Excited by a Scene Chart & Book Spotlight

You know how most of us latch on to something as a good idea but don't put any effort into it? I don't know if we resist change or that lazy streak gets in the way. I recently took an idea from Jordan McCullom's class on Structural Self-Editing (mentioned two posts ago) to the implement stage and I'm glad I did. I created a scene chart! Mine was put into a spread sheet doc but you can do it many ways. Why does this excite me? Because my scenes are improving! You might be shaking your head and thinking, She needs a life, but I truly love my job.

Scene charts identify elements and see where there are holes so writers know what needs improvement. In scene 8.2, I listed the primary emotion I wanted the reader to feel as FEAR. Karlinah's young sons speak with her about what will happen if the Lamanite warriors attack. She attempts to keep them calm even while she worries. I went back through to see if I could add small bits that show her fear. For example:
   I added the small action of her swallowing before answering with a steady voice.
    She made certain her own face didn't betray her worry.

    Something squeezed at her heart. If these warriors came to Ishmael, how many more men—men like her father and brothers, and Timothy—might die?

After reading through a scene, I fill in information about what the character wants to achieve, which is different from the scene goal, the primary emotion I want readers to feel, and the source of tension/conflict, etc. Once I define what the biggest source of tension is, I can go back and see what I can do to ramp it up. If I can't define what my character wants, then I need to revise and include that or scrap the scene. TIP: I highly recommend using some kind of method (list, chart, map, spreadsheet) that forces a writer to identify the goals and other elements of the scene.

In case you missed it last week: I want to give a shout out to my sister-in-laws' incredible non-fiction book. She spent years preparing this unique volume for those who are interested in LDS history, curious about the temple, and/or appreciate a fascinating read. Learn more at https://www.woodruffswitness.com/
 
Jennifer Ann Mackley says, "After 15 years, I am pleased to announce the release of Wilford Woodruff's Witness. Wilford Woodruff's Witness chronicles the development of LDS temple doctrine and practices over the course of the nineteenth century. The compelling story is accompanied by more than 120 archival images--some previously unpublished--and is told from Wilford Woodruff's perspective, as preserved in his letters, discourses, and journals."

Book Review & Book Highlight

Wow. Reading Tornado Warning: The Extraordinary Women of Joplin by Tamara Hart Heiner gave me a greater appreciation for the scope of those who endured devastation and loss. Though not exactly a tear-jerker, I traveled the emotional ride with the seven women whose individual experiences during the Joplin tornado are retold in play-by-play fashion. Heiner did an excellent job putting me in the moment with these women and their families and I wanted to keep reading. At times it took a few seconds to remember whose story this section was, but the author gave heading clues for manageable chunks at a time from each story. I don't know a better way she could have done this. I would recommend this nonfiction work to any YA to Adult fiction lover. The stories told will have an impact.

According to Heiner, the book came about "simply because I wanted to help" and the one thing she could do was to write. I asked her how she became connected with these women. She started asking for contacts through Facebook. She says, "Of the many I talked to, only a few ended up willing to tell their story. Of those few, I had to pick stories that were the most unique and would resonate with the most people."

When I learned that Heiner is donating her proceeds for the lifetime of the book to disasters in general and the cause of rebuilding Joplin, I became more excited to share this review. Read a good story, gain a little knowledge, and support a good cause with one purchase! In Heiner's words, "I hope this will be the book that keeps on giving!" From her blog: Proceeds from the book will be donated to Misty's Missions, as long as she is actively raising money for disaster relief, and RebuildJoplin.org. Click the links to find out more about these organizations!
I've previously reviewed a couple of Heiner's other books and recommend this author. To learn more about her, go to tamarahartheiner.com and click on Blog.

I want to give a shout out to my sister-in-laws' incredible non-fiction book. She spent years preparing this unique volume for those who are interested in LDS history, curious about the temple, and/or appreciate a fascinating read. Find out more on https://www.woodruffswitness.com/
 Jennifer Ann Mackley says, "After 15 years, I am pleased to announce the release of Wilford Woodruff's Witness. Wilford Woodruff's Witness chronicles the development of LDS temple doctrine and practices over the course of the nineteenth century. The compelling story is accompanied by more than 120 archival images--some previously unpublished--and is told from Wilford Woodruff's perspective, as preserved in his letters, discourses, and journals."

Tips Gained at Writers Conference, Part 2

Studying a Contract
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Two of the classes I took at the LDStorymakers 2014 Conference are hard to pass along tips. One was a Scrivener writing program demonstration that caught my interest. It could be helpful for you to know that they have a free 30-day trial and half price to Nanowrimo winners. The other was a timely subject for me--Contracts. I'll not bore you with various clauses. However, I highly recommend getting help understanding what a potential contract contains or should contain but might not, before signing one.

My main focus this time was help with plot because the sequel I am writing has me stuck in a few spots. How do I keep the emotion in events and the stakes high for the people of Ammon who are happy and righteous? The following tips are from a combination of plot classes.
1. Each character needs a goal. There should also be a scene goal and overall story goal. Once in a while a character can get what they want if it furthers the story, but most of the time you keep them from their goal with conflict and disasters.
2. Stephanie Black taught that scenes are real-time action with conflict, and sequels are the connectors between them. Take notice of the amount of each so that we are neither bored nor out of breath. Reader need short pauses where characters take time to think and decide. Then get moving again. Make things happen for a reason.
3. Jordan McCollum showed a scene chart spreadsheet to visually see such things as length, who the point of view character is, their goal, the source of tension or conflict, the setting, mode (set-up, response, attack, resolution), etc. Is there smoothness into the next scene or a hole? What does the story shape look like? This could be a helpful tool for me.
4. Rachelle Christensen spoke about the power of outlining, whether strict or loose. Start with knowing your beginning, middle, and end points. Make a timeline, draw a map, or write a scene list. Use beats, point systems or other plot methods you like. Fill in the holes by discovering why, what are your characters' motivations? Anything can be changed. Never put a scene in that you don't love.
5. In Kris Chandler's Emotional Pacing class, she described that the physical plot is separate from the emotional plot. If you overlapped the ups and downs of the two, they may correlate or separate but should come closely together with a punch at the end. The story of the Three Little Pigs is plot-strong. It would scare children if the emotional pacing matched it. Toned down with cute words (like chinney chin chin) and rhyme, the emotional plotline makes it bearable. Identify the primary emotion you want the reader to feel in each scene.

Now let's get writing!

Tips Gained at Writers Conference, Part 1

Progress, or at least consistency, has been made. 
In passing the 200th post mark with this article, I found that learning some fresh ideas for blogging to be a timely topic for me. I gleaned some goodness from the Blogging class taught by DeNae Handy at the LDStorymakers Conference 2014. It's never the same as being there and hearing the fun stories accompanying one's notes, but here are some tips anyway. Enjoy!
Blogging: The Writer's Workroom
1. Everything is searchable and public. You cannot use published blog posts for profit elsewhere, so save your special ones for your memoir.
2. Blogging helps the writer: become a better observer, be creative, learn to be concise/brief (as opposed to writing a novel), develop subplots (as we meander into a different subject than when we began), connect with readers (verses the isolation of a novelist), tell engaging stories, expand your readership, lets you practice, discover, and more.
3. Go back and reread a few old posts to see how far you've come and to refreshen your voice.
Great tips, DeNae. Find her blog with funny stories at http://www.thebackorderedlife.com/ It's the new-to-me blog of the week.

I decided I better sit in on a Romance Genre class since my upcoming novel is being called a Book of Mormon Romance. Here's some of the pointers Krista Jensen shared:
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
1. Never let the hero and heroine be separated for more than ten pages. (Yeah. I broke that one until the climax. But then my story is more about Karlinah's self-discovery journey with romance as a subplot until the end.)
2. Show them in a variety of settings. (Check.)
3. Put them in a setting where they can't escape each other and must deal with one another. (Check.)
4. Romances have happy endings. (Double check.)

I'll share one more class for today, but look for more tips next week. Jeff Scott Savage gave examples and let the class 'fix' them in The Art of Creating Stronger Stories Through Subtlety. He showed us how to step things up and try something different.
1. Write in ways that 'show-don't tell'. Avoid thought verbs, using SO (She was so angry that...), and shortcuts. They 'tell'.
2. Keep foreshadowing subtle enough that readers don't know it's there until later.
3. Use misdirecton. Reader is lead to think a certain thing will happen but changes instead.
4. Avoid the obvious by not writing the first thing that comes to mind. What are the options?

Good stuff, eh?