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the scene with big robot
- The times we live in: The promised scene approaches and suspense is rising!
- Breaking down the structure of a scene: what happens to Big Robot, Alice’s Farm pp 229 – 234
- What is engineered, and what is improvised
- A balance beam metaphor: how your hero pursues the mission
where not to get advice
- A reminder not to add technique at the end
- Debunking a couple of pieces of bad writing advice (there’s a little crankiness on display!)
- Where and how to use summary
- An instructive teardown of a scene opening that’s stuck in the middle
in pursuit of shrinkage
- the power of storytelling, and how it can be used for good or ill
- the big question: how do we take what we learn in the exercises and put them into our writing?
- we go word-by-word through a paragraph that sounds great to begin with and cut it down to size!
going to the bottom of the bottom of the well
- The difference between drafting and revising
- The midpoint turn – what is it?
- The tendency to repeat information, and how to fix it
- Using improvisation to generate ideas
- What kind of prompts and exercises can help develop character?
revising, word by word
- Everyone’s in the hot seat! We look at messy mudpie sentences that could use a little help.
- A few variations on process, from speaking aloud to making virtual writing dates.
- The perils of Times Roman
all about voice
- Preparing to think about publishing: indie vs. traditional, the process of selling a book
- The nature of voice: the difference between imitation and doing it for ourselves
- How voice develops
controlling pace
- Reflections on how the hero’s journey illuminates our lives
- The safety of the reader, and the safety of the writer
- How do we write the big moments of the story so they don’t rush by too quickly?
- Should we try to use as few dialogue tags as possible?
tags, point of view, and the dinner party challenge
- Can you review the many ways to tag dialogue?
- Can you talk about the dinner party challenge (a scene with many characters speaking)?
- What's so wrong with an omniscient third-person point of view?
- How do you show one character interrupting another?
the power of dialogue
- It takes longer to write good dialogue. Why so?
- The need for putting your character under pressure
- Can you talk more about trickster energy?
- Some thoughts about perfect storms
second act tests and the midpoint
- Is saying “Jen’s cheeks were warm” telling or showing? What about “she blushed so easily"?
- My character runs her hands through her hair when anxious. How often is too often to do this? How do I let the reader know what it signifies?
- Can you explain more about the second act tests?
- How does what happens at the midpoint impact what happens afterward?
- PLUS: a brief talk about “Bud, Not Buddy” hero's journey structure, and the extra responsibility writers have when writing outside one’s own experience.
scenes and beats
- Could a scene be a rest and regroup stage without a test/ordeal?
- Can a scene be a paragraph or two rather than a whole chapter? Could you have a chapter without an ordeal?
- Are tests and scenes the same or intertwined?
- How much background needs to be introduced early in the story and how much can be trickled in later?
- How do we insert background material without it feeling heavy-handed? Flashback? Dialogue? The arrival of Exposition Bob?
- Can you explain what's meant by the “first beat” of storytelling “and the final beat” of storytelling in a scene?
- Does a scene have to stay in one setting? Can there be several scenes in a chapter?
scene & summary
- How does narrative distance work in the epistolary novel? Is it the same for 1st person point of view?
- Are all long shots of necessity written in omniscient point of view?
- How does point of view work in summary?
- When in summary, what are the “rules” in regard to filtering, concrete details, etc.?
- IN THE HOTSEAT: We break down a paragraph that wants to be in close third person, but needs to get closer.
narrative distance
- When writing at different narrative distances, do I have to keep my hero/viewpoint character in the scene?
- Can you talk more about point of view in relation to narrative distance?
- Does each paragraph have to stick to one narrative distance, or can it change within a paragraph?
- How can the details in a long-shot be inflected with character and story if the viewpoint character is not “in” the shot?
- Can you give examples of what it means to shift narrative distance too abruptly?
- When showing emotion through behavior, how do we show (rather than tell) nostalgia?
- IN THE HOTSEAT: We break down a passage of long-shot written in the first person.
“show, don’t tell”
- Everything you asked about “show don’t tell.”
- A deep dive into behavioral details
- The thrilling tale of the lady jockey (and what it has to do with writing)
details, details, details!
- Talk about the inflection of details through character, please!
- Do we only include the details that matter?
- How do we know which details to leave out?
- How do we weave in description of other characters if the viewpoint character might not need to describe them?
- Changing to a 1st person POV made it hard to keep in touch with my hero’s need for transformation. Can you speak to this?
(coming soon)
Questions answered:
- What do crises (like the current coronavirus pandemic) have to do with the hero’s journey?
- What will be in Module 8?
- What is the small group coaching all about?
- Can you talk more about Module 7, Lesson 4: the acknowledgement of the cost of the adventure, and the temporary quality of the "healed world?"
- Can you review the third act hero’s journey stages?
Questions answered:
- What does it mean when we say a story feels too “quiet?” Any tips on making the adventure suitably larger than life?
- Can you talk about the difficulties of making a child protagonist uniquely qualified to face the ordeal—especially when those pesky adults keep trying to solve all her problems for her?
- If I begin a story with the unprecedented thing happening, how do I provide all the necessary backstory without making the first chapter feel like a prologue?
- I get feedback that my stories are too happy. Can you speak to this?
Questions answered:
(Lots of good talk about third acts here!)
- Is giving your hero one mission really enough for a book?
- Can you talk more about how the inside dragon and outside dragon are related?
- What if I don't know how my hero solves her problem?
- Can you show us a sample hero’s journey outline for one of your own books?
- Gotcha! Your new book has dual protagonists and multiple points of view. You told us not to do that. Explain?
Questions answered:
- When writing a series, does each book have its own three act story arc, with another arc through the whole series?
- I started this course with great resolve, but now I've fallen behind. Should I make myself do each assignment before moving on to the next lesson?
- I sometimes lack confidence to post my work. Is it okay if I skip some, even if I've done the assignment?
- I've fallen into the trap of writing two points of view from two main characters. How do you tell the other character's story if they aren't in the same place for a good part of the story? What about a structure told via letters and emails?
- How can I make my refusal of the call stage active enough (rather than just displaying the hero's lack of confidence, for example)?
Questions answered:
- I like the kind of story that follows three or more separate characters whose stories twine together in the final climax. In terms of story structure, is each of these characters a hero who needs to go through each part of the beginning, middle, and end separately?
- A provocative opinion piece in the Times takes the position that women are not served by the structure or the Hero’s Journey. Do you know of a resource that explores a feminine correlative to the Hero’s Journey?
- I'm LOVING this class and want to make sure I have time blocked out on my calendar for the next one. Do you have dates?
- I'm having a hard time filling out the "A Different World" worksheet for my story idea. Would you be able to walk us through this worksheet for a one of the stories we've been talking about?
- Can my MC finding out that the library is closing be an invitation to adventure?
Questions answered:
- When the hero is a child, one of the issues in saying "no" is that they might not be able to have that option because they lack control of the situation. Other than creating an orphan, or having a tantrum, what other ways are there?
- How can I improve my skills as I critique others? I know I want useful feedback and I'm confident that my classmates also want that. I actually think my own writing will improve if I'm better at giving constructive feedback.
- Before we leave the first act, could you touch on character development? I'm interested in how character shown and well as described.
- Can you talk about each of the archetypes in Rikki-tikki-tavi? I had a hard time finding a shapeshifter and wonder if there is one? And I'd love to hear others that I've missed.
Questions answered:
- Does a picture book have the same hero idea that you explained in this lesson?
- Is it possible to get a version of the prompts/lesson exercises that we can work in digitally? A Word doc, for instance, instead of a PDF?
- Where is the best place to put my assignments in the Campfire?
- How do you save, organize, shuffle, and track the separate scenes of a longer story that emerges out of these parts written randomly? Any comments on stitching together the beginning, middle and end?
- Any tips on clichés?
- Does every story need to have all archetypes present and accounted for?
- Would you talk more about the transformation of consciousness? How the hero demonstrates it, how the reader can recognize it, and the pace of it?
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Questions answered:
- Where do ideas come from?
- How do we ask for feedback in the Campfire?
- What does it mean when new ideas keep popping up while I’m working on something else?
- What if we feel we have nothing to say?
- How should I balance my writing prompts with doing my own writing?
- Is it okay to write small scenes out of order? If so, how do I know what to do with all those bits and pieces?
- What if I'm worried that what I’m writing is too dark for my readers?