• Home
  • About Me
  • What I’m Writing
  • What I’m Reading
  • Sample Chapter
  • Ratings and Policies

Woven Magic Books

~ Book reviews, Book-ish Babble, and occasional writing advice.

Woven Magic Books

Tag Archives: realism

I shouldn’t have tried to force my plot ~ NaNoWriMo sample chapter next week

30 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Personal

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

author, book, books, chapter, characters, characters people, editing, fantasy, fiction, first draft, friendship, ideas, literature, NaNoWriMo, novel, panster, personality, planning, plot, plotter, plotting, read, reader, realism, romance, rough draft, science fiction, scifi, stories, story, write, writer, writing

nora roberts fix anything but a blank page

Once I realized why I was having so much trouble with my plot, I was able to fix it. I was trying to force the plot to be something that it wasn’t. I’d spent a lot of time on the characters back-stories, but then their pasts didn’t impact the plot at all. So, it turns out what I thought was my plot was really just a subplot.

I hit my 50k on Wednesday, (Yay!) but I have a lot left to write before my story is finished. I know what is going to happen up to my climax now, but I still have to figure out how it’s going to end. Who’s going to be the real bad guy after all? At least I have plenty of options.

I’m glad that I attempted NaNo, because it’s taught me a lot about writing a plot.

To celebrate the end of November I’ll posting my first chapter here next week, after I’ve edited it a little. Sorry for the short post, I’ve been having a lovely Holiday weekend with my family.

How is your writing coming?

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Plotting… I’m a writer it’s what I (should probably) do

23 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Personal

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

author, book, books, chapter, characters, characters people, editing, fantasy, fiction, first draft, friendship, ideas, literature, NaNoWriMo, novel, panster, personality, planning, plot, plotter, plotting, read, reader, realism, romance, rough draft, science fiction, scifi, stories, story, write, writer, writing

raybradburyplot

Panster vs plotter, I have no idea where these terms come from, but they describe the two methods of writing. A panster sits down and writes, (albeit with a clue of where things are going). A plotter plots out the story before starting, with pretty diagrams and summaries.

How does this whole plotting thing work? Since I’ve been a panster,  I don’t actually know, so I’m just going to link to some people who do. (Stupid autocorrect keeps making it punster… I do not make puns!)

Sometimes the directionally disabled need a map.

When I started my first novel, Woven Magic [insert book plug here], I had a pretty good idea of the plot and where I wanted it to go before I started. I didn’t write a summary or anything, it just came together.

My nanowrimo novel on the other hand… is still a bunch of disjointed chapters. I’ve been reading online about plots and the key points there are supposed to be in a story. I don’t want to follow a blueprint, because I think that makes things far too predictable. My first book, sorry I won’t plug it again, actually had all the key points at around the right places, so that made me happy.

For my nano novel, I’m going to have to write out a summary, or at least have a better idea of where my characters are going. Even in a character driven novel like mine, there should be a plot. I suppose that’s the problem, I started writing without a clue as to the plot. Now I’ve gotten my characters in such a mess I don’t have a clue how to get them out of it.

This book’s world is a mishmash of science fiction and fantasy. It’s set on another planet with alien species, advanced technology, and sorcery. My sorcery is key to one of my characters, but I think it will feel like too much of an add-on if it doesn’t directly impact the plot. Okay, so how can magic get them out of this mess? I suppose I have to teach my character how to use magic first… Stop rambling Molly.

If this wasn’t the blog you were looking for and you wanted to know how to outline a plot, here are some sites I’ve found useful when I was searching on how to get myself out of my mess.

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/09/14/25-ways-to-plot-plan-and-prep-your-story/ (Funny writer, but warning he likes swear words.)

http://romanceuniversity.org/2013/09/23/a-matter-of-timing-positioning-your-major-plot-points-within-your-story-by-k-m-weiland/ (Explains the key plot point percents.)

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2012/02/secrets-of-story-structure-pt-1-why.html (A series of articles breaking it all down.)

The best advice I found was that the first 25%-ish of the story should be establishing the everyday world, showing the plot, and introducing the characters. At around 50%, something should go wrong, a big plot point to hit at what the climax is going to be, with another one at about 75%. (The second link goes more into this.)

In case you were wondering why this blog sounds different, I’ve been far too worried about sounding professional instead of just being myself. Since this isn’t about writing, but my writing, it’s just me, casual like. I am the sort of person who gets stage fright from writing on my blog…, which is why I try so hard. I’ll be more professional next week, promise. 😉

How do you plan before you start writing?

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Character Relationships ~ Fictional Friendship

16 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

author, book, books, chapter, characters, characters people, editing, fantasy, fiction, first draft, friendship, ideas, literature, novel, personality, read, reader, realism, romance, rough draft, science fiction, scifi, stories, story, write, writer, writing

peoplemeetjohnsteinbeck

Relationships between characters are important, because they show what kind of people they are and help them to feel like real people.

When meeting someone new you slowly get to know them, so I do the same thing when my characters meet. Whether it turns into a friendship or a romance, I allow them time to get to know each other. I like romance where it starts out as a friendship and then gradually becomes something more. I have nothing against love at first site, but I like my characters to have a connection beyond their initial attraction. Their feelings for each other slowly build over time.  

A character’s friendship should also grow as they get to know each other. I wouldn’t tell someone I just met everything about myself. The same is true when characters first meet, they should hold things back. Even after they’ve known each other for years, there are going to be things they still don’t know about each other. Everyone has secrets, and characters should too.

Secrets are a good way to add tension and conflict to the story, and can cause problems for a relationship. When one friend has been keeping something important from the other, it hurts and can change things between them, even more so if they were romantic. If they make up, this experience can bring them closer together, but for some things there is no forgiveness.

Characters are like people in the way that they betray one another, for various reasons. Even if a betrayal doesn’t end a relationship, chances are it won’t be the same, trust will undoubtedly have been lost.

Just because characters are fictional doesn’t mean they should always get along. If a relationship is too perfect it seems unrealistic and can become dull. No matter how much we like someone, we fight with them sometimes. I find the opposite equally annoying, when characters constantly bicker even though they are supposed to like one another. All relationships have their ups and downs. It’s how friends handle the downs that’s important.

A true friend is there not only during good times, but stays during the bad times as well. When everything goes wrong for my character do their friends stand by them? These are the kinds of things that make characters who they are. As their friendships grows and they get to know one another, it makes it feel as though they are real friends.

What is your favorite fictional friendship?

I’m a fan of the way JK Rowling handled Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Killing… Off Characters

26 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by Molly Mortensen in Writing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

author, book, books, chapter, characters, death in a novel, editing, fantasy, fiction, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, ideas, killing characters, literature, novel, opinion, Percy Jackson, personality, read, reader, realism, science fiction, scifi, stories, story, tone, write, writer, writing

Image

Everyone has a strong opinion about killing off characters, and I’m no exception. I think that if done right, killing of a character can increase the stakes and add to the realism of a story.

In a war or a struggle if no one ever dies I think that the risk is lost. If I know everyone is always going to be okay, than it isn’t nearly as exciting. I like when they die on stage, so to speak, when it is mentioned afterwards it doesn’t have the same impact.

A death has to fit the tone of the rest of the book. It can come as a surprise, but it should still fit the mood of the story. When someone dies it should be important to the plot and change things, so there’s a reason behind the death. The main character has to be affected, so that the death affects the readers. If the reader doesn’t care what happens to the characters than I’m doing my job.

Some people think that for it to be happily ever after no one can die, but I disagree, look at how many characters die in Disney movies.

Death can’t be undone, or shouldn’t be, unless it is a book about the undead, so be certain before deciding to kill a character. They have to die for a reason, which is true to the character and the rest of the story. Don’t kill for the sake of having a character die for shock value or to prove a point, like war is bad.

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Game of Thrones, lots of big name authors are killing off characters, but that doesn’t mean that we should follow suit. Every author is different and should do what they think is best for their story. That’s the great part about being the writer. We get to decide who lives and who dies.

What is you think about authors killing off their characters? Have you killed anyone? (In your writing, of course)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,758 other followers

Follow on Bloglovin
Follow @molly_mortensen

Goodreads

Recent Posts

  • I’m still here!
  • Shadow Hunters Series Episodes One and Two Review
  • Life Update and 2016 Reading Challenges!
  • Air Awakens
  • Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo

Categories

Archives

  • September 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
NetworkedBlogs
Blog:
Woven Magic ~ Adventures in Writing
Topics:
Litureature, Books, Writing
 
Follow my blog
Parajunkee Design
Site Meter
Challenge Participant
RhiReading

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Woven Magic Books
    • Join 1,758 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Woven Magic Books
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: