Today we looked at what readers explicitly crave for: characters. Although not superior to plot, according to Mr Bell, and even to Mr Aristotle, characters in the modern age mean a lot to readers. I suppose this comes from how we need stories in order to live our own lives. […]
How are you supposed to write with real life blaring in your ear? You try. Already, today’s exercise seems random. In the chapter about complexity we are tasked with listening to a piece of lyric-free music, relaxing, and recording the images that pass through our mind. The only […]
Determine the take-home value of your novel. This can be done at any stage of your plotting. If you do it early, keep it in mind as you develop your scenes. but be careful . . . the message must come out naturally. Mr Bell makes an important point […]
“There are two kinds of people. Those who have a complicated mind. And those who have a complicating mind!” I’m not sure if I believe that. But it was always some sexy line to drop at a party. Myself, I could consider in the latter group. As much as […]
Let your imagination play you a movie. Sit down first thing in the morning, asking yourself, “What do I really want to write about?” Then list the first three things that come to mind. Issues, characters, situations. Pick the one that gets your juices flowing. And then close your eyes […]
Oh boy, oh boy. Today’s exercise on scene writing asks us to take a look at a chapter we have written. To analyze its Hook, Intensity, and Promptage. And then see now we can strengthen each ascpet. Because I don’t have a chapter of Awake & Asleep yet, I’m […]
Here Mr Bell asks us to practice visualizing an action scene via the Intensity Scale. Intensity generally moves up and down, so the writer’s job consists of turning the dial on his prose’s intensity. Here it is, imagine a graph where: X equals the scene’s progression. Y equals the […]
In this chapter we transition from the skeletal-structure of plot, to filling in the organs of a story: scenes. Scenes, claims Mr Bell, are the building blocks. (Sure, tell me more, mister!) They paint the plot. They immerse us into the story. And . . . he says a […]
In the last exercise, the task was to write out an entire ending. I didn’t feel it came out of me right. So I am extra excited about today’s exercise. Mr Bell asks us to come up with alternative endings. A list of ten. Then choose two or three of […]
What sort of ending to you have for your novel? Try writing the climactic scene. Wow, Mr Bell, seriously? This reminds me of how, allegedly, Nabokov wrote the ending of Lolita way early in his drafting process, because he wanted it clear in his mind as he approached it. […]
It sucks to end. At least for me. I love beginnings, exciting starts, ignitions. But to end? That is hard. Not only do I want to continue reading, the better the book the more I want to continue, but stopping to write hurts. Mr Bell puts it like this: […]
Going back to the chapter on GENERATION IDEAS, we find solutions to the problem of a dry well. It reminds me of the techniques Julia Cameron talks about in her books, The Artist’s Way and The Right to Write. In them, she has loads of exercises to break through writer’s […]
This next one is a trip. Mr Bell asks us to pick a novel that didn’t work for us. Reread it. And as you do play the role of an editor, based on what you read in this chapter (about middles). Write a long letter to the author suggesting what […]
Everybody wants stakes. A big red slab of stake. A juicy tender cut of stake. And today’s exercise from Mr Bell asks us to ask ourselves What are the stakes in the novel? I remember attending a poetry / story slam event in NYC. I had a couple of […]
Isolate a tense scene in your novel, where the conflict is at its highest. Then stretch the tension even more. Use the techniques from the chapter. Then return to it in a few days. Does it need to be cut, or have you added to the reading experience? This […]
Dear Writer, Please make your villain more badass. Sincerely, Every reader . . . Dude, even I have to admit, I like me a strong evil character. I’m thinking Ganon in the Legend of Zelda games. All the Disney queens. Or even the literary villains […]
Today’s exercise is a matter of life or death. For the characters. That’s because Mr Bell recommends that the stakes be so high, so grand and important, that they will make or break a character to his fundamental being. I remember last night’s episode of Sex and the City, […]
I read something interesting the other day. “Titles are the lens through which we read a story.” It makes a lot of sense. A title can enhance or reverse our understanding of a story. It’s like labels. If you see two people arguing and fighting and kicking each other, it […]
The next exercises in the chapter all revolve around the first. You essentially pick it apart. Kind of odd, if you ask me. Like scratching something off your back, and inspecting it. Well, here is it. First, a look at story world. How well do you do it? Are […]
I’m being silly with the title. But here is why: James Scott Bell tells us in chapter four his thoughts on beginnings. They must check a series of elements. The story hooks the reader, usually with motion (which I thought a nice touch). The reader bonds with the lead. The […]