I get caught between wanting to do "gritty & realistic" and wanting to "play it safe", and I end up with something murky and unsatisfying. *sigh*
No, not "play it safe". Maybe that should be "what I want to do" vs "what I how it should be done".
Either way, I end sitting on the fence with a feeling that something is missing from the story.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Scene Structure
I've been analysing the structure of the scenes in WIP. It is discouraing.
For each Scene, there has to be a Goal, a Conflict/Obstacle and a Disaster.
Following this, the Sequel, which has a Reaction, Dilemma and Decision.
The scenes as they are don't work like that. The biggest problem being, I often end scenes with a positive rather than a negative (disaster). For example, the MC wants revenge on a former friend and he thinks his ex-girlfriend knows where the friend lives (Goal) so he goes to the shop her family runs to get her address but her sister doesn't want to give it to him (Conflict) until he goads her into giving it to him (not a Disaster).
But, I might be looking at the concept of a Scene in the wrong way. I see it as a section of writing with blank lines or other markers separating from the other sections. However if I look at the above scene (section) in conjunction with the following section, then it goes: MC wants to find where his friend lives (Goal), ex-girlfriend's sister won't give up her address (Conflict), ex-girlfriend won't give up friend's address (more Conflict), she chases MC out of house because her husband is coming home (Disaster). Then, MC is trying to get work and grumbling about things (Reaction), goes back to ex-girlfriend's house and finally offers to tell him if he'll agree to stay away their daugher (Dilemma), which he agrees to (Decision).
Scene & Sequel.
It fits!
Not so discouraging now!
For each Scene, there has to be a Goal, a Conflict/Obstacle and a Disaster.
Following this, the Sequel, which has a Reaction, Dilemma and Decision.
The scenes as they are don't work like that. The biggest problem being, I often end scenes with a positive rather than a negative (disaster). For example, the MC wants revenge on a former friend and he thinks his ex-girlfriend knows where the friend lives (Goal) so he goes to the shop her family runs to get her address but her sister doesn't want to give it to him (Conflict) until he goads her into giving it to him (not a Disaster).
But, I might be looking at the concept of a Scene in the wrong way. I see it as a section of writing with blank lines or other markers separating from the other sections. However if I look at the above scene (section) in conjunction with the following section, then it goes: MC wants to find where his friend lives (Goal), ex-girlfriend's sister won't give up her address (Conflict), ex-girlfriend won't give up friend's address (more Conflict), she chases MC out of house because her husband is coming home (Disaster). Then, MC is trying to get work and grumbling about things (Reaction), goes back to ex-girlfriend's house and finally offers to tell him if he'll agree to stay away their daugher (Dilemma), which he agrees to (Decision).
Scene & Sequel.
It fits!
Not so discouraging now!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Mixing Colours
Further to ideas from previous post, in my novels, I invariably have some supporting character who is of a different race to majority of the human characters. The outsider/different world view thing can be useful in a supporting character.
So I wasn't that surprised when one of the major characters (not a main one, but he's one of the three POV holders) in Falcon told me he was a half-caste, his father was the from the predominant white-race-yet-to-be-named, his mother from a smaller, dark-skinned race. It's just an interesting back story, after all. Until I discovered his mother's people are looked down, consideredless intelligent, useful as servants but little else; and the idea that people from the two races would come together, let alone produce children is just disgusting. Of course, this character has an advantage due to his job (people don't always see past the uniform), but it means he is bringing in all sort of issues and conflicts that I didn't intend to be in there.
Still, it's interesting to explore
So I wasn't that surprised when one of the major characters (not a main one, but he's one of the three POV holders) in Falcon told me he was a half-caste, his father was the from the predominant white-race-yet-to-be-named, his mother from a smaller, dark-skinned race. It's just an interesting back story, after all. Until I discovered his mother's people are looked down, consideredless intelligent, useful as servants but little else; and the idea that people from the two races would come together, let alone produce children is just disgusting. Of course, this character has an advantage due to his job (people don't always see past the uniform), but it means he is bringing in all sort of issues and conflicts that I didn't intend to be in there.
Still, it's interesting to explore
Colouring In
I like Bernita's blog, she has thoughtful and thought provoking posts on writing, in particular charsters. She gets lots of comments though and I tend to be behind in reading so I don't add my own comments.
This morning I read her entry Color My World.
Now, I can't remember when I first saw someone who was "non-white". Possibly on TV. Traditionally, Tasmania got significantly less immigrants than the rest of the country and they were mostly Poms, Kiwis, Dutch, Italians, Greeks. The native blacks are usually pale-skinned, sometimes even blonde haired & blue eyed. An occasional person from Indonesia, or neighbouring countries. Or Maori. African, African-American, West Indies, people from these places were rare, and usually visiting. When we lived at St Leonards, there was a missionary training college around the corner, just down from the church Mother went to, which attracted a lot of foreigners. At Uni, there were a number of internatinal students, although mostly from eastern Asia.
A monochrome world.
Hobart is a bit more multi-cultural, especially North Hobart, with its restaurants and takeaways and delicatessans (you know, the stereotype of the immigrant family who comes to Australia, opens a corner store/deli which they run with the help of their family, lots of them), and the Greek & Italian clubs the next street over. Still mostly European.
Then somewhere between then and now, about the turn of the century, there was an influx of refugees from Sudan & Eritrea, maybe a third place I can't remember. They were usually very tall, very thin, very dark, sometimes black. Not a small number either. Enough that shops opened selling African good or offering hair styling, the pub I walked past twice a day advertised African food every Thursday night, food like okra started appearing in the supermarket. Enough people to have an impact, in both Hobart and Launceston. I assume it was a deliberate attempt at some level of government to increase the number of young families in Tasmania.
What was once unusual is now commonplace. Not just the Sudanese either. There are a lot of what I assume are Indian families; some Afghans; shorter browner Africans. If I go down the street, into the city, on the bus I expect to see plenty of black or brown faces. It would be strange not too.
Now it's a polychrome world, and so very quickly.
This morning I read her entry Color My World.
Now, I can't remember when I first saw someone who was "non-white". Possibly on TV. Traditionally, Tasmania got significantly less immigrants than the rest of the country and they were mostly Poms, Kiwis, Dutch, Italians, Greeks. The native blacks are usually pale-skinned, sometimes even blonde haired & blue eyed. An occasional person from Indonesia, or neighbouring countries. Or Maori. African, African-American, West Indies, people from these places were rare, and usually visiting. When we lived at St Leonards, there was a missionary training college around the corner, just down from the church Mother went to, which attracted a lot of foreigners. At Uni, there were a number of internatinal students, although mostly from eastern Asia.
A monochrome world.
Hobart is a bit more multi-cultural, especially North Hobart, with its restaurants and takeaways and delicatessans (you know, the stereotype of the immigrant family who comes to Australia, opens a corner store/deli which they run with the help of their family, lots of them), and the Greek & Italian clubs the next street over. Still mostly European.
Then somewhere between then and now, about the turn of the century, there was an influx of refugees from Sudan & Eritrea, maybe a third place I can't remember. They were usually very tall, very thin, very dark, sometimes black. Not a small number either. Enough that shops opened selling African good or offering hair styling, the pub I walked past twice a day advertised African food every Thursday night, food like okra started appearing in the supermarket. Enough people to have an impact, in both Hobart and Launceston. I assume it was a deliberate attempt at some level of government to increase the number of young families in Tasmania.
What was once unusual is now commonplace. Not just the Sudanese either. There are a lot of what I assume are Indian families; some Afghans; shorter browner Africans. If I go down the street, into the city, on the bus I expect to see plenty of black or brown faces. It would be strange not too.
Now it's a polychrome world, and so very quickly.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Walk-on characters
In writing, I find there are two types of characters:
- the ones I create and put on the board
- the ones who walk onto the board and say "Here I am".
The first usually result from a story need, there's a role to fill so it's filled. They tend to be well behaved, but this can make them dull to write.
The second appear in the story, often for no apparent reason, or they're minor characters who are given a bigger role than originally intended. These are the ones who like to take the story into interesting or different places. If they're not the main character, they believe they're entitled to their own subplots, and then their own book. They walk on, and take over their little corner of the story
It's these characters who bring in interesting plot twists, who offer interesting world building details, who make the stories worth writing.
But where do they come from?
Deliberately trying to create them just leads to more type one characters. They come from the dark pool as story ideas, no doubt. Story ideas come from random thoughts, little details, interesting phrases and odd concepts that fall into the pool where they float around looking for other bits to join up with, until they spark and create a storyline. Maybe walk-on characters take a swim in the pool, and pick up the bits that make them spark.
- the ones I create and put on the board
- the ones who walk onto the board and say "Here I am".
The first usually result from a story need, there's a role to fill so it's filled. They tend to be well behaved, but this can make them dull to write.
The second appear in the story, often for no apparent reason, or they're minor characters who are given a bigger role than originally intended. These are the ones who like to take the story into interesting or different places. If they're not the main character, they believe they're entitled to their own subplots, and then their own book. They walk on, and take over their little corner of the story
It's these characters who bring in interesting plot twists, who offer interesting world building details, who make the stories worth writing.
But where do they come from?
Deliberately trying to create them just leads to more type one characters. They come from the dark pool as story ideas, no doubt. Story ideas come from random thoughts, little details, interesting phrases and odd concepts that fall into the pool where they float around looking for other bits to join up with, until they spark and create a storyline. Maybe walk-on characters take a swim in the pool, and pick up the bits that make them spark.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
