Archives
Plot Patterns—Part I
Posted on August 5, 2015 1 Comment
Today I’ll be using two resources to talk about plot patterns. One is James Scott Bell’s Plot & Structure. The other is DiAnn Mills’ Dance of Character & Plot. I’m using both, because even though what they say is similar, the way they say is different. Both perspectives can broaden your understanding of plotting. Click […]
Plotting Systems—Part I
Posted on July 22, 2015 3 Comments
In his book, Plot & Structure, James Scott Bell talks about two kinds of fiction writers: OPs and NOPs. To outline or not to outline, that is the question. #amwriting #tooutlineornot Bell encourages new fiction writers to try a little of both.
Writing Unforgettable Fiction—Part III
Posted on July 15, 2015 Leave a Comment
Last week, I talked about plot twists from Steven James’ Story Trumps Structure. This week, we’ll look at Character Struggles. Here’s a great way to start it out: “To initiate your story, your protagonist will either 1) lose something vital and try to regain it, 2) see something desirable and try to obtain it, or […]
Writing Unforgettable Fiction—Part II
Posted on July 8, 2015 Leave a Comment
Last week, I talked about making promises to readers from Chapter 11 of Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules, by Steven James. Today, I’m going to talk about plot twists.
Writing Unforgettable Fiction—Part I
Posted on July 1, 2015 3 Comments
A year ago, when I finished my Craftsman class with DiAnn Mills, she recommended I get a book entitled Story Trumps Structure, by Steven James. I finally ordered it last week. Its tagline is How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules. I haven’t read it all yet, but I’ve been skimming. This is […]
Writing Resource–Plot & Structure Part III Character Arc
Posted on June 3, 2015 Leave a Comment
“Great plots have great characters. While this is not a book on character creation and implementation, we can’t let the subject of plot go without touching on at least one aspect of character work that is all important: character change.
Writing Resource–Plot & Structure–Part II
Posted on May 20, 2015 2 Comments
Chapter 5–Middles We’ve all heard about “the middle” of a story and usually what we hear is that it sags, stalls, and slumps. It doesn’t seem to move the story along or go anywhere. James Scott Bell addresses this in chapter five of Plot & Structure. The middle is typically known as Act II. In […]
Storytelling – What Makes a Story Great?
Posted on April 29, 2015 2 Comments
What is it about a story that makes it compelling? Is it the characters? Is it the plot? Is it the element of surprise? Is it the challenges? Is it danger? I submit, it’s all of them, skillfully put together, woven like a tapestry to make an impression on our minds and in our hearts.
Putting Fire in Your Fiction
Posted on April 22, 2015 Leave a Comment
The tagline to Donald Maas’ The Fire in Fiction is “passion, purpose, and techniques TO MAKE YOUR NOVEL GREAT.” The book covers everything from characterization, the story world, scenes, dialogue, and voice. Each chapter has a set of practical tools dealing with each section from that chapter. As an example, I’ll talk about Chapter Three, […]
Writing–Developing Characters–Jackson
Posted on April 8, 2015 2 Comments
In developing characters for my novel, Meghan’s Choice, I tried to populate my fictional town of New Boston, Kansas, with as many different kinds of characters as possible to challenge Meghan Gallagher’s sensibilities. I wanted an ex-slave who would still sort of talk like a Negro from the south, but I wanted him to be intelligent […]
Donna L.H. Smith 