Conflict is the tool that fills up the vast majority of your story and provides the bumps that are the journey the reader takes from the opening character-with-a-goal to the closing character-who's-achieved-(or not)-her-goal. So . . . What is Conflict? Half a dozen masters put conflict this way: two dogs, one bone. "The idea of … Continue reading Core Conflict: What is it?
Setting: In our own stories
We're looking at Setting this week. When selecting settings, we're looking for places (i) that affect the character, (ii) that affect the plot, (iii) that we haven't experienced before, (iv) that we want to experience, (v) that are believable, and (vi) that are optimally placed in time. So, let's see what kind of settings we … Continue reading Setting: In our own stories
Setting: How the masters use it
We're looking at Setting this week. Here are some setting passages from some of the books I've read lately. Let's see how the masters multi-task. Melinda Salisbury's The Sin Eater's Daughter When I first came to the castle, many, many moons ago, I was awed by it, by the decor and the beauty and the … Continue reading Setting: How the masters use it
Defining Setting: Part 2
We're looking at Setting this week. The tool post ran long so I broke it up into two. The first part was posted yesterday. You can find it here. Continued from yesterday: the multitasking that setting can do 6. Setting can evoke a mood. "Carefully constructed setting details instruct the reader how to feel," says Ms. … Continue reading Defining Setting: Part 2
Defining Setting: Part 1
We're looking at Setting this week, also known as place, location, world, milieu and mise-en-scène. The masters have a lot to say again, but this time I'm going to break up the post into two. You can find the next part here. Anyway, let’s get to it. What is setting? "When I hear setting, I … Continue reading Defining Setting: Part 1
Antagonists: In our own stories
So this week we're looking at how to make our antagonists as awesome and effective as they can be. Let's see what we can do with the antagonists we've got in the one-liners we're developing. 1. Our human-rights-attorney story: When the money runs out before the case against his transgender partner is over, a human rights … Continue reading Antagonists: In our own stories
Antagonists: How the masters do it.
Here are my takes on the antagonist breakdowns of the stories we looked at last week (for main character want, need, flaw, symptoms). Andy Weir’s The MartianThis is a story about a guy who's left behind on Mars and has to survive until he can be rescued. Antagonist: This is a man vs. nature story, … Continue reading Antagonists: How the masters do it.
Antagonists: How to create a great one.
The masters use many names for antagonists, including nemesis, opponent and villain. Here's what they have to say... What's an antagonist? The antagonist, or Nemesis, "is the character who most stands in the way of the hero achieving his or her outer motivation," says Michael Hauge. John Truby agrees: "The opponent is the character who … Continue reading Antagonists: How to create a great one.
Want, Need, Flaw, Symptoms: In our own stories
We're looking at the wants, needs, flaws, and symptoms of main characters this week. Let's get to our own: 1. Our human-rights-attorney story:When the money runs out before the case against his transgender partner is over, a human rights lawyer joins a prestigious and wealthy law firm not knowing that the managing partner is the devil behind the … Continue reading Want, Need, Flaw, Symptoms: In our own stories
Want, Need, Flaw, Symptoms: How the masters do it
We're looking at how the masters give their characters emotional wants and needs and character flaws. Here's what I've seen in the stories I've read lately: Andy Weir’s The Martian Character: an astronaut abandoned on Mars. General Want: to survive Specific External Goal: to modify the resources that were supposed to last six people thirty-or-so days so … Continue reading Want, Need, Flaw, Symptoms: How the masters do it
Writes With Tools 