Writers in the Storm

By Laura Drake

I read a lot about craft. Books, blogs, articles, websites. I’m always looking to improve my craft. I know you are too, or you wouldn’t be reading this. WITS is all about craft.

One of my weaknesses is Plotting. I know these amazing characters – like Athena, they are born, fully formed. I’m just not so sure what they’re there to do.

So I got to thinking about what Donald Maass, James Scott Bell and others have written about plotting:

Take your character’s biggest fear, and throw them into a situation where they have to face it.

One of these days, I’m going to remember this before I start writing a book; wow, what a powerful plot that would be! (Hey, there’s a reason it took me 13 years to sell, okay?)

To see how very powerful this is, I started thinking about great stories (either books or movies) to see how often this technique was used. The more I thought, the more I found.

Gone with the Wind – Scarlett is a spoiled, rich, entitled daughter of a landowner. What’s the worst that could happen? To lose her land, her money, her status, her culture. Yep. It happened.

The Hunger Games – Katniss is her Sister’s protector. To her, it would be worse if her Sister was sent to the games than Katniss. So, of course she volunteers.

The Wizard of Oz – OMG, Baum, the masochist, does this to almost every character!

• Straw Man? Fire – can you say, torch?
• Tin Man – water.  Several times. Thank God for oil cans.
• Lion? No courage. Poor thing was terrified the whole movie!

Jaws -  Sheriff of a beach town is afraid of the water. Big fish wants to eat him. Why the heck did he take a job at the beach, anyway?

The King’s Speech – What kind of Karma makes a man with a huge speech impediment King, during a critical time for the Nation?  And this wasn’t fiction! Yikes.

Disney / Pixar – They GET this concept. Almost every one of these movies you can name involves this technique. Think about it:

Finding Nemo – The father ‘lost’ is spouse due to a predator’s attack. Now he’s overprotective of his young son. What happens? You can tell from the title.

Lion King - A young lion watches his father die, and thinks it’s his fault. Major Self-esteem issues. What would be hardest for him? To have the responsibility of the entire pride on his shoulders. You guessed it! It happens.

Does every book or movie have to throw the protagonist into their worst nightmare to be successful?

Absolutely not.  But with examples like the above, you might want to look at the possibility of trying it!

So throw them out there – I came up with the above in 15 minutes. What plots can you name?

It's been quite awhile since we've shared what we're following here at Writers in the Storm, so we decided to give you the pre-summer list of places we've been hanging out lately. Maybe we'll see you at one of them!

From Jenny Hansen:  In my humble opinion, Gene Lempp does the best writing mash-ups out there every Saturday – here’s his latest.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch on publishing and book sales: The Business Rusch: The End of the World As We Know It

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pinterest by Amy Lynn Andrews

From Laura Drake:  5 Signs You're about to Land an Agent:  http://internspills.blogspot.com/2012/06/five-signs-youre-about-to-land-agent.html

Jane Friedman - How to Impress an Editor: http://www.rachellegardner.com/2012/06/how-to-influence-editors-by-jane-friedman/

Writer Unboxed:  Hard Work and Getting Lucky - great inspirational post! http://writerunboxed.com/2012/06/10/hard-work-and-getting-lucky/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WriterUnboxed+%28Writer+Unboxed%29

A new favorite:

http://io9.com/5916970/the-22-rules-of-storytelling-according-to-pixar

From Sharla Rae:  Cowboy Kisses. blog of old west writers writing lots of research blogs

Petticoats and Pistols:  historical research and more

From Fae Rowen: I want to double down on Gene Lempp's Saturday Treasure list . Jenny called it first.

Larry Brooks, fantasy and science fiction writer, just finished an eleven-part series deconstructing The Hunger Games at his storyfix.com site.  I find all his posts and articles very helpful.

For quick tips, Janice Hardy's The Other Side of the Story: http://blog.janicehardy.com/

Do you have a favorite online "fix" that you'd like to share? Let us know where you'll be hanging out this summer.

by Fae Rowen

My first RWA National Conference was the last time it was held in Anaheim. It was a long time ago, maybe 1997.

I had just joined OCC and RWA in February of the same year. I'd finished two books--a fantasy medieval and a futuristic romance. The fantasy medieval was written with no writing classes or craft information, let alone critique partners. I'd never heard of POV. Yes, to this day, that wonderful first book lies amidst the cobwebs under my bed.

The second book was completed after reading a couple of books about writing, attending SDSU's Writing Conference and taking two writing classes. I loved the book. I was in a critique group and my critique partners helped me plug the weaknesses in my writing and the book finaled in a contest.

I was so excited about conference. I carefully picked my agent and editor appointments. I thought. More about that later.

There were so many people at conference. I attended the "For First Time" session, even though my critique partners explained a little about the conference set-up. I went to every craft session. The Goody Room astounded me. My chair backed into Nora Roberts's at the luncheon. I just knew I was meant to be there and sell my first book.

I wrote several pitches--on scraps of paper that would fit in my palm. (I hadn't heard about writing a pitch until I attended a session on it the day before my appointments!) I took a special outfit to change into for my afternoon appointments. I practiced calming breaths. I went to the ballroom for my back-to-back appointments to sell my futuristic.

Apparently my pitch wasn't all that. (I could have used Laura Drake's pitch information!) My first appointment, with an agent whose name I don't remember--honestly!--got no request for anything. If I remember correctly, and that's a stretch because I have a very selective memory with respect to negative events, I think she didn't represent futuristic. So much for research.

Shaken, I tried to memorize that scrap of paper in my shaking hand before my name was called again. I was not used to being nervous talking with anyone. Heck, I played the piano competitively. And I'd sung on stage in front of over a thousand people.

I was a wreck following the RWA volunteer to the little table.

The editor I met with was so young. I read my three line pitch and looked up. He smiled and asked, "So tell me about your book." What? I rambled on, answering his interjected questions, for the ten minute appointment. He was a nice kid. The bell rang and I got up to leave, thanking him. He stood, shook my hand, and gave me his card. "Please send me the first three chapters and synopsis."

I almost kissed him. I know bells rang. I didn't know that more people get asked to send chapters than don't. I sent my chapters. Two weeks later I got a letter asking for the whole manuscript. Three months after that I got a letter asking for three detailed revisions and eighty-five less pages.

I still have a soft spot for this editor. When I saw him at the RWA Washington D.C. conference three years ago he didn't look much older.

Here's the "My First Time At Conference" laugh: I took two copies of the complete manuscript (all 435 pages), in little cardboard boxes to the conference. I thought that if the editor and agent wanted to see my wonderful book, I would just give it to them right then. I found out at one of the sessions that you never give your manuscript to an agent or editor at conference. And I lamented the waste of paper and ink from my dot matrix printer.

I had logged well over a hundred thousand flight miles for work in the previous five years. Did I think about luggage for those poor agents and editors? Nope. Obviously I wasn't lucky enough to have read Jenny Hansen's post about conference.

Did I go to the bar to celebrate after his request? Nope, I went back to my room, changed out of my "nice" clothes and went to the last craft workshop of the day. That night was the RITA ceremony, with chocolate RITAs wrapped in gold foil. I knew nothing about them before, but I decided that night that I would win one someday.

Even though just about the only thing I did right was take advantage of much-needed craft lectures, I still smile fondly at the memories of my first conference.

Do you have conference memories that can help someone this year or make us smile? Come on. I never owned up to those printed-out manuscripts until now.