Stay on Course
By Rory C. Keel
In writing, most authors have a general direction for their story. However, a story will often veer off course and become confusing. While it is understood that part of the story is developed during the writing, subplots or irrelevant information should not take over and distract from the main story.
Causes that often affect the writer
While the writer needs to allow flexibility for background and characters to develop, these things give fullness to the story and shouldn’t drive the direction of the story.
The good story divergence is the one that causes a change but still holds within the original framework of the story. The bad story divergence jumps out of the frame and pulls the story off course.
Stay on Course
By Rory C. Keel
In writing, most authors have a general direction for their story. However, a story will often veer off course and become confusing. While it is understood that part of the story is developed during the writing, subplots or irrelevant information should not take over and distract from the main story.
Causes that often affect the writer
While the writer needs to allow flexibility for background and characters to develop, these things give fullness to the story and shouldn’t drive the direction of the story.
The good story divergence is the one that causes a change but still holds within the original framework of the story. The bad story divergence jumps out of the frame and pulls the story off course.
Stockpile People
By Rory C. Keel
A writer needs to have a stockpile of people. No, not like in the movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but a file full of descriptions, characteristics and quirks of real people.
The truth is that all characters are based somehow on actual people. Think about it, even the characters you invent are based on elements taken from real people. The people you place on the page come from someone that you, as the writer, have seen or come in contact with, either personally or by hearsay.
The Gathering
To place these characters on your page, you must own them, every part of them the good, the bad, and the ugly. To do this you need to try and understand real people. Interact with them, watch them and observe their condition in life. When you finally know them, they are yours. Gather them up and stockpile them by writing them in a file. They will be glad to repeat their behaviors on the pages of your writing.
A story has a beginning, middle and an end.
Make a brief outline answering these questions to create a story skeleton to build upon.
This is where the story is made. Imagine the process like a roller coaster. The reader’s attention is captured by the alluring promises made by the title and then they are locked into their seat at the beginning of the ride. Tension builds as the chain’s click-clack pulls them higher into the problem, and then drops them into the middle of the story where there’s no turning back. The reader struggles back and forth, and then up and down along with the characters to solve the problem. The ride then comes to an end where there is resolution showing a change created by the struggle.
Rory C. Keel
For Example
By Rory C. Keel
To keep you from being confused, here are some abbreviations and their usages.
e.g.
This is an abbreviation for Latin words meaning “For example.”
It is usually followed by a comma and should not be confused with “i.e.”
Example: “The magazine article covered many topics, e.g., getting started, completing the work and submitting the piece to editors.”
i.e.
This is an abbreviation for the Latin words meaning “that is.”
Most often followed by a comma and is not to be confused with “e.g.”
Example: “At that hour, Mr. Jones was usually indisposed i.e., taking his afternoon nap.”
I hope this helps.
The People Surrounding You
Rory C. Keel
For a writing exercise, take a few moments and make a list of your closest friends, relatives, your boss and co-workers.
Choose the person you like the most and the least; the person who has had the most positive and most negative influence on you; the person who has changed the most and the least since you’ve known them; and then write a write a brief paragraph on each of them explaining why you feel this way.
Notice any quirks they may exhibit such as, do they constantly jerk their head back to flip their the hair out of their eyes, or do they run their hand throughout their hair?
Do they chew their food quietly, or smack their lips loudly?
These are the kind of details that add life to your story characters.
Functions of Dynamic Pairs
PROTAGONIST <—> ANTAGONIST
GUARDIAN <–> CONTAGONIST
REASON <–> EMOTION
SIDEKICK <–> SKEPTIC
Archetypal pairs represent a broad analogy to a human mind dealing with a problem. The Protagonist represents the desire to work at resolving the problem. Its Dynamic Pair, the Antagonist represents the desire to let the problem grow. As with the Archetypal Characters, we all face an internal battle between making decisions based upon Reason or upon Emotion. Like the functions of the Sidekick and Skeptic, will contain a struggle between Faith and Disbelief. And finally in an Archetypal sense, the Mind will be torn between the Contagonist’s temptation for immediate gratification and the Guardian’s counsel to consider the consequences.
Dramatica, A New Theory of Story — Copyright (c) 1993 – 2001
A poor plan properly executed, will work. It’s all in the execution.
By Rory C. Keel
As you step out on the stage of becoming a writer, there are many unknowns. Writers groups and conferences are helpful in learning the in’s and out’s of writing and publishing. However, unless this knowledge is put into a plan and executed, it is useless.
Develop a plan
Set short-term goals and long-term goals for your writing and put together a plan to reach them. Write them on paper or log them on a computer where you can physically see them every day to remind you of what you want to achieve.
Finding a topic or story to write about this week is a good example of a short-term goal. Set a daily, weekly, monthly word count to reach and a time management schedule in order to meet them.
Develop long-term goals such as setting a date to finish the first draft of your story or novel, research agents or publishers to pitch your book to or determine to submit your story to multiple markets until someone buys it.
Now execute the plan
You must execute your plan! Good or bad, no plan will work unless you carry it out. When you plan a vacation you use the knowledge you have available and make a plan. If you never move forward, you will never reach your destination.
What if your knowledge is limited or you realize your plan is not perfect? Move forward – adjust. Often we need to reread the map or take a detour to get to our destination, but we continue to move forward. Even a poor plan that is properly executed, will work, but it must be executed to reach the goal.
Learn from Every Possible Source. Good writing can be learned from many different venues, yet one of the keys to application of this principle is your attitude. Successful writers commit to a continual path of growth for their craft.
-W. Terry Whalin
Wordsmith Six 