Tip #308: Easy character arcs

If nothing (and no-one) else, your protagonist should end the story in a different state of mind to the one they began in, unless you're deliberately putting them back exactly where they started to show their lack of change or to emphasise small changes...   

Going from a negative to a positive emotion gives the ending a greater positive impact because the reader is subconsiously aware they've been on an positive emotional journey with the protagonist.

Given examples:

Biggles and Tintin frequently follow this arc:
Boredom -> Increasing Determination -> Satisfaction

Some of the Nancy Drew books often do something similar:
Curiosity -> Increasing Fear -> Relief

The Harry Potter books are much more complex, containing multiple arcs, one of which is:
Alone -> Increasing Friendships -> Loved

H.R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, December 2012

Dear Readers

It's slightly over two years since the Golden Haystack published its first writing tip.  Life can and has changed astonishingly in those two years.  Unfortunately I no longer have time to regularly trawl the web looking for the rare gems of writing advice hidden in blogs and articles.  I'm not going to say there shall never be another tip posted here, but if there are, they will be irregular and probably preceeded by great lengths of time.

Despite this, I hope the blog archives continue to be as valuable to you as they are to me.

Wishing you success with your writing,

Ivory

Tip #307: Should I really do this?

You have a wild and crazy idea that flies in the face of everything you know and/or suspect to be screenwriting law? Do it!

Worst-case scenario, you gotta rewrite and rework whatever disaster you created. But best case — mind blowing awesomeness.

http://thestorydepartment.com/can-you-break-the-rules/

Tip #306: The romantic climax

the implied statement {of a proposal}: I want to spend the rest of my life with you, forsaking all others, etc, from someone you feel the same way about - that is where the emotion comes in. If you want to up that emotion, a really romantic proposal works to an extent, but you get the most impact from... the reader {and character(s) themselves being} unable to see a way for these two characters they really care about to live happily ever after, so when it happens, it blows them away

...if {the readers are} in secret of the planning, then they get to anticipate and fear the proposal scene

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/101328 Comment by inkpawprints.

Tip #305: Let the reader be the judge

The screenwriter should never write, “The house is a mess.”... Because we can’t see it. Instead, the screenwriter must show dirty clothes on the ground and the empty Chinese food containers tipped over on the coffee table.  The trick is to use props and set-dressing (nouns) to convey the “messiness.”

The same holds true for character.  The audience bases their first impression on the things they see.  What does the character look like?  What is he/she wearing?

http://scootywoopinaway.tumblr.com/post/35847221238/screenwriting-tip-define-characters-with-verbs-not

If you're a novelist writing in first or limited third person: what does the viewpoint character think of what they're seeing?

Tip #304: Awesome concepts

It’s not enough to realize that you love a certain idea... figure out why you love that idea.

http://screenwritingtips.blcklst.com/2012/09/screenwriting-tip-1116/

Tip #303: Scaling challenges

when you're a first level character in a game a wolf is a really impressive challenge... once you've leveled up... an army of kobolds can't take them out. {The gradual scaling of challenges alongside the scaling of character ability as they grow from their experiences} needs to be built into your rule system right from the start... else the story gets boring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYqx3nwcpQ0&feature=plcp

Tip #302: On settings

Is your setting and milieu historical or exotic? Work until you find one thing we’ll recognize from our own reality. What’s the generation gap like in Victorian England? Does your society of demon slayers have a long-standing fight at their meetings over refreshments?

Is your setting by intention ordinary? Find things in it that are peculiar, local and contradictory. What’s the food found nowhere else? What’s the odd annual festival? What local legend is unquestioned? Who’s at war on a miniature scale? What’s a big irony in this social realm?

http://writerunboxed.com/2012/04/04/the-good-seed/

Tip #301: Info-dump via character reaction

How your character reacts to something gives your reader valuable clues as to how they should be reacting, what they should be learning from whatever just transpired, and how significant it is to the overall story.

Given example:

a character is staring out the window at night when, suddenly, she sees a firefly turn into a fairy princess out on the lawn. What is her reaction? If she thinks “Oh, no! Not again! That means dad will make me go out there first thing tomorrow and wash the fairy dust off the grass…” then that tells the reader that fairies are common in this world, and a bit of a nuisance. Not only do we get the character’s attitude about the firefly fairy, but we get valuable worldbuilding information (especially if this is the first time we see that this world has magic/fantasy elements to it). If she thinks “WHAT THE F*** IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!” and runs screaming from the room, we may take that as our cue that firefly fairies are not the norm and that something truly odd is going on.

http://kidlit.com/2012/09/19/the-power-of-reaction/

Tip #300: Problems with endings?

Does the plot build from... inciting incident to an inevitable climax? 

http://annerallen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-biggest-problem-facing-beginning.html

If you're having trouble answering this question, try separating your various story arcs/problems (external, internal, etc) and thinking as abstractedly as possible.  Different arcs may have different inciting incidents (but as many as possible should share a climax).

e.g. Inciting Incident: Boy learns his parents were murdered -> Climax: Boy comes face-to-face with the murderer is only a tiny part of the Harry Potter story and certainly not the main story arc, but the additional arc (and its dictated requirement) gives the climax additional emotional power.

Tip #299: Best use of rules

when characters {the readers} care about get into a situation where the rules dictate they're going to get killed, that's where they start to get really worried

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYqx3nwcpQ0&feature=plcp

Tip #298: Before and after

The before is the yardstick that allows the reader to measure the protagonist progress toward after.

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/gluing-plot-to-theme-and-character-to.html

Tip #297: IDEA to CONCEPT to PREMISE

How To Move From IDEA to CONCEPT to PREMISE

1. IDEA asks no questions and presents no action or character

2. CONCEPT asks a question (‘what if’) and the answer to that question is your story *

3. PREMISE is a concept that brings character into the mix; it defines hero’s quest.

* Use as many ‘what if’ sequences as necessary to reach your concept

http://www.bullishink.com/2012/10/19/how-to-find-your-storys-premise/

Tip #296: Meaningful deaths

{the} reader cared about these various character deaths because their deaths left an impact...

http://avajae.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/how-to-kill-characters-with-impact.html

because of how their subsequent absence will change the story, especially for the protagonist.

Tip #295: Is your theme a question?

instead of using the theme “justice,” let the events of the story pose a more engaging question: “What’s more important, telling the truth or protecting the innocent?”

Rather than giving the advice, “You should forgive others,” let your story explore a dilemma: “How do you forgive someone who has done the unthinkable to someone you love?”

Let your story do more than reiterate the cliché, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Instead, challenge that axiom by presenting your characters with situations that raise the question, “When do the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many?”

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/5-story-mistakes-even-good-writers-make

Tip #294: On voice & starting

What I do scratch around for, and sometimes for a long time at the beginning of a book, is the right way to write it: the voice, the syntax, the POV, the balance of description to everything else. Each book so far may have similarities, but they are all sufficiently unique too, in the way that they are written. I used to worry that I still hadn’t found my voice as a writer, and was just trying different things out with each book, but I’ve come to realise that the actual stories demanded a certain style from me in order for the stories to work.

http://torbooks.co.uk/2012/10/22/five-question-interview-with-adam-nevill/

Tip #293: Attention-catching concepts

A good log-line is ironic. Irony gets attention and hooks interest.
 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/keeping-focused-nailing-the-pitch-understand-your-seed-idea/


Example:

A sparkly vampire falls in love with the one girl in the world whose blood might tempt him to break his vow not to feed on humans.

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/concept-begins-from-line-one-or-whats.html

Tip #292: When killing minor characters...

picture this scenario. We notice emergency lights ahead.  The oncoming traffic lane is shut down and looks like a debris field. Two mangled cars lay in ruins, and there are still figures draped with blue blankets surrounded by somber EMTs. Do you feel badly? Unless you’re a sociopath, of course you do.

Now…

You look into that same oncoming lane, and one of the cars you recognize. It belongs to the nice family you chatted with in line at Wal Mart when you had to wait 40 minutes in the customer service line. You even helped the dad load groceries and put away their cart so the mom could buckle in their babies. You had to stop for gas, but 30 minutes ago that family was alive and well and now the coroner’s van is showing on the scene.

Before you cared…now you are connected.

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/in-the-beginning-part-one-normal-world/

It's the difference between your audience knowing something's a tragedy and knowing why something's a tragedy.  The latter hits home.

Tip #291: Restraint as a tool

I’ve recently become enamored with the notion of restraint.  The idea that you can hold back your most vivid descriptions, your most wild gore, your most violent emotional explosions and unleash them at a key point to guarantee maximum emotional investment and subsequent shock from the audience.
 

http://samsykes.com/2012/03/literary-kitty-litter/

Tip #290: Story as a whole

"A story is designed," according to Cron, "from beginning to end to answer a single overarching question. As readers, we instinctively know this, so we expect every word, every line, every character, every image, every action to move us closer to the answer."

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/concept-begins-from-line-one-or-whats.html

Tip #289: Reader empathy

It has to matter to {the protagonist}, or it won’t matter to {the reader}.

http://www.stinalindenblatt.com/2012/10/writerly-quotes-tension.html

Tip #288: The antagonist (series)

There has to be a Big Boss Battle in your story or the story problem is not fully resolved. A lot of new writers are “writing a series.” And, oh, but Such-and-Such dies in book 12 of my series. No... the protagonist in every book MUST DEFEAT the BBT responsible for the story problem...

your Big Boss Troublemaker... will have emissaries... Depending on the type of story, usually the BBT will have a chain of command...

Book I) BBT–> (Book II) BIGGER BBT–> (Book III) HOLY MOLY! AN EVEN BIGGER BBT!!!!

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/structure-part-3-introducing-the-opposition-2/

In Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, the protagonist is given the opportunity to battle and defeat a watered-down (but still very powerful) version of the BBT before the final battle.  While they can't be irrevocably defeated until the last book, the plan which caused the protagonist so much trouble in the current book should be pretty much permanently foiled and the protagonist's victory should cost the BBT significantly.

Tip #287: The antagonist

The Big Boss Troublemaker is whoever or whatever causes the hero’s world to turn upside down {inciting incident}. The BBT creates the story problem that must be resolved by the end of your tale. The BBT is also who or what must be present at the Big Boss Battle. In Star Wars, the BBT was the Emperor. It is his agenda that causes the inciting incident and it is he who must be faced in the final battle or the movie ain’t over... In the beginning, your protagonist should be weak. If pitted against the BBT, your protag would be toast…or actually more like jelly that you smear across the toast...

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/structure-part-3-introducing-the-opposition-2/

Example:

In Fried Green Tomatoes, Evelyn is her own worst enemy. She is spineless and weak. But, the real enemy resides in those who desire to control and bully Evelyn. In each act of the movie, we see Evelyn learning confidence so that by the end, the BIG battle, she can tell her abusive mother-in-law to stuff it.
 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/structure-part-4-testing-your-idea-is-it-strong-enough-to-make-an-interesting-novel-2/

Tip #286: Something to ask before you start writing

Does this story problem lend itself to a KNOCKOUT ending?

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/structure-part-4-testing-your-idea-is-it-strong-enough-to-make-an-interesting-novel-2/

Tip #285: On describing characters

I never use more than three {physical} details to describe a character... if I choose tons people will pick and choose which they remember... so I try to choose three really good ones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTjAM2XHo1g&feature=relmfu

Quote from video: words may not be 100% accurate.

Tip #284: The end

For me, the point of a novel is the end. Everything is structured to give emotional weight to that end, to resonate with it.

http://www.challengingdestiny.com/interviews/sagara.htm

Tip #283: Plot is not optional

literary fiction must also have a plot. The only difference between commercial fiction and literary fiction is that the character arc takes precedence and plot is of lesser importance

Given Example:

in The Road by Cormac McCarthy, there is a plot. Man and Boy must make it to the sea. But it is more important HOW they make it than IF they make it. If the Man and Boy resort to cannibalism, that is an epic fail. They must make it to the sea, but without sacrificing their humanity.

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/great-characters-the-beating-heart-of-great-fiction/

Tip #282: Finding your core audience

“Let’s just say I will give you $50,000 if, in the next hour, you can find 5 people who would love your book.”

...Now, with $50,000 on the line for a mere hour’s worth of work, your mind begins racing. You get super specific. You think of the core themes or topics in your book; you think of competitive books who have an already established audience. Then you consider the exact physical places you can go to reach these readers; the ways these people are already organized – already self-selected and filtered based on previous behavior and interests; you think about who has access to these people; you consider where these people are online and off; you focus on actual names of people you can call at this very moment.

http://writerunboxed.com/2012/08/24/do-you-know-who-your-audience-is-no-really-do-you/
Why is finding your core audience important? These are the people who will tell others "you have to read this book!"

Tip #281: Story & plot

Hero, problem, antagonist, respond, change, attack, regroup, grow, DO SOMETHING HEROIC, solve the problem.

A story is about characters DOING things... The sequence and sum of what they DO is the story.

Plot is the stage upon which your characters reveal themselves.

http://storyfix.com/when-your-passion-kills-your-plot

Tip #280: Reactions & audience

the biggest laughs always come from watching characters react, think and take action... humor that's specific to the situation and the characters.

http://sevencamels.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/true-comedy-comes-from-character.html

It's fascinating stuff for the audience, even if you aren't writing humour, as peoples' reactions vary so widely.

Start with their visceral reaction. That’s the involuntary physical reaction we have no control over, that just happens despite all our best efforts to suppress it or hide it. These reactions occur immediately, before any thought processes or deliberate actions... Next, show an immediate thought-reaction, like Ow,or Oh no, or Damn, or Omigod, or That can’t be.

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/show-visceral-reactions-first.html

Tip #279: Protag, meet antag

Far too often, I read about characters who should get together and they never do. For example, are you writing about a serial killer, and your detective never meets him before the climax? Boring. It’s much more interesting to get them together early on.

The same often happens in epic fantasy, where a young hero face a godlike foe that he never sees. Figure out how to put them together

http://www.davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=135

Tip #278: Self-interested readers

Consumers buy books according to the principle of self-interest. They need to know what’s in it for them... {whether} pure entertainment, personal inspiration, or fascinating information.

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/discoverability-without-spreadability-is-a-marketing-disability/

romances, fantasy, westerns, and so on – sell so well precisely because the audience does know within certain parameters how the story will end {and the emotions that will be evoked}.

http://davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=37

It's important to be clear about the things you're promising with your title, back cover copy/query and first pages & chapters. A reader who's looking for a cosy mystery and ends up reading a blood-splattered thriller by accident is unlikely to leave a 5 star review.

Tip #277: The best POV for a story

you can really mess with the reader by choosing the right point of view... some peoples' perceptions are really off.

http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2012/08/the-story-board-episode-1/

Tip #276: Choosing your protagonist

{With} either a first-person or tight third-person narrative, the protagonist is the reader’s guide to the story. We’re committed to seeing everything from his point of view.

So if that protagonist is too passive to ask relevant questions the reader wants to know, or not sufficiently nuanced in his worldview to be able to observe in useful detail, or too unpleasant to be good company for a few hundred pages, the reader may feel slightly cheated. Yes, even if the plot is very exciting: would you want to go on a tour of a haunted house with a guide that steered you away from the dark corners, did not seem to know much about the house’s history, or declared every fifteen seconds that anyone who believed in ghosts was an idiot?

http://www.annemini.com/?cat=3143

Tip #275: The writer's metaphorical camera lens

how close you are to the action, what you allow your reader to see vs. what is left out, what you linger on narratively, the speed through which you move through the action. . .

This all affects the reader's perception and mood.

If you’re just getting to know a narrative world you’re creating, think of yourself as a camera moving through the action, and try to write down as much of what you see as you can. Then, after some time has passed, look at that piece of writing again, and edit down the details so that they serve the primary story you want to tell and ideas you want to convey.

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/second-sight-an-interview-with-executive-editor-cheryl-klein/

Tip #274: Triggering audience empathy

One trick many writers use to create immediate, low-level empathy for their protagonist is to introduce the character in a situation that the reader is likely to have physically experienced.  The trick usually serves dual purpose by also generating curiosity as to why the character is in that situation.

Given examples:

bored/shivering whilst waiting for something/someone; eyes swollen with crying; standing/walking in a cold wind.

H.R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, July 2012

Tip #273: Make them human

When you have limited space to entice a reader one of the biggest challenges is making your main character sound enticing... When I want to tell people about Charlaine Harris, I don't start with her success. I start with how nice she is. How generous... the stuff that makes her special to us all.

http://queryshark.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/223.html
(Emphasis added.)

What makes your protagonist special to those who know him/her?

Tip #272: Compelling emotional stakes

Emotional stakes are created by a character acting to prevent the loss of something important to themself and/or others.

Given examples of Important Things:

Love, a loved one, a secret, safety, life, a long-time goal, an emotionally important object, a pet, integrity, self-appreciation...

To make those stakes compelling, add in or increase one or more of the below:

Feeling of responsibility for risk/character at risk
Love/respect/strong emotion for character at risk
Risk/fear of failure
Difficulty of character recovery from failure
Another important thing/character at risk from the same threat (house of cards)
Importance of IT to character at risk physical/mental well-being
Character at risk deservingness
Act of bravery (overcoming fear)
Act of sacrifice (character accepts & bears a loss/hurt)
Catch 22 (has to choose to sacrifice one character for another character, or one IT for another. No decision = both lost.)
Failure

All increase how far the acting character is prepared to go, what they are and aren't willing to do. Like spices, a little goes a long way. 

H.R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, July 2012


...Is it just me or is that also the definition of a story up there?

Tip #271: Backstory & plot

your protagonist should have an emotional backstory that enhances or complicates the plot of this book now.

Given example:

If he’s falling in love in the plot: What has his experience with love been like before this?

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/second-sight-an-interview-with-executive-editor-cheryl-klein/

This backstory tends to be one of the reasons why this story could have only happened to this person in this way.

Tip #270: Setup to response

The {First Plot Point} shifts the context of the narrative from the Part 1 SETUP to the Part 2 RESPONSE... {It is} a change imbued with a quest and journey for the hero... With problems to solve, foes to conquer (including the dreaded inner demons), obstacles to navigate, with stakes in play... it defines the revisions of your Part 1 and the very nature of the rest of your story.

http://storyfix.com/the-moment-that-makes-or-breaks-your-story

Tip #269: Scenes

scenes... are defined not by our words as much as they are by what happens in them.

http://storyfix.com/an-empowering-perspective-on-writing-scenes

Tip #268: Writing emotion

let the emotion come from the subtext. If we, as readers, know how a situation is going to affect the character—how this will make their goals harder to achieve, how this will hurt them, how their subdued reactions hide their true pain—then we will sympathize

http://jamigold.com/2012/06/3-tips-for-writing-heavy-emotional-scenes/

Tip #267: MG/YA characters

Middle grade characters are focused internally; it's about self-growth, learning who you are. Young adult characters are focused more externally, noticing the world around them and how they fit in, how they affect things. Often, that's a huge part of a YA character's growth throughout his or her story; moving from a naturally selfish stage in life to becoming more aware of the feelings and situations of others.

http://www.yahighway.com/2011/05/5-fast-differences-between-ya-and-mg.html

Tip #266: The ordinary world

You almost always start out with a hero who is in some kind of environment where he or she is not completely comfortable and they know something is wrong...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB_Q1gFsvIw

Tip #265: False tension

{Sometimes} the author is withholding information in order to try to create tension with the reader. So the author might not let us in on the secret of who a character is, what their sex is, where the story is taking place, or what the story is about. This is what I call “false tension,” and it really can get annoying... real tension arises when a character is in jeopardy, and there is some doubt as to the outcome of that jeopardy.

http://davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=92

Tip #264: Stuck?

When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

http://io9.com/5916970/the-22-rules-of-storytelling-according-to-pixar

Tip #263: Checking for melodrama

My classmate had written a list of all the elements at work in the story. (Cancer! Affairs! Car accidents! Oh my!) He stripped the story down to its bare bones and read it back to me.

http://www.yahighway.com/2012/03/strictly-objective-critique-partner.html

Tip #262: Grounding

grounding is the fine art of letting the reader know what is going on. You need to focus on some basics: Who is in a scene? Where does it take place? What is the major conflict?

Those questions need to be answered quickly with every scene in a book or story... You could do worse than to start a story with all three elements in the very first sentence: “Johann did not want to die on the moon, but when the asteroid struck the dome above Callisto Crater, it looked as if he didn’t have any other options.”

http://davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=93

Tip #261: Making character choices

I tried to focus on the choices you make before you write a novel. The main character and the most important character are not always the same person — you have to know the difference. The first-person voice and the third-person voice each come with advantages and disadvantages; it helps me to know what the story is, and who the characters are, before I choose the point-of-view voice for the storytelling.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/books/review/john-irving-by-the-book.html

Tip #260: Bogged down?

Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

http://io9.com/5916970/the-22-rules-of-storytelling-according-to-pixar

Tip #259: Author signature

Do you excel at creating tension? Unpredictable plot complications? Sympathetic characters? Suspense? Romance? Historical detail?... relish the satisfaction of leaving a particular, distinguishing mark.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/may-28-june-8-7-things-ive-learned-so-far-by-olivia-newport
This is what your audience will follow you for, from book to book, series to series, genre to genre.

Tip #258: First impressions

If first impressions are important in real life, they are absolutely vital in fiction. A character’s initial appearance on the scene will leave an indelible mark in the reader’s mind. Flub it, and you’ll spend the rest of the book trying to make up for the mistake you made in characterization. Nail it, and the character may later perform all manner of transgressions, because the reader will know, deep down, who the person truly is.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2012/06/guest-author-diana-peterfreund-first.html

Tip #257: The story behind the story

“Who’s your reader?”...

When an editor or agent asks... they aren’t just looking for a demographic – they’re looking for your motivation.. the implied question...“why are you the right writer to tell this story?”

See this question as an opportunity to show both the businesslike and passionate sides of yourself – i.e., why this is a marketable book and why you alone of all the souls on earth were born to write it... {to e}xplain where your ideas come from and how they develop over time.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/who-is-your-target-reader

Given example:

“Who’s your target reader?” ... “9-13 year old girls. It really bothers me how they’re pressured to grow up too fast. Last Christmas I was talking to my niece and it hit me that her childhood is so different from mine, that….”

Note: Usually I try to keep this blog entirely dedicated to craft tips, but this can be a very useful excercise if you're on your first draft/trying to work out what the story is you're trying to tell.

Tip #256: Character connections

as we create fictional characters, it’s easy to focus only on one character and forget about who that character knows, and who their acquaintances know and how they know each other.

http://lifemusecoffee.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/even-in-the-fictional-world-its-all-about-who-you-know-amwriting/

Tip #255: Exposition

George R.R. Martin... introduces his exposition when it causes more conflict... 

old information that causes conflict is all of the sudden fresh.

http://www.speculatesf.com/2012/05/23/episode-45-of-speculate-brent-weeks-author-interview/

Tip #254: Conflicting needs

Try giving your protagonist...

two friction-causing, conflict-creating, mutually exclusive needs.

http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/two-conflict-creating-needs-of-every.html
Given example:

in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Jane’s primary need is to marry and live with her soul mate, Rochester.
... Jane’s need to remain true to her moral duty, as well as her need to grow into the strength to truly stand as Rochester’s equal, impedes her from remaining with Rochester after she learns of his insane wife.

Tip #253: What is a story arc?

I have a very simple definition... A story arc is created when something in your writing gets repeated three times.

http://talktoyouniverse.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/three-points-make-story-arc.html

Tip #252: Who is the protagonist?

who is {your protagonist}? Is he the brilliant young doctor that he imagines that he could be, or is he the pond scum that past evidence shows him to be? Well, that’s what the story is about.

http://www.davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=81

Tip #251: Trust your instincts

if you know something doesn't work, you're right... don't give up and say "this is good enough"... keep going until you're happy with it

http://www.speculatesf.com/2012/05/23/episode-45-of-speculate-brent-weeks-author-interview/

Tip #250: The long & short of it

theoretically I knew that chapters don’t all have to be about the same length.  Eric {Flint} made it real to me... Five hundred word scenes became chapters.  A single telegram became a chapter... I discovered this was a technique that would make a particular scene or elements in that scene stand out and be more memorable than they would have been had they been buried in longer chapters.

http://www.fictorians.com/2012/05/28/anatomy-of-a-collaboration/
The same technique can be used with paragraphs or sentences.

Something to Ponder: Feelings

Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey aren’t novels, per se, they are 400 solid pages of feelings (longing, in the same of Twilight, desire/curiosity/revulsion in the case of Shades). For me, both of them sunk their hooks into me (and about 40 million other people) so deep that I would constantly look up from the books, thinking, “This is such crap…and I can’t stop reading it!” Why? Feelings.

http://kidlit.com/2012/06/18/guiding-the-reader-emotionally/

Tip #249: Neil Gaiman

If you haven't already watched this, I highly recommend it. 

At 20 minutes, it's significantly longer than my usual quotes.  Apologies for this; there was too much good stuff to pick & choose.

Tip #248: What is plot?

plot is... a narrative that starts with “guess what I saw today” and ends with “a real-live elephant on a downtown shopping spree.” Plot is a promise made and fulfilled. Plot is a character with a need. Plot is choices and actions.

http://www.jwashburn.com/2012/03/how-to-structure-novels-plot.html

Tip #247: Pacing description

For the sake of pacing, you usually want to drag out the description of {a simple but important action} so that it reflects the actual time that the action takes... to give it more prominence in the reader’s mind.

how do you do this? You add more words to extend the time that the reader spends reading... padding that adds to the reader’s experience

http://www.sfnovelists.com/2012/04/29/the-skill-list-project-fight-pacing/

Tip #246: Character as story

if you look at a tale as being about a character moving from one phase of life to another, you can immediately begin to see some of the conflicts you might want to establish, and you’ll get ideas for what needs to happen.

Given example:

Gladiator... our protagonist moves from being “Most trusted general and family man,” to “accused traitor,” “to widower/bereft of family” to “slave” to “gladiator” to “arena champion” to “avenger” to “gaining heavenly reward.”

http://www.davidfarland.com/writing_tips/?a=79

Tip #245: Poetry & science

Poetry and science do not seem that different. They are both a way of looking at the world without preconceptions and trying to catch something vital about it as simply as possible.

http://www.scribophile.com/blog/author-interview-with-author-editor-and-poet-erin-bow/

Tip #244: Voice & storytelling

The voice is what beckons the reader to curl up with a book and whispers, “Pay attention. I’m going to tell you a story.”

http://www.julieleto.com/articles/ditching-the-book-of-your-heart-for-the-book-of-my-voice/

Tip #243: Reviewing plot skeletons

I literally skim through the work... {to} create an outline of all the major plot points by chapter for the novel... It really does force you to ignore character, dialogue, description and boil the story down to its plot skeleton core... pacing and story arc.

http://pubrants.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/creating-editorial-road-map.html

Tip #242: Don't mess with your audience

Most genres carry a target audience with them like a parade float... there’s an ambiance that readers expect when they enter that world. As a novelist, you violate that expectation at your own peril.

http://storyfix.com/6-ways-novelists-can-use-target-marketing-a-guest-post-from-jan-bear


Given example:

“Once upon a time, there was a little girl who always wore a red riding hood. . . .”

{T}ell it as a spy thriller... as a historical romance... as a deep-space science fiction.

Tip #241: Sensation & experiences

IDENTIFY THE SENSATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO EVOKE IN YOUR READER – AND THEN MAKE SURE YOU’RE EVOKING IT.

I cannot possibly stress this enough. We read novels to have an EXPERIENCE.

http://thedarksalon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/something-has-to-happen.html

Tip #240: Intriguing stories

A good story should always be raising questions — not asking them directly, but instead forcing the reader to ask them. “Wait, what’s that weird symbol they keep seeing on the walls? What was that sound? Something’s up with that top hat-wearing fox that keeps following them, too. Where the crap are they going?” This is why too much exposition is a story-squasher

http://www.sfwa.org/2012/01/guest-post-25-reasons-readers-will-keep-reading-your-story/

I don't think this is one of those tips you should take as gospel - it has certain uses, and won't always be appropriate.

Tip #239: The protagonist's stumbling block

it’s important to know what the ultimate obstacle to victory is. Is it cowardice, knowledge, power? Once we know this, it’s easier to write the resolution because this time... the hero removes that last obstacle and vanquishes the opposition.

{Or}... Does it feel right to test your hero in the ending? Is that the type of story you’re writing?

http://www.sfwa.org/2011/06/key-conditions-for-suspense-part-27-patterns-for-resolution-element-4-6-the-series-wrap-up/

Tip #238: Extra spice

Adding a love interest is an easy way to add a bit of extra suspense, drama & conflict, to darken the dark point and sweeten the resolution of the main plot.

http://critiquecircle.com/forums.asp?action=viewforum&index=248&thread=950095

Tip #237: Trivial details

Readers love it when some early, trivial detail plays a part in the finale.

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/the-dos-and-donts-of-novel-endings?et_mid=546238&rid=3202455

Tip #236: The goal is not enough

The carefully-constructed goals you have concocted for your character are, sadly, meaningless… UNLESS they are paired with a compelling antagonist...

goal + obstacle => empathy

http://www.sfwa.org/2012/02/guest-post-whats-wrong-with-the-cheesecake-a-brief-introduction-to-antagonists/

Tip #235: Power of showing

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

Anton Chekhov

Tip #234: Plotting via character development

At the beginning of your novel, how does your protagonist understand himself? What defines him? What rules or code guide him? What assumptions are givens? What’s home base? Who’s on his side? In whose love is he secure? ... 

At the end of your novel, how has the answer changed to any of the questions above? What happens to change that opinion? Add it.

http://writerunboxed.com/2011/12/07/a-sense-of-self/

You could generate an entire outline by asking these questions.

Tip #233: Using motion

We’re biologically geared to take notice of things in motion. Anything that moves of its own volition is either potential food or a potential threat... So instead of having your character “sitting” in a perfectly still forest, describe the trees swaying in a soft breeze...  or show the squirrels racing up the boles of pine trees, or tell of the sound of a branch snapping, which might portend danger.

One writing exercise that I find that works well for the opening of tale is to describe the scene using only active verbs (no was, or were, or anything that shows a static setting.)

http://davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=73

Tip #232: Secrets

The secret itself is not the most important part of the story. As with all works of fiction, the heart of the story is your characters. Your focus should be on how the character handles the secret, withholds the secret, discovers the secret, blabs the secret.

Make sure that the pursuit of the secret is at least as interesting as the secret itself.

http://dailyfig.figment.com/2012/03/27/pssst-ellen-potter-on-the-power-of-writing-with-secrets/

Tip #231: Good character development

Good character development always comes down to treating any character, major or minor, male or female, as a real person, an individual who *wants* things, who has a particular view of the world, who *makes choices* based on personal history, instinct, and intellect.

http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2012/04/women-in-sff-month-carol-berg/

Tip #230: Plotting Act 2

Plot from the {antagonist}'s point-of-view in Act Two; it is an invaluable tip.

http://www.writerswrite.com/screenwriting/lecture4.htm

Given example (from antagonist's POV):

"Wait a minute... Rockford went to my nightclub and asked my bartender where I lived. Who is this guy Rockford? Did anybody get his address? His license plate? I'm gonna find out where this jabrone lives! Let's go over to his trailer and search the place." Under his mattress maybe the heavy finds his gun (in Rockford's case, it was usually hidden in his Oreo cookie jar). His P.I. license is on the wall. Now the heavy knows he's being investigated by a P.I. Okay, let's use his gun to kill our next victim. Rockford gets arrested, charged with murder. End of Act Two.

Tip #229: Not so fast

Which of these two sentences is... stronger...?

He peered through the window and spotted a pile of bloody towels on the floor.
OR

He peered through the window and spotted a pile of towels on the floor. One of them was smeared with something dark, and in a heartbeat he knew what it was.

Blood.

http://romanceuniversity.org/2012/03/29/keep-them-turning-the-pages-by-laura-griffin/

Tip #228: Compelling characters

it's not just how much they want it... it's also what they're prepared to do to get it.

H.R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, April 2012.

Tip #227: A trick for introductions

mention a character in passing... And then later, the next time we see that character, you give more information or detail... The reader will barely remember that you mentioned the character the first time — but it's in the back of the reader's mind, and there's a little "ping" of identification...{which} creates a sense of familiarity

http://io9.com/5896488/10-secrets-to-creating-unforgettable-supporting-characters

Tip #226: Character tension

an incompatibility between characters that is acknowledged, but not acted upon.

Given example:

In the Sherlock Holmes novels, the famous detective was known to take opium on occasion, but his sidekick Dr. Watson frowned upon such activities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_(narrative)

Tip #225: Not just a prize

The role of the romantic interest is to challenge the protagonist and shock her out of her regular mental and emotional pattern.

http://screenwritingtips.blcklst.com/2012/02/screenwriting-tip-904/

Tip #224: Using Deus ex Machina

THE SUCCESS OF DEUS EX MACHINA NEVER LIES IN THE DELIVERY, BUT IN THE SET-UP AND IT’S IMPORTANCE TO THE CHARACTER

http://filmcrithulk.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/hulk-explains-why-we-should-stop-it-with-the-hero-journey-shit/

Tip #223: Questions for critters

"The main conflict of your story is..."
"A basic summary of your story is..."
"At its core, your story is really about..."
"The major characters of your story are..."
If at any point your trusted {critiquer} cannot finish those sentences, or has trouble finishing them, or gets them wrong, or gets confused, you know where the problem areas in your story are. ...

"The questions I had at the beginning of the story are..."
"The questions that were still unanswered at the end of the story are..."

...Ask your {critiquer} to tell you about X character-- who he is, and what role he plays in your story.

http://www.yahighway.com/2012/03/strictly-objective-critique-partner.html

Tip #222: Rebirth

The Dark Point is the crisis during which all main players are reborn - whether literally, whether their perspective has changed, whether others' perspective of them has changed (perhaps because they have a new role & responsibilities, or the truth is out). Readers and characters alike are now clear on where each character will stand at the battle lines of the Climax.

Unless of course you have a Trickster character... (I'm looking at you, Capt. Jack Sparrow)

H.R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, March 2012

Tip #221: An excercise in character

looking at passersby in the street or surreptitiously at other people in the cafe. Pretend you're them: do they move comfortably or in distress?... Where is their attention fixed, and why might it be so?... Check expressions on faces... Who looks comfortable in themselves, and who doesn't?... What would it be like to be twenty years older? Twenty years younger? What worlds do they look out on and do they see the same things you do? What might be their fears? Hopes? Dreams? What do they want from life... and on and on. 

http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/q8zyv/hello_reddit_i_am_steven_erikson_please_ask_me/c3vxshm

Try choosing the people that interest you least.

Tip #220: Fear

By allowing the character to fear what could happen,  the stakes are raised for both the character and the reader.

http://yamuses.blogspot.com/2012/02/act-1-turn.html

Tip #219: Token characters

When you have only one girl {character} in a sea of boys, she starts being defined by her girl-ness – rather than her intelligence, her fear, her love for chemistry, her musical talents, her combat skills... things that make her an individual 

http://www.alexdallymacfarlane.com/2012/03/feminist-sff-female-friendships/

As Alex Dally MacFarlane later adds, this applies to all groups which are often underrepresented, whether because of race, sexuality, disability.

Tip #218: Weeping characters

rather than seeing those external displays of emotion, I’d rather know the exact thoughts that bring those tears about.

http://kidlit.com/2012/02/01/for-crying-out-loud/

Tip #217: Getting to know characters

list... the first ten things each significant character says or does... to see who those characters are

http://blog.storybird.com/2011/06/writing-and-editing-for-kids/

Tip #216: Historical language

Glamour in Glass is set in 1815 and I wanted to have the language fairly clean of anachronisms. The challenge came in trying to figure out what words didn’t exist yet. So I decided to create a Jane Austen word list, from the complete works of Jane Austen, and use that as my spellcheck dictionary.

http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/words-i-couldnt-use-in-glamour-in-glass/

Tip #215: Frames

Every time you describe that your character saw, heard, felt, smelled, or tasted something, see if you can’t drill into the more essential information of the sentence and cut out the unnecessary words....
No matter if you’re telling your story in first person or third, you are basically saying, “This is what my character experienced”

there's no need to repeat yourself.

http://kidlit.com/2012/02/08/eliminating-the-frame/

Given example:

She saw with her eyes that there was an elephant standing impossibly in the castle’s ballroom.
Or you could simply say:
An elephant stood, proud, tall, and incongruous, in the middle of the castle’s ballroom.

Tip #214: Psychology of reaction

{When} something happens to a person... that person... has to decide WHY it happened. That decision is completely critical to how the person ends up feeling--and responding--to the event.

http://thestrangestsituation.blogspot.com/2012/01/awesomeness-of-attributions.html

Tip #213: Logline structure

*WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS*, *YOUR PROTAGONIST* *PURSUES A GOAL*. But will he succeed when *ANTAGONIST PROVIDES OPPOSITION*?

http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/1308.html


Obviously this isn't the be-all-and-end-all, but playing around with this template can be a handy way to try to narrow down some of the main elements of the story.

Tip #212: Mistakes

Stories are often about men and

women who make mistakes and take action based on those mistakes. Then they realize those mistakes, and they must come to terms with the consequences.

in the end.. it’s more as a reward for the knowledge they gain through the mistakes

http://www.cherylklein.com/id18.html

Tip #211: Action scenes

emotion... {is} what makes a fight scene interesting, and it’s what gives the reader a stake in its outcome. The rest, the technical stuff (the mechanics of throwing punches, of laying down sentences, of word choice), that’s just window-dressing.

http://www.stinalindenblatt.com/2012/01/writing-kickass-action-scenes-part.html

Tip #210: Character subtext

there is a very clear, often palpable gap between one’s inner thoughts and... exterior behavior and attitude...

When creating a character, consider

The extent to which someone – including your hero and your villain – recognizes the gap between their true thoughts, beliefs, preferences and comfort zones, and the way they choose to behave or appear in spite of them...

http://storyfix.com/game-changer-create-an-inner-dialogue-within-your-hero-and-your-villain


The gap tends to be related to:

The tension between who you are and who the world wants you to be

http://cherylklein.com/electric-eels/

Tip #209: Beginning to end

juxtapose your first and last chapters. When you compare the two side-by-side, your goal is to see clear growth and a direct relationship between questions raised and questions answered.

Given examples:

If your protagonist is wishy-washy about something in Chapter One, make them believe it, own it, reject it—it doesn’t matter what, as long as their stance has become firm--by Chapter Forty Five.

If they’re seeking knowledge, then they darn well better have it by the end.

If they’re seeking acceptance, or are in need of humility in your opening chapters, then get them there.

http://yamuses.blogspot.com/2012/02/avoiding-end.html

Tip #208: On character flaws

Because, hey, of course Perfect Joe over there is going to solve the mystery and get the girl, but what about the guy who’s too stubborn to admit that he’s deaf in one ear? Will he be unable to sneak out of a Thai prison if he can’t hear the guards coming? Will the young English girl he’s fallen in love with give up on him when she mistakes his inability to hear half her questions as disinterest?

http://yummymenandkickasschicks.com/?p=12382

Tip #207: The callback

using a memorable line from the beginning of a piece later in another context... is an excellent tool for creating a feeling of completion in readers’ minds.

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/10-ways-to-improve-your-writing-while-thinking-like-a-comedy-writer

Tip #206: The protagonist's allies

By choosing the characters surrounding the protagonist carefully to represent extreme choices related to the key conflict, you can turn a story from enjoyable but forgettable to an enjoyable story which shows how men and women live their lives, and the choices they have to make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBWEf7TCOi8

Elizabeth Bennet is surrounded by different examples of marriage (probably the biggest choice she and women of the time would ever make): her father and silly mother, her sensible aunt and uncle, her practical friend Charlotte and silly Mr Collins, good-hearted Jane and Mr Bingley (and his married sister and her husband who - in the BBC drama - don't seem to have anything in common), silly Lydia and self-centered Mr Wickham.  Austen doesn't really explore spinsterhood, but there are Charlotte and Miss Bingley, both of whom wish to be married.

Tip #205: The power of story

After completing a book you won't be the person you were before trying to write it, not if you've done it right. There's real fear in that... You're supposed to be scared... it means you care. If you didn't care {the story} would have no power

http://www.seanferrell.com/2011/12/pathetic_email.html

Tip #204: Character arcs (in 5 easy steps)

1. Ask the impossible of your character.

2. Make them a) want it, and b) believe they can achieve it: this will motivate them to put themselves through hell to get/achieve it.

3. Allow them to reach a crisis where they realise they will have to change in order to get/achieve it.

4. Allow them a chance to re-evaluate their desire/need.

5. a) Your character changes and achieves their goal, b) your character realises they never/no longer need(ed) it, or c) your character tries to change and fails.

H. R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, January 2012

Tip #203: Start with the antagonist

Conventional wisdom: The hero drives the story.
This is correct, but it's the end point of the plotting: it's what the audience see.  The antagonist is the part of the story that will cause all of the surprises in the story.  The more of the opponant that's hidden, the more plot you have: the more danger, the more surprises and reveals you can spring upon character and audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_mZ-XokOTg

Again, this tip has been paraphrased.

Tip #202: Twist ending

Ultimately, what makes this plot twist so unexpected was... The possibility just doesn't occur to people. Because the revelation was so unexpected, Stead was able to cram the beginning with all sorts of clues without having readers make that final leap.

http://blog.liviablackburne.com/2009/12/how-to-pull-off-amazing-plot-twist-when.html

Tip #201: Characters drive story

What you want to strive for in your ending is a sense of the inevitable. That somehow, based on who your characters are at the beginning, this ending and only this ending is what had to occur.

http://www.kathycarmichael.com/articles-and-seminars/articles-and-workshops/endings-workshop/

Tip #200: Character desire/goal

Given example:  Saving Private Ryan

The desire/goal of the story is not what the character wants in life/generally (to leave war behind and go home).  The desire/goal is the one that's specific to the story (saving Private Ryan).  When the character realises their desire, the story ends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XgnOpZBuLE

This tip has been paraphrased.

Tip #199: Character contradictions

{One of the things that} makes a character intriguing is when the outside words {how they think others see them} juxtapose with the inside words {how they see themself}. When they're opposites or don't seem to match.

http://jessicanelson7590.blogspot.com/2012/01/put-your-character-in-box.html


It also says a lot about a character when they see themselves differently to how others do.  I think this happens with everyone to some extent.  How do your characters see themselves?  How do they see each other?  How do they think others see them?  How do their perceptions change over the course of the story?

Tip #198: Write for the love of it

this year I’m setting a daily writing goal. My goal is this: “Every day, I will write for the love of it.”... The idea behind this is simple: if you’re having fun doing something, you tend to do it more and more.

http://www.davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=51

Tip #197: A great setting

a great setting... makes us imagine how we'd react if we were placed in that world. And it makes us wonder whether we have the makeup to thrive within it.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/05/what-makes-great-setting.html

Tip #196: A challenge

What do you fear most in your writing life? Take a moment to evaluate if it truly is likely to do you serious harm. If the answer is no, then I invite you to make a point of doing this very thing

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/10-ways-to-harness-fear-and-fuel-your-writing

Tip #195: Complicating things

There have to be (at least) two things going on {in each scene/story} that can play off against each other, inform each other, head off and rejoin each other, twist around and complicate.

http://patricksamphire.blogspot.com/2012/01/complicating-things.html

Tip #194: Purposes of the first draft

story development separates into two sequential realms: the search for story… following by the rendering of story.

That first realm – the search for your story – can happen in many ways. It can happen in your head. It can happen through a series of drafts. It can happen through an anal-retentive and madly obsessive process of story planning. Or some combination of the above...

an effective... story {is} written in context to a full understanding of the Big Picture from the very first page.

http://storyfix.com/a-mindset-shift-that-can-get-you-published

Tip #193: Practicalities of a long career

irrespective of whether you exercise vigorously, sitting for long periods is bad for you.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/stand-up-while-you-read-this/


Also, many writers suffer from RSI... forewarned is forearmed.

Tip #192: Deus ex machina

deus ex machina is just a failure to properly foreshadow things.

http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/12/25/writing-excuses-6-30-help-i-cant-end-my-book/#comments

Tip #191: Hooks, mystery, etc

Giving the reader a question she wants to know the answer to is not the same as withholding the interesting stuff until the end.

http://jameskillick.blogspot.com/2011/12/four-ways-to-kill-narrative-drive.html

Something I really needed to hear!

Tip #190: Simplifying goal/motivation

A good goal/ motivation can be defined in a just a few words, or even just one word.

Given example: freedom

http://lydiasharp.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-blog-reader-favorites-what-i.html

Tip #189: On worldbuilding societies

give {your societies} contradictions, strengths, lofty desires, and irrational fears

http://yamuses.blogspot.com/2011/12/slipping-sideways-into-your-world.html

Tip #188: The Denouement

The strategic purpose of a denouement is to reorient the characters towards the next phase of their lives.

We don’t need to be told just what that new, better future is... When the plot is done, suddenly the doors of possibility are thrown wide open. The characters might now choose anything. They might do anything... You had your turn. Now it’s our turn, but only if you allow us to imagine what the characters might do next. If you imagine it for us, we can’t.

http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/does-your-denouement-murder-your-characters