tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48695273182552681352024-03-19T02:36:05.051-07:00Jodi Henleydevelopmental editor specializing in character-driven storiesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14553958040386480998noreply@blogger.comBlogger615125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-603269943361478052023-03-23T00:38:00.002-07:002023-03-23T00:38:43.312-07:00Understand and use character arc with Jodi Henley<p> If you follow me on Facebook, you probably know I had a life-changing event last year. It gave me lots of time to think about life and what I wanted to do> People always say they want to do this and that, but between one thing and the other, it all gets sidelined. Bills, kids, significant life events. I've been running all out for the last fifteen years and while I work better with deadlines, it's been a revelation without them. I mean, what I <i>want</i> to do has always been buried by what I <i>should</i> do. I like edits--I wasn't sure if I did because it's a job and how many people like what they do? But it's like working on cars. I like tinkering, and if I were a guy with a mancave, it'd be one of those garages with a refrigerator, a couple of chairs and a fancy floor lift where I'd leave the door open and people would drop in so we could talk muscle cars and mess with Hemi air filters. I miss teaching and the need to explain is killing me, so I set up a couple of workshops with savvyauthors. The first link has just gone live (it's in May (the other two are in July (How to see and use structure) and November (Practical Emotional Structure, totally FREE) . But if you'd like to work on your character arc, or need a little help, or just want my brand new "Magic worksheets" with an extra week of support to get them done or get some one on one personalized time, <a href="https://savvyauthors.com/community/classes/understand-and-use-character-arc-with-jodi-henley.1995/">come see me :)</a></p><p>It's cheap if you belong to Savvy and comes with a coupon if you don't. </p><div class="bbWrapper" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f3337; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 14px;">Solidify your plotting and add emotional resonance with a strong character arc. Hands on and immediately actionable, this workshop comes with two simple lessons, three easy to use worksheets, and lots of feedback by a developmental editor who has worked on hundreds of stories. If your arc is broken, let’s fix it!</div><div class="classBody-fields classBody-fields--after" style="background-color: white; border-top: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.12); box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f3337; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 14px; margin-top: 15px; padding-top: 10px;"><dl class="pairs pairs--columns pairs--fixedSmall pairs--customField" data-field="syllabus" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 918px;"><dt style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #73777b; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; width: 200px;"><br /></dt><dd style="box-sizing: border-box; display: table-cell; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="bbWrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; overflow: hidden;"><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The simple three point structure of a character arc.</li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;">How to “see” and use the character arc for plotting and to add emotional resonance.</li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; overflow: hidden;"><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Worksheet 1: Pinpoint and “see” the character arc in your story</li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Worksheet 2: Use your character’s arc to tighten, fix or solidify your plot.</li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Worksheet 3: Use your character’s arc for deeper emotional resonance</li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bonus worksheet: Use your character’s arc to set up for a multi-book series</li></ul></div></dd></dl><br /></div>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-54658925948241214802023-03-07T16:43:00.001-08:002023-03-07T16:43:31.167-08:00Free Jodi Henley workshop on Practical Emotional Structure at savvyauthors writercon 2023<p> Back when I first studied emotional structure, it was this totally out there concept only screenwriters were talking about. I did a book on it--not super proud, since it was kind of meandering and confused, but over the years I've gotten a lot more concise. (actually doing dev edits will do that to you) I've also had the chance to put theory into practice in more than two hundred edits so lots of practical hands on.</p><p>So if you'd like to fine-tune your emotional through-line or work through a little bit of practical hands on structure for absolutely FREE, stay tuned!</p><p>This is the link to <a href="https://savvyauthors.com/community/classes/2023-savvyauthorswritercon-ideas-to-reality.1955/">the con itself </a>(maybe there are other freebies you want to check out).</p><p>and this (coming soon!) is the link to my workshop. Sign up! I'd love to see you there. :) </p>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-18860492034036724172023-03-02T15:42:00.001-08:002023-03-02T15:42:46.997-08:00New Jodi Henley Workshops for 2023<p> I miss workshops. There's something about the interaction that I really like. Or maybe it's just the "structure" of questions. I can't remember where I read it, but it reminds me of that old saying "You already know the answer. You just need a question" Given a question, I can talk for hours and I usually do.(I think I freak out a lot of people who do workshops with me), but without one, I sort of stand around with my hands in my pockets feeling kind of awkward. Sort of like that time I did a psych class in college where the professor (being passive aggressive) had me do a psych eval. I remember I got a bunch of things "wrong" which lead to me creating some pretty angry usernames, lol. The one that got me the most was "cripplingly shy" which I'm not. I usually have nothing to say because nobody wants my thumbnail analysis of their probable backstory based on their current behaviors.</p><p>It's like my cat. I love her very much, but she's a rescue cat and whenever I take the garbage out she freaks out. Over the years, I've noticed it's not rubbish, but the actual garbage bag--open, rolled, it doesn't matter. But like I told my kid, her reaction isn't fear of the bag. It's trauma. Something in her past before we got her involved trash bags, whether the teenager in her household put her in the bag because it was funny or the dad swatted her with a rolled up bag if she did something wrong, she's reacting to her backstory and I really wish we'd found her earlier.</p><p>And yeah, I told got sidetracked--so, I just wanted to say I'm going back to presenting at savvyauthors. My very first workshop was for savvy and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with them again. No links yet, but I'll be doing practical hands on and actionable workshops for character arc in May, demystifying structure (and how to use it for your benefit) in July and Do it yourself developmental edits in October. All with tons of worksheets, gobs of actionable right then and there exercises, and a solid week of in depth help at a super reasonable cost. So if you're interested, keep an eye out, I'll post more about it soon.</p><p>Or if you're interested in in different kind of workshop, or want to make sure I cover something in depth, don't hesitate to leave a comment.</p><p>I have these tabs in gmail (who'd have known?) where all my comments for the last ten years have gone and fermented. I just found them *sigh* but now that I know where they are, I'll actually see them in the future. (fingers crossed)</p><p><br /></p>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-76596411825781247472023-02-28T11:00:00.003-08:002023-02-28T11:00:37.488-08:00The structure of a good multibook cliffhanger <p> All multi-book stories are part of an arc called a story arc. Imagine two people walking to the end of the block? bad cliffhangers are sort of like if you just stopped--sometimes as you're about to walk into traffic, sometimes not. A good cliffhanger has something you really want to know (like is that guy going to die because there's a car coming?) a bad cliffhanger just ends the story because the writer wants to break the a longer story into parts or didn't set up a Lady or the Tiger kind of situation. In other words--the hero just stopped and there's no car in sight. </p><p>Most stories have natural stopping points that work with your story arc where something happens or doesn't happen.</p><p> Like maybe the hero isn't invested vs the hero "is" invested.</p><p>Think of Han in the first Star Wars. Remember where he leaves and everyone thinks he's ducking out because he doesn't care about anything but money, then he comes roaring back to give Luke a chance to destroy the Death Star? That's because he's got to the road and he needs to look both ways, right? It's a natural stopping point or cliffhanger, because in Han's character arc he needs to realize that he cares about the people who've become his friends, and sometimes you have to stand and fight. That's why a cliffhanger works or doesn't work. If Han went off to do the Han Solo adventures and Star Wars went on with Luke crashing on the surface of the Death Star and Leia fighting on, then it's not a good cliff hanger no matter where the story breaks off because Han stays static.</p><p>Invested or not invested being just another way of saying he's reached the transformational point of his character arc and needs to make a choice. The whole story has set up his change--so will he or won't he? And the next story shows what happens depending on his choice.</p><p>The Rebellion fails because Luke didn't destroy the Death Star and everyone is blown up leading to a story where a single survivor starts the fight again on a distant planet? Or Luke destroys the Death Star and everyone argues about whether Leia knew she was kissing her brother?</p><p> A good cliffhanger needs to make sense for the story arc. It needs to give the reader a sense that the story could go in at least two directions because it's reached the climax of whatever arc you've decided to use.</p><p>(e.g. The story arc</p><p>The cliffhanger happens when they attack the Death Star. Will they or won't they win?</p><p>The character arc</p><p>(Han's) the cliffhanger happens when he gets in the Falcon and leaves the Rebel Base with the money. Will he or won't he fight?</p><p>That being said, this doesn't mean the end of the arc is the end of the story. The thing about cliffhangers is that it implies there's another arc.</p><p>There's going to be an Empire Strikes back, or a Single soldier escapes to start a new rebellion, or Han falls in love with Leia.</p><p><br /></p>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-90834086972408016792023-02-08T05:04:00.004-08:002023-02-08T05:08:56.664-08:00What rising action really means in story structure<p> I got sick last year. Apparently too much stress, high blood pressure and a type A personality can do that to you--who knew? Looking back, I'm grateful. I had so many irons in the fire, it's a wonder I didn't clank. Many months slater, I've scaled back, feel better and rediscovered I like reading, a wow experience I never expected to find again. Books?? <i>Yes, please</i>. I <i>love</i> reading. One thing I've noticed--being how my usual pathway to a series is the free book listings on Bookdoggy and Dango, is the sheer number of people who don't understand structure.</p><p> People say it's all sorts of things--checklists, templates, required bits and pieces, etc, but it's really just a form of musical notation for writing. I mean, think about it? All structure is drawn as diagrams, even if it's nothing more than a couple of lines. It goes up, it goes down, it swoops or dips or whatever. </p><p>Structure is simply a notation that tells you what story events are supposed to be doing at that point in the story. It's not telling you to go into a cave or bring out the mentor, or even howl at the moon. It's simply telling you that at th<i>is point in the story,</i> story events on a meta level are supposed to be building or waning in intensity, and I think that's where it goes haywire.</p><p>Take a step back and think about the scenes in your story. If you have a sequence of events where the protag finds out the killer is really her boyfriend ( who is standing right behind her) jumps out the window, runs down the street, and tries to find help then suddenly connects the dots between her boyfriend and the killer in her head, or walks instead of runs, then the structure of your events is off. A line pointed up means rising action or a build in intensity, it doesn't mean stop to rehash events (which is just explaining subtext anyway), or taking a second to catch your breath. Most story events are casual, which means they have a cause and effect sort of linkage.</p><p>e.g.</p><p>The woman realizes her boyfriend is a killer. </p><p>He's behind her. Eeek! </p><p>Time to run.</p><p>She jumps out the window and runs down the street.</p><p><b><i>Not</i></b></p><p>The woman realizes her boyfriend is a killer. </p><p>He's behind her. Eeek! </p><p>Time to run.</p><p>Oh yeah, it was <i>that</i> important clue that proved his guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. If not for<i> that</i> clue...etc.</p><p>Jumps out the window and runs down the street.</p><p>One is a nice straight line that builds in intensity, the other sort of sort of stalls out before picking up again.</p><p>It doesn't matter what the event is. If the event that comes after isn't of a higher intensity than what came before, the action is not rising. It's a <i>drop </i>in intensity which means it's going to affect your tension and throw off the pace.</p><p>Does this mean you can't have any breathers or parts where you tell the reader it was really Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick because everything needs to keep rising until it drops again?</p><p>No.</p><p>It's just that in a sequence of rising events, you can't stop or go backwards unless that's the effect you're trying to get across. But you c<i>an</i> group events of a similar intensity, so having her realize her boyfriend is the killer by connecting the dots, which rolls her realization and the method she used to figure it out into one, works really well because it's the same intensity and in essence the same event.</p><p>That's structure and how to <i>use</i> structure. </p><p>And yeah, I tend to talk a lot, so a quick summary?</p><p>Structure is story notation on a meta level. Lines that point up (even if it's part of a curve or something) mean events intensify until it gets to the climax. or where it starts to drop again. Lines that go down mean events "de" intensify. </p><p>e.g.</p><p>Big shoot out and confrontation. The hero shoots the guy at the climax. (intense)</p><p>The guy falls over dead. (less intense 'cause he's no longer a threat)</p><p>Everyone goes out to dinner. (even <i>less </i>intense)</p><p>If you stall or sidetrack see if it can be rolled into the event before it. </p><p>e.g. If you really want to tell the reader how the heroine reached her realization it's better before the actual realization</p><p>That book! That was <i>her </i>book. The only way he could have found it was on the body of the last victim. <i>He is the killer! Eek! Jump out the window.</i></p><p>Not so good.</p><p>He is the killer! Eek! Jump out the window. That book! That was her book. The only way he could have found it was on the body of the last victim. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-70714087530978230212019-03-29T02:52:00.002-07:002019-03-29T02:58:29.300-07:00Free Collection of Useful Writing tools and Update on PatreonI've been on Patreon for three full months now, and I'm seriously grateful to the people who've chosen to join me. I'd been kicking around the idea for awhile, getting some raised eyebrows, wondering if it wasn't just some kind of weird hubris. However, I'm not lying when I say I'm drowning in information. I used to write powerpoints like people would jot down notes, and I have years of workshops to sort through.<br />
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Sometimes I surprise myself (I wrote <i>that??), </i>sometimes I find a groaner (whoa. I wrote that) and sometimes I find things where I was way off because as Chatman (still my hero after all these years) said, "craft is synthesis." Okay, he really didn't say that. I'm actually paraphrasing because I think he was talking about rhetoric. But in my mind, it just means that learning craft is a journey, and we're always adding to our body of knowledge, evaluating and discarding what doesn't work, and tweaking what does.<br />
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I know a little more than I did way back in the beginning, simply because I've had the opportunity to work on literally hundreds of manuscripts. So I've had the pleasure of turning theory into practice multiple times. It made me discard what doesn't work, and refine what does. Back in the day, you'd never hear me talking about the literal beginning and end of the story in the way I do today, or being so laid back about telling (showing works, but honestly--so does telling. It all depends).<br />
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I did a series recently. The posts weren't a series when I wrote them, they were actually the powerpoints from three different workshops. But if you're interested in how to tighten and deepen your character-driven story, you're welcome to check out these links (and while you're at it, the rest of the public posts I did for my <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jodihenley">page</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/quick-no-guide-25437316">1. A Quick, No-Nonsense Guide to Action and Emotional Through-lines</a><br />
<a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-use-time-25709190">2. How to Use Time and Action Through-lines for the Strongest Impact</a><br />
<a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-work-with-25709416">3. How to Work with Theme on Paper </a><br />
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They're easier to understand in order, and they have lots of pictures, something I've grown to like over the years. Not saying a thousand words aren't better than one picture, but I don't have as much time as I used to have, and this works for me.<br />
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Takeaways from Patreon:<br />
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<li>I really like the email question thing. That works for me. I enjoy questions and it keeps me sharp.</li>
<li>People need help with outlines, and I've discovered I like working with them. It's a big picture snapshot and fixes everything from conflict and motivation, to pace and plot problems. Maybe I'm growing into a plotter (nah. Just joking.)</li>
<li>Patreon is really not the most intuitive place. It seems simple on the patron side, but the back end is like using a Mac when you've always had Windows XP. It works, but it's awkward and sometimes I'm scratching my head going...uh, where? Probably why I do the bulk of my work via email. Just sayin' but I think gmail is going to be around for the next few decades and I'm glad I got my name while it was in beta.</li>
<li>The highest tier I have is a come and go place, where people drop in, get work done, drop out. Not a surprise really since I set it up that way. The other tiers (#2 questions/ #3 chapters) seem to have the most stability.</li>
<li>Never really thought about the whole payment thing. I just figured if I was providing services it was better to charge upfront. Turns out if people move upwards to a higher tier, they get charged twice since I charge upfront (totally not cool). The workaround is to sign up, cancel. You still get the month of benefits, and sign up at a higher tier the next month for different benefits. I'm sure there are random variations, but that's what I have so far. Mayra was kind enough to figure that out for me, and I'm thrilled there's a workaround.</li>
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You're welcome to check out my <a href="https://www.patreon.com/join/jodihenley?">tiers</a> too (although you don't have to. It's just in case you might be thinking about some "tech" support for a later project).<br />
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On the big plus side, my wild indigo is growing (and if that's not a random shift, I don't know what is)!! I planted it last winter and it's all coming up. I'm so thrilled. I've been trying to grow wildflowers and not doing all that well. I figured if I could just get something growing I could move it around once it's established. Maybe use it to support my irises or something. Wish me luck, because this is the year of the garden. And maybe cleaning up some of my once planned English garden (and current "wild" garden).<br />
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<br />Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-6635752839442356022018-10-19T02:37:00.000-07:002018-10-19T02:39:43.163-07:00Do You Really Need Developmental Edits?<br />
Short answer>> no.<br />
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Long answer--I spend a lot of time researching stuff, mostly things like the structure of crinolines, and when tomatoes were brought back to Europe, but in the course of my wandering I've been noticing the way authors are dividing into camps. One camp is firmly on the side of "I don't need no stinkin' edits" and the other is on the side of "...I love my editor."<br />
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There are pros and cons to each side, but over the course of many years I have some observances I just want to throw out there.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. </span><b>A good story sells. </b>It doesn't matter how big the plot holes are or if the character bounces around like a sweet, sexy, smart and incredibly stupid basketball, it will still sell, and sell plenty.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. </span><b>It is a sad but true fact that if you want to sell a lot of books you need to meet your readers expectations. </b>You can do that without me, but you can't do it if you want to win the hearts and minds of "sweet" romance readers and hit them over the head with rampant sexy times then kill the hero.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. </span><b>It totally, absolutely, never ceases to amaze the living bejeebers out of me how set some writers are on their characters and universe being a certain way. </b>I once read this post on covers, and in it some people were talking about how to get their artists to change things to reflect their book, and some guy comes along and says, "I don't care. A good cover is a good cover. If the hero has red hair, I simply add red hair to my hero and it's a done deal."<br />
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If your writing is set in stone, you honestly don't need an editor. I am available for a small fee to tell you how fabulous you are in words you'll enjoy reading over and over again. Just email me with the subject line "Jodi, tell me you love me!" and I'll do just that on receipt of twenty-five dollars cash money and a synopsis. I might even add a few hearts and a heartfelt "thank you for letting me read your book."<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. </span><b>Many stories have bad early reviews because the writers are waiting for someone to tell them what they did wrong. </b>It doesn't seem to bother them because it gets buried by later, better reviews, and if you can deal with it, then it seems like a good way to crowdsource your troubleshooting.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. </span><b>I get a lot of good, solid stories that could easily sell without edits. </b>I like to think they're better after I work on them, but I also think the people who send them to me are the kind of people who'd polish the underside of their dining table, and that's a good thing, because the world needs more beeswax-on-wood action. It just smells good.Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-55059550403386289142018-04-27T01:41:00.001-07:002018-04-27T01:41:40.338-07:00You know how when you choose a path?So anyway, there I was (I always start out with this in real life, not sure why), way back when--thinking, man all this retraining stuff just isn't working out, I wonder what I can do to make money and support us? And I sat down, staring at the wall. This was way back when, back in the early days of ereaders and stuff. I'd just gotten a job with a small press, but the money wasn't rolling in. I knew I'd have to go back to work (because one of those huge, ultra-changing life events had happened), but I wanted a potential way out that wouldn't suck the soul out of me.<br />
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Then Sharon came along. She was looking for someone to present an online RWA workshop (that turned out to be the first workshop I ever did (Running in the Dark for the Black Diamond chapter), and she said--everybody talked to you! She was amazed. Until that point, I didn't know most people lurk. I mean, I talked like crazy (and still do), and when she moved on to help form savvy, I went with her. Between workshops and edits, life has gotten a lot better. I offered my opinion for years before hanging out a shingle, and I still do--I'd probably do it for free if I didn't have a mortgage (a house paid for with edit money! In the Seattle area! The mind boggles) and limited time.<br />
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Recently (okay, a couple of years ago) I was fortunate enough to meet Dianna Love, and she's just as nice as she seemed when I first saw her at RWA '09 presenting a workshop with Mary Buckham. She's been fabulous, letting me work with her over at <a href="https://www.allwriterworkshops.com/home">All Writer's</a>.<br />
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We've been doing this blurb workshop that keeps selling out and I've been thinking of more quick 1 day workshops that will focus on little bits of workable craft. I dunno, I've been thinking there's got to be a way to distill dev edits into a day--maybe a check list with actionable bits? But anyway. It's been good. And the more work I do, the better life gets. It's crowded, and busy, and sometimes it's freaking insane. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm doing what I like, working with stories, talking to people who like stories, living the dream. And I suspect--if my paths diverged in a yellow wood, just like Frost said, it'd have all circled back.Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-23285294914103217692017-10-26T19:27:00.000-07:002017-10-26T19:31:05.108-07:00Excerpt from a workshop #4 (emotional through-lines)<div class="MsoCommentText">
Also remember—and this is one of the most important takeaways from this workshop. Say what you mean, unless you are showing emotions the character doesn’t know they have, or are controlling for some reason or another.</div>
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Looking at this paragraph, you used the word and phrase “furious” and “really angry”. From a glance at the rest of the chapter, Jane is “really angry”, she isn’t furious. Furious implies a totally different set of actions and reactions. "Really angry" implies the stuff you already have in place. It’s like a scale. Unless the progression of emotion is still continuing (you know, like she’s moving from angry to furious), then just name it and move on, so you can work on other stuff. The emotional through-line, where she is really angry, will keep going until you do something to derail it. </div>
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Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-10709476052311549812017-10-25T11:42:00.000-07:002017-10-25T16:55:58.802-07:00Story Lines In Plain EnglishSo there I was (and as my daughter says, I start all stories with this phrase), wondering how to explain why it was so important to connect the end of the story to the beginning. Which pretty much means I've dropped into the middle of "this" story without even pausing to explain where I came from. If you've talked to me over the last few years, you know I've been on a "the end and beginning need to sync" kick. Kicking it around, kicking it around, thinking about it.<br />
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It's not that the info isn't usable. I think it's more like it's not relate-able. I mean, everyone knows their story works. They write and it ends up where they wanted to go, more or less, and listening to me say a storyline is a force, and should be straight sort of blurs.<br />
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A storyline, or at least how I use it, is the story's narrative or all the stuff in it, the plot or sequence of events, the characters, the motivations, the setting, the...everything. I think of it as "stuff" or the story as an integrated unit. Storyline = all the stuff, moving toward the end where something happens. In a romance (because it's the easiest example), it's the happily ever after.<br />
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So, storyline = all the stuff moving toward the end of the story where the hero and heroine get together now and forever, or just for now.<br />
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Now, strip that down to the word "line", and change line into "plain". We are now on a plain, sort of like the Midwest or something. Chicago is on the plain. NY, Seattle, LA, Alaska. They're all on the plain. Along with people and cars, and houses and supermarkets. It's all a world, contained by a plain, where everyone walks around and does stuff (like in a book :) ).<br />
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Imagine we're going to Happily-Ever-After, which is in NY. However, we're still in Seattle, so we're going on a road-trip. The heroine packs her car, and hits the road. It is 2,854 miles to NY, and somewhere on the road between Seattle and NY the hero is standing on the side of the road, leaning against his sexy black motorcycle, stripped down to a pair of jeans, muscles and tattoos. However, we're going to detour to Hawaii for a tan because we can't go to NY without looking bronzed and gorgeous for the hero.<br />
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However, one thing leads to another, the trip takes a long time, the hotel has fleas, and there are all these hot young lifeguards. Before you know it, Sea-tac Park and Fly is calling about your car because it's about to get towed. So, you get back on the plane, fly back to your car and start for NY.<br />
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Or, maybe you feel the call of the wild, and head to Alaska. Up the coast, bumping along the Alaska Highway, stopping here and there to look at elk or take in a glacier. You've got friends and your sister in the back seat, a couple of playlists, and long snug nights in cute cabins in the great outdoors. What hero? There's plenty of time to squeeze him in somewhere.<br />
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Now imagine Hawaii is the home of backstory. The heroine grew up there, loves the food, has relatives there, and can't let go. It might very well be that her memory hotel turns out to have fleas, but that's the point of a visit, to remember the fleas and have something to eat. A reader can't understand the story without seeing what shaped the heroine before it starts, right? And Alaska is full of friends, family, fun times, and sets up perfectly for a series.<br />
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However, Hawaii and Alaska are not<i> </i>on the way to NY, and unless the heroine<i> is</i> on the way to NY, she isn't going to meet the hero and start their journey together. This doesn't mean she can't stop in at a Hawaiian deli and get some takeout, or cruise through a park with the hero, another couple, and a cute puppy. While a storyline is a line, it doesn't mean stuff can't happen. It just means stuff needs to be on a straight line. It needs to be integrated. It needs to be takeout, or a fun day with the hero (and others) at a park. Why does it need to be Denali? Denali is in Alaska. Why not Cuyahoga Valley? Cuyahoga Valley is on the way to NY.<br />
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Lines are not just a line. They are a plain. A plain contains all kinds of things, including a road, and sometimes that road includes (minor) detours which quickly get you back on track again. Which leads back to the "end and beginning need to sync."<br />
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If you are road-tripping from Seattle to New York, and find yourself starting in Hawaii or Alaska, maybe the story needs to start earlier, or it's not really about the heroine, but someone else.<br />
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<br />Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-43815564113237993622017-03-02T02:30:00.000-08:002017-03-02T02:30:07.373-08:00Psychoanalytic theory--another name for character-driven writing?So I was reading wikipedia the other day, looking for something, and stumbled on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_theory#Terminology_and_definition">this></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Psychoanalytic theorists believe that human behavior is deterministic. It is governed by irrational forces, and the unconscious, as well instinctual and biological drives. Due to this deterministic nature, psychoanalytic theorists do not believe in free will.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">It's from the wikipedia entry on "psychoanalytic theory," which strangely enough I've never read. Freud has a bad reputation these days, but this one bit "human behavior is deterministic" is a gem and the entire theory behind character arc.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Characters react according to their backstory, which makes them deterministic, which makes stories causal, which--yeah, well anyway. I like it and wrote it down on a sticky. </span></span></span>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-13680840372247367122017-01-13T23:12:00.000-08:002017-01-14T10:33:59.355-08:00Prologue Structure Part 3<div class="MsoNormal">
Welcome back! Let’s get back to talking about prologues!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>How do I find the
right thing(s) to show in my prologue?</b></div>
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<b><o:p></o:p></b><i>Define your story.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I know I put that in all italics, but that’s because it’s
super important. Are you <i>plot-</i>driven
or <i>character-driven</i>? We talked about
that during the first lesson and this is where that knowledge comes into play.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The best way to know "how" to create an effect is
to know "what" effect you're going for, because the shape of a story
as you create it (the people, story events and setting) remains constant, but
depending on where you put the emphasis and how consistent you are with your
knowledge of where you're going, the contents can be anything from experimental
lit to a Harlequin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A plot-driven story focuses on story events, and a
character-driven story focuses on people. In other words, characters <i>react to story events </i>in a story where
the plot takes precedence, <i>and story
events develop</i> out of <i>how</i> a
character reacts or interacts in a <i>character</i>-driven
story.</div>
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<o:p></o:p>If I opened Starr’s prologue with a demon in a truck of
illegals—all of whom were really hot women, and ended with a shot of the doors
opening, and a makeshift brothel with a lot of blood and dead bodies, or simply
a detached hand falling out of the door, it would be the inciting incident for
a story about dead prostitutes, demons/fallen angels and human trafficking. If
I changed the focus in my prologue and opened with a shot of Starr cutting his
wings off and walking out of Hell, it would be the inciting incident for a
character-driven story about Starr, and the prostitutes would be my “vehicle”
to <i>show</i> his transformational arc.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s all part of what makes up your voice. Where and how you
start your story—what it’s about and where the focus is, needs to do one of two
things—show the inciting incident (or why this particular story is about to
happen (think Da Vinci Code/plot-based)), or a change which then leads to <i>this</i> particular story happening (Jane
doesn’t believe anyone except her loves Suzy/character-arc based).<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you’re familiar with my character, Mercedes, then you
know the inciting incident for Mercedes is the fire where she can’t bring
herself to go through the fire into the Play Place to rescue her little sisters
from the pedophile—there’s too much backstory giving her a fear of fire that
goes way beyond “I don’t like fire” to “I’m terrified and can’t move.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pertinent backstory/the start of a transformational arc (or
core events) depends on how much motivation you need. Jane (the heroine from
post 1) doesn’t need more motivation to protect Suzy’s house than her years of
friendship with the older woman, because she doesn’t need conflicting
motivation to “not” save the house. Jane is in a character-driven story, which
means the story events develop from how Jane reacts to events, and she reacts
to events by thinking nobody except her cares for Suzy. Her prologue, showing whatever
event I pick from her years of friendship (the emotional punch of Suzy’s death,
the emotional punch of hiding in the library (see the pattern?) although in
this case, I think the death would work better) sets the stage for her arc.
Which means somewhere along the line, Jane needs to meet a guy who she thinks <i>didn’t</i> love Suzy, and her transformation
(since she’s in a romance) is to realize he <i>did</i>
love Suzy, so Jane can put down her anger and find her happily ever after.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Jane’s case, her story is a solid whole, from prologue to
end.</div>
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<o:p></o:p>Mercedes also has a strong arc, and there is no doubt she
really loves her sisters—she is a protective, loving older sister with a
capital “P.” However, like John McClain in <i>Die
Hard,</i> she’s up against a strong plot. I need to stop her from running into
that Play Place so the story can start. <i>I
need to show her conflict</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know her primary motivation is to protect her sisters
because she loves them. Protective love is not a hard emotion to get across.
However, <i>the </i>depth<i> of her fear is difficult to convey.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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That means if I don’t want to weave it into the story, I
need to show it. A little thought tells me that nothing I can show my reader will
be as strong as her imagination, which puts the beginning framework around
what, why and how.</div>
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<o:p></o:p>In this instance, the prologue should do three things:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Show the second fire (the what).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Happen without the twins, since you don’t want
them paralyzed, too (how).<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->And be as awful and mentally crippling as I can
make it (and why).<o:p></o:p></div>
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In other words, I’m going to show my reader "another"fire to increase the intensity of Mercedes's fear, put her into a situation where she’s (surely) going to die, jack up her emotions to the
screaming point—and end the prologue, using the <a href="http://jodihenley.blogspot.com/2017/01/updates-to-workshop-links-and-little-on.html">Kuleshov Effect.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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The reader now knows Mercedes almost died (because she’s
alive in chapter 1), it was godawful horrible, and <i>that’s </i>why she can’t force
herself into the Play Place, and even though Mercedes would die for her
sisters, she can’t. Her body simply won’t move. It’s only when the pedophile
grabs them that her love can push through her fear (way too late). And the
story starts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A thought here would be that she needs to be confronted with
a fire again, at the climax, to prove she’s changed and overcome her fear (not
of the fire but of inadequacy, which is a totally different workshop, lol, and
easy to see here in this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0zIXvwVg0M2NTlrMHhYdjl4ODQ/view?usp=sharing">powerpoint</a>), so she can become the woman who can be with the
hero (making Mercedes’s story a unified whole, too).</div>
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<o:p></o:p>Which means regardless if it’s the story with the
prostitutes and gore, or the one focused on Starr and his wings, it would still
open the same, with Starr walking down the road looking for coffee because of
the Kuleshov Effect. What you show <i>first</i>,
influences what the reader sees <i>next</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the first story, you already know it's a
murder-thriller-paranormal because of the prologue, so it’s pretty obvious if
we open with Starr he’s going to play a large role in the investigation.<o:p></o:p><br />
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In the second one, you know who Starr is, what he’s
capable of, and something about his attitude. So when we open with Starr walking down the street it means something is about to happen to start him on a journey driven by who and
what he is. Strongly plot-driven versus strongly character-driven.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s all a matter of voice. Prologues work if they’re a
logical part of the story, and provide either a reason <i>for </i>or a jumping off
point <i>to </i>the rest of the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks for being here.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-48957718101177221452017-01-10T10:26:00.002-08:002017-01-10T10:36:53.110-08:00Updates to the workshop links and a little on the Kuleshov effect (for prologues)It looks like the server for AWW has crashed. I sent a message to the admins, so hopefully it'll be back up soon if you're checking out the workshops (or just me in general, lol. I'm not egotistic enough to think just because you've swung by you're going to madly rush out and take my workshops). So anyway--let's talk about the Kuleshov Effect!!<br />
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The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing method developed by a Russian filmmaker (named Kuleshov :)) back in the earlier part of the last century. It takes advantage of a mental phenomenon where viewers derive more meaning from seeing a series of pictures rather just one by itself. In writing this is the old E.M. Forster chestnut, "The king died. The queen died." Or how changing a few words takes events from "events", to a story, then a plot.<br />
<br />
The king died. The queen died (being two events that may or may not be related).<br />
The king died, then the queen died (being a story).<br />
The king died, then the queen died of grief (being a plot, or <i>how</i> the story is shown).<br />
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In other words, you don't know what happened to the king or queen if you just show them individually. They're just a bodies in a box. However, if you use a shot of the king laying in state during the prologue, then come back to show the queen's funeral as chapter one opens, you've created cause and effect, or a relationship of some sort where people might not know <i>how</i> (since we haven't got to the plot yet) but what we <i>do </i>know is that it's related in some way <i>and </i>important to the story. Which is why chapter one needs to work with the prologue, because the reader is going to be extrapolating like mad, wondering and making connections, even if those connections <i>aren't there.</i><br />
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Let's take a quick look at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuleshov_effect">Kuleshov Effect </a>itself. Click on the link in the word for a wikipedia explanation and check out the youtube videos.The first video is Kuleshov's original work, and might not work well to show the phenomenon, since you're not just coming on it out of the blue, but watching it to understand how it works. Then watch the Hitchcock video about montage for forty seconds (he explains the concept behind the Kuleshov Effect well). Then jump to the 5.40 mark so you can listen to him talk about how it works while you watch "his" version of Lev Kuleshov's video.<br />
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The Kuleshov Effect is the reason prologues work, and how they can be used to "spin" a story, or influence it in one direction or the other (which sets up for post 3 on prologues, as we talk about how to do that).<br />
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Remember I have comment moderation on. I tend to get to them quickly, but I might not see it come in, so I appreciate your patience. Thanks for dropping by!<br />
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<br />Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-29961117551411625692017-01-08T13:58:00.000-08:002017-01-08T14:16:37.306-08:00Prologue Structure Part 1<div class="MsoNormal">
Good Morning and welcome to Prologue Structure for Character
and Plot-driven Stories! I really have this intense urge to do the “who” I am
spiel since I do it all the time, so I will, even though you pretty much know
who I am if you’re here. Hi! My name is Jodi and I’m a dev editor based in the
Greater Seattle area (which means I live as far away from the city center as I
can). I specialize in character-driven narratives of all sorts,
broken things and people who’ve hit the limits of what they can do by
themselves. My current home on the web is over at AWW, so if you’re interested
in checking it out there’s a link over on the sidebar about my current
workshops—that said, hey!!! Welcome. <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></div>
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This is a really old workshop that I wrote, God knows—about seven
years ago? I still have a soft spot for it, because it’s something a lot of
people don’t really talk about (and I love prologues—epilogues, too. I’m a
sucker for seeing everyone happy, weddings, babies, hot guys potentially
getting ready to spin off book #2, and dangerous villains lurking in the
shadows, you know, stuff like that).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Pros and Cons of
using a prologue<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Many writers don’t like prologues and feel <i>readers</i> don’t like them. They might also
think a prologue isn’t “needed”, which is true, because a prologue <i>isn’t </i>necessary. Unlike a beginning,
middle or end, nobody really “needs” a prologue. It’s not part of your story
skeleton. It’s more like a set of braces; an add-on to something that already
works fine.</div>
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<o:p></o:p>Like braces, prologues are all about personal choice. Maybe
you feel your story is crooked and needs a little support, or think it doesn't
look right, or maybe your gut feeling says a prologue simply needs to be there.
Because a good prologue is hard to write, some people have sworn off them and
encourage others to do the same. However, a prologue, regardless of where you
stand on the prologue debate, is a stylistic choice. It’s not right, wrong, or
lazy writing; it’s simply one of many choices you make during the creation
process.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In <i>The Elements of
Style</i>, Strunk says, “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain
no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason
that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary
parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that
he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word
tell.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not that I’m arguing with Strunk, but good writing sings and
dances, it doesn’t plod along like an English textbook. How many times have you
seen a book that totally blew away everything you <i>knew </i>was right and reached the top of the bestseller lists?
Head-hopping, run-on sentences, goofball plot events and purple prose—you can
do anything <i>if</i> you connect with your
reader. <i>Good writing tells a great story.</i>
Whether you have a couple of unnecessary words, want to go purple, blue or
Hemingway, if it works, it works, which is why voice is the hardest thing to
teach.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Voice is how <i>you</i>
interpret craft.</div>
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<o:p></o:p>However, before you start thinking I'm a prologue advocate,
I don’t believe everyone should have a prologue. Prologues don’t make weak
writing stronger or a weak story better. If you like and want to use a prologue
it should be an informed choice and work with the story you want to tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What readers don’t like are prologues <i>that don’t work</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What a prologue is
and isn’t:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>A prologue is not an
info-dump.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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If you have a romance between John and Jane, but talk about
how John’s grandma Suzy owned a Victorian, made friends with Jane and left the
house to her which made John upset because he wanted the house to stay in the
family, then you show John getting the news, talking to a lawyer <i>and </i>swearing he’ll get the house back
for his sweet old mum to set up for the story—that’s an info-dump.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>A prologue is not
unrelated information that has nothing to do with the story you’re currently
writing.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If John practices kendo, or Jane once saw a ghost—maybe John
is the founder of the local Veteran’s Day parade or is really a hot alien
general, it should only be in your prologue <i>if</i>
it impacts the story, comes up again, or illustrates a point. It’s cool that
John is well-rounded, but keep it pertinent.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p><i>A prologue should not
read like the Old Testament, the history of the world or say things like
“Little did she know” or “As she was to find out.”</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unless you’re so good an unrelated sampling of beta readers
and crit partners agrees your prologue is the hottest thing to hit paper since JR
Rowling wrote Harry Potter, toggle back on over-the-top word choices (unless,
of course, your entire story reads the same way).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p><i>A prologue should
provide info that would take a huge amount of time to explain or has more
impact when shown.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember Jane’s friend, Suzy, the old lady with the house?
What’s the important part of that whole scenario? Is it John’s vow to get the
house back? Or his meeting with the lawyer?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s actually Suzy’s death.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If Suzy didn’t die and leave the house to Jane, the story
doesn’t happen. Why <i>did</i> Suzy leave
the house to Jane? Could it be that no one in her family cared enough to talk
to her? Was Jane her only friend? Did Jane <i>love</i>
Suzy?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Showing their connection is important exposition because it
is the basis for one of Jane’s primary motivations. When John shows up, wanting
to buy the house back from Jane—Jane’s love for the woman she considered a
second mother, and anger at Suzy’s family, will provide a major source of
conflict.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Narrowing it down still further, showing Jane in the
Emergency Room, crying at Suzy’s bedside, holding on to Suzy’s hand provides an
emotional hook. There is <i>nothing</i>
stronger than the death of a loved one (although this doesn’t mean the death of
someone the protagonist loves is the only thing that goes in a prologue, lol).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>A prologue should be
connected to the story you’re telling. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not “a” story, or the story of your character’s lives at
some earlier or later time, but <i>this</i>
story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If Jane’s mom once took her to a Christmas pageant and Jane
fell in love with Santa Claus, which is why Jane collects Santa figurines,
Jane's santa-holic behavior has nothing to do with her making a stand in Suzy’s
house (see that paragraph about unrelated information).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>But</i></b> if Jane’s mother used to beat her and forgot Jane at school
the day of the Christmas pageant, <b><i>and</i></b> Suzy was the mean old librarian
who found Jane hiding in the stacks, got her something to eat and turned Jane’s
life around—showing that makes a good prologue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>A prologue, above all—should
be an emotional hook that pulls your reader into chapter one.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you don’t “feel” it, your reader won’t either. The story
of Suzy’s death, or the beginning of Jane and Suzy’s friendship might feel over
the top, but there’s a vast difference between a dry recitation of story events
and a visceral experience done up close and personal. If you’re throwing a
prologue in there, make it count.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Plot-driven v.
character-driven?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before we get started, I’d like to spend a little time
exploring the difference between character and plot-driven stories because it
makes a difference in what you’re trying to do, and how to do it. Not that
either way is wrong. Simply that each way needs to be approached differently.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plot-driven stories are not necessarily <i>bad</i>, and character-driven stories are not necessarily <i>good.</i> Like anything else, what sells
comes and goes in cycles. Sometimes one style does better, sometimes the other
does.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you call a story plot or character-driven, you’re
simply describing a construction style. In a plot-driven story, events are the
driving force. A good example of this would be when Joan’s sister is kidnapped
in <i>Romancing the Stone</i> and Joan has
to deliver the package her brother-in-law mailed to her before he died, or the murder
of Luke Skywalker’s aunt and uncle in <i>A
New Hope</i>, and Luke’s decision to leave Tatooine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joan wouldn’t decide to leave for Cartagena, and Luke
wouldn’t make the decision to leave Tatooine by themselves, but since plot
events—the kidnapping and murders—happened, the characters have no choice
except to react. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Characters are subordinate to the plot, and are moved by the
needs of the plot. Joan <i>needs </i>to get
to Cartagena to save her sister, and Luke <i>needs</i>
to help Leia and redeem his aunt and uncle’s deaths. It’s fast-paced and high
concept. If it were a book, it’d be called a page turner, because each page
flips in a logical chain. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p>The reader needs to know what happens next. Does Luke save
the Princess? Does Joan trade El Corazon for her sister? Joan doesn’t spend a
lot of time showing her internals, which doesn’t mean she doesn’t have
internals. It’s just that the story focus is on externals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Good examples of plot
driven movies would be<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Rogue One<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The DaVinci Code<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And<i> Die Hard</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plot driven stories can be described in a quick elevator
pitch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A good plot-driven story, like <i>Die Hard</i>, can also have many character-driven elements, because the
best plot-driven stories grow out of character in the same way a good
character-driven story has an integrated plot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Character-driven stories are a little more difficult to
describe because they’re driven by character and sometimes characters do things
that don’t make sense or come out of nowhere unless you think about their
actions as part of a greater whole. In the Indiana Jones movies, Indy rushes around, fighting
bad guys and avoiding snakes. It’s a great adventure. In <i>Witness,</i>
another Harrison Ford movie, he <i>also </i>fights
bad guys. The difference is that it’s a character-driven movie, so when you
remember it, you don’t remember the chases or shootings, you remember Book
waking up in Rachel’s bed, freaking out over his gun and changing over the
course of the movie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While plot-driven stories <i>can</i> contain a character arc, in a character-driven story the
transformational arc is very pronounced. John Book isn’t the same man at the
end of <i>Witness,</i> while Indy is the
same at both the beginning <i>and</i> end of
<i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Character-driven stories run on emotion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>A good example of
character-driven movies would be: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Witness<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Casablanca<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Zootopia<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A character-driven story is more complex <i>emotionally</i>, but might also contain less
plot because people are the plot drivers and plot flows out of them (you know—sucking
up more word count), instead of being imposed <i>on</i> them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A good rule of thumb is that if you think of the story as a
whole, a story is plot-driven if the largest percentage of word count has to do
with <i>what</i> is going on, versus
following someone like Rick in <i>Casablanca</i>
as he angsts over Ilsa, or Judy Hopps in <i>Zootopia</i>
as she tries to live her dream.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>When is a prologue
chapter one?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A prologue is your first chapter <i>if </i>you can take away the label calling it a prologue; re-label it
chapter one and the story flows on without skipping a beat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There needs to be some kind of focused disconnect between the
prologue and the first chapter (which we'll talk about next time), although that disconnect can’t be totally
random. The prologue and first chapter must make sense together, even if the
prologue is simply a bookend device (creates a resonance with the epilogue). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When prologues work, they work well. When they’re done
badly, it’s usually because the writer wants to explain things he or she doesn’t
think the reader will catch without having it diagrammed ahead of time or
simply has an interesting scene that is way too cool to leave out of the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe the prologue explains the war in Heaven, the fall of
Lucifer, and ends with the formation of Hell. Then the first page opens on some
guy walking down the street looking for a cup of coffee. Five pages later we
find out the guy’s name is Starr, he lives in Boston, and someone is killing
prostitutes. It doesn’t connect. It might, if the author wanted to set Lucifer
up as Starr. But simply focusing on events in the prologue doesn’t make the
story a connected whole. “You” might know where the story is going, but you
need to give your reader some clues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who is this Starr guy? Is he Lucifer? The prologue talks
about Lucifer, but chapter one is some guy walking down the street looking for
coffee.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the story is really about an angel who got caught up in
the war, decided to hang out with humans, and now he’s a detective/cop/whatever
and the plot involves human trafficking—the author probably figured the
prologue made sense since it’s what caused Starr to become a cop. He Fell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Starr’s Fall is backstory but until you <i>also</i> think about the prologue as a focal piece for your <i>story</i> it’s hard to tell if it’s the right
thing to show. Besides being a hook, a prologue should be the right hook.
Characters, like people, have lives that run in a continuum. Stuff happens
before the story and keeps happening afterwards.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p>The creation of Hell isn’t part of <i>Starr’s</i> story. It’s interesting and was probably fun to write, but
Hell is part of <i>Lucifer’s</i> story and
even if they were friends and fought together, Lucifer and <i>his</i> issues have nothing to do with Starr and his coffee.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p>Which means in addition to being the “right” hook, a
prologue needs to stay on target.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Next up: Making it work</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have comment moderation on, so don't be surprised if your comments don't show up right away. I get a lot of spammers, so I want to check it out before posting it (plus it makes sure I see it). If you have a prologue and want to talk about it, be aware that I'll probably talk about it on the blog :). Thanks for dropping by!</div>
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Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-84724739745356224112017-01-06T14:43:00.002-08:002017-01-08T12:03:00.138-08:00New Series and updatesYou know, back when I read blogs, I used to wonder why my favorite bloggers only updated once a month (or once a year, sometimes once in two or three years). It's taken me years to realize it's simply a lack of time. The busier you are, the less time there is for blogging, or pretty much anything.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The other day I was waiting on my kid. We'd parked outside a Starbucks fronting the Tacoma campus of the University of WA, and I was doing my favorite thing--dubbing the dialogue for people passing by and making comments about puffy black coats, people who wear shorts and sandals in twenty degree weather, and the return of the unisex haircut (shaved on the sides, long on the top, sort of like a carrot). And my other kid says, "I like people-watching," which means she thinks the corny dialogue is funny and we don't go out enough.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I really don't do a lot of anything anymore--except work, lol. And blogging has dropped to maybe fifty on my daily to-do list, but I really wanted to get some of my old workshops out for people who were interested. One of my favorite older workshops is Prologue Structure, and looking back on it, it's a very focused look at how to use structure to make a prologue work for your story, and what it does and doesn't do (so you can make an informed choice). I'll probably start it up later today, or maybe tomorrow, so drop by if you're interested and we can talk. If you're interested in learning to become your own dev editor, swing by <a href="https://www.allwriterworkshops.com/">All Writer's</a> and check out my new workshop series. It's taken awhile to realize I should play to my strengths. :) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you're going to the Wolf Pack Conference tomorrow, I hope you'll ask lots of questions, and if you're looking for some free advice or to talk about your wip, drop by the free <a href="https://www.allwriterworkshops.com/workshops/preview/86/">All Writer's Open House.</a> You have to sign up, but it's a thirty second thing and it runs all tomorrow. Leave a question, get an answer! See you then. :) btw, comment moderation has been on forever, so if you leave a comment it won't show up until I see it. That's a good thing because I'll <i>definitely </i>see it. :) Thanks for dropping by!</div>
Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-85665080425768662052016-03-29T09:08:00.000-07:002016-03-29T09:08:33.012-07:00DIY Developmental EditsI remember, a couple of years back, I'd go to other story blogs and wonder why the blog's owner hadn't updated in months (if not years). Then I'd roll on to another blog, and it'd be the same thing over again. Nowadays (a year after my last post), I understand. Things were super different when I was just kicking around theories and making powerpoints for fun. These days, I pretty much have a 20/4 hour day. Work twenty, sleep four. Although seriously, sleep is way overrated.<br />
<br />
I've been working on a new workshop called, well, in my mind--<a href="https://www.allwriterworkshops.com/workshops/preview/51/">DIY Dev Edits</a>, which is kind of weird, because all this time I've been trying to make some kind of interlocking system to write, not edit, and what do I end up with? In some ways, I really think it's about about a knowledge base, because it's really hard to explain something isn't working (because it has no arc) to someone who has no clue how arcs work, or what an arc is, which is probably the same thing my kid thinks whenever he fixes my car and tries to talk to me about exhaust systems. I could care less about mufflers and batteries. I just want to know if I get in and turn the key, the engine will turn over so I can go to the store.<br />
<br />
Which means I basically I ended up with a lot of exercises that do two things: teach theory quickly, and explain how to use it so you get in the car and drive with minimal effort.<br />
<br />
If you're interested, why not drop by? It's coming up soon :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.allwriterworkshops.com/workshops/preview/51/">April 7-14th at All Writer Workshops</a>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-6380326532167843502015-06-26T02:35:00.001-07:002015-06-26T02:36:36.938-07:00WOOT!!! It's live and it's free!Practical Emotional Structure is live, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Emotional-Structure-Part-plain-English-ebook/dp/B010B1ECJM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435309961&sr=8-2&keywords=jodi+henley">free </a>(today and tomorrow) and hopefully headed your way!<br />
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<br />Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-37012296399134521822015-06-24T03:09:00.000-07:002015-06-24T03:09:46.450-07:00Double Woot!!After many years (thanks for reminding me, Facebook!) <i>Practical Emotional Structure Part 2</i> is almost out. I just hit the "publish" button on Amazon and hope to have it live by Saturday, when it'll also be free. Whew, I hope it doesn't take another three years for the next book.Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-59818811943024047512015-05-25T21:27:00.001-07:002015-05-25T21:49:28.503-07:00Good Idea, Bad Execution--Guardians of the GalaxyI love movies. And in particular, I love escapist popcorn flicks like <i>Sahara, 17 Again, </i>and<i> Con Air</i>. There is no big angst or thinking style themes in these movies, it's just turn them on and turn off your brain for the hour and half it takes Dirk to save the free world or dig up a treasure, Zac Efron to look cool, or Nicholas Cage to rock a wife-beater and work on his pecs.<br />
<br />
I thought I'd love <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i>. The preview was good, the backstory was great, and...it should have been <i>good</i>, damn it! I have this bug up in my head, which sort of acts like an internal editor (lol, it "is" an internal editor), but most of the time, I can shut it down and enjoy a story for what it is.<br />
<br />
I was a "little" itchy when the first thing on the screen was the death of Peter's mother, neatly shown in a brief snippet that cut the emotional component way short. I mean, come on--the woman is DYING. You figure the camera would linger, we'd get to see Peter's lip wobble, people (well-meaning people) would try to push him in closer to say good-bye, he'd fight them, his mom would die, big focus on his grief-struck, guilty face (because he didn't take her hand like she wanted), he'd cling to his gift like grim death and burst out into the hall with the camera following behind in the rush of grief and confusion that needed to propel him out into an open field.<br />
<br />
nah.<br />
<br />
Instead he's kidnapped with a ray of light (seriously!! Why not show him carried off kicking and screaming, would it have cost that much more??) and there's a nice montage of comic book images before we get to see the grown up Peter dance his way (okay, that was cool and I'd love to watch that small bit of characterization again) through an "alien" landscape. Does it remind you of Riddick? It reminded <i>me </i>of Riddick and made me wonder if they were recycling.<br />
<br />
He steals the orb, the bad guys try to steal it from him, he escapes, he tries to sell the orb, the other bad guys try to steal it from him, Rocket tries to kidnap him for the bounty--and a pause for exposition.<br />
<br />
Yeah, why not a police line up? That's a quick, easy fix. Somebody else can do the info-dumping rather than the characters, no need to use precious minutes on inserting everything organically. It made me wonder why (after the only bit of backstory Peter talks about is his conquests) Peter would even bother rescuing the girl, whose name escapes me.<br />
<br />
Lots of escape action, lots of police running around, a nice posed still of the group framed in a doorway.<br />
<br />
And I was still waiting for something good that never appeared.<br />
<br />
The death of Peter's mom was just an excuse to bring in the walkman cassette player so Peter could freak out about seeing someone else touch it, and later (like it mattered) run back to get it during the escape. You figure something that important to him would be encased in some kind of impervious case or have some kind of Thor's hammer like homing beacon, because yeah--if that ravager guy could have a whistle-activated javelin, why not give Peter's walkman a homing beacon?<br />
<br />
The whole show was full of unsupported weaponry, cool but unexplained doodads (if they'd just added thirty seconds for Peter to tell someone his nifty face mask was stolen during a previous heist, and ten seconds for Peter to protest the foster dad guy was always threatening him with the javelin Peter found and gave to him (taken during the same heist, which doesn't just add cred to Peter's background as a ravager, but explains the Deadly Space ToothPick, and Why Peter Can Breathe in Space, and also implies statuses and relationships going back for years)), backstory that was never used or constantly cut short to add in more explosions.<br />
<br />
And don't get me started on the word "Asshole." It says a lot about a movie where every single time someone says<i> asshole </i>people stop to stare or there's a dead silence. It's not that it's a horrible, bad, evil word, it's just that it's thrown on top of already bad dialogue like a cherry. "...Yeah, he was a real...asshole." I'm not sure if it's because the <i>screenwriter </i>thought it was a super-powered bad word, or the director thought it was a super-bad word, or if it was supposed to be funny, but it was cringe-worthy.<br />
<br />
So before I go off on a ten page rant about how I want my money back from Fry's, ta-dah! Jodi's Top Ten Instances Where Just a Little Effort Could Have Made This a Fabulous Popcorn Flick.<br />
<br />
1. The death of Peter's mom (seriously!! Show emotion, let the kid cry and scream)<br />
2. Peter's abduction (no scary blue men?? Why the hell not? Drag that kid kicking and screaming for his mommy into the light)<br />
3. The cops taking away Peter's walkman (this should have been a no-brainer. If it's important enough to go back for during a jailbreak, why isn't his fury over it being taken from him shown? That half-baked scene where he gets shock-sticked is just an excuse to strip him down. Yes, he was hot, but he could have been hot somewhere else. Multiple times.)<br />
4. The half-baked scene where he gets shock-sticked (he is so wussy, seriously. Have him win first! Have him win first! Can I repeat that?? It would have deepened his character, shown how capable he was, and made his take down even better, especially if he'd curled around the walkman while being shock-sticked! Argh!)<br />
5. All the nothing where he should have been interacting with the girl before he rescues her (c'mon, give me a reason. Yes, she's hot, but that's not enough)<br />
6. Rocket's drunken fit (he has good backstory, use it!! Give him rage, instead of drunken sot self pity. It was so neatly set up with the close up of his back in prison. Wasted, totally wasted)<br />
7. Peter and the girl (was her name Zamora? I think it was) out on the balcony (what is it? No soppy stuff for the guy crowd?? Why not let them dance to a moldy oldie and share a brief deep look into each others eyes before the next round of explosions?)<br />
8. The Liberace kind of guy and the villains (there are too many villains in this show and they all want center stage. I know it has to work within the Marvel Universe, but condense or put off (until the next show) the villains and show the Liberace guy right up front with Peter (maybe on a vid screen or something, they don't have to be together) to set up his involvement from the beginning. Otherwise he's just a golly-gee whiz look at more "aliens")<br />
9. The entire Zamora Peter relationship arc (uh, where is it?? It's like the highlights were picked out, shortened to a couple of seconds and someone went in to cut more in order to add more explosions)<br />
10. Use of backstory. Every. Single. Thing. In this show was set up so it'd have a nice arc, good structure, and support. Peter's backstory, Zamora's backstory, Rocket's backstory (and his relationship with Groot). And the walkman. Too bad none of it was used except by mistake. They must have missed cutting it from the final product.<br />
<br />
Is it worth seeing? Sort of--I love that scene where Peter is dancing through the waterspouts and he's hot as hell during the delousing. Pity the rest of it isn't worth the media it's recorded on.<br />
<br />
<br />Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-91094996635301473242015-04-23T11:33:00.000-07:002015-04-24T01:44:57.165-07:00Emotional Resonance, the #1 reason a reader rejects a bookWhat “is” emotional resonance?<br />
<br />
According to google definitions “resonance” is the "the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface” which is just a complicated way to say resonance is the <i>interaction</i> between a force<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p_qb9Fl_qhatq_s_aedFDlXM7Jg1kYVpvOvTsagLyNWaiKPJXc_9cEEBIAWL7QaU4fQUfkDvY6jtTM5uloasOrJ2CINLet5WZ049L5NhrDehvDILG1c4S2w0qD89GCe_Gr8KEKeGZuA/s1600/Slide3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p_qb9Fl_qhatq_s_aedFDlXM7Jg1kYVpvOvTsagLyNWaiKPJXc_9cEEBIAWL7QaU4fQUfkDvY6jtTM5uloasOrJ2CINLet5WZ049L5NhrDehvDILG1c4S2w0qD89GCe_Gr8KEKeGZuA/s1600/Slide3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And an object<br />
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<br />
In the movie <i>Avatar</i>, by James Cameron, the protagonist, Jake Sully, is a paraplegic space marine. More than anything he wants the use of his legs back, so when he gets the chance to take his deceased brother’s place by putting his conscious into an avatar on Na’vi, he takes it. The problem is that he starts feeling emotions in reaction to the situations his avatar experiences, which is the way it should be… because Sully and his avatar are the same.<br />
<br />
He is literally living through his avatar, which is the same thing your reader does when they experience a book they resonate with—they aren’t reading the book, they’re living the emotions you’ve laid out for them to feel.<br />
<br />
The interface between book and reader is their avatar<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY11kQ89LRB9zfxILM-Dr4BBSOBf5-rj2n3K59EXQSmIqogC0qaMcLDUSkMlVifb65OXhorf8z5O4S_ZVkz3H9VwQSIkB5AvPZcGaqcC1oUqgTR7huFxnTdZOk-h7h3zRpi9oX4VCl6Kc/s1600/Slide6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY11kQ89LRB9zfxILM-Dr4BBSOBf5-rj2n3K59EXQSmIqogC0qaMcLDUSkMlVifb65OXhorf8z5O4S_ZVkz3H9VwQSIkB5AvPZcGaqcC1oUqgTR7huFxnTdZOk-h7h3zRpi9oX4VCl6Kc/s1600/Slide6.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And your book is their Na’vi.<br />
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<br />
Sully is emotionally resonating with his experiences on Na’vi in the same way you want your reader to resonate with your book because you aren’t creating a book—you’re creating 1/2 an avatar, a vehicle to carry your reader’s conscious—to allow them to experience the protagonist’s emotions as if they were their own.<br />
<br />
<b>And what does that mean?</b><br />
<br />
It means, if you are writing a romance, your reader wants everything from the first look to the last kiss, they want a cohesive roller coaster ride of emotions, they don’t want bumper cars—where the protagonists go around randomly emoting or the Junior Grand Prix, going around a flat track at 5 miles an hour. Which leaves little room for error and leads to another--even bigger question.<br />
<br />
If millions of people watched Avatar, and enjoyed the emotions Cameron laid out, what about the millions that didn’t? I didn’t watch Avatar; I just couldn’t get into it. What is it about some stories that sweep you away and others you delete from your reader or throw under the bed?<br />
<br />
The answer is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing#/media/File:Firefighterbabyocb.jpg">here</a> (do <u><b>not</b></u> go here if you are easily upset!)<br />
<br />
And <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/First_Iwo_Jima_Flag_Raising.jpg">here</a>.<br />
<br />
This first picture is a picture of a firefighter carrying Baylee Almon out of the ruins of the Oklahoma Federal building.<br />
<br />
The second is the iconic flag raising on Iwo Jima.<br />
<br />
Both pictures are highly emotional, and resonate on a very deep level, but they resonate differently. 100% of the time I do not like the Baylee Almon photograph, because the emotions are so deeply disturbing to me as a parent. I don’t read books about dead kids, dying kids, or kids in danger. And while I might read about a kid in danger as part of a romantic suspense, I want that kid to be alive and well at the end, because I don’t want to experience the emotions of losing a child, or suffering while my child is hurt. Ever. And heaven forbid you betray my trust as a reader by springing a dead kid on me as a “surprise”.<br />
<br />
The biggest reason people delete or reject books isn’t because the writing is bad or somebody didn’t proof the upload, the biggest reason people reject a book is because<i> they’re not interested in the emotions laid out in the story. </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-71398266148798086222015-03-16T09:03:00.001-07:002015-03-16T16:04:07.146-07:00Free open house and QA 3/16-3/18Want to talk craft? Maybe figure out what's happening with your website or get a little free coaching? Come on over to the new All Writers Resources open house and win prizes, ask questions and talk to me--while I can't offer tech advice, I can offer free troubleshooting!! Dianna Love, Mary Buckham, Scott Martin and Misty Evans will be there, too. It's a good opportunity to troubleshoot your wip, ask craft questions and brush off your website skills. You have to register, but it's free. And I love free :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.allwriterworkshops.com/workshop/11">https://www.allwriterworkshops.com/workshop/11</a>Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-4674883958044005532015-03-02T03:05:00.000-08:002015-03-02T12:51:44.869-08:00"Showing" subconscious fears and motivationsIt's been almost sixty here for more than two weeks. You'd think winter was over except for the 28 degree nights. Still too early to plant flowers, but never too early to break out the jiffy greenhouse and start up a couple of flats of cheap sunflowers.<br />
<br />
Cynthia asked me another question, which is very nice of her considering it took so long to answer the last one.<br />
<br />
<i>Quick set up:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
We'd been talking about motivation and conflict, and I mentioned the fact that the heroine's conflict is because her motivation to chase the hero is in conflict with her subconscious fear that a relationship with the hero won't come close to the ideal relationship her parents share.<br />
<br />
In other words, the heroine has two motivations. Her <i>conscious</i> motivation is to chase the hero and marry him. Her <i>sub</i>conscious motivation is to push the hero away because she's afraid a relationship with him won't work.<br />
<br />
<i>This is the question:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<span style="color: red;">How would one portray a subconscious fear in a book? It seems this would be not easy/impossible to do. Is it just a matter of how she reacts?</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>Yes, it is. I'm afraid of snakes, but on the other hand I used to know a lot of people who had snakes as pets. Every time I'd go to their house I'd make sure not to look at the aquariums while I was there, and if we were out together, I'd always be looking at their person or purse (or car) for movement, in case they were carrying their snake with them. Although it's a conscious fear the actions I took are actions that can be used to show a "<i>sub"</i>conscious fear of snakes (if I was too macho to admit my fear and in full suppression mode).<br />
<br />
The fact that the house is full of snakes (in aquariums) and the actions the character takes (nervous jumps, trying to keep their eyes on the wall, short glances at stealthy movement) together with the circumstances creates an equation.<br />
<br />
circumstances + actions = showing subconscious fear<br />
<br />
If you are showing the circumstances and actions taken by the character (in reaction to those circumstances) clearly, the reader will be the one who adds two and two together (which also draws them into the story) and says, "Aha!!! She's afraid of <i>snakes</i>!"<br />
<br />
So the heroine would (after interactions with her parents (the circumstances) demonstrating their marriage) be comparing the way they interact with the way<i> she </i>interacts with the hero (the actions). Maybe she can watch her dad present her mother with a little posy he picked while they were walking in the gardens. And notice that hero brought her a can of cookies (something her father<i> never</i> did to her mother), not realizing the hero knows (and loves) her (subconsciously) and is doing it because he wants to make her happy. It's a misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding that shows her fears that even if the hero does come up to scratch, her marriage with him won't be the Eden she dreams about. And it also shows the hero being thoughtful and worthy of love, and <i>his</i> subconscious longing for her. Something she can blow up by rejecting the cookies or gifting them to her maid.<br />
<br />
The reader doesn't need to know about the character's subconscious fear or motivation right up front. It's something they'll find out for themselves as the book goes on. You, on the other hand, <i>do</i> need to know what's really going on so you can build in the "circumstances+actions" to show what's <i>really</i> going on in the hero and heroine's minds unbeknownst to them.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-60039156278418216082015-02-06T02:05:00.000-08:002015-02-06T02:05:20.986-08:00Writing Blurbs and the Short SynopsisWhew, has it almost been a year? Guess I needed some down time. So much has happened over the last year it's hard to know where to start. I've been working on conflict and backstory, doing some stuff on continuing arcs--but mostly editing. Yay!! I bought a <i>house</i> with my freelance money--or rather "qualified" for a house, since the bank owns it and I just occupy it. But it's technically mine, and it's still so new to me that it feels like I'm paying rent to someone else, without a maintenance safety net. Super scary.<br />
<br />
I spent yesterday talking to someone about their short synopsis, and realized I'd never put my template (so far as I remember) online. I'm probably prejudiced, but I think it works great and use it all the time. You're welcome to use it, too.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Relationship driven
story:</b> first and second paragraph.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Introduce the hero or heroine and give a quick external set
up, followed by his or her emotional conflict. Then do the same for the other
person in the relationship. E.g.,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Davida Wells, a bed and breakfast owner, has been hurt by
the man who swore to love her forever, but despite her stated belief that all
men are jerks (t<i>his is her pertinent
backstory)</i> she still longs for a hero to sweep her off her feet (<i>this is what she wants, deep down inside</i>).
Curran Jones is nobody’s hero. Badly wounded in Iraq, Curran shuts down after
returning home to a fiancée who rejects him for the loss of his leg (<i>this is Curran’s pertinent backstory.
Because he is shut down, he’s in a holding pattern, ready to be disrupted by
Davida. Notice the sentences run on, and I made sure to immediately identify
Davida and Curran’s occupations</i>).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite their instant attraction to each other, Davida can’t
release her anger, and Curran can’t let go of his pain. Hurt by people they’ve
trusted, trust isn’t so easy to give the second time around (<i>this is the story’s central emotional
conflict</i>).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Third and fourth
paragraphs</b>: The external conflict, necessary story events, place setting if
needed, what the hero and heroine need to do to, and what they have to lose.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When a collapsed culvert cuts off access to Davida’s remote
inn, the only access is through Curran’s yard (<i>this is the external conflict</i>). After sinking her life’s savings
into the inn, without access Davida will lose her home and independence (t<i>his is why it matters to the heroine and her
motivation to keep going. It ties into her pertinent backstory i.e., external
conflict and internal motivation should sync. Davida is lined up behind finding
an access point through Curran’s yard “because” of her backstory. She “needs”
to be independent. However, what she wants is in direct conflict to her
motivation “and” the external conflict)</i>. Can she humble her pride and ask
the town loner for help? After erecting
walls to keep people out, can Curran tear them down to let people in, including
a woman with a chip on her shoulder so big he longs to knock it off?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With Christmas on the way, can two wounded hearts heal
enough to make the holidays (<i>this is what
they both need to do in order to have a chance at a happily ever after</i>) A
BRIGHT AND SHINING TIME?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To help with title recognition and create resonance, try to
end on the title. If not the title, use something that sounds like the title.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Plot driven story:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First and second paragraph: Simple plot set up and the protagonist’s
emotional involvement with it. Foreshadow the external conflict.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unseeelie fae Glinda nicKethys is tired of being a dark and
dangerous villain, and moves to Grayton, Kansas for a fresh start.
Unfortunately, something is stirring in Grayton and it’s not Mrs. Livinski’s
famous oatmeal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Second paragraph</b>:
More plot, intro the hero or secondary if needed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ground outside town has started to crack and all signs
point to an earth demon. Too bad the sexy police chief Travis Lee says it’s a
sinkhole, because Glinda is always right about these things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Third and optional
fourth paragraphs:</b> How does the plot involve the protagonist emotionally?
What does he or she need to do and what does she have to lose? Wrap it all up
in a hook. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Glinda’s last boyfriend was an earth demon, and she suspects
he’s back trying to rekindle an old flame. Can she get rid of her persistent
admirer before he destroys the town and slaughters Travis? Or will she lose her
only chance to be JUST A REGULAR GIRL?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Notice that each question triggers a sentence in the blurb.
If you get stuck, just answer the questions in order.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-81973800287487236342014-06-10T01:35:00.000-07:002014-06-10T07:22:18.547-07:00A long time ago, as stories go......I wanted to be Patricia Veryan, swashing my buckle as I rode around the countryside with dashing rouges and daring heroines (who could always pull off being a boy easily). After many rejections and an agent or two, I figured, ah--well, I was probably meant to be a Harlequin Romantic Suspense writer instead. And spent many years writing myself down rabbit holes so deep and broad even a metal fire ladder wouldn't have pulled me out. <br />
<br />
Nothing panned out, but it did make me realize I needed help. I was so lost it wasn't funny, and everyone else seemed to have it together. It took me years to realize my interests were kind of skewed. I loved to write, but I also loved the mechanics of writing--the craft stuff. All the lines and squiggles, and arcs and do-giggys. I used to dream in text, and after I started editing, I started seeing diagrams. It was weird. Probably weirder because it's just not something copy editors do, being logical people like my friend, Laura.<br />
<br />
I had a really bad year wondering if something was wrong with me, until I realized my strengths weren't in copy, but developmental edits. Thank God for Dr. Google and those people who stuck with me as I shifted gears and worked through my sea change.<br />
<br />
I started doing workshops to get my head on straight and share my thoughts. Last year, my tidal wave of info all but drowned me and I'm still having problems finding things that used to flow like rain. I need to shift gears again, and this time, scale it back.<br />
<br />
I have so much info and so many powerpoints I can't even remember where I put them or what they're about, and sometimes (to my surprise and occasional delight) will find things I did that startle me, or make me scratch my head. A lot of my older information is obsolete, evolved away in the progression of time and theories as they morphed into smoother, more elegantly usable things, like the hammering of a block of steel into a katana. And a lot of it isn't <i>here</i>, in the one place I consider my online home. I need to fix that and the damage left by my near drowning.<br />
<br />
I have two more workshops left in the year, and...I don't think I'll be doing any more. At least, not for savvy or for pay. Maybe for free, if I can ever find a way to create some structure and hold myself to it. Or maybe I'll just hand out pdfs and stand around on a facebook corner, hoping people talk to me, I dunno. It's a question for another day. Right now, I'm a fingertip and a straw away from being swallowed by edits. My schedule has always been tight, but now it's back to back, and sometimes doubled. I wonder if dev edits have finally gained some recognition, or it's just a natural progression of the indie revolution. Whatever it is, hasn't left me much time. My contact info is current if you need to talk to me, want to check availability or have a question.<br />
<br />
*pats blog* I'll be back, blog. I just don't know when.Jodi Henleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711238304982262173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869527318255268135.post-91659827042821210872014-05-07T22:39:00.000-07:002014-05-07T22:43:20.275-07:00How to Insert Backstory without Info-dumps<br />
It's been a weird few months. Cold, hot, cold again. It's currently 58 right now, with a nice breeze, and everything is covered in a sheet of fine, yellow pollen. My head hurts and my eyes keep watering despite Allegra. Everything is so beautiful I can't get over how fortunate I am to live in Eyecandyland. The mountains are green and snow-capped, the meadows are lush with grass and everywhere you look trees are unfurling new leaves and covered in flowers. It makes me wonder how early man got along without family-sized meds from Costco and a houseful of HEPA filters.<br />
<br />
I was fortunate enough to get a question recently, all thanks to <a href="http://www.margaretcarroll.com/" target="_blank">Margaret Carroll</a> for letting me post it.<br />
<br />
<i>Hi Jodi, I have a question. You wrote: Backstory is important because that's where the motivation is. Backstory gets mined each time the protagonist slams into conflict, because conflict is simply two motivations fighting it out for dominance. Does this mean a good yardstick for when/how to insert backstory is little bits each time a character faces a conflict and has to choose how to act (or just after)? I really struggle with this. I am the world's most linear thinker. And also guilty of using backstory way way way too much. Thank you!</i><br />
<br />
Yes definitely. I wouldn't do it each time, because then it would be obvious, but I'd consider it "an opportunity" to make the decision because it would add backstory in the most natural way. And for that think of peanut butter?<br />
<br />
Maybe a kid is going to school and there's a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. He's new, and he's not fitting in even though he really wants to fit in. So there he is, sitting at the table with his classmates, and there's this peanut butter sandwich.<br />
<br />
Maybe he doesn't like peanut butter (for reasons in backstory (that you aren't going to mention because it would be an info dump or you just want him to refuse the sandwich to further the plot which is that he's going to be alienated)), so he pushes the plate away and says, "I'm not hungry."<br />
<br />
That's pretty simple and allows the story to move on.<br />
<br />
But if you use it as an opportunity to show his conflict and motivation (his motivation to fit in by eating the sandwich)<br />
<br />
versus<br />
<br />
His motivation to avoid his brother's fate (his brother choked on a peanut butter sandwich that got stuck to the roof of his mouth and stopping breathing, now he has brain damage (his motivation to aoivd his brother's fate or self-preservation))<br />
<br />
equals<b> conflict</b><br />
<br />
...which can be shown with a "little" bit of backstory, and a good rule of thumb here (not an "always rule" but just a general rule of thumb) would be "whatever triggers the conflict (the fight between the two motivations)" THEN a sentence or two of backstory formatted as internal thought.<br />
<br />
e.g.,<br />
The starting (understood) motivation, which is that he wants to fit in. Your reader should know this from how the story and scene is set up to this point.<br />
<br />
There was a peanut butter sandwich on every plate. (this is the trigger that activates the conflict) His brother had almost died eating a peanut butter sandwich (this is the kid's backstory). He'd been brain damaged for almost five years now/he still couldn't sit up without a wheelchair/he'd been in the hospital ever since (this is why it's important to him)<br />
<br />
With the implication being that he doesn't want to end up like his brother (his conflicting motivation)<br />
<br />
...and then just go on with the scene. Maybe he pushes it away or looks around and notices everyone is looking at him and wants to throw up, or he gets up and runs away, or something. Whatever you'd like.<br />
<br />
* the backstory didn't break the flow of the scene<br />
* it was natural<br />
* it put his conflict on display without explaining it.<br />
* it draws the reader into the story (because they're trying to figure the kid out), so the story hooks them<br />
* and best of all, it keeps everything tightAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14553958040386480998noreply@blogger.com0