Plotting Help

Now that NaNoWriMo is almost at a close, you probably don't need this tool - unless you write during the "off-season," or are a struggling college student, like me.

I'm in the middle of a two-month class aimed at teaching students to write a novella - a ~100 page story, which we'll self-publish at the end of class.

I found myself in an existential plot crisis. Even though I had a strong start, I couldn't figure out where this novella was going. I needed some serious plot help. I Googled "plot diagram" and landed on this interactive tool.

Once you enter in your name and title, it presents a "mountain." You can use the slider bar at the bottom to change where the peak is (allowing for more or less rising and falling action). 

You enter in an event and a description, and drag and drop it to where you want it on the "mountain." Downside: once you drag that event, the only part that will be visible is the event title. You can't get back to see or edit your event description.

Hitting print will allow you to print or save the final version, but you can add events after you "print." Once you start over or navigate off the page, your work will be lost, so if you want to keep it, print it. This is what it'll look like:

Happy writing!

Edit: I found another interesting downside to this working aid: The events are numbered on the printed page as you entered them. So, using the example above, if you entered in Problem 1, then the Major Crisis, and then went back and entered in Problem 2, the bottom of your printout will list them as:
1. Character Intro
2. Problem 1
3. Major Crisis
4. Problem 2
5. Resolution 1

It's still a useful working aid... it's just not perfect.

Character Worksheet

In my creative writing class at APUS, we were asked to fill out a very vague character template. I said I was used to more robust character templates, and cited the pretty awesome one at Scrivener, but noted that I also liked the Dungeons & Dragons format... except that you have to wade through a lot of the stuff for the game that doesn't necessarily apply to writing. So, I made my own.* It's pretty thorough, but I'd encourage any users to go ahead and ignore the bits they don't like. Being detail-oriented, I think I'll start using this for my future characters.

* In case the hyperlink doesn't work, try this:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j4iCBJsr1y3ejtxCJ4xxkjgjINpIl1o5H8HtfOHqKqA/edit?usp=sharing
Leave me a message me if it doesn't work and we'll figure something out.

NaNoWriMo Update - Wrote-In; Hung-Out; Got Stuck

I had a super-productive day.

I woke up late, but got me and the kids to the Howard County Library for the Saturday Write-In. I thought it'd be a lot more social, but it was pretty much "silent writing time." Which was awesome. For me. Next time, the kids can stay home. Maybe the one at BAM is more lively.

Between the library-time and the kids coming home and immediately leaving to make use of the sunshine, I got a ton of writing done. I wrote up to a senator's speech in the library, and chickened out for a bit. Then wrote the senator's speech. Then got myself stuck. Where to go from here? Focus on building a little romance? Or get the plot moving? It seems slow. I see a huge novel that gets cut down to a short story in my future. :(

I also finished my book, A Game of Thrones. Time to start book 2.

I just got done with my first-ever Google Hangout. It seemed like a pretty awesome GUI and when a bug was discovered, the support staff were great about sticking around to see it fixed. We had a lot of fun and I was able to get a good bit of writing done during the "sprints." Will definitely do that again!

NaNoWriMo Update - Having Gotten Started

Let me just start by saying, "Wow. This is harder than it looks." There are all these details about my characters and my story I have to keep track of (did my main character just start her thesis? Or just finish her thesis?) and I have to manage tense (when I'm speaking in general, past tense? Or present? Gut says past tense, but that might be work experience trying to take over) and 1667 words per day is a lot of words, and I'm trying to get a good bit over that, in case there's a day in which I can't find time to write. Eek! Stress!

But, at the same time, there's so much great support and encouragement from the community. This is pretty awesome. People are so nice! And I'm totally looking forward to my first-ever write-in tomorrow. I'll take the things, maybe try to wear something hip.

So far, so good. I have some doubts about the Things' ability/desire to complete their stories, but hopefully they'll prove me wrong. It would be so awesome to see them finish their stories, even if they don't meet their word-count goals.

The late-night writing sessions are really messing up my stats.
I'll have to make sure I validate WELL in advance of the deadline.

2am and bed! Well, maybe some A Game of Thrones, and then bed.

National Novel Writing Month - November

A friend posted about NaNoWriMo on FaceBook, and I kind of blew it off... I even told my mom the other day, "I don't have a novel in me; I have nothing to say." She disagreed. Good for her (and me).

I used to wake up and know poems. Or paintings. And I had to get them on paper, or risk losing them. But if it was something good, I knew I had a little time because it would stick with me.

On April 23rd 2011, I woke up knowing the back cover of a book.

Some random internet dragon, not MY dragon

"Tell me you did not just do that." 
"What?" Mike sounded oblivious, as usual. 
"You really can't ask the world's leading physician and philosopher about his debilitating eye injury. Especially not when it has to do with dragons." 
"It was just a question. It's not like he could know." 
"He probably doesn't know. But now he might guess." Mike's seeming blind trust in his it'll-all-be-ok strategy was starting to grate. I tried to keep my cool and also not roll my eyes. I don't think I was being very successful at either one. "The whole world heard those rumors - that it was a dragon gone wrong that took his eye - and everyone on this continent knows he's sensitive about it."

When I woke up, I had the feeling I had already said lines one and two, and I was in the middle of line three. I woke up enough to register the look on DH's face and why he was looking at me like that, and giggled. It was ok to be interrupted by the giggle; I knew I had time.

Now, I have to go find the rest of this story.

Who am "I" and who is Mike? Are we an "us"?
What could the world's leading physician and philosopher possibly "guess"? What really happened to his eye?
What is this place? What's its history?

Ooof. November's going to be a long month.