Plot Arc

Ideas, characters, scenes, all these things come fairly easily when I'm sitting down to write up an idea, but I struggle with plotting. Kind of problematic when you want to write a book.

I've already mentioned that I've been taking James Patterson's Master Class, finished it in fact, and my favorite section was the one on outlining. His outlines are so detailed that the book is basically done before he starts writing the novel. 

How I wish I would have have outlined the middle grade novel I've been toiling over before I ever started writing it. I'm quickly becoming an outline convert. I should have known better. After all, my background is in public relations and we usually draw up a plan before we start implementing any of the ideas. But like so much of the past, I failed to learn from it.

I've been trying to school myself on outlining and plotting. I not necessarily a perfectionist but I am competitive with myself. I don't like to have a weakness in an area that is important to me. 

I did find three short and helpful videos. The one at the top has seven little nuggets of plotting wisdom. Number seven spoke to me loudest. Basically, if at the end of your chapter, the story hasn't moved the MC's quest forward, then the chapter is a waste of space.

The one directly above is about cluster plotting. It's geared fro NaNoWriMo but still helpful all year long. I liked the "delicious bubbles" because it's a quick way to get your thoughts in an order and see them played out in one giant picture--like a storyboard for a movie. 

And the last video is about outlining in general--the why and a little of the how. 

If anyone else struggles with this, I hope something will help. If anyone else has good outlining tips also, please feel free to suggest them in the comments. And have a great weekend.

A Confluence

I've been revising my middle-grade novel. With my kids out of school, it's been tricky finding the quiet I need. On the flip side, having them around has also created otherwise missed opportunities.

We rented a cartoon for a family movie night. It was cute and the kids enjoyed it. I did to, but it wasn't one I wanted to rush out and buy or even watch again. Contrast that with Pixar films, Monster's University being my favorite, and my mind began to ping-pong between the two. I started to wonder how Pixar is able to create such solid, timeless and cross-generationally appealing scripts. 

My husband and I also rented a movie for us. It was a low-budget film to be fair but the script was a tragic missed opportunity--too many deus ex machina moments and one-dimensional characters. I loved it though because it forced me to take a hard look at my novel and see things with a more critical eye. 

I also picked up a book I thought my daughter would like--Bunnicula, by James Howe. Of course I started reading it first. I'm enjoying his whit and tight sentence structure. He wraps a lot of humor and character development in tiny, tidy sentence packages.

To top it off, I received my copy of One, by Kathryn Otoshi a few days ago. Every time I read it, I find something new to blow my mind. It reaches a level of picture book perfection that's almost impossible to achieve. Kathryn did work in the film industry so I wonder how much of her work with scripts, both good and not so good, informed her ability to craft such solid material. There is something to be said about learning from successes and mistakes.

Needless to say, all of these events crammed in a short space of time tricked my mind over some of its dead ends. Here's hoping for more.

You Can...

Still think you want to write for children? You can, and Tracey E. Dils has a book to get you on your way, You Can Write Children's Books Workbook. 

I ran across this writing book while looking for another one and popped it into my cart. I'm glad I did.

Here's a basic overview: 

Writing Practice

One of my ideas to get flow going in the writing process is to choose a book I really like in the genre I want to write in. Then I look closely at how the author writes dialog, describes scenery, shows emotion, makes time pass, etc. I choose my own story and copy the techniques of the writer I like. If I'm having to work at getting into the writing process, I can just copy parts of the story I like and experiment with changing a character's reaction, the time of year, or creating a different outcome to a problem. This type of writing practice gets me into the writing without worrying about creating something out of nothing - a problem I can easily have on a day I've been too busy with other time demands or when I'm feeling tired. Once the writing process gets underway, I can tackle my own projects.

Practicing writing in this way isn't much different than the practicing a musician does. Jazz artists spend hours transcribing well-known jazz players' solos to get ideas, rhythms, and immerse themselves in that particular style of playing. The end result is their own solos are richer and have the right sounds and patterns for the jazz idiom they're playing in. Composers spend hours listening to and practicing other musician's compositions. Why shouldn't a writer spend hours reading and practicing the writing techniques of other writers they admire?