Write On SC

It’s been the summer of the Seven Deadly Sins series. This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. The Seven Deadly Sins (this link) in Roman Catholic theology, are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas.The sins are:PrideGreedLustEnvyGluttonyWrathSlothWhat is wrath? Anger? Hate? Straight to the source, Christianity.com says this about wrath: Wrath can be summarized as strong vengeful hatred or resentment. The warnings of wrath in Christianity arise from the consequences of vengeance in human relations. We can become consumed by rage and revenge to the point of acting irrationally and immorally. This is the wickedness of wrath and why it is included as a deadly sin.Some books where wrath plays a critical role (link):Lord of the Rings - Sauron - “evil scourge of Middle Earth” says enoughThe Wonderful World of Oz - the Wicked Witch of the West sends all the things to kill DorothyThe War of the Roses - a couple’s failed marriage turns into spite and wrathThe Godfather - Michael’s almost entirely motivated by wrath of the vengeance varietyHarry Potter - certainly Voldemort (Tom Riddle) but also Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius Black, and Severus Snape all act out of wrathBond books - specifically supervillain SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld (featured in three Bond novels and six films) is one wrathful guy—and arguably the most diabolical of all of Bond’s nemesesMoby Dick - personifying wrath as vengeful God (i.e. nature) and Ahab’s tireless questOthello - we know the revenge, the manipulation but Iago’s actions come from a place of deep hatred for Othello, he weaponizes his hateStephen King gives us It and Carrie, both wrath-driven title charactersWrath is a “sneaky” sin because it can simmer for years before a character takes action. It can also fuel microaggressions and show itself only in a slow drip, not a tornado invasion.ProWriting Aid’s series on character traits is useful (we’ve used it the last two episodes). They list these as possible causes of anger or wrath (link):Chronic stress or anxietyGenetics or family history of anger issuesFeelings of injustice or unfair treatmentInability to manage emotions effectivelyLearned behavior from family or peersPersonality disorders such as borderline personality disorder or antisocial personality disorderFrustration with life circumstances or feeling powerlessTraumatic experiences such as abuse or neglectSubstance abuse or addictionRead more on the blog

It’s been the summer of the Seven Deadly Sins series. This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. The Seven Deadly Sins (this link) in Roman Catholictheology, are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas.The sins are:PrideGreedLustEnvyGluttonyWrathSlothWhat is sloth? This link is “What is sloth and why is it worse than laziness?” and here’s what the author says: “The sin of sloth is a bit deeper than laziness, and that subtlety is found in the thing that keeps us bound up: fear.”How does fear affect sloth? The dark side here is the lack of motivation or a person’s choice to accept the easy way, the lowest risk, by doing nothing. The Bible calls out idleness or failure to think toward the future and plan for it. SlothfRead more on the blog

The Seven Deadly Sins (this link) in Roman Catholictheology, are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas.The sins are:PrideGreedLustEnvyGluttonyWrathSlothWe’ve done these before (episodes 151–157), but it’s been a while and this time we’re going to sharpen the focus on the sins as potential stakes-raising behaviors.According to DeadlySins.com Pride is excessive belief in one’s own abilities. It interferes with the acceptance of God’s grace and is the sin from which all others are born. It’s also called vanity. So let’s unpack that.Read more on the blog

This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. So reading it might mean you don’t need our seven episodes but how about come along for the ride anyway?The Seven Deadly Sins (this link) in Roman Catholic theology, are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas.The sins are:PrideGreedLustEnvyGluttonyWrathSlothWe’ve done these before (episodes 151-157), but it’s been a while and this time we’re going to sharpen the focus on the sins as potential stakes-raising behaviors.This week’s focus is Lust. When we did this in Episode 155, I was writing novels with a good bit of sex in them. Weirdly, that hasn’t changed. In fact, the motivation of Lust is even more relevant to my vampires who are equally motivated by thirst.Last time we started here:What is lust? According to Wikipedia:Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for an object, or circumstance while already having a significant other or amount of the desired object.[1] Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It can take such mundane forms as the lust for food (see gluttony) as distinct from the need for food. It is similar to but distinguished from passion, in that passion propels individuals to achieve benevolent goals whilst lust does not.Going straight to the source, Christianity.com gives us this:Lust is essentially to crave something, usually associated with worldly desires of sexual intent or material possessions. Lust has as its focus gratifying oneself, which often leads to toxic actions to fulfill one’s desires without consideration of the consequences. Lust springs forth from selfishness and greed.Lust is considered a sin because it puts physical, human impulses above Godly or spiritual pursuits. Not unlike greed, lust is insatiable and similar to pride, is focused on the individual, not the betterment of family or community. Are there any benefits to lust?Read more on the blog

We once did an episode on the character’s core wound and what’s occurred to me lately in my reading is that the core wound makes a really good secret. Something the character isn’t willing to admit to himself.Charlie started watching Ted Lasso and in a recent episode he told his wife she didn’t need to keep trying to be happy with him. He let her go. I think the secret he was keeping – and something that made him a really compelling character – is that he knew he couldn’t optimism his way out of that situation. He couldn’t believe his way through it. His core value – the power of positive thinking – doesn’t always work.So, today’s topic: What secrets are your characters keeping? Which ones are really dangerous? Which ones aren’t?Let’s start with why your character should be hiding something. This article suggests secrets can add tension to the story, can give your characters a chance to grow, and add depth and complexity to the story. Where does the depth and complexity come from? The secret should be connected to the character’s goal. The depth comes in secondary and third-layer reasons for what they’re trying to do. Does the secret make it harder to achieve the goal? It can also add complexity to the mission if the secret affects the character in a certain way – does thinking of it make them sick? Make them sad?When will the character come clean? Choosing the time to reveal the secret is critical. It should be a choice the character has to make – revealing the secret will move the plot in a specific direction. Read more on the blog

We’ve seen non-linear storytelling sometimes without knowing it. This article does a great job explaining what linear stories are:In a linear narrative structure, the viewer finds it facile to comprehend the way the narrative is moving. This is mostly because the viewer is naturally fed with all the information required to process whatever is happening on screen.And then explaining what non-linear stories do:However in a non-linear narrative structure, the viewer has to use his head in order to connect the dots. Non linear narrative structures are usually adopted to build suspense, to create tension or generally to create a sense of mystery within the spectator. The most crucial aspect of a non-linear narrative structure is that the narrative does not adhere to the norms of a generalized method of storytelling. In other words, in a non-linear narrative structure, there is no hard and fast rule to strictly follow a chronology.Some types of non-linear narratives:Analepsis or a flashback – used to establish critical backstory, probably only used once or twice.Zigzag – alternating between two different timelines, often for the compare/contrast (like The Godfather II) and sometimes to provide answers in one narrative with the exposition of another (like in Memento)Prolepsis – or a flash forward, showing things that will happen in the futureSyllepsis – or grouping multiple characters or stories to tell parallel stories that eventually interconnect (think Love Actually) or have some adjacent ideas or charactersRetrograde – chronological storytelling in reverse chronological order – Mulholland Drive is an example, as is one story of The Last Five YearsAchrony – disconnected, disjointed, disorganized (like Inception) with no real connection between the order in which events occur and the order in which they’re toldChronicle – events occur simultaneously but are told in no specific order (like Pulp Fiction) popular in disaster moviesRead more on the blog

Since last episode we worked on non-linear, this week we’re on the linear conversation.Linear Storytelling (from this link)Linear storytelling, the conventional and time-tested approach, follows a chronological sequence. It presents events in a straightforward manner, adhering to a clear cause-and-effect progression. This structure provides a sense of order, enabling audiences to follow the narrative with ease. A classic example of linear storytelling is the hero’s journey, where the protagonist embarks on a transformative adventure that unfolds in a linear fashion, from initiation to resolution.Advantages of Linear Storytelling (from this link)1. Clarity: Linear storytelling offers a straightforward and easy-to-follow narrative structure. It provides clarity to the audience, allowing them to comprehend the story’s progression without confusion.2. Emotional Buildup: The chronological sequence allows for a natural buildup of tension, emotion, and suspense. This gradual development creates a powerful emotional impact on the audience, drawing them deeper into the story.3. Traditional Appeal: Linear storytelling aligns with the traditional storytelling format, making it a familiar and comforting experience for many audiences. It caters to a sense of expectation and satisfaction derived from a well-structured narrative.Read more on the blog

Have we ever done a show on May the 4th? Yes. Way back in 2019 we were 41 episodes into this journey and working through the hero’s journey (perfect timing) so we did a little May the Fourth be With You in that episode (link here).So today we’re going to focus on Star Wars, not just sidebar it, and talk about worldbuilding (like this episode) and apprentice-mentor relationships (like this one) and writing in existing lore (like this episode).So what is Star Wars? Here’s an entire YouTube channel dedicated to explaining Star Wars to you. With 4,028 videos. Yep.The basics are - there’s a sith lord that wants to take over the galaxy and does and builds a strict and evil empire. What’s a sith? Someone extra powerful with the darkside of the force. What’s the Force? It’s an energy that lives in and all living things in the galaxy and it’s wielded like magic by the Jedi. Who are the Jedi? They’re knights meant to protect the galactic senate (the rule making body of a democratic republic) - a body of equal representation for every star system that is thrown over by the sith lord.The story began for all of us in 1977 with Episode IV: A New Hope. In this movie, we meet Luke Skywalker, son of a deceased Jedi knight thrust into a hero’s journey.We have a special guest in the studio this week, Hollie Whitener. They don’t give PhDs in Star Wars but if they did, this kid would be halfway there.We’ll see where the conversation takes us. Everything is fair game.Read more on the blog

It’s the end of the term for me (Kasie) and so that time of year when I’m ruing the way I set up my class and how labor intensive all the grading is. I’m also fielding emails from students looking for a few more points and begging for higher grades. Sigh.As such, I’ve had very little time for anything else although I did manage to take six more pages in the vampire rewrite to our writers’ group meeting on Wednesday. Slow progress there.Didn’t have a topic for today. So I took to the internet to see if any writers were asking something magical we could unpack for a full hour. There’s a few here but mostly it’s one shot and done. So it’s a GRAB BAG week.Read more on the blog

So Rex has been hired to help someone build a new Dungeons & Dragons game. As Gamemaster, he has some specific responsibilities. Maybe he can tell us about them? The game’s owner needs to organize himself and his resources and this is an experience we’re all familiar with.So today we’re talking about some major projects and the general (and specific) tools and techniques for organizing them.Examples of major projects that we’ve worked on:A novelA short story collectionA podcastAn anthologyA websiteA book launchSome common themes and questions to ask:What is the purpose of the project?Who is the target audience?How will I reach that audience?What resources do I need to accomplish this?What resources do I already have?Some common barriers:What do I not know about the work I’ll have to do?How much time do I have available to allocate to this project?What are my deadlines?What do I need to get from others and how long will they have to complete their parts?Read more on the blog

After we fully explained beginnings last week and kept coming up with the benign suggestions of “make it interesting” and “show don’t tell” we figured we ought to dive deeper into the bricks of the “show” universe. Those bricks are adjectives and they’re used to describe nouns and pronouns.Adjectives are modifiers. They modify a noun to make it more specific. House becomes tiny house. Cat becomes lazy cat. Grandfather becomes grumpy old man. Full explanation here.So when should a writer use them? Like all things, there’s a blog about that. Find it here. But in general, here’s the suggested guidelines:Brevity - don’t over do it. In drafts sometimes we’ll have two adjectives and then revise it to one or none. If the noun can get the job done, it doesn’t need the adjective.Specificity – be specific about what you’re describing. The adjective should do the work of narrowing the reader’s WIDE imagination into the very specific image you want to impart.Types of adjectives:Telly – informing or surmising such as “She was angry.” in which case, we see the summation of her emotion as ‘angry’ instead of the symptoms of that emotion like a glare, narrowed eyes, or some other indicator of rage.Showy – dramatize or activate the noun such as “The drink was fizzy and cheerful.” You might just say “The drink fizzed cheerfully.” to replace the weak “to be” verb, but either way “fizzy” is a pretty descriptive word.Overwriting – applying multiple adjectives like “he London bus was big, red, and smelled of lentils.” We know it’s big and red, it’s London. The interesting part is its smell but if the sentence read “big, red, and smelly” we wouldn’t really know what it smelled of, would we?Read more on the blog

It’s been a couple of years since we dealt with first lines and opening pages and in our revision efforts, we only just touched on where the story should begin and how many times we’ve rewritten Page 1.So today we’ll look at what makes a strong opening page, how to work through the opening scene in revision, and whether you need to revisit that opening scene in subsequent pages or at the end (kiss the beginning as they say).We’ve done this topic before, as mentioned, in Episode 94 way back in 2020 and again in Episode 171 but that was in January 2022. So we’ve learned a lot since then. Right?This time, we’re going deeper in the rabbit hole. I’ve taken the links from our blog and clicked through their links. It’s very meta.Let’s start with this “How to Start a Story: 10 Tips from Literary Editors” (we should have run these by Heather last week):Start with something unexpected (they gave the 1984 example - clocks striking thirteen)Start with a compelling image (leverage the 5 senses - what does it smell like here?)Start in media res (we did a whole show on this) – get right to the action, just make sure your reader isn’t untethered from the character so much so they don’t care what’s happening no matter how exciting it isStart with something short. An observation that makes us curious enough to read further.Start with a question. But not a question, really, except that it makes the reader question or maybe the main character is questioning something.Start with curiosity. Give enough to make the reader curious but don’t make it so cryptic they’re frustrated by it.Start with building the world and the setting. If that setting is dynamic - a storm coming in, the coast after the storm has receded, the busy terminal of a train depot, etc. Or could a peaceful stroll through a quiet town interest a reader enough to keep reading?Start with something new. So this is that insipid “be creative!” advice that we loathe, but the example of it: I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. Is actually more explanatory. It means to use your writing to say something that hasn’t often been said or to pose an unpopular opinion.Start with tension that has room to grow. So, rather than the literal explosion, something intense that leaves room for the scene to grow or be revisited.Start with something that will intoxicate your reader (I know, I know, ‘how?’). Remember your POV, put yourself in that position, share his/her experience in a way that draws the reader in.Read more on the blog

You’re on what version of this vampire novel? Tenth? Yikes. It’s called revision and it lasts an indeterminate amount of time. What to google to prepare for this conversation:How many revisions does a novel need?How long does revising a novel take?What is a reasonable revision schedule?What is a good revision process?Where should someone begin when revising a novel?Why does revision get such a bad rep?The answers, of course, are 10, two weeks, every waking minute until it’s done, and beginning-to-end, repeat.Only joking. Mostly. In truth, revision is as personal as writing and every writer does it differently. Show’s over. Joking again. We’ll unpack a few approaches and set some expectations and also explain what these different levels of revision actually are.Revision - this is a holistic look at the story, characters, plot, etc. You’re re-visioning, seeing it again. This requires distance on the original creation of the thing.Editing – this is the scene-by-scene paring down or pillowing out of the novel. Where do we get too much description of 17th century modes of travel and where could we use more description of the murder’s collared shirt?Proofreading – this is grammar, punctuation, and if you’re a true stickler, it’s where youRead more on the blog

Let's talk about Dragon Boat racing first. What is this sport? Who does it? How does it work?Why was Dragon Boat racing the right occupation for Tripp Avery? What is it about the challenge of Dragon Boat racing that requires more of Tripp than anything else he's done? He worked his way up from poverty to prosperity, became a 'someone' out of 'no one' roots, so how is Dragon Boat racing a different kind of challenge?We all write what we know. Some of Tripp is some of Roger -- just as some of Brian Listo from After December is part of Kasie -- so how protective are you of Tripp as a character? I am fierce about Brian (flaws and all) so I imagine you're especially attached to Tripp. What made you decide to go first-person narrator with Tripp and put us in his head for the entire book?Some of the book takes place in Charleston. A city you know well. What opportunities did setting the book there give you to celebrate (or maybe question?) Charleston as you know it? How important is setting to the story?There are some great characters and relationships in this book. Among them are Amy, Tripp's wife, with whom he has a special bond celebrated through their mutual love of flowers. Amy is the one who encourages Tripp to coach the Dragon Boat in Beaufort. It's a devastating loss in a previous coaching life that makes Tripp reluctant to compete with such fragile athletes. How important is Amy's encouragement to get Tripp to take another risk like coaching the Dragon Boat? What does she know about Tripp that he doesn't know (or believe) about himself?Tripp questions (in Chapter 12) if his commitment to the Dragon Boat work is his own love of turning underdogs into champions. There's a kind of selfishness to the undertaking, which he seems acutely aware of, and which he battles with throughout. In his "pep talk" he reminds the athletes that cancer is not an excuse and warns we will not allow them to humiliate themselves or each other by not giving all they have to the undertaking. What is it about a cancer diagnosis that brings this kind of determination to the front of any character?The Final Victory is a difficult book, one that looks at mortality with eyes wide open and challenges readers to make the best of every minute they've been given in this life. Said one reader, "I had to put it down for a while." The journey for Tripp and his boat mates may hit a little close to home. But through its grief and triumph, the spirit of the novel is to be encouraging, to be certain good things can come from bad circumstances. Buy it local here.Read more on the blog

It’s been more than a year since we studied plot arcs and even then we didn’t grab the recordings and add them to our podcast service. So we’re reviving those conversations for a few weeks to get some good episodes for the podcast.Missed a week of Write On SC? Nostalgic for those oldy-but-goody topics? Check out our podcast library on Apple, Google, and Amazon.ProWritingAid’s take on this story arc conversation can be found here. But here are some notable highlights:Stasis. This is the current situation you find your main character in.Trigger. This is an inciting event that changes the course for your main character.Quest. The trigger results in a quest for your main character to achieve a goal.Surprise. These are complications that prevent your main character from achieving his goal.Critical Choice. This is when your main character chooses what path to take and confronts the obstacles.Climax. The critical choice results in the climax, the peak of tension in your story.Reversal. Your character is changed in some way.Resolution. The story ends with a satisfactory closure.These are high-level plot points. The Save the Cat beat sheet is more detailed:(15-beat structure of Save the Cat!)Opening image – catapult your audience into the storyTheme stated – what is this story about?Set-up – includes the “old” world or the regular world, how things are before the disruption; establish place, characters, and hint at conflictCatalyst or inciting incident – disrupt the status quo, but protagonist isn’t in it quite yetDebate – will they or won’t they? What’s at stake? Should the protagonist get in this fight?Break into two – the clear choice between the protagonist’s options and the choice gets madeB story – whatever subplot you have planned should commence hereFun and games – protagonist learns new tricks, advances in new skills, starts to figure stuff outMidpoint – this may be a realization, may be a complication, may be the end of the escape hatchBad guys close in – something has happened that brings the danger closerAll is lost – the inevitable moment where the protagonist realizes this is just too hard (impossible!)Dark night of the soul – protagonist has actually lost hopeBreak into three – character claws around looking for options and trying to salvage the mission, possibly having to overcome some deep fear or damning beliefFinale – character synthesizes what they’ve learned and applies the solution to the problemFinal image – leave the reader/audience seeing/feeling the theme of the storyRead more on the blog