I had an English teacher in undergraduate school (for a BBA in Finance, so she taught a low-brow version of English for business majors) that was tough on tense and point of view. She took me to task for changing tenses too many times on a paper I had thought to be rather witty and insightful.
I mean, who cares if its all the same? But she made me go back and modify every verb so they all agreed on tense.
Now, in my story, I realize that not only am I writing in multiple tenses, but I am also switching back and forth between first-person and third-person, even for the protagonist.
Of course, this is the crummy first draft, so I'm not supposed to worry about such niceties, right?
And, maybe it's okay to switch back and forth.
Gonna have to pay attention to this detail at some point.
But for now, I will continue on my way. Or, she will continue on her way. Or she already continued on her way.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Putting Alexa through the ringer
Now that Alexa is closer to her goal, it's time to ramp up the sexual tension with Pearson. Just in time to set her up to reject him at the gate to the space station.
This situation, nicely, will set her up to (on the station) come across Newcastle, yet another future dude that she is attracted to. All this in the context of doing her best to get back to her fiance, a situation she is completely aware of and feeling quite guilty and confused about.
It's great, figuring out what next can I do to my protagonist. How can I create drama, that other people will want to read.
This situation, nicely, will set her up to (on the station) come across Newcastle, yet another future dude that she is attracted to. All this in the context of doing her best to get back to her fiance, a situation she is completely aware of and feeling quite guilty and confused about.
It's great, figuring out what next can I do to my protagonist. How can I create drama, that other people will want to read.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Berries, and the story introducing its own concepts
I have wondered about the experience when an author said/wrote that the story (or a character) took over and began introducing its own concepts.
Perhaps I've had that experience during the times when following-the-logic introduces something I had not actually conceived of before that moment. For example, where did the concept come from that Mrs. WhosyWhatsit needs to trust Alexa before telling her why she knows about the mystery man? It had just barely occurred to me that Mrs. WhosyWhatsit even knew about the mystery man.
The challenge, of course, is IF Mrs. WhosyWhatsit must trust Alexa, then WHY is that the case, and what is the whole backstory for this situation? Figuring this out often involves me pacing from the kitchen through the dining room into the living room, back and forth. While working on this particular instance, I found munching blackberries to produce more ideas than munching on blueberries. A noticeable drop in creativity happened when I switched to blueberries (go figure).
Berries, however, did not solve the dilemma. I had to resort to Curio (a nice mind-mapping program for Macs). It works well for putting concepts in little colored boxes and moving them around till they make sense.
Later, while cooking dinner, the final piece of this side-story fell into place. It even allows me an opportunity to tie into the planned third story in this triptych!
Perhaps I've had that experience during the times when following-the-logic introduces something I had not actually conceived of before that moment. For example, where did the concept come from that Mrs. WhosyWhatsit needs to trust Alexa before telling her why she knows about the mystery man? It had just barely occurred to me that Mrs. WhosyWhatsit even knew about the mystery man.
The challenge, of course, is IF Mrs. WhosyWhatsit must trust Alexa, then WHY is that the case, and what is the whole backstory for this situation? Figuring this out often involves me pacing from the kitchen through the dining room into the living room, back and forth. While working on this particular instance, I found munching blackberries to produce more ideas than munching on blueberries. A noticeable drop in creativity happened when I switched to blueberries (go figure).
Berries, however, did not solve the dilemma. I had to resort to Curio (a nice mind-mapping program for Macs). It works well for putting concepts in little colored boxes and moving them around till they make sense.
Later, while cooking dinner, the final piece of this side-story fell into place. It even allows me an opportunity to tie into the planned third story in this triptych!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Who is Mrs. WhosyWhatsit, and what does she bring to the table?
I'm still in the area where my heroine is getting a breather from running so constantly from the bad guys.
She is having a nice conversation with Mrs. WhosyWhatsit, and I'm stuck at the point of what exactly should be incorporated in this interchange. Can't just relate to the previous series of events to Mrs. WhosyWhatsit. Boring to me, and certainly boring to the reader.
Periodically, my husband shows his colors as a thoughtful and insightful sounding board.
Who exactly is Mrs. WhosyWhatsit? She needs to bring some essential piece of info to this interchange. But not so close as to imply she is completely involved in the drama. That could imply a conspiracy. I want to keep this lady separate, for later.
After a spirited debate with my husband, I think I have an idea of how to go forward.
Again and again, it just comes down to sitting down in front of the screen and putting one word at a time on the "paper," watching to see how the magic begins to unfold.
This process of keeping the flow logical, but not mundane; interesting, but not fantastical; adventurous, but still something the reader can relate with -- all this is a fascinating puzzle.
She is having a nice conversation with Mrs. WhosyWhatsit, and I'm stuck at the point of what exactly should be incorporated in this interchange. Can't just relate to the previous series of events to Mrs. WhosyWhatsit. Boring to me, and certainly boring to the reader.
Periodically, my husband shows his colors as a thoughtful and insightful sounding board.
Who exactly is Mrs. WhosyWhatsit? She needs to bring some essential piece of info to this interchange. But not so close as to imply she is completely involved in the drama. That could imply a conspiracy. I want to keep this lady separate, for later.
After a spirited debate with my husband, I think I have an idea of how to go forward.
Again and again, it just comes down to sitting down in front of the screen and putting one word at a time on the "paper," watching to see how the magic begins to unfold.
This process of keeping the flow logical, but not mundane; interesting, but not fantastical; adventurous, but still something the reader can relate with -- all this is a fascinating puzzle.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Found: the roadmap for this story
A month, or lifetime, later.
The book "Memory" by Lois McMaster Bujold is incredibly masterful. So, I am emulating it -- at least its general outline of plotting points. A bit ago, I summarized the plot each step of the way through the book, and then crystalized those steps into more generalized activities.
Her device of using a secondary drama to be a counterpoint and to help solve the primary drama was the best lesson out of that activity.
When I came to a muddle, and was wondering "where am I, anyway, in this story," I went to those plot steps of hers. Even to the point of listing my own plot each step of the way.
Lo and behold, I had been missing the point of my story. I have been writing as if the secondary drama was the primary one! This one exercise, and now I'm much more clear on what is primary and what is secondary. And thus what must happen along the way to the climax and then end of story.
The book "Memory" by Lois McMaster Bujold is incredibly masterful. So, I am emulating it -- at least its general outline of plotting points. A bit ago, I summarized the plot each step of the way through the book, and then crystalized those steps into more generalized activities.
Her device of using a secondary drama to be a counterpoint and to help solve the primary drama was the best lesson out of that activity.
When I came to a muddle, and was wondering "where am I, anyway, in this story," I went to those plot steps of hers. Even to the point of listing my own plot each step of the way.
Lo and behold, I had been missing the point of my story. I have been writing as if the secondary drama was the primary one! This one exercise, and now I'm much more clear on what is primary and what is secondary. And thus what must happen along the way to the climax and then end of story.
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