"Let yourself be silently drawn ..."

Top Ten Plotting Problems

This was created by Alicia Rasely, an award winning romance writer, that's applicable to any genre. She has lots of tips, a writing newsletter, books, booklets and workshops at her website.

THE TOP TEN PLOTTING PROBLEMS
copyright 1998 by Alicia Rasley

10. Backstory Blunders: The past is prologue, for sure, but you can tell too much too soon, if everything about the characters' past is explained right upfront in Chapter One. (Click here for more discussion of this topic.)

9. Boring Beginnings: If you have to rely on your readers' patience while you get the story set up, you're likely to lose most of them. Start where the protagonist's problem starts, or just before that, and feed in the backstory later. This is the MTV era-- people don't like to wait. Be especially wary of books that start with the protagonist on a journey, thinking about what awaits her at the destination. Editors frequently mention that as an example of a boring opening. It helps to decide what your major story questions are and make sure those are posed in the first few chapters-- at least one should be posed in Chapter One.

8. Limping to a Conclusion: You don't want the reader to think you ended the book just because you ran out of paper. Make the ending a conclusive one, reinforcing the themes of the book and the progress of the protagonist. (Click here for more discussion of this topic.)

7. Sagging Middle: The middle has to do more than just fill up the space between beginning and end. It should be a time of "rising conflict" where the protagonist is tested up to (and perhaps beyond) the limits of his ability-- a time to develop the internal and external conflicts and show how they influence the protagonist's actions. It should set up the great crisis/climax/resolution that will bring the novel to a close. So when you're starting the middle, think of how the protagonist can be challenged. What external plot events can make his internal conflict impossible to ignore any longer? How can that internal conflict impede his/her progress towards the goal? If there's an antagonist, how does the antagonist's reaction affect the protagonist's progress?

6. Tumors and Parasites -- The cast of thousands: Secondary characters are distinguished from major characters-- the protagonist(s) and the antagonist usually-- by their lack of a story journey. That is, they exist to make things happen in the plot, but their own conflicts and issues shouldn't be part of the story. (If they're that interesting, let them star in the sequel.) Every person with a story journey (described progress towards a significant change in their life) dilutes the impact of the major characters' journey. In some books (family sagas, for example), this can work. But in most protagonist-centered popular fiction, tracking the secondary characters' lives and loves is going to waste time and confuse the reader. Watch out for long passages in a secondary character's viewpoint which dwell on his problems and not on the protagonist. And keep count of how many subplots you've got-- make sure each one supports the main plot in some way.

5. Plodding Pacing: Pacing is primarily a function of how many cause-effect related events happen in the book. But that doesn't mean that effective pacing depends on shoving a lot of events into the story. Selection is key. What events are essential? What supporting events are needed to set up those essential events (aka "turning points")? Are all the events of the plot related causally-- that is, does the discovery of the letter in chapter 2 set up the release of the imprisoned protagonist in Chapter 4, and eventually the capture of the villain in the climax? Make sure every scene has at least one event that affects the main plot-- that way the readers can't skip without missing something important.

4. What a Coincidence!: Coincidence is fun in real life. But it's death to good fiction. Fiction is about cause and effect, and there's no cause and effect when the central elements of your plot happen by coincidence. It's often hard, however, to identify coincidence in your own story, so be ruthless. Look at the chain of events. Which would be unlikely to happen unless you the author made it happen? How likely is it that in a city of 7 million, your judge protagonist would just happen to get the embezzling case of the man she thinks was responsible for the hit-and-run killing of her mother? Not very. To fix coincidence without losing the event, make it happen because of character decision and action, and watch your characters grow into strength and purpose. That judge doesn't just happen to get the case; she seeks it, determined to avenge her mother's death. Now that's a lot more fun than coincidence, because the conflict is now not just an accident, but the result of this character's need for vengeance over justice.

3. Conflicts about Conflict: Conflict is the fuel that powers the plot and forces the characters into action. Without it you might have a nice slice of life portrait, or a great character sketch... but you don't really have a story. Problem is, conflict is volatile, and many of us avoid it in our plotting as we avoid it in our lives. But just as children need discipline to grow, characters need adversity to change. And fiction is, at base, about change. Popular fiction is usually about change in the protagonist. No one changes without a good reason to change-- that's where conflict comes in. Quite simply, you have an authorial duty to provide conflict for your characters so that they will learn to change-- and that means determining how they need to change. Linking conflict to character change will revitalize your story, and avoid the problems of serial conflict (where what looks like the book conflict wraps up in Chapter 3, to be replaced by another conflict) and incoherent conflict (where the conflict has nothing to do with who this character is or what she needs).

2. Structural Weaknesses: Many a good story is sunk by a weak structure: a hidden protagonist (the readers can't tell early whose story this is), meandering setups, mispresented conflict, rushed climaxes, incoherence between the protagonist and the plot (the main character doesn't have much to do with the main plot, or this person would never do what the plot requires him to do). Much of this derives from a misunderstanding of the purpose of structure. It's not a prison, chaining you to a "formula", it's a map to help you and your readers explore the issues you're developing with this story. Learning structure can teach you when to modify it and when to branch out on your own. The key to structure, in my opinion, is understanding the concept of the story questions-- the question or problem your opening poses, and the events which combine to create the answer. (Click here for more discussion of this topic.)

1. Whose Story Is This, Anyway? The Plight of the Protagonist: The biggest single plot problem I see in my judging, editing, and critiquing is actually a character problem: the passive or undermotivated protagonist-- that is, a protagonist who is not truly involved in causing the plot to unfold. Beware of the victim-protagonist (bad things happen to him, and he suffers a lot), the passive protagonist (he witnesses the plot events, but he doesn't participate), the bumbling protagonist (he acts, but stupidly, without learning from his mistakes). The central character doesn't have to be likeable (though it helps) or (god forbid) without faults, but he does have to be motivated enough to act and encounter obstacles and change in response to plot events. Ideally, the protagonist should be involved in nearly every event, and his decisions and actions should drive the plot. You might make a list of all the major plot events, and beside each note the protagonist's contribution. Is each action or decision or choice motivated? (The motivation doesn't have to be laudable, but should derive from who he is and what he wants.) Does each action have some effect on the plot? And finally, does each action-event dynamic contribute to an ultimate change in the protagonist?

Here's a final thought that might help you plot: One primary purpose of the plot is to force the protagonist to change, usually by recognizing and overcoming some internal conflict. Know your character, and you'll figure out your plot. Conversely, know your plot, and you'll find the character who needs that sequence of events for internal growth.

Year-long mystery

Note: This project only went on for 10 weeks before a computer ate all my daughter's notes and we lost enthusiasm for it. But you're welcome to read through as far as we got to see if the book might interest you. It was a new and interesting experience for me to plot out a book before writing it :-)

---

I just picked up an intriguing book called The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery by Robert J. Ray (author of 7 Matt Murdock mysteries though I'm not familiar with the series) and Jack Remick.

It's 52 weekends to a finished mystery novel. They write their own mystery along with the reader.

Kat thought it sounded like fun so, as we're doing it, I thought I'd post summaries of what the authors suggest you do each weekend on Fridays so you can join in if you'd like. Obviously their book has more thorough explanations and lots more encouragement. But we'll see how well it works!

If you'd like to try, mysteries don't need to be contemporary! I like historical mysteries, though that might involve some research. ;-) But authors have successfully combined fantasy or science fiction with mystery, like Laurel K. Hamilton's vampire series and Isaac Asimov's Robot series, just to name two.

To get going, they suggest creating a story profile. Obviously at this stage you won't know much! But write down ideas that pop into your head. They aren't etched in stone. You can always change them. You can always leave blanks to fill in later as the story sails along:

Fill in (as you can):

• Working title
  
• Type of tale
  
• Setting
  
• Time
  
• Main characters
  
  • killer
    
  • victim
    
  • sleuth
• Notes on the murder
  
  • weapon
    
  • wounds
    
  • time of death
    
  • motive
    
  • other
• Body discovered by
  
• Witnesses
  
• Suspects
  
• Scapegoats
  
• Other

The creation schedule is broken into 4 parts:

1. Planning
   
2. First draft which is written "fast and loose" -- like NaNoWriMo :-)
   
3. Second draft -- where the gaps are filled in and the bumps smoothed out
   
4. Final draft -- where it's polished

And the weekly breakdown of tasks is:

• Weekends 1-4: Character work
  
  • Killer
    
  • Victim
    
  • Sleuth
    
  • Catalyst
• Weekends 5-9: Plotting
  
  • Back story
    
  • Key Scenes
    
  • Plot Picture-Diagram
    
  • Subplots
    
  • The working synopsis
• Weekends 10-13: Scene building
  
  • Crime scene
    
  • Dialogue
    
  • Action
    
  • Setting
• Weekends 14-25: First Draft
  
  • Writing Act One
    
  • Writing Act Two
    
  • Writing Act Three
• Weekends 26-38: Second Draft
  
  • Weekends 26-29: Rewriting Act One
    
  • Weekends 30-35: Rewriting Act Two
    
  • Weekends 36-38: Rewriting Act Three
• Weekends 39-52: Final Draft

(By the way there's also The Weekend Novelist for writing a novel.

And that's it until next Friday!

I will cut back on my killing ...

Your favorite villain has made New Year's Resolutions. Will he put more effort into his evil plans? Will he turn around and try to start anew?

Make a list. :-)

Feels like ...

Since poetry came up on the list, here's a poetry prompt. (I should be sending out poetry prompts more than just during Poetry Month!)

This is something simple and yet digs into the strength of poetry: holding things up to unique ways of seeing (and tasting and feeling). Use the template to describe an abstract in terms of the senses.

The Feeling Poem

Line one: Name an abstract
Line two: “Smells like. . .”
Line three: “Tastes like. . .”
Line four: “Sounds like. . .”
Line five: “Feels like. . . .”
Line six: “Feels like. . .”
Line seven: “Feels like. . .”
Line eight: Name the abstract

(The original suggestion at The Magic Writing Tram was to write about an emotion but it will work just as well with any abstract idea.)

If you need some inspiration, there are examples done by kids at the link below.

Feel free to come up with your own abstract but if you wish to spend time on the poem rather than the idea, here's a handful of topics that go along with this time of the year.

anticipation
charity
patience
peace
wonder

If you need more there are lists of virtues and emotions from previous writing prompts.

From The Magic Writing Tram.

"Wake up with a smile ..."

All the plots in the world

Only one plot exists: conflict. “Foster-Harris describes this in terms of what the main character feels: ‘I have an inner conflict of emotions, feelings.... What, in any case, can I do to resolve the inner problems?’” Which sums it up nicely but isn't very helpful! So here are three ways people have come up with to categorize plot (with explanations and examples for the last and longest set.)

7 Plots
7 basic plots as remembered by IPL volunteer librarian Jessamyn West and a similar list from Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and perhaps the inspiration for the school list:

[wo]man vs. man [wo]man vs. nature [wo]man vs. self [wo]man vs. god/religion [wo]man vs. machines/technology [wo]man vs. the supernatural [wo]man vs. the environment

Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. Himself Man vs. God Man vs. Society Man caught in the Middle Man & Woman

7 (Other) Plots
From The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker

1. Overcoming the Monster
   
2. Rags to Riches
   
3. The Quest
   
4. Voyage and Return
   
5. Comedy
   
6. Tragedy
   
7. Rebirth

20 Plots
From 20 Master Plots: And how to build them by Ronald B. Tobias

1. QUEST - the plot involves the Protagonist's search for a person, place or thing, tangible or intangible (but must be quantifiable, so think of this as a noun; i.e., immortality).
   
   
2. ADVENTURE - this plot involves the Protagonist going in search of their fortune, and since fortune is never found at home, the Protagonist goes to search for it somewhere over the rainbow.
   
   
3. PURSUIT - this plot literally involves hide-and-seek, one person chasing another.
   
   
4. RESCUE - this plot involves the Protagonist searching for someone or something, usually consisting of three main characters
   
   
5. ESCAPE - plot involves a Protagonist confined against their will who wants to escape (does not include some one trying to escape their personal demons).
   
   
6. REVENGE - retaliation by Protagonist or Antagonist against the other for real or imagined injury.
   
   
7. THE RIDDLE - plot involves the Protagonist's search for clues to find the hidden meaning of something in question that is deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous.
   
   
8. RIVALRY - plot involves Protagonist competing for same object or goal as another person (their rival).
   
   
9. UNDERDOG - plot involves a Protagonist competing for an object or goal that is at a great disadvantage and is faced with overwhelming odds.
   
   
10. TEMPTATION - plot involves a Protagonist that for one reason or another is induced or persuaded to do something that is unwise, wrong or immoral.
    
    
11. METAMORPHOSIS - this plot involves the physical characteristics of the Protagonist actually changing from one form to another (reflecting their inner psychological identity).
    
    
12. TRANSFORMATION - plot involves the process of change in the Protagonist as they journey through a stage of life that moves them from one significant character state to another.
    
    
13. MATURATION - plot involves the Protagonist facing a problem that is part of growing up, and from dealing with it, emerging into a state of adulthood (going from innocence to experience).
    
    
14. LOVE - plot involves the Protagonist overcoming the obstacles to love that keeps them from consummating (engaging in) true love.
    
    
15. FORBIDDEN LOVE - plot involves Protagonist(s) overcoming obstacles created by social mores and taboos to consummate their relationship (and sometimes finding it at too high a price to live with).
    
    
16. SACRIFICE - plot involves the Protagonist taking action(s) that is motivated by a higher purpose (concept) such as love, honor, charity or for the sake of humanity.
    
    
17. DISCOVERY - plot that is the most character-centered of all, involves the Protagonist having to overcome an upheavel(s) in their life, and thereby discovering something important (and buried) within them a better understanding of life (i.e., better appreciation of their life, a clearer purpose in their life, etc.)
    
    
18. WRETCHED EXCESS - plot involves a Protagonist who, either by choice or by accident, pushes the limits of acceptable behavior to the extreme and is forced to deal with the consequences (generally deals with the psychological decline of the character).
    
    
19. ASCENSION - rags-to-riches plot deals with the rise (success) of Protagonist due to a dominating character trait that helps them to succeed.
    
    
20. DESCENSION - riches-to-rags plot deals with the fall (destruction) of Protagonist due to dominating character trait that eventually destroys their success.

36 Plots
The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti (trans. Lucille Ray)

Polti claims to be trying to reconstruct the 36 plots that Goethe alleges someone named [Carlo] Gozzi came up with. (In the following list, the words in parentheses are the IPL annotations to try to explain some of the less helpful titles.):

1. Supplication (in which the Supplicant must beg something from Power in authority)
   (The dynamic elements technically necessary are: a Persecutor; a Suppliant; and a Power in authority, whose decision is doubtful)
   A.
   
   
   1. Fugitives Imploring the Powerful for Help Against Their Enemies
      
   2. Assistance Implored for the Performance of a Pious Duty Which Has Been Forbidden
      
   3. Appeals for a Refuge in Which to Die
   B.
   
   
   1. Hospitality Besought by the Shipwrecked
      
   2. Charity Entreated by Those Cast Off by Their Own People, Whom They Have Disgraced
      
   3. Expiation: The Seeking of Pardon, Healing or Deliverance
      
   4. The Surrender of a Corpse, or of a Relic, Solicited
   C.
   
   
   1. Supplication of the Powerful for Those Dear to the Suppliant
      
   2. Supplication to a Relative in Behalf of Another Relative
      
   3. Supplication to a Mother's Lover, in Her Behalf
   
   
2. Deliverance
   (Elements: an Unfortunate, a Threatener, a Rescuer)
   A.
   
   
   1. Appearance of a Rescuer to the Condemned
   B.
   
   
   1. A Parent Replaced Upon a Throne by His Children
      
   2. Rescue by Friends, or by Strangers Grateful for Benefits Or Hospitality
   
   
3. Crime Pursued By Vengeance
   (Elements: an Avenger and a Criminal)
   A.
   
   
   1. The Avenging of a Slain Parent or Ancestor
      
   2. The Avenging of a Slain Child or Descendant
      
   3. Vengeance for a Child Dishonored
      
   4. The Avenging of a Slain Wife or Husband
      
   5. Vengeance for the Dishonor, or Attempted Dishonoring, of a Wife
      
   6. Vengeance for a Mistress Slain
      
   7. Vengeance for a Slain or Injured Friend
      
   8. Vengeance for a Sister Seduced
   B.
   
   
   1. Vengeance for Intentional Injury or Spoliation
      
   2. Vengeance for Having Been Despoiled During Absence
      
   3. Revenge for an Attempted Slaying
      
   4. Revenge for a False Accusation
      
   5. Vengeance for Violation
      
   6. Vengeance for Having Been Robbed of One's Own
      
   7. Revenge Upon a Whole Sex for a Deception by One
   C.
   
   
   1. Professional Pursuit of Criminals
   
   
4. Vengeance Taken For Kindred Upon Kindred
   (Elements: Avenging Kinsman; Guilty Kinsman; Remembrance of the Victim, a Relative of Both)
   A.
   
   
   1. A Father's Death Avenged Upon a Mother
      
   2. A Mother's Death Avenged Upon a Father
   B.
   
   
   1. A Brother's Death Avenged Upon a Son
   C.
   
   
   1. A Father's Death Avenged Upon a Husband
   D.
   
   
   1. A Husband's Death Avenged Upon a Father
   
   
5. Pursuit
   (Elements: Punishment and Fugitive)
   A.
   
   
   1. Fugitives from Justice Pursued for Brigandage, Political Offenses, Etc.
   B.
   
   
   1. Pursued for a Fault of Love
   C.
   
   
   1. A Hero Struggling Against a Power
   D.
   
   
   1. A Pseudo-Madman Struggling Against an Iago-Like Alienist
   
   
6. Disaster
   (Elements: a Vanquished Power; a Victorious Enemy or a Messenger)
   A.
   
   
   1. Defeat Suffered
      
   2. A Fatherland Destroyed
      
   3. The Fall of Humanity
      
   4. A Natural Catastrophe
   B.
   
   
   1. A Monarch Overthrown
   C.
   
   
   1. Ingratitude Suffered
      
   2. The Suffering of Unjust Punishment or Enmity
      
   3. An Outrage Suffered
   D.
   
   
   1. Abandonment by a Lover or a Husband
      
   2. Children Lost by Their Parents
   
   
7. Falling Prey To Cruelty Or Misfortune
   (Elements: an Unfortunate; a Master or a Misfortune)
   A.
   
   
   1. The Innocent Made the Victim of Ambitious Intrigue
   B.
   
   
   1. The Innocent Despoiled by Those Who Should Protect
   C.
   
   
   1. The Powerful Dispossessed and Wretched
      
   2. A Favorite or an Intimate Finds Himself Forgotten
   D.
   
   
   1. The Unfortunate Robbed of Their Only Hope
   
   
8. Revolt
   (Elements: Tyrant and Conspirator)
   A.
   
   
   1. A Conspiracy Chiefly of One Individual
      
   2. A Conspiracy of Several
   B.
   
   
   1. Revolt of One Individual, Who Influences and Involves Others
      
   2. A Revolt of Many
   
   
9. Daring Enterprise
   (Elements: a Bold Leader; an Object; an Adversary)
   A.
   
   
   1. Preparations For War
   B.
   
   
   1. War
      
   2. A Combat
   C.
   
   
   1. Carrying Off a Desired Person or Object
      
   2. Recapture of a Desired Object
   D.
   
   
   1. Adventurous Expeditions
      
   2. Adventure Undertaken for the Purpose of Obtaining a Beloved Woman
   
   
10. Abduction
    (Elements: the Abductor; the Abducted; the Guardian)
    A.
    
    
    1. Abduction of an Unwilling Woman
    B.
    
    
    1. Abduction of a Consenting Woman
    C.
    
    
    1. Recapture of the Woman Without the Slaying of the Abductor
       
    2. The Same Case, with the Slaying of the Ravisher
    D.
    
    
    1. Rescue of a Captive Friend
       
    2. Of a Child
       
    3. Of a Soul in Captivity to Error
    
    
11. The Enigma (temptation or a riddle)
    (Elements: Interrogator, Seeker and Problem)
    A.
    
    
    1. Search for a Person Who Must Be Found on Pain of Death
    B.
    
    
    1. A Riddle To Be Solved on Pain of Death
       
    2. The Same Case, in Which the Riddle is Proposed by the Coveted Woman
    C.
    
    
    1. Temptations Offered With the Object of Discovering His Name
       
    2. Temptations Offered With the Object of Ascertaining the Sex
       
    3. Tests for the Purpose of Ascertaining the Mental Condition
    
    
12. Obtaining
    (Elements: a Solicitor and an Adversary Who is Refusing, or an Arbitrator and Opposing Parties)
    A.
    
    
    1. Efforts to Obtain an Object by Ruse or Force
    B.
    
    
    1. Endeavor by Means of Persuasive Eloquence Alone
    C.
    
    
    1. Eloquence With an Arbitrator
    
    
13. Enmity Of Kinsmen
    (Elements: a Malevolent Kinsman; a Hatred or Reciprocally Hating Kinsman)
    A.
    
    
    1. Hatred of Brothers -- One Brother Hated by Several
       
    2. Reciprocal Hatred
       
    3. Hatred Between Relatives for Reasons of Self-Interest
    B.
    
    
    1. Hatred of Father and Son -- Of the Son for the Father
       
    2. Mutual Hatred
       
    3. Hatred of Daughter for Father
    C.
    
    
    1. Hatred of Grandfather for Grandson
    D.
    
    
    1. Hatred of Father-in-law for Son-in-law
    E.
    
    
    1. Hatred of Mother-in-law for Daughter-in-law
    F.
    
    
    1. Infanticide
    
    
14. Rivalry Of Kinsmen
    (Elements: the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; the Object)
    A.
    
    
    1. Malicious Rivalry of a Brother
       
    2. Malicious Rivalry of Two Brothers
       
    3. Rivalry of Two Brothers, With Adultery on the Part of One
       
    4. Rivalry of Sisters
    B.
    
    
    1. Rivalry of Father and Son, for an Unmarried Woman
       
    2. Rivalry of Father and Son, for a Married Woman
       
    3. Case Similar to the Two Foregoing, But in Which the Object is Already the Wife of the Father
       
    4. Rivalry of Mother and Daughter
    C.
    
    
    1. Rivalry of Cousins
    D.
    
    
    1. Rivalry of Friends
    
    
15. Murderous Adultery
    (Elements: Two Adulterers; a Betrayed Husband or Wife)
    A.
    
    
    1. The Slaying of a Husband by, or for, a Paramour
       
    2. The Slaying of a Trusting Lover
    B.
    
    
    1. Slaying of a Wife for a Paramour, and in Self-Interest
    
    
16. Madness
    (Elements: Madman and Victim)
    A.
    
    
    1. Kinsmen Slain in Madness
       
    2. Lover Slain in Madness
       
    3. Slaying or Injuring of a Person not Hated
    B.
    
    
    1. Disgrace Brought Upon Oneself Through Madness
    C.
    
    
    1. Loss of Loved Ones Brought About by Madness
    D.
    
    
    1. Madness Brought on by Fear of Hereditary Insanity
    
    
17. Fatal Imprudence
    (Elements: The Imprudent; the Victim or the Object Lost)
    A.
    
    
    1. Imprudence the Cause of One's Own Misfortune
       
    2. Imprudence the Cause of One's Own Dishonor
    B.
    
    
    1. Curiosity the Cause of One's Own Misfortune
       
    2. Loss of the Possession of a Loved One, Through Curiosity
    C.
    
    
    1. Curiosity the Cause of Death or Misfortune to Others
       
    2. Imprudence the Cause of a Relative's Death
       
    3. Imprudence the Cause of a Lover's Death
       
    4. Credulity the Cause of Kinsmen's Deaths
    
    
18. Involuntary Crimes Of Love
    (Elements: the Lover, the Beloved; the Revealer)
    A.
    
    
    1. Discovery that One Has Married One's Mother
       
    2. Discovery that One Has Had a Sister as Mistress
    B.
    
    
    1. Discovery that One Has Married One's Sister
       
    2. The Same Case, in Which the Crime Has Been Villainously Planned by a Third Person
       
    3. Being Upon the Point of Taking a Sister, Unknowingly, as Mistress
    C.
    
    
    1. Being Upon the Point of Violating, Unknowingly, a Daughter
    D.
    
    
    1. Being Upon the Point of Committing an Adultery Unknowingly
       
    2. Adultery Committed Unknowingly
    
    
19. Slaying Of a Kinsman Unrecognized
    (Elements: the Slayer, the Unrecognized Victim)
    A.
    
    
    1. Being Upon the Point of Slaying a Daughter Unknowingly, by Command of a Divinity or an Oracle
       
    2. Through Political Necessity
       
    3. Through a Rivalry in Love
       
    4. Through Hatred of the Lover of the Unrecognized Daughter
    B.
    
    
    1. Being Upon the Point of Killing a Son Unknowingly
       
    2. The Same Case, Strengthened by Machiavellian Instigations
    C.
    
    
    1. Being Upon the Point of Slaying a Brother Unknowingly
    D.
    
    
    1. Slaying of a Mother Unrecognized
    E.
    
    
    1. A Father Slain Unknowingly, Through Machiavellian Advice
    F.
    
    
    1. A Grandfather Slain Unknowingly, in Vengeance and Through Instigation
    G.
    
    
    1. Involuntary Killing of a Loved Woman
       
    2. Being Upon the Point of Killing a Lover Unrecognized
       
    3. Failure to Rescue an Unrecognized Son
    
    
20. Self-Sacrificing For an Ideal
    (Elements: the Hero; the Ideal; the 'Creditor' or the Person or Thing Sacrificed)
    A.
    
    
    1. Sacrifice of Life for the Sake of One's Word
       
    2. Life Sacrifice for the Success of One's People
       
    3. Life Sacrificed in Filial Piety
       
    4. Life Sacrificed for the Sake of One's Faith
    B.
    
    
    1. Both Love and Life Sacrificed for One's Faith, or a Cause
       
    2. Love Sacrificed to the Interests of State
    C.
    
    
    1. Sacrifice of Well-Being to Duty
    D.
    
    
    1. The Ideal of 'Honor' Sacrificed to the Ideal of 'Faith'
    
    
21. Self-Sacrifice For Kindred
    (Elements: the Hero; the Kinsman; the 'Creditor' or the Person or Thing Sacrificed)
    A.
    
    
    1. Life Sacrificed for that of a Relative or a Loved One
       
    2. Life Sacrificed for the Happiness of a Relative or a Loved One
    B.
    
    
    1. Ambition Sacrificed for the Happiness of a Parent
       
    2. Ambition Sacrificed for the Life of a Parent
    C.
    
    
    1. Love Sacrificed for the Sake of a Parent's Life
       
    2. For the Happiness of One's Child
       
    3. The Same Sacrifice as 2, But Caused by Unjust Laws
    D.
    
    
    1. Life and Honor Sacrificed for the Life of a Parent or Loved One
       
    2. Modesty Sacrificed for the Life of a Relative or a Loved One
    
    
22. All Sacrificed For a Passion
    (Elements: the Lover, the Object of the Fatal Passion; the Person or Thing Sacrificed)
    A.
    
    
    1. Religious Vows of Chastity Broken for a Passion
       
    2. Respect for a Priest Destroyed
       
    3. A Future Ruined by Passion
       
    4. Power Ruined by Passion
       
    5. Ruin of Mind, Health, and Life
       
    6. Ruin of Fortunes, Lives, and Honors
    B.
    
    
    1. Temptations Destroying the Sense of Duty, of Piety, etc.
    C.
    
    
    1. Destruction of Honor, Fortune, and Life by Erotic Vice
       
    2. The Same Effect Produced by Any Other Vice
    
    
23. Necessity Of Sacrificing Love Ones
    (Elements: the Hero; the Beloved Victim; the Necessity for the Sacrifice)
    A.
    
    
    1. Necessity for Sacrificing a Daughter in the Public Interest
       
    2. Duty of Sacrificing Her in Fulfillment of a Vow to God
       
    3. Duty of Sacrificing Benefactors or Loved Ones to One's Faith
    B.
    
    
    1. Duty of Sacrificing One's Child, Unknown to Others, Under the Pressure of Necessity
       
    2. Duty of Sacrificing, Under the Same Circumstances, One's Father or Husband
       
    3. Duty of Sacrificing a Son-in-law for the Public Good
       
    4. Duty of Contending with a Brother-in-Law for the Public Good
       
    5. Duty of Contending with a Friend
    
    
24. Rivalry Of Superior and Inferior
    (Elements: the Superior Rival; the Inferior Rival; the Object)
    A.
    
    
    1. Masculine Rivalries; of a Mortal and an Immortal
       
    2. Of a Magician and an Ordinary Man
       
    3. Of Conqueror and Conquered
       
    4. Of a King and a Noble
       
    5. Of a Powerful Person and an Upstart
       
    6. Of Rich and Poor
       
    7. Of an Honored Man and a Suspected One
       
    8. Rivalry of Two Who are Almost Equal
       
    9. Of the Two Successive Husbands of a Divorcee
    B.
    
    
    1. Feminine Rivalries; Of a Sorceress and an Ordinary Woman
       
    2. Of Victor and Prisoner
       
    3. Of Queen and Subject
       
    4. Of Lady and Servant
       
    5. Rivalry Between Memory or an Ideal (That of a Superior Woman) and a Vassal of Her Own
    C.
    
    
    1. Double Rivalry (A loves B, who loves C, who loves D)
    
    
25. Adultery
    (Elements: a Deceived Husband or Wife; Two Adulterers)
    A.
    
    
    1. A Mistress Betrayed, For a Young Woman
       
    2. For a Young Wife
    B.
    
    
    1. A Wife Betrayed, For a Slave Who Does Not Love in Return
       
    2. For Debauchery
       
    3. For a Married Woman
       
    4. With the Intention of Bigamy
       
    5. For a Young Girl, who Does Not Love in Return
       
    6. A Wife Envied by a Young Girl Who is in Love With Her Husband
       
    7. By a Courtesan
    C.
    
    
    1. An Antagonistic Husband Sacrificed for a Congenial Lover
       
    2. A Husband, Believed to be Lost, Forgotten for a Rival
       
    3. A Commonplace Husband Sacrificed for a Sympathetic Lover
       
    4. A Good Husband Betrayed for an Inferior Rival
       
    5. For a Grotesque Rival
       
    6. For a Commonplace Rival, By a Perverse Wife
       
    7. For a Rival Less Handsome, But Useful
    D.
    
    
    1. Vengeance of a Deceived Husband
       
    2. Jealousy Sacrificed for the Sake of a Cause
       
    3. Husband Persecuted by a Rejected Rival
    
    
26. Crimes Of Love
    (Elements: The Lover, the Beloved)
    A.
    
    
    1. A Mother in Love with Her Son
       
    2. A Daughter in Love with her Father
       
    3. Violation of a Daughter by a Father
    B.
    
    
    1. A Woman Enamored of Her Stepson
       
    2. A Woman and Her Stepson Enamored of Each Other
       
    3. A Woman Being the Mistress, at the Same Time, of a Father and Son, Both of Whom Accept the Situation
    C.
    
    
    1. A Man Becomes the Lover of his Sister-in-Law
       
    2. A Brother and Sister in Love with Each Other
    D.
    
    
    1. A Man Enamored of Another Man, Who Yields
    E.
    
    
    1. A Woman Enamored of a Beast
    
    
27. Discovery Of The Dishonor Of a Loved One
    (Elements: the Discoverer; the Guilty One)
    A.
    
    
    1. Discovery of a Mother's Shame
       
    2. Discovery of a Father's Shame
       
    3. Discovery of a Daughter's Dishonor
    B.
    
    
    1. Discovery of Dishonor in the Family of One's Fiancee
       
    2. Discovery than One's Wife Has Been Violated Before Marriage, Or Since the Marriage
       
    3. That She Has Previously Committed a Fault
       
    4. Discovery that One's Wife Has Formerly Been a Prostitute
       
    5. Discovery that One's Mistress, Formerly a Prostitute, Has Returned to Her Old Life
       
    6. Discovery that One's Lover is a Scoundrel, or that One's Mistress is a Woman of Bad Character
       
    7. The Same Discovery Concerning One's Wife
    C.
    
    
    1. Duty of Punishing a Son Who is a Traitor to Country
       
    2. Duty of Punishing a Son Condemned Under a Law Which the Father Has Made
       
    3. Duty of Punishing One's Mother to Avenge One's Father
    
    
28. Obstacles To Love
    (Elements: Two Lovers, an Obstacle)
    A.
    
    
    1. Marriage Prevented by Inequality of Rank
       
    2. Inequality of Fortune an Impediment to Marriage
    B.
    
    
    1. Marriage Prevented by Enemies and Contingent Obstacles
    C.
    
    
    1. Marriage Forbidden on Account of the Young Woman's Previous Betrothal to Another
    D.
    
    
    1. A Free Union Impeded by the Opposition of Relatives
    E.
    
    
    1. By the Incompatibility of Temper of the Lovers
    
    
29. An Enemy Loved
    (Elements: The Beloved Enemy; the Lover; the Hater)
    A.
    
    
    1. The Loved One Hated by Kinsmen of the Lover
       
    2. The Lover Pursued by the Brothers of His Beloved
       
    3. The Lover Hated by the Family of His Beloved
       
    4. The Beloved is an Enemy of the Party of the Woman Who Loves Him
    B.
    
    
    1. The Beloved is the Slayer of a Kinsman of the Woman Who Loves Him
    
    
30. Ambition
    (Elements: an Ambitious Person; a Thing Coveted; an Adversary)
    A.
    
    
    1. Ambition Watched and Guarded Against by a Kinsman, or By a Person Under Obligation
    B.
    
    
    1. Rebellious Ambition
    C.
    
    
    1. Ambition and Covetousness Heaping Crime Upon Crime
    
    
31. Conflict With a God
    (Elements: a Mortal, an Immortal)
    A.
    
    
    1. Struggle Against a Deity
       
    2. Strife with the Believers in a God
    B.
    
    
    1. Controversy with a Deity
       
    2. Punishment for Contempt of a God
       
    3. Punishment for Pride Before a God
    
    
32. Mistaken Jealousy
    (Elements: the Jealous One; the Object of Whose Possession He is Jealous; the Supposed Accomplice; the Cause or the Author of the Mistake)
    A.
    
    
    1. The Mistake Originates in the Suspicious Mind of the Jealous One
       
    2. Mistaken Jealousy Aroused by Fatal Chance
       
    3. Mistaken Jealousy of a Love Which is Purely Platonic
       
    4. Baseless Jealousy Aroused by Malicious Rumors
    B.
    
    
    1. Jealousy Suggested by a Traitor Who is Moved by Hatred, or Self-Interest
    C.
    
    
    1. Reciprocal Jealousy Suggested to Husband and Wife by a Rival
    
    
33. Erroneous Judgment
    (Elements: The Mistaken One; the Victim of the Mistake; the Cause or Author of the Mistake; the Guilty Person)
    A.
    
    
    1. False Suspicion Where Faith is Necessary
       
    2. False Suspicion of a Mistress
       
    3. False Suspicion Aroused by a Misunderstood Attitude of a Loved One
    B.
    
    
    1. False Suspicions Drawn Upon Oneself to Save a Friend
       
    2. They Fall Upon the Innocent
       
    3. The Same Case as 2, but in Which the Innocent had a Guilty Intention, or Believes Himself Guilty
       
    4. A Witness to the Crime, in the Interest of a Loved One, Lets Accusation Fall Upon the Innocent
    C.
    
    
    1. The Accusation is Allowed to Fall Upon an Enemy
       
    2. The Error is Provoked by an Enemy
    D.
    
    
    1. False Suspicion Thrown by the Real Culprit Upon One of His Enemies
       
    2. Thrown by the Real Culprit Upon the Second Victim Against Whom He Has Plotted From the Beginning
    
    
34. Remorse
    (Elements: the Culprit; the Victim or the Sin; the Interrogator)
    A.
    
    
    1. Remorse for an Unknown Crime
       
    2. Remorse for a Parricide
       
    3. Remorse for an Assassination
    B.
    
    
    1. Remorse for a Fault of Love
       
    2. Remorse for an Adultery
    
    
35. Recovery Of a Lost One
    (The Seeker; the One Found)
    A.
    
    
    1. A Child Stolen
    B.
    
    
    1. Unjust Imprisonment
    C.
    
    
    1. A Child Searches to Discover His Father
    
    
36. Loss Of Loved Ones
    (A Kinsman Slain; a Kinsman Spectator; an Executioner)
    A.
    
    
    1. Witnessing the Slaying of Kinsmen While Powerless to Prevent It
       
    2. Helping to Bring Misfortune Upon One's People Through Professional Secrecy
    B.
    
    
    1. Divining the Death of a Loved One
    C.
    
    
    1. Learning of the Death of a Kinsman or Ally, and Lapsing into Despair

Compiled from:
The "Basic" Plots in Literature
TSA Writing Tips - Twenty Basic Plots
The Thirty-six Dramatic Situations

Deck the halls with boughs of garlic

Write a sentence about vampires for each of the following words. Feel free to change the tenses or word forms. To make it even more challenging, give the sense that it's cold or even Christmas.

• android
  
• bristly
  
• castle
  
• diddle
  
• empire
  
• ferret
  
• grovel
  
• hollow
  
• immortal
  
• jaded
  
• knock
  
• low tech
  
• master
  
• notorious
  
• owl
  
• patience
  
• quirky
  
• rakish
  
• secret garden
  
• torment
  
• ugly
  
• violinist
  
• whimper
  
• explorer
  
• yanked
  
• zest

A winter's tale

Come up with titles for the following genre's using the words winter or Christmas. (Or let the season otherwise inspire you :-)

• Adventure/Action
  
• Animal
  
• Autobiography
  
• Biography
  
• Children’s
  
• Detective fiction
  
• Fantasy
  
• General
  
• Historical
  
• Horror
  
• Humor
  
• Mystery
  
• Non-fiction
  
• Poetry
  
• Reference
  
• Romance
  
• Science fiction
  
• Suspense
  
• Western

"Who needs a clean house ..."

Here there be dragons

A wealth of pages on creating dragons.

---

Dragon and Dragon Name Generators

Seventh Sanctum's Dragon generators
There are a wealth of generators at Seventh Sanctum for fantasy, science fiction and gaming.

Dragon Breed Generator - Creates names for Dragon breeds, both in a semi-real world style, or in a general fantasy style.

Examples:

• Hungarian Greattoothed Highflyer
  
• Daywind Terror
  
• Majestic Giantwing
  
• Mottled Greattoothed Trampler
  
• Sapphire Daymaw

Dragon Character Generator - Creates very detailed dragons for use as characters in stories or games.

Example: Woodstopper - She is a young dragon. She has silver scales and ridges on her back. Her breath is a cloud of gas that puts most beings to sleep. She is very cunning. She lives in a deep and mysterious forest. Her hoard is small.

Dragon Description Generator - Creates highly detailed dragon descriptions for writing, games, and art.

Example: "This dragon has a thick, short body with a thick tail and neck. Its scales are green. On the end of its tail is a bladelike extension. This dragon has short, thick limbs with three splayed digits on each foot that end in very short claws. It has small, wide-set wings running from its shoulders to its lower back. This dragon has a small mouth and has a pronounced underbite. It has giant slitted nostrils. This dragon has slitted eyes that are red. It has small holes for ears. A bony plate projects from the back of its skull, protecting its upper neck Flaps of skin allow it to completely close its nostrils."

The Dragon Stone name generator
Get 5 dragon names at a time in various styles.

Human language:

• Astra Goldenlair
  
• Ebonyguardian Quick-Night
  
• Draco Timewyrm
  
• Sapphirecloud
  
• Astralfly

Mix of dragon and human:

• Fyre Worhamumin
  
• Glala Draig
  
• Ignatius Isnou
  
• Binachul Lightning-Night
  
• Detu Silence

Anne McCaffrey Pern style:

• Hyoth
  
• Papith
  
• Imath
  
• Xebrasoth
  
• Drhoth

(There's also a Pern style name generator at Dragon Name Generator that can display up to 50 names at a time.)

Terry Pratchett Swamp style:

• Goodcherry Lightning V of Brindisi
  
• Gaynose Elspeth of Ankh
  
• Petallight Marquis Prosper the Seventh
  
• Sundawn Tallulah
  
• Baronet Marchlight Gayreeds of Genua

Dragon Name Generator
Type in your name and turn it into a dragon name. Mine is: Jarkore the Great Dragon (Green Dragon)

(There are quite a few quirky name generators at Rum and Monkey like "The fluffy kitten name generator" and "Reveal your ridden [sic] Harry-Pottery Patronus" and "The Damned Hippie Name Generator". (Note some of them are beyond PG-13.)

---

Dragon Name Resource
A thorough discussion of techniques for naming dragons. Some examples: Naming after yourself (scramble the letters of your name), important dates and places, after a friend, a book character, strange words, personality traits, another language.

---

Dragon Names

The Dragon's Chart from The Serene Dragon
An extensive list of names of dragons and story titles and characters in dragon stories.

Dragon Names
List of famous dragon names, plus dragons in literature, TV, film, video games, etc. Also a selective list of links to more dragon names.

Dragonorama's Famous Dragons, Serpents and Wyrms
Some that aren't listed at the above site. (Links to the rest of the alphabet are at the bottom of the page.)

Dragon Names
Names that mean dragon, serpent, snake, famous dragons. (There are also names by nationality and if you pull down the pull down menu there are dozens and dozens of special category names, eg, ghost, element, fire, color .. there are two pages of them.

The Real Dragon Magic Names
An article on dragon-magic names rather than dragon magic-names but some very cool sounding words that could be used for dragon names (or, of course, dragon magic!) As well as a draconic dictionary for making up your own. Here's a sampling:

• Abumagi (Scales of Energy)
  
• Arctaos Ro (Everlasting Charm)
  
• Chaun Duil (Expel from Lair)
  
• Denthanus Ro (Everlasting Terror)
  
• Fal Indelstan (Unstoppable Energy)
  
• Gul Kaden (Freezing Cloud)
  
• Ingis Facorol (Deadly Spray)
  
• Madeec Tomosha (Blind the Mind)
  
• Sart Aurthon (Small Enough)
  
• Zaunduil (Shifting Sanctum)

CAT TOWN THEATER

HELLO, I'M ANGEL, HERE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO CAT TOWN. CAT TOWN IS A TOWN WHERE EVERYBODY IS A CAT AND THERE ARE MANY HILARIOUS ADVENTURES.


I'M EL GUAPO, THE HERO OF MANY CAT TOWN TALES. AND YOU, TOO, CAN ADD TO THE MERRIMENT BY WRITING YOUR OWN EPISODE (PREFERABLY IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY WE TALK IN CAT TOWN.)


MAYOR SAILOR SUIT CAT. YOU MUST CHECK OUT THE RESIDENTS OF CAT TOWN SO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT.


I'M LITTLE REDHAIRED CAT WHO IS IN LOVE WITH EL GUAPO. I'M QUITE CERTAIN EPISODE 1 WILL GET YOU INSPIRED. AND SEVERAL EPISODES WILL GET YOU EVEN MORE INSPIRED. SOON YOU WILL WRITE AND TALK LIKE WE DO IN CAT TOWN!

---

Note: If Cat Town Theater disappears, try the Cat Town mirror site.

Fill in the blanks

This will take about 2 minutes to load if you have dial up so click here to get it started loading in a new window.

This is the 11 page comic I did for the Imagination Tribe story book project. I've removed all the spoken words. You can fill in the word bubbles with your own words.

Sorry, the comic pages were stored at Blogsome where the blog was originally hosted for the first 4 (?) years. Apparently Blogsome shutdown in 2011 -- which I hadn't even realized until this post popped up on the "Poplular posts" list. Unfortunately, I can't find the original pages to re-upload here :-(

"Shoot for the moon"

Word jar

Cut words from the headlines in magazines and newspapers. Put them in a jar large enough to hold hundreds of them. When you're stuck trying to think of a story idea or where to go next in a story, randomly pull out three slips. Use those three words in the next sentence you write.

Flight writing prompts

These are from my last year's NaNoWriMo to use as writing prompts:

"I will rip his eyeballs out and impale them on a spit and roast them until they burst. I will rip his nose off and season it with fire pepper and feed it to Tagira. I will rip his lips off and ...," dark haired Ristiki chanted into the warm summer wind rushing into her as the massive orange tiger beneath her bounded over ragged rocks and scrubby scrouse bushes.

---

Rane whirled his two swords in black and white deadly circles. As he had designed the blades and the technique to do, the swords sliced through the demon horde attacking him. Pieces of lesser demons littered the ground, and black demon blood rained down on the green grass. It hissed and ate away at every living thing it touched.

---

The snake was as thick around as the man standing before it. If it were stretched to its full length rather than curled about itself, it would be as long as the room. It raised its head up to peer down with brown golden flecked eyes at the man. When the snake could see the fear in the man's eyes it was satisfied and its shimmery gold and brown and black form writhed and contracted. Soon, out of the amorphous mass a woman took shape, unselfconsciously naked. Perfectly formed, her hair was streaks of gold, brown and black, her skin was golden with the slightest hint of brown and black patterning, and her eyes were brown with gold flecks.

---

Hengorth rolled the stem of the crystal glass of wine between his long elegant fingers while the woman watched, a sensuous smile on her face. The horny nails should have marred his fingers' elegance but on him they seemed right. His black clothing draped perfectly over his tall, lean frame and the color complemented his gold toned skin. His smooth, thick black hair was gathered back and clipped at the nape of his neck with a gold clasp. There was something unnaturally elegant about him. But then, of course, he wasn't a man so perhaps that he looked human at all was more remarkable.

---

"Vir Drenn," said a feminine voice just behind him as the noise of the crowd died down. "I never thought I would see you here."

---

With a slow anguished unfolding, she transformed into a violet, teal and magenta bird, with clawed wings and talons half as long as Rane was tall. She was fast and in his dazed state, sliced Rane across the chest to taunt him into transforming.

---

Gor strode slowly and deliberately across the room to Rane. His hand shot out, his fingers closing around his son's throat, lowering Rane to his knees. "Where are the humans, Rane?" Gor asked in a quiet, reasonable voice.

Basilisk

I was looking for a list of episode titles from Basilisk (a Japanese animated show), which, being relatively new, I could only find Japanese titles for. Google "translated" them for me and came up with the following which make for some mind stretching writing prompts. Use one to begin a scene or try to work in as many as you can.

• Phase thought offset (the person who is loved the dying obtaining)
  
• Fetal movement two place
  
• Misfortune cruel
  
• enclosure night traveling
  
• Ninja six ceremony
  
• Descending/disembarking tear love
  
• Human skin hell
  
• Blood smoke cruelty
  
• stopping long rain
  
• Stone gravel non announcement
  
• Recollection film slide
  
• Kocho boisterous dance
  
• Scattering flower strait
  
• Wave jail gate
  
• Bosom pale picture
  
• runoff
  
• Non discernment dawn
  
• shooting heat waves
  
• Fantasy bubble shadow
  
• Afterlife encounter
  
• God ancestor/founder
  
• Benevolence flow
  
• Super woman
  
• Ogre

Nacreous

You see this shooting across the sky at twilight. (Click to open a larger view in a new window.)

Some questions to think about if you need a jump start:

What is it?
What has caused it?
What will happen?

Or who is it?
Where are they going and why?
Are they chasing something or being chased?
Are they off to the rescue or off to some big event?

(The original is at Nacreous Clouds - Southern Norway, along with other cool nacreous cloud pictures.)

"There is no agony ..."

Latté break

Well, I wanted to do some clever wrap up to NaNoWriMo, but I feel the pressure of all the things I put off during the month ;-) So here's some more tips on getting unstuck:

Experiment -- Try to write in different places, at different times, and with different writing instruments.

Freewrite -- Choose one sentence in a paragraph and write a paragraph about it. Then choose one sentence from that paragraph and do it again.

Cluster -- Choose key words and ideas; then write associated ideas and words in clusters around them. This process often forms new ideas.

Be flexible -- Be willing to throw out sections of text that are causing problems or just don't work.

Follow a routine -- Follow a routine to get into the writing mood. Try activities like wearing comfortable clothing, using a certain pen, or listening to a particular CD or type of music.

Move -- Physically move around, stretch, or walk.

Take a break -- Get a snack or drink, talk to someone, or just relax for five minutes before starting to write again.

Concentrate -- Focus on a different section or aspect of your paper. This sometimes leads to new insights in problem areas, while allowing you to get work done on another section.

Re-read -- Read a print draft of the paper and jot down ideas while reading.

Relax! -- The more you worry, the harder it gets to think clearly.

These are from Overcoming Writer's Block.

Doctor who?

As NaNoWriMo winds down today (or furiously races to the midnight finish) ... this is an idea suggested on the NaNoWriMo boards and gives me a chance to share my new favorite Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). (Is it sacrilege to put him above Tom Baker??) Incorporate as many of these quotes from the 9th Doctor as you can into a writing piece.

• Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears.
  
• If you're an alien, then how comes you sound like you're from the North?
  
• So what you're saying is, the whole world revolves around you?
  
• The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn.
  
• We don't want your pity! We want this world and all its flesh!
  
• Excuse me, do you mind not farting while I'm saving the world?
  
• Mickey the idiot, the world is in your hands--
  
• He's dead. Sip Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen is dead.
  
• Exterminate.
  
• Look at me, I'm stupid.
  
• Don't touch the baby!
  
• And I'm looking for a blonde in a Union Jack. A specific one, mind you, I didn't just wake up this morning with a craving.
  
• Like I said, once. There's a banana grove there now. I like bananas. Bananas are good.
  
• I'm... trying to resonate concrete.
  
• Close the door will you? Your ship's about to blow up; there's gonna be a draft.
  
• She's got a teleport! That's cheating! Now we'll never get her!
  
• I think you're forgetting something: If there's one thing I can do it's talk. I've got 5 billion languages and you haven't got one way of stopping me.
  
• I thought that was just a legend.

Make a wish

This was posted by "Lucena Taven" in this year's NaNoWriMo Adopt-a-Plot folder.

#16: The main character (I always envisioned a man approaching middle age) is a hardened cynic, and tends to view the world with an angry, pessimistic light. One day, he's taking a walk in the park when he sees a little boy throwing pennies into the fountain, trying to get the "lady" in the fountain to catch one of the pennies in her hand, telling the man that if she catches one his wish will come true. The man, wishing to play along with the boy, throws one in, but doesn't make a wish. So, in lieu of granting his wish, the spirit of the fountain (who comes in the form of the lady statue) blesses/curses him by allowing him to see magic. Imagine waking up in the morning and seeing everything: household spirits, imaginary friends, vampires, angels...

"Normal people can produce extraordinary things ..."

Food, glorious food

One great technique for upping the all important word count for NaNoWriMo is writing about food.

In NaNo, there are no lattés. But there are no whip, one pump, double shot, 120 degree, pumpkin spice venti lattés with organic soy milk. (16 words!)

In NaNo, there isn't even roast goat, but there is organic Canadian maple roasted goat's meat topped with cloves, festive green maraschino cherries, and organic Canadian pineapple rings all drenched in a delightful cane sugar and organic Canadian clover honey sauce. (31 words!)

(Remember, anything can be organic and everything can be from Canada. And dash mark's come later in revising. honey-roasted=1 word. honey roasted=2 words.)

So, write about a feast or just a piece of (nine grain organic spelt sourdough) toast but be as florid as you can possibly be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Heaven for sale

This was posted by "Lucena Taven" in this year's NaNoWriMo Adopt a Plot folder. If the exact description doesn't excite you, let it be a spark to fire up any idea for a story :-)

#16: Heaven and Hell are two large companies, but in recent years Heaven has declined and Hell has risen in power faster than Google. In order to keep the company from going out of business, the CEOs of Heaven sell it to Hell and retire to Greener Pastures. To keep their jobs, the angels of Heaven submit to their new masters; those who resist are "cast down to earth" in a manner ironically like the fall of Satan.

One of the main characters goes outside to see a meteor shower, and one of them falls into the sea nearby (I'm thinking this is a small coastal city, boardwalk, beach, etc.). So he/she goes out to see what happened, and they find a soggy and irate angel.

"The biggest thing separating people from their artistic ambitions ..."

Limyaael's Rants

This is  a huge collection of rants (and essays) on fantasy writing, or, as one person put it, "long posts full of tips on how to not suck at fantasy writing."

Her full collection is at Limyaael's LiveJournal "Arin i Asolde" where there's a brief intro and a link to each post.

A more compact list of her older rants (pre-2006) by date is a Limyaael's Rants: Master List.

(Note: there is occasional language beyond PG-13.)

A sampling:

• Dragons
  
• Writing Non-Humans
  
• Death and Weapons
  
• Building Fantasy Worlds
  
• Creating Breathing Characters
  
• Female Protagonists Who Do Not Suck
  
• Clichéd Fantasy

Here’s the headings for her piece on Names.

1. Don’t base the name too closely on your own.
   
2. Don’t make the name too long or too alien.
   
3. Avoid unfortunate coincidences as much as possible. [That is, check to see if the name means something unintended in another language.]
   
4. Make sure your character names fit the tone of the story.
   
5. Don’t make nicknames cutesy.
   
6. Adapt the name to the other names around it.

Double dip

For 10-15 minutes make up ice cream flavors (and add descriptions if it's not obvious from the name.)

Get inspired by movie and song and book titles, cliches, other food, your favorite snacks and fruits, Star Trek, pop stars and pop rocks and pop culture, rhymes and bad puns.

If you come up with any you love, submit them to Ben and Jerry's Suggest a Flavor.

It was a dark and stormy night ...

In honor of the month where the goal is word count rather than greatness, write a really bad opening sentence for one or more of the following categories:

• General fiction
  
• Adventure
  
• Children's literature
  
• Detective fiction
  
• Fantasy fiction
  
• Historical fiction
  
• Purple prose
  
• Romance
  
• Science fiction
  
• Vile puns
  
• Western

and if you wish:

• Salute to Breasts

I didn't make that up! The categories are from the famous Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, named after Edward George Bulwer-Lytton who penned the infamous line that Snoopy was so fond of:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

--Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)

The challenge of the contest is to come up with the worst opening line. There are examples from the 2006 winners and all the Grand prize winners back to 1983. If you'd like to submit your entry (they take submissions all year long for the final decision in April or June), check out the rules and guidelines for submission.

"The quickest, easiest way to produce something beautiful ..."

Character trading cards

This is flawed but cool. Create Trading cards of your characters.

Answer a series of questions and at the end you can print out both sides on one page. You cut it out and fold the two sides together.

The problem is the print out is about half a page rather than 3.5 x 2.5 card size. (At least on my printer.)

There is a work around if your printer allows you to "print" to a file and you have some image manipulation software like Photoshop or Fireworks. After you click print on the card screen, click OK on the next screen and that might take you to the regular command page for your printer. There might be an option to save as a PDF Postscript file. (You won't be able to edit a regular PDF file.) If so, then you can import it, shrink it (make it 3.5 x 5 since it's both sides of the card), add a picture and print :-)

(There are several more games and activities at Read Write Think, some a bit schooly.)

Spamalicious

Usually the text spammers send to fool the spam catchers sounds like it *almost* makes sense. But this month's spam promoting a particular stock included sort of Mad-Lib or Jabberwocky like paragraphs where all the tenses matched. I think there were several sentence templates and a confined set of words (since how often does one encounter the word mitochondrial?) But however it was done, it was well done :-)

If you want to see them in context, the text is at Best of Spam for October 2006.

Here's (way too many ;-) spam characters and situations to use as a writing prompt. There are several that work together (like some turkeys to gear up for Thanksgiving ;-) and some girl scouts.)

• a stoic turkey reads a magazine
  
• A turkey daydreams
  
• Most people believe that a turkey completely secretly admires a stoic blood clot
  
• a mean-spirited jersey cow eagerly trades baseball cards with the briar patch
  
• a blithe spirit panics
  
• The mysterious skyscraper writes a love letter to another turn signal.
  
• a carelessly mitochondrial wedding dress
  
• a somewhat mitochondrial fairy flies into a rage
  
• a somewhat cantankerous fruit cake
  
• When you see the chess board, it means that the insurance agent self-flagellates.
  
• If a non-chalantly incinerated insurance agent plays pinochle with an often fat tornado, then a scythe inside a dolphin gets stinking drunk.
  
• it takes a real pit viper to ridiculously bestow great honor upon a mastodon
  
• A girl scout buys an expensive gift for an earring.
  
• Another girl scout related to a photon starts reminiscing about lost glory
  
• When a green girl scout starts reminiscing about lost glory, the parking lot beyond another ball bearing starts reminiscing about lost glory.
  
• A spider over the cashier organizes the girl scout.
  
• the flatulent avocado pit lazily recognizes a vaporized cowboy
  
• an inexorably surly skyscraper gets stinking drunk
  
• a cosmopolitan grain of sand prays
  
• the parking lot hesitantly tries to seduce another tornado living with the ocean
  
• A rattlesnake defined by a freight train recognizes the cab driver inside the avocado pit.
  
• A fractured briar patch beams with joy
  
• Some pickup truck inside the grand piano procrastinates
  
• Most people believe that the gentle umbrella often satiates a football team of another ocean
  
• If the cheese wheel sanitizes a spider, then an umbrella daydreams.
  
• The highly paid hydrogen atom
  
• A sheriff related to the minivan
  
• An usually fashionable crank case

The talismans are swallowing him!

For NaNoWriMo last year I created a couple of my favorite character by beginning a scene with a random line from manga. Pick one of the following to use as a writing prompt:

• "The talismans are swallowing him!"
  
• "I never thought the kid could be this powerful!"
  
• "Sometimes in order to help someone you need to help yourself."
  
• "You've wasted enough time. Kill them and I mean that."
  
• "He certainly is good with small animals."
  
• "It's rude to challenge someone when you're not sure what you believe."
  
• "Calling them a pair of idiots isn't much of a stretch."
  
• "Simply put, I go around beating up bad guys."
  
• "But we're being all stealthy and everything."
  
• "This is what happens when you mess with people who wear one glove!"
  
• "Today is the day men give a single rose to the woman they love."
  
• "I've got to watch out for his eyes. It feels like they can see right through me."
  
• "One slip and the whole village will know everything about you -- and it'll be all wrong!"
  
• "Why'd she text you. She could have just yelled through the window."

"Writing can be more fun ..."

The Fantasy Novelist's Exam

Every fantasy cliche that you include at your own peril. ;-)

(Comments? Direct them to the author at Rinkworks.)

The Fantasy Novelist's Exam

By David J. Parker
Additional Material By Samuel Stoddard

Ever since J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis created the worlds of Middle Earth and Narnia, it seems like every windbag off the street thinks he can write great, original fantasy, too. The problem is that most of this "great, original fantasy" is actually poor, derivative fantasy. Frankly, we're sick of it, so we've compiled a list of rip-off tip-offs in the form of an exam. We think anybody considering writing a fantasy novel should be required to take this exam first. Answering "yes" to any one question results in failure and means that the prospective novel should be abandoned at once.

The Exam

1. Does nothing happen in the first fifty pages?
   
2. Is your main character a young farmhand with mysterious parentage?
   
3. Is your main character the heir to the throne but doesn't know it?
   
4. Is your story about a young character who comes of age, gains great power, and defeats the supreme badguy?
   
5. Is your story about a quest for a magical artifact that will save the world?
   
6. How about one that will destroy it?
   
7. Does your story revolve around an ancient prophecy about "The One" who will save the world and everybody and all the forces of good?
   
8. Does your novel contain a character whose sole purpose is to show up at random plot points and dispense information?
   
9. Does your novel contain a character that is really a god in disguise?
   
10. Is the evil supreme badguy secretly the father of your main character?
    
11. Is the king of your world a kindly king duped by an evil magician?
    
12. Does "a forgetful wizard" describe any of the characters in your novel?
    
13. How about "a powerful but slow and kind-hearted warrior"?
    
14. How about "a wise, mystical sage who refuses to give away plot details for his own personal, mysterious reasons"?
    
15. Do the female characters in your novel spend a lot of time worrying about how they look, especially when the male main character is around?
    
16. Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?
    
17. Do any of your female characters exist solely to embody feminist ideals?
    
18. Would "a clumsy cooking wench more comfortable with a frying pan than a sword" aptly describe any of your female characters?
    
19. Would "a fearless warrioress more comfortable with a sword than a frying pan" aptly describe any of your female characters?
    
20. Is any character in your novel best described as "a dour dwarf"?
    
21. How about "a half-elf torn between his human and elven heritage"?
    
22. Did you make the elves and the dwarves great friends, just to be different?
    
23. Does everybody under four feet tall exist solely for comic relief?
    
24. Do you think that the only two uses for ships are fishing and piracy?
    
25. Do you not know when the hay baler was invented?
    
26. Did you draw a map for your novel which includes places named things like "The Blasted Lands" or "The Forest of Fear" or "The Desert of Desolation" or absolutely anything "of Doom"?
    
27. Does your novel contain a prologue that is impossible to understand until you've read the entire book, if even then?
    
28. Is this the first book in a planned trilogy?
    
29. How about a quintet or a decalogue?
    
30. Is your novel thicker than a New York City phone book?
    
31. Did absolutely nothing happen in the previous book you wrote, yet you figure you're still many sequels away from finishing your "story"?
    
32. Are you writing prequels to your as-yet-unfinished series of books?
    
33. Is your name Robert Jordan and you lied like a dog to get this far?
    
34. Is your novel based on the adventures of your role-playing group?
    
35. Does your novel contain characters transported from the real world to a fantasy realm?
    
36. Do any of your main characters have apostrophes or dashes in their names?
    
37. Do any of your main characters have names longer than three syllables?
    
38. Do you see nothing wrong with having two characters from the same small isolated village being named "Tim Umber" and "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok"?
    
39. Does your novel contain orcs, elves, dwarves, or halflings?
    
40. How about "orken" or "dwerrows"?
    
41. Do you have a race prefixed by "half-"?
    
42. At any point in your novel, do the main characters take a shortcut through ancient dwarven mines?
    
43. Do you write your battle scenes by playing them out in your favorite RPG?
    
44. Have you done up game statistics for all of your main characters in your favorite RPG?
    
45. Are you writing a work-for-hire for Wizards of the Coast?
    
46. Do inns in your book exist solely so your main characters can have brawls?
    
47. Do you think you know how feudalism worked but really don't?
    
48. Do your characters spend an inordinate amount of time journeying from place to place?
    
49. Could one of your main characters tell the other characters something that would really help them in their quest but refuses to do so just so it won't break the plot?
    
50. Do any of the magic users in your novel cast spells easily identifiable as "fireball" or "lightning bolt"?
    
51. Do you ever use the term "mana" in your novel?
    
52. Do you ever use the term "plate mail" in your novel?
    
53. Heaven help you, do you ever use the term "hit points" in your novel?
    
54. Do you not realize how much gold actually weighs?
    
55. Do you think horses can gallop all day long without rest?
    
56. Does anybody in your novel fight for two hours straight in full plate armor, then ride a horse for four hours, then delicately make love to a willing barmaid all in the same day?
    
57. Does your main character have a magic axe, hammer, spear, or other weapon that returns to him when he throws it?
    
58. Does anybody in your novel ever stab anybody with a scimitar?
    
59. Does anybody in your novel stab anybody straight through plate armor?
    
60. Do you think swords weigh ten pounds or more? [info]
    
61. Does your hero fall in love with an unattainable woman, whom he later attains?
    
62. Does a large portion of the humor in your novel consist of puns?
    
63. Is your hero able to withstand multiple blows from the fantasy equivalent of a ten pound sledge but is still threatened by a small woman with a dagger?
    
64. Do you really think it frequently takes more than one arrow in the chest to kill a man?
    
65. Do you not realize it takes hours to make a good stew, making it a poor choice for an "on the road" meal?
    
66. Do you have nomadic barbarians living on the tundra and consuming barrels and barrels of mead?
    
67. Do you think that "mead" is just a fancy name for "beer"?
    
68. Does your story involve a number of different races, each of which has exactly one country, one ruler, and one religion?
    
69. Is the best organized and most numerous group of people in your world the thieves' guild?
    
70. Does your main villain punish insignificant mistakes with death?
    
71. Is your story about a crack team of warriors that take along a bard who is useless in a fight, though he plays a mean lute?
    
72. Is "common" the official language of your world?
    
73. Is the countryside in your novel littered with tombs and gravesites filled with ancient magical loot that nobody thought to steal centuries before?
    
74. Is your book basically a rip-off of The Lord of the Rings?
    
75. Read that question again and answer truthfully.

Comments about the list? Go here and you can write to the author :-) -- who is not me.

Abandon beat chocolate

I used this list of words to drive the second scene in my NaNo novel this month. (I'm up to "incense" so far. I'll post what I come up with at the end of the day.) (Yes, there are 2 s's and no x.) Though not important, it's weird that I don't know where the list came from. It was tacked onto the bottom of a bunch of characters Kat and I came up with back in September. The mind is failing!

Use them in a story or write individual sentences for each.

abandon
beat
chocolate
demonic
examine
fix
garnet
habit
incense
jealousy
knife
liar
mew
necklace
ooze
pearl
quit
ransom
scavenger
smuggle
teacher
uneven
vicious/viscous (Pick one. I had written down viscious which is an amalgamation of the two ;-)
whitewash
year
zeal

Top Ten Tabloid Headlines for November 2006

From The City Newsstand's (a newsstand/bookstore in Chicago) monthly MAGBAG -- Top 10 Tabloid Headlines. (Mostly from Weekly World News (WWN) and the SUN.)

1. KIM JONG IL NUKES HIS OWN PALACE! — SUN
   
2. DOCTORS SUCCESSFULLY REMOVE BANJO FROM ALABAMA MAN'S KNEE! — WWN
   
3. Taco vendor turns tiny visitors' abandoned spacecraft into an . . . ALIEN SOMBRERO! — WWN
   
4. OMAHA BIN LADEN Osama's brother rides the range as a cowboy — WWN
   
5. Giant Mexican monster skull proves... OGOPOGO IS ALIVE! — SUN
   
6. Dust bunnies breed like rabbits — WWN
   
7. MULTIPLE PERSONALITY MAN CHARGED TRIPLE ROOM RATE! — WWN
   
8. Beer beats prostate cancer — SUN
   
9. WOMAN DELIVERS OWN BABY WHILE SKYDIVING! — WWN
   
10. ALIEN MUMMY GOES ON RAMPAGE! Trick-or-treaters terrorized by undead E.T. — WWN

What did you say?

Little late this week as I'm battling a cold and trying to finish projects before NaNoWriMo starts .... today!

Come up with the basis of a scene where the following will make perfect sense. Try to come up with several scenes for each and then use your favorite as a writing prompt.

"Why are those flowers acting like turnips."

"I *thought* it was a *potato*."

"Is that a robot head?"

"Why does the sky turn into a potato chip sometimes?"

"I found my friends in my head ..."

"I found God in a paint bucket."

"The key to NaNoWriMo success is ..."

The root of all evil is eall yfel

Here are 3 online games based on word origins:

Etymologic
"The toughest word game on the web"
Guess the language and root word for a set of 10 words. (It took me a bit to notice the answer and scores displayed at the top of the page after you click submit.)

Daily BuzzWord
Click on Daily Buzzword. For more words click Archive.
You're given the definition and how it's used and then have to answer a question that might be about the origin, or a synonym or ...

FakeOut!
Guess the real definition from a list. There aren't many words (click on More Words to access the archive) and you have to click on Fake Out link at the bottom of the page to move to the next word, but the words are challenging. (I'm not sure what inspired the grade ranges on the words. I think most adults would find them challenging.)

Captain Underpants

Find your Professor Poopypants name at Professor Poopypants' Name Change-o-Rama 2000

Choose names for a hero, a sidekick, a villain, a villain's underling and perhaps another who prompts the story (is he or she good pretending to be bad, bad pretending to be good, one who wants to defeat the bad guy to take over the world for himself or herself?) Write an adventure for them.

Here's a sample of Professor Poopypants names:

Poopsie Barfbrain
Falafel Chucklebuns
Buttercup Diaperjuice
Fluffy Toiletsniffer
Stinky Gigglesquirt
Lumpy Bubblekisser

Seasoned manatee

Use each set of 4 words in a sentence.

• seasoned
  manatee
  expose
  doom
  
• seek
  self-mocking
  tittle
  artist
  
• tradition
  bless
  intended fear
  blind drive ahead
  
• wildflower wind
  gossamer
  quarrel
  arcana
  
• liar
  gluttony
  interstellar
  cannibal
  
• juniper
  gorgeous
  magnify
  canopy

"The average pencil is seven inches long"

National Novel Writing Month is almost here!

Next month is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! It's a challenge started by Chris Baty to produce a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days, starting November 1 and ending midnight November 30.

Yes, it's insane and yes, it's a lot of fun :-)

My daughter, Kat (15), and I have done it for the past 2 years.

The great part about NaNoWriMo is that when the goal is to produce words rather than "good writing" then amazingly creative things flow out. Well, a lot of junk too! But when you turn off your inner editor, that little voice that says "No, that's no good, that won't work," you free yourself up to be more creative.

You can plan -- think up a basic story outline -- but no writing until Nov 1. (That's in 2 Wednesdays.)

I've done it with no plan 2 years in a row and it's worked out great. Even had a few hours to spare. ;-) Considering that the novel I've been picking at for the last 20 years hasn't gotten beyond (it's embarrassing to say ;-) 100,000 words of notes, actually finishing something and seeing the ideas flow without being planned was enlightening to say the least :-)

(When you're done you upload your work to the Nanowrimo word counter and it automatically counts your words. It's very generous about what it considers a word. No one reads it. It's just shear number of words.)

The first year we did it we set our goal at 1700 words per day (which would be 51,000) but some days the writing doesn't flow as well and some days get very busy (there's Thanksgiving and preparation in there!) so last year we set our daily goal as 2000 which gave us some generous padding.

Someone asked me last year how much time it takes and I was hesitant to say because for us it's a lot. But I read Chris Baty's book, No Plot, No Problem, and he said it takes 1.5 to 2 hours a day on average. Most people doing it also have jobs or go to school so that's all the time they can give it. So the answer to how much time will it take is that it will take us much time as you give it, basically! If you give it all day, it takes all day. If you only have 2 hours, it takes 2 hours.