tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post6091717388785739298..comments2024-01-12T00:48:48.031-06:00Comments on Go Teen Writers: The Intuitive WriterStephanie Morrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-65152809800473242412017-03-27T17:50:22.417-05:002017-03-27T17:50:22.417-05:00Interesting!
1--a: Bell's Plot and Structure....Interesting!<br /><br />1--a: Bell's Plot and Structure. And Art of War for Writers.<br />2--I have Three Act Structure, but right now I think Act One ends about halfway through Chapter Two.<br />3--d: Lie--wait, I know this one. It’s...um...well, he...Stephanie! What’s the lie my character is telling himself??<br /><br />This WIP is very one-step-at-a-time. I basically figure out what happens in each chapter right before I start writing it. I have no idea what going to happen in Chapter Ten or Seven or even Three. But...<br />...with a different WIP, I have pretty much the entire story figured out, and I know just about every plot turn. All I really need is to write it. True, it's partly because it has a very detailed atmosphere, but it's just so different from the other one.<br /><br />So "I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know what I am!"<br /><br /> ~ GracelynGracelynhttp://saintgeorgeacademygrace.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-55891828973268610072017-03-23T14:05:27.934-05:002017-03-23T14:05:27.934-05:00If you ever feel that your scenes are getting bori...If you ever feel that your scenes are getting boring or mundane, you may want to update your style. I'm not saying to change your writing altogether (that wouldn't help much), but pinpoint what you're stuck on and try to... add to it. Vary your word choice. Think of what YOU do when you are in a situation like your character's. But also keep their actions within their personality...<br />I hope this helps you, LHE! :DGJEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-76402285488577592992017-03-23T13:34:51.498-05:002017-03-23T13:34:51.498-05:00Thank you so much! Wow, your WIP's great!
I w...Thank you so much! Wow, your WIP's great! <br />I will definitely use these techniques in my WIP. It also helps to act your scene out (for em at least). I will probably interview my family to see what they felt of did in certain situations. Ya'll always have so much great advice! :)LHEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-58335191517553195232017-03-23T11:02:13.702-05:002017-03-23T11:02:13.702-05:00Thank you so much! I will look into to them :)
Len...Thank you so much! I will look into to them :)<br />LenaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-72754116449472935332017-03-23T10:53:00.401-05:002017-03-23T10:53:00.401-05:00Oh my gosh... this post makes my life finally make...Oh my gosh... this post makes my life finally make so much sense!! I am a very mathematical person in almost every area of my life, but NOT WHEN I WRITE. I didn't really understand it for a while... I read writing blogs and a few craft books, but I could never figure out how to apply all the labels to my own writing.<br />Once, after I finished writing my first book, I realized that I could not identify my MC's character arc--at all. I started believing that my book wasn't good and so I moved on to something else. But when I went back and re-read it, I realized that it was in fact very good and that there was nothing wrong with my MC. Now, I am a bit better at identifying labels than I used to be, but only after I'm done writing the story--long after I'm done with it.Jeannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-36070850058873925852017-03-23T10:43:23.706-05:002017-03-23T10:43:23.706-05:00@Tracey: Aww, that's so sweet you thought of m...@Tracey: Aww, that's so sweet you thought of me! ^_^ And you're definitely a fabulous hybrid, my dear! ^_^<br /><br />@Roseanna: Yeah, I've been writing for 10 years now so I'm hoping I'm arriving at some of the "real" rules naturally without having to force myself. XD I grew up reading SO much, as a homeschooler, that (as somebody above mentioned) I think I have something of an "ear" for what's right... hopefully, anyway. :P Anyways, thanks! ^_^<br /><br />@Stephanie: I understand! And I'm actually a plotter, I just plot according to my own inner compass, instead of by traditional structures... which, oftentimes the inner compass points intuitively the right way, but I don't know WHY, like Roseanna mentioned in her post. :) Haha, I keep getting drawn back from time to time just to see what's going on over here--I can't help it. XD And aww, thanks so much! ^_^Deborah O'Carrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05969896655321575875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-87941055348930965922017-03-23T09:30:05.132-05:002017-03-23T09:30:05.132-05:00I'll respond, Lena, since craft books aren'...I'll respond, Lena, since craft books aren't really Roseanna's thing.<br /><br />Jill and I wrote the Go Teen Writers book, which is more of a "what to do once you've finished your first draft" kind of book, but it could also apply to first draft stuff as well: http://amzn.to/2nrt0Er<br /><br />Two classics and personal favorites of mine are Stephen King's On Writing and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. I don't know how old you are, but both of them have strong language in them, just so you're prepared for that.<br /><br />On Writing: http://amzn.to/2naXicf<br />Bird by Bird: http://amzn.to/2nbbTVf<br /><br />James Scott Bell has some fabulous stuff out there. My personal favorite of his is The Art of War for Writers: http://amzn.to/2nbcm9L<br /><br />Writing the Breakout Novel is another good one. I have both the book and the workbook, and you could probably get away with just the workbook: http://amzn.to/2naXR5R<br /><br />A recent crush of mine is Story Genius by Lisa Cron. I haven't yet written using this method, so I can't yet say, "This works!" but it's definitely shaken up the way I think about stories: http://amzn.to/2o8zCo3<br /><br />Hope there's something in there that works for you!<br />Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-27742206859060928232017-03-23T09:19:32.373-05:002017-03-23T09:19:32.373-05:00Deborah, I'm so glad this post was here for yo...Deborah, I'm so glad this post was here for you! When I write posts I try to be mindful that there are lots of different types of writers. But like Roseanna said, it's hard to teach a non-system, so I know I end up talking to plotters much more than pantsers. I feel touched that you stick around regardless, and I'm glad Roseanna was able to encourage you. You are, indeed, a real writer, my friend.Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-64794698514038026832017-03-23T09:16:45.052-05:002017-03-23T09:16:45.052-05:00I'm going to bring my Story Genius book to the...I'm going to bring my Story Genius book to the retreat so you can see it. That's the next method I'm trying because it's more about cohesive character motivation and the internal journey than it is plotting the story. I think you might at least find the method intriguing.Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-67335875667159342322017-03-23T09:15:35.459-05:002017-03-23T09:15:35.459-05:00Amen, sister.Amen, sister.Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-86414647440879453602017-03-23T05:39:20.904-05:002017-03-23T05:39:20.904-05:00Isn't that fun? And that's what rules are ...Isn't that fun? And that's what rules are designed to help us do--teach us WHY we're doing the things we're already doing, or should be doing. Those kinds of rules I highly enjoy. =)Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-23578030783071188282017-03-23T05:38:26.323-05:002017-03-23T05:38:26.323-05:00A couple tricks to filling out the emotion of a sc...A couple tricks to filling out the emotion of a scene. First, pay attention to physical cues people around you give, and put some of those in there. Things like cradling an empty coffee cup for the security of it when the conversation is emotional. Or when anxious, my hands get busy--I'm more likely to do dishes when I'm nervous than any other time, LOL. Hands curl into fists with frustration. Things like that can bring emotion into the room on your page even without actually mentioning any emotion.<br /><br />Another is to show the dichotomy between what people say and what they really think. This is one of my favorite tools. =) Here's a quick example from my WIP:<br /><br /> Jules crouched down too and flung his cello’s case open with far less care than usual. “Would you just shout at me? Rant and rail as you usually do? I cannot handle this ice, mon ami. It is unlike you. It worries me.”<br /> Lukas closed his case, fastened it, and stood with it in his left hand. “There is nothing to rant about. You saved my life.” And he couldn’t forgive him for it until he knew it hadn’t cost his mother and sister theirs.<br />Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-2184586838565342872017-03-23T05:27:06.514-05:002017-03-23T05:27:06.514-05:00Tracy, if we're going by Pascal (and why would...Tracy, if we're going by Pascal (and why wouldn't we, because he's awesome), a hybrid is what we should all be aiming for! The perfect mind, according to him, is one who has the intuition to tell us where to go and the logic to tell us how to get there. =)Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-12025012455973673532017-03-23T05:26:01.742-05:002017-03-23T05:26:01.742-05:00Deborah, so glad I could help put words to it!! No...Deborah, so glad I could help put words to it!! Now, as someone who resisted writing rules, I can tell you that some of them ARE necessary to learn. (Don't headhop, show vs. tell, vivid writing, etc.) But the thing I love about those rules in particular is that they're where you arrive naturally with work. So they're just a shortcut. And I do always love a shortcut. ;-) But story rules? *Insert me blowing raspberries* They can be USEFUL. But they're a tool, not a goal, in my humble opinion. At least for writers like us. =)<br /><br />But I'm here as proof that intuitive writers can TOTALLY be "real writers." Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-27719911780132375512017-03-23T05:20:20.213-05:002017-03-23T05:20:20.213-05:00And I'd say that intuitive writers can plot, b...And I'd say that intuitive writers can plot, but not necessarily label, LOL. ;-) By instinct anyway. We can of course learn, and in so doing come to balance out our processes, which is great. But definitely don't stress yourself out about it!!Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-57131871037969259462017-03-23T05:18:53.082-05:002017-03-23T05:18:53.082-05:00The funny thing being that I always claimed to hal...The funny thing being that I always claimed to half-plot. But to me, plotting is just writing down the story as it's laid itself out in my head. It's not making it conform to set points laid out ahead of time. So is that really plotting? I have no idea, LOL. But if I try to use the 30 scenes or whatever...I end up writing nothing. (Case in point, Giver of Wonders, which sat with 0 progress for a year...)<br /><br />So I've come to the conclusion that there's no right way, except the way that WORKS FOR YOU. =)Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-52021778310396723352017-03-22T23:12:46.198-05:002017-03-22T23:12:46.198-05:00Wow. This is very interesting. I think I'm an ...Wow. This is very interesting. I think I'm an intuitive writer who has been trying to pin herself down more lately. I can do the 'proper' things, but it just takes more panic and stress and lots of time for me. <br />When I first started writing way back, I hadn't taken any kind of English/grammar class, but as I wrote (and read), I ended up starting to pick up the ways of proper grammar without even knowing the 'why'. When I did start an English class, I ended up thinking it was loads of fun because I had been doing so much already, and finally I got to figure out the why.<br /><br />Meaghan Rutherfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17144939103660147492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-46175282212648297252017-03-22T22:48:34.446-05:002017-03-22T22:48:34.446-05:00DEBORAH! I thought of you throughout this entire p...DEBORAH! I thought of you throughout this entire post! <333 I'm so, so glad it encouraged you. It pointed out something I *knew* about intuitive writers but didn't know how to express. I'm just happy that someone finally described all this!<br /><br />I think I'm a blend? Like others have been saying, lots of reading helped build my intuition. I get a gut feeling when something isn't lining up right, or when the writing just clicks. But I probably lean more toward the mathematical side, because I love organizing and labelling and reading craft books (and blogs like this one)! There does come a time when first drafting that I have to ease up on the planning side and just let go so I can see where the story takes me. LOL, it seems like writing is yet another area of life in which I'm a hybrid!Tracey Dyckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03445222618456673198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-21533082286266853422017-03-22T22:13:25.633-05:002017-03-22T22:13:25.633-05:00I think I'm a little bit of both. A lot of tim...I think I'm a little bit of both. A lot of times I go by my feelings and what seems right in the scene, and I don't tend to follow the rules. :|<br />I've had a hard time lately figuring out how to put leaves on the branches of my writing. I feel like my writing tree is dying. I feel like I can't fill the scene to express the real emotion of the story. It drives me crazy. I keep going blank, and nothing seems to be helping. :(<br />If anyone has any ideas on how to really make the scene come alive, then I'd love to hear it. :)<br />P.s. Thank you Mrs. White for the wonderful post! :)LHEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-1306429417261175542017-03-22T15:45:56.391-05:002017-03-22T15:45:56.391-05:00Oh my goodness, THANK YOU, ROSEANNA.
I'm def...Oh my goodness, THANK YOU, ROSEANNA. <br /><br />I'm definitely an intuitive writer. I've never been good at listening to "how" to write a novel. I just instinctively DO it. Anytime anyone tells me that my story fits well into a this structure or a that structure I'm like "Um... okay... I guess it does now that you mention it... but I definitely didn't consciously PLAN it that way!" It always seems like my story knows better how to write itself than I do. XD <br /><br />Anyways, due to this, I've always been depressed by "writing rules" and "how to write" and structures and even a lot of the (no-doubt useful to other people) posts on this blog, because I never clicked with rules and mathematical ways of doing things, and they always make me feel... well... stifled, like you said. I started ignoring said rules and structures and continued writing intuitively, but I figured I was being a rebel by doing so and that no other "real" writer would dare to do that, and so obviously I will never make it as a "real writer"... So THANK YOU for this post and showing me that it's a thing. :D It made me so happy. ^_^Deborah O'Carrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05969896655321575875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-16525795613378423652017-03-22T15:39:59.448-05:002017-03-22T15:39:59.448-05:00Great post! I think I'm more of a mathematical...Great post! I think I'm more of a mathematical writer. Or a little bit of both??? I always have a little plot to go by, because I know how I want the story to go, but I also don't follow the rules very often. My lies are normally there, but I probably don't follow the three act structure. So, I'd say both. <br /><br />I also would love to know what craft books you do recommend. I've never had one but been wanting one for a while now, just not sure what to buy. Anything would help! :)<br /><br />~LenaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-87459924161250059562017-03-22T14:17:19.647-05:002017-03-22T14:17:19.647-05:00Wow, that was great. It helped settle a couple thi...Wow, that was great. It helped settle a couple things in my head, like, "I wonder if I'm doing something wrong...I can't label everything!" I know I'm a pantser, but I always kind of assumed that even pansters should be able to label all their story elements. If you ask me what my lie is, where my acts are, um...can I get back to you on that? I'm so glad I'm not alone!! <br /><br />So, yes, I am definitely an intuitive writer. I keep the rules and guidelines I've read in the back of my head, but it just doesn't flow for me to sit down and actively think about how to fill in each label...kind of stresses me out and makes my mind go blank.<br /><br />Anyways, thank you very much Roseanna! :)Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03861384032480877924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-75885197909939472932017-03-22T12:54:16.138-05:002017-03-22T12:54:16.138-05:00"But what she does have is a mathematical min..."But what she does have is a mathematical mind. (Insert Stephanie laughing hysterically, calling me all kinds of crazy...)"<br /><br />Indeed! I think this is the one-and-only time I have ever been labeled mathematical :)<br /><br />So many good points that I don't really know where to begin on a response. I've taken an interesting journey of starting out very intuitive (never plotted, and even turned up my nose at it on a regular basis) and over the years I've moved more toward the logical side. I wonder how common that is?<br /><br />One thing that really jumped out at me as a person who used to be a total pantser is the fact that you can't really teach a non-system. This is something that I've really struggled with because I wish there were more resources out there to help pantsers along the way. But I think (at least this was true for me) that a lot of the labely/logical/plotty type tools can still be helpful resources for pantsers. We just tend to lean on them more in edits. When the gut says something is off, like you mentioned.<br /><br />I feel grateful for my front row seat of watching you develop stories. I think it's helped me to be smarter and more inclusive in my teaching about writing. Thank you for being with us today!Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-34344922234016253602017-03-22T12:36:24.430-05:002017-03-22T12:36:24.430-05:00Olivia, I think we all scratch out heads at people...Olivia, I think we all scratch out heads at people who do it differently, LOL. But hey, working to understand those weird OTHER people is research, right? For that character who thinks the same way... ;-)Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-41099453060753081842017-03-22T12:35:30.239-05:002017-03-22T12:35:30.239-05:00I had never heard it put this way, either, Lily. =...I had never heard it put this way, either, Lily. =) And balancing the two is ideal!Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.com