Elements of Story: Plot

I did a recent little series on story telling, where I told three stories and asked you to help me analyze them. I outlined four key essentials to any story - a place, a plot, people, and conflict. Now I'm interested in working through those essentials and would like to start with Plot.

Don't start with plot as the basis of your story, first off. The basis of your story should be your characters - the natural conflict in your characterizations will lead to your plot. I'm starting with plot now because I already have an idea of what to say.

Most plots can be broken down into a plot archetype. There are many ways of identifying the different plot archetypes, and I've narrowed it down to this particular list of seven (By Christopher Booker).

1. Overcoming the Monster - the protagonist learns of a great evil and sets out to destroy it. (Terminator)
2. Rags to Riches - the protagonist moves from a place of oppression to a place of glory. (Aladdin)
3. The Quest - the protagonist learns of something that must be done/received and sets out to do it. (Indiana Jones)
4. Voyage and Return - the protagonist leaves his calm and peaceful world and enters a place of adventure, only to return as a more mature individual (Inception)
5. Comedy - the protagonist is prevented from reaching his goal (usually marriage) by the opposition, and is finally allowed to get his happy ending (The Princess Bride)
6. Tragedy - not the opposite of a comedy, but the opposite of overcoming the monster; the protagonist spirals down into darkness, eventually becoming the monster (Macbeth)
7. Rebirth - the protagonist begins a downward spiral into darkness (like in a tragedy), but repents and is 'reborn' (Let's go with Star Wars, and Anakin Skywalker in particular)

Obviously, stories can have elements of all these plots in them. The larger the story, the more plots it will contain. "Lord of the Rings" taps on all 7 of these plots at some point; "Jaws" taps on three to five; "Little Red Riding Hood" really only has one or two.

Now we have 7 types of stories. We need to evaluate what stories we are telling and what categories they fit into. This can help us 'lean' down stories and trim the fat of filler. For example, if I was trying to tell a story about a young man who sets out to fight a grizzly bear, I would want to trim the focus from his relationships or his finances, as though are different types of stories.

This can help us focus on our lives as well - what types of stories are we leading? Are we slowly edging into a tragedy - becoming our parents?!? Are we focused only on the rags to riches, trying to climb a corporate ladder? Do we view our lives as a comedy, where everything conspires against us and we must strive to get our happy ending? And if we like the story we're telling, perhaps we need to cut out the parts that don't add to the story, so we can tell a better story.

I want a great story for my life (and for the stories I tell). I want an epic story like "Lord of the Rings," not a cgi-filled yet empty and meaningless story like "Transformers."

New Years Resolutions

Somebody told me they don't believe in New Years Resolutions today, because they are concerned about being saddled with unnecessary guilt.

I believe a New Year is an opportunity to set the tone for the next year. It's not about saying "I will lose 10 pounds." It's about saying "This year, I want to be a better person." "This year, I'm going to focus on being holistic."

It's not about specific goals, but about ideas.

So in that vein, here are my specific goals for the year. I'm intentionally aiming high.

1. Lose 50 pounds.

2. Rewrite Ashram.

3. Complete a new book/project.

4. Take a ferry.

5. Go to an NFL game in person.

6. Beat my record of blog posts (109).

7. Complete my Space Marine and Lizardmen armies.

8. Win a tournament with one of those armies.

9. Get 3 Stars on all Angry Bird levels.

10. Surprise my wife with flowers at least 1/2 dozen times.

11. Visit the Space Needle.
12. Run a 5k.

13. Get less holes in my socks.

14. Pay off our PT Cruiser.

15. Be published on a website (not blog).

16. Triple my monthly blog visits.

17. Create a 5 year plan for my life.

18. Move into a new apartment/space.

19. Engage better at work.

20. Rewrite the instruction manual at work.

21. Create a home budget.

22. Get a desktop computer.

23. Win a fantasy football league.

24. Improve my NFL picks.

25. Listen to more sermons.

26. Get internet for my home.

27. Try a new restaurant every other month.

28. Create a list of movies/books that I own.

29. Create a list of movies/books that I want to own.

30. Create a list of movies/books that I've seen/read.

31. Own all the Animorphs books.

32. Create 2 short films.

33. Write 3 sermons/devotionals (that aren't for anything specific).

34. Get Ashram printed/published (self publish if necessary).

35. Own a sportcoat.

That's good enough. We'll start there!

2010: Year in Review

2010 was a good year. A decent start to a decade. Let's look back on it:

I'm anticipating 108 blog posts on the year. That's nearly double the year before (only 62 posts). That's not really that great, seeing as I didn't really accomplish much else in writing.

January: Slow month. I spent the month predicting the NFL playoffs (6-5 total) and also making Lost predictions.

February: Lost Season 6 starts.

March: I unsuccessfully start participating in 750words.com, and write some more Lost Reviews.
April: I have vacation, and it's my wife 1st Birthday since we've been married. Red Wings burn out in the second round.

May: The Lost Series Finale destroys my soul.
June: First time I was Best Man in a wedding. I also wrote a series on quantum physics that didn't go far.

July: Inception rocks my world. I create a short film for a film contest and then promptly forgot about it.

August: I start a few new writing ideas. I do my first guest post and my first blog giveaway. I also turn 24.

September: The NFL Starts, and I start making picks.

October: The immensely popular NFL Bias Rankings make their first appearance.

November: Second married Thanksgiving. I enjoy it even though the turkey doesn't come out as good as last year.

December: Christmas was a great time. I really enjoyed it. It was a good blend of intimate and public, small and large.

So that's the year in review. Later this week tune in for an NFL column and New Years Resolutions.

Writing Tip: Kill Your Little Darlings

I can't figure out who said this, because sometimes the internet is too awesome for it's own good... It could have been Anne Lamotte, William Faulkner, Sir Arthur Couch, or Jessica Mitford. Anyway, the point is:

"Kill your darlings."

When we're writing, we sometimes get attached to something. A particular phrasing or joke, or even the style of an entire composition. If we become too attached, and cannot look at something with a critical eye, we end up writing something that in the end only we can appreciate.

I was reminded of this today when receiving some criticism of my book "Ashram," a story of my trip to Varanasi, India. As you may recall, I finished a first (and a second draft) of Ashram probably two years ago. I shopped it around some publishers and agents, but never received too much interest. Since then, I've given it out to individuals to ask what they think, but made few changes to it.

One consistent criticism I have received (and truthfully, also perceived) is that the book is repetitious. It follows a consistent pattern or style. It's a story from India, followed by a life lesson.

I've known since the second draft a far better introduction for the book. But that would mean I would have to kill the pattern and style of the book and rewrite the whole thing, or at least huge chunks. And because I think that pattern really works for a chapter or two, I've struggled to do what is necessary.

But I think I'm going to try. I'm going to kill my darlings.

For those of you that are in any way familiar with my novel, here's what I'm going to do, because I'm a visual thinker. Good luck interpreting!

Doing the Guest Post Deal

Hola loyal readers!

Today I'm blogging at Journey of a Dad. Come over and read it!

(P.S. No, I'm not a dad yet.)

Writing

I've been musing about writing again for some time. I've been thinking about what I should be writing; which is encouraging. Too often I fall into the trap of I should be writing and stop thinking about the why or the content.

I see it on this blog. Other than my NFL posts, which aren't what I consider writing, the blog has been pretty sparse. Occasionally I'll break through and write something meaningful, but I'll confess that sometimes it feels like pulling teeth.

I've long believed that life moves in cycles. Specifically, my creative impulses move like the tides - there is a definite ebb and flow. I will go through a period where I absolutely devour books; another time where I am literally writing so much for the blog that I have to plan it out and think about what meshes well; and other times I'm very engrossed in gaming and strategic thoughts. Certainly, I do all of these at the same time; but one of them will tend to dominate my free time. For example, just because I'm reading a ton, doesn't mean I won't be playing Warhammer.

I think the cycles each represent something for me:

a) Reading is my input cycle. I devour books when I'm in this cycle. It's not uncommon for me to hit up a used book store and bring home four books of different genre's and read them in the space of a single weekend. I think this is what opens me up to new ideas and new thought processes. I let thoughts and concepts enter my brain and soak in.

b) Gaming is my vegetative cycle. I'm shutting down the input and output sections of my brain and testing what I've learned. Sometimes this plays out on a tabletop or in a video game; sometimes it just plays out in my imagination and thought processes. This is a period of testing; of divination; of sorting out the wheat from the chaffe.

c) Writing is the output cycle. After learning and after testing, I can go through a period where I find new ways to express and create what I've learned. I pour out what's been rattling around until I'm empty again.

Right now, I feel myself pulling out of the gaming cycle and moving towards a writing cycle. I'll still 'game' and still read, but I think I feel major creative potential welling. I'm planning to take advantage of that and write something; perhaps something more than can be contained on this blog. A few projects that have been more or less on hold:

1. Ashram - Needs a rewrite to get to a third draft.

2. My Mom's Story - Only ever wrote two chapters.

3. 337 - Mostly defunct at this point. Would need a few other life changes to get back to this.

4. Various Fictional Ideas - No work done besides preliminary dreaming and basic plotting.

Writing those out, my gut leans towards writing more of my Mom's story. That's hard, but the other projects seem harder in my mind. And it would be good to have this particular story out of the way. I think my goal will be to have something new completed (first draft) by Christmas.

Anyway, that's a bit of a peak into the creative process for me and a bit of my thought process currently. I would appreciate any encouragement you have!

Blogging at Taking Jesus out of the Box

Hey everyone,

I'm continuing my series on Taking Jesus out of the Box over at... Taking Jesus out of the Box. Click over and let me know what you think.

Guest Star

Hey everyone,

I'm writing some guest posts over at "Taking Jesus Out of the Box" - head over and check them out. The first one is up today, and it's about what boxes we put Jesus in.

Go check it out!

Writing Tip: Excavating

I've heard four differently famous creative people talk about writing as excavating. Stephen King -- master of the horror, macabre, and popular literature. Donald Miller -- Anne Lamott with christian testosterone. It's a concept discussed in the mind-bendingly good Inception. And just last night I heard Andrew Stanton, director/writer of Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and more, talk about it.

Writing isn't just about creating. When you think of writing as "making it up" it's a loss. You are limiting yourself to your voice and your thoughts. But true writing (and art) comes from discovering a truth that already exists - excavating a dinosaur bone.

It's hard to explain, I think. The truth of the matter is that you find a story, in yourself. The story already exists - you are simply excavating it. You are uncovering a fossil system and putting it back together - creating the best dinosaur you can. And sometimes, you have to have the courage to realize that the dinosaur you thought you had isn't the dinosaur you do have. Too many people and writers try to force their story into the dinosaur they want - and it's a poor showing.

This is true of not just stories we're writing, but stories we're living. Sometimes, you have to realize that what you have been living isn't the best story you could be. Sometimes, you have to have the courage to change your story.

Because I think I lied earlier - You don't find the story in you.

You are found in the story.

750 Words

New Favorite Website:

750Words

A daily private journaling tool, which encourages you to write 750 words a day. It gives you points if you make it, and also fun statistics about what you write.

I like it, a lot. Some of the content may end up as blog posts. We'll see.

Hey Neat-O - 13

This single website got me through college, by doing all of my citations for me:

Knight Cite

Hey Neat-O - 12

I don't really enjoy when people say things I don't understand.

Sometimes I google them, with little or no success. Now, I use:


Phrases

And heck, it even creates a bibliography note for you, in case you want to use it on a research paper.

And if you do do that (use this in a research paper) please let me read your paper!

On Writing Review

On Writing by Stephen King

Stephen King is certainly one of, if not the, most famous authors of the current landscape. His works have sold, by estimate, 300-350 million copies.

Holy smokes. So when he has something to say about writing, or at least writing to people, I'll listen anyway.

And indeed, this half-autobiography half-creative writing text is very useful. His toolbox (the middle part of the book, full of writing tools), in particular, is of extreme interest to me.

Kings advice on characters, his advice on plot vs story, his advice on writing in general, is all useful advice. Indeed, his description of writing as telepathy is interesting and probably deserves a post of its own.

I give it 4/5, because I was less interested in the autobiographical first part of the book. Very useful book to pick up on writing though.

The Return

Well, it's time.
Time to return to blogging, and eventually, writing. I've been away for 8 (!) months now, but I think I can plead extenuating circumstances.
In 8 months I've:
Got engaged.
Moved to Jenison (5 miles).
Quit at Dick's.
Hired at DFCU Financial.
Hired at Big Apple Bagels.
Got married.
Moved back to Grand Rapids (5 miles).
Quit my jobs.
Moved to Seattle (2300 miles).
And thus is my story.
For the next week, expect a couple of new features - journey reviews, to start. Also, a return to quotes is probably in order. I should also take stock of my writings.
Here's to another step in the journey.

Hey Neat-O - 7

Sometimes I need a reason to write.
Sometimes, I need to be reminded to just stop writing.

101 Reasons to Stop Writing

Hey Neat-O - 3

If you're interested in being a good writer, you probably should avoid cliche's.
But how to avoid them if you don't even recognize them? Try this website; it generates a random list of 10 new cliches every time you visit.

Ten Random Cliche's!

Writing

Well, work on 300 stalled at the gate. I wasn't ready to start it, and until I feel the absolute need to write it, it will probably remain stalled. I'm still working through the second draft of Ashram, and that is going well. I'm allowing more people to read it, and am getting some good criticisms (positive and negative). I might start a few small personal projects, but I'm not sure. I'll let you know if anything else comes up.

300

That's the tentative title of my next writing project. I'm halfway through a second draft of Ashram, but I feel the need to write something new. It's kinda like I need a breath of fresh air, to get out of the madness that is editing.
So I'm going to write "300."
It will be a different type of book; more of a journey than a story. Ashram was something that had happened to me, 300 will be a chronicle of what is happening to me.
I don't want to reveal too much about the content. Suffice it to say that it will be very personal, and hopefully there will be a difference at the end of it.
Wish me luck.

Magnum Opus

It's done.
16 chapters.
111 pages.
1,577 paragraphs.
37,164 words.
It's strangely relieving, and terribly depressing.
I want to cry and shout for joy.

Of course, I can't forget that I'm just getting started. After all, all I have is a first draft. I have to edit edit edit. And try to get it published.

For now though, I'm just going to sit back and relax.