tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post6398119072009175461..comments2024-01-01T11:51:53.860-08:00Comments on Babbles from Scott Eagan: Do Your Characters Talk to You?Scott Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209357682070126879noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-21396351550150324152009-07-25T22:00:02.724-07:002009-07-25T22:00:02.724-07:00I realize I am extremely late on this comment, and...I realize I am extremely late on this comment, and that there is a strong chance the only person who will ever read it is myself, or possibly some other author wide awake at midnight after drinking too much coffee and catching up on all the blogs they've missed over the past few weeks, but, I did want to comment. <br /><br />I am an absolute panster. BUT. I am also someone who believes that while it's okay to write from the seat of my pants, the organization of the story has to be set up way before I actually put words to page. <br /><br />I write from a three act structure. I know which characters and conflict have to be introduced in Act I, what movement and resolution/introduction of new conflicts have to take place in Act II, the mid point, where the black moment should hit and what should happen to bring about the all so happy Act III HEA. I keep a running spreadsheet of the word count to remind me of when the peaks and valleys should hit within my story. I know about where the public/private moment should hit (pretty much the middle), where all of the main characters need to be introduced, when the black moment should occur, and I know all of this because I plan the word counts ahead. <br /><br />I don't plan the plot. I enjoy seeing where my brain takes me from day to day, and I've got an excellent memory (as well as a lovely notebook) that allows me to keep up with the subtle nuances as they occur. So I'm a panster, but also someone who sees the value in planning ahead, or at very least keeping track of what should be happening and when.<br /><br />I would never see myself as a plotter, mostly because I truly never start books with the entire book in mind, but I absolutely believe that even a panster, or at least one who wishes to be successful, should have a way to organize their writing as they go.Mary Malcolm Duncansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06830246712003481093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-71806167780639305932009-06-08T11:10:18.869-07:002009-06-08T11:10:18.869-07:00Anon,
I hear what you are saying and you are righ...Anon,<br /><br />I hear what you are saying and you are right that you need a beginning and an end; however, if your pathway there is not focused and things are not added that are NECESSARY, you have a story that will require much more editing and revision or simply one that will lose the reader when we keep thinking, "where is this going to?"Scott Eaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209357682070126879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-21064217540511192842009-06-08T11:08:03.194-07:002009-06-08T11:08:03.194-07:00Well, we'll have to agree to disagree with on ...Well, we'll have to agree to disagree with on this point. I think you need to have a beginning and an end, when you start, but where you go in the middle can be completely up to your characters. <br /><br />Writing is about getting the creative juices flowing. If you can't be creative, if you can't let the characters talk to you, it's not going to work. <br /><br />If you have no direction, I agree, you're going to have trouble writing a novel. But, I think if you know where you want the characters to end up, they'll take you there. Even if they choose a more meandering route than you initially thought they would.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com