Cameron Montague Taylor

Fantasy Author & Fiction Editor

writing

Planning the External Plot

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When I first started writing, I must have googled every single permutation of “how do I write a good book?” about a thousand times, only to find that many writers are close-lipped on the exact process they use to put that idea into words.

This post is dedicated to drawing pack the curtain on part of my writing and drafting process, in which I lay down the bones of the external plot structure. I can’t cover my whole planning process in a single post, so I’m keeping the focus narrow, here, but I hope it provides you with some inspo or food for thought.

I plan the external portion of my plot with a variety of tools—chiefly three-act (specifically drawn from Save the Cat Writes a Novel) and character-focused scene cards.

Some writers find structures like three-act too prescriptive for their tastes, or otherwise, don’t like using physical tools like beat sheets and scene cards in their pre-writing process. But when I’m writing and editing (either for myself or for a client), I lean heavily on tools like three-act as analytical frameworks to help me conceptualize the story and control its movement, tension, and pacing.

Before I delve into how I do this, I’d like to add a note for the pantsers in the crowd:

A note for the pantsers

(For those of you who haven’t heard the term before, a ‘pantser’ is a writer who does little to no planning before sitting down and starting to write. They often consider structural tools like three-act, scene cards, or outlining to be an impediment to the creative process.)

If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool punster who wants nothing to do with an outline, that is fine—but structural tools can still work for you! The trick is, instead of using beat sheets or scene cards prior to drafting, you’ll take them out and fill them in after you’ve already written your rough draft.

That way, your by-the-seat-of-the-pants creative process will remain intact—and you can use structural tools to load test the strength of your plot, arcs, and pacing in order to identify where and how to shift things around in revisions.

…and a note for the plotters

Here’s the thing, though:

Pantsers, you’re not alone. All of us have a little pantser in us, whether or not we realize it. The story we imagined in the very beginning isn’t necessarily the story that ends up on the page once we’re done writing. While I won’t say there’s a way to use beat sheets or scene cards wrong, I can say that it’s a mistake to hem yourself in so hard that you don’t listen to that niggling little voice telling you that something isn’t right about the connective tissue between acts, or the way the climax plays out, or the development of the romantic arc.

It is absolutely okay (and often necessary!) to take stock of the story at each major benchmark and think critically about whether the structure as it’s currently planned still works given what’s made it onto the page.

I frequently stop at the midpoint to assess my beat sheet, scene cards, and outline for the second half of the story… and often make major changes to bring my plan in line with a revised vision based on how the story actually played out as I was writing. This kind of flexibility is a good thing! It leaves us room for spontaneous creativity and those special, beautiful moments when something we didn’t plan ends up on page but works so heckin’ well we can’t help but keep it.

Without further ado…

How I use beat sheets and scene cards to structure my stories

If you’re unfamiliar with Save the Cat, I recommend picking up a copy at a local bookstore or library. You can learn more about it here.

Otherwise, here’s a free and short explanation of the beats.

A caveat: as I mentioned earlier, this isn’t my full planning process. By the time I start filling out beats, I’ve done a ton of pre-writing and have already figured out the rough shape of the protagonist’s growth arc (and likely, the growth arcs of the major supporting characters, too—especially if there’s a romance in the story). Character and romance arc planning is a post for another time.

Moving on:

Because I write character-first, I don’t start working on my external plot until I know where I want my characters to end up by the end of the story and have a vague idea of what needs to happen to get them there. Overall, I tweak the plot to fit the characters and their growth arcs—not the other way around.

If you’re not a character writer, this might not work for you! (But I recommend trying it! Character-first is fun ;))

Thus, by the time three-act / Save the Cat gets involved, I have fleshed-out characters and a bare-bones plot. Sometimes, I only know the general premise and have a vague idea of the conclusion with one or two specific images / sources of inspiration along the way.

To get that external plot in shape, I start by mapping out the major beats of my story.

Below is a list of three-act beats from Save the Cat. I’ve bolded the ones I consciously think about while in the planning phase:

Opening Image
Theme Stated
Set-up
Catalyst
Debate
Break into Two
B Story
Fun and Games
Midpoint
Bad Guys Close In
All Is Lost
Dark Night of the Soul
Break into Three
Finale
Final Image

Past the scaffolding for act one, which I try to lay down during this stage, the later story beats all have something in common: they’re the story’s major turning points.

Start with act one, fill in major turning points

I start planning the external plot by deciding upon an opening image because I already intrinsically understand the scene’s requirements; I’ve done enough character pre-work that I know exactly what struggles my protagonist is facing at the very beginning of the story. In fact, most of act one usually comes together quickly for me. I have a general idea of the external conflict my protagonist will face in the story, and the first act is devoted to forcing them to accept the call to action and decide how and why they’re going to set out to solve this external problem—and those hows and whys are intrinsically tied to the character work I’ve already done.

(In other words: the hows and whys march in tandem with that protagonist’s pre-story goals and motivations, all of which I’ve already decided upon.)

This takes me into the break to act two, at which point my ideas become hazier. To avoid getting bogged down in the weeds of the ‘fun and games’ beat, the next event I plan is the story’s midpoint.

When plotting the midpoint, I ask myself: what external event happens that, driven by the protagonist’s actions, causes them to reevaluate their goals and motivations for the rest of the story?

I tend to think of the midpoint as either a major victory (on the back of which the protagonist realizes the victory was hollow, pyrrhic, or has another similar oh NO moment that sends them scrambling) or a major defeat (after which the protagonist realizes what they’ve been missing all along and finally figures out what steps to take towards the climax).

Why do I plan the midpoint before either half of act two? Because the events of act two provide the framing context and structural support for that vital midpoint beat. Without first understanding how the story turns at the midpoint, I can’t understand what needs to brace it on either side.

Of course, there’s another major turning point at the end of act two / beginning of act three. This turning point encompasses the three major beats on either side of that doorway: All is Lost / Dark Night of the Soul / Break into Act Three.

In other words: what terrible event forces the protagonist to risk it all and finally, finally complete their growth arc? And, how does completing that growth arc give them the solution to the external plot problem?

I might have a general idea of what I want my climactic scenes to look like, but often, I’m missing concrete details at this stage. The next scene that I truly have a vision for is that final image. It’s a mirror of the opening image, it demonstrates the full range of my protagonist’s growth arc, and furthermore, it’s the (often happy) ending the events of the climax must engineer.

I can’t plot my climax until I understand how I want my story to end.

Once these major beats are down, I can start filling in the connective tissue that’ll get my characters from one point to the next. I do that using scene cards.

Using scene cards to fill in narrative beats

From Story Genius by Lisa Cron

While dreaming up the events that will bring my protagonist (and/or supporting cast) from one major plot event to another in a logical, authentic, and interesting way, I rely heavily on scene cards both to test and to flesh out my ideas. They help me map out my arcs and ensure the events of each scene 1) flow into one another; 2) impact what happens in the next scene; 3) are driven by my characters’ goals/motivations; 4) advance at least one vital story arc.

Sometimes, I use these cards for larger events or try/fail cycles just to make sure I have all my bases covered.

Whenever I’m using a scene card, I’ll fill out the boxes with as much detail as I can. What happens is a short summary of the event itself. This event should be protagonist-driven, and Consequence is the clear and external result of their actions.

Why it matters, Realization, and ‘and so’ are how the external plot interacts with the character arc. Why do these events matter to the character? What does the character realize while these external events unfold? What do they decide to do next after encountering the consequences of the past scene/sequence?

If you’re wondering what an example of this might look like… check it out:

Let’s say I’m writing a romantic thriller. My protagonist is Ana, an editorial intern struggling her way up the ladder in a major New York publishing house. The love interest is Loula, an aspiring ballet dancer who works part-time at her family’s diner to keep her finances in order while breaking into the industry. They end up at a bodega down the street from Loula’s family diner at the same time… just as it’s held up by a gunman who takes everyone inside hostage.

The scene in question starts before, but leads into the inciting incident where the gunman enters the bodega.

Ana is a pretty selfish character who’s a little bit of a scatterbrain. The scene begins when Ana decides to make a sandwich for lunch in her office’s communal kitchen. She goes into the fridge and realizes she’s forgotten to buy more sandwich pickles. She decides to make her sandwich anyway, ‘borrowing’ her coworker Jason’s pickles without asking (what happens). But Jason walks into the kitchen mid-sandwich-prep, catches her, and blows up at her for stealing (consequence).

Jason is a full-time employee and one of the editors Ana needs to work with on a daily basis. Not only that, but if she has any hope of turning her internship into a job, she can’t be known as a pickle stealer (why it matters). But perhaps, if she makes it up to Jason and regains his trust, she won’t doom her chances with this publishing house (realization). Thus, she decides to use the rest of her lunch break to run to the bodega on the corner and replace his pickles (and so).

The next scene would begin with Ana arriving at the bodega and frantically searching the aisles for the right brand of sandwich pickles—only for the gunman to enter and order everyone to get to the ground.

See what I did there?

Ana’s growth arc (from selfishness to selflessness, perhaps) will impact her actions, which in turn interacts with and shapes the events of the external plot, driving the conflict between major beats.

 This isn’t the whole picture

Beat sheets and scene cards are only one aspect of my story-planning process; as with all writing tools, I use them in conjunction with a smorgasbord of tricks I’ve picked up along the way in order to end up with a cohesive narrative by the end. As tools, though, they help me plan my story in a way that ensures I’m not missing major connective tissue between plot points, keeping narrative tension and traction high by ensuring the events of the story connect to one another with consistent, forward-driving momentum.

I don’t expect this method to work for you the way it does for me! We’re all unique, and so are our processes. But I think that, as writers, we hunger for resources from other writers that lay out this is exactly how I do what I do, that way we can learn, experiment, and grow from our peers.

If you take anything from this post, I hope it’s this: every writer has a method that works for them—one they’ve developed after writing story after story. This happens to be what works for me, which doesn’t mean it’s The Way to write. Try it out. Take what you can from the process. Use what nuggets and tidbits help, and discard the rest.

And tag me in any posts you make about your own process so I can do the same ;).

Attributing Dialogue

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It’s time for a deep dive on dialogue tags.

I’ve written about the “said-is-dead” debate in a previous post, but decided to come back with further clarity on different methods of attribution and when/why an author might choose one over the other. This is short and sweet, so strap in and let’s get moving.

Dialogue attribution has three jobs:

As I see it, there are three considerations to keep in mind when we’re deciding how to attribute (or, tag) dialogue: clarity, delivery, and rhythm. In other words, we’re concerned with:

  • Who’s speaking
  • How the line is said
  • How the line looks and feels as the reader encounters it

The primary purpose of a simple dialogue tag is clarity, or, identifying the speaker. For this, said is most assuredly not dead; standard tags like ‘said,’ ‘asked,’ and ‘replied’ are most affective. They’re inobtrusive and so well-worn that, when used correctly, they often disappear into the fabric of the narrative.

That said (heh), although attribution is the primary purpose of a dialogue tag, it can help to have more information about delivery. This is where said-bookisms come in. Alternatives to said/asked/replied can also be a useful part of a writer’s toolbox, so long as they’re used in moderation and truly are the right fit for the job.

When I say ‘right fit,’ I mean they ought to be the simplest and clearest way of describing the line’s delivery. For example, common alternatives like shouted, whispered, snapped, and muttered are often appropriate in certain contexts. But beware! Said-bookisms are shiny, tempting words. Not only do they lend themselves to overuse, but they can become crutches for our writing when we use them as shortcuts for information delivery.

Snapped isn’t always the best way to convey a character’s irritation, but it’s a much easier way to convey that irritation than using narrative description, internalization, or context clues. Hence why sound-bite writing advice on social media tells new writers to stay away from said-bookisms; they can encourage bad writing habits if we’re not being very careful.

Another reason said-bookisms get dunked on with some frequency is because many of them are absolutely bananas, and should rarely (if ever) be used: ejaculated, espoused, pontificated… you get the picture.

(While there’s a time and a place for every kind of word, over-the-top tags make the reader feel like they’ve been punched in the jaw by the prose, and we really don’t want to do that by accident.)

The reverse argument, of course, is that “he said/she said” gets boring and repetitive.

And yes, it can…

…if the third consideration, “rhythm,” falls by the wayside.

In my mind, simple tags like he/she said should only make up a fraction of dialogue attribution. An overreliance on any one method will always cause problems, and said/asked/replied aren’t exempt from that rule!

So how do we add variety into our writing? By using the four following techniques:

Simple attribution

Simple attribution uses the said-asked-reply tags and/or leaves dialogue untagged because character voice is strong enough for attribution to be implied. This method works best when the reader is already aware of context and, rhythmically, we want to pick up the pacing. No space for excess words!

Assuming the reader already knows the characters, the setting, and what the conversation is (largely) about, we could have a quick exchange that looks like this:

“Time to go,” she said.

“I’ll be ready in a minute.”

If we have enough context for this to be intelligible, it could be a strong choice! It’s simple, it’s clean, and it reads fast. But if not, the reader won’t be able to figure who the second speaker is. In that case, more context might be necessary—but a said-bookism might not be the right choice, either, unless it provides that context!

When would a said-bookism be an appropriate choice?

Said-bookisms

Let’s say the ‘she,’ in this case, is a mother speaking to her son. She’s standing in the hallway and addressing him through a closed door. If the story is told from the son’s perspective, we won’t have any body language cues to gauge the mother’s emotional state and decipher how she delivers her line. One way to address delivery would be to use an appropriate said-bookism.

“It’s time to go,” she snapped. “Didn’t you hear me? I said your name four times.”

“Just a minute,” he said, scrambling for his backpack.

‘Snapped’ works, here, because it adds context. Notice, however, that the son’s line returns to a simple attribution tag—said—in order to balance the punch brought by the intensity of ‘snapped.’

Action tags

But that’s not all! We can also attribute dialogue through action, which, if the door were open, could provide enough framing context to eliminate the need for standard tags altogether. For example:

His mother peeked through the door. “Time to go, honey.”

“I’ll be ready in a minute,” he said, and set down his controller.

The mother’s action tag, along with the addition of the pet-name ‘honey,’, makes the identity of the speaker clear in each line, and does a lot more (albeit different) characterization work than ‘said’ or ‘snapped’ could, and gives us a nuanced picture of the mother’s tone and demeanor.

Attribution through internalization

Finally, we have attribution through internalization. This can be a bit weedy or difficult to wrangle when it comes to clarity, but when done well, it’s a powerful way of bringing the reader deeply into the POV character’s head. If you’ve ever gotten feedback that your writing lacks interiority, this type of attribution can really help to elevate your prose.

An example:

“Time to go!”

Ugh. His mother was the worst, always interrupting the middle of his game. They didn’t need to leave for another fifteen minutes, but she had a thing about being early in order to be on-time.

Fine—she’d have it her way, as always.

“I’ll be ready in a minute.”

In this case, the combination of context and internal narrative lets the reader know who’s speaking. The son unpacks the context for the reader, and this explanation makes it possible for the reader to get their bearings and fill in the blanks.

Said isn’t dead, but it’s not the be-all-end-all of attribution

These four tools will allow you to focus on what’s most important in a given dialogue exchange. Is it clarity? Is it pacing? Is it the lyrical nature of the prose? Is it the way the line is delivered? External action? Interiority?

Switching between these methods depending on circumstance will add variety and interest to your prose. They’re tools which can draw the reader’s attention to the aspect of the conversation that’s most important—a kind of authorial sleight-of-hand that works wonders in long or thorny passages.

Most importantly, however, mastering the full range of attribution techniques will cut down on repetitive usage of ‘said,’ which will in turn prevent you from feeling the need to rely on some of the (ahem) more creative said-bookisms out there.

Ron ejaculated loudly. "Ron!" Hermione moaned.

Just…

Don’t be like JKR.

Morning Pages: Only My Pride

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Welcome to Morning Pages — it’s time for a monthly roundup. I hope you have your pencils sharpened and ready to write. Want to join in on the fun? Pick a prompt, set your timer* and get ready to let the words flow. Feel free to post the results of your work in the comments below where we chat about writing and (if the mood strikes us) get a craft discussion going.

If you want critique from other commenters, use #YESTHANKS in your comment. Otherwise, you can tell us about your flash fic and the process you went through to write it. And of course, I’m always open to hear what you think about my excerpts! You can follow the links below to find them on Patreon (but please bear in mind: I post MPs as-is without any polishing).

*you can write for as long as you want, but most folks choose 15-30 minutes.

What I learned this month: Subjective omniscient is not for me.

I’ve read a lot of subjective omniscient stories (a favorite is Fredrick Backman’s Beartown, which I highly recommend, though it has heavy themes). For those who haven’t tangled with subjective omni, it’s a style of narration that, much like true omniscient, uses a narrator who isn’t a physical character in the story. This narrator has their own personality, voice, and opinions. While they’re all-seeing and all-knowing like true omni, the ‘subjective’ part also allows them to peek into characters’ heads and tell the reader what those characters are thinking and feeling.

Increased psychic distance makes it different from third limited, because the reader doesn’t actually experience the story as if they were any of the characters, nor do those characters get a narrative voice. It’s more complicated to write than third limited, imho, because it’s difficult to direct the narrative to prevent head-hopping and even harder to prevent voice bleed between the characters and the narrators.

I’d never intentionally choose to write subjective omniscient (I find it crazy difficult to craft), but being an editor means I occasionally encounter writers braver than I in the wild. I recently tangled with a short excerpt from a writer who struggled with head hopping but wanted to write in subjective omni, and holy hell, it was so much harder than editing for third limited.

So. Much. Harder.

Right now, I’m torn re: whether I want to edit it, or whether I’m simply not a good fit for writers who use subjective omni. I think I’d like to practice a little more, but my gut is telling me that I’d be a better dev editor for that style, and would perhaps prefer to refer those writers to a colleague for their line/copy needs.

I imagine this isn’t the most titillating of revelations for members of the general bookish public, but here we are: the things a fiction editor ponders on the daily.

The Prompts:

“Did you hurt anything?” “Only my pride.”

Baseball ‘verse: Marshall Bedford doesn’t appreciate smack-talk from batters–especially when that smack-talk hits too close to home.

“Write a scene from the perspective of a bereaved character.”

Oceana ‘verse. Somehow, even the cat knew he was grieving.

“A character has unsettling (and perhaps prophetic) dreams.”

Oceana ‘verse. The worst thing about a far-seeing talent was how difficult it was to tell dreams from prophecy.

“How would a shapeshifter escape an arranged marriage?”

He thought he’d have a pliant, quiet bride. He was wrong.

Get Involved!

Answer the prompts or dive straight in and respond to others’ comments — let’s share our knowledge, our experience, and have a discussion we can all learn from! Don’t want to miss a post? Subscribe to the blog in the sidebar to get notified about new posts.

Today’s questions:

  • What’s your favorite POV to write in (ie: first, third limited, omni)?
  • Do you pick a single POV, or do you like to have multiple POV characters?

Looking for more writing? Become a Patron!

In addition to flash fiction, my Patreon hosts full-length novels, artwork, behind-the-scenes worldbuilding, and more. Click below to check out the tiers I offer and support the blog!

Click to visit my patreon!

Morning Pages: Fireweaver

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Welcome to Morning Pages — it’s time for a monthly roundup. I hope you have your pencils sharpened and ready to write. Want to join in on the fun? Pick a prompt, set your timer* and get ready to let the words flow. Feel free to post the results of your work in the comments below where we chat about writing and (if the mood strikes us) get a craft discussion going.

If you want critique from other commenters, use #YESTHANKS in your comment. Otherwise, you can tell us about your flash fic and the process you went through to write it. And of course, I’m always open to hear what you think about my excerpts! You can follow the links below to find them on Patreon (but please bear in mind: I post MPs as-is without any polishing).

*you can write for as long as you want, but most folks choose 15-30 minutes.

What I learned this month: Things take time!

It’s a truism, I know. Recently, though, I’ve found it particularly difficult to cope with fiction’s timelines. It takes months to write a book, months to edit one, years to build a business and a brand. Whenever I branch into a new area, I start from square one, and while this is a fundamental part of the learning experience, I tend to place unreasonable expectations on myself for how well and how quickly I ought to get the hang of things.

The crazy part about writing is: no matter how many books we write, some elements of writing fiction will always feel difficult. This difficulty is what draws me to fiction, I think; it’s miserable and magical to wrestle with words on a page and hope they capture a fraction of what’s inside my head. The constant struggle to progress as a writer can be overwhelming or disheartening at times, and so this month, I’ve tried to truly embrace two-steps-forward, one-step back as a good thing.

(But it’s hard not to rake myself over the coals for taking those backwards steps.)

If I’ve learned anything this month, it’s that a perceived step backward in one area of my writing often precedes a big leap forward — almost as if my writing is a rubber band that needs time to wind up as I spin my wheels trying to figure out this one specific thing. Sometimes it’s an element of craft. Sometimes it’s an aspect of marketing, packaging, or design. Sometimes it’s about processes or editing.

The times when I feel like I’m backsliding are often the times when I learn the most important lessons.

To be more specific: I’ve really, really struggled to get work done in March (any work of any kind). Though I’m leaving March dissatisfied with my output and feeling like I’ve backslid in many ways, I’ve also emerged with loads of new tools for time management and guiding my creative process. Now, I get to bring those tools into April.

Here’s hoping this next month is the step forward I’ve been waiting for.

The Prompts:

“A character struggles to carry out a difficult or unsavory task.”

Imran on Bow Watch: It’s hard to stay awake for a midnight watch.

“Firefighters are the only ones who know the real truth about house fires. They are started by evil fire elementals. In order to put out the fire, the elementals responsible must be killed. The firefighters are sworn to secrecy, the public can never know.”

Cyprian Cavish from Deathmark has a younger brother named Griffin. Griff works as a firefighter in Ilia’s Central district.

“They dug deep into the underwater caves, not realizing what they’d woken up.”

It took a long time for Dareus’ faith in the church to die. This was one straw of many.

“Character A helps Character B get past their heartache.”

Marshall isn’t quite sure how he and Max Battista became best friends after a career of refusing to speak to one another…

Get Involved!

Answer the prompts or dive straight in and respond to others’ comments — let’s share our knowledge, our experience, and have a discussion we can all learn from! Don’t want to miss a post? Subscribe to the blog in the sidebar to get notified about new posts.

Today’s questions:

  • How do you manage your time as a writer or creative?
  • What systems / processes do you use to keep yourself on track?

Looking for more writing? Become a Patron!

In addition to flash fiction, my Patreon hosts full-length novels, artwork, behind-the-scenes worldbuilding, and more. Click below to check out the tiers I offer and support the blog!

Click to visit my patreon!

Morning Pages: Wildcat

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Welcome to Morning Pages — it’s time for a monthly roundup. I hope you have your pencils sharpened and ready to write. Want to join in on the fun? Pick a prompt, set your timer* and get ready to let the words flow. Feel free to post the results of your work in the comments below where we chat about writing and (if the mood strikes us) get a craft discussion going.

If you want critique from other commenters, use #YESTHANKS in your comment. Otherwise, you can tell us about your flash fic and the process you went through to write it. And of course, I’m always open to hear what you think about my excerpts! You can follow the links below to find them on Patreon (but please bear in mind: I post MPs as-is without any polishing).

*you can write for as long as you want, but most folks choose 15-30 minutes.

What I learned this month: SO MUCH, friends.

I’m currently taking two classes on editing fiction: one at the developmental level, one for line-editing. Though I already had an experienced editorial eye for substantive (ie: dev) edits, line editing I’ve largely picked up by reading/talking to other writers.

The line editing class has helped me build out my theoretical knowledge of style and voice — so helpful! It’s also validating to have a pro editor with 10+ years in business going through my edits line by line and affirming that I do, in fact, know what I’m doing — even if I’m still learning the language to describe why.

My dev editing class has been helpful mostly on the process/business end. I’ve been doing manuscript critiques for years and studying craft for longer, so I’ve focused mostly on honing my editorial voice and creating systems for myself to ensure my editing is thorough, professional, and time-efficient. It’s also been a lot of fun to learn about the business of editing from my teacher!

All of this makes me very curious about other writers’ editing processes. I’d love to hear about yours. Hop down to the discussion questions, and let’s chat in the comments!

The Prompts:

“Write a text-only or dialogue-only story between two or more characters.”

Texts from the President: an Oceana ‘verse AU.

“I wouldn’t mess with him, if I were you.”

Cyprian Cavish from Deathmark gets warned about Jael Soti. Does he listen? Of course not.

“One of your characters is getting ready for a party. What do they wear?”

Jael from Deathmark has an eye for fashion.

“Catastrophic climate change makes the oceans rise until there’s almost no dry land left. The haves are those who keep command over it. Everyone else takes to the sea. How do people live?”

“Nessie.” A tug captain living and working on a floating island starts to notice something strange in the water…

Get Involved!

Answer the prompts or dive straight in and respond to others’ comments — let’s share our knowledge, our experience, and have a discussion we can all learn from! Don’t want to miss a post? Subscribe to the blog in the sidebar to get notified about new posts.

Today’s questions:

  • How do you edit your books? (Beta readers, self-editing, pro editor, etc.)
  • If you self-edit, what’s your process?

Looking for more writing? Become a Patron!

In addition to flash fiction, my Patreon hosts full-length novels, artwork, behind-the-scenes worldbuilding, and more. Click below to check out the tiers I offer and support the blog!

Click to visit my patreon!

Morning Pages: After Many Miles

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Welcome to Morning Pages — it’s time for a monthly roundup. I hope you have your pencils sharpened and ready to write. Want to join in on the fun? Pick a prompt, set your timer* and get ready to let the words flow. Feel free to post the results of your work in the comments below where we chat about writing and (if the mood strikes us) get a craft discussion going.

If you want critique from other commenters, use #YESTHANKS in your comment. Otherwise, you can tell us about your flash fic and the process you went through to write it. And of course, I’m always open to hear what you think about my excerpts!

*you can write for as long as you want, but most folks choose 15-30 minutes.

What I learned this month: Oh BOY have I learned about craft this month.

Throughout January, I’ve read a craft book called Story Genius by Lisa Cron. She uses a different method for structuring story and building character than I’ve ever seen, and working through her story-building guide has helped me hone the way I think about construction and character alike.

One of my favorite concepts from story genius: The story begins long before the first page of the novel. By page one, the protagonist has a complex history and relationship with themself and others. These preexisting story elements shaped the protagonist to be who they are, and therefore set them up to confront the story’s external problem head-on: a problem they’re uniquely ill-equipped to solve.

In order to build out the ‘first half’ of the story, or the part that happens before page one, Cron provides several exercises to assist with story concept, character backstory / development, and scene structure. This month, I tackled prompts for my upcoming novella, Deathmark. They helped me learn about Cyprian, the protagonist, and Jael, his love interest–and how their backstories and transformative memories intertwine to make them 1) ideal partners who will 2) have a terrible time solving the story’s external problem.

If you haven’t yet read Story Genius, I highly recommend it! Though Cron’s process can feel somewhat prescriptive, the prompts and exercises were generative enough that I was able to look past some of the book’s issues and appreciate the new perspective it gave me on craft.

The Prompts:

“The ocean is a sentient being–a trickster–who entertains itself by messing with people. What happens when it falls in love with a sailor?”

Sister Ocean was many years old when she first saw him.

“Self-destruct.”

Not all characters handle difficult backstories well. Jael Soti from Deathmark is most certainly in that category.

“After Many Miles” by the Ghost of Paul Revere

A song prompt in the Oceana ‘verse yielded a story about the long journey to the afterlife.

“Write a traumatic or otherwise pivotal event from your character’s childhood that impacted who they became as an adult.”

“Keri Lake:” Deathmark. Cyprian Cavish has always looked out for his little brother.

Picture Prompts

“The Watcher:” Have care with what you say in front of them, lest you disappear like the others.

Get Involved!

Answer the prompts or dive straight in and respond to others’ comments — let’s share our knowledge, our experience, and have a discussion we can all learn from! Don’t want to miss a post? Subscribe to the blog in the sidebar to get notified about new posts.

Today’s questions:

  • What’s your favorite craft of writing resource?
  • Why / what did it teach you?

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