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A FIVE-SECOND PLAN
All writers get stuck now and then. The toughest thing is getting stuck before you ever get started. You know the feeling; no ideas, no inspiration, no faith in your ability. You need to get going—RIGHT NOW. You need a FIVE SECOND PLAN.
Do a free-write
Just start writing. Forget grammar, forget punctuation, let your mind roam. Write for five minutes without stopping. Rip along—get ahead of your internal censor. Start RIGHT NOW.
Bite off a manageable chunk
Take a small piece of your project, maybe something as simple as a list of possible names for your character. Do something you can handle—no matter how small— RIGHT NOW.
Relax
This may sound like odd advice, but stress is a big creativity cutter. Close your eyes, lean back in your chair and try to think about nothing. Clear your mind. Take a walk, watch the cars go by, pet the cat. You’ll come back refreshed, ready to try again. Do it RIGHT NOW.
Let yourself off the hook
This is not the time to judge yourself or your writing talents. Give yourself permission to write something bad. Write it down RIGHT NOW.
Set up a writing schedule
And stick to it. Make it realistic, something you can actually accomplish. Set up a schedule that works for you RIGHT NOW.
Write at absolute top speed
Take advantage of those moments of inspiration that only come when you're sailing over your keyboard or ripping through your yellow pad. They will be rough, goofy or unusable, but they will be there to use later on. Give yourself some raw material and start RIGHT NOW.
THE ELEVEN-POINT SCENE CHECKLIST
MAKE SURE EVERY SCENE INCLUDES:
1. TIME
2. PLACE
3. LIGHT
4. CHARACTER
5. POINT OF VIEW
6. PURPOSE
7. TASTE
8. TOUCH
9. SMELL
10. SIGHT
11. HEARING
SCENE “FORMULA”
1. THE MEETING: Two forces involved in the conflict come together.
2. THE PURPOSE: Every scene must have a clear purpose.
3. THE ENCOUNTER: Possibly, the character attempts to seek information, inform, overcome by logic or argument, to impress, to compel.
4. THE FINAL ACTION: The three possibilities are: win, lose or quit.
5. SEQUEL OR AFTERMATH: The state of affairs or state of mind which leads you into your next scene.
SCENE WORKSHEET
(Use these headings to plan your scene. Make sure each scene “leads to” another one.)
TIME:
PLACE:
HERE’S THE CHARACTER:
THIS IS WHAT SHE WANTS:
THIS IS THE OBSTACLE:
THIS IS THE OUTCOME:
IT LEADS TO:
CHARACTER TOOLKIT
Two dozen exercises to help you find your character
1. Backstory. Describe your character’s life before the story begins.
2. Life chronology. Born in 1956, moved to California at the age of 2, grade school in Fresno.
3. A Character Chart. Complete the 38-point chart or other similar.
4.Your Character’s Resume. A data sheet. A vita: Education, employment history, job skills, career goals.
5. Describe a small bit of action. A detailed look at your character, e.g.: getting out of bed, cooking dinner, buying a new coat, changing a tire, taking a shower. Concrete sensory details.
6. Describe your character’s plan. Some definite project he or she expects to carry out successfully. New job, fix the roof, get a divorce, move to Oregon.
7. What is behind your character? What influences shaped her before the story began?
8. What is above your character? The higher self, the morality, the beliefs and values?
9. What is below your character? The worst nightmare, the deepest fear, the depths to which he will sink.
10. A daydream monologue. Your character speaks about a dream or a daydream.
11. Belief monologue. Your character talks about something he or she feels strongly about.
12. Cast diagrams. A graphic representation of the relationships between characters.
13. Out-of-story dialogs with the author. Chat with your character, argue with your character.
14. Interview your character. Q and A format.
15. Invisible Exposition. (borrowed from Ursula Le Guin) Write a scene of dialog with no description, no narrative, no stage direction. Only the speech of the characters.
16. Character by Implication. Describe your character by describing a place your character inhabits. The character isn‚t present at the time. Use any props you like, weather, clothing, light, time in history, sounds, smells, anything.
17. Shifting the scene. Write a brief scene from your character‚s point of view, then write the same scene from the author‚s point of view, then from another character‚s point of view.
18. The confrontation scene. (Borrowed from Anne Lamott) Put your character in situation where she has no choice but to interact with a person she hates. (Stuck in an elevator, a broken-down car, a snowstorm that closes the road.)
19. The instinctive method.* Work like an actor, become the person, feel their emotions, speak their lines, adopt their body language. Do what your character does.
20. The analytical method.* What is your character‚s cardinal quality? An extreme trait that is both their blessing and their curse. Curious, angry, loving, rebellious, revengeful, fair-minded? What opposes that quality? What trait is holding the character back? The inner enemy? Consider Scarlett O‚Hara. Her courage is opposed by her selfishness.
21. Realize the character with your senses. What is individual about her face, her hair, her walk? Mannerisms, speech, laughter?
22. React to the character with your emotions. Do you admire him? Love him? Pity him? Does he make you angry?
23. Follow your character with your mind. What are her tastes? Her interests? Favorite sports? Reading habits? Ambitions? What does she desire most?
24. Highs and lows. Characters, like real people, have highs and lows in their lives. Write three high points and three low points in your character‚s life during the story. How does he or she react to each?
*From Bestseller: Secrets of Successful Writing, Celia Brayfield.
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