A Hammer, A Drill and A New Plot

Calvin's bedside lamp broke. The darn thing wouldn't stay turned on. Then in the middle of the night, the crazy thing would decide to pop on and scare the daylights out of us. So he went to Home Depot to buy a new socket, or whatever you call that round thing you screw the light bulb into. He was confident it would be an easy fix.

He went out to the garage shortly after breakfast. It didn't take long for the grumbling to start. Then the pounding of a hammer commenced. I shook my head. I could see a new lamp purchase in our future. There was more racket and the grumbling became rather colorful. Then, for some unknown reason, the electric drill roared to life. So did the cussing! When what sounded like a zillion lamps hit the garage floor, I knew his "easy fix" was done. Well, there was the whirl of the shop vac. He just left to go buy a new lamp--and I shudder to think what it'll look like. My tastes run to the coordinated. His to the cheap.

Still, I could identify with it all. I've had storylines like that. A bright idea popped into my head, got my creative juices flowing and then everything stopped. When I was awake, nothing worked. When I tried to sleep, ideas flitted through my mind only to be forgotten by morning.

Characters I thought were great turned out to behave one way in one instance and a different way in another. You know, bi-polar jerks. And I couldn't see it. My critique partners could point it out, but I was plowing ahead, oblivious to his or her inconsistencies. Then, whammo, it would hit me. This story is nothing but crap.

Or, as one truly good writer recently complained about her current WIP, it's like I've drawn the box, but there's nothing in it.

But there was something in mine...and it stunk...stank...ah...smelled like a complete rewrite.

This is why we need to know our characters before we begin--their pasts, their hurts, the reasons they react to things a certain way. And keep it consistent until we reach their character arc where we can show their point of personal growth and change...and no, it won't happen over night, but it will make them think about things, help them move three steps forward, even if they sometimes make two steps backward. None of us makes a complete, positive change overnight. We do it in steps and stages.

We also need to know how the story will end. What do you envision the ending scene as being? The ways your characters reach that point is your creativity at work. I can envision my ending scene of my current WIP. Now, how I'll reach that point will be the fun part or the agony. Perhaps that's what we should call the writing life--THE AGONY AND THE ECSTACY.

Keep writing, folks. If it's junk, it's junk. Better a screen filled with gibberish, than a blank one. We can hammer a bad story into something readable. Or drill out the bad parts with our Delete Key. I've discovered the Delete Key is my best friend.

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Alone With the People in My Mind by Vonnie Davis

In many ways, writing is a lonely profession. In other ways, our minds are so filled with characters screaming to escape to the written page and our psyches so jumbled with storylines that, at times, we wish we were alone. How many of us have thought at times the characters frolicking in our minds were infinitely more interesting than those who populated our reality?

But it's the way writers' minds work.

The magic is somehow out of all this chaos, an interesting, well thought-out story evolves. Scenes written and rewritten flow in an orderly procession from one to another, building suspense, passion or self-discovery. Our characters--screaming and demanding to be heard--saunter onto the screen, strong and multi-faceted and endearing in their own way.

Imagine.

From a muddy helter-skelter mess, a story of love, hope and courage often grows.

What stories are evolving from the crowded, dusty recesses of your mind?

Nailing Down Your GMC by Vonnie Davis

Writing the final book in The Red Hand Conspiracy Series, my romantic suspense trilogy, has been a battle of wills.
 

Me against myself.

 

My desire to go off in another direction—with new characters and a fresh storyline—against my innate need to finish what I’ve started.

I just have too many characters and plot lines in my head. I want to pop from one sub-genre to another. I'm driving my agent nuts. "Pick one or two sub-genres of romance and stick to them. Build your reputation on them. You cannot write everything."

 

 

My mulish chin juts out. And why not??? One might say I have ADD where writing is concerned. If my current project isn't grabbing me by the throat, then I'm dabbling in other projects. Flitting from one thing to the next. Oh, I'll come back to my WIP occasionally and slowly pound out a chapter, but I'm writing as if I'm mired in muck. Just to show you what I mean, from the time I started book three of this series, I've written and contracted two novellas and a short story. This final book of my trilogy has become akin to our tiny bedroom filled with boxes of junk. I keep the door closed, because I don't know where to start in cleaning it out.

 

Thus, I’ve been struggling with Jazzbeat of Surrender for months and months. Finally it hit me. Where was my GMC? Sure I had carefully crafted characters. The action rang true. There was an equal balance of romance and suspense. But where was the GMC for my heroine and hero?

Although I had a vague idea, I hadn’t nailed it down. I hadn’t made use of my simple GMC sentence. And without a clear GMC, folks, there just isn't a story no matter how "cool" the plot line seems. GMC is critical. So what was my GMC sentence? Here's what I mean...

Your POV character wants (goal) because (motivation), but (conflict) keeps her/him from attaining that goal.

Let’s expand on that with an example or two.

A teenager wants to return to her home (goal) because her beloved aunt is ill (motivation), but she can’t without the approval and help of the wizard (conflict). Thus, we have the GMC for “The Wizard of Oz.” Think about it. Everything that happened on the yellow brick road helped Dorothy reach the wizard to beg for his help.

A young man wants to win the hand of a beautiful teen (goal) because she makes him feel things he’s never felt before (motivation), but their families are bitter enemies (conflict). Did you recognize the GMC of “Romeo and Juliet”?

 

Some anchor GMC for each chapter and perhaps each scene. I’m too much of a pantser for that detailed process. However I do like to keep my heroine and hero’s GMC firmly engraved in my mind. I hadn't with Jazzbeat of Surrender. No wonder I was struggling. No wonder my characters were silent. In effect, I'd abandoned them and went off on my own to write their story. And, as writers, we know that never works, especially for those of us who are character-driven.

 

 

Now I've got their GMC nailed. And Simone and Derrek are getting a chance to tell their story.

How do you nail down your GMC? And I'm not talking about your truck...

JOHANNA GOT KENNY CHESNEY; I GOT THE FLU--or--how an old woman pouts

We've all read about Johanna Melaragno's trip home from the retreat. She talked to a woman at the airport whose husband works with Kenny Chesney; her conversation garnered her an invite backstage sometime to meet that cute little hunk in a cowboy hat. Okay, so I might be a tad jealous. After all, Johanna got Kenny Chesney and I got the flu. Calvin came down with the bug the day after we got home from Asheville and 48-hours later, I was sick, too.

Even so, let's think about Kenny Chesney for a bit, not that that's any hardship. How many times do you think he socks that hat on his head while standing in front of a mirror until he gets it just as he wants it? We, of the older set, refer to it as a rakish angle. Or would that be a smoldering angle? Hmm... Even things that look simple require practice, don't they?

Like creating characters and storylines; the more we do it, the easier it becomes. Or so I tell myself as I beat my head against the wall trying to pound my characters into submission. But I'm not blogging about writing today. Or am I?

When Kenny straps on that guitar and strums a chord, we have no concept of the number of times he's done that same thing, to say nothing of the hours spent in practice. Like the song lyrics to one of Bryan Adams' songs: Got my first real six-string...Bought it at the five-and-dime...Played it till my fingers bled...Was the summer of '69... We have no clue of the artist's sacrifice and hard work. We only see or hear the beautiful end result.

As writers we, too, are artists. We paint with words. We play with passions and sing with similes and syntax. We create. Let's not belittle what we do. Kenny brings us enjoyment; we do the same for our readers.

So, back to my pouting mantra this past week as I swallow an antibiotic or pop-in another cough drop: "Johanna got Kenny Chesney and I got the flu."

ANNA KATHRYN LANIER on Plotting.

My guest today is fellow Rose, Anna Kathryn Lanier. In a moment of wild luck, I won a copy of her latest release by leaving a comment on her blog. My first win! I read A Gift Beyond All Measure, her charming and, at time, humorous novel in two settings. I'm thrilled to have her guest blog at Vintage Vonnie. Welcome Anna Kathryn...

Thanks, Vonnie for having me today. I’m going to write on a subject I know very little about--plotting. Thank heavens for experts.


I don’t plot. I’m a panster. I’ve tried to plot, but it doesn’t work well for me. My characters do what they want to do. Still I decided to discuss plotting today. I’m going to reference two books, 20 MASTER PLOTS & HOW TO BUILD THEM by Ronald B. Tobias and CREATING SHORT FICTION by Damon Knight.


20 MASTER PLOTS is a very compressive book which explains “how to take timeless storytelling structure and make them current.” Tobias also explains the difference between “physical plot, where the story arises primarily from external causes, and character plot, where the story arises from character.” I write mostly character plot, thus the reason my characters write their own story.


But what is plot? Some say it is the skeleton of a story. Tobias says, “plot is a force. It is a force that attracts all atoms of language (words, sentences, paragraphs) and organizes them according to a certain sense (character, action, location).” Knight says, “A plot, then, is a series of imaginary events designed to create anticipation at a high pitch.” The short explanation is that plot is a plan of action.


Knight gives a “plot skeleton,” a concise listing of plot:


1) A believable and sympathetic central character;


2) His urgent and difficult problem;


3) His attempt to resolve the problem, which fail and make his situation more desperate;


4) The crises, his last chance to win


5) The successful resolution, brought by means of the central character’s own courage, ingenuity, etc.


By the way, using the above formula will help you write a blurb or pitch—just the facts, ma’am.


Knight goes on to give a list of common plotting faults and what to do about them. One example is “Story line wanders, never seems to get anywhere.” Diagnosis: “Author has started writing the story without any clear idea of its direction.” Treatment: “Give your central character a stronger motivation and make things more difficult for her. Rewrite without looking at the old version. “


Now, you may be wondering, what ARE the 20 Master Plots, those basic plots where at least one is included in any story? I could write a blog just on the 20 Master Plots, but for now, I’m only going to list them, along with a literary example.


Quest – searching for a person, place, or thing, tangible or intangible, character driven The Wizard of Oz


Adventure – similar to the Quest plot, but this one is action driven Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea


Pursuit – a literary version of hide-in-seek; one person chases another The Hunt for Red October


Rescue – depends on three characters (protagonist, victim and antagonist), who serve the plot The Magnificent Seven


Escape –a physical plot, concentrating its energy on the mechanics of capture and escape Papillon


Revenge – retaliation for real or imagined injury Hamlet


The Riddle – a puzzle that needs to be solved The Maltese Falcon (any mystery/suspense)


Rivalry – two people have the same goal The Lord of the Flies


Underdog – a form of the Rivalry plot, the protagonist is at a disadvantage and is faced with overwhelming odds One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest


Temptation – to be induced or persuaded to do something that is either unwise, wrong or immoral Fatal Attraction


Metamorphosis – physical characteristics of the protagonist actually change from one form to another Beauty and the Beast


Transformation – change in the protagonist, but not in form as in Metamorphosis The Last Picture Show


Maturation – growing up The Catcher in the Rye


Love – obstacles that keep the lovers apart (any romance novel, especially A Gift Beyond All Measure)


Forbidden Love – crossing the line into forbidden territory Romeo and Juliet


Sacrifice – an offering of love, honor, charity A Tale of Two Cities


Discovery – the pursuit of learning about the self, understanding who they are The Portrait of a Lady


Wretched Excess – Extreme circumstances Othello (jealousy)


Ascension – raising from humble beginnings to great prominence – The Death of Ivan Ilyich


Descension – falling from a high place because of a tragic flaw in character All The King’s Men


Which plot does you current story fall under?
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Anna Kathryn Lanier started writing while still in high school. Her first novel was a futuristic Armageddon tale with romantic elements. She wrote her first romances in her early twenties, but her only submission was rejected. After putting her writing on hold for nearly two decades to raise two daughters and play housewife, Anna Kathryn picked up the pen again, so to speak—this is the computer age—seven years ago. She has completed three romance novels to date. She also enjoys writing short stories. Her first short story, Happily Ever After was published in 2005. She has since published five more short stories. The Priceless Gift, a contemporary western, was released in November, 2007, is a #1 best seller at The Wild Rose Press.

A Cowboy's Dream, is also contemporary western, (Nov. 2008) and is a mega rewrite of Happily Ever After. Salvation Bride, a historical western is the Preditors and Editors Reader’s Poll 2009 Best Short Romance Story. Gift Beyond All Measure (Dec. 2010) is a sequel to The Priceless Gift. Anna Kathryn lives in Texas with her husband and three cats. She has two grown daughters and three grandchildren. She is pursuing a bachelor degree in history at a local college.


Visit her at www.aklanier.com or http://annakathrynlanier.blogspot.com. Her stories may be purchased at www.thewildrosepress.com.