WIP Diaries 0.3 The unexpected bunny from a hat I didn’t know I had

So here I was, ignoring my word count goal for my Camp NaNoWriMo because I’m depressed and exhausted, fantasizing about the cover for the book that isn’t written yet when I feel a nudge. (Not a real nudge because I was alone at the time. A real one would have made me crap my pants and hyperventilate.)

I’m still at the beginning of the story, the first chapter really, and my MC is introducing us to her world. She’s at school currently and has been summoned to the student council room where she presides as Senior class president. We’re about to get a taste of the antagonist. I planned on this being a moment of vulnerability for the MC, a crack in her facade to show she’s human and not some Mary Sue with all the answers. I didn’t know how to resolve the issue and I became stuck.

My well-worn and faded thinking cap had been failing me of late trying to figure this out so imagine my surprise when the student council door swings open to reveal a perfectly happy white knight of a bunny out of a hat I didn’t know I had.

I’m sorry brain, I wasn’t aware it was the rainbow Propeller Beanie day. When did we get one of those? And what the hell?

So the door opens and this cool, funny, quirky guy comes walking in, handing papers to the MC that just happens to be the thing she needs to thwart the antagonist. When she takes them, suddenly he’s injected himself into his very own strand of subplot that’s woven itself around hers. He’s there at the dance. He’s there after the MC gets kidnapped and helps her adjust to her new limbs. He seems happy just to be there with her, helping with whatever she needs but there’s an air of…je ne sais quoi about him I haven’t figured out yet. He’s SOMEONE important but I don’t know how yet. He demanded to be written.

My first instinct after the initial WHAT THE HELL wore off was NO. Nonononononono you ARE NOT THE LOVE INTEREST! I already decided there wasn’t going to be one in this book! Not with a human anyway.

*He stands with his arms crossed, an amused grin quirking his lips to the side*

I glare at him from the corner of my eye, bent over the keyboard of my laptop.

Foolio, you don’t even have a name yet!

*He raises his eyebrows and a glint of sadistic humor comes into his hazel/brown/jade green/baby blue eyes*

I want to grab him by his short dirty blond curls—his long dark brown waterfall locks–his artfully dyed and spiked black and pink mess–Holy wow, is that a tattoo I see? What the hell are you wearing? A uniform from another school. There’s something wrong with you but I can’t see it. A crutch? A glove covering your hand? Where is your demon? Do you have one?

*He shrugs and holds out a hand to me, indicating the cards are in my hand but he’s not going anywhere*

Liar. If I give you an inch you’ll take a mile.

*He finally smiles, flashing teeth, glad I’m catching on to things*

I reluctantly crane my neck around and acknowledge his presence. But I’m still glaring.

You’re lucky we’re only at the beginning. I would shoot you dead between your hazel/brown/jade green/baby blue eyes if you showed up after Act 1.

So this fool has given me extra work now. This happy white knight bunny hopping onto the page with his secrets and air of mystery. I burn the rainbow Propeller Beanie. I don’t need this. I just finished my post about Tropes and clichés so my head is swirling trying to fit this new character into an acceptable role. He takes me right back to the other WIP Diaries post I did about getting what I need for this book.

I need another hat. Something unconventional but traditional. How about a flowered Kartuz?

Okay…

He needs a purpose and I really don’t want him to be the love interest. (It’s rarely up to the author what happens though, right?)

Here’s what I know:

The MC already has two best friends, one of which betrays her (kind of), and one that is unwittingly plotting to kill the demon she loves to “save the world” and both of them have separate journeys that take place elsewhere away from her. She doesn’t need another best friend but can certainly use another friendly human presence while she gets all the shit thrown at her.

The MC doesn’t know him well when we meet him. I get the impression they hold the same rank at their separate schools as Student Council Members and only know about each other because she reached out to him about an inter-school formal dance. He doesn’t have a demon.

He’s definitely a clever side kick kind of guy. At least for now. Low key it seems with a slightly sarcastic edge sometimes. He’s charming. That much I can determine. He doesn’t seem to have any ulterior motives or nefarious plots against the MC but he does have a marked interest in her. He has Important Knowledge that the MC needs at a later date.

He seems to have an air of ethnicity about him. Darker brown skin but idk how dark. His hair fluctuates between surfer dude bleached blond and kind of nappy in my mind’s eye and straight up black with streaks of a bright color. He has bracelets around his wrist. He’s not obviously handsome and doesn’t stick out in a crowd. Or maybe he does? It’s still unclear. He also seems to have some sort of impediment. A crutch because of a bum leg or a blind man’s cane? An eye patch or perma-sunglasses? A fingerless glove to partially cover a prosthetic hand? He has some sort of defect that makes him empathetic and humble and humorous. Something relatable to the MC.

His name is hovering around an “M” or a “K” sound. Kyle? Kylar? Misha? Matias? Muhhhh, maaaaiiiiiii, koooooorrrrrr…..????????????

Gawd what an unbelievable bastard.

I haven’t even fully fleshed out my other MC’s and this guy cuts in line. Somebody lynch him please. My brain can’t deal.

Happy writing y’all. I’ll be slogging!

 

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The Ropes about Tropes

TROPE: A literary trope is the use of figurative language, via word, phrase or an image, for artistic effect such as using a figure of speech. The word trope has also come to be used for describing commonly recurring literary and rhetorical devices, motifs or clichés in creative works.

Every writer, reader, PERSON, has things they love and hate about story telling; predictable clichés that happen that either make them groan or swoon. Everyone has different opinions about them and it is especially hard to navigate as a writer.

Me: *Inserts sexy brooding Alpha Male Anti-Hero here*

Readers: SHOTS FIRED!!!!!!! GET THE MISSILE LAUNCHER! Bring this bitch doowwnnnn!

Other Readers: Quick! There’s shelter here! We’ll keep you safe!

You can’t avoid them. You’d have a dry story if you tried. clichés work for a reason, even when we see them coming a mile away. Readers need them because they are intrinsic for story telling. You may even write them unintentionally because there are literally thousands out there and they work for your story so well! (We can generally forgive common clichés as long as they’re done well and make sense to the story.)

Your job as an author though, perhaps one of the hardest jobs, is to decide which tropes you can live with getting flamed over by picky readers. Best place to start is your own book shelf. You were a reader before you were ever a writer. Glancing through your shelves, your eyes will automatically find the books you love best; the ones you’ve read over and over. Do you know why you do? Try to dissect it and make a list. What about the books you hated?

If you’re like me, when I read or watch something, its for entertainment so this concept of dissecting stories pains me a little. It’s like watching a magic show. You kind of really want to know how the tricks are done but then you lose the wonder of it. That’s they way I feel about books looking at them from an author point of view. I don’t WANT to identify that as the Stockholm Syndrome Trope or recognize that as the Villain Soliloquy Trope. But it’s important to my craft to figure out why these work and what doesn’t work inside the story. I have to dive into the nitty-gritty so I can be the best little nublet author out there and defend my choice of clichés when the time comes to write them!

That being said, as new writers, there will be a tendency to gravitate toward the more familiar tropes out there because so many stories use them and are easier to emulate. The Rags to Riches Trope. Heroes Journey Trope. Mary Sue Trope. Enemies to Friends Trope. I ENCOURAGE THIS. You’re not going to write a best seller right off the bat. You need to practice.

Use the Love Triangle trope and bang out a short story. Write a One-Act Villain monologue Trope. Write a flash fiction POV piece about a grandpa talking about The Good Old Days Trope. Now turn them all on their head and find a different way to write them. Play. Explore. Be silly and dumb and really really terrible. That’s how you learn.

Write was is familiar first. Fan Fiction is a good place to start I hear although I’ve never done any. I can’t take familiar characters like Hermione Granger or Percy Jackson and plug them in elsewhere, much less play puppeteer to their marionette. It feels wrong somehow. Maybe I should try though, just for that reason.

Writing is hard

No one is going to read these unless you let them. Remember, all rough drafts are soggy shit sandwiches. As soon as you accept this and get over the tyrannical inner editor screaming at you, you can start practicing. You’re not going to get better as  a writer and discover your unique voice if you don’t write often and in different genres. And you won’t learn how to navigate your readers’ ire for using the Damsel in Distress Trope or the Teenage Hero Trope.

Hell, start a blog. Let everyone see how terrible you are and eventually you’ll grow immune. Worked for me! Now I don’t give a crap if it’s bad. (Well, maybe a marginal crap.)

Here are some of the Romance Tropes I LOVE:

1. —Forbidden Teacher/Student relationships (not the pedo kind x.x)
2. —The “hot character” falling for the “not so hot but quirky and clever” character.
3. —The push/pull of a “I can’t have you because if I get you I’ll destroy this important thing but I love you” trope (Sarah and Jareth in “The Labyrinth.” OMG SO TRASH FOR THAT!)
4. —The “I bet you” trope where one character makes a bet to court an undesirable character and then falls for them (10 things I hate about you/ She’s All that).
5. —The “Big brother” character who has always been in love with a character but has hidden it until ‘now’.
6. —The “ugly duckling turned beautiful at a ball/party” trope.
7. —The “cool” character doing an unbelievably embarrassing thing to prove they really are serious about their love for another character (Hitch).
8. —The “I think I might be bi/gay” blooming, affectionate, shy relationships. (A lot of manga have this and I’m garbage for it).
9. —The “I’m going to fix all your biggest problems because I love you” trope (Pride and Prejudice)
10. —The “HAVE to share a bed and then cuddling” Trope

 

Fiction Tropes I LOVE:

1.—Gods/Goddesses/Demons/Angels in Modern Times Trope

2.—Fairytale retellings Trope (IS that a trope?)

3.—The Smart ass old magical grump Trope (<3 you Belgarath)

4.—Telepathic Animals Trope (love dem animal side kicks)

5.—The ACTUAL Journey to greatness Trope (Deku, My Hero Academia) Where Main character have to actually train (and fail!) and don’t innately have a grip on their new powers.

6.—The Unreluctant Hero Trope–Heroes that are actually happy to be chosen and aren’t whiny bitches.

7.—Killing off Darlings Trope–it’s bizarre but I love it when good characters are killed by the villain. The hate flows through me so much better. (I threw the book at the wall when Dumbledore was murdered. I didn’t read any more Harry Potter for 7 years. True story.)

8.—Physical Flaws/unbeautiful but endearing Trope—a limp, a missing eye, cyborg limbs, a lisp, crooked teeth (adds so much realism and paints a clearer picture)

9.—Writing dialogue that actually sounds like an accent Trope–“Aye lass, donna wan tuh be goin’ out by the wayside after dark. Tis treacherous.” (Again with the realism! ❤ you Hagrid)

10.—Humorous/Dorky Characters Tropes (Ron Weasley, Percy Jackson, Aang and Sokka)

 

 

 

 

 

In Which We make a Sound….Track

I have playlists for all my serious WIP novels. There’s only….4? Or 6. Or so….

ANYWAY.

Ahh music. When I create a playlist for a new novel, I know that I’m dead serious about it. Like, this WILL get written since I’m spending so much time investing in it. (Even if it takes a few years, haha). The first one I ever did was for my novel Silver Sun. The reason it evolved was from a need for background noise when I wrote. I tried putting my iPod on shuffle but there were certain songs that brought me completely out of my zone and ruined the flow of creativity. So I started putting together a playlist of songs that I liked specifically for writing. When I realized that I played certain songs over and over because it helped to facilitate the scene writing, the little light went on over my head.

Unintentionally, I was creating mood music. Any scene with strong emotion: Anger, sorrow, betrayal, triumph. I found songs I already had a strong connection with were the first to get placed in the queue. Songs I enjoyed and wanted to listen to that fit the mood came next as filler. Songs that trigger memories are especially helpful to give the writing a realistic tone. Break up songs (“Time for me to Fly” REO Speedwagon), pissed the hell off songs (“Oughta Know” Alanis Morrisette), I want to cry songs (“Everything I do” Bryan Adams), Happy happy music (“Carameldansen”). All designed to help me get the best words onto the page.

Another use for music is to help describe a character. Lyrics that shape their thinking, the tone of the music, their point of view or their opinion about another character. For instance, I used the song “Epiphany” by Staind to describe Gaelyn from Silver Sun, a man who is harsh and cutting but only so he can keep people out. I used “Miss Independent” by Kelly Clarkson to personify the main character Merry as we see her in the beginning of the novel, a woman fiercely her own person but falling very hard for a guy even though she doesn’t want to. I used “Dizzy” by the Goo Goo Dolls as a point of view song from Bryce, main character turned antagonist, as it relates to Merry.

I sprinkled these songs in along with the mood music and sometimes used them as a call and response; a conversation between characters if you will. When Gaelyn confronts Merry about her juxtaposed feelings about Bryce, this was the flavor of the music:

-“Bleeding Love” Leona Lewis (Merry’s honest feelings, reluctantly spoken)

-“Colors” Crossfade (Gaelyn’s harsh response to her whining)

-“Wide Awake” Katy Perry (Merry’s guilt and self-pity rearing it’s head)

-“Scars” Papa Roach (A sort of shouting match between Merry and Gaelyn)

-“Outside” Staind (Merry turning her venom on Gaelyn, calling out his own flaws)

-“Blame” Collective Soul (Gaelyn’s cocked eyebrow of a response to Merry’s blame)

-“Love interruption” Jack White (Merry taking a breath and refocusing her anger into resolve)

I know there are thousands of songs for every mood. I encourage you to put them all in the list. Yep, just cram it full. Keep adding to it, and then listen to it throughout your day, week, month. Make notes about which songs you like and which songs you decide don’t fit and change it accordingly. (Be prepared for a dedicated process. I’m still making changes after 14 years as I find new music.) I also advise to listen for the tone of your novel itself. Silver Sun is a slice of life story; no magic or battles or space races. Just real life so I didn’t use any heavy metal scream-o or lilting Celtic flutes. It was all very…well, real. LOL. But my other novel, Hourglass, requires some classical pieces and french/foreign flare because of the time travel theme it boasts.

On the note of Book Theme playlists, if you’re having trouble coming up with mood music that fits the theme of your story, I recommend gathering inspiration from movie and TV soundtracks that already exist. My current WIP “The Faustus Affliction” involves demons and post-Armageddon tones. It’s grungy and snappish and does have some high drama scenes so I found myself needing something like “hard christian rock” music. Like, Johnny Cash meets Black Sabbath. So where does the mind go in need of some music? Lucifer, the TV show now streaming on Netflix. Cuz, hello, he’s LUCIFER. Perfect for my demon saturated novel. I also took some sound bites from True Blood because it’s angsty and grungy. In doing this I found some great bands like The Brothers Bright, The Pretty Reckless, and (Because YouTube loves sending us down rabbit holes), Hozier, oddly enough.

I love discovering new music. It makes me that much more inclined to work on my novel because I want to see how this new music fits in with my playlist. Plus, OMG I LOVE MUSIC. But now here’s the crux of the matter: when to stop adding and make it into an ACTUAL playlist. This is where the fun part comes in: EDITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah right. Did you think you could get away from it? Pssshhh! Dreamin’!! You’re a writer. Get used to it ;D

When I’ve got a good number of songs on my list, about 100 or so, I start the arduous process of putting them in order by scene and I do this as I see my novel right now. I understand this might be hard for die-hard pantsers but even they have certain scenes they must write. The novel may not have an ending and the middle might be murky but every novel has certain Beats it needs to hit and every writer has at least a vague idea if or when these beats will hit. Fight scenes, death scenes, break up scenes, make up scenes, sex scenes…whatever. If you can group the songs into mini playlists that help to inspire you to write these kinds of scenes, then that’s the end goal. Then, as your novel becomes more clear, you can rearrange the playlist to suit the emotional arc a little better.

Now there might be songs in there that fit into one than one category. I usually choose where to put it based on how it makes me feel or if I like it enough to hear it sooner rather than later. If that doesn’t decide me, I duplicate it and use it in both places. I use Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” twice in my Silver Sun novel, in the beginning and the end.

Playlists help me tremendously while writing my novels. They help keep me focused. I find when I haven’t written in a while, I’ll pop on a novel playlist and my mind will automatically jump to the scene I placed the song for. Putting it on shuffle is a good exercise for the creative brain and sometimes it can surprise you by giving you new ideas and making connections you didn’t see before.

I hope you try it if you haven’t already. If anything, the search for new bands and songs is therapeutic and still gives you the illusion that you’re focused on your book. Yeah! Still thinking about writing! Just remember to ACTUALLY write.

Cheers!

Beyond the Physical: Let’s birth a Human

(I found this list of questions on pinterest which I believe link to thescriptlab.com)

Character development and naming is my favorite way to begin a book. I love how my brain fills in the answers and suddenly at the end of it you’ve birthed a fully realized person, one that is walking and talking around in your head and nudging your fingers to breath life into them on the page.

At least I like to do this now.

I didn’t before which made my story fall as flat as unleavened bread. The more real you are with your characters; the more details you give them (even if you don’t happen to need them), the more realistic they’ll seem and your readers will believe them more readily. Don’t skimp on this! Do the work! Give your darlings weaknesses and flaws, hate and jealousy, strengths (but not too many), and quirks. Make them HUMAN. Unless they’re supposed to be super human but you still need to make them believable. There can only be one Superman (and even he bows to the glowing green rock).

There are thousands of lists out there to help you with this interview process and I’ll likely be adding to this one but I found this to be good enough as a start. ENJOY! ^_^

1. How does your character feel about their father? What do they love and hate about him? What influence–real or imagined–did the father have?
2. How does our character feel about their mother? What do they love and hate about her? What influence did the mother have?
3. Brother or sisters? Do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?
4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?
5. Were they over-protected as a child? Sheltered?
6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?
7. What was the economic status of their family?
8. How does your character feel about religion?
9. What about Political beliefs?
10. Is your character street/book smart? Intelligent? Philosophical? Slow-witted?
11. How does your character see themselves? Smart? Uneducated? Intellectual?
12. How does their education or lack thereof reflect in their speech? Vocabulary, pronunciation, patterns?
13. Did they like school? Teachers? Schoolmates?
14. Did they participate in School? Student body? Clubs? Sports? Were they unconnected?
15. Did they Graduate? High school? College? Ph.D? GED?
16. What does your character do for a living? Do they like or dislike it? How do they see their profession?
17. Did they travel? Why? Where? When?
18. What did they find abroad and what do they remember?
19. What were your character’s deepest disillusions? In life? What are they now?
20. What were the most deeply impressive events they experienced? Political, national, social, international?
21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of Hero? Whom do they despise?
22. Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ lover?
23. What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel about sex?
24. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play?
25. What are their hobbies and interests?
26. What does your character’s home look like? Bedroom? Personal taste? Hair? Clothing?
27. How do they relate to their appearance? (Vain, ugly, indifferent…) How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality?
28. Who is your character’s mate? How do they relate to him or her? How did they make their choice?
29. What is your character’s weakness? Hubris? Pride? Controlling? Naive?
30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive it?
31. Does your character have children? How do they feel about their parental role? About the children? How do they children relate?
32. How does your character react to stressful situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively?
33. Do they drink? Take drugs? What about their health?
34. Does your character feel self-righteous? Vengeful? Contemptuous?
35. Do they rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?
36. Do they like to suffer? See their people suffer?
37. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Lost in memories? Worried most of the time?
38. How do they deal with new things? Negatively? Enthusiastically? Suspiciously? With hostility? Calmly?
39. What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid?
40. How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?
41. Is your character aware of who they are? Strengths and weaknesses? Idiosyncrasies? Capable of self-irony?
42. What does your character want most? What do they need badly, compulsively? What are they willing to sacrifice to attain?
43. Does your character have any secrets? Are they holding them back? Why or why not?
44. How badly do they want to obtain their life’s objectives? How do they pursue them?
45. Is your character pragmatic? Think first? Responsible? All action? A visionary? Passionate? Quixotic?
46. Are they tall? Short? Heavy? Thin? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?
47. Do they want to be older? Younger? Visible or invisible?
48. How are your character’s gestures? Strong? Meek? Energetic? Sluggish?
49. What about voice? Pitch? Tempo? Soft? Aggressive? Smug? Accent? Pronunciation? Lisp? Stutter?
50. What are their prevailing facial features? Cheerful? Serene? Sour? Pinched? Vacant? Sharp?

The Bones: Story Structure

I don’t know about you, but when I first started in this business of never-ending torture pleasure of writing books, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know SQUAT about character development (other than they had to have a cool name) or pacing or conflict–not a thing. Shocker. Just writing willy nilly is totally fine if you’re not going to get serious as an author. If you want to step into the ring with the Biggies though, you have to come equipped with the basics. You need to get your bones right. Good bones will take you far in this fight. Yes pantsers, this includes you. (Don’t cringe at me!)

Now there are hundreds of blogs, vlogs, schmogs, dawgs, and ohmygawds out there that repeat the information I’m about to give you. I needed to compile the most useful in one place, mainly for myself, because dang it, there are HUNDREDS OF BLOGS OUT THERE. There just aren’t enough book marks.

Now, not everyone uses the same Story Structure and that’s fine. One structure might not work as well with your novel or your thought-process as another one. This one is my favorite:

7 Point Story Structure (or close to it)

 

For me this is the most detailed and concise outline and when I apply it to my story and I can immediately see the plot holes and where I’m missing scenes. Even though I’m Half ‘n’ Half pantser/plotter, I know that personally I need at least this much planned out first. I tend to get wrapped up in the forest and forget to see the trees so this is a necessity to keep checking in with my original outline to steer myself back on course.

 

Three Act Structure

 

(First of all, thank you Google for spitting out this gem of an image. Chrono Trigger. YES.)

This structure is a little too vague for me. When I get better at writing novels I’m sure this will be easier and more freeing but for now I need a little more detail to make sure I hit all the important points.

Snowflake Method

 

This one is an excellent starting outline. I use this when my dozens of plot bunnies won’t leave me alone. I give it a pat on the head using the Snowflake Method and send it to its cage for some R and R. Then I expand it using the 7 point method.

Hero’s Journey

I haven’t tried using this method yet but I’m adding it here because one day I know I will. Whenever I think about this method, the clearest example that comes to mind it “The Hobbit.” Bilbo hits all these points beautifully and clearly. So easy to follow with so many choices! I’m excited to try this (once my other six dozen plot bunnies are settled in their holes.

So there you have it. Mostly for me but if you can benefit from it too then that’s a bonus 😀

Keep at it y’all. We’ll get there.

Things I’ll Never Say: To Dragon

They call you Dragon. I don’t know why. Is it because you have a temper? Is it because you like spicy things? Is it because you’re a prickly sort of fellow when people get to know you better?

I’d like to know you better.

You don’t know it but I can feel you. Your presence presses up against me; sometimes as the caress of a warm zephr and other times suffocating like a villainous shadow. Either way, I like it when you’re around and I miss you when you’re gone. There’s a hole where your presence should be and it makes me a little less happy that day.

My ears are attuned to you. I can pick up even the softest and most subtle sounds that drift from you. Your chuckles and snorts and even your silence, which can be deafening. I asked you if you were okay when I knew you weren’t and you breathed warning fire at me. I felt scolded for trying and I second guess myself even more.

I don’t feel like myself around you. There’s a wall between us and I can’t figure out the pattern of it. It isn’t a consistent interlocking system like brick. It’s not as solid as rebar and cinderblocks. It’s more like cobbles. Large, softly hued stones with deceptive weight and strength mortared together by mystery, anonymity and awkwardness. It’s insurmountable and I feel that no matter what I throw at it, it will bounce off. Do you even feel my pushes and prods?

I can’t be chatty and easy with you and I wish I could be. I want to see what I can say to make you smile. I want to ask you what music you’re listening to and why because you do have the best taste. Why Utada Hikaru and Seether in the same play list? Why Lord of the Rings and Cold Play? Do you sing when no one is around? I sing whether people are around or not. Do you notice?  I could listen endlessly to your music.

I want you to respond when I talk to you. Maybe you’ll talk with me, not at me if I try enough times. I want you to ask about me too so I can practice not being strange with you.

I thought once that it might not always be that way. You helped me with the boxes. I was surprised you bothered and was grateful. You even gave me a  ride on the latter and I enjoyed the brief secret between us. You never suspected it was the moment when my eyes sharpened toward your form and the moment my skin reached out to taste the distance between us for the first time; to test it.

To be honest, I didn’t suspect either.

I can’t get past it though. I can’t get past you. You still my tongue against any form of communication other than “Hello” and “Thank you”. It’s not my place to get to know you and I know that. I am jealous of the others who can be easy with you. I suspect that with the hours being what they are for you, you won’t be staying with us for very long anyway. Or you already have another job and just stay for the one day. I’d love for you to keep coming around though. You make me aware and curious and put a slightly higher bounce in my step when I know you’re near.

I want to make you a clay dragon and I want you to be happy that I did. I want you to keep it and wonder who gave you such a gift. I want you to have a slightly higher bounce in your step too, when I’m near.

None of this you’ll ever know. That would ruin the fun. But if you don’t mind, I will continue to watch you and taste your moods and stare at the wall, trying to find weaknesses and maybe leak a little of my light into your world through the chink. I wish I could tell you that you’re a little flame of inspiration for me but these are The Things I’ll Never Say.

WIP Diaries 0.2 I got what I WANT but do I got what I NEED?

(Note: I am deliberately keeping my WIP story and characters vague until I solidify more of the story. I’ll try to keep it not confusing! Thank you!)

Sub-plotting the third part of the braid is proving so damn difficult *Head desking* is a frequent occurrence thinking about this.

I have a basic outline for the beginning. I know that Side Character 2 and Main Character 2 pair up as a team.

That’s it.

He’s supposed to be the “Brainy side kick”. He completes the “Beauty/Spiritual/Brainy” trifecta in my story and he quietly poofed into existence, head down over a microscope, glasses sliding off his nose. Sleepy blue eyes, tousled dirty blond hair, always wearing long sleeves because he’s afraid of skin cancer and immune to the opposite sex. He’s wholly focused on his work.

I THINK he’s supposed to find the Cure. That’s a possibility I’ll likely be fleshing out more. But he doesn’t do it without help, which brings me to Main Character 2. He is also an enigma. It’s a double whammy of question marks that these two present. Always with the possibilities and the problems and the stuff and the things needed for a good book. Woof >.<

First thing’s first though: figure out who MC2 is. His character influences who Side Character 2 is. That needs to happen post haste and I likely will be doing an interview with him soon.

Now lets reverse question this. I got what I WANT but what do I NEED?

–I need a BIG conflict character. For the main MC especially. She needs to feel betrayed and hurt and brought low. Just pairing up with her best friend (Side character 2) should be enough. MC is in love with MC 2. But we also need more conflict on a bigger scale. A Kansas City Shuffle, so to speak. 

–I need an answer for Why did the disease came into existence in the first place. I have the How. I might have an inkling as to the Why but I need to dive deeper into that. Punishment? Retaliation? Doing a bad thing for the supposedly good reasons?

–I need to know for sure if the MC 2 is a hard core Villain, a soft core Villain, or a truly redeemed former Villain trying to right a wrong and Martyr himself. Of course, the biggest conflict would be option 1. What are his motives? Finishing what he started? Waiting for the “right time”? Is he a Snape character where you hate him for 3/4 of the book and then love him at the end?

–I need a way to graft the Villain subplot into the other three. What is it’s purpose, besides conflict? Why are the Nephelim being created? Did MC 2 help with that? To what purpose? 

–I need to figure out if this is a stand alone book, a duology or a trilogy. The intricacy of the plot depends on this answer. 

I have more needs but I feel that if I start to poke and prod at these questions that something will poop out a diamond in the rough. Or a kernel of corn I don’t remember eating but is absolutely brilliant. Same thing right? XD har har.

Stay Tuned!

I started an absolute snore of a job so I’ll have plenty of time to contemplate while I drape fabric and dust already clean shelves. Yay……

Tell me about your experiences with these problems. Let me know I’m not in the boat alone! How do you Subplot Braid? How do you fill your plot holes? What are some of your brilliant corn kernel ideas?