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@whalekeeper @esther-c @mineralizedwritings @highscribeofaetherium @smiley @anyone-else
So, I’ve been outlining a bit lately xD The cancer story has turned into a short story I hope to enter in an anthology, and I’m not completely sure about the plot, but as of now Addison’s turning point centers around a conversation with her brother about trusting God. Since it has to stay under 6,000 words, I know it’s probably going to be a little tight for the character arc, but I really want to add another scene to it that changes her outlook a little. I know I’ve mentioned the plot of this to some of you so I’m hoping that made sense.. if not, let me know, I can try to explain a little more. Does anyone have any ideas on scenes or realizations… something I could add to make the story seem less choppy? I want to make her arc realistic. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!
"Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." Eccl. 12:12
Great job on outlining and good luck with the anthology!
Maybe when you finish your outline you could post it? (Even if it’s messy) I don’t want to make aa suggestion that is too far from your current plot and accidentaly derail something good you had going lol
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
Thanks! Sure, I guess I could, though it sounds a lot better in my head, fair warning XD. I’ll let you know when I’m done with it!
"Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." Eccl. 12:12
Here’s the current version, sorry if it’s a little messy! I was trying to get out my ideas for each scene without worrying too much over wording. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas!
A few weeks before Christmas, Addison (the main character) finds out that she probably won’t live much longer.
Scene showing impact in her life?
New Years Eve — Miles, Addison’s older brother, confronts her about trusting God. Maybe Miles has gone through something hard too and so he relates to her? Anyway, he gets her thinking.
A few days later she goes through her photos and thinks about a few memories. That’s when hopelessness and sadness hit her and she starts crying. After praying a bit, she is filled with God’s peace and knowledge that He has a plan for her, and she chooses to trust in Him.
Maybe a scene showing how this plays out in her life?
Flash forward – Addison is in the hospital, but is at peace with her future and knows God is in control. She is able to comfort her family after that."Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." Eccl. 12:12
I really like what you have so far! If I were to include anything else, I would be sure to show what her emotional reaction is to the information in the beginning, so it’s obvious what kind of growth she has gone through. I feel like most people would have one or more of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance), and also most people would choose to either share those feelings and grieve with others, or hide away and be alone, it all depends on what Addision is like.
Then at the end, when she has come to peace with it, we can see where the character development happened more clearly.
It would be interesting to show how her thinking about this has morphed over the years. Did she assume she was going to die 5 years ago, and had been painstakingly waiting? Maybe she always thought she was going to get better? I think her past thinking on it would determine what her reaction would be.
Also if you are only going to show her crying once, I would imply that she’s already been crying a lot (Maybe her eyes are red from the past hour or two of crying, but you don’t need to show those hours)
Hope that helps! Don’t feel obligated to use any of the ideas!
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
Whew, I finally got to this. XD
I like what you have already. It sounds good!
Piggy-backing off of what Min said…
It would be interesting to show how her thinking about this has morphed over the years. Did she assume she was going to die 5 years ago, and had been painstakingly waiting? Maybe she always thought she was going to get better? I think her past thinking on it would determine what her reaction would be.
Maybe she’s been praying for healing from her disease for the past few years, so when she hears she’s going to die, it’s even more of a shock. Because all this time, she’s been reading verses about how God heals and trusting Him. So then she hears the news and is even more confused and hopeless. I’m not sure if this would change the theme you already had in mind or not. Idk. Just an idea. 🤷🏻♀️
But I definitely agree with the advice that Min gave. I don’t think I have anything to add right now.
Good luck!! 😊
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Uggh KP just ate my post 🙄
Sorry this took me so long! I just remembered when esther replied to it, lol
Thanks! Yeah, I definitely want to show that but I’m not really sure how, tbh. Any ideas on scenes that could maybe help the reader get into her mind a little, if that makes sense, so that the change from beginning to end will be more obvious?
I think that probably when she was first diagnosed, it wasn’t as much of a big deal, but as time went by and she kept getting worse that was probably something she thought about more often. So yeah, I would say she’s probably had time to get used to the idea — she’s known she’s not getting better — but now it’s REAL, if you know what I mean.
Thank you! I really appreciate all of your help (and @esther-c yours too!) And sorry if I ask for ideas all the time, I just like brainstorming with other people xD
How are you feeling today Min?
@Esther
No problem girl, I forgot already XD
Right, especially for someone who’s going through something really hard, it’s tough to trust that God’s working it all for your good. I’m kinda hoping if I’m able to finish writing this that some of Addison’s faith (in the end) will rub off on me XD
Thank you!
"Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." Eccl. 12:12
QUESTION!
@hybridlore @esther-c @freedomwriter76 @whalekeeper @euodia-vision @mineralizedwritingsWHY IS DRAFTING SO HARD?! 😭
or is it just me? XD
my zero draft currently consists of questions and “She/He does this. Goes here, etc” and then “Maybe they do this? Or this?” XD XD
cuz I can’t ever seem to make a full story…whyyyy….why is it so hard
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebAghhhhh, I totally understand. 😩
I have finished a couple drafts before, but that doesn’t make it easy. In fact, I’m really struggling to start a new draft for book two in my trilogy and edit draft two of the first book.
I don’t know how to answer your questions except for the fact that I can relate somewhat. XD
Though I think drafting is hard sometimes because we have all these amazing story ideas, then when it comes to putting them on paper, the task becomes much more daunting. Anyone can come up with a story. But it takes a dedicated and passionate person to write it. Maybe instead of thinking about drafting as writing a book, think of it as a place to brain dump and just simply write out all your ideas the way you want to. After all, editing is there for a reason. (And struggling with editing is a whole other topic. XD) Sometimes I find that the easiest way to break through those barriers is to just write. Force yourself to write something. (Specifically if procrastination is holding you back)
So, yep, drafting is harrrrd. 😂 I don’t know if any of what I said above helped at all or anything. XD Because it’s something I struggle with too. 😉
(And now that I think about it, I should really take all this advice and apply it to my own writing. 🤣)
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Yeah, I get where your coming from.
Something that has really helped me a lot is just… making choices. No more maybes… just ‘she does this.’ We are the authors, and even though our decisions aren’t perfect, we can just make them! They might change a lot in the story, but it’s stuff to work with and making some of those decisions solidified and having the confidence to write without questioning yourself helps with drafting imo. So I try to make my outlines clear as to what happens, so that later there aren’t any questions about what to do. Idk if that helps at all, just something I’ve been doing. <3
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
Same here 😉
I think like Min said, choose the plot points and stick with them no matter what, unless you find a plot hole or the entire section turns out wrong somehow.
But I also understand that choosing the plot points in and of itself is hard XD
I think for me, it’s all about teaching yourself to like an idea. Like if I’m writing a scene, or a plot point, or even an RP, sometimes it feels boring, and not really that interesting to me. So… I teach myself to like it. I try to look at it in a different way – maybe add a new element, associate it with something I like, or give it more emotional weight or playfulness. That way, each scene becomes important to me, and therefore more easily important to my story.
For example, waaaay back when I first invented Sebastian Universe (I can’t think of anything else to call it XD) the gang had an animal sidekick, a chicken named Marple…Yeah, tease me if you want, this was years ago, so…
Well I still want to incorporate her into the story, but I’ve developed this prejudice against animal sidekicks. Maybe because they annoy me? Maybe because there’s no strong reason for them to exist? I don’t know.
So instead of her being just there, I invented an entirely new element in my story, that makes it more fun for me, and includes her. Seb and the gang are constantly acting insane, setting stuff on fire, getting caught in shooting riots, etc… so what could be better for them than FLuFf ThErApY??? Like, literal therapy sessions, just petting the fluffy chicken… It makes it so much more fun, and significant to ME, because I’ve often petted my chickens when lonely or upset.
So if you find a way to make it fun, it will be fun.
I know Ara and November are looking for clues towards something in the first book… but stink my scattered writer’s mind, I forget what they’re looking for XD
Perhaps you can associate each clue – each section of detective work – with something that amuses you, personally, as Godly-from-KP-and-Writer-Extraordinare.
You like the awkwardness November feels around Ara? Maybe in order to get one of the clues, they have to get into the castle ballroom, but there’s a huge dance going on celebrating someone’s great-great-aunt or something, and it would look TOO suspicious if they just rushed in and out, because everyone’s dressed up and it’s hUge, so November and Ara have to pretend to participate and November has to DANCE WITH ARA!!! *gasp*
You can shift vibes, you can summon emotions, you control the world!! What makes you happy?? How can you take THAT – the stuff you like, romance, magic, pretty things, what have you – and incorporate it into the plot points, in unique ways?
That just kind of builds on what Min said (and like Esther said, writing what you want to) because once you like something you’ve written, you’ll remember it and you’ll want to keep it.
“Everything is a mountain”
@whalekeeper @mineralizedwritings @esther-c thanks y’all! Love all of the advice!!!
Whaley yusss love that!!! And love the chicken!!!
Do u like Nyx tho?? XD nah u don’t have to… (my approval seeking self 🤣)
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebLol sure 😊 and thank you!!
Oh no I love Nyx!! ❤️ It’s more when I’m writing them myself, or in movies. Usually they’re better in books!
“Everything is a mountain”
@whalekeeper gotcha!
@mineralizedwritings @esther-cso my struggle isn’t really the Main plot points, it’s everything that comes between them, ya know? I can’t make a complete story…
Ive got the main points down pat basically, and scenes in my head I love but how to get from point A to points B, C, etc is…blank. So it’s this constant “Maybe they could do this? Or this?” And I just run out of/have no ideas…
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebIdk if this helps at all (our stories are really different, so what works for me might not for you) but I like to use the in between parts for little bits of dialogue or setting to help develop characters. For instance, instead of using a major plot event to show a character is nervous, It might just be a single line they say to another character while getting a cup of coffee at a local market.
Also I use the aesthetic I’m trying to create for the in between scenes a lot. Like my Oc Tauren spends a lot of time at tea shops and in the shopping district, so I write a lot of descriptions of noisy culturally rich environments. This helps to contrast to later more lacking environments. I guess what I’m trying to say is I fill in between the plot points with smaller activities, some with no real reason, which establish mood and smaller details of the world. It might lead on to a plot point, like a scene of just being at a marketplace has some time to simmer (And take up some in between time) before turning into a important character interaction.
Hope maybe that helps lol
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
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