Variety is the Spice of Life.... Scene and Structure #10

Halfway through the first week of school! It's going really smoothly so far and I'm looking forward to a great year with the kids. In case you didn't know, I moonlight as an elementary music teacher during the day, LOL. Teacher by day, writer by night! I'm trying to focus on patriotic songs this year. It amazed me how many kiddos can't sing the Star Spangled Banner or don't even know what it is...Yikes! So that's what this first month will drill into those precious impressionable minds.

Last week I talked about pacing your scenes and sequels. What's funny is that at my DARA RWA meeting last saturday, the speaker talked about Scene/Sequel/Pacing. LOL, maybe something was trying to give a hint.

This week Jack Bickham goes a little deeper into Scene/Sequel and discusses the variations you can take so that your writing doesn't always plod along the familiar beaten overused path.....

"Classic structure of a scene is goal ... conflict ... disaster in that order, and classic structure of a sequel is emotion ... thought ... decision ... action, also in that order."

 He makes a point of assuring his readers that a perfectly good novel can progress in classic form of scene #1 - sequel #1 - scene #2 - sequel #2 and so on and so forth. Once you have your basic plot points and everything laid out ... here are five variations in scene structure.

1) You can start your presentation somewhere other than at the classic and logical entering point, which is statement of goal
2) You can end somewhere short of a fully pronounced disaster.
3) You can interrupt the scene virtually anywhere by having other action intervene.
4) You can interrupt the conflict component by having the viewpoint character's internalization in response to a stimulus develop into "a sequel in the middle of things".
5) You can present the goal-conflict-disaster segments out of the natural order

Here are his five variations in sequel structure:
1) You can skip one or more parts, or portray a segment in only a word or two.
2) You can amplify any given portion out of all proportion to the others
3)You can mix up the normal presentation order of the component segments - i.e. emotion, thought, decision, action - if there is reason to do so.
4) You can interrupt a sequel with the unexpected onset of a new scene.
5) You can insert one or more remembered scenes within the though component (like a flashback).

Pretty much I'm learning that if I plan out my scenes and sequels I can rotate them around to do anything I want with them. But if I chose to write in the standard scene/sequel tradition that's ok too. It's just a little more predictable. He also mentioned that for newer writers it was often helpful not to change up too much structure and let yourself get really good at your craft. So the lesson this week is - There are fathomless ways to "mix" up your scenes and sequels, BUT! don't do it unless it feel natural to the story and you feel comfortable shaking up the structure.

So there's my two cents in a nutshell. More coming next week. Happy Hump Day!

Happy Reading

Happy Writing

Krystal Shannan

Tricks to Control Pace - Scene and Structure #9

This has been a hectic week for me. Getting ready to go back to work and teacher staff development..... if you've ever taught, I don't need to say more, LOL. If you haven't, well it usually consists of lots of sitting and listening to rules and procedures. Usually stuff you've heard every year for years! Occasionally they will throw in something new or fun, but it's rare.

It has been hard for my daughter to adjust back into a daycare schedule. We were so spoiled sleeping in during the summer. I miss her knocking on my door in the morning and snuggling in bed until we were ready to get up and greet the day.

But I digress.... You really wanted to know the tricks didn't you. Hold on to your britches, LOL. I'm getting there!

Have you ever read or been writing a book and felt like your eyes barely crept across the page? Where the pace of the book nearly had you ready to roll your eyes and toss the kindle on the bed and take a nap?

What do you do when your manuscript is moving the speed of snail slime? I usually have a fight break out *giggle* or my favorite thing to do (my critique partner would tell you) is have the heroine kidnapped! I seriously enjoy a good kidnapping. Maybe I'm just a sucker for watching the hero rescue the heroine....

So last week we talked about SEQUELS (The thoughtful, can be extended, have summary in them, and therefore are slow-reading). SCENES are the exciting, conflictful, densely packed with action and dialogue, and therefore fast-reading.

Techniques to Speed the Story

1. Check your WIP for places where a sequel connects two logically progressing scenes. You might be able to eliminate the sequel completely and just let the two scenes butt up against each other.
2. Check for places where maybe you don't need an introspective sequel, but maybe just a "Three hours later...."  or "In Chicago, at the downtown Hilton...." Short, sweet, to the point and a lightning-fast transition to the next scene. 
3. *WARNING* Don't use the same kind of transition twice in a row.
4. If you find yourself with a really long introspective sequel, ask yourself if everything is necessary. Does your character really have to recount everything we just experienced over the last ten pages.... *yawn* Sometimes it works! But a lot of time it just pulls the parking break on the pace of your WIP.
5. Did you summarize a scene into a sequel that could have been really exciting if you'd written it out? Go back and write it in to help build more momentum.
6. Look at all your scenes and decide if there's anything extra you can add to raise the stakes.
7. Check your timing. Maybe you gave your hero too long to react to the disaster. Perhaps you can move up the timeline and create new action right away.

Pacing is usually a constant worry for most writers. If your problem isn't slow pace, just do the opposite of the above tips -add sequels, lengthen sequels, cut down scenes, or eliminate them and summarize into a sequel, give your character breathing room, lengthen timeline...etc.

"...in my experience of teaching fiction technique in the university classroom for more than two decades, novice novels that fail because they move too slowly outnumber those that move too fast by a margin of about 10 to 1." - SCENE AND STRUCTURE 

Jack goes further and explains what he considers the most obvious reasons.
1) Many beginning writers unconsciously shy away from presenting conflict just as they shy away from conflict in real life. Few of us like the emotional discomfort of a nasty fight in real life, and there is a danger that we might try to dodge conflict in our fiction, too, for the sake of "comfort."
2) Many beginners focus on the interior life of the character's thoughts or feelings, failing to understand the reader's yearning for outside action of some kind, played onstage in the story "now."
3) Most beginners start out with little concept of how many plot events (scenes) it takes to construct a story of 60K or more and then try to up the word count by padding it with sequels.
4) Writing scen conflict is hard, both in terms of handling the terse writing style involved and in terms of the emotional fatigue such writing brings upon its creator.
5) Too many beginners want to be "poetic" or "philosophical," so they write overblown sequels to wax rhapsodic about character emotion, or bombard us with their profound ideas.

Happy Writing

Happy Reading

Krystal Shannan

 

 

 

Scene & Structure #8 - Are your scenes in order?

So today's chapter was really helpful for me. It was all about linking your scenes, which can be a problem. I have sat at my laptop staring, wondering how I was going to get my character to move from point A to point B. I love setting up the scene for my characters and deciding just how much information is going to be revealed or any at all. (Yes, I know....mean, right? What can I say....I told you last week torture was good for them. LOL. Anyway, so today lets hook these scenes together! Transitions and Sequels! If I could really get good at this I would be able to write a book every couple of months.

Ok, so we've started our transition and are trying to create a sequel or segway to the new scene. For the character, he/she is facing a new dilemma. I like how Jack puts it "an unexpected but logical disaster". Isn't that fabulous. Unexpected! But logical. We must always remember to move the story forward. He makes a good point later that in 'real' life some people never recover from a disaster, they mope and cry and moan about for the rest of their life. NOT SO, in fiction. These characters can NEVER be stagnant. Remember fiction is about entertaining. What happens when you start watching a movie or a TV show and it's boring or so slow you start not even caring if you finish it. *raising hand* Yep, I've so been there. I don't know about you, but I have read a few books where after a chapter I was not invested and I put the book down. Usually I never returned to it. I do not want anyone to ever do that with my book. I want them to stay up all night reading it, because they can't wait to find out what happens next.

So most sequels start out with some type of emotion on the part of the hero/heroine. We need to be sure we are delving into the characters thoughts and feelings (POV) so that we can connect the reader to why the scene they just read is so important. Why write it, if it's not important? Every scene must count emotionally for the character and the reader. The transition/sequel give an opportunity for reflection.

There are three ways to do this.
1) Description
When you see this method, it should seem as if time stood still while the reader described the thoughts going on in the character's head.
2) Example
Examples are used when writers show their characters emotion through movement or action. A fist through a wall, throwing something, slapping their forehead, walking aimlessly. A lot of times using this method will help your reader engage and try to make their own conclusions about the disaster and what it means. In other words, it gets the reader's juices flowing. Just be sure you don't do this every single time. You don't want the reader to always be completely in the dark.....or maybe you do? Who am I to say.
3) Discussion
This is exactly what it sounds like. Readers learn through dialogue with multiple characters what your hero/heroine is thinking or feeling. They express it through what is said.

Alright, we discussed what to do with emotion. Moving on... Now, thought is next. Our hero/heroine is moving on the next stage of the transition/sequel. We know how they feel. What are they going to plan? First, they must review(a) what just happened to them. It can be brief or it can be lengthy, remember you are reminding the reader of what is important. Next, they analyze(b) or figure out what just happened and why. Then, the planning(c) begins. How is the hero/heroine going to respond to this new dilemma or disaster? Remember, always move forward.

Once our sturdy hero/heroine is done thinking, they must make a choice - a decision. This is the next progression. When a choice is made by the character on how to move forward, it should align with the story goal. Even if the path taken to get there has been altered, it should always align with the ultimate goal of the story and it should be clear to the reader. Why you say?

(1) First, it's important for the reader to realize that the character has picked a new course of action and is ready to move into it. (2) Second, stipulation of the new goal begins to prepare the reader for the next confrontation or scene; it heightens anticipation and suspense. (3) Third, we have already seen that understanding of the scene goal is vital to the readers's understanding of the scene and the things that are at stake.

Action! Lastly, the character much take his/her thoughts and decisions and take action. They must buy a plane ticket, get in their car, call somebody, etc... something has to happen....and VOILA! You are in your next scene. Congratulations you have transitioned to the next exciting, jaw dropping, scene in your story!!!

Happy Writing

Happy Reading

Krystal Shannan

Scene and Structure #7 - 12 Tips to Writing a Great Scene

I promised I'd share Jack Bickham's 12 tips on planning a scene this week, so here they are.

1. Make sure that the state scene goal is clearly relevant to the story question. Don't assume it's obvious to the reader. Spell it out.
2. Show clearly that the viewpoint character considers the oncoming scene as vitally important. Have him/her say so, or think so, or both! Never allow a lead character to enter a scene with a lackadaisical attitude.
3. Make sure you have provided enough background for the opposition character --or have him state enough motivation at the outset. 
4. Make sure your opposing character clearly states his opposition early in the scene, and never lets up.
5. Mentally devise a moving game plan for both the lead character and the antagonist so that even if you don't tell the reader what either is thinking, you know what both are thinking. 
6. In searching for your scene-ending-disaster, don't always grab the first idea that comes to your mind. Your reader will be guessing along with you, and you don't want him to outguess you. You always want to keep the reader guessing!
7. Don't be afraid to have your antagonist try to get the lead character "off the point" of argument as one of his opposing tactics. Just make sure the lead character always finds his way back.
8. Don't hesitate to use dialogue at cross-purpose once in a while as a scene-building device. Such dialogue can be defined as story conversation in which the conflict is not overt, but where the antagonist either doesn't understand what's really at issue, or is purposely non-responsive. However! Avoid characters lecturing each other.
9. Remember, in building conflict in the scene and in devising your disaster, that people are not always entirely rational, especially in stressful situations. Your story people --even in the toughest scenes --are not wholly logical robots, LOL.
10. Plan and write the scene for all you can get out of it. Revise if its impact suddenly seems to great for what your plot calls for next, and cut it only if you reread it later and sense that it may get dull in spots.
11. Always be alert for ways to raise the stakes in a scene, as long as you don't turn it into Armageddon!
12. Never let your characters relax or feel comfortable when disaster is right around the corner.

Next week we will begin considering how to CONNECT scenes and how better to motivate them. Hope you enjoyed this week. See you next Wednesday.

Happy Writing

Happy Reading

Krystal Shannan

Scene and Structure #6 - Torture those Characters! It's OK, it's good for them!

So I'm a little late today. Darling daughter and I slept in until 8am. It was fabulous. Then we had some eggs and delicious hearty bacon. Darling daughter also ate a big bowl of yogurt. What can I say, we are big on breakfast. It is Texas! LOL. House cleaning and shopping is on the list today....

Trying to get geared up for school starting back in a few weeks. Eeeeeeek!!! It's sneaking up on me.

But, let's get on with Jack Bickham's SCENE AND STRUCTURE tips for today!

Today we are talking about Planning and Revising Scenes for Maximum Effect.

1) The goal of each scene must clearly relate to the story question in some way.
2) The conflict must be about the goal.
3) The conflict must be with another person or persons, no internally, within oneself.
4) Once a viewpoint has been established and that viewpoint character's problem and goal have been stated, it's wise to remain with that same, single viewpoint through the disaster.
5) Disaster works (moves the story forward) by seeming to move the central figure further back from his goal, leaving him in worse trouble than he was before the scene started.
6) Readers will put up with a lot if your scenes will only keep making things worse!
7) You can seldom, if ever plan, write, or revise a scene in isolation of your other plans for your story, because the end of each scene dictates a lot about what can happen later.

Let's move forward and chat a little about (5) Disaster works (moves the story forward) by seeming to move the central figure further back from his goal, leaving him in worse trouble than he was before the scene started.

"Well-planned scenes end with disaster that tighten the noose around the lead character's neck; they make things worse, not better; they eliminate hoped-for avenues of progress; they increase the lead character's worry, sense of possible failure, and desperation --so that in all these ways the main character in a novel of 400 pages will be in far worse shape by page 200 than he seemed to be at the outset."

Ok, so I'm getting the idea that torturing our heroes and heroines is good! Love it!

Jack goes on to say later that 'Of course you can console yourself (but don't tell the readers) with the secret knowledge that all of this seeming backward movement is only a dramatic illusion'.

Haha! I hope this hit on a few areas of interest for you. I know it did for me and next week (yes, I peeked ahead) we get Jack's 12 tips on writing and revising! Can't wait!

Happy Writing,

Happy Reading,

Krystal Shannan

Scene and Structure #5 - Pitfalls!

I'm on vacation this week with my daughter in sunny Florida, but I made sure to have a little something to share with you from our good friend Jack Bickham and his book SCENE & STRUCTURE.


Let's talk about our friends from last week, Jack and Jill. Now their goal was climbing a hill/mountain and we are trying to come up with conflicts for them. Be sure the conflicts you choose for your characters are not trivial. (Believe me your readers will care!) We don't want to read about how Jack and Jill don't have the proper equipment to scale their mountain. If the story is about them climbing, they sure as hell better have the proper climbing equipment. 


Now.... If the story is about them surviving in the Alaskan Tundra and they were in a plane crash and they have no equipment and they have to climb a mountain to escape a bear.... that's one thing.... but then the story goal is no longer them climbing a mountain it's about them surviving in the wilderness and readers will now expect them not to have the equipment they need.  


See how that changed everything.


Another point he makes in this chapter - don't sidetrack your characters (Pitfall #1). If Jack and Jill need money to finance their trip, don't create a thought process that says if the bank doesn't give us financing we have to rob a bank to get the money to climb the mountain.  OMG! Jack and Jill's story is about climbing a mountain, not becoming bank robbers! Be sure you don't back your characters into conflicts that distract from your story goal and possibly alter it in the process.


(Pitfall #2) - The Strongman
Don't let the characters run away with the story. Yikes! I know all my pantser friends out their are gasping. For you guys. Let the story run, but then be willing to go back and look at the scene and realize that you might not want all of it. For example, if Jack and Jill go to the bank to get financing for their climb and start a screaming match with the the bank manager... what's going to happen. What might you introduce into your story at that point that you don't want to explain to your readers? Jack says "what if the characters say they can get the money somewhere else and the bank manager sees it as a threat and calls in the loan on Jack's business... or Jack says he can just go get the money from his grandfather..." Well the reader is going to want to know why Jack didn't just go to the grandfather first. Is the grandfather part of the story, or did Jack just grab you by the ear and drag you along with him for no good reason.


I am such a pantser too and I have seen this happen in my own work from time to time. I take a step back and go 'what the hell?'. As a pantser you have to be willing to take it out and go at it again. Remind your characters to "stay on task" LOL. When this happens I usually highlight the scene, cut it and paste it at the bottom of my doc so that if I need it I can go back and and get it, but if I don't, I don't worry about it.


(Pitfall #3) - The Weakling
Don't duck your conflicts! "After the showdown with Jacob Simms, David drove directly home, feeling....." OMG! The author skipped the best part. He/she left out the showdown. 

Don't skip over conflict because you don't think you can write it well enough. "You will find that boldly going ahead into the 'impossibly difficult' conflict portion will stretch your abilities as a writer - and make you better than you thought you could ever be."

Happy Writing, Happy Reading

Krystal Shannan

Be sure to follow the blog if you haven't already. The July drawing  for an Amazon giftcard is next week! You have to be a follower to be entered :-)

Scene and Structure #4

Well, today I was greeted by my two year old in the hallway at 6am... LOL, It's just going to be one of those days. I fed her and clothed her.  Lucky for me, she wandered off to play with her stuffed animals and I can sneak in a few moments to share what I've learned from my latest reading in Jack Bickham's SCENE & STRUCTURE. Although, I hear an approaching floor popper, so this is probably going to be quick today.

Jack is talking about overall goals today in your scenes. How to avoid the circular arguments that plague many children and non-comunicative adults..... *snicker* 

When we read a book, we don't want the characters to just argue and go back and forth at each other, we want problems, crisis, choices that must be made, action that must be taken. We want to hope and cheer on our heroes and heroines in their epic struggle to reach their goal and we want to be made to believe that they might not make it.

Remember to have your long-term story question in mind when writing each chapter all they way down to each individual scene. If the story is about Jack and Jill climbing a hill. Every scene should be their struggle to do so until they ultimately succeed. Unless something else relates to that goal and question, it is unneeded and distracting to the reader.

Authors do this successfully by placing conflicts in their characters' paths - usually a villain figure.

Now for the 'disaster' as Jack calls it. The final twist in a scene that keeps the hero/heroine from achieving their quest or attaining their goal.

'It seems clear why this should be so. If a character enters a scene, has a big struggle, and comes out with exactly what he went in for, then he is happy as a lark. Again -just as if there had been no fight at all - Jack and and Jill are happy, the reader is happy - and all story tension just went down the drain.

This is why the scene, if it is to work as a building block in your novel, must end not well, but badly. Jack and Jill can not be allowed to attain their scene goal. They must encounter a new setback. They must leave in worse shape than they were in when they went in. Any time you can build a scene which leaves your character(s) in worse shape, you have probably "made progress" in terms of your story's development!

So to recap... 

1) Start with a goal in mind

2) Plan your conflicts

3) Devise a solid disaster 

Now, go torture those characters for our pleasure and enjoyment! 

Remember it's for a good cause. You want to write a bestseller!

Happy Writing, Happy Reading.

Krystal Shannan

How do you write a scene? #3

It's been a crazy week so far. I've written over 20,000 words on my WIP called PRIDE RULES. DH started a new job and is traveling out of town the whole week. He is in Omaha, Nebraska! Which means I'm at home alone with my 2-yr-old darling daughter - for five days. He doesn't get home till late this Friday evening. But we have been keeping busy and the more we do during the day, the better she sleeps at night so I can spend time online and writing :-) Honestly, I just feel so lucky that I get to spend so much time with her this summer. When school starts back, she goes back to daycare and I only see her in the evenings. I know I will cry when I don't get to spend 8 hours a day with her. She is an amazing little girl.

Thanks for joining me again this week for more tips and tidbits as I read and study Jack Bickham's SCENE AND STRUCTURE.

~Cause and Effect~

"Writers over the years have probably sweated enough to fill Lake Erie as they tried to figure out how to motivate Priscilla to open the locked door (cause), or what next might happen after she did so (effect)."

Love that bit from Bickham. He goes on to say that even though in real life we deal with stuff that happens randomly, in fiction, readers are unable to latch on to the unexplained. There must always be a cause for the effect.

Now, that doesn't mean that every tiny detail has to have cause and effect... but, it could! Remember in fiction we want life to make sense. As authors we a chance to create order out of chaos and show a story where the reader gets to root for the characters or against them, lol.

~Stimulus and Response~

Here are a few simple rules to remember:

• Stimulus must be external -that is, action or dialogue, something that could be witnessed if the transaction were on a stage.
• Response must also be external in the same way.
• For every stimulus, you must show a response. (You can't say Larry threw the ball and not tell us what happened to the ball :-)
• For every desired response, you must provide a stimulus.
• Response usually must follow stimulus at once.
• When response to stimulus is not logical on the surface, you must ordinarily explain it.

Here is a response without evidence of stimulus.

Mary walked into the party.

"Oh, no!"Julie groaned and ran for the exit.

To make the scene credible in the eyes of the reader, here is one way Bickham offers a solution.

Mary walked into the party, wearing a strapless blue gown.
"Oh, no!" Julie -wearing an identical dress -groaned, and ran for the exit.

Voila! Evidence of stimulus!
Don't try to explain Julie's response later in the scene. It is very important that it directly follows the stimulus OR the response is unwarranted.

Another mistake he points out is one I am guilty of finding in my own writing and have to watch for. Putting reaction, before event. i.e.

Joe turned after hearing the gunshot. (response before stimulus) vs. Hearing the shot, Joe turned. (stimulus then response)

Watch out for those pesky afters.


Also another point to remember is that characters often internalize before reacting and that is perfectly normal, just make sure you don't ramble on forever, or drop huge amounts of backstory, making the reader wonder if the character is ever going to get around to responding.

Here's the recap for today....
"Try to think of cause as background or previously decided motivation; effect as the possible complicated results of such background or motivation; stimulus as something much more immediate, in terms of time, and always in the outside world; response as also immediate and physical, and internalization as the process that goes on inside the receiver of a stimulus after that stimulus and before whatever response is to follow."

How do you write a scene? #2

So happy Forth of July! May everyone enjoy their BBQ and fireworks tonight! Be safe and be careful not to burn anything down. I don't know where you are, but around here everything thing is as dry as a crispy critter.

Remember what our Forth of July is actually celebrating. Independence from England. Remember the movie The Patriot with Mel Gibson, yep, just in case you are a little rusty on your history that's the war I'm talking about. Our ancestors fought long and hard so we could have all the advantages that come with being a US citizen. Be sure you vote to keep our country that way.

Moving on to our topic for the day. How to START and how to END a scene. 'The point to be made here, is that 95% of the popular novels published today -whatever their general form (1st, 3rd, etc.) -depend on the structure of the scene to make them work'.

But first Jack's answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

1) "How long should my novel be?"

Haha, personally I just write until the story ends, but I guess I could see this being a problem for some. But, his answer for you is (unless you are writing a novella for sure) assume the 60-90,000 word range.  Then depending on the publisher you are seeking, you may have to shorten or length from there.

He goes on to say that novels below 60,000 words do have a chance to be published, but is is far below the norm. In nowadays market, unless you are writing a catagory line for Harlequin, shorter novels and novellas are bought constantly by the booming epub industry. Novels over the 90,000 word range apparently jump into a more expensive category for publishers and they are wary of those as well, because they become a higher risk. Interesting.

2) "Where should my story start?"

The answer... Wherever the character is going to experience the most dramatic portion of his/her lifespan. LOL. In essence -the juiciest part.

Here's Jack Bickham's 5 things to remember about your reader.

1. They are fascinated and threatened by significant change;
2. They want the story to start with such a change;
3. They want to have a story question to worry about;
4. They want the story question answered in the story ending;
5. The will quickly lose patience with everything but material that relates to the story question.

Ok, so our stories should start with a change, lead quickly to goal, and raise a story question in the reader's mind to hook them! But how do we end...? 

Simple answer.

Answer the story question.

It may take a month of the character's life. It may take a week. For novella writers it may only take 48 hours of a character's life to pose a question and answer it. But to really hook our readers, we must make them worry for our characters and desire to know if they are going to make through our fabricated crisis or not... SO... 

Go back to your stories and ask yourself these questions from the readers' perspective. 

In the meantime, here is Jack's abridged version of the GAME PLAN.

• Consider your story materials as presently imagined. Look for and identify, in terms of days, weeks or months, that briefer period of time when the "the big stuff happens." Plan to eliminate virtually everything else.
• Think hard about your most major character and what makes him/her tick - what his/her self concept is, and what kind of life he/she has built to protect and enhance it.
• Identify or create a dramatic situation or event which will present your character (and your reader) with the significant, threatening moment of change.
• Plan your plot so that your novel will open with this event.
• Decide what intention or goal your most significant character will select to try and fix things after the threatening opening change. Note what story question this goal will put int he reader's mind.
• Devise the start of a plan formulated by your most significant character as he set out to make things right again.
• Figure out how much later - and where and how - the story question finally will be answered. You should strive to know this resolution before you start writing. Granted some things change while writing, but you should know your final destination :-)

Next week join me for Cause and Effect...

Happy Writing 

Happy Reading

Krystal Shannan

How do you write a Scene? #1

So I've decided to in addition to being a stay at home mother to a two-year-old female tyrannosaurus...ooops! I meant darling daughter, LOL.  I am working on two WIP's at the same time,  taking a writing class with Candy Havens, and I'm reading a fabulous book called Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham.  Each Wednesday I will find a way to share with you what I learned that week about creating a strong scene! Whoooo! I hope you will enjoy my adventure into scene and structure. I know I sound like a geek. But what else is an ex-english teacher to do for fun....? No! Don't ask! *Giggle* At least wait until I've had a glass or two of wine.

CHAPTER 1 - The Structure of Modern Fiction

Haha! Don't leave. I promise to have something interesting to say.

"Structure is nothing more than a way of looking at your story material so that it's organized in a way that's both logical and dramatic."

See. This could be helpful.

As a romance writer and a confessed plotsner (half pantser-half plotter) I need some organization! I stole that from my friend Elysa Hendricks! Fabulous author by the way. I use to despise plotting, but my critique partner rubbed off on me and now I find that it is quite helpful to plot scenes. I don't necessarily plot the whole book, but I do now really enjoy planning out a scene.

Writers want their writing to make sense and hold together and readers want to go on the same adventure. Readers want us to succeed! They want books! I'm a reader and have several authors on my auto buy list. I want their stories to be fabulous and I count on them being able to deliver. That's why I buy everything they write. I can't wait to be that kind of author for readers.

We are told our stories need a "beginning, middle, and end" or "a situation, a complication, a climax, and a denouement". Short stories and novels are built on the same principals.  Bickham promises that as long as you understand the structure of building a story there will be no more staring "at your word processor with tiny droplets of blood oozing from your forehead".  Isn't that fantastic! So looking forward to this book! I hope you will join me on my adventure to building a better scene.

Happy Writing

Krystal Shannan

Wednesday Spotlight ~ Sarah Carr ~ How to write a Scene...

Please help me welcome author Sarah Carr.  She is sharing a bit of advice on constructing a scene.

        Each scene should contain a beginning, middle and end, similar to the structure of a novel. This element of story building is important because scenes illustrate a story as it happens, propelling it forward. In turn, that scene then forms into the next and so on. A scene should be intriguing and lure a reader in, making them feel like they’re a part of the story, tugging them forward.

        For me, the setting is key in a scene, which then brings my senses into play. My first step when creating a scene is painting a mental picture and establishing it into words. For instance, am I standing on a dock? If so, can I taste the salt in the breeze? Does the wind make me shiver? Can I hear the birds flying overhead? Can I see boats bobbing in the water? All of these elements are key in creating a visual for my readers. Now that I have this beautiful canvas, I start to think about the potential dilemmas and conflicts that can occur here. I break out the questions: “Who”, “What”, “Where” “When” and “Why”.

        From here, the possibilities are endless. Perhaps it’s late at night and my character was a witness to a grisly crime. She’s running away from a murderer and is cornered on the dock. Here’s another scenario. Maybe my character recently lost a loved one and she’s seeking solace from the water as she watches the sunrise. She meets someone who causes her question her life. The story could go in a completely different direction. Possibly, my character is about to embark on a cruise and overhears a crewmember say there’s something wrong with the ship right. Does she investigate the situation herself? Will she get caught? With painting one simple picture of a “dock”, there are numerous different scenes that populated in my head.

        It’s these types of actions I used in Revealing Hamilton to get the story from start to finish. Below is a part of a scene from my new release, Revealing Hamilton.

Something felt wrong.

In the living room, an ottoman rested on its side and a magazine lay open on the floor. A colorful article advertising Las Vegas blared from the pages. From the corner of my eye, the screen of Connor’s cell phone caught my attention. I watched it periodically blink, communicating new messages awaited.

I went to the kitchen next and found the latest stack of mail on the island. The top envelope made me cringe when I saw the return address. It was another letter from the State of Washington. This one was addressed to Amelia Brooks.

My identity had been an issue for years. Since age 18, I submitted multiple requests to change my last name from my grandfather’s back to my parents. With each attempt, the paperwork came back denied, stating my name was Amelia Benedict or another obscure surname starting with the letter “B”. Double-checking each field, I clearly filled out the forms to read Amelia Hamilton, but was contradicted every time. I determined it a sick way for my grandfather to haunt me from the grave. The latest correspondence would have to wait.

A broken wine bottle and bandage wrappers were on the counter next to the refrigerator. Droplets of dark fluid created a path from the bottle to the sink, making me shudder. The room began to feel too warm and nausea flooded my stomach. I grabbed a rolling pin from the island, gripping it so tightly my knuckles hurt.

“Calm down, Amelia,” I said. “There’s a logical explanation and no one is going to hurt you.” I forced my mind away from childhood memories of a basement.

Swallowing hard, I tiptoed across the living room to the bedroom. As usual, the door was cracked open. I held the pin over my head, ready to attack in an instant. From where I stood, I couldn’t see more than the corner of the dresser and a beam of soft light. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. A flashlight rested on the nightstand, pointed toward the ceiling. As I scanned the room, my jaw dropped and my heart paused.

“Connor?” I dropped the makeshift weapon at my feet.

Fantastic scene!  I loved your explanation of what goes through your mind as you contemplate the setting.  Thank you for sharing.  

Now lets get down to business and find out all the juicy details about you and your new book.

Tell us a little about yourself. 

I’m 32 years old and Revealing Hamilton is my first published novel. By day, I work in a radiology billing office and I’m a novelist by night. I live in Washington State with my wonderful husband and son. In my spare time, I like to splash in mud puddles and smell bookstores.

Did you always want to be an author? 

When I was a child, I wanted to be a circus performer. I hate heights, so I’m not sure what I was thinking back then. I did start writing stories when I was a child and dabbled with it on and off. It was only a few years ago that writing became a necessity to my day.

What is your favorite part of being a writer/author? 

I love plot twists.  One of my favorite aspects is when a reader tells me they didn’t expect a story to turn out like it did.

Blurb from REVEALING HAMILTON

A conversation with a stranger changes Amelia Hamilton’s life forever. When she learns her grandfather faked his own death, normalcy slips from Amelia’s grasp. To make matters worse, he is coming for her in less than seven days. What she hasn’t determined is why.

Amelia’s grandfather, Marius Benedict, once headed The Physician’s Coalition, an elite group of doctors who threw the Hippocratic Oath out the window. Years ago, they used a low-risk medical research study as a front to their experiments. Without their consent, innocents were injected with JackRabbit7, a hazardous substance used to alter their DNA. The victims were left with less-than-desirable super-human powers or excruciating death. Years after he disbanded the group, Marius has a new plan and is reforming The Coalition.

Max, a mysterious stranger from the Insurance Agency, offers to help keep Amelia safe. He introduces The Agency as an underground government organization that contains and eliminates those who intend to harm the world. To protect The Agency, the truth of their activities are concealed and replaced with sugar-coated stories in the media.

Over the course of the next week, Amelia has to accept the truth and learn who can be trusted. At midnight on her 23^rd birthday, a contract between The Coalition and The Insurance Agency will expire, giving Marius full rein to approach his granddaughter and finish the project he started with her so many years ago.

When did you start writing and when did you finish your first book? 

The idea “hatched” in 2005. Keep in mind, I wrote a little and then put the story away for a long time. I’d pull it out and work on it occasionally, but in 2008 I really started diving back into the story. I submitted it to Ruby Lioness Press in December of 2011 and it was under contract shortly thereafter.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

So many places! I think music and my writing environment are very important aspects of creativity. I love to write at coffee shops, on my couch late at night or with my writing group. As long as my iPod is playing, the creative juices are flowing.

Do you plot and outline or do you just write?  Plotter or Pantser? 

There’s no easy answer to this for me. It’s a little of both. I have a general outline of where I expect the story to go. I branch out the outline from there and “pants” it. It doesn’t always turn out the way I expect and I embrace my characters for having minds of their own.

Can you tell us a little about the process of getting your first book published? 

Honestly, RLP was the second publisher I submitted to. Ever. The one other company I submitted to, turned me down in a matter of days. When I found out I was pregnant, I had absolutely no creativity so I put a halt to writing for a while. I jest my son stole it from me for the nine months I baked him.

What book have you most recently released? 

Revealing Hamilton is my first published novel. Each novel in the series is known as a JackRabbit7 novel.

What was your favorite part of the book? 

There’s a moment toward the end of the story where Amelia has a massive realization and a lot of “tidbits” of story click. When that light bulb goes off is when the story snowballs.

I love that part of the story!

Rate your story in terms steaminess? 

On a scale of 1-10? Currently, Amelia isn’t so savvy in the ways of relationships, but for the novel as a whole, I’d say a 3 and that’s being generous.

Do you have another book in the works? 

Yes. Embracing Hamilton, the sequel, is under contract to release in early 2013. At this point in time, I have plans for at least four novels in the series.

What advice would you give new authors?  What have you learned about the business? 

If you’re passionate about something, keep at it. Join a writing group. Find other authors who write the same genre you do. Bouncing ideas off of one another can be extremely helpful.

Boxers or Briefs? 

Boxers

Pizza or hamburger? 

Hamburger

Beer, Wine, or mixed drink? 

Mixed drink

If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Would you write or read there, or do something else? 

I’d say Maui or anywhere tropical. I’d write and spend time with family.

(Character Questions)

What were your first impressions of each other? As an author~ My first impression of Amelia was, “Good grief, this girl is accident prone. I hope I don’t break her by the end of the book.”

LOL!

What’s your favorite characteristic Amelia? 

My favorite characteristics of Amelia’s are her drive and determination.

What are Amelia's plans for the near future?  

It’s always up in the air considering the company she incurs.

Thank you Sarah for being my guest today!  It was fabulous.  I hope you had as much fun as I did.

Be sure to visit Sarah@

Where to find you @

Websites, Blogs, Twitter, FaceBook, etc.

www.sarahjcarr.com

www.facebook.com/authorsarahjcarr

www.twitter.com/@sarahjcarr1