I attended the
Tallahassee Writer's Association Conference yesterday and our Keynote Speaker was
Steve Berry. Fascinating as it was, I attended his next session where he shared a very condensed subject matter which is included in his workshops for the
History Matters Foundation. Since I've already plotted my story, I've used his 6 Cs to determine if I have a complete story and one any reader would enjoy.
- Character - Do I have a character people will cheer
for? Is she vulnerable enough to capture the hearts of my readers? I
hope so.
- Crucible - What is forcing my character to react to her environment in ways not normal for her? What drives her behaviors? She has a past which haunts her and until she completes her journey through her crisis, her soul will not rest. This is a bit cliche, but who hasn't done this before? I give this a little twist though.
- Conflict - Is there conflict in my story? There is conflict in every chapter of my story, including the first few pages, emotional and physical.
- Complexity - Are there obstacles preventing your character from reaching her goals? I have almost 50 plot points, so I hope it's enough complexity.
- Crisis - Do all major obstacles come to one point in time where they meet head on? Yes! It's crunch time for my character. She steps over that threshold and makes the ultimate sacrifice, one she never could have made had she not made this journey. The crisis in Top Gun was the huge dog fight over the Pacific Ocean. The obstacles: Maverick's ego, the haunting from his best friend's death, his fight to discipline himself and adhere to the rules and procedures learned at the Top Gun Academy.
- Conclusion - This is the denouement. The ending where everything comes together and all questions are answered. I have that in my story. The conclusion in Top Gun was Maverick finding Charlie Blackwood in the bar where they met and played the song he sang to her back then, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling."
I'll leave on a note: The conclusion in a
Romance Novel is the answer to the question "Does he get the girl?" In which case for a Romance Novel, the answer is always YES!
Check out your next project and tell us if they include these 6 "C" words.
Visit my Alphabet Links:
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
I attended the Tallahassee Writer's Association Conference yesterday and our Keynote Speaker was Steve Berry. Fascinating as it was, I attended his next session where he shared a very condensed subject matter which is included in his workshops for the History Matters Foundation. Since I've already plotted my story, I've used his 6 Cs to determine if I have a complete story and one any reader would enjoy.
Nice that you took notes at the Tallahassee Conference. I thought I had these 6 things covered,but I'll take any advice about now.
ReplyDeleteI love to share notes! :) I'm happy you enjoy!
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the conference. I'm sure it was fun! I like this advice. Thanks for sharing. I'll look over this checklist. Take care!
ReplyDeleteSeriously awesome as a checklist. I'll post more tidbits I gain from these conferences. They are great!
DeleteThanks for sharing your notes from the conference. I love when writers pass along these conference tips. It really helps those who couldn't attend.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Kelly! I believe in spreading the wealth of knowledge we have out here. The support comes back around as needed. :)
DeleteHi, Diane. Visiting from WD. I'm transitioning from screenwriting to fiction and it's quite interesting how similar the points are that make a good story. Now if I can just figure out that viewpoint thing. ARGH! For now I'm dipping my toe into the flash fiction water and hoping things will grow from there.
ReplyDeleteOh, and "Bullies, Bastards & Bitches" sounds very intriguing. Might have to get that one myself! Thanks for the recommendation.
If you get the book, we'll have to compare notes! :)
DeleteI purchased Contour which is a software package dedicated to helping plot a manuscript. It's more designed for screenwriting, but it sure helped me out with my novel I'm working on. It's not expensive either. I think I paid $49.00 or something like that.
That is a great test for thoroughness, I'll definitely have to apply it! I really want to make more conference rounds (if I can ever build up the vacation to do it), and the Tallahassee Conference sounds like a must. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley! The Florida Writer's Association has a conference in Orlando October 19th - 21st.
DeleteI met some really great people at the conference and the incoming President signed me up as editor for their monthly newsletter. I'm stoked! Networking, networking, networking.
Thanks for stopping by.
How did you come up with so many conflicts? What genre is your book it sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteI used a software tool called Contour. You have to answer a set of yes no questions for that many plot points and you have to have a scenario or situation for each one.
DeleteI'm writing a mystery with a rebel detective and I basically plotted it out as if it were a screenplay because that's what the software is used for, but it can work with fiction too. :D
Hi Diane,
ReplyDeleteThose are good points. I have them all, I hope. :) Thanks for sharing!! The only thing I do differently is my conclusion- in my latest story, all questions aren't answered. It helps when you're setting it up for part two!
Ah ha! For a sequel or series, the advice was you can leave some things unanswered if that is your plan. :D
DeleteGreat checklist - thanks. And cool how it came from Steve. Love his series with Cotton Malone...
ReplyDeleteHe was a great speaker too. I also liked James Scott Bell last year.
DeleteGreat post, Diane! Thanks for sharing these tips.
ReplyDeleteI haven't attended any conferences yet, but I might try to attend the FWA conference this year. I couldn't make it last time around, but I'd love to.
I went last year and plan to go this year. It's a great deal of fun. Hope you get a chance to go! For once, I'd like to have a mystery celebrity speak be someone like Stephen King or Dean Koontz. :D
DeleteI know, not gonna happen.
Great post! Thanks for stopping by my blog and your heartfelt comments. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debra!
DeleteThanks Debra!
DeleteI'm a little worried about the complexity for my book. I'm reaching a stage in the book where subplots and hints at the major conflict have to be introduced! And I'm afraid I won't rember them all!
ReplyDeleteWho knows, Nicole? You might have a series of two or more books! :)
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Diane, yet another gem chock-full of helpful insights. Thank You for caring enough to share--cheers!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome! I love sharing when I can.
DeleteGreat post, Diane! Which is why I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! I love all your fun and helpful posts.
ReplyDeletehttp://laurenwaters.net/2012/05/11/the-versatile-blogger-award/
Woot! The 2nd award since I got back from a week long imprisonment!!! Haha, I call it that because it's what it felt like being away. :D
DeleteThank you! I'm working on my response to both this weekend. Can't wait!
Diane, not only is this is an excellent post for fiction writers, but also for language arts teachers (like myself) that are trying to present an easy-to-understand way to fashion a plot. Well done!
ReplyDeleteJoDee, please ALWAYS feel free to share anything I post. It's so important for writers, new and old. Even writers who never knew they were writers could be sparked to join this much fruitful and nurturing environment!
DeleteI would never be here if I hadn't gotten a spark somewhere. :)
Sounds like a conference I would have loved to have been at!
ReplyDeleteMore photos on Facebook, you can check it out.
Delete