of the cockpit and toss half a dozen frag grenades into the cabin. In real life the hero is dead, no two ways about it. Not John McClane, he straps into the pilots ejection seat, pulls the handle and is ejected out of the plane just as it erupts in flame.

There are several problems with the the solution.
       1) Ejection seats are only found in fighter jets. Why? Because only a fighter jets has a canopy the pilot can blow away and then eject clear of the crippled aircraft. Even then the pilot or the REO can die from a broken neck if the canopy doesn't clear in time. (As With Goose in Top Gun.) All other planes you must bail out through the hatch.

        2) The cabins of all other aircraft are a solid cage. If there were an ejection seat in the cockpit of a Cargo / Transport plane and the pilot did eject he or she would be smashed against the ceiling of the cockpit. It might blast him or her through the cabin roof but their necks would break and their bodies would be ripped to shreds.

That scene in the movie smacks of desperation as in "Gee we got him here how do we get him out? Oh, I know we'll put an ejection seat in and we'll pop him out in the nick of time.".

There are plenty of movies with stupid and unrealistic escapes. Tell me the one that grips you.

Writing Better Part 16

WORD POSITION

Careful attention to how your sentences, paragraphs, and scenes end can help you build a story that stands up down to its last words. Four tips:

01) Because the end of a sentence is the power position, a sentence that has a punch to deliver should deliver it last;

02) The end of a paragraph is more important than the end of any sentence in it, so put your strongest sentence at the end of the paragraph;

03) There should be a rise in emotion or significance at the end of each chapter (in a novel… each scene in a short story). How much of a rise depends both on the type of fiction and on the tone and pace desired;

04) A story or novel can end one of two ways:

a) Forcefully, with a big climax and conclusion;

b) Quietly, almost anti-climactically.

MAKE YOUR PLOT SING

Writing the moral in your story:

01) Don’t confuse a genre theme with your book’s theme;

02) Focus on the one lesson your protagonist must learn during the book;

03) Create plot events that force the character to choose between an old and a new belief;

04) Match the magnitude of the events to the distance of the inner journey;

05) Choose events strong enough to force your character to make new choices;

06) Create suspense about each choice and each outcome. (The "right" choice may lead to a disastrous outcome.);

07) Secondary characters have their own journeys; be conscious of their effect on your plot.

ENDINGS

Don’t try to beat the reader over the head with the moral of the story. Instead, make an effort to hide the moral within the conclusion - to suggest the meaning of the novel rather than state it plainly.

SURPRISES

WHAT A STORY!

Four keys to a great story:

01) Conflict - should be clear but not simplistic, and you should be able to list the major conflicts plus who’s on each side;

02) Surprise - if the story unfolds exactly how the reader expects, it can be a disappointment (see next section for more details on surprises);

03) Focus - there should be a dominant, sympathetic character for the reader to follow throughout the story, particularly in the case of complex plots;

04) Pace - tied to the number of new plot developments per chapter.

SURPRISES

Avoid clichés, unless you intend to have a magician pull an eagle out of his hat rather than a dove.

The way surprises create tension is obvious, but tension can also come from characters being faced with moral dilemmas. (Will he do the right thing, or won’t he?)

If you want a surprising story, you need two things:

01) Red herrings;

02) Foreshadowing, but not too much.

If John is going to get the girl at the end, there should be a Stephen or a Frank (or else some fantastic opportunity) that could take her from him. These are red herrings, the hand that distracts while the magician’s assistant replaces the dove with the eagle.

Now, if you want your magician to replace the dove with, say, a roc or a dragon, you have to foreshadow this surprise - possibly by introducing the intermediate step of exchanging the dove for an eagle. That way it’s not such a huge leap for the reader to believe in his skills. But if the roc is screaming backstage or the dragon is breathing fire through the curtains (too much foreshadowing), the surprise is lost.

In addition to building tension, surprises can also further characterization, create curiosity, or point up the plot. Just be sure any surprises, foreshadowing, and unexpected plot twists are explained by the last page.

A story with no surprises also has two requirements:

01) Set up, or clearly point to, a conclusion which arouses our interest;

02) Create complex characters.

Either way, surprise or no surprise, the reader has to believe in the character’s ability to perform the actions attributed to him. That’s why character complexity is important, but it is crucial in a story with no surprises.

REWRITING THE STORY

REVISION

When deciding what to revise, you can ask someone else’s opinion or make the decisions yourself, but either way the following questions should be answered as exhaustively as possible:

01) Whose story is this? Have I made it clear which character(s) the reader should be most concerned about?;

02) How are the major characters different by the end? Has there been a change in his situation, character, or knowledge of life? If not, put some in, and write them down clearly;

03) Are the changes meaningful? What does it say about life, about people, about your particular setting?;

04) Trace the events that cause each change - write them down and study them. Does it seem that these events are sufficient to produce this change? If not, add scenes which accomplish this;

05) Are these events all necessary to produce this change? If not, cut some scenes;

06) Are these events plausible as a producer of these changes, or as occurring to these people? If not, make major plot changes;

07) Do these events plus changes add up to the meaning you intended your story to convey?

THE FOUR STEPS OF MANUSCRIPT CPR

01) Get out the highlighter - mark all the material that still speaks to you, then cut it out and throw the rest away;

02) Is it really love - keep anything which still evokes the original impetus of the story;

03) Regroup the seeds - consolidate previously unrelated material into one story;

04) Expand, then contract - expanding a thin story is more difficult than thinning out an overweight one, so incorporate all your research and notes into your first draft.

WEILDING THE SCALPEL

There are four good reasons to cut:

01) Redundancy - people don’t like to be told something multiple times; expending time and effort reading while learning nothing new is irritating. The author loses authority as a storyteller if he doesn’t seem to trust his own words to make his point the first time;

02) Over-explanation - redundancy is saying something more than once; over-explanation is saying something unnecessary in the first place. It insults the reader’s intelligence;

03) For pace - words not repeated for emphasis or which add no new info are just padding… they slow the pace. Never write, "She said angrily" when you can use an exclamation point; never write, "He asked" when you can use a question mark;

04) For literary effect - deliberately omit connections to let the readers figure them out for themselves. Surprise is thus greater, and reader involvement is deepened by focusing on the climactic or revelatory moments in your story.

Two final caveats:

01) Do not apply these guidelines to dialog. Dialog characterizes as much by form as by content (though, of course, if your character is terse, keep dialog to a minimum too.)

(PERSONAL NOTE: I would add that if you already have a scene showing something crucial to the story you should avoid explaining it in dialog, and vice versa.)

02) Some very successful books are badly padded - case in point, Tom Clancy.

TEN STEPS TO PLANNING YOUR SECOND DRAFT

02) Set the total count - the number of words required to tell your story the way you want. The optimum word count is around 70,000 words;

03) Count chapters - for maximum readability, chapters should be approximately 2,500 words each, which translates to around 28 chapters;

04) Separate scenes - short scenes have a fast pace, long scenes are slower. Starting a story slowly, with long scenes, then shortening the scenes to increase the pace will increase tension. Optimally, the bulk of the story should have 3 scenes per chapter;

05) List your scenes - prepare a written list of all scenes in your current manuscript, comparing each to the traditional markers of good scene construction. (PERSONAL NOTE: This can be done on index cards, which can then be placed on a wall as a storyboard, to be rearranged as needed.);

06) Add and subtract - reorder your scenes as necessary to comply with the story you want to tell and the pace you want to achieve. Cut anything that no longer fits;

07) Eliminate repetition - don’t repeat yourself. (See how annoying it is?);

08) Consolidate - combine scenes and characters whenever possible to enrich your story’s texture;

09) Build bridges - create bridge scenes as necessary to advance your story. (PERSONAL NOTE: As it is only necessary to show what is essential to making the point clear in the end, be sure all your bridge scenes work to that end.);

10) Count to three - keep the classic three act structure in mind. The first third of the story should be devoted to character development and exposition, to bring the fictional world to life. Roughly 50% should be the conflict section - plot driven, heavy on action, and faster paced, building to the climax. The remaining 15 to 20% of the pages should be for the final resolution - but remember, once the monster dies the move’s over; don’t create an anti-climax by drawing out the end.


If you found these articles helpful, please tell your friends, and check out the short stories on Dwayne's AUTHOR PAGE, ( http://www.smashwords.com/books/search/Dwayne%20Bearup/10all )of which were written with this helpful little book nearby.

01) Start with 250 - that’s the ideal word count for the story summary (which is the first step in an outline.) Multiple twists or sub-plots can require as many as 500 words, but any more than that and you’re summarizing the plot, not the story. (Stories are simple: boy meets girl, Russian family survives the revolution, etc. Plot is what an outline relates.);

Writing Better Part 15

STORY ELEMENT PROPORTIONS

More important scenes should be longer than less important scenes.

Scenes that build tension should increase in importance - and length - as the story progresses, but don’t forget to also increase intensity.

The climax should be long enough to balance the scenes leading up to it.

Don’t let minor characters take over the story by describing them in too much detail. Also, describe objects only if they have a plot function. (For instance, only tell your readers, "He sat in the green wingback chair" if the green wingback chair is somehow integral to the plot. If not, just say, "He sat down.")

 

STOP! LOOK! THINK AGAIN!

01) Stop - after 3 or 4 paragraphs, to catch your thought processes before they’ve hardened too much to be flexible;

02) Look - in specific detail at what you’ve decided about four crucial areas:

a) Point-of-view character;

b) Person - 1^st or 3^rd;

c) Distance (with 3^rd person) - close, middle or far:

i) Close - sees thoughts as they develop;

ii) Middle - combination of thoughts and actions;

iii) Far - thoughts must be deduced from actions.

d) Tone - comic, heroic, factual, lyrical, deadpan, tragic, farcical, etc. (Once readers have a sense of the story’s tone, they will expect the rest of the tale to comply with that tone.)

03) Think again - about the choices you’ve made in that particular scene.

 

FICTIONAL TONE

Tone is the overall mood of a piece of writing, derived from word choice, distance, detail selection and authorial attitude toward the characters. It can also be thought of as the author’s view of his material. Three tips on tone:

01) Establish it early;

02) Keep it consistent;

03) Don’t let it overwhelm the story.

ONE, TWO, THREE… PUSH!

You need to push your prose in order to attain certain kinds of extravagant tones for your fiction. Visual details greatly enhance prose by allowing readers to "see" the story unfolding. Rather than writing, "A funny-looking baby," push the description - "A bald baby with an enormous mouth."

This technique works especially well with comedy, and for this reason you must avoid pushing too hard with serious fiction, lest your prose sound pompous. In serious fiction, details are pushed to imply truths which go beyond the specific events of the book. It works best in serious fiction where the author wants a resonant, sweeping tone. In short:

01) Start with a small exaggeration, then push the details beyond the literal. In humorous fiction, don’t be afraid to go over the top - as long as it’s descriptive, it will work;

02) In serious fiction, look for details which, when exaggerated, could make the link between the story’s specifics and universal themes.

SUSPENSE

There are three "sizes of" suspense, which should be presented in waves, like a roller coaster:

01) Small - a mild tingling of curiosity;

02) Medium - turns up the heat, either by adding mortal danger or by somehow getting the reader to identify personally with the lead character’s troubles;

03) Large - in which the author gets the reader questioning the motives of the lead character.

The above is especially true of mysteries, but can also be applied to other genres.

Writing Better Part 14

STORY ELEMENTS

CRAFTING SCENES

The most interesting fictional characters are those that get themselves into real jams by doing things. The most interesting scenes are those that show the character discovering how to fix the mess, and allow the reader to participate in the process of discovery. The scene is the essential structural element of stories and novels, and is defined as, "A dramatic unit of action that features a character or characters speaking/acting/interacting, and that is delineated by a shift in time or place, or the entrance or exit of a character." A good scene will do at least one of three things:

01) Enrich character;

After a strong start from first person point of view, pull back and give descriptive details regarding the setting, as well as some background. Naming specifics is more attention getting than being vague. If a character walks into a room full of knick-knacks, don’t write, "She walked into a room full of knick-knacks." Instead, write, "The profusion of pewter and ceramic figurines set on shelves covering every square inch of wall space overwhelmed her."

As you set your scenes with specifics, don’t neglect the senses beyond sight. Smell is the most often overlooked sensory detail, but it speaks most directly to our emotions and recollections.

And don’t let your scenes be static. In describing smells, write, "The breeze carries…," rather than, "It smells like…." Let verbs do some of the work of scene setting for you, using action rather than exposition to paint scenes.

HOW TO DRAMATIZE A SCENE

01) Use lots of dialog;

02) Create dialog which characterizes people and relationships;

03) Interrupt dialog with gestures and small actions;

04) Set the scene for visualization.

The more important the scene to the plot, the more readers will want to witness it directly, and the more it should be dramatized.

DETAILS

Explanations stand still; stories need to move. Give each scene a single focus, and create a context for each emotion.

CREATING CONFLICT

To have a story, you have to have conflict, and really great conflicts begin with powerful antagonists. If you want to beef up the conflict, beef up the opposing force.

Three guidelines:

01) In act one, get your protagonist up a tree;

02) In act two, throw rocks at him;

03) In act three, get him down.

But if you want it to really work, make it a tall tree, get him out there on skinny, cracking branches, and throw bigger and sharper rocks harder and faster.

COMPELLING STORY ELEMENTS

What makes a story compelling depends on the intended audience. When writing for "Penthouse Letters", sex sells; for "Seventeen", think boy bands and preparing for college. Having some ideas on the audience before starting your story will go a long way toward guiding it in the right direction.

Writing Better Part 13

USING WRITER’S BLOCK

Often, writer’s block is the mind’s way of telling you you’re doing something wrong with the story. Figuring out what is only the first step toward correcting it.

(The article - and my notes - goes on to suggest that a change of scenery (writing at the library rather than at home, for example) or learning a new skill will bring the change in perspective that will allow you to work through your block. I have also heard it suggested that re-writing - from memory - the last scene or chapter you wrote, or writing down everything you know about the character in the scene (ROMANCING YOUR CHARACTERS), will free you of writer’s block. That may or may not work for you. It doesn’t work for me.

I like to think of starting a story as being like putting your characters on a ¼ mile drag strip… there’s only one way out, and that’s to finish the story. In my personal experience, writer’s block is most often caused by the writer trying to get the story to leave the strip before it reaches the finish line. Anyone who has seen a drag race knows what happens to a car that tries to leave the course anywhere but through the end - it hits the wall, and usually explodes. My advice? Stop trying to make your characters go where you want and let them finish the race.)

 

POINT OF VIEW

CHOOSING A POINT OF VIEW

Six quick tips:

01) Use first person when the language is unique;

02) Use first person when the point of view character ruminates at length;

03) Use either 1st or close 3rd person when you want to maximize reader identification with the P.O.V. character;

04) Use either close or distant 3rd person when you describe both a character’s external action and internal thoughts;

05) Use distant 3rd person when the author’s opinions intersperse with the character’s;

06) Use distant 3rd person when you want to minimize reader identification with your P.O.V. character.

OMNISCIENT P.O.V.

Though the story goes into many characters’ minds, it should maintain consistent tone, it should be clear whose story is being told, and the prose must be as bold as the omniscience of the P.O.V..

CONFESSIONS OF A KNOW IT ALL

Omniscient P.O.V.:

01) Omniscient P.O.V. is when the author’s voice gives opinions and comments that do not come from any character;

02) Flexibility and richness are two assets of omniscient P.O.V.:

a) You can dip into anyone’s mind;

b) Contrast opinions and happenings; and

c) Introduce information the characters may not realize themselves.

3) If you use omniscient P.O.V., use it throughout. It should contribute to an overall tone or attitude toward your subject matter;

4) Don’t be too directive - leave the interpretation of the action to the reader.

ALTERNATING POINT OF VIEW

When changing between close and distant first person narration, make the transitions gradual, and use the effect sparingly. After all, in real life people rarely notice a feeling of transcendent joy until it’s past, and such moments occur only rarely. (And this effect is best used to describe such moments.)

Writing Better Part 12

PROPS IN FICTION

You don’t directly tell the audience what’s going on. Instead you direct their attention to some item from which they can infer an emotional state. Props can be very useful for this. Anger can be shown by one character smashing another’s favorite possession, for example, or by a character driving recklessly.

Also, almost anything can be handled fumblingly to show nervousness, provided the item used is natural to the scene. A woman, preparing for a date, can nervously fumble her hairbrush when the doorbell rings. Objects can also be dropped, misplaced, or even chewed on (pens, pencils, fingernails…). The reason for the character’s nervousness can then be explained without the explanation seeming intrusive. This reason can then be used to show other emotions. The woman in the previous example might be in love, for example, or she might be afraid.

Props can also show other emotions, depending on how they are handled by the character. And they can show a character’s character… he might be tense, tender, sensitive, crude, thrifty, secretive, et cetera.

Another use of props is to build suspense. Lengthy descriptions of objects signal that the object is significant. Frequent references to it make readers wonder when, how, and/or by whom it will be used. Four quick tips:

01) Avoid clichés - cigarettes to show nervousness, for instance;

02) Use misdirection to direct the reader’s attention to one particular detail which illustrates the character’s emotions;

03) Know your protagonist - then you can usually find a prop to illustrate his most distinctive quality;

04) Props should be directly related to the story.

SEND THEM HOME HAPPY

Writing a book which readers can’t put down hinges on three key elements:

01) Cause - What is your character trying to do, and why? Ideally, this gets set up very early in the story; also ideally, the answer is a combination of character and setting;

02) Climax - throughout the story, motivations of individual characters are being explained. In the climax, these separate motivations clash;

03) Change - What changes have occurred in each major character? What has been gained or lost?;

In other words:

01) Make motivations clear up front and connect them to the nature of the character and the story’s setting;

02) Put the setting and the characters’ motivations in clear conflict;

03) Use motivations to set off a chain of events that thrust the story forward and keep readers involved;

04) Make the climax worthy of the events that caused it. Get every character involved, and don’t rush it;

05) Demonstrate that characters have undergone some significant change. Failing to do this trivializes the climax’s importance.

TIME TRAPS TO AVOID

Modern readers will not accept certain things which 19th century writers took for granted:

01) Coincidence - if a coincidental relationship is important to your plot, introduce it early on, and use it as plot set-up, not plot resolution;

02) Sappy endings - an overly sappy ending seems unreal, because life isn’t like that;

03) Characterizing names - a name which characterizes an individual sounds contrived. Instead, use a normal name and make a character’s actions characterize him. (PERSONAL NOTE: I would say a nickname would be an acceptable exception, especially if it furthers the plot, and most especially in a short story.)

Is this series helpful. Yes/No Please leave your comments.

Writing Better Part 11

EMOTIONAL SYMBOLISM

The aim of any novel is to evoke in the reader an emotional response to the story. Symbols automatically evoke emotion. If you can work a symbol into your story, part of the work of portraying the humanity of your characters will be done for you.

FINDING THE POINT

Parables, fables, and fairy tales remain popular because they embody archetypes. Nine examples:

01) Ugly duckling/frog prince - in which a person of any age experiences a transformation for the better. (If the change is natural or inevitable, it’s the former tale; if it requires assistance it’s the latter.)

02) Beauty and the beast - looks at the hidden aspects of two apparently opposing forces, or the hidden traits of two apparently conflicting characters;

03) David and Goliath - deals with underdogs;

04) The prodigal son - in which one who has strayed finds his/her way back "home";

05) The Good Samaritan - stories of do-gooders, rewarded or not (such as the mouse who removes the thorn from a lion’s paw);

06) The tortoise and the hare - where small steps gradually lead to big accomplishments;

07) The little engine that could - stories featuring characters who overcome definite and recognizable obstacles, with the focus on conquering self-doubt rather than overwhelming odds;

08) The persistence of Job - where endurance is the focus, if there is no hope of triumph (or even progress);

09) City mouse and country mouse - extolling the virtues of one lifestyle over another.

KEEPING IT REAL

Make your stories seem real by imposing a real-to-life pattern on your character’s actions, but not so tight a pattern that the story feels mechanical.

01) A story which is too chaotic will leave readers bewildered; it must impose order on life’s chaos, yet allow for unpredictability, so that the reader can be surprised;

02) Scenes and opinions unconnected to the plot help suggest life’s randomness;

03) To keep the story real-to-life, include unexpected turns;

04) Hint at the larger world the characters occupy - add details that are independent of their actions, the settings, or the time;

05) Give your characters mixed - and even contradictory - emotions, just like real people often have.

POETIC TECHNIQUES TO STRENGTHEN PROSE

"Poetry reminds us that literature is a journey. The journey has a name (title), a purpose (topic), a vehicle (theme), and a destination (ending)." The importance of writing lies not in the delivery of a manuscript to an editor, but of an epiphany to the readers. After all, an editor may choose to publish a story but, if the readers aren’t moved by it, it won’t sell very well. In poetry, the use of repetition is one technique used to draw a reader into the story being told:

01) Use repetition to draw attention to a compilation of images and information;

02) Remember that repetition can create a tension where the reader feels both lulled and aroused by text, and can be used to incite a desire for action;

03) Repetition is not limited to one set of repeated words or phrases. In fact, multiple sets of repetition can facilitate progression.

For an example of the power of repetition to arouse passion in a reader, read the Declaration of Independence.

PONDER THE PLAIN POSITIVES

Focus your writing by keeping it simple:

01) Get to the point - skip the meaningless introductory sentences, unless they’re part of your character’s voice;

02) Shorten complex sentences - while variable sentence length adds interest, most sentences should be 20 words or less;

03) Use active voice - in other words, write sentences from a specific P.O.V. rather than from a generic viewpoint;

04) Avoid empty subjects - "it is" and "there are" make weak lead-ins;

05) Drop waffle words - adverbs of degree (somewhat, very, rather, etc.) are hedges which weaken writing. Any adverb which doesn’t change the sentence’s meaning should be deleted;

06) Replace multi-word verbs - replace "leave out" and "run off" with "omit" and "elope", for instance. (PERSONAL NOTE: Unless it is in dialog and that is the way your character speaks.)

Writing Better Part 10

BUILD A SOLID NOVEL FOUNDATION

L.O.C.K. in a great novel every time:

01) L is for lead - your lead character must be interesting, and he must have an emotional bond with readers. There are four ways to accomplish the latter:

a) Identification - the reader must be able to identify with the character;

b) Sympathy - readers want to be able to sympathize with characters. Anytime a character which readers can identify faces hardship, danger, or struggle - whether physical or emotional - this generates sympathy;

c) Likability - readers are most drawn to characters who do likable things;

d) Inner conflict - readers are especially drawn to characters who do likable things despite inner conflict or turmoil.

02) O is for objective - interest in a character zooms if he has a purpose in life. An objective can take two forms:

a) To get something (or someplace);

b) To get away from something (or someplace, or someone).

03) C is for confrontation - or conflict. Opposition from other characters and/or outside forces adds drama to any story, drama adds interest, and gaining interest is the primary purpose of any story;

04) K is for knockout - make the resolution (climax and conclusion) of your story conclusive. Meet all the goals, accomplish the tasks, tie up all the loose ends.

Follow the knockout with either an "ah" or and "uh oh":

01) An "ah" leaves the reader satisfied. All the story’s emotional complications (sub-plots) have been resolved;

02) An "uh oh" leaves the reader with a sense of foreboding… it leaves the story open for a sequel.

CONQUERING THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE

The first and third acts should be of roughly equal length, with the second act roughly twice as long. (In a screenplay, each page will equal roughly one minute);

01) Act one - the first 15 pages are where you set up your story. Tell the audience the basic facts (main characters, setting/time period, genre, theme, catalyst, central question). End act one with the first turning point, which should accomplish several things:

a) Turn the story in a new direction;

b) Set up what act 2 is going to be;

c) Raise the stakes (if possible);

d) Re-ask the central question with possibly a different outcome.

02) Act two - builds to the second turning point, while developing relationships, plot thickening, thematic ideas, and subplots, and the second turning point should accomplish (if possible) the following:

a) Turn the story direction again;

b) Raise the stakes again;

c) Start a "ticking clock";

d) Re-ask the central question.

03) Act three - should head directly for the climax and end with a brief conclusion in which loose ends (subplots) are wrapped up.

CROSS-GENDER WRITING

Tips on writing from the P.O.V. of the opposite sex:

01) Do not be judgmental - it will come across in your writing and make your character seem unbelievable, insufferable, or just plain wrong;

02) Observe and research - and if you know someone who embodies the personality of the character you want to write, get to know that person well;

03) Empathize - to write convincingly from the P.O.V. of the opposite sex, there are three key elements to determine:

a) What makes your character likable?;

b) What is her cause for suffering?’

c) What does she want? - we all want to be happy, but what each of us imagines will make us happy varies.

Just make sure to keep your characters human.

Writing Better Part 9

MISCELLANEOUS

A VARIETY OF VOICES

Distinguishing the speech patterns of various characters:

01) In addition to character profiles, develop a speech profile for each major character, considering:

a) Where, and how, s/he was raised;

b) Education level;

c) Interests;

d) Vocation;

e) Hobbies;

f) Marital situation;

g) Family/ethnic background;

h) Sensory preference - like being right- or left-handed, each of us is either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (feeling). Visually oriented characters might use visually oriented words predominantly ("shaggy dog"), while auditorially oriented characters might prefer sound oriented words ("barking dog") and kinesthetics may use sensual terms ("smelly dog");

02) Cadence - alter inflection and/or sentence length to reflect each character’s background and sensory preference;

a) Phrases - a character who riddles his speech or internal narrative with prepositional or parenthetic phrases will sound completely different to the reader than a character who uses few or none;

b) Adverbs - These create a different cadence from adjectives modifying nouns or pronouns. Examples:

Adjective) Fine wine after an excellent program put Chelsea in a warm and generous mood.

Adverb) After the program, wine flowed lavishly, turning Chelsea’s mood warmly generous.

c) Word choice - Multi-syllabic words create a slightly more lyrical cadence than mono-syllabic words;

d) Articles - dropping articles (the, a, an) or incomplete sentences will also affect rhythm. Incomplete sentences can sound casual and informal, and are best reserved to showing friendship, since casual acquaintances and strangers are more apt to speak in a more expansive, verbose manner.

AVOID COMMON GRAMMAR PITFALLS

22 Tips:

01) Lose the flab:

a) Cut useless modifiers - such as really, truly, very, genuinely - and pointless phrases such as "it goes without saying" et cetera;

b) Cut redundancies - "armed gunman", "personal friend", et cetera;

c) Cut unnecessary extras that tell you things you know from context - "the shirt was blue in color" et cetera;

d) Find each use of the word "of" and ensure it is earning its keep - "he is the kind of man who is never afraid", et cetera;

e) Edit sentences which begin with "It is", "There are", et cetera. "There are three people dancing on the street" could be "Three people are dancing on the street" for example;

f) The terms "which is", "who are", and "who is" are frequently unneeded;

g) Don’t overuse adverbs - "He ran excitedly down the hill" should be "He bounded down the hill, breathless and smiling.";

02) Be precise:

a) Avoid vague modifiers - such as "a lot", "perhaps", "kind of", "somewhat", "kind of", et cetera;

b) Avoid jargon - it’s confusing, and subject to misinterpretation. (PERSONAL NOTE: Of course, if you want to add some confusion and opportunities for misinterpretation, jargon might be perfect.);

c) Use specific verbs rather than general - instead of "went" try "ran, moseyed, hopped, strolled, skipped, drove, tiptoed", et cetera;

d) Watch for doubled-up nouns, such as "action directive", "crisis situation", or "entertainment experience", et cetera;

e) Match up singulars and plurals - "Oasis is an excellent band, but their latest album stinks." Is Oasis an it, or a they? Pick one, and stick with it;

f) Watch out for dangling modifiers - "Coming down the hillside, the little white church was clearly visible", means the church was coming down the hillside; better to say, "As we came down the hillside, the little white church was clearly visible.";

g) Place adverbs as close as possible to the words they modify - "George only likes one flavor of ice cream" means George doesn’t like anything except one flavor of ice cream; better to say, "George likes only one flavor of ice cream", which means he doesn’t like other flavors of ice cream without implying that’s all he eats.

03) Stay active:

a) Where possible, transform passive into active verbs:

Passive) The decision was made by the city council.

Active) The city council made the decision.

b) Where possible, "amplify" verbs - use "scrutinize" for "examine", "transmogrify" for "change", et cetera;

c) Purge vague adjectives - amazing, interesting, compelling, wonderful, appealing…. Replace them with words that paint pictures, and let the reader decide if something you’ve described is "amazing";

d) Expand your vocabulary.

04) Maintain a logical structure and flow:

a) Make sure your sentences are "parallel" - equally balanced, as in, "He was tall and dark and had nice eyes" is better than "He was tall, dark, and had nice eyes.";

b) Have a beginning and end in mind before starting to write;

c) Every story should reach its conclusion in a logical series of steps;

d) Read your story aloud to a (preferably well-read) audience, to make sure all is in order.

Writing Better Part 8

WEAVING DESCRIPTION INTO THE NARRATIVE

Most people don’t take in all the details of a person or location at a glance. They generally see one or two important details first, and only gradually become aware of the rest. In fiction, describing a whole room or individual all at once slows the pace. Better to scatter important details throughout a scene and allow the reader to fill in the rest.

THE FLASHBACK

FLASHBACKS

The flashback lacks immediacy, but offsetting this inherent disadvantage are the several advantages a good flashback can bring to a story:

01) It can make plausible a character’s motives, by showing what events in his past compel him to act the way he is now;

02) It can fill in events that show how the story reached the exciting state it’s in now;

03) And it can present crucial information that happened so long ago - years or even decades - that there is simply no other way to include it.

To do "time travel" right:

01) Your flashback should follow a strong scene. This means a flashback is never the first scene, because readers must care about a character’s present before they can be expected to care about his past;

02) Orient the reader at the start of the flashback in time and space - a reader who is expending energy trying to figure out where and when she is now is not able to engage with your story;

03) Use verb tense conventions to guide readers into and out of flashbacks. (See VERB TENSES IN FLASHBACKS BELOW.)

(A frame story is one long flashback - the story of something which happens in the past "framed" by the narrator’s recollections of events.)

FRAME STORIES

A frame story begins after all the action is over. A half-frame story omits either the beginning frame or the ending one.

Two reasons not to frame:

01) The story loses tension;

02) Frame stories force the story to start twice.

Two reasons to frame:

01) Added depth and texture;

02) Used properly, frame stories can build tension. By choosing carefully which pieces of the ending to reveal in the beginning frame, you can whet your readers’ appetites.

Four crucial guidelines:

01) Frames work best in stories where character is at least as important as plot;

02) Don’t reveal the whole plot in the frame;

03) Never reveal the climax in your beginning frame;

04) Keep any ending frame short.

VERB TENSES IN FLASHBACKS

When it comes to dealing with verb tenses in flashbacks or with a character’s thoughts, smoothness counts;

01) The flashback - most fiction is told in past tense. To transition from story to flashback, use past-perfect ("had" followed by a verb) two or three times to start and end the flashback, but write the bulk of it in simple past tense. For a story written in present tense, write the flashback in simple past;

02) Thoughts - in first person, representing a character’s thoughts is no problem because the whole story is his or her perceptions of the action. (And don’t use "I thought" at all.) For third person, how you present the character’s thoughts will depend on the overall tone and mood of the story, and your own personal writing style preferences.

WEAVING PAST INTO PRESENT

Using the present scene’s mood and circumstances to segue into flashbacks will connect present with past and build a seamless story. Flashbacks not only convey bare facts of your characters’ pasts, they let your readers experience the emotional moments that shape who your characters are

Writing Better Part 7

WRITING ALL THE SENSES

As with all description, the use of senses other than sight should be woven into the story, should evoke a character’s personality, and/or should further the plot.

SHOW VERSUS TELL

Both showing and telling are forms of description. For this reason, there’s an overlap of interpretation between the two. It helps to think of showing vs. telling not as a dichotomy, but as a continuum. Some sentences and paragraphs both show a scene and relate facts, and thus are near the middle of the continuum. Where telling is distinct from showing is at the ends of the continuum. At one end, pure telling - exposition; at the other, dramatization. Here are seven quick tips:

01) Your writing doesn’t have to be strictly either/or. Description is a matter of degrees;

02) Don’t lead with exposition - you’ll have no dramatic hook;

03) Rely on exposition, or the lack of it, to control pace;

04) Exposition (telling) is the best way to convey background information and can set the stage for a vivid "showing" scene. It is also the only practical way to convey abstract or unfamiliar info;

05) Dramatizing the climax will lend it excitement. (PERSONAL NOTE: By the time your story reaches the climax, the stage should be set and the background in place, and all the abstract and unfamiliar information should already have been explained. This will leave you free to dramatize the climax, leaving exposition for the close.);

06) The best stories combine showing and telling;

07) If you story doesn’t achieve the intended affect, break your story down into sections and label where each lies on the show/tell continuum, then adjust accordingly.

TIPS ON NARRATION

Usually, the narrator of a first-person story must be reliable. Yet fascinating effects can be achieved with an unreliable narrator. There are three types of unreliable narrator:

01) Accurate-but-mistaken - accurately relates the facts, but misinterprets them;

02) Inaccurate, yet not a lie - since the narrator is the readers only link to the story, the narrator cannot lie to the reader. However, he can (and does) lie to himself;

03) Insane - reports the facts as the sees them, but his perception of reality is so skewed he gets the facts wrong.

Each narrator should be approached differently:

01) a) Discourage reader identification with your unreliable narrator;

b) Let the character express a strong, consistent attitude toward the story events;

c) Let the narrator relate events which the reader will interpret directly opposite to the narrator’s attitude.

02) a) Have your narrator lying to himself because the truth is too hard to face;

b) Show us exactly what he tells himself;

c) Demonstrate without doubt that the real motivations and events are different from his lies about them.

03) a) Let readers know immediately, by the voice, that your narrator is nuts;

b) Tell a story in which we can follow the basic plot anyway;

c) Have some point to make about madness, identity, reality, or perception.

These techniques can also be used to show readers a side of a character of which the character is unaware.

Writing Better Part 6

INTERIOR MONOLOG

Long stretches of interior monolog can slow the plot if used incorrectly. However, in cases where dialog or exposition does not adequately convey the background meaning of the conversation, getting into your character’s head is the only recourse. It is especially important in situations where the individual character’s reactions to the conversation won’t necessarily be representative of humanity as a whole.

FICTIONAL DIALOG

Pay attention to four areas of speech:

01) Content - substance = style. What a character says is the most important aspect of dialog… dialog written out of necessity, determined by plot or circumstances, is primary content. Secondary content is carried along with the primary content, to convey character, but is not necessary to the story. (Example, mentioning an individual who never appears simply to point up an aspect of a major character’s personality or attitudes.);

02) Diction - word choice matters. A character’s choice of words reveals a lot about him - upbringing, personality, ethnicity, age gender, etc. English words generally derive from Latin or Anglo-Saxon roots; Latin terms generally sound more educated, and distancing - "I detest the odor of manure" - than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts - "I hate the smell of shit";

03) Grammar - grammatically correct dialog indicates a formal education. It can also indicate snootiness - a holier-than-thou attitude (think "Charles Emerson Winchester the Third" of "M.A.S.H.".) Or it can indicate accomplishment - a migrant farmer’s son who takes pride in his speech for having learned it on his own, for instance;

04) Length - length of dialog can show character as much as content. Terse, short speeches can suggest either strength of character (the "strong, silent type") or an antisocial personality, depending on context. Long, rambling speeches can suggest either indecisiveness (the new homeowner who can’t decide where to put her furniture), narcissism (the spoiled rich girl, in love with the sound of her own voice), or lack of focus, among other things. Again, context will explain which.

EXPOSITION/DESCRIPTION

INFORMATION SLEIGHT OF HAND

How to disguise exposition:

01) SHOW, DON’T TELL!;

02) Never have two characters say things to each other that they both already know just so the reader can get the facts, unless you…;

03) Yell! Cry! Laugh! - Cover exposition with emotion. The more bald the exposition, the greater the emotion must be to cover it;

04) Action can also cover exposition, with dull exposition requiring exciting action;

05) Make exposition outrageous and have the other characters laugh it off… they’re laughter covers the expository nature of the speech;

06) Spring a surprise;

07) Defuse a bomb - create a tense situation, which a character can diffuse with exposition disguised as small talk;

08) Invest the information with deeper meaning;

09) Make your characters anxious;

10) Make your characters late - if they are late, for whatever, they can rush… rushing builds energy, which can be used to cover exposition.

Writing Better Part 5

KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH YOUR CHARACTERS:

There’s an easy way to keep in touch with your character’s thoughts without using the phrase, "He thought" - just before writing down the thought, have your character perform some kind of physical movement, preferably something to do with the head.

Examples:

01) He nodded, nonplussed. He had heard it all before anyway.;

02) He blinked. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

The KIT (Keep In Touch) Method can also be used to segue into flashbacks, physical descriptions of characters, and to get into the minds of non-viewpoint characters without leaving the mind of your main viewpoint character.

DESCRIBING CHARACTERS:

As always, weave the description into the narrative. Here are tips on how to do that:

01) Describe distinctive features - generic descriptions tell readers little and sound cliche;

02) When writing in 1^st person, don’t rely on the character looking in the mirror for a self-description;

03) Tie your descriptions into your plot by using them to foreshadow events (PERSONAL NOTE: This is most easily done by measuring the length of your descriptions against the importance to the plot of the item or character being described.);

04) Entwine your character descriptions with self-image;

05) Use description to evoke a sense of the broader culture and your character’s place in it;

06) Incorporate a character’s background or ancestry into your description;

07) Use physical description of one character to deepen characterization of a second person.

DIALOG

DYNAMIC DIALOG

It accomplishes at least one of these five goals:

01) Advances the plot;

02) Characterizes your character;

03) Creates suspense and intensifies the conflict;

04) Reveals motivation;

05) Controls the pace.

Watch out for these dialog don’ts that can drag down your fiction:

01) Describing dialog: Don’t rely on excessive verbs and adverbs to do the work that should be done by your characters and their words;

02) Dialog without tension: Don’t let your characters be obvious in their dialog. Keeping something hidden - while letting the reader know there’s something being hidden - builds tension;

03) Don’t repeat in dialog information already given in narrative. As a general rule, to inform the reader or set a foundation for future story events use narrative; reserve dialog for showing conflict, tension, character, or something developing in a relationship.

04) Don’t load your dialog with a lot of information that wouldn’t be part of a normal conversation. Let the speaker speak out of his own need, not that of his listener (who is, in all cases, ultimately the reader of the story.);

05) Don’t use too many direct references in dialog - in real life, we rarely use one another’s names in a discussion.

Writing Better Part 4

STORY ELEMENTS

CRAFTING SCENES

The most interesting fictional characters are those that get themselves into real jams by doing things. The most interesting scenes are those that show the character discovering how to fix the mess, and allow the reader to participate in the process of discovery. The scene is the essential structural element of stories and novels, and is defined as, "A dramatic unit of action that features a character or characters speaking/acting/interacting, and that is delineated by a shift in time or place, or the entrance or exit of a character." A good scene will do at least one of three things:

01) Enrich character;

After a strong start from first person point of view, pull back and give descriptive details regarding the setting, as well as some background. Naming specifics is more attention getting than being vague. If a character walks into a room full of knick-knacks, don’t write, "She walked into a room full of knick-knacks." Instead, write, "The profusion of pewter and ceramic figurines set on shelves covering every square inch of wall space overwhelmed her."

As you set your scenes with specifics, don’t neglect the senses beyond sight. Smell is the most often overlooked sensory detail, but it speaks most directly to our emotions and recollections.

And don’t let your scenes be static. In describing smells, write, "The breeze carries…," rather than, "It smells like…." Let verbs do some of the work of scene setting for you, using action rather than exposition to paint scenes.

HOW TO DRAMATIZE A SCENE

01) Use lots of dialog;

02) Create dialog which characterizes people and relationships;

03) Interrupt dialog with gestures and small actions;

04) Set the scene for visualization.

The more important the scene to the plot, the more readers will want to witness it directly, and the more it should be dramatized.

DETAILS

Explanations stand still; stories need to move. Give each scene a single focus, and create a context for each emotion.

CREATING CONFLICT

To have a story, you have to have conflict, and really great conflicts begin with powerful antagonists. If you want to beef up the conflict, beef up the opposing force.

Three guidelines:

01) In act one, get your protagonist up a tree;

02) In act two, throw rocks at him;

03) In act three, get him down.

But if you want it to really work, make it a tall tree, get him out there on skinny, cracking branches, and throw bigger and sharper rocks harder and faster.

COMPELLING STORY ELEMENTS

What makes a story compelling depends on the intended audience. When writing for "Penthouse Letters", sex sells; for "Seventeen", think boy bands and preparing for college. Having some ideas on the audience before starting your story will go a long way toward guiding it in the right direction.