Planning a Plot

It's a new year and I have big plans for it. For one thing, I want to finish the rough draft of FRIENDLY FIRE. I'm about 85% done, but I know there are many holes and discontinuities in the story. So, how to writers figure out what goes where?

Some writers outline an entire book before they begin writing. Others start writing at the beginning and go to the end. I can't do either of those. I did try to create a story board for the first Cherry Hill book early in the process, but quickly put it aside when the characters' development began to take the story in unforeseen paths. ; )

Now I've got nearly an entire story that needs to be trimmed and fluffed into shape. There are two books on my shelves that have come highly recommended when working on plots.

• THE WRITER'S JOURNEY by Christopher Vogler
• PLOT AND STRUCTURE by James Scott Bell

The subtitle of Vogler's book--Mythic Structure for Writers--is a window into plots based on Campbell's The Hero's Journey. Its multi-layered pattern is very good for fantasy and science fiction stories.

Bell's subtitle--Techniques and Exercises For Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish--is also a clear indication of the plan Bell sets out. Based on the classic three-act story pattern, Bell shows various ways to plot a book to keep a reader in the story.

After working with both books, I think I can say, Bell's is a better fit for my stories, but I'll certainly keep Vogler's ideas in mind if I ever finish my science fiction novel that I've worked on for over twenty-five years.

What about you? Do you have a preferred reference on plot and structure?
Have you read either of these two books?
If you've read both, which do you prefer?

Quotations to Kick Start the New Year

Happy New Year!
Do you need a kick start? I sure do. Here's some thoughts from various writers for inspiration.

Which is your favorite?
Have you heard any of them before?

The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof crap detector.
--Ernest Hemingway

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.
--Stephen King

I believe more in the scissors than in the pencil.
--Truman Capote

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
--Scott Adams

The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
--Stephen King

If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought.
--Dennis Roth

I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.
--Peter De Vries

I try to leave out the parts that people skip.
--Elmore Leonard

The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.
--Robert Cromier

Happy Writing in 2013! ; )

Merry Christmas!

Cherry Tree in Snow
copyright Zan Marie Steadham 2010

Christmas Promise

Lit by a star's glory,

The promise of Christmas

Starts with a baby's cry.

Its light is a beginning

And with Easter's dawn,

The promise is complete.

 

from A Christmas Walk

Zan Marie Steadham copyright 2010

Merry Christmas! I pray your holidays are bright, peaceful, and joyous. See you next week.

A Fifth Cherry Hill Story?

Truly, I had no clue that my subconscious brain was working on another Cherry Hill story, but this last week during my mother's pacemaker surgery and recovery (she's doing very well), another story popped up. In my last post, A Sentence A Day, I shared the sentences I've written for an exercise at the Forum. Hidden in those sentences was the kernel for a whole new story. ; )

I had thought about and worked on four possible Cherry Hill stories before that:

• FRIENDLY FIRE--about Laura Grace Chandler meeting Samantha Smith, an abused foster child
• CONSUMING FIRE--about the prosecution of Samantha's abusers and a growing relationship between Laura Grace and Mack Singer
• LINE OF FIRE--about Laura Grace's new family and the discovery of Mack's unknown son, a young Marine
• HEART FIRE--about Samantha's children and the aging of her mother

Well, now I know there's a prequel to FRIENDLY FIRE. The working title is CAMP FIRE and it's about Laura Grace's first husband, Tom Chandler. The following sentences are the genesis of the story:

• "Well, she’s pretty enough and has the Chandler coloring,” her silver hair didn’t shift as she turned back to me, “but you know she’s not a real Chandler, Laura Grace.”
• The embossed ivory invitation was from the one address I'd hoped never to see again, and the initials on the flap--HCC--made my stomach clench.
• Over the years her eyes had faded to ice blue and now they looked on my child with chilling disapproval.
• Her perfume was the same--a mix of rose and gardenia--but with a subtle addition I could only identify as old lady skin.
• I had never faced her without Tom at my side, but now that my knight was gone, I was on my own, and I was Samantha's only shield.

All of them describe Laura Grace's first mother-in-law, Hazel Cherry Chandler. I'm working on a scene for FRIENDLY FIRE in which Hazel meets Samantha. That's when I realized I had a story brewing about Hazel and her son Tom.

Here's a taste of what I've discovered:

• "While the extravagant charity of the Cherry and Chandler families is well known, Thomas, we do not practice it with our marriage vows."
• "My vows are charity only if you use the Biblical definition of the word—love. But that wasn't what you were referring to, was it, Mother?"
• The warmth of the flame consuming the pine limbs spread up his arms and the tension wiring his shoulders taut eased, a sharp contrast to the cold tone Mother had used to voice her displeasure of him and his plans.
• She was still spare and elegant, and so was the room.

FRIENDLY FIRE is still on the front burner and is 85% complete, but it's gratifying to know I'll never run out of something to say about my favorite family in Cherry Hill. ; )

A Sentence A Day

If you ever wondered how writers keep themselves inspired after the intensive work of NaNoWriMo, here's one way. Carol Krenz, a wonderful writer and all around great person, came up with a humdinger of an exercise for us at the Books and Writers Forum. After we wrote a lot of words for NaNo in November, she took inspiration from this quote form Ernest Hemingway:

"All you have to do is write one true sentence. The truest sentence you know."

And so the December inspiration--A Sentence A Day--was born. Many of the writers who frequent the Forum are posting a sentence a day for the last twenty-nine days of December.

Here are a few of the ones I've posted so far.

Dec. 3--Sharp pain flashed up my neck and wound around my jaw, curling behind my ear.

Dec. 4--I stared at Mack; even his boots were camouflaged and not just with mud.

Dec. 5--Blowing out my arteries would be the best option because snapping at Mack and Samantha—or heaven forbid—Alex would only add to my stress load.

Dec. 6--“Well, she’s pretty enough and has the Chandler coloring,” her silver hair didn’t shift as she turned back to me, “but you know she’s not a real Chandler, Laura Grace.”

Dec. 7--The sandwich shop’s AC chilled my sun-warmed skin; that was only fair for now it matched my heart.

Dec. 8--The embossed ivory invitation was from the one address I'd hoped never to see again, and the intitials on the flap--HCC--made my stomach clench.

Dec. 9--Over the years her eyes had faded to ice blue and now they looked on my child with chilling disapproval.

Dec. 10- Her perfume was the same--a mix of rose and gardenia--but with a subtle addition I could only identify as old lady skin.

Dec. 11- I had never faced her without Tom at my side, but now that my knight was gone, I was on my own, and I was Samantha's only shield.

And one to grow on while my mother has pacemaker surgery on Wednesday. Keep us in your prayers.

Dec. 12- Momma had faded; her skin a thin, old ivory marked by fine dark lines of veins detailed as a roadmap, and if only I'd known what care to insist on, Samantha could meet her Grandmother Grace to counteract meeting her Grandmother Hazel.

How are you keeping your writing going during this hectic holiday season?

Mini-Reviews II, NaNo Round-Up, and Breaking News

This week I wanted to share some mini-reviews, so you can create your Christmas wishlist with some books I know you'll love. ; )

CALL THE MIDWIFE Jennifer Worth
Memoir that the PBS series is based on. The heartbreaking truth about the life in East End London in the 1950's is told with wit, feeling, and care.

HAND ME DOWN Melanie Thorne
Intense story of an abused child. You won't forget this story and if you care for children, it will be a wake-up call. Must Read

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN Kate Morton
The mystery at the heart of Kate Morton's book unfolds into multiple layers. You'll be guessing until the end. Must Read

THE RIVER WITCH Kimberly Brock
Complex story full of wonderful symbolism and beautiful imagery that weaves mysticism and reality with a great story. Must Read.

THE UNDERSIDE OF JOY Sere Prince Halverson
Intense story about mothers and stepmothers. Good read. (Warning: You'll need a box of tissue. ; )
The main character Ella Beane is wonderfully complex and Halverson has a sure hand with back story. The plot rips along.

WHEN SPARROWS FALL Meg Moseley
Christian women's fiction--good story that takes on how faith can become twisted by ego. Good read

NaNo Round-Up
My final NaNo total was 15,013. I'm thrilled, happy, and can't wait to dig into these words for a bit of editing.

Breaking News
If you haven't heard yet, Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting! For those of us who enjoy watching Britain's Royal Family, it's great news.

Chugging Along...

I started today with only 11,338 words in my mini-NaNo quest. Reality says that I won't even make the 30,000 goal we set in out Mini-NaNo thread on the Forum. Add the fact that I've not been writing very much for the last week--only 388 words--and didn't write at all on four days of the last 9 and you can't expect much.

This morning I had a reality check and counted how many I could conceivably write in the last four days. A thousand isn't too big and if I can power through for the days remaining in the week, I can hit what I'm calling a "micro-mini-NaNo" total of 15,000.

Happily I can report that I've already added 1050 to the total today, so I'm on my way.

12,338 and counting.

How are you doing?
Are you going to reach the magic number of 50K or will you join me with a lower, but achievable goal?

Keep Writing...the month isn't over yet! ; )

Occupational Hazards

Do you ever think of something you need to jot down for your writing in bed...in the dark? I do. And I'm proud of my ability to write legible notes on the notepad from the bedside table without turning the light on.

Until the writing isn't legible. ; ) Occasionally there is one that trails off into a series of unreadable squiggles and an ink blotch. Sometimes the blotch isn't just on the notepad. ; )

On a more serious note, there are true occupational hazards to writing.

• Repetitive motion stress injuries in hands and wrists--the dreaded Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
• Chronic pain in neck and shoulders
• Lack of sleep

Of course, family and friends always claim that we "daydream" about our stories instead of participating in real life. (As if our stories aren't real! ; )

How do you combat writing's occupational hazards?
What other occupational hazards can you identify?

NaNo update: 10,984. I'm slowing down, but that's okay. That's still a lot of new words to work with.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all in the US and have a wonderful Thursday to the rest of you. ; )