#whitehawk writes

[journeytotheblackmountain]

And now my apartment’s been broken into. :(

Officially on hiatus. So sorry. So so sorry.

[journeytotheblackmountain]

Whitehawk Writes: CHARACTER ARCS

The plot of “Ten” is all sketched out. Now it’s time for the other

Most Important Thing In Any Story™

Characters.

You may have noticed in my previous post a little note in the top right corner of the first page of my 4 Point Story Structure Worksheet.

Even back here, I was already starting to think about the title character’s personal journey. In case it’s not obvious, Ten is young Sportacus, yo. This was just one of a few ideas I had while working out the plot, and I eventually chose a different arc, but anyway.

Here’s the real TOFU of it:

LIE

GHOST

WANT

NEED

Thanks to this being a fanfic, I already have a good sense of WHO my characters are at the start of the story and who they will become by the end. Now I gotta figure out what makes them CHANGE, and that’s what LIE. GHOST. WANT. NEED. is all about.

Once again, it’s time to...

MAKE STUFF UP.

There are lots of directions that characters can go to get them from the start to the end. Think about The Legend of Zelda. Link always goes from Relatively-unknown-dude-with-a-sock-cap to THE HERO OF TIME, but in each retelling, he does it in a different way and for different reasons. What I have to do now is explore a few different ways to get my character from start to finish. I work on Character Arcs for two or three weeks depending on HOW MANY characters need arcs.

Let’s look at the ANTAGONIST’S CHARACTER ARC.

I believe that the antagonist’s character arc is just as important as the protagonist’s. The only difference it that where the hero will succeed in conquering their Lie.Ghost.Want.Need., the antagonist will FAIL. Here’s the work I did for Mr. Kicker, the primary baddie in Ten:

I poked around with three arcs to see what would happen and how I felt about those changes. I have question marks as I put down ideas I can look at later and go “Hmmmmmm....” In the end, I decided on a hybrid of Arc 1 and Arc 3.

Why???

Lie: Stayed the same.

Ghost: The Ghost in Arc 3 is more tangible. Mr. Kicker will have mental and physical scars from this and that’s better than a vague sense of abuse.

Want: While desiring freedom is a HUGE motivator, now Mr. Kicker’s desire brings him closer to Ten: the crystal.

Need: Unchanged because I think it’s so darn good. If Mr. Kicker would just stop being an ass and befriend the children, Ten might share the crystal freely and they could ALL escape.

 Now, I have character arc sketches for “Ten.”

This is a great time to look back at my 4 Point Story Structure worksheet and try to fill in a few blanks. Where can I advance the conflict between Ten and Mr. Kicker? How will I demonstrate who they are at the start of the story, in the middle (mid transformation), and at the end?

Look forward to next time: WORLD BUILDING!

DM me if you want worksheet or references or anything.

[journeytotheblackmountain]

Whitehawk Writes: PLOT SKETCH

“Ten,” the story of a dozen children kidnapped by elves and forced to mine a dead dragon’s hoard.

NOW WHAT?

Four Part Story Structure

I love compelling plots, so this is where I start. Some people start with characters, but since I have a pretty good idea of who they are (yay for fanfic!) I bust out a 4PSS worksheet. My earliest one for “Ten” looks like this. Don’t worry about reading it and spoiling too much of the story. A lot of things have changed since I wrote this one and I’m not showing 80% of the story, anyway.

The most important parts of the 4PSS worksheet are... ● First Plot Point (Something irreversible happens) ● Midpoint (Symbolic death) ● Second Plot Point (Somethign irreversible happens again) ● Resolution (That’s right, NOT THE CLIMAX)

In my head, I already have a few scenes in mind, so I look at where they might fit. I know that I want Ten to find the crystal that warns him of danger and I know what the final scene is going to look like, so I write those down first. But that’s about all I know. Now it’s time to...

MAKE STUFF UP.

Getting down ideas, even mediocre ones, help me think up more INTERESTING SCENES, build the world, and see the characters more clearly. I work on this for about 1-2 weeks. I move things around, GET RID OF weak scenes and try other ones. I try out character-driven events and plot-driven events to see what makes me go, “Ooooo!” Bonus points if the idea makes me go, “Ooooo! That would SUCK!” I think you all just learned a lot about me.

From this, I make a new worksheet. The one I have now looks like this:

Different, isn’t it? Not only did plot points shift, but there’s a lot more character in there. But there’s also LESS CONTENT. That’s because the content is HIGHER QUALITY. By the way, that “Killer Hook Event” isn’t usually plot related, so it’s fine to not worry about it or even write it last.

Let’s look at the FIRST PLOT POINT really quickly.

Version 1 ● First Plot Point - Ten keeps the crystal. Will Mr. Kicker find it???

 Version 2 ● First Plot Point - Ten promises to make Quota. Will he be able to do it???

Version 2 is an improvement because now the PRESSURE is on Ten. In Version 1, all of the action was on Mr. Kicker to find the crystal, and that’s not very interesting for a Plot Point. Better to make it an underlying tension than a main one.

Now, I have a sketch of my plot for “Ten.”

This is enough for me to move forward with because I know that as I work on character and world building, I’m going to think of more stuff and it’ll be easier to fill in these blank spaces.

Look forward to next time: CHARACTER ARCS! P.S. DM me if you want a copy of the 4PSS Worksheet I use.

[journeytotheblackmountain]

Hi everyone! Being on writing break is HARD! I’m always thinking about stories and characters and plots! So I’m keeping myself busy by making covers for some of the NEW WORKS I’ve been putting together.

Take a look at the covers and synopses and tell me what you think!

Which one would you be the most interested in reading?

“Ten”

The mines are all the children have ever known. They forgot their families, homes, and names long ago. Called by number by the cruel Mr. Kicker, the children dig gems from the side of a frozen mountain lost beyond a thousand twisted valleys. Even the optimistic “Ten,” whose well-intentioned games don’t always go as planned, dutifully fills his bucket with jewels to earn his meat and gruel. But when the oldest of them disappears, it’s up to Ten to take up her mantle and protect the other kids from Mr. Kicker’s wrath. Can he keep everyone safe and collect enough treasure before the dreaded Delivery? Or will Ten be the next to disappear?

“Welcome to Lei-Z Town”

In a semi-utopian future, genetically engineered humans called “Lei-Z” help keep citizens safe and promote healthy living. But being created “above average” is far from a guarantee of being successful, happy, or even liked. When Sola Z applies for a position as the city’s second guardian, she quickly uncovers a complicated world that doesn’t always live up to her “above average” expectations. With the city’s power grid faltering and old shadows rising from the past, will two guardians be enough to keep Lei-Z Town safe?

[journeytotheblackmountain]

It’s decided. I’ll be starting work on “Ten” in the coming weeks.

Congratulations, “Ten,” for being the more compelling story!

Instead of just doing the usual snippets and progress updates, I thought I’d catalog the MAJOR POINTS of my WRITING PROCESS. (I know I like to see how other writers’ brains and processes work. It lets me know I’m not crazy.)

I’ve already done some PLOT sketches, CHARACTER arc work, and SETTING research, so I’ll be talking about those soon. Then it’ll be onto scene and character development! WOO HOO!!!

[journeytotheblackmountain]

Still sick, friends. :(

[journeytotheblackmountain]

I know I missed this week's update.

I'm pretty sick.

Sorry everyone.

[journeytotheblackmountain]

Today’s writing aesthetic at my desk.