Outlining: It's Easy

I know a lot of you out there don't outline your stories.  And through that maybe you've come to great success.
Maybe you haven't, like me.

It all, of course, depends on your style.  There's nothing wrong with "pantsing" a novel.  There's nothing wrong with plotting.  It's all about tastes and styles.  I, personally, have attuned my taste buds to outlining, so let me give you a few tips on it.

First off, if you're outlining a novel do not - I repeat do not outline every single event, especially if this is a new idea.  I ruined one whole promising trilogy over outlining too much and stifling creativity.  That's not to say, however, all outlining ruins creativity.  My outline was so in depth, it was more of a short story than an outline, with lots of events, and a poor amount of description.

Don't write it down - sketch it down.  Draw a simple box - don't ink it all in.  When you're writing, that's when you fill it all in.

Now I'm sure there are some who might benefit from doing extremely long and detailed outlines, that's why it is critical for us all to test each method out, but from my  own experience, you're likely going to ruin your plot (unless you're a control freak - then you'd benefit from this method...).  Most importantly though, you need to find your style and what works best for you.

So here's my sage advice on outlining a novel.  Yes, even pantsers would benefit from an outline, even if it's just a paragraph, because I think we all agree (unless you're really far out) it's best to think before you speak.  Even more so with writing.  It gives you a vague route to trace along, while you can still let your mind run like mad in the plains of creativity - even jump down a rabbit trail for a while.

A Form for Pantsers:

How did past events tie in, and lead up to, the Inciting Incident, the first major thing that happens?  (This is the backstory.  Give it a quick sentence like this:  Daniel Formouth entered a writing contest and waits expectantly for the announcement of winners to come in his mail.  Or, he might not even expect to win the contest and had forgotten about it, creating a more intriguing inciting incident, such as when he learns he's the first place winner and is quickly becoming a buzz over the internet.)

What is the Inciting Incident?  (This is the first major event that spurs on the plot.  Give it, too, a brief sentence such as:  Daniel has become a writing star now that he has won the national contest, and the country is abuzz with his incredible talent.)

What Emotional and Physical tension, along with other events, goes on during the Rising Action, or the period before the Climax?  (Here you can put in a bit more detail, but if you don't like outlining that much, a simple paragraph is perfect.)

What happens during the Climax?  (Don't go overboard, a sentence or two is great.)

What happens during the Falling Action?  (Tie this up in a few sentences.)

And Finally, what pulls everything together in the end? (Keep this just at a few sentences as well.)

Aha, see what I did there?  Your plot is now outlined, you have plenty of space for creativity and random inspirations, and it wasn't hard, nor did it take any great length of time.  I use this method to sketch out a very wide, shaky circle, which can then be inked in with a bit more detail before the writing process actually begins.

Now, this is very plot oriented.  There isn't much character development outlining in there.  So why not outline the character arcs?

What was your character like in the past?  (This is the backstory.  One of the essential things in creating a character - remember what he is, and what he becomes.  We'll get into more detail later.)

How did the Inciting Incident change him, and why did the Inciting Incident move him to do something?  (A death is a very common (though cliche) and realistic example, while things such as a simple move to another house (even the non-haunted ones...) can provide enough tension and motivaton.  Daniel Formouth slowly became more snooty as he grew ever more popular.  In that short sentence we explain how the Inciting Incident changed him.  Now in a second sentence we see what the Inciting Incident moved him to do.  He began to push away his friends from the past, disassociating and ignoring them more and more with each passing day.)

What Emotional tension and stressful decisions must he go through during the Rising Action, and how does that change the character?  (This is definitely an important part, as this is the setting up to what makes the climax really nerve-wracking or heartbreaking - this is where you develop a bound between reader and character.)

What personal decisions and changes happen in your character during the climax?  (This is the climax of your novel - the emotional side of things.  Be wild, be creative.  What must he do to come out on top as the lone survivor of a gruesome human bloodsport?  Must he break a relationship?  Kill an innocent man?  Or maybe he realizes that he doesn't have to come out at the top - maybe for once it's okay to let go and sacrifice himself for others or for a greater cause.  It's all up to you.  But be wild - be insane.  Torture your character at this point - drag him through the toughest times of his life - don't go easy on him just because you think you've got enough for him to struggle through.  Press him, press him harder - press him to the brink of death... or beyond.)

What decisions does your character need to take now that the climactic fight is over during the latter periods of the falling action?  (Yes, more decisions.  Decisions are a pivotal point in exploiting how your character has changed.  Here we're beginning to tie things up, but as the slow character arc is progressing, this is where you'll find the last stretch of the arc coming into place, just before meeting up with the final point.  In the aspect he's been changing in, it's become ever more clearer he's changed.)

During the Resolution, the ending period, what major things does your character realize has changed inside of him?  (Is he bold and courageous now?  Is he kind and caring?  While the first sentence might sell the book, this is what sells the series - and possibly your reputation.  This is what makes people spread the word voluntarily to their friends - but most of all, this is the satisfying ending.  Make it take whatever course you like, but remember, unless it's a series (and sometimes even then), we all want a satisfying ending, else we'll feel cheated.)

So?  What are you waiting for?  Go get out there and write!  You now know most of the basic information about your plot, and your character arc is well fleshed out for a fledgling, yet ever growing story.  And it is your story.  The story we all want to here you put to words.

A short list of things you may also want to fill out.

What are your character's quirks?
What are your character's major flaws?
What are your character's positive traits?
Does your character feel ashamed of any of his quirks or flaws?
Or for an interesting twist, does he feel ashamed about his traits?
What things has your character done that he is ashamed of?
What are the lies he believes?
What is his main driving goal?
Is that goal just slightly off touch with his allies and/or leaders?
What kind of a person would this character most likely open up to if he usually hides his emotions from others?

The final one can be very useful if you're trying to reveal his character, because no matter who the person is, there is always someone out there that they will find more comfortable talking about themselves and their feelings with.

Now obviously, there is an endless amount of other helpful tips out there.  I cannot give you all the advice I have in one post, but all of the things above are essential to every story, but be persistent and you won't fall astray.  What are your thoughts on outlining, character arcs, and the like?

~R. A. H. Thacker

Terror-r-rible Tuesdays!

W-welcome to Terror-r-rible Tuesday, the day we post the most terrible, horrific, and basically plain ol' scary character we know.  Your character must be bloodcurdling - but the most terrible villains aren't just simply evil killers, they are terrors in psychological powers as well - now THAT'S what makes you shiver when you hear the name Rigou from Little Dorrit.

So what's the villain you hate, fear - or even respect through fear - the most?  Is the villain so real you can almost feel his presence behind you?  Pick the villain that sends shivers down your spine - yet maybe you have no idea how to explain why.  And as a second challenge, if you write stories yourself, pick your scariest, most well-developed villain you've made.

Or give it a twist.  Terrible Tuesdays can be about anyone.  What if the character just happened to be your freakish hero?

So what is mine?  The character who gives me the absolute creeps is Rigou, from the BBC broadcast of Little Dorrit.

And what about my own characters?  There could be no other man that literally freezes the marrow in bones than Darian Koth.  Leader of the Forecasters, the evil, barbaric magicians seeking to sap all the world of its magic... and the dragons with it.

 Darian Koth. 

Post your character below.  Choose wisely - Sauron won't be happy if someone doesn't pick him.

~R. A. H. Thacker

The Author Blog of R.A.H.Thacker

Yep, I'm moving my official blog home here.  Officially.  My reasons are long and complicated, I will suffice to say my time with Weebly as my main blog is over.

This isn't a sad realization, however, at least not for you.

Why?  The main reasons lies within the fact I'll be blogging much more frequently, as blogspot is considerably easier to work with, for numerous reasons beyond explanation.  BUT, blogspot offers you the ability of free audio and video files to be uploaded.

Are you guessing what I'm thinking?  Yep, writing videos with ME on there.

Now let me formally welcome you to my blog.  The Author Blog of R.A.H.Thacker.



Enter, and find things beyond this world.

Enter, and explore your imagination.

Enter, and discover the land where anything is possible - where sunsets rise, and where the rain falls upward.

Enter your heart, and find who you really are, and test yourself to the brink of imagination.

This is the world of imagination.  The threshold is only a step away.

R. A. H. Thacker

Amazon Buys Out The Government...

Probably most of you have heard that Amazon was thinking (and still might) about buying the Postal Service?

That's an odd thought.

The stamps no longer would have Presidents or pictures of other things.  Instead, it would be the Amazon logo painted over Jeff Bezos' face.  Not cool.  Well, it might be, for a little bit.  But not long.

Just think.  On every single postage mark there would be a big:  "BUY KINDLE FIRE TODAY!!!"  And then have a physical link in blue that, when touched, teleports you to your computer and opens a new tab to the Kindle Fire page.

You never know what Amazon's going to think up next.

Which leads me to an even scarier thought.

With the Postal Service out of the way, Amazon will take out every other mailing service.  And then, it'll cost outrageous prices just to send a thank you or happy birthday note to someone a mile away.  But it's true (well, I mean...).

And then, because of random events (COMPLETELY unrelated to Amazon, of course) the Vice President and President resign, and then more people resign as soon as they are inaugurated, and then more people, and more people, until... *gasp*  There's only one man left to inherit the throne of presidency... the Post Master General (true fact, folks.  If enough people resign, the Post Master General would eventually become president from 'inheriting' it.)

And so, Amazon will be in charge of the Government, because Jeff Bezos will be the Post Master General.

Amazonwiki - I mean Wikipedia says this (signs already):

"Amazon.com lobbies the United States federal government and state governments on issues such as the enforcement of sales taxes on online sales, transportation safety, privacy and data protection, and intellectual property."

And just imagine.  Apple products will be banned, Microsoft will be bought out, and Kindle Paperwhites and Fires (and of course the new Kindles) will be the only E-Readers allowed.

The United States of American is going to be come The United States of Amazon.com (or United States of Amazon, I haven't fully read Jeff's mind yet).

Buuut, I wouldn't mind it at all.

Why?

Because Amazon made CreateSpace.  *thumbs up*  Totally makes it the best company ever.

A Gat, Dna A Egaugnal

If you didn't understand the title, you will later, I promise.

In the mean time.  I have a tag *hint hint* by Hyperlinkzer.

All I have to do is list ten random facts about myself, then tag some other people.

1.  I LOVE High Fantasy stories, novels, and other tales.

2.  I am a published author.  Well, self-published.  I have a book on kindle for sale.  But... I'm not really meaning to market it.  I have my reasons.  But I wanted to tell ya anyway.

3.  I go arrowhead hunting with my mom's cousins.  My brother has found two, and I've found a good bit of indian flint, and a couple Indian scrapers (to scrape deer hides, etc.), but never any arrowheads, sadly.

4.  I have done NaNoWriMo 2012, and am in the middle of Camp NaNoWriMo's first month (April).

5.  The print edition of my book comes out in about two weeks.

6.  My dream house would be to live in a castle made to look like a giant mushroom (oh yeah!  And with a moat and drawbridge, and with whole rooms devoted to Redwall and Middle Earth and Narnia.)

7.  I thirst for... I don't know, words, I suppose.

8.  A Fact:  I'm not quite 5'.  *Sniffle*

9.  A Fact:  The moon is blue with purple polka dots.  (Wait, the facts have to be about me?)

10.  A Fact:  I've ran out of facts.

Anyway, here's the next part of the title.

I'm making my own language.  I've got about 200 or more words.  And YES, it's consistent.  It's actually quite fun.  Not making up new words (though that is enjoyable at times), but actually creating the grammar.  I've used bits of Finnish grammar, bits of a remote, unused native Australian language, and possibly more, but I forget most of them now.

So.  If you haven't figured out what the title was, it's... DUN DUN DUN!!!

A Tag, And A Language.

Random Fact:  I love Redwall.  There.  Does that make up for number 9?

~The WordWeaver

The Tag to Rule All Tags

I decided to do this because... just because.  I saw it on an extinct blog.

1.What’s your word count?

Er… *scratched head*  6,400 some.

2. How long until you finish?
*Sigh* Probably three months.

3. If you have finished, how long did it take you?
Look to the above answer.

4. Do you have an outline?
 Yes, though I don’t have the ending entirely planned out.

5. Do you have a plot? 
Er… yes.  Why don’t you believe me?

6. How many words do you typically write a day?
Um… during NaNoWriMo I wrote 2,000.  But now it’s been more like 200-1000.  *Sob*

7. What was your greatest word count in one day?
Um… I don’t know.  I think I remember getting about 4,000 once… or something.  But I forget.

8. What was your least impressive word count in one day?
0.  But if that doesn’t count… probably like 20…

9. What inspired you to write?
Well, a writing club I was in.  And reading The Hobbit.  And Christopher Paolini’s books.  Yeah.  And my brothers, too.  A lot was because of them.

10. Does your novel/story have a theme song?
No.

11. Assign each of your major characters a theme song.

No.  That would just take up WAAAY to much of my time.  And time is more previous than gold, ya’ know.

12. Which character is most like you?
Hm.   Good question.  Probably Amire.

13. Which character would you most likely be friends with?
Tira!  *Hugs fictional character* She so cute.  *Glances at Taras*  Maybe him after this first book is over… he needs to straighten up before I want to become friends with him.  Hehe.

14. Do you have a Gary-Stu or Mary Sue character?
I sure hope not, but… maybe.

15. Who is your favorite character in your novel?

Probably Tira.  But that’s unfair judgment because I haven’t even mentioned Amire or Jayco yet.  And they’ll be fun to write – I KNOW it.

16. Have your characters ever done something completely unexpected?
Eh, yeah.  How’d you know?

17. Have you based any of your novel directly on personal experiences?
 No… not really.

18. Do you believe in plot bunnies?
 Of course.  The Pink-Tooth clan lives on my dresser, and the White-Fur clan lives in my closet.  They fight each other often, but whenever I write, they converge on me with horror and terror singing like dew-drops on their stingy breaths… did I just write that?

19. Is there magic in your novel/story?
A little.

20. Are any holidays celebrated in your novel/story?
Um… no, actually.  I should add some.

21. Does anyone die?
COURSE!  DO YOU THINK THIS IS SOME SORT OF KIDDY ROMANCE STORY!?!?!?!?!?  *Gasp* *faint*  Hehe…

22. How many cups of coffee/tea have you consumed during your writing experience?
 Erm… none.

23. What is the latest you have stayed up writing?
 Uh… probably like midnight or 11.

24. What is the best line?
 Um…….. I have no idea.

25. What is the worst line?
I have no idea.  Probably all of them…

26. Have you dreamed about your novel/story or its characters?
 Nope.  I REALLY WANT TO THOUGH!

27. Does your novel rely heavily on allegory?
No, not really.

28. Summarize your novel/story in under fifteen words.

Is that possible?  “Prince finds girl on beach, things turn out to be not as they seem.  Chaos.”

29. Do you love all your characters?

No… sorry… I didn’t mean anything by it.  *Pats random soldier on the back*  I killed him and didn’t even care.  Like, I didn’t even CARE AT ALL, ONE FRACTION.  That’s not really loving him…

30. Have you done something sadistic or cruel to your characters specifically to increase your word count?
No.  Well, I might have, a long, long, long time ago, and one time I wrote 15,000 words of junk because my character escaped from prison the wrong way, but I haven’t ever done what was asked.  I am a stout believer in sticking to outlines.

31. What was the last thing your main character ate?

Er… I don’t think he has eaten anything… he drank a cup of water recently though.

32. Describe your main character in three words.
Loosing his head.

33. What would your antagonist dress up as for Halloween?
My antagonist?  Probably a pink dress and act like a girl.  Then as people opened up their doors to give him candy, he would pull out a sword and threaten them.  (Hm… well, Sergaa might not do that, but an antagonist from another of my stories WOULD).

34. Does anyone in your story go to a place of worship?
No.  I should contemplate on that.

35. How many romantic relationships take place in your novel/story?
 Uh…… none.  I don’t like romance.

36. Are there any explosions in your novel/story?
 There… there isn’t!  Wow, that’s gotta change – FAST!

37. Is there an apocalypse in your novel/story?
No.

38. Does your novel take place in a post-apocalyptic world?
No.

39. Are there zombies, vampires or werewolves in your novel/story?
No.  I don’t like the first two (just because I don’t see the point in them), and the third one I only use rarely.

40. Are there witches, wizards or mythological creatures/figures in your novel/story?
Yeah, sure.  There are a lot of non-earth creatures, like goblins and stuff.

41. Is anyone reincarnated?
No.

42. Is anyone physically ailed?
Hm… I’ll have to think about it.  In the meantime, I’ll have my one character – a doctor, get maimed. MWAHAHA!!!

43. Is anyone mentally ill?
No.  I generally avoid that kind of thing.

44. Does anyone have swine flu?
Why is that a question in here?

45. Who has pets in your novel and what are they?
Yes, Silly Bob has Floyd the Penguin as a pet.

(SARCASM ALERT!  SARCASM ALERT!)

Anyway, no.  I should make one of them have a pet.

46. Are there angels, demons, or any religious references/figures in your novel/story?
No.

47. How about political figures? 
No.

48. Is there incessant drinking?
Course not.

49. Are there board games? If so, which ones?
I have one of my board games that I invented in it.  (Well, in the novel I wrote before this one, at least).

50. Are there any dream sequences?
No.

51. Is there humor?
I hope.  But probably not.

52. Is there tragedy?
Some.  I want to increase the amount.  Mwhaha.

53. Does anyone have a temper tantrum?
 Yep.  And pretty bad one too.  Actually, it wasn’t one.  It was like a half dozen.

54. How many characters end up single at the end of your novel/story?
Uh… all of them.  Except for the random people I didn’t mention.  But they have no connection to the story.  Of course, one of them might have been a soldier in the army, and he MAY have fought in an intense position they just HAD to hold.  And he MAY have been married unbeknownst to me by the end of the novel… hm…

55. Is anyone in your novel/story adopted?
Shhh.  If there is, it’s a secret… maybe even a secret I don’t know.

56. Does anyone in your novel/story wear glasses?
No.  Well, the doctor does sometimes.

57. Has your novel/story provided insight about your life?
 Um.  No.

58. Your personality?
No, no, and triple no.

59. Has your novel/story inspired anyone?
HA!  I wish.

60. How many people have asked to read your novel/story?

1, I think.

61. Have you drawn any of your characters?
Yeah… three of them.  But two of the drawings were fails.  I might post the drawing that turned out alright.  And I might draw more sometime.

62. Has anyone drawn your characters for you?

 Not in this story, but my first novel I ever wrote needed a cover, so someone drew a picture of one of my characters, who was going to be on the cover.  (Thanks again, TV!)

63. Does anyone vomit in your novel/story?
Maybe.  I’ll mark that on my to-do list.

64. Does anyone bleed in your novel/story?
 Of course.  Guts are spilling EVERYWHERE in the final battle.

65. Do any of your characters watch TV?
No… it’s basically the middle ages only in a different world.

66. What size shoe does your main character wear?
I don’t really care.  And he doesn't either.

67. Do any of the characters in your novel/story use a computer?
No.  It’s the MIDDLE AGES TECHNOLOGY!!!!

68. How would you react if your novel/story was erased entirely?
 I would probably die, have a heart-attack, have a stroke, faint, have ten seizures at once, vomit, and then go sob in a corner for fifty years and never touch my computer again.

Well, maybe not that quite so… might we say… un-exaggerated?  Hehe.  I only have 6,000 words… HARD fought for words…

        69. Did you cry at killing off any of your characters?

Not in this book.  No one has died yet.  *Gasp* Really?  I seriously need to change that.

70. Did you cheer when killing off one of your characters?
*Sniffle*  How could I?  They’re basically my family… *sniffle*

71. What advice would you give to a fellow writer?
 Just never give up.  Even if you feel like destroying your computer.  (Oh, and don’t destroy your computer, it’s not quite as important as not quitting writing, but… just don’t)

72. Describe your ending in three words.
Exile, destruction, happiness.

73. Are there any love triangles, squares, hexagons, etc.?
 No.  I don’t like ROMANCE.

74. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the least stressful, 10 being the most) how does your stress rank?
 Probably 7.  This novel has been a Fizzlepoppin’ pain.

75. Was it worth it?

This tag?  Yeah, probably.  Writing my novel?  Yeah, probably.  But that is a little less confident probably.  This novel is hard work.

Camp NaNoWriMo

(Note, I am going to stop posting poems or other short pieces of writing occasionally, though I shall always post that sort of material).

NaNoWriMo, to those who don't know, stands for National Novel Writing Month and is a non-profit organization devoted to getting your novel written. National Novel Writing Month takes place in November and is a challenge for you to write 50,000 words in a month. Camp NaNoWrimo is part of the NaNoWrimo project, taking place in other months of the year. Note: It is not a real camp, it's only online.

Anyway, back to the subject of me doing er... attempting Camp NaNoWriMo.  Yup, you probably already know what's coming.

It's April 8th and I should I have around 8 thousand words - if I was on schedule (I planned to have 30,000 by the end of the month, and I knew I could to it, because I wrote double it, 60,000, in November).  But, as you can guess... I'm not on schedule... SURPRISE!!!

I have 3,900 some words.  Way behind.  Oh well.  I've been pretty busy.  I want to write - just don't have the time.

The day before last I went to an Airsoft Battle, which was fun, but sadly I didn't remember to take a camera along and film some of it.  Oh well.  It was great fun... although my feet were freezing because I had inadequate boots for the job - and there was about a foot deep of snow.

Still, as said early twice, it was fun.   Really fun.  We had two battles, both of which lasted approximately an hour and a half each, since we started later than expected and stopped at 5:30 PM.

Anyway, back to talking about the battles.  We were out-manned and outgunned.  It was rather amazing how good we fought, though.

In this first battle, we got the main hill first.  Our enemies (for lack of a name I'll just call it Team K, and the team I was on Team P) came up the hill and tore apart our main defense.  I was a rear guardsman  so I didn't see much action until the enemy broke through.  We were almost certain Team K would flank us, but they didn't, rather, they just swept out the left half of our forces.  (This left half being the side that controlled the hill).

BUT, we weren't finished.  I was, however, because as the main enemy force destroyed our left wing, I hid behind a tree and laid ambush to them.

I had a pistol.

There were three guys with Tommy guns.

I was certain I would be shot, but hey, I thought I would get at least one of them.  I DID have the advantage of a surprise attack.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any.  I was shooting up hill and I was nervous.  So after shooting once and blowing my cover, two of the guys (and remember, they all had Tommy's), opened up on me.  The tree was too small, so I was hit after they wasted several rounds.

Still, Team K didn't use the hill to their advantage.  Instead, they charged down into our right wing force, into a valley, and were there picked off by our sniper, our captain, and two or so other guys.

And we won.  Yes, it was rather amazing.  But we won that first battle.   Just BARELY, though.

As for the second battle, we laid out some more elaborate plans because now WE were the ones going to have to charge up and take the hill.  Out-manned and outgunned.  We were doomed.

Private D and I (I'm Private R, by the way) were on a special mission this second battle.  Since D knew the terrain, he was our scout, and because I was the only one fortunate enough to have camo on (that would be white, because of the snow), we were chosen to come at the enemy from a way they least expected.  Well, I was.  D was going the entire way around the field, while I was... going to go straight through the field in the sight of the enemy.

So once battle #2 had started, D and I started off, circling way around.  We got to the woods beyond the field and the hill, and there crept along.  And that's when I saw them.

3 heavily armed machine gunners walking along the edge of the field - no more than 30 or so feet from us.  I could hear them talking.

We could have ambushed them.  But remember there was only two of us, three of them, and besides, I only had a pistol anyway.

So we did the only sensible thing to do.  Hide.

Well, not hide.  I prefer the phrase 'keep undercover'.  My tree, again, wasn't big enough, so thanks to my white camo, I was hidden.  After about ten minutes, the three Team K troopers were out of sight (and my feet were freezing), we head off down through the woods again.  Soon D and I split up.  I was going to army crawl all the way across the field and up the main hill. 

I thought I was going to be shot as I did so, but when I reached the brink of the hill and prepared to surprise my enemies (in my suicidal mission), I found that... that... they had deserted the hill.  Um... that was quite an odd move.  Not very strategical I should say.

But then I saw movement up the hill.  Not knowing it was my allies, I made a move to get away from them.  I ended up joining with them - after I saw they were on my side.  And the rest of the battle... well, that unfolded as easily as a napkin.  Finally, we all ganged up on Team K's leader, and surrounded him.  He went down fighting... but could of just surrendered and 'lived'.

So we won both battles.  Which was quite surprising...

(Note:  It took me like a week to write this, for some reason, and so just so you know... I'm only at 4,000 some words still).

~The WordWeaver