tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post6732656630449073539..comments2024-01-12T00:48:48.031-06:00Comments on Go Teen Writers: From Setting to Inciting IncidentStephanie Morrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-88495348997156247452015-09-07T11:35:06.201-05:002015-09-07T11:35:06.201-05:00Having only ONE story is nothing to be ashamed of....Having only ONE story is nothing to be ashamed of. Some of us linger long at our tales while others move on at a different rate. Neither is wrong. :)Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-10069486435932270402015-09-07T11:33:46.021-05:002015-09-07T11:33:46.021-05:00Oh yay! It was helpful for me too. Oh yay! It was helpful for me too. Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-48170191805913348052015-09-07T11:33:29.695-05:002015-09-07T11:33:29.695-05:00Love this and I totally agree. It can be a huge hi...Love this and I totally agree. It can be a huge hinderance when we feel we can't change history. That said, I'm always inspired by historical fiction authors who leave us notes at the end of their story. They'll tell us what inspired them to write about such and such and then they'll confess to all the things they changed and why they felt they had to change them for the sake of the story. I'll have to remind myself this a zillion times, I'm sure, but let's not be paralyzed by history. Let's be inspired and then be creative.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-38643795654890946272015-09-07T11:30:51.068-05:002015-09-07T11:30:51.068-05:00Like Kay, I too wrote a post on writers block. It&...Like Kay, I too wrote a post on writers block. It's here if you want to reference it: http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/09/writers-block-shans-thoughts.html<br /><br />THOUGH, when you tell me you're all plotted out and just can't seem to sit and write, I have a piece of advice for you that you are going to hate. Seriously. Hate. But it just might work.<br /><br />When I was writing my detective story, I knew that I knew that I knew how it was going to end. And that really, truly kept me from writing the middle. I wanted more than anything to be at the end already. My suggestion is to throw a wrench in everything. Maybe not enough to take you completely off course, but enough to force you to think. Have your character make a horrid decision or blow up your favorite set piece or cut a scene. Do something to force your writer's brain into problem-solving mode. It might just be enough to get you excited about a story you feel you've read three thousand times. <br /><br />I told you you'd hate it.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-35835192972228460592015-09-07T11:24:54.485-05:002015-09-07T11:24:54.485-05:00Yes, yes, yes! This will be a new adventure for me...Yes, yes, yes! This will be a new adventure for me as well.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-52152516891551533322015-09-07T11:24:32.349-05:002015-09-07T11:24:32.349-05:00I totally agree! Can't wait to really dive in....I totally agree! Can't wait to really dive in.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-51090097858513932562015-09-07T11:24:03.263-05:002015-09-07T11:24:03.263-05:00Oh yay! I don't know if I've been a settin...Oh yay! I don't know if I've been a setting inspired writer until now. I mean, I'm always inspired by settings, but the stories that I've stuck with till the end have been more deeply established in something other than their location. I'm hoping to really dive into this one with abandon.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-52095945523711893582015-09-07T11:22:50.114-05:002015-09-07T11:22:50.114-05:00Great observation! Tolkien's imagination is a ...Great observation! Tolkien's imagination is a force to be reckoned with for sure. And you're absolutely right. The stories would not have been the same without Middle Earth and, if you think about it, the inciting incident was crucially tied to the setting.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-62059443594954011852015-09-07T11:20:30.259-05:002015-09-07T11:20:30.259-05:00So fun! I'd love to write a world traveler. Th...So fun! I'd love to write a world traveler. Though, I think I need a little more experience in that area myself! ;)<br />Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-18481939662670608492015-09-07T11:19:51.998-05:002015-09-07T11:19:51.998-05:00Good morning, you guys! I was away from the comput...Good morning, you guys! I was away from the computer most of Friday, so I'm just sitting down to your comments now. Forgive me. I hate it when my schedule takes over.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-16040689813433965312015-09-06T17:20:32.617-05:002015-09-06T17:20:32.617-05:00Shannon,
You were exactly right:) I have no idea ...Shannon, <br />You were exactly right:) I have no idea what "inciting incident" was (or, had never heard of it before anyway) - but you were right, I've written so many without knowing it! While setting is a really big deal for me and comes very naturally I've never actually had a problem with "ii" because, unlike alot of you, I only have one story (shocking, I know) and I've been working on it forever and the "ii" was pretty much built into the... for lack of a better word, the inspiration to write the story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-23784632226364254522015-09-06T17:15:53.161-05:002015-09-06T17:15:53.161-05:00Lil Taylor,
I would write a few tips but I'm t...Lil Taylor,<br />I would write a few tips but I'm thinking it would be quicker to direct you to this post I did on the topic. It's short and sweet because I think the whole "writer's block" thing is very overdone. Hope it helps!<br /><br />http://daswhatchuthink.blogspot.com/2015/01/tips-for-writers-block.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-28818877017671226862015-09-06T17:11:00.794-05:002015-09-06T17:11:00.794-05:00SAME:) Setting is a really big deal for me:)SAME:) Setting is a really big deal for me:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-2787968962517299502015-09-06T17:09:59.666-05:002015-09-06T17:09:59.666-05:00wisdomcreates - you have got to be kidding me!?! Y...wisdomcreates - you have got to be kidding me!?! You JUST watched LOTR for the first time?????? How is this possible????Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-51559005065467479162015-09-05T20:00:15.776-05:002015-09-05T20:00:15.776-05:00I can find characters and settings fairly easily f...I can find characters and settings fairly easily for my novels but i often have trouble finding my story's "problem".<br />This was a very helpful post:)Megan Croylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18302158335852439446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-12821770306220620762015-09-05T12:01:13.004-05:002015-09-05T12:01:13.004-05:00That is the way a lot of writers began. By asking ...That is the way a lot of writers began. By asking "What if...."pgacnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01868397677690901418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-48555331099392438362015-09-05T05:23:41.963-05:002015-09-05T05:23:41.963-05:00Oh yes! I completely agree. I'm a Tolkien fana...Oh yes! I completely agree. I'm a Tolkien fanatic, in fact, LOTR is what go me writing. I am reading his essay, “On Fairy Stories” and its is amazing. It is all about his thoughts on fantasy. Tolkien loved creating the setting for his characters, putting each tree, rock, and blade of grass in its place and giving it almost a life of its own. His love for setting and description is amazing and beautiful. :)<br />(Sorry. Don't mind me I could talk about Tolkien all day long :D)Elizabeth H.http://sunshineglorystudios.weebly.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-58675976982850194272015-09-04T20:38:13.517-05:002015-09-04T20:38:13.517-05:00I have a historical fiction short story I am writi...I have a historical fiction short story I am writing. I have never written in that genre before so I am learning as a go. The hardest part of a historical fiction is that you are working with real people and you can't change history. I never knew anything about Olaf Tryggevason beyond that he was christian king before I started the story and now I know I can tell you all about him.pgacnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01868397677690901418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-55924352081861603732015-09-04T17:07:32.795-05:002015-09-04T17:07:32.795-05:00Hmm ... normally when my writing side is being laz...Hmm ... normally when my writing side is being lazy, I'll pull up some pictures from my 'story inspiration' folder, and choose one to write about. Or I'll find a story prompt on the internet, and write a short piece for it. It also helps sometimes to put my WIP away and not work on it for awhile. By the time I come back, typically it's when I miss writing it, and I'm quite ready to get started again. Hope this helps! ~Savannah P. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-13650102196377396672015-09-04T14:49:14.197-05:002015-09-04T14:49:14.197-05:00Hmmm...the place I live in is absolutely beautiful...Hmmm...the place I live in is absolutely beautiful--always. I'm very used to seeing wonderful scenery all the time, and while I make scenery very important in my stories, I don't actually make a story just to use the scenery. It's an interesting idea, but I tend to just write a quick blurb describing a really cool place if I want to use it at some point, and then if I'm writing and need a place, I'll look at what I have to see if I can use any.<br />I have a non-scenery related question: how do you keep motivated while writing, essentially, first drafts? I just started majormajormajor rewrites on my first completed (yay!) manuscript, which was about forty thousand words and will probably end up around ninety thousand, and I just started another WIP, which has a whopping three thousand words (meh. at least it's something). The big problem I'm having is that I just can't seem to get myself to write. I know exactly what to say, and I even have the entire plot figured out, but my writing side apparently thinks it is done for the year. Now, no matter how many times I sit down and promise myself to write, I normally end up just staring at the computer screen for a few hours.<br />Any ideas? All would be appreciated. Very much appreciated.Lil Taylornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-40842020256095234272015-09-04T10:17:06.498-05:002015-09-04T10:17:06.498-05:00I definitely have gotten inspired by different loc...I definitely have gotten inspired by different locations, but not to the point of writing a novel. However, when I create different places for fantasy novels, I tend to search Pinterest a lot for pictures that reflect my ideas.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17102112870911606839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-35804758589020902352015-09-04T09:28:33.065-05:002015-09-04T09:28:33.065-05:00Love the idea of connecting the inciting incident ...Love the idea of connecting the inciting incident to the setting to get a story rolling. It would really tie the setting to be crucial to the story, rather than just a pretty backdrop. And so many stories (especially historical and speculative) begin with the idea for an amazing setting. Setting alone isn't story. But add an inciting event that is interlaced with that setting, one that forces the characters to take action ... and now you have something really neat to write about. Adventures in YA Publishinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01988552171385111119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-29155418814563883452015-09-04T08:38:54.529-05:002015-09-04T08:38:54.529-05:00All my stories are actually inspired by settings. ...All my stories are actually inspired by settings. I always wonder: who's living behind that door? What is life like in this place? That's what kicks my writer brain. But I find developping those thoughts into a plot really really hard. Thanks for the great post, it'll definitely help for my next project! Fraise Fruitrougehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07635206620185269192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-20181172264553734552015-09-04T07:45:02.761-05:002015-09-04T07:45:02.761-05:00I recently watched Lord of the Rings, and I felt l...I recently watched Lord of the Rings, and I felt like Tolkien had created so many fascinating places in his story that he wanted to show them off. Each time the characters were forced into a new and dangerous location, half of me was as apprehensive as the characters (oh, no! Not the mines! Don't make us go in the mines!) and the other half felt like I could see the author behind the characters holding out his hand and saying, "Come see what I made!"<br />For LotR, I definitely felt like the setting was intricately tied to the plot.Esther Brooksmith (wisdomcreates)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15010043354045249021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-24924288200629224322015-09-04T07:17:09.096-05:002015-09-04T07:17:09.096-05:00Oh, settings definitely inspire me. I think that&#...Oh, settings definitely inspire me. I think that's why my characters had to travel the world in my most recent novel--there are just too many amazing places out there. And right now I'm working on a fantasy that has some Scandinavian cultural elements.Linea Marshallnoreply@blogger.com