Wednesday Check-in
Posted: September 22, 2010 Filed under: Wednesday Check-in, Writers Write | Tags: Donald Maass Workshop, writers, writing, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook Leave a comment »Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: 84 tasks completed of 591. 5 since 9/15.
Lesson 12: Enriching your cast. Make a list of all the characters in the novel. Mark off two names. Combine. The purpose is to make the characters in the book–more. Give them more to do. More purpose. My story is set in a school. A teacher deals with more individuals in one day than many professions do in a year. Yet, it’s hard for a reader to keep up with so many names. It’s a good exercise.
Lesson 13: Raising Public Stakes. One of the first things I did after the BONI workshop was raise the stakes. I did it again while working on the antagonist. My original structure included four-part structure with turning points. So, I answered the questions for this lesson and made a chart to check during revisions.
I’m good to go. On to Lesson 14.
Wednesday Check-in
Posted: September 15, 2010 Filed under: Wednesday Check-in, Writers Write | Tags: writers, writing, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook Leave a comment »
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: 79 tasks out of 591 possible, 5 since 9/1
Lesson 11: The Antagonist’s Outline. I outlined the entire novel from my antagonist’s point of view. In the process, I discovered, she not only has a thing for feral cats, she’s also vegan. This becomes a problem when her minion insists his favorite snack is fried pork rinds. Later, she has a psychotic break over her lover’s big game trophies. Too bad for him, Grandma’s derringer is loaded. Her aversion to hunting doesn’t extend to middle-aged Lotharios. I’m on to Lesson 12: Enriching Your Cast.
Hurricane Bob
Posted: September 12, 2010 Filed under: Joined at the Heart, Writers Write | Tags: change of seasons, walking, writers, writing Leave a comment »
A live oak tree broken by Tropical Storm Hermine.
The last time I saw Bob he was pouring a bottle of water over his head. He’d been running. In his seventies, he ran everyday. I don’t know how far. I don’t run, so any distance is too much for me.
I met him at the park. Several years ago, I missed a few months. When I came back, he stopped mid-stride to ask where I’d been. I told him about the vertigo. He congratulated me on making a comeback. He often asked about my kids or talked to my dog, who reminded him of a schnauzer he once loved. We sparred gently over politics and shared Spurs victories. He was a guy I knew in passing, a part of my daily routine.
Last week, Tropical Storm Hermine blew through, blowing down hundred-year-old oak trees and flooding the streets. When the sky cleared and the water receded, I went to the park. The regulars were there–walking dogs, jogging, talking about the storm. That’s how I heard about Bob’s death.
I didn’t know him well. I’d never seen him outside of his morning run, but talking to Bob made a difference. I’ll miss his friendly face.
