Chirenjenzie discussion

Hey guys!
We have a thread devoted to the nuts and bolts of writing (otherwise known as grammar), and so this thread is going to be devoted to the art of writing. Please feel free to post tips or ask questions regarding POV, plot, structure, etc. Thanks!

Great thread!
All you writers..I would love to know if you outline your story? :)

Anja wrote: "Great thread!
All you writers..I would love to know if you outline your story? :)"

I usually outline my fantasy books. I find it helpful when worldbuilding or keeping track of the historical stuff.

with writing non-fiction, i am always answering a question (usually my title or POV) so my outline becomes ways in which i intend to answer the question

A.F and Amanda thanks for your answers! :) Is your outline very thorough though..like do you outline each chapter or just turning points, climaxes etc? :)

For my outline, the main question I am answering becomes my point of view or often my title. The chapter titles or subjects are how I am answering the overall question/topic. The outline tends to be on the general side and changes as I move through writing.

All righty,

I've had quite a few people request that I read their WIP's this summer. I've loved the fact that they trust me with their work, and I've tried to offer as much as I can to make the work stronger. I'm certainly no expert, and I know we have others on here that can write circles around me, but in the interest of starting the thread I thought I'd point out a few key issues that keep cropping up.

First issue: you can't just state how other people feel. It pulls the reader out of the story.

Ex. He was angry.

Now granted, I'm making a blanket statement here, and honestly if you said these exact words it wouldn't be that bad, but for the sake of example I thought I'd go with an easy one.

Instead of "He was angry", it reads much stronger if "anger marred his face". We now have a visual cue in our mind's eye. If you don't want to go with that one, there's always his fist clenched, his jaw tightened, his brow lowered, maybe he slams something down...all of these are actions that I can physically see that through the eyes of the character that proves the other guy's pissed.

Second issue: You can't just state what's going on. Some writing workshops call this "the police report". We're all guilty of it, especially in first drafts, but it has to be rooted out more aggressively than cliche`s.

Ex. The car stopped and I tried to get out.

Again, over simplistic example, but hey, I'm trying. :-)

The tires screeched across the pavement as the car jolted to a stop. I ripped the keys from the ignition, my hands still shaking, and I fumbled for the handle.

"Oh no you don't," he growled as he pulled me back.

Not the best in the west, I'll admit, but my point here is that first person is all about the senses. Remember, the reader is looking through the eyes of your hero/heroine. They want to be submersed in the story line, and the senses help do just that. In this example we hear the screeching, we sense her urgency, her shaking, we hear his growl. If we continued the scene, maybe the gritty smell of alcohol brushes her cheek as he draws near, or the cold wind stings her face... I could go on for days, but I'm weird that way.

For my grammar friends, remember this is a thread that deals with the art, not the nuts and bolts, and I'm writing on the fly trying to get back to work so I haven't let this steep, I haven't gone back with a fine tooth comb, and so if my wayward comma's are a detraction please forgive me!

Now I'd love it if someone would post about cliche`s, what they are and how to avoid them like the plague! (I'm sure we could find a few in the examples above :-)

Hope this gets the ball rolling!
Elizabeth

Anja wrote: "A.F and Amanda thanks for your answers! :) Is your outline very thorough though..like do you outline each chapter or just turning points, climaxes etc? :)"

I write blind. I know it's unorthodox and I should have a basic outline, but I am at the mercy of my imagination, an empty vessel without a muse. I go by Frost's theory .."no surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader".

I'm not sure how much longer I'll write this way, but it's worked so far and so I can't complain. :-)

Anja wrote: "A.F and Amanda thanks for your answers! :) Is your outline very thorough though..like do you outline each chapter or just turning points, climaxes etc? :)"

I do fairly basic outlines for my plots and chapters; just the main plot points and important twists. If I'm doing character outlines I go into more detail with physical characteristics, genealogies, quirks etc.

Amanda thanks!

BEth O_O what an AMAZING post! I love it! I love how you completely changed the sentence and made them increase in intensity. After that line with the car I wanted to keep reading lol.
Also I think it's great that you don't outline. I know it works out great for your stories and honestly..I don't know how other authors do it..the whole outlining thing, that's why I'm asking. I'm very interested in that because I don't think I could think a WHOLE novel through, every little thing, every chapter etc...do you know how your story's going to end though?
I think if I would really start writing I would be a pantser too lol.


@A.F wow you do character outlines too? That's cool! :)

I'm loving Beth's post as well - that's exactly what I had in mind when I suggested this discussion. I may not have written my own manuscript, but I am a writer and avid reader and we notice when things like that happen in novels. ; )

GREAT post, Beth! I have a lot of trouble with police reporting because of my training as a technical writer, and your example was incredibly helpful!

Instead of outlining, I write a synopsis of the story. I did this for all five books in the series before I started writing the first one, which has really helped me drive toward the greater story arcs and to drop in little clues along the way (something I particularly loved about the Harry Potter books). But as I write, a lot of new twists and turns happen on the fly, and I make adjustments to the synopses as I go. I also have full biographies of each character, which really helps me to see and hear them as three-dimensional people as I'm writing.

Jacquelyn thanks so much for your post about outlining, what you do sounds great..and not too complicated lol :)

I think that is an excellent practice, Jacquelyn! I love finding those clues as I read, or re-read, my favorite novels.

AH-- showing not telling. It is the bane of my existence since I am facing my first real round of revisions. So far I have just looked over for grammar, played with tense a bit, and added some dialogue and better transitions.
Revisions scare me.