McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Who/where do you bounce ideas?
Kali:
I know the basics of my characters, but I don't predict every single thing that's going to happen before I sit down to write. I love the discovery, the "Whoa, where'd *that* come from?" moments. I may know the major plot points, but I don't know what happens between them. And even the plot points can change while I write.
So I have Rachel and Dean in a scene together and I have hours to fill before Brendan comes to pick something up. I know the two characters, I have them in a specific place after specific events, and I basically say, "Ok... go." The two of them talk about what's going on, the specifics of their oddball relationship get dug up, there's some posturing, some up-in-mah-grill-ing, and then Dean says something completely in character that makes me realize, "Oh crap, he's going to kill Brendan." And suddenly, new plot point! Hadn't planned on it, but there it is.
Now, sometimes these things won't work with the rest of the plot and I have to backtrack and find a new path to take the conversation while still staying completely true to both characters, but I just love those moments. *happy sigh*
Lord Rae:
I know the main characters every move for a while. It might change to be more interesting but I don't think it'll alter much. The other "mains" the ones most featured but not the main goal I even have some rough guidelines. But I have completely hollow characters they interact with. I've been trying to flesh them out but I keep tossing out lame ideas.
Starbeam:
--- Quote from: Kali on March 04, 2011, 12:57:01 AM ---I know the basics of my characters, but I don't predict every single thing that's going to happen before I sit down to write. I love the discovery, the "Whoa, where'd *that* come from?" moments. I may know the major plot points, but I don't know what happens between them. And even the plot points can change while I write.
So I have Rachel and Dean in a scene together and I have hours to fill before Brendan comes to pick something up. I know the two characters, I have them in a specific place after specific events, and I basically say, "Ok... go." The two of them talk about what's going on, the specifics of their oddball relationship get dug up, there's some posturing, some up-in-mah-grill-ing, and then Dean says something completely in character that makes me realize, "Oh crap, he's going to kill Brendan." And suddenly, new plot point! Hadn't planned on it, but there it is.
Now, sometimes these things won't work with the rest of the plot and I have to backtrack and find a new path to take the conversation while still staying completely true to both characters, but I just love those moments. *happy sigh*
--- End quote ---
Pretty much this. As for bouncing ideas, I go to my fiance. Mostly just give him one or two elements that have me stuck, and he stews on it for a while, and gives me whatever he comes up with. Or I just give him a few elements to see how much interest there is. If he doesn't like them, chances are they won't work as well as I thought.
library lasciel:
I'm also more thinking about earlier in the writing process - I get these mental strafing run kindof episodes, where two or three or six or twelve vastly different plots and settings and sets of characters will sear themselves into my brains and demand that I acknowledge them before they release my hostage-brain.
Then I'm left with my sets of hastily scribbled character and plot and scene notes from trying to get it all down - and I don't know which ones are the good ones.
Which one should I spend my time fleshing out? Which one is trite and overdone (one example that I know I have to wait on is a vampire story - those are DOA right now, so it's going to have to sit for a few decades), which one is full of inconsistencies, which ones are so out-there that I can't get other people to follow me, which ones am I not good enough to handle yet....
That sort of thing is where I have the most trouble. I've only got so much time, and I am splitting it between all these different (many dozens) of potentially viable baby plotlings, and to be truthful, I think it would be more productive to pick one or two or three and focus on them - but how do I know which ones to pick when they're all equally interesting and real in my head?
meg_evonne:
Really great discussion thread and I ditto everything said, still I'm not sure we've addressed what lasciel is asking.
I've been fortunate to take some online classes with editors, authors, copyeditors, journalists etc--the hardest, absolutely hardest assignment I faced was--"Post your premise. I (senior editor at major house) will decide which one has legs." You see I'd come with this lovely little plot and three characters that I loved. Scrap that baby. It wasn't even on her 'maybe' list of okay. Somewhere in this forum section was my plea for assistance. I ended up with six decent premises that I thought had staying power with my attention and marketability for a result that might be of interest to a house.
I didn't hear anything from the instructor for sometime. I like to think she was running it past either her personal agent or her companions at work. Bottomline? We ended up combining the 4th and 5th premise, and before I was done writing it I had actually encompassed a 3rd premise.
I truly believe that our initial thoughts are too common and we have to dig much deeper, painfully deep, for a marketable, workable idea--especially as hopeful debut authors. I'm speaking premise here NOT HIGH CONCEPT BITE LINES of less than 25 words as Colleen Lindsay shared at DFWCon.
Feel free to PM me, but start with a few simple questions first:
How many subplots and threads can I work into this idea that are, or can be weaved together?
How many characters can I manage and still produce the best work I can do at this point in my craft?
What would be likely tension points on my story plot curve?
Then isolate the tension points and judge how you are going to escalate the tension to drive the plot to the climax.
If your tension points (at a minimum: opening, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 9/10th marks) seem lacking, then don't toss out the premise, but start the layering process to bring in more subplots, more character conflict, more whatever is needed.
I truly believe that 'nodes of contact' as Donald Maass discusses are crucial to a well fleshed out, decent book. Our premises can be fantastic, but if we don't figure out those contact points along with a two sentence premise fairly soon in the process, then we probably will only stumble across a great story idea. Planning for that great story idea before wasting hours of your valuable writing time is essential.
Best writing Library Lasciel - love your tag name by the way.
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