What a Dilemma!

I confess... I play Dungeons and Dragons. Before you laugh, I plead on its behalf for plotting, story development, further character development... *panting* and so much more.

As I ran my campaign, my group needed to develop their own characters; flaws, aspirations, backstories, and so on.   

As with any story, to make the campaign more enjoyable, characters need an arc --  challenges to overcome. I needed to provide experiences that created dilemmas. I enjoyed this website that helped to develop that:

5 Moral Dilemmas That Make Characters (& Stories) Better

-- Jennadee

Show vs. Tell

A while back, an essay by Chuck Palahniuk was shared with me about showing vs. telling.  THAT is a major struggle of mine.  I am constantly working at it. (Which is good. Because once it is a habit, it will become more subconscious in my future writing.)
-- Jennadee

Here is the address:
Nuts and Bolts: “Thought” Verbs

Miracle Morning...

I have struggled with getting up in the morning. No matter how I try to initiate our getting up earlier, my hubby stayed in bed, and I'd rather be there snuggling with him. Guilty.

So, I got a walking buddy. We talk, which is awesome. I love being able to talk with another adult. (Which is just a more mature way of talking with kids. I want... She did this... I hurt... 'No!'...) But necessary. I now get up early in the morning... yes... AM and walk with my buddy, Tanya, and our puppies.

My hubby and I had a hard time fitting all we wanted to do into our day.  And by definition, we weren't 'morning' people. Night owls, in fact. Hubs needed more time to work on website design and podcasting. I needed time to write. And we were just too tired come the evening that all we wanted to do was veg in front of the TV. (Sound familiar?)

Hubby listens to podcasts all day because of the driving he does for work.  He came across 'the Miracle Morning' and shared it with me (and everyone else he met). We started getting up and accomplishing our goals.

(Obviously, because I'm blogging!)

Editing...

Others Write, Too...

As part of a writing critique group, I must remember that my story isn't the only one being written.

There is a balance between writing your own work and critiquing others' work. There is so much responsibility for both of these. They expect my work. AND they expect their work critiqued and sent back.

How much time is there in a day?!

Time is a balancing act. We have to learn to be more efficient with the time we have. But who wants to? If 30 minutes is what you have to write, it's what you use.

I homeschool, so I have to plan for those lessons and teaching takes time out of my day. I need sleep. I have meal preparation obligations. The house needs cleaned. And lets face it, kids' needs (and meltdowns) don't happen at planned times. (They are high on my priority list, after all.) Where does writing fit it?

There are many things that I aspire to do. There is time. It might not be a lot. Choose how you use it wisely.

Challenges Change.

The quote goes, "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you."

I like my characters. And because they are mine, I feel a responsibility to protect them. So, I struggle with letting my characters suffer enough. Which, in turn, makes for a pretty dull story.

This last chapter that I turned in to my critique group, I pushed a boundary for myself. I let the struggle last a little longer. I felt good about my growth! But... after I turned it in, and had my outline epiphany, I knew that the struggle had to be a little longer.  It might affect some later scenes, but only in the ways they needed to be.

I buckled. I had to do it. So, I rewrote a section and the rest flowed. So, much to my group's dismay, I re-sent the work. (Sorry guys; have I mentioned how awesome you rock?!)

Let your characters struggle. You will love who they become so much more if you do.

Timely Epiphanies

Over the weekend, I spoke with my Writer-in-Chief (aka, Hubby) and ran some ideas by him.  What I had envisioned as a weekend to rest from my story ended up clarifying my beat sheet.

I recently read the book Transparent, and its sequel, Blindsided by Natalie Whipple. I was inspired by her books' flow that I had to map it out chapter by chapter.
(I know, reading is supposed to be for leisure.)

This last weekend, what I loved so much about her book is that we are given a taste of knowing what is going on for one character.  The reader has an insight that no one else has and feels in-the-know. By the end of the book, you realize that you didn't have all the insight you thought you had.  That's what I wanted for my story.

As I chatted with my WC, he got my wheels turning and then it hit me. The reader knows Arnold's secret. What is the surprise twist? Now, I dare not reveal it. Needless to say, I went back over my beat sheet and made sure that my idea flowed with the rest, but wasn't revealed until the right moment.

Now, I am HIGHLY motivated to keep going! (Wishing I could go without food and responsibility for a few months...)