About those Layers...

With references to Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis", Golding's Lord of the Flies, and even Adam Sandler's Waterboy (1998), I manage to discuss structure, depth, symbolism, and oxygen -- all without breaking a sweat.

Join me over at the Adventures in Writing blog today and check out my post on Looking Past the Surface: Depth Beckons. In an entirely accidental post, I even give you lines like, "...and now if an oriole sings in the elm, its song seems to die up in the leaves, a silvery dust" (Hurst 1).

Ooooh. *shiver* I do love that line.

I meant to write about structure for all the NaNoWriMos out there, but depth beckoned...

Contagious Diseases: Combating Elitism

I tend to be a rather laid-back sort of individual -- closely related to the kind of live-and-let-live folk that dot the countryside and truly believe in self-reliance, self-governance, and that whole Locke-ian philosophy of life, liberty, and property.

Because of who I am, I find myself downright irked by high-faluting, self-indulgent, I-am-the-center-of-the-universe, hoity-toity elitists.

You find them everywhere, it seems.

1. I'm consciously avoiding politics, but does it ever occur to anyone that our elected officials (on both sides of the aisle) run roughshod over us? They exempt themselves but demand our last drop of blood, our last half-penny.

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. --Ayn Rand

2. The anti-NaNoWriMo crowd has been none-too-gentle with their derision and contempt of those of us who choose to Nano it up this November. Of course, I'm with Voltaire: they certainly have the right to their own opinion, but gracious! the hatred, the vitriolic sputtering... the moral superiority! On the other hand, it could be part of a diabolic plan to spike their blog ratings! (Whyever didn't I think of that?!)

3. Certain individuals within the education realm who consider a "degree" the final word on intelligence seem to forget that much of what life teaches lies outside of the ivory tower. And many educators have even forgotten the purpose of a liberal education within American culture: "Traditional liberal education constituted both a rich body of knowledge and a deep habit of mind, a set of disciplines and a set of practices, one leavening the other, to the creation of intellectual culture and the ennobling of Western culture at large." --David M. Whalen

4. Will the press never be held accountable for their shameless mis-education of the American people? "Hastiness and superficiality -- these are the psychic disease of the twentieth century and more than anywhere else this is manifested in the press. In-depth analysis of a problem is anathema to the press; it is contrary to is nature. The press merely picks out sensational formulas." --Alexander Solzhenitsyn

5. In tolerating the intolerant, I try to practice what I preach: I may actively disagree with many an opinion, but I believe every individual is entitled to that opinion. It saddens me when groups of people believe that they are above their own law of tolerance. I think what they really believe is that everyone needs to be tolerant of their ideologies, but they -- in their cozy superiority -- have no need to tolerate anyone else's view.

Falling in Love Again

Thanks to David Bridger, I can fall asleep tonight in the ethereal arms of this blessed angel.


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Of course, I'm jumping up to NaNoWriMo at the break of dawn.

Plot the Novel 2.0

Gearing up for Nanowrimo can be daunting, but if you've been reading the blogs of the many previous years' winners, they all talk about plotting the novel. Heck, you can even find a previous post of mine detailing "three easy steps" toward preparing for the big day.

It has occurred to me, however, that there needs to be a Plot the Novel 2.0, a beyond-the-obvious sort of activity, that kicks the process up to a new level.

Plot the Novel 2.0

1. After you've outlined your basic novel plot, following the sage advice of others (ie Blake Snyder -- and yes, I will continue to plug him simply because he is such a riot, truly making me laugh out loud even after an exhausting weekend, not to mention the fact that his beat sheet totally makes sense), take a serious look at your plot.

1b. Exposition. Check. Inciting Incident. Check. Rising Action. Ch... Wait! Does each burst of conflict up the ante? Increase tension? Push your protagonist to the breaking point and beyond? After you've assured yourself that you've followed the most basic precepts of plot diagramming, then you're ready for the rest.

2. Cut the most likely: Readers are looking for a predictable journey with unpredictable moments. Or maybe I said that backwards. Anyway, unless you're following a specific genre where She must fall in love with He, get out your literary scissors and start hacking away with forethought and precision. Yes, this is easier said than done.

3. Foreshadow the improbable: Readers will follow you anywhere as long as you've provided sufficient foreshadowing. Far from "giving away the plot," these clues are breadcrumbs for the brain. Once we arrive at the improbable end, instead of saying, "No Way. That could not have happened. Impossible," the most likely response is, "Wow. I should've seen that coming. That's Craaaazy!"

4. Consider your theme: No, this is not preaching or nagging or going all moralistic. It is essential to good writing. Ok: even bad writing. So, with that admission, think about it carefully: choose 'the triumph of the human spirit,' or 'never give up,' or 'be careful what you wish for.' Find whatever it is that your plot calls for, whatever it is instinctively saying. Tease it out. It's there, waiting. Once you've discovered it, make sure you've woven it into your scenes. Every major scene should be a refutation or a substantiation of that theme.

5. Plump up your characters: Consider developing your characters into real 3-D people. Unless you truly need a flat, stereotypical character, give them all life. Give both protagonists and antagonists good and bad characteristics. Nothing pops a storyline better than an antagonist with soul.

Those are my thoughts -- what are yours? What are those "finishing touches" you tweak your original novel outlines with? How do you know when you've woven in the perfect number of clues? Or is it even possible to know?

NaNoWriMo Victim

It feels odd -- like a forty year old woman crashing a little kiddy birthday party and insisting on smashing the pinata herself. Or maybe a going-through-my-midlife-crisis-and-buying-a-little-red-sports-car older gentleman, who then decides to start combing his hair over, just in case it helps. I haven't yet sorted all the feelings yet -- and I am truly not attempting to insult the old pros out there who've done this for years -- but I've gone ahead and signed up. Yeppers, you can find me under Alex Moore at the Nanowrimo site.

Ignoring the fact that I'll be absent from my own home for two weeks out of the month -- one spent at a conference in San Antonio and one at my parents -- I've chosen to indulge in the hype and frothy excitement and tittering thrills of the National Novel Writing Month. I have to admit that I feel as giddy and nervous as a youngster on her first date... Wish me well.

Gearing Up for Nanowrimo in Three Easy Steps

Nanowrimo: National Novel Writing Month begins November 1

Instead of fretting over word choice, sentence fluency, or air-tight plots, participants of Nanowrimo pound the keyboard in exuberant strokes. The ultimate goal is to produce 50,000 words in one month. Spell checks, grammar checks, and gut checks are all saved for the doldrums of December when you've nothing better to do than explore for belly lint or revise your novel.

Interested in playing along? Well, then, register if you want with the site. Or, if you'd prefer to play it alone, don't. Either way, it's up to you to closet yourself with caffeine and power bars, inspiration and diabolical plots, and get rocking on your first (or next) novel!

So, it's October, and you're thinking you want to be involved this year. What can you do? Well, funny you ask, because that's what this post is really about. Everyone has a different method or angle for getting the most out of this month of craziness. I'm listing but one way.

Things to do before the big day:

1. World-building: Create the world you're writing about. What laws operate within the fantasy, sci-fi, or alternate universe that you've created? Flora? Fauna? Governments? If you're writing about a contemporary setting, get to know the area you're writing about. Chicago? Seattle? A tiny town in eastern Oklahoma? Get a sense of place, immerse yourself in the setting, jot some notes about major landforms or landmarks. If you're writing about a different decade, start listening to the music from that era, search out hairstyles and fashions, understand the major political or civil issues of the day that impacted life at the most basic level.

2. Character-building: Who are you writing about? Get to know your character(s). There are lots of character sheets on the Internet that you can fill in. If you flesh out your protagonist, s/he will have a stronger personality and take you places you never thought you'd go. Don't forget your antagonist. Having a vivid (round in lit terms) personality makes for a stronger story. When the "bad guy" is multi-dimensional, tension crackles. This ultimately thrusts your story forward, giving you a place to go.

3. Plot-building: This can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. Creating a 3-Act story is simple. Act I: Protagonist faces Quest. Act II: Protagonist faces Obstacle. Act III:Protagonist faces Resolution (achieves quest at great cost or fails. Your choice). Here's an easy worksheet to complete if you're looking for specific guidance. I personally like Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet since he's explored Joseph Campbell's Hero and Vogel's Journey (plus major hit movies) and compiled these observations into an easy-to-understand formula.

If you have a basic outline for where you're starting, where you want to go, and what bumps you'll hit along the way, you're prepped for the big month. If you've participated in the world-building month that Eliza sponsored, you're ahead of the game. If you're just starting out, no worries. The ride is worth the pain!

Do you have a different way to prep for this month? Are you planning on participating at all?