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Tag Archives: Storyboarding

What if? Then what?

16 Jan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At my work, there are two questions that I ask every day. What if? and Then what? I drive my co-workers crazy, but if they can get past their burning desire to see me attempt to swim across Lake Monona carrying 500 pounds of chain, we end up creating a disaster response plan that makes sense and will keep the company in business until a full recovery is possible.

It really doesn’t matter what crisis scenario they throw at me, my response is the same, “Then what?” “Okay, but what if this happens? Then what?” Action and response, action and response, rinse and repeat. Does this sound familiar to you writers? It should. This simple formula can be a life saver when plotting out your story and it is a near sure-fire cure for writer’s block.

New story/Opening scene:   Imagine you have this really great character that you have spent hours working up back story, traits, flaws, abilities, likes and dislikes. Then what? A good story needs conflict, right? So, throw your character in to the frying pan. You can use their biggest fear, greatest dislike, natural disaster, man-made disaster, etc. Drop them into the setting and throw the book at them. Then what?

Plot:   How do they respond to the crisis that you threw them into? Do they take direct action, try to talk their way out, ask a stranger for help, use a super power, etc. What is the result of their action? Whatever they did, it fails or, even better, the situation gets worse. Now what? They try something else that only makes their situation more dire. Then what? Rinse and repeat until the characters can’t possible survive, then write the story’s climax.

Story board: For those of you who don’t write by the seat of your pants, this technique works very well when story boarding. We’ve already seen it used for plotting, but it also works well when looking at character arcs. Once you have determined where your character will start and you have an idea as to where you see them ending up, go back to the beginning and start asking, how does a scene affect the character? How do they change? Maybe they don’t at first, so ask, then what? After the next scene what has changed? Will the change affect the next scene? How? Then what? Always aim for your final outcome but take small steps, building a little at a time. Eventually, those little changes will add up until the character reaches the point where they either need to make a major change to survive, or revert back to their beginning stage never to recover.

The bottom line is this, these two little questions should be in every writers toolkit. They are versatile and very useful. So, have you consciously used this technique?

 
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Posted by on January 16, 2019 in Thoughts on Writing

 

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Who’s driving this crazy thing?

16 Jul

What is this whole process of storytelling? Sometimes we get so caught up in character arcs, plot points storyboarding, outlines vs pantsing, and God knows what else, that we forget what makes up a story and how to tell one. Sure all of the volumes on writing craft will take you down into the weeds of writing and break down every detail of the mechanics involved. However, sometimes it’s all those details that get in the way of telling a good story. I know a few writers who are so worried about the details that they become “Blocked”. We will discuss writers block in another post so I’m not going down that dark hole today.

Let me start by telling you a story:

A group of writers were sitting on a patio, drinking their tea and eating cucumber sandwiches. Being the novice among the group, I asked the question, “What do you need to tell a good story?” They all took another bite of their sandwiches and then sipped their tea. Thoughtfully, One of the more successful of the group announced that, “All you need, to tell a story, is POV and ask the question, ‘What happens next?'” His comment was followed by much head nodding and quiet mumblings of, “Yea, verily, yea.” by the rest of the successful writers present. I took this pearl of wisdom and pondered it for some time. It now seems to me to be sage advice.

Point of View (POV). Who is telling the story? This should be the most interesting person in the story. In my example above, the most interesting person is Me! 🙂 Notice I said most interesting and not most successful. The POV does not need to be from the main character. The two most used POVs are first person and third person. Third person can be further broken down to: close (intimate) view, or omniscient. Whole books have been written on these POVs so I will not go too deep here. The key thing to remember is that the POV dictates how much information can be given the reader and in what form that information will be delivered, narrative, dialogue, actions, etc.

Once you know who is telling the story, the thing that drives the story is the question, “What happens next?” Those of you who routinely write flash fiction should be very experienced with this question. All flash fiction and most writing exercises start with a prompt. For example: “I looked out the window of the airplane and …”. The writer then asks the question what happens next and writes a few sentences. Then, what happens next? Writer, writes a few more sentences and so on until the story ends or you reach so many pages that you have to make it a series. This is how stories are made.

A subset of the question what happens next is the “What if?” The quickest way I have found to get past a block is to ask the question “What if?” and write down the answer, even if it is off the wall and I know it will not make it into the final story. Then again it might! As writers we need to take risks, try new things, experiment. Desperation breeds genius. It is important not to judge the answer until you have given it a good chance to develop.

So, pick the right POV for the story, ask, “What happens next?”, then go tell your story.

What do you think?

 
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Posted by on July 16, 2013 in Thoughts on Writing

 

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When is a Prologue not a Prologue?

02 Jan

Much of my writing time of late has been spent, as it should be, on my current WIP novel, “Smoke and Goblet”. I wrote what I thought would be the opening scene quite a while ago. My writing group critiqued it and I made revisions. Thinking I had a solid opening scene, I moved on to writing other scenes that would round out the first third of the book. Several of these scenes introduced other major characters and gave additional exposition regarding the main conflict. While writing a scene introducing my primary antagonist, I hit a wall. The scene just did not feel right. It read like a flashback based on the preceding scenes.

I went to my storyboard and moved some scenes around. The logical place for this scene was the opening scene. I based this on the flow of ownership of the object that causes the main conflict in the plot and not on which character is introduced first. It just made more sense to me that the reader would want to know how the object got to where the protagonist obtains it. Also, it is a great set up to show just how nasty the antagonist is.

My dilemma came from several writing sources which stated, “Anything before the protagonist is introduced, is a prologue.” These sources further state that, “Prologues, with few exceptions, should be avoided.” Prologues require the author to write two opening scenes which cause the reader to start the story over. A prologue often contains characters other than the main characters of the story, is set in an early time, and/or is located in a different setting. It is a set up that may provide exposition the author can think of no other way to introduce to the reader. I have read novels with and without prologues and I understand what the writing sources were trying to say. I think most stories can do without a prologue quite nicely. That brings me back to the question of this post.

My opening scene introduces my antagonist, his evil personality, and the object which will be the main cause of conflict for the remainder of the story. The second short scene shows how the object changes hands before the protagonist is introduced and obtains the object in the third scene. I do not believe that the first two scenes fit the definition of a prologue as the timeline, antagonist, and conflict are consistent with the rest of the story plot. I’m not adverse to using a prologue. I’m just not sure that is what I’m dealing with.

So…when is a prologue not a prologue? Have you used a prologue in your writing? Did an editor ask you to either add or delete a prologue? What was their reasoning?

 
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Posted by on January 2, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts, Thoughts on Writing

 

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Writing is like a Train

05 Dec

For me writing is like a train.Train

The Warm Up:

Train: The engineer gets into the locomotive, turns on the power, and fires up the engine.

Writer: I create characters that I think will be interesting. Next comes a situation the characters find themselves in that will create tension and lead to further adventures. The setting is somewhere within the fantasy world I created years ago. Finally, I gather my plot notes (islands), character sketches (Traits and Tags), and a big bottle of water and head to the Storyboard. Once the islands have been laid out, I go to the computer.

Leaving the station:

Train: The locomotive winds up and builds to a roar. The train begins to inch forward. It crawls along for a few yards as the full weight of the train is taken on. Now there is some momentum and the train begins to pick up speed.

Writer: The blank screen is deafening. My mind is full of the possibilities that await the characters but, nothing is happening. There is a moment of panic and self-doubt. My hands reach for the keyboard as I try to formulate the first sentence. It has to be the best sentence of the story. The hook has to be perfect. I stop and take a drink from the water bottle. Then I remember that the first draft is always crap. My hands return to the keyboard and I peck out the first sentence. No, it’s not perfect but, it is a start. Take another drink. Back to the keyboard. Soon the first paragraph is complete and the head is getting into the game. Each paragraph that follows is easier than the last.

Coming up to speed:

Train: The train accelerates to its cruising speed. The power and momentum seem unstoppable. The cars jostle around over the uneven tracks. However, the train keeps going forward.

Writer: Once I get into a writing rhythm, woe unto any who disturb me. My mind is in high gear and the fingers begin to have a hard time keeping up. I have become the characters at his point and the story flows out like a lake draining though a broken dam. I just stay out-of-the-way and let it happen.

Coming into the next stop:

Train: The Engineer reduces the power and the train begins to coast. The friction of the wheels against the steel rails begin to slow the train down. As the train enters the station, the brakes are applied. The momentum of the train strains against the brakes because it wants to keep going. At last the train jerks to a halt and the sound of the locomotive drops to a hum. It’s not off, just waiting for the command to crank it up again.

Writer: The mind is racing forward ahead of the fingers and it sees the end of the scene/chapter/story before the fingers do. Once the mind reaches the end, it begin to coast. The fingers continue to bang away but by now fatigue is beginning to set in. The keystrokes are becoming softer and begin to slow down. The final paragraph flows forth but much weaker than before. Finally, the fingers type out the last few words and then become motionless on the keys. The Save button is pressed. The mind, however, is already working on the next scene/chapter/story. Wanting to move forward.

 
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Posted by on December 5, 2012 in Thoughts on Writing

 

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Writer’s Notebook in Action

26 Nov

My, but it has been a long time since my last post. I have been reading your blogs and commenting as time permits. The good news is, I have been able to get some writing done on my novel. More on that in the next post.

Over the last year, many blogs have discussed the importance of keeping a writer’s notebook. Something you carry with you to jot down things like: potential plot lines, interesting characters you see, phrases, dialogue, scenes, landscape, tag lines, poetry, pictures, and anything else that fires your imagination. Almost every writer I know of uses some form of ” The Notebook”.

I actually keep three active notebooks, one at home, one at work, and one in my commuter backpack. My home notebook goes with me when I take the CEO of my domicile on shopping excursions and to writer’s group meetings. It may sound disorganized but it seems to work for me. All three are used daily. They are not fancy, just spiral bound notebooks with hard covers

Last week I watched the Michael Jackson “BAD 25” special. Normally not my first choice of entertainment, it turned out to be kind of interesting. It included interviews with his many collaborators and went into some detail on the process of generating and producing songs. During one segment that discussed the song “Man in the Mirror”, we got to see the lyricist’s notebook in action. The album’s producer, Quincy Jones, was looking for a “feel good” anthem song for the album. He contacted songwriter, Siedah Garrett, and asked if she would work one up. She agreed and immediately pulled out her  “Lyric Book” to find a fitting theme. One line she remembered from a conversation months before pinged in her head.

At this point in the interview Ms. Garrett opened her actual “Lyric Book” and opened it to the page with the line that simply read, “Man in the Mirror.” The close-up of the pages was interesting as it showed how Ms. Garrett used her book.There were lines and lines of potential lyrics. Some just a few words and others were several lines long. Notes filled the margins and there seemed to be some color coding used as well.  It looked like any other Writer’s Notebook only tweaked to fit her specific “Genre”, song lyrics.

At the time she wrote the line in her book, she did not know that one day it would become the basis for a number one hit by Michael Jackson. She did not rely on her memory; she wrote it down because it sounded interesting. It could have been used for any number of song ideas. By the way, it would make a great flash inspiration piece, wouldn’t it?

We all use our Notebooks differently and that’s okay. It was interesting to me to see a how a world-renowned song writer used hers.

I recently wrote a scene introducing one of my antagonists. It did not feel right and I wanted to make sure this scene was right before I moved on. So, this weekend, I was killing time in a parking lot at the Domestic CEO’s favorite shopping facility and pulled out my Notebook. I started thinking about the plot and how each of the character’s should be introduced and when the major plot conflict should be inserted. I started by writing down the sequence as I originally worked it out. Then I began playing with the order that the character;s are being introduced and the then jotting down the effect that might have on the plotting. I tried to write down every possible combination. It sounds like story-boarding but, at this point it was more brain storming. After several pages, I reviewed the possibilities. One jumped out at me as the best approach based on the character types involved and overall story arc. However, I could see that given different character traits or slightly different plot line, several of the other sequences might be usable. I just know that I will revisit this list on some later project. Lord knows I won’t remember each possibility without it.

The solution I found is making me rethink the opening scenes. However, I believe the middle will be much easier to write once the characters and plot hooks are introduced properly.

What kind of Notebook do you use and how do you use it?

 
15 Comments

Posted by on November 26, 2012 in Other Strangeness

 

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Islands vs. Outlines

20 Feb

I make lists. Lists for groceries, lists for travel, lists of honey-dos, lists of camping gear, lists of plants, lists of writing topics, lists of characters, lists of places (both real and imagined), and lists of lists. The CEO of my domicile has informed me repeatedly that I have too many notepads, file drawers, and binders filled with lists. Add to that several years as a corporate trainer and it should be easy to see why using an outline to develop a novel would be a logical choice for me. Honestly, that was how it started. I sat down and created an outline of chapters for my first novel. When I finished, I was so proud of it. I thought, “Wow this is going to be so easy.”

Starting at page one I proceeded methodically thinking that the best approach. A few months later, reality set in. Four chapters in and I had no idea where I was going. Somehow I had gotten off track and was at a dead end. The characters had not done what I originally thought they would. (Imagine that!) I saw no way to get them back to the outline. I lost interest and ended up setting the whole project aside. The process repeated itself several times. Each time, I could see scenes I wanted to include in the story but never wrote them because the characters left the outline behind.

As it happened, I picked up a book on screenwriting by  Blake Snyder entitled, “Save The Cat!”. In it, he talked about something called “story boards”. A few weeks later I took a class from Mary Carroll Moore called “Your Book Starts Here.” Two days of the class were devoted to developing a story structure using story boards and something she called “islands”. The lightbulb came on!

Okay, some of you are rolling your eyes. But for me, this was new toy I had never seen before. The great part is, I can create a list! I can create my list of (islands) that are scattered throughout my head. I then scribble them on post-it notes and place them on my story board.  Once I determine what my most critical scenes are, the rest of the islands fill in the blank spaces of the story board. With the initial story board in place, I go back and write the scenes in any order I chose. If I find that a scene needs to go someplace else in the story, I move it. The transitions between scenes can be a little tricky but that can be cleaned up later.

The freedom of not having to stick to the outline has let me focus on getting words on paper (hard drive). I no longer worry about how it will all fit together in the end. Yes, I have over simplified the process. Yes, I will end up writing scenes that may never be used in the final story. BUT, I am writing more! I also feel that my writing has improved.

So, I would like to hear from you. Do you write from an outline or from scattered islands? Perhaps you do both as each has a place in our writers toolkit.

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2012 in Other Strangeness

 

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