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Posts Tagged ‘plot’

How much NaNoWriMo prep do you do?

By Cindy on October 24, 2011

There’s only a week left of NaNoWriMo prep time. I know some writers use the whole month of October to figure out their story, make notes, do character sketches. Some figure out what they’re going to write October 31 and have no prep involved at all. Those lucky pantsers. Sadly, I’m a plantser, somewhere in the middle of a plotter and a pantser. So I need some sort of road map to my story.

Last year I was lucky. I knew well in advance (August I think) what I was going to write. Couldn’t wait to start the book actually, but I forced myself to wait until November. So for at least three months I had scenes, characters and dialogue running through my head. And it helped. I won NaNo last year.

This year I was a little nervous. As of this time last week I had just decided what I was going to work on. Not a lot of time for prep. Writing loops to the rescue! I belong to Candace Havens’ Write Workshop loop (check out her workshops page to sign up) and last week on the loop Jacqueline Corcoran started a two week free workshop that is a mish mash of everything. Awesome when you’re trying to figure out a book. Some of the exercises really helped me figure out my main character and the whole workshop has been fabulous so far. Over on the FF&P loop Elijana Kindel is giving a plotting workshop this week. It starts today and I can’t wait. Even though I had no plan until recently I’m feeling good about the story. And of course this year’s NaNo book is going to be the first book in a series.

So, how much NaNo prep do you do?

Until next time…

Cindy

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo

By Cindy on October 6, 2010

Next month is NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. I attempted it last year. Didn’t finish. But I got more writing done in a month than I had written for the previous year so I was pretty pleased. This year I want to win! I know if I put my mind to it I can do it. I just have to tell the procrastinator in me to go away for a month. She doesn’t listen very well. She’s always pointing out other things I can do. Tweak one of my websites, play with Excel, watch TV, post updates to Facebook or Twitter, refresh email every five minutes. And the silly thing is I really love my story and want to write it.

This month I will focus. Focus on evicting that procrastinator for two months. Focus on finishing up the current WIP. Focus on preparing for NaNoWriMo. Last year I didn’t really focus. I was all over the place. I didn’t have a plan or an outline. If a scene came to me I wrote it. Towards the end though I started getting stuck because the scenes weren’t coming to me as fast as they were in the beginning.

For this year’s NaNoWriMo I have a plan. I am starting my outline now. I’ve already started my scene by scene outline. One sentence to tell me what the scene is about. I already know this character like I know my best friend. I will be working on my urban fantasy book! I still need a title. I have no idea what I’m going to call it. Title suggestions are more than welcome. It’s an urban fantasy shapeshifter book. Can’t say much more than that though.

I will be using my NaNo tracker again this year. It’s an Excel spreadsheet with randomly generated target number for each day and an actual number. Ideally the actual number will be equal to or higher than the target. I like doing the random number generator because then I have a different target number each day. As you can see I didn’t do very well hitting my target number last year.

So this year I’m making sure I set myself up for success. I am not teaching a workshop this November (I did last year). I am not taking a workshop this November (I did last year). I am going to have an outline. I am going to make dinners early or ask the boyfriend to take care of them for November. I am going to put my headphones on and just write in November. I might even move the laptop to the table in the dining room. I will write 50,000 words in November.

So how are you preparing for NaNoWriMo?

Right now I’m off to work.

Until next time…

Cindy

Vampires anyone?

By Cindy on September 10, 2010

This post is so late it’s already Saturday. See what happens when I actually have the day off. I was busy trying to come up with a theme and header for a website.

I watched a movie a few weeks ago that remain nameless because I don’t need to add anymore fuel to that fire. It was about vampires. That’s all I’ll say. Except, I’ll also say I really, really, really didn’t like it.

Tonight the boyfriend and I watched a different vampire movie. We rented Daybreakers. He gave it a five out of ten. I might have given it a bit more but not much. As concepts go it was pretty good. It’s so hard to do the same but different when it comes to vampire stories these days. They’re everywhere. But this one managed to give vampires a new twist. The problem was with the execution of some scenes. One scene when a vampire is exposed to sun he can survive for almost twenty, thirty seconds. Other scenes when a vampire is exposed to sun they disintegrate right away. You can’t have it both ways.

This gets me thinking about my vampire book more and more. I still really want to finish it. One thing I need to do though is find a new twist. Something to make it the same but different. Haven’t done that yet. Although, the movie I saw that will not be named didn’t really do anything different with the vampire myth. And that movie was huge.

Well, off to bed.

Until next time…

Cindy

Flashbacks

By Cindy on September 8, 2010

During my writing sprint on Monday one of the members asked about flashbacks. Specifically how to do them properly. I of course asked why he needed one. He explained his reasoning and I thought about it for a moment. I personally don’t like flashbacks. I try not to use them in my books. When done properly they’re great. But they still always slow the pace of the story. So back to his dilemma. I suggested using dialogue instead to get the message across. He liked that idea. I also gave him an excerpt of a flashback from the book I was reading so he could see how that author did it. My opinions are just my opinions after all. Flashbacks work for some people. Some readers might like them.

When it comes to TV shows I have a different view. Especially if they’re crime shows. CSI has spoiled me for stuff like that. Now every time I see a crime show I EXPECT them to flashback and actually show me how the crime was committed, not just explain it to me. I’m a visual person, I want to see it. The boyfriend and I have been watching Jonathan Creek and I’m thrilled that they use the flashback technique to show you how things were done. Love it!

All that said, or I guess written , I’m on the fence about flashbacks in literature. Done well they are a great tool to give insight into a character or reveal backstory that needs to be known. But is it necessary for the reader to always “see” that information? Sprinkling that backstory in narrative or putting it in dialogue keeps the reader in the story’s present and doesn’t interrupt the flow. Of course maybe the writer wanted to slow the pace and used a flashback as a tool to do that and give important information at the same time.

The story I’m reading now has at least one flashback. It was done well. I forgot I was reading a flashback until the character came back to the present and the story continued. If a writer is going to use them they should be very careful about when they use them and how the flashback is triggered. The flashback themselves should be tense and have conflict. The one I read didn’t feel like a flashback, it didn’t feel like it was slowing the pace. And it gave me information I’m sure I’ll need to know later even if I don’t quite understand it right now.

Readers, do you like flashbacks? Hate them? Writers, do you use them in your writing?

I’m off to work.

Until next time…

Cindy

Plot or character?

By Cindy on August 4, 2010

What came first? This is the chicken and the egg question for writers. Even though I’m 85% pantser the plot comes to me first. I’ll get an idea for a story and it’s always the plot that plays out in my head. Then I have to come up with characters to populate my story. I’m an action/plot reader. I love lots of action and plot driven stories. Not so much for character driven stories. Yes, I know character drives the plot, but that’s the point. There has to be a plot. There has to be something going on. They have to be doing something. I’ve read books where nothing actually happens. The plot is so thin my two and a half year old niece could blow it away. I keep asking myself when is something going to happen. I like involved, complicated plots. That’s probably why I love spy stories and suspense/thrillers.

Even for my new urban fantasy series the first story came to me first. After I knew the bones about the story the character sprang fully formed complete with angsty backstory. But I had the idea first. I just needed the right character to fill it.

I’m thinking about all of my story ideas. All those half finished, only a proposal, just one chapter stories I have and none of them are character driven. They all have meaty plots that I’ll get to one of these days. Even my historicals had spies and traitors in the mix. My characters had to be searching for something while all the romance stuff was going on. Actually the spying and traitors in the mix helped build the romance.

Maybe that’s why I don’t name my characters right away. Or feel the need to name them right away. The plot comes first for me. So when I first start writing I put in generic names until I really get to know the characters. Then I go back and give them real names.

So what comes first for you? Plot or character?

Until next time…

Cindy

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Posts Tagged ‘plot’

How much NaNoWriMo prep do you do?

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo

Vampires anyone?

Flashbacks

Plot or character?

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