Purple Prose [Search results for fears] 

©Stina Lindenblatt

Story isn’t about plot. It’s about emotion. It’s the element that leaves your body tingling in fear or anticipation for what will happen next, and what readers want from the first page to the end. But how do you bring in emotion to add maximum power to your story?

Universal Theme

Universal theme will help your readers connect to the characters and emotions in the story. These are themes that everyone can relate to, even if they can’t relate to the specific circumstances of the story. For example, how many of you know what it feels like to have the mob kill your family? None of you, I hope. Now, what if you wrote a story about how your protagonist’s best friend tells her uncle, who happens to be the Godfather of the local crime family, that she suspects the friend is the estranged daughter of the family he’s been salivating to kill, after her father turned state evidence on his former boss? Depending on how you set up the story, you can choose to focus on the universal theme of betrayal. At one point in our lives, we’ve all experienced the feeling of being betrayed. Now we can relate to the character and the emotion of the story, even though we have never, thankfully, gone through the same experience.

Character Wounds

Another word for character wound is backstory. This is where you create the most painful past possible for your character, and let it guide your character’s actions. The type and depth of wound will be dependent on genre. The wound then plays a part in determining your character’s fears, and it is the wound and fears that make the character vulnerable. Since he doesn’t want people to know his vulnerability (especially the antagonist), he creates a persona that protects him from being hurt. For example, you could have a character who lost his parents due to an accident and is bounced around the foster care system. He ends up in the worst of homes, where the foster parents only care about the money. He’s neglected and abused. He learns not to trust adults, and because he’s bounced around so much, he learns not to develop attachments to other people. He becomes the bad-boy loner, complete with tattoos. Inside, he’s still the caring individual he was before his parents died, but he refuses to let people get close enough to discover this. That is, until he finds the right girl.

Naturally, you would not dump this information on the first page. Write the backstory down in a separate file, and fit slivers of it into your story. Start with the small stuff, hinting of the possible wound, and as the story progresses, hit your reader with the most emotional, gut wrenching parts of your protagonist’s past. Your reader will keep turning the page, because she wants to find out what really happened X number of years ago. It’s a great way to build emotional suspense.

Have you considered universal theme and character backstory when creating the emotion behind your stories?

Part two will be posted on Wednesday.

As part of her blog tour for her YA thriller Fireseed One, Catherine Stine is here to talk about plotting and hooks. And best yet, she used The Hunger Games (which I just finished re-reading) to emphasize her points.

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Today, I’m guest posting on plotting and hooks. As well as writing fiction, I teach creative writing, specifically teen fiction. My students tell me I’m good at explaining plot, so here goes. Plots should be constructed like an exciting symphony—compelling and nuanced—with movements in varying tempos, from presto (rapid) to vivace (lively) to adagio (slow, regal) and so on. All of this, held aloft by a tight thread of tension.

A plot put simply, is a road map for where your story will go. A gold standard plotline starts with an inciting incident that launches the story forward with great energy and angst, for instance in the Hunger Games when Katniss is paired with Peeta, a childhood acquaintance she must kill to win the tournament. This is followed by rising and falling action where the protagonist struggles in her quest, each time inching ahead, but also suffering setbacks (As when Katniss loses an ally or weapon). Put big obstacles in front of your characters that create chaos. This will force your protag to come up with better strategies, a tweaked battle plan.

Three is a charm in plot points as well as in fairy tale. Think of the three pigs’ attempts to build a wolf-proof house. Two tries is not enough, four too many, and five drags a plot down into quicksand. This plotline would look like a three-humped camel, with each hump taller than the last.

At the third down slope, the hero or heroine has an apparent defeat, a black moment, when all seems lost. But the character is determined, and though he or she is exhausted, at wit’s end, the need to overcome is more important than anything, so said person will brush herself off and make that final push, to at least some point of success. Perhaps this person doesn’t get exactly what she wants, that’s okay. She gets something. For instance, Katniss does survive, although she now fears future retribution. This is the point at which your readers can finally catch their breath and cheer. But a writer dare not linger here long! The end must quickly follow the dénouement. Also, make your characters’ conflicts intertwine with the plot. In doing so, make then face their worst fears. For instance, if character A’s worst fear is of heights, force Character A to face his worst fear when he has to rescue Character B from the peak of an icy mountain!

Now, onto hooks. Hooks are musically mood-oriented—furioso (furied), lacrimoso (sad), agitato (agitated). They are chapter-end punctuations and should make your reader have a burning need to turn that page to see what happens next. Of course, you should be building organically to that moment throughout the chapter. Don’t end every chapter in the same mood. Redundancy is an author’s enemy. End one chapter on a sad hook, another on a fearful one. Here are some of my Fireseed One hooks, to give you specifics:
1.
“Tell me your name.” More than scaring me, she disgusts me.
“Meg,” she spits out.
“That’s whale crap,” Audun says. His Hip Pod is out, and he’s scrolling down on it. “I just looked you up. Your name’s Marisa Baron.”
(Disgust and discovery hook—a big lie exposed)
2.
Something else hits my chest, which jerks me back. It burns like fire.
My legs buckle and I pitch over. (Danger and injury hook)
3.
After almost an hour of this annoyance, the ocean floor produces pay dirt. Like discovering pearls in barnacled muscles, at least forty more code disks peek up from the sludge. Audun and I cheer. I can’t help reverting to my six year-old self. We’ve excavated exquisite pirate treasure! (joyous hook, to be followed by more trouble)

One more plotting tool: create a visual plot line with colors and shapes to signal characters and events. Let’s say, every time the villain enters a scene you draw a red angry-face, or every time lovers share a scene sketch in a pink heart. This is also a great way to literally see plot holes. Good luck with your plots and hooks!

Thanks, Stina, this was fun.

Fireseed One is available as an ebook for $2.99 from Amazon, B&N, iTunes and Sony Reader. The collectible illustrated paperback is $7.99 at Amazon and B&N.

About the Author

Catherine Stine’s Fireseed One launched in December to 5-star reviews. Her first YA, Refugees, earned a New York Public Library Best Book and a featured review and interview in Booklist. Middle grade novels include The End of the Race and A Girl’s Best Friend. She’s also a professional illustrator, teacher, and she does manuscript consultations. For this service, contact her at kitsy84557 (at) gmail (dot) com with EVAL in the headline.

About Fireseed One:
What if only your very worst enemy could help you save the world?
Fireseed One, a YA thriller, is set in a near-future world with soaring heat, toxic waters, tricked-out amphibious vehicles, ice-themed dance clubs and fish that grow up on vines. Varik Teitur inherits a vast sea farm after the mysterious drowning of his marine biologist father. When Marisa Baron, a beautiful and shrewd terrorist, who knows way too much about Varik's father's work, tries to steal seed disks from the world's food bank, Varik is forced to put his dreams of becoming a doctor on hold and venture with her, into a hot zone teeming with treacherous nomads and a Fireseed cult who worships his dead father, in order to search for a magical hybrid plant that may not even exist. Illustrated by the author. Fans of Divergent and Feed will likely enjoy this novel; also, those who like a dash of romance with their page-turners.

Please consider LIKING the Fireseed One Facebook page on your way out, and take a look at the other fun Fireseed One tour stops here, from February 20 through March 19th!

Where you can find Catherine and Fireseed One on the web:

Facebook’s Fireseed One book page

Fireseed One Tour stops—activities and giveaways

©Stina Lindenblatt

Normally, when I do a writing/photography post, I can write about one idea and apply it to both crafts. Not this time.

Writers:

Contrasts are a great way to add dimension to your character and increase conflict, both internally and externally. The interplay between the light (good) side and the shadow will make the character unique from the other characters in your story. Maybe she’s smart and witty, but she fears being betrayed by someone emotionally close to her [insert backstory here]. Can you imagine the conflict (both internally and externally) this can cause if she attract the attention of the hero who is turned on by smart and witty?

Do you develop the light and shadow sides of your characters to make them dimensional and add conflict to your stories?

Photography:

The interplay between a dark background and a single light source on your subject makes for great dimensional photos. However, by the nature of the camera design, the picture might not come out as you had intended. Because the light meter in the camera is designed to assume the average gray scale of the scene is 18 % (don’t worry if you don’t know what that means), a scene composed mostly of dark colors will end up looking much lighter than in reality.

There are several ways to avoid this:

• Use an external light meter.

• You can place the palm of your hand between the scene and the camera lens. This only works if the skin on your palm is not dark. I did this method for the above photo because the battery for my external light meter was dead. *face palm*

• If your camera has a spot meter, determine the exposure based on part of the scene that doesn’t fall in the two extremes.

• Adjust the exposure with a photo editing software.

Zanna Mackenzie is on my blog today, talking about her new book, THE LOVE PROGRAMME! I'm so excited to have her (I just love her book cover! Seriously, it's gorgeous!)

Here's Zanna...

Many thanks for hosting me on your blog today!
My novel, published by Astraea Press, is called The Love Programme, here’s more details:

Thanks to an embarrassing incident involving a wedding and her ex-boyfriend Marcus, Lucy has to leave her home town in a hurry and needs a place to escape to for a while.
Best friend Fiona is convinced now would be a good time for Lucy to get herself a new life with some potential for romance thrown in. Fate seems to agree when Lucy is given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to star in a TV show and be a contestant on The Love Programme - two weeks of luxury living on a grand Highland estate coupled with, she hopes, fun and romance in wildest Scotland.
When Lucy meets Paul - the young, handsome owner of the Highland estate - she thinks she may have found the love of her life but who is the mysterious Hannah and what part does she play in his life? When she discovers that Marcus is planning to follow her to Scotland to win her back Lucy has some serious soul searching to do. Does she have a future with Paul, with Marcus or is she yet to find the man of her dreams?

There’s a sneak peak at chapter one below and the book can be downloaded now on Amazon
Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=zanna+mackenzie

Amazon USA:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=zanna+mackenzie

Chapter One
“I’m so glad he’s marrying someone else,” whispered Lucy, watching the groom shuffle nerv-ously from one foot to the other at the top of the aisle.
“It could have been you up there,” replied Fiona. “How many times did Marcus ask you to marry him?”
“Three,” Lucy replied, shifting position for the fourth time in as many minutes. Why did church pews have to be so uncomfortable? “The first time when we were five, then again at twenty and finally,” she paused, reliving the moment in her head, “eight months ago.”
“Well,” Fiona said, as the organ struck up, filling the cold but pretty church with overly loud mu-sic, “it looks as though you’re safe from any more proposals, because I think the bride has just arrived.”
Amelie Marchant made her way slowly down the aisle, blonde hair in an elegant chignon, de-signer dress looking a million dollars. Beneath her thin veil it was clear she was smiling, no doubt savouring each precious second of being the focus of everyone’s attention, yet keeping her own attention firmly fixed on Marcus, who was awaiting her arrival at the altar.
Fiona nodded in approval. “She looks gorgeous. Her dress is exquisite.” She nudged Lucy. “Doesn’t the little bridesmaid look sweet in deep pink?”
“Yes, she’s Amelie’s niece apparently.” Lucy let a small sigh of contentment slip from her lips as Amelie reached the altar and stood close to Marcus. Finally she, Lucy Stokes, was going to be free of Marcus Brandon. He was marrying someone else, hallelujah! She would, at long last, be able to live her life exactly the way she wanted to. The whole reason she was here today was to witness the ceremony for herself. To know it was for real.
Okay, so she and Marcus had been childhood sweethearts. They’d played at the whole boy-friend-girlfriend thing on and off, sometimes quite successfully, for well over fifteen years. When she’d reached her twenties Lucy had sensed they didn’t have a future together, and she’d been trying to get Marcus to realise the fact ever since.
When she’d broken it off with him for the last time, to say he hadn’t taken kindly to the idea they were no longer an item was a major understatement. Over time she’d grown used to his persistent phone calls, the fact he often just popped round to see her and casually suggested, if they were both at a loose end, they might go for a drink or to the pictures.
Even when she’d plucked up the courage to attempt to date other people, it had been a complete disaster. Friadon was a small town and Marcus seemed to know every detail of where she went, when and with whom. On more than one occasion he’d tried to talk her out of going on a date, and she suspected, but couldn’t prove, he’d persuaded at least one of her dates to stay well away from her, causing her to be stood up, all alone in the heavy rain, outside the local cinema.
Six months after they’d split up, in a completely misguided attempt to woo her back, he’d gotten down on one knee and proposed to her for the third time at the travel agency where she worked. Armed with a huge bouquet of red roses and a bottle of champagne he’d asked her to marry him one last time. It had been in front of several customers too; Lucy had been pink with embarrass-ment. When, riddled with guilt, she’d gently declined his offer yet again, he’d gone off and met Amelie. Eight months later here the two of them were standing at the altar about to become man and wife.
Realising the ceremony was already well under way and she’d missed the first bit through not paying attention, Lucy tried to focus on what was being said, forcing the memories of Marcus from her mind. Yes, they’d enjoyed some fun times over the years, and she had to admit there had been occasions when they’d been completely great together, but it was all in the past now. His future lay with Amelie.
Clearing his throat the vicar glanced nervously towards the congregation and asked, “Does any-one here object to the marriage of Amelie Marchant and Marcus Brandon? If so, speak now or forever hold... ”
“I object.” The words were barely audible but Lucy heard them and fear shivered up her spine.
The vicar, looking as though his worse fears were being realised, glanced around anxiously, un-sure what to do or say next.
“I object!”
This time the voice was louder. The vicar grew red-faced and flustered.
“I’m sorry, sir, did you say you object?”
The bridegroom nodded solemnly. “Yes, I’m afraid I did.”
Those in the first few rows of the church heard the faintest of whimpers escape from beneath the bride’s veil and her knees appeared to buckle just a little.
Fixing a stern gaze upon the unwilling groom the vicar muttered, “Why exactly do you object, Mr. Brandon?”
Marcus addressed the packed congregation, his eyes scanning the rows, seeming to search for someone. Then in a loud, clear voice he announced, “I object because I’m still in love with an-other woman!” Raising his right hand he pointed to an area, three pews back on the right, just in front of a stone pillar. “Lucy, my love, will you ever take me back?”
There was collective gasp from the congregation; the bride fainted on the spot, sinking to the floor to be quickly swallowed up in a cloud of ivory silk and lace. Lucy, covered in embarrass-ment from head to foot, used her generously proportioned purple feather hat to try to hide her face, clasped her matching purple purse to her chest and ran from the church as fast as her kitten heels would carry her.
****
“Poor woman. Imagine being left at the altar.” Fiona licked her lips and placed her fork back on the now empty plate, having demolished a generous portion of blueberry cheesecake. “It’s the kind of thing you never recover from, surely.”
“I know, I know, and I’m mortified everybody thinks I was in some way to blame.” Lucy sighed and searched in her handbag for a tissue. “I tried to call Amelie afterwards to explain there was nothing going on between me and Marcus, but her mum slammed the phone down on me. Eve-ryone hates me and I haven’t even done anything wrong.”
“So, where is Marcus now then?”
“He flew out to Portugal yesterday after the wedding to stay with his sister and her family. He rang me from the airport and asked if I’d fly out to join him, can you believe it?” Lucy shook her head in despair. “What do I have to do for him to get the message?”
“Well, he’s obviously still crazy about you.” Fiona sighed and then pinched the uneaten biscotti from the side of Lucy’s cup and saucer. “In some ways it’s rather romantic.”
“Fi! It’s not and you know it! You’ve known me since school, and you know how he’s been driving me crazy for years! You, of all people, should understand!” Lucy replied, trying to re-trieve the stolen biscotti from Fiona. “I want some freedom from him. I want a life. I want to be able to try to find my Mr. Perfect.”
Fiona shook her head despairingly. “Not Mr. Perfect again. Don’t tell me — the man of your dreams needs to be,” she started to count on her fingers, “One, he needs to be fabulously wealthy. Two, he needs to be drop dead gorgeous. Three, kind and loving, attentive and thought-ful. Four, intelligent and successful. Five…”
Lucy held her hand up in protest. “Well, a girl needs to aim high.”
“I understand about you and Marcus. He’s not the man for you, but I’m afraid you’re not being realistic in the male wish list department. Firstly, you swap and change your mind about things all the while, and secondly, you know Mr. Perfect doesn’t even exist,” Fiona said, with a regretful smile. “I’m sure we all wish he did, but he doesn’t. Never has.”
Looking like a child who’d just been told Santa Claus wasn’t real, Lucy replied, “Okay for you to say. You’ve found your soulmate and are heading for the Friadon wedding of the year in a couple of weeks.”
“Yes, this is true.” Fiona nodded, a blissful smile appearing on her face. “But don’t forget I was realistic. I know Luke’s the one for me. I accept he’s not Mr. Perfect. He doesn’t shower me with roses or gifts, he goes down to the pub with his mates to watch the football far too often, and he’s not made of money. Oh, and he hates shopping!”
Lucy shook her head, pretending to disapprove. “And yet you still love him!”
“Yes, I do.” Fiona snapped the biscotti in half and handed one piece to Lucy. “Didn’t you ever love Marcus?”
“No. Well, maybe I thought I did when I was younger. We were great together for a while.” She sighed, stirring her coffee absentmindedly. “I suppose I’ve never had much chance to date other guys, to experience life. That’s part of the problem. Marcus always wanted us to go absolutely everywhere together when we were dating.”
“I don’t know how you’ve managed. To reach the ripe old age of twenty three, and you can probably count the number of boyfriends you’ve had on three fingers.”
Lucy buried her head in her hands, a curtain of straight blonde hair falling forward to hide her face. “I know. It’s crazy. And now I’m hated by pretty much every female within a ten mile ra-dius because they think I’m a trollop and I’ve been carrying on with Marcus whilst he’s been en-gaged. I’m completely innocent in all of this, yet I’m the one getting bad-mouthed.”
“They’ll get over it.” Pausing for dramatic effect, Fiona added, “It’ll just probably take a long while. In the meantime you’ll have to get used to being thought of as a wanton woman.” Patting her hand reassuringly, she said, “Anyway, I’m still your friend.”
“Great, thanks,” muttered Lucy, head still in her hands. “Sometimes I just feel this overwhelming desire to move away from here, to get myself a new life.”
“Well, do it then. For goodness sake you’ve been whinging on about it enough for the last few years.” Fiona popped the biscotti into her mouth. “Think about it. What’s stopping you from leaving Friadon anyway? Well, apart from my impending wedding of course.”
Warming to her topic she said, “It would do you good to get away from this small town mentali-ty. You should have done it years ago. Go off and explore, find out what you want from your life. You’ve never had a chance to date properly without Marcus peering over your shoulder. It must have been awkward.”
“It was.” Lucy shrugged, staring at a large crumb of biscotti on the table. As she had a good idea how infrequently the table tops were cleaned in this café, she resisted the strong urge to scoop the crumb up and lick it from her finger. “Anyway, at my age, shouldn’t I have my life all mapped out by now? You know, what I want from men, work, the whole caboodle.”
Shaking her head Fiona reached for the last of her coffee. “Nah, it’s just a popular myth. Gener-ally things just happen, and they’re probably not what you were planning but they usually kind of work out for the best in the end.”
Looking at Lucy, she said, “Remember how you used to complain about how boring Marcus was? Saying how you’d never been in a relationship where you’d been totally swept off your feet, how you wanted to find a man you could be completely crazy about for the rest of your life? Always going on about how you wanted to find your Mr. Perfect, the love of your life?”
Lucy pushed a lock of hair behind her right ear, frowning. “And your point is?”
“Go find the man for you, have your adventure, enjoy yourself,” Fiona added encouragingly. “All of the hearts and roses stuff, the handsome looks and pots of money business we all, at some point, crave. Doesn’t matter. They’re not the real recipe for happiness in a relationship.” As Lucy’s face took on a not-this-lecture-again look, Fiona said, “You’ll see, I know you will. You just need to find the right man first.”
****
Business had been slower than usual at the Price Right Travel Agency where Lucy worked. “Isn’t it boring when nobody comes into the agency?” She sighed as she deftly slid a pair of scis-sors through some plastic wrapping on a pile of holiday brochures proclaiming Turkey to be ‘paradise in the sun’.
Her boss Melanie glanced up from her computer with an irritated expression on her pixie-like face. “I imagine we’re being boycotted thanks to your little shenanigans with Marcus.”
Trying to wedge some brochures with a picture of a gorgeous sun-drenched Turkish beach on the front onto the shelving, Lucy said, “For the tenth time, Mel, I didn’t do anything. What do I have to say for people to believe me?”
Mel shook her head. “I’m not here to judge your love life but when it starts to affect my busi-ness…” she paused, choosing her words carefully. “For starters Marcus was one of our best cus-tomers. He even booked his honeymoon here. Goodness knows what will happen there. Nobody has asked about the chance of a refund yet. What with Marcus paying for it and then jetting off to Portugal straight after the non-wedding, he hasn’t had a chance. I expect he’ll be in to try to sort it all out when he gets back.”
“He’ll lose his money. I’m pretty sure walking out on your wedding isn’t covered under his in-surance,” said Lucy with a grimace, feeling guilty about how Marcus and Amelie wouldn’t get to enjoy the five star hotel he’d chosen on a gorgeous stretch of beach on Cyprus. If she remem-bered rightly the place had three restaurants, five swimming pools, a spa and a gym. Everything you could wish for. She’d helped him to choose the place. Now she was the reason he wouldn’t be going there.
“Perhaps it would be best if you took a bit of a sabbatical. Have you thought about it at all?” Mel asked with more than a hint of encouragement in her voice.
“Sabbatical?” Lucy queried, the brochures in her hand slipping to the floor. “Not a polite way of saying I’m fired is it?”
“Of course not. I’ll hold your job open for you. Just consider it an opportunity to take a few weeks off to go and have yourself a bit of fun. Hopefully by the time you return, all the gossips will have moved on to someone else and the next Friadon scandal.”
“You’re serious aren’t you?” Lucy asked, sitting down on several bundles of as-yet unopened brochures.
“Definitely. I have this friend who works for a small TV production company. They’re doing some sort of programme about love and one of the girls has had to pull out at the last moment for family reasons. They need a replacement right away and the filming is supposed to start in two days. Craig, my friend, doesn’t want to have to go through all the audition info again to choose someone else. I bet you’d be ideal.”
Sceptically Lucy asked, “What sort of love programme? It’s not something tacky is it?”
“No, no,” Mel answered, tapping away at her computer keyboard. “I think the idea is for three girls and one boy to spend two weeks together at some glam location. It’s properly organised and supervised. Each of you would get to go on your dream type of dates. It’s all about the psycholo-gy of finding the love of your life.”
Lucy got to her feet, then swayed unsteadily as her sandals slipped across several of the glossy holiday brochures scattered about the floor where she’d dropped them minutes earlier. Stooping to gather up the brochures before a customer (should one of them ever appear) broke their ankle on them and sued the agency, Lucy contemplated Mel’s suggestion. “So it would all be quite tasteful then?”
“I should imagine so. I think they’ll be having a psychologist on hand too, so after each date you can talk about how you think things went. There’s a complete relationship analysis service avail-able so you can learn about yourself, men, and your attitude towards dating. Sounds ideal for you.”
Realising she’d been holding her breath for a few seconds, Lucy let it out in a long sigh. “Okay, I might be interested. Shall I call this Craig or will you?”

As some of you know, Laura Pauling loves to analyze novels and movies using the screenwriting book, Save the Cat, by Blake Synder. And as you might also know, in addition to being a fan of STC, I love the screenwriting book, Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot by Peter Dunne. So we decided to analyze the movie Tangled using our fav screenwriting books so you can see the difference and similarities between them, as well as see ways to improve your own stories.

Notes:

1. The breakdown is based on the typical script length of 110 pages. For novels, you have to adjust the numbers based on the length of your manuscript. We have more flexibility than screenwriters do.

2. The points are from the charts in Emotional Structure.

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Act One: “Life as it was” (pages 1-25)

Page 1:

• Meet the protagonist: Rapunzel

• Establish point of view: Even though the movie is predominantly from Rapunzel’s point of view, and it’s mostly her story, the co-protagonist, Flynn Ryder, introduces Rapunzel’s backstory in the prologue.

• Establish emotional state and theme

• Great, gripping opening (no, duh!)

Pages 1-10: State problem. Life is boring with the same daily routine. Rapunzel wonders when life will begin.

Page 10: 1st problem: Rapunzel asks “Mother” if she can go see the floating lights that are released every year on Rapunzel’s birthday. She wants to know what they are. The answer is ‘no’. Mother reminds her that the world is a dangerous and scary place.

Between pages 10-20: Clash with co-protagonist. Thief Flynn Ryder escapes the “bad” guys by climbing into Rapunzel’s tower. She bashes him on the head and he passes out.

He wakes up. Rapunzel panics and knocks him unconscious again.

She wants to show him to Mother, to demonstrate that she’s strong enough to go outside without getting hurt (Apparent solution to 1st problem (page 20)).

Mother gets mad at Rapunzel for suggesting that she wants to go outside. Rapunzel decides not to show Mother unconscious man in closet (Solution disappears).

New Solution: Rapunzel asks Flynn to take her to see the lanterns and then return her home safely. If he does this, then she’ll give him back the satchel with the crown in it (she doesn’t know the crown is stolen).

Pages 20-25: Problem worsens and Major crisis. I was stuck on this one. Maybe it’s when he initially says no.

Goal must be set by mentor: Again, I was stuck on this one. I believe it was when Pasquel, her pet chameleon, wants her to leave the tower (he makes this clear at the very beginning of the movie).

Page 25: Moral Dilemma: As Rapunzel walks away from the tower, she’s tore as to whether she’s doing the right thing or not. Should she go back to the safety of the tower, or should she go against her mother’s wishes and continue her journey.

Act Two: “Life torn apart” (pages 25 to 85)

• Physical action helps create risks and danger

• Emotional resistance

• Fears are revealed and challenged: Flynn takes Rapunzel to a tavern—The Cuddly Duckling—which is filled with a bunch of scary ruffians. Of course after they break out into song and dance about having dreams (’cause this is Disney, you know), Rapunzel realizes not everyone is dangerous. This goes against what Flynn is after. He wants Rapunzel to give up on her dream so that he can get the crown and leave (co-protagonist feud)

• Suffer loss

• Route altered: Palace guards (who are after Flynn because he stole the crown) chase Flynn and Rapunzel. The two bad guys, who were chasing Flynn at the beginning, join forces with Rapunzel’s “mother”.

Page 55: Tent pole Scene. Flynn and Rapunzel escape the guards and ‘bad’ guys, but are trapped and almost drown. (Middle of movie)

Part two of the post (i.e. the second half of the movie) will continue on Wednesday.

Question: do you have any favorite books on story structure, or is this something you haven’t thought about much (like me until a few weeks ago)?

Several years ago, I attended a SCBWI workshop with an editor from Harper Collins. She told us to take a book we love and read it three times, consecutively. Great idea, except I hadn’t read a book at that point that I loved enough to use for the assignment. That changed recently when I discovered the YA contemporary novel Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. This book not only had me bawling as I read it, I cried a few days later when I thought about one specific scene. I knew I had to analyze the book to see what Katie did to make it my favorite book of the year.

First Read Through
Because I first read the book back in July, that didn’t count toward the assignment. It was too long ago. I had to start again. I reread the book without stopping to take notes. And yes, I cried at the same scene that I cried at the first time.

Second Read Through
This time I focused on story structure. Pushing the Limits (PTL) is a dual POV story, alternating between the two main characters: Noah and Echo. Because I love the book Save the Cat (STC) by Blake Synder, I used it to break down PTL according to Blake’s story structure beats. You don’t have to use STC. There are other great books that also discuss story structure. They’re all very similar and can be applied to most stories.

First, I created a table with three columns. This is because I was dealing with two points of view. I assigned ‘Echo’ to the first column, ‘Noah’ to the second one, and the third column was reserved for the STC beats. For example, in PTL the catalyst moment falls under one of Noah’s scenes. I wrote ‘Catalyst’ in the third column in blue ink (for Noah) and described in one sentence the catalyst moment. I used a different color for Echo.

Next, I wrote the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) for the POV character of each scene. I also added any notes about plot that I wanted to include. And yes, I cried again at that one emotion-filled scene.

Third Read Through
This time I focused on characterization and the emotional impact of the story. For the main characters (Echo and Noah), I listed:

• Fears

• Key issues (e.g. both have issues of trust and issues with authority, but not in the same way)

• Word to describe them (Noah is self-confident; Echo is insecure)

• Story goal for each

• What Echo and Noah have in common. In other words, the connection that binds them together for the story (since PTL is a romance)

• Wound or fatal flaw

• Identity (how others view them. Their personal armor, so to speak)

• The real them (who they really are when they drop the personal armor).

• Moments that revealed emotion

• Any symbolism used

• Use of the senses

• Small moments with huge impact

• Characterization (for all the characters)

• Hot make out scenes :)

Some of you are no doubt cringing at the amount of time involved for this level of analysis. To me, it was worth it. I learned so much about why I loved the book and how to make my stories (especially my dual POV stories) stronger.

Do you analyze books you love (or dislike)? If so, what do you looked for? How many times do you usually read a book consecutively when you analyze it?

For a 'Sweet Saturday Sample' of Saint Sloan (my newest book, coming out Feb. 28th, 2013), click HERE.

Wanna read the Bible cover to cover? We are over at Encourage 365. Head over and check it out.

I'm thrilled to have Tanya Eavenson (author of Unconditional) on my blog today! Unconditional came out this week, and she was nice enough to give us a sample :) Unconditional is a clean, insprirational romance (my personal favorite type :) )


Blurb for Unconditional:
He will fight for her at any cost...

Elizabeth Roberts can't remember her past, and the present is too painful. She turns to nightclubs and drinking to forget her infant daughter's death, her husband's affair.

When his wife's coma wiped out the memory of their marriage, Chris Roberts found comfort elsewhere. He can't erase his betrayal, but with God's help he’s determined to fight for Elizabeth at any cost.

She wants to forget. He wants to save his marriage. Can they trust God with their future and find a love that’s unconditional?

Chapter One

Elizabeth pushed herself up from the bed. Her gaze swept the dark room and fixed on the hall nightlight. Her hand grazed over her husband’s shoulder when a thought gripped her. Katherine. The baby monitor stood silent. Darkness shrouded the red and green lights that indicated movement.
Her chest tightened. She hurled the covers away and leapt to the floor. Panic made her clumsy as she rushed to her daughter’s room. She lunged over the crib. No sound. No movement. Not even a stirring of air from her tiny nostrils.
“Katherine!” Elizabeth snatched her daughter from the mattress. The infant drew a heavy breath as her eyes flung wide open.
Lord, what’s happening?
Elizabeth’s bare feet pounded the cold tile as she ran back to her husband. “Chris, wake up! Katherine quit breathing again!”
Chris rubbed his eyes and scowled. “What is it?”
“We need to take Katherine to the hospital. She stopped breathing.”
He studied their child. “She seems to be breathing now. Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure.”
“She’s fine.” Chris fell back against the pillow.
“Please—”
“We don’t have the money to take her to the hospital when there’s nothing wrong with her.”
“But there is. She stopped breathing.”
He sat back up. “You’ve been worried about her since before she was born. You’re all worked up because she hasn’t rolled over yet. The doctor said that’s normal for being early.”
She’s called a preemie. She glared into his eyes. “If you were home more often you’d know she’s not fine.”
“I’m home, Elizabeth, and she’s fine.”
Heat flushed her cheeks as tears filled her eyes. “I’m scared. Can’t you see that? I need you to pray for our daughter. I need you to hold me and tell me everything will be all right.”
“Look, she’s sleeping.” His voice softened as his hand ran down her thigh. “Come to bed.”
“How can you care so little? I’m worried about our baby.”
Chris’s hand dropped to the sheets. “Shut the door when you leave.” He turned away from her.
Elizabeth stood for a moment unable to speak. With their baby in her arms, she slowly closed the door behind her and sank her teeth into her lip to keep from crying. If tears came, it would be for her daughter, not for the stranger in her bed.
The nightlight’s faint glow lit the hallway as Elizabeth slipped back into Katherine’s room. She laid her sleeping child in her crib. Her knees buckled and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“God, please…” ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tanya Eavenson and her husband have been in the ministry for fifteen years teaching youth, adults, and counseling. Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes for Christ to the World Ministries sharing the Gospel around the world. You can find her on Twitter at @Tan_eave and contact her at her website. Want to learn more about writing?

BUY LINKS: AMAZON BARNES AND NOBLE ASTRAEA PRESS

Endorsements for Unconditional: "Unconditional is a powerfully-gripping story of deep heartache laced with fears, yet even through the sorrow, Tanya Eavenson reminds us that nothing can separate us from God's love." ~ Alice J. Wisler, author of "Still Life in Shadows" and other novels

"Not your typical amnesia story, Unconditional tells a tale of loss, betrayal, and forgiveness. Eavenson drags her characters through the fire, then reveals God’s power through their broken lives. The writing is stellar; the emotion, raw and palpable; the cast, impeccably crafted. This author is one to be watched!" ~ April W Gardner, award-winning author

"Unconditional explores the struggles that married couples sometimes experience, and the decisions they must make after going through difficult circumstances. A powerful story of hope and healing." ~ Laura V. Hilton, Healing Love (Whitaker House)

"Unconditional is a beautiful story of God's never-ending love. Throughout its pages, Tanya Eavenson evokes a myriad of emotions in her readers, from deep despair to heartfelt praise. The characters gripped my heart, showing me the reality of man's sin but also the depth of God's grace. Unconditional is a well-written, heart-stirring novel written by a talented new author." ~ Jennifer Slattery, Novel Reviews

This post is a continuation of Monday’s. I’m going to list the elements that make up each section of the act, and illustrate them with examples from the movie Tangled. Laura Pauling is also continuing her post on structure and Tangled.

(Warning: there are spoilers in this post)

Act Two—continued

(This is part two of the second act)

Pages 55 to 65:

• Emotional defeat

• Loss of faith

• Most vulnerable

• Bonding with co-protagonist (commitment)

• Emotional union

• Changes begin

• Growth is painful


With each conflict, Rapunzel and Flynn find out more about each other. For example, Flynn reveals his real name, and Rapunzel tells him her hair has magical properties (perfect timing for this revelation, which ends up saving their lives).

Each conflict supports the notion that the world is a scary place, just like “Mother” said.

Rapunzel realizes her growing feelings for Flynn. But Mother finds Rapunzel and tells her that he’s only interested in the crown (which Rapunzel has hidden). Once he gets it back, he’ll turn his back on her. Because Rapunzel and Flynn have revealed a lot about themselves to each other, they are both at their most vulnerable.

When Rapunzel refuses to go back home with her, Mother challenges Rapunzel to test Flynn’s feelings for her by giving him the crown and seeing if he sticks around.

Rapunzel and Flynn spend the afternoon together and their feelings for each other deepen. They go out on the water to watch the lanterns being released into the sky (naturally there’s a love song at this point to emphasize this).

Seeing the lanterns makes Rapunzel realize that the world is not how she originally thought. She isn’t scared anymore, and both her and Flynn realize their new dream—a life together.

Pages 65 to 70


• Deepest fears are tested

• Emotional set back

• Break up and give up

• Willing to lose

Rapunzel gives Flynn the crown. He leaves her for a moment to give it to the bad guys. He’s no longer interested in it. He wants to be with Rapunzel.

Flynn doesn’t return. Instead, the bad guys go over to where Rapunzel is waiting and point to him floating away on a sail boat. It looks like he’s leaving, when in reality, he’s tied up and unconscious.

Rapunzel believes he betrayed her trust in him, and returns with Mother to the tower, thus giving up her dream.

Pages 70 to 80

• Rebuild or die

• Higher purpose

• Alone again but aloneness is sad—no longer a comfort

Alone again, Rapunzel knows she can no longer be happy knowing about the beauty and good that’s out in the world.

She realizes that she’s the missing princess. She also realizes that she spent her life hiding from people who would use her for her power, when it was her “Mother” she should have been hiding from.

Pages 80 to 85

• Facing death

• Commit to love

• Faith defeat fear

• Climax

Flynn realizes Rapunzel is in danger. With the help of his ruffian friends, he escapes from prison (where he had ended up when he was captured by the palace guards) and races to the tower, only to find Rapunzel tied up. Mother stabs him as he climbs through the window.

Rapunzel makes a deal with her mother. If her mother lets Rapunzel save Flynn, she’s stop fighting against her and won’t try to get away.

Act Three: “Life as it was” (Pages 85 to 110)

• The climax

• Victory over the antagonist

• Physical euphoria

• The resolution

• Letting go of old self completely

• Embracing co-protagonist

• The emotional battle is finally won

• Honestly facing feelings

• Honesty creates trust

• Trust creates love

• Boy gets girl

Flynn cuts Rapunzel’s hair, knowing it means he’ll die. Anything to save Rapunzel. With her hair cut, the power will die.

With the restorative powers of the hair gone, Mother turns into an old hag (because she was hundreds of years old, as told in the prologue). The old hag dies.

Rapunzel attempts to save Flynn. She sings, trying to get her hair to save him, but he dies. But of course, this being a Disney movie, her tears have restorative powers and Flynn lives.

Rapunzel returns to her family—the king and queen—and the kingdom rejoices, and all the loose ends are tied up.

<<<3

So, there you go, two different take on the movie Tangled, based on two different screenwriting books on story structure.

Emotional Structure also talks about the emotional journey of the story. Using Tangled as an example, I’ll be talking more about it in July.

What do writers do when we watch movies? Yep, we analyze them. And that’s exactly what I did last weekend when I took my kids to see Rio (loved it, btw).

According to one of my favorite writing books, Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot (which I reviewed a few weeks ago), fear is an important element when creating characterization. The character must overcome his fear by the end of the story in order for character growth to occur. But you have to know what the underlying cause is, because this is what he will have to face in the end. This will also be the cause of some of the obstacles the character will face while trying to achieve his goal. His fear will dictate what he will do.

Okay, let’s go back to Rio. (Don’t worry, no spoilers here.)

Blu is the main character. He’s a blue macaw and the last of his kind. But unlike the typical macaw, he can’t fly. Why? Well, in the beginning (the prologue) his mama left him alone in the nest while she went off to get food. He watches a group of red macaw chicks get tossed out of their nest by their mama and start to fly. Something bad suddenly happens in the jungle and Blu knows he needs to escape, so he jumps out of his nest. However, unlike the other macaws, he doesn’t fly. He lands in a bush and is caught by humans.

So naturally, Blu never learns to fly and is scared to try. It’s his inability to believe in himself that leads to his fear of flying. By the end of the movie, he needs to believe in himself in order to succeed (character arc).

Do any of your characters (and it doesn’t have to be just the protagonist) have a fear they need to overcome by the end of the story?

A bizarre phenomenon spreads across the U.S. For some unknown reason, recently deceased teens aren’t staying that way. Based on the preconceived notion that zombies—or the living impaired—are dangerous, they are shunned by society, and for many, by their family and former friends.

Despite the fear and prejudice surrounding these teens, the administration at Oakvale High School takes a more progressive approach. But it proves challenging to integrate the dead kids when teachers and “living” students are less than willing to embrace their presence. And some of the living are eager to making their feelings known, especially since the “differently biotic” have no rights and there are no laws to protect them.

Phoebe, a “living” teen who’s into goth, develops a crush on Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids. Neither her best friend, Margi, nor her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team, can believe her feelings for Tommy. To make things more complex, Adam is in love with Phoebe but she doesn’t realize it.

The Hunter Foundation, an organization involved in the physiological, psychological, and sociological research of differently biotic kids, links forces with Oakvale High to offer the Differently Biotic Work Study program. The AP accredited course includes a weekly focus group to help understand the views of the undead and living kids. The goal is for the change in societal views, starting with the teen participants. The researchers are also interested in finding out why some biotic kids are higher functioning compared to others. Phoebe convinces Margi and Adam to sign up.

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters is told from the perspective of three teens: Phoebe, Adam, and Pete. As the story progresses, the reader experiences Adam’s change in attitude towards the dead kids, Phoebe’s growing interest in Tommy and her questioning of his feelings for her, and the driving forces behind Pete’s hatred toward the living impaired.

The compelling story brings to light how our attitudes and prejudices are shaped by our fears and lack of understanding, and how by seeing past these prejudices we can accept others in spite of their differences. It also shows how these prejudices can lead to bully. But most importantly, it demonstrates how we are all responsible for creating change in how society views others, regardless of their race, age, interests, abilities. However, the book does not come off as preachy. It is witty and cleverly written. And the cliff handing ending will leave you wanting more. Fortunately the sequel, Kiss of Life, will be available May 12th.

Today, I’m participating in Nick Wilford’s OvercomingAdversity Blogfest. This is in honor of his stepson who has cerebral palsy.

As some of you know, my eldest son was born thirteen weeks premature. For ten weeks, he lived in the NICU. And for ten exhausting hours a day, I lived there, too. We’re all familiar with the roller-coaster ride called querying. Compared to the highs and lows, fears and hopes that you deal with every day when you baby is extremely sick, querying feels like walking down a road with no dips and bumps. Crying over a rejection is nothing like crying because one of your NICU mommy friends has just watched her baby die. It nothing like crying when a pregnant mother (who was supposed to be a friend) goes on and on about how her baby is kicking, five minutes after she saw you baby on a ventilator and fighting for his life, and then berates you when you ask her nicely to keep her excitement to herself. And it’s nothing like the crying you do because you’re positive it’s your fault your baby is premature.

Christmas 1999

But with the darkness comes the light. One thing NICU mothers and writers share in common is their need to develop friendships with individuals who know about the day-to-day struggles we deal with. We support each other and give each other hope. We find ways to make the day brighter. One day, two of my NICU friends and I wrote a list to help give other NICU moms and families a reason to smile, even for just a moment. (The actual list is a lot longer that this)

You Know You’ve Been An NICU Mom Too Long When . . .

Your breasts takes on the shape of the plastic breast pump shields.

You are mistaken for a nurse and can actually help.

The residents come to you for answers.

You’re no longer modest in front of other Moms' husbands.

You don’t hesitate to leave a dirty diaper for a nurse you don’t like. (Yep, we all did this one. To the same nurse.)

Do you have friends who help you through the ups and downs of your life, and especially though the ups and downs of being a writer? What kinds of things do you do to keep your spirits up?

source

As writers, we spend a lot of time getting to know our characters. We know their traits, their interests, their fears, their backstories. But while we’re doing this, we’re developing a deeper understanding of human nature (especially if you’re not a psychologist).

Several weeks ago, I had to deal with a mother at my kids’ bus stop who went postal (without a gun) on me. This was right after she came close to hitting a kid with her SUV as she tried to park at the stop. Literally at the stop. She forces the bus to park further away because she is determined to be the one to park next to the only stretch of sidewalk (much to the parents’ and bus driver’s chagrin). It happened on the Monday, and then again on the Wednesday.

On the Wednesday, she wanted to talk to me after the kids got on the bus. But she was already agitated and there was no way in hell I was staying around for round two. This is when she started screaming and acting irrational in front of another parent, a toddler, and nine elementary school kids.

I ended up reporting her to the police. It was obvious the woman is dealing with issues and she needed a wake-up call to get help (although it’s highly unlikely she saw it the same way). Her son isn’t liked in school (as my kids have been pointing out for months), and her behavior made things worse for him. But it gave me an opportunity to explain to my kids that they shouldn’t judge him. It’s obvious he’s dealing with a lot in his life right now. His actions are guided by things they don’t know about, including his backstory.

Have you found that being a writer has helped you understand people and their actions better? When you’re in a fight or flight situation (or any highly emotional situation), do you mentally catalogue your body’s visceral reactions for use in a future story? (Yes, I did actually do that!)