Plot happens to characters. Plot is forced upon them. Plot is predictable and ultimately boring.
Story unfolds to characters. It happens with them. They impact it.
Plot is when a volcano blows up near the characters, forcing them to react.
Story is when the characters decide out of their own motivations to blow up the volcano.
It's a bit different.
Also, my last example was a poor one.
It's the difference between a Deus Ex Machina (read: unfulfilling) ending and a thrilling, multilayered, conclusion.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
one steP
"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." - Greg Anderson
Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in doing it.
The JOURNEY and not the destination.
Because here's the truth:
You can leave your friends and family behind, pack all of belongings in a decrepit old minivan, and drive 2300 miles accross the country.
You can cross 7 states, and every type of scenery and terrain.
You can stop and admire the mountains, the plains, the deserts, the fields.
You can even arrive.
But the story never ends there.
Because on arrival, you realize there's more. The JOURNEY wasn't just about the trip.
It was only the beginning.
Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in doing it.
The JOURNEY and not the destination.
Because here's the truth:
You can leave your friends and family behind, pack all of belongings in a decrepit old minivan, and drive 2300 miles accross the country.
You can cross 7 states, and every type of scenery and terrain.
You can stop and admire the mountains, the plains, the deserts, the fields.
You can even arrive.
But the story never ends there.
Because on arrival, you realize there's more. The JOURNEY wasn't just about the trip.
It was only the beginning.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Nerd Files - 2
One of my newer hobbies is tabletop wargaming. Which may be the nerdiest thing I've ever said. Here's how tabletop wargaming works:
You buy expensive and overpriced "miniatures" which resemble detailed army men.
You paint said miniatures in whatever way you would like.
You realize you do not have the correct miniatures for your army. You swear.
You get more expensive and overpriced miniatures.
You play a game which involves rolling dice and pretend shooting other armies.
You swear at the megaskilled 12 year old.
Rinse and repeat.
Right now, I'm playing an Ultramarines army. Comprised of battle-hardened space marines, I'm currently 0-1, having lost to a Chaos Marines army. I had sound tactics, but horrible dice rolling and bad luck in general.
Tune in soon for a philosophical discussion - to repaint or not to repaint...
Friday, September 25, 2009
one stEp
"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." Ursula K. LeGuin
The end of the JOURNEY approaches. You can feel it in your soul.
This is the moment, the culmination.
And then your tire blows out.
Thirty miles from the end of the JOURNEY.
It's the most frustrating thing in the history of the western world. At least to you it is.
It seems that the closer we get to the end of the JOURNEY the more we get focused on the end of the JOURNEY. We forget that the JOURNEY is what's important, and not the destination.
So those problems and issues that seemed funny or humorous at one end seem life altering and scary at the other end of the JOURNEY.
We need to relax and realize that the JOURNEY is still worthwhile, even thirty miles from our destination.
There are still things to learn, even when we're only 30 miles away.
The end of the JOURNEY approaches. You can feel it in your soul.
This is the moment, the culmination.
And then your tire blows out.
Thirty miles from the end of the JOURNEY.
It's the most frustrating thing in the history of the western world. At least to you it is.
It seems that the closer we get to the end of the JOURNEY the more we get focused on the end of the JOURNEY. We forget that the JOURNEY is what's important, and not the destination.
So those problems and issues that seemed funny or humorous at one end seem life altering and scary at the other end of the JOURNEY.
We need to relax and realize that the JOURNEY is still worthwhile, even thirty miles from our destination.
There are still things to learn, even when we're only 30 miles away.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Somebody Smarter Said - 18
"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Writing Tips - 7
Concept from Steven King's "On Writing"
Remember that no character sees his or her self as the sidekick, the romantic love interest, the Deus Ex Machina.
Every character sees themselves as the center of the story, the point, and there story is the one that is the grand scheme.
This is a much higher view of the concepts of motivation, something that inevitably frustrates me. I need a villain in my story to create tension for my protagonist. However, that character is always going to be one or two dimensional unless I stop to examine why they're doing what they're doing.
If I can't buy that I would do the same thing in a character's shoes with that particular characters background, then the character rings false - and so does the writing.
Remember that no character sees his or her self as the sidekick, the romantic love interest, the Deus Ex Machina.
Every character sees themselves as the center of the story, the point, and there story is the one that is the grand scheme.
This is a much higher view of the concepts of motivation, something that inevitably frustrates me. I need a villain in my story to create tension for my protagonist. However, that character is always going to be one or two dimensional unless I stop to examine why they're doing what they're doing.
If I can't buy that I would do the same thing in a character's shoes with that particular characters background, then the character rings false - and so does the writing.
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