#storycraft

[the960writers]

Nesting MICE Story Types

The power of structuring your story with MICE comes through when you start to nest story types. Let me give you an example. Let's say I'm writing a murder mystery. Usually murder mysteries are Idea Stories. They focus on the question: Who killed X and why? In an Idea Story the story is over when the problem--finding the murderer and explaining how the murder was done--is solved. But let's say I want to write my murder mystery as a Character Story rather than an Idea Story.

I can do this. How? By nesting story types.

#MICE quotient #storycraft #Karen Woodward

[feybeasts]

My favorite character archetype is “Person Who Has Been Through The Wringer But Who Has Gained Wisdom And Is Aggressively Kind As A Result”

Like- someone who’s backstory might be tragic and heartbreaking and would drive a lot of folks to be jaded and angry and sullen- who may even have been through those phases- but who eventually found peace and the help they needed, and as a result is now fiercely positive and aggressively kind and who refuses to let their past do anything more than shape how they approach the world day to day. So often I feel like characters who go through hell don’t get a chance to come back from it, and that paints such a bleak picture of what is expected from people who have been through trauma, when some of the most amazing, kindhearted people I’ve ever known are folks who struggled through an absolute crucible but DID come out the other side and DID get better, and who used that wisdom gained to help others. It makes me happy when a Big Good, a mentor figure, someone like that is someone marked by tragedy but who made it through- because I truly think the world is a better place because there are people like that in it.

We can’t choose if bad things happen to us- but we can choose to ask for help and to do the hard work of living past it until the day may come when we can help someone else do the same. And that’s pretty great, I think.

#oc drabbling #storycraft

[shu-of-the-wind]

O N C E A G A I N I AM GOING TO POP MY HEAD OFF AND YEET IT INTO THE STRATOSPHERE BECAUSE I AM SO SICK OF HAVING TO EXPLAIN THIS

A PROTAGONIST IS THE HERO OF THE STORY. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE GOOD. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE MORALLY CORRECT DECISIONS. IN FACT IT IS GREAT IF THEY DO NOT. THEM BEING THE HERO OF THE STORY DOES NOT MAKE THEM A REAL LIFE HERO AND DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE RIGHT OR EVEN GOOD. IT JUST MEANS THEY ARE THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE STORY THAT IS BEING TOLD.

CONVERSELY AN ANTAGONIST IS THE VILLAIN OF THE STORY. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE A BAD PERSON OR THAT THEY ARE DOING BAD THINGS. IT MEANS THEY ARE THE ANTITHESIS AND OPPONENT OF THE HERO. IN FACT THEY MAY EVEN BE THE MORALLY CORRECT PERSON IN THE NARRATIVE.

BEING A STORY'S VILLAIN DOES NOT MAKE A CHARACTER EVIL JUST AS BEING A STORY'S HERO DOES NOT MAKE A CHARACTER GOOD.

I AM BEGGING YOU ALL TO LEARN READING COMPREHENSION.

#this doesn't mean that protags can't be heroes and antags can't be villains #it just means that JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS A MAIN CHARACTER DOESN'T MEAN THEY CAN'T DO BAD SHIT #the EXACT SAME WAY that someone can be the VILLAIN of a story and do GOOD SHIT #characters contain multitudes just like actual real life humans do #also the morality of a fictional character has nothing to do with someone's real life morality so jot that shit down #anyway #writing #storycraft #protagonist #antagonist #shut up alix no one cares

[sofiadragon]

for Va'pak; Uzhau,

how did you get the idea for it? like it's so well thought out, in the writing style, and it feels so intelligently written, and you come out with an update pretty quick, for a fic like this. i just wanna know, like, what do you think when you're writing? oh yeah and it's a bloody fantastic fic btw

Two ideas started this fanfic:

Vulcans require mental bonds. Being without them is like sensory deprivation. Any surviving orphans would be at massively high risk for self harm or other mental health issues.

Spock and Jim in Iowa. (All elaboration redacted for spoilers.)

I wrote chapter 5 first. It built from there. My fix-it for the odd characterization choices in ST09 with Jim being a felon got added. The Vran from my other story gets a cameo. I like worldbuilding so mostly my stories build up either from "How do I explain [canon thing] and how does that explanation effect other stuff?" Example: Season 1 of TOS says Vulcan has very little free sodium salt, with what a human would consider "freshwater" oceans even if the evaporation rate would make it very mineral rich/hard water. The fannon about Vulcan food being bland to humans would therefore be because there is no salt in the seasoning, meanwhile Vulcans think human food is way too salty! Both species agree on sweets, with strawberries and cream on toast with nuts being a canon Vulcan breakfast served family style!

The other way I worldbuild is more "out of whole cloth, but color-matched to canon." My Jotenheim story is mostly this. I look at the overall framing and details and extrapolate, then build on that extrapolation until I have a complete living culture. Spock has a statue of a death god in a little meditation area of his room. Even as XO, the cabin space on a ship is at a premium. He loses almost all his storage space in the living area to have this instead. It is no great leap to say it is wildly important to him that he have this connection to his culture and religion. That alter means that much to him. Oh, he's wild, out of pocket, sassy, and indulgent at times, but he says his prayers and observes the holy days like a good boy when he's done. At least for his family, we can be sure this is a huge part of their lives... but what is that religion like? What does it say? What can I reverse engineer from canon and what can I make up to fill the voids? Then: how does that impact the story.

As for update speed and quality? Behold:

Never post the last thing you have written unless it is the end. Always have at least one more drafted and some kind of outline or plan before publishing fanfic. I use Scrivener so I have a place for a synopsis for each of these "pages" and you know what? Some of them move. I've taken 5k words and shuffled them like a deck of cards in some of my drafts because after writing it all I realized the story would work better otherwise than how it was.

My first drafts are quite rough, messy grammar and dialog that perfectly fits the "he wouldn't say that" meme.

I just keep on working it until it works out. I've been writing fanfiction since the late 1990's, and I do my best not to rush it.

#storycraft #my writing #star trek #Va'Pak; Uzhau #aos spirk #answers

[lucygriefer]

Storycraft AU

I finally managed to find these Storycraft AU pieces that I made like 2 maybe 3 or so years ago. I don't remember the exact year that I made these. I originally uploaded them onto Amino, then mostly stopped using it. When I tried to find these pieces I had to download the Amino app again because the website isn't the greatest and wouldn't let me scroll all the way down. Anyways here's all the pieces that I've made for this MCSM UT AU.

Plus these pieces show how I use to do the legs when drawing MCSM characters. Back then wen doing MCSM characters I gave them normal upper bodies, while making their legs blocky, to have them sort of fit into the Minecraft world.

The Fallen Child, the ghost of the fallen first fallen child, and the flower that takes over the role of Flowey. The 7th child, and determination soul is Aiden, The first fallen child is Cassie Rose. I don't remember who I decided to have take over the role of Flowey.

The next piece I made was of who took over the role of Sans and Papyrus. I decided to go with both of them being Jesse. Since in the game you can pick between playing as either a male or a female. Jess (female Jesse) takes over the role of Sans, while Jesse (male Jesse) takes over the role of Papyrus. There is also Ruben (I always spell his name wrong.) that becomes an ice pig and gains ice magic. You can also see Olivia and Aiden in the picture of the background. Everyone in the Undergound aren't completely human. While looking human everyone has different features. For example Jesse and Jess are part zombie/skeleton. While it isn't visible here, the two of them don't have internal organs from the neck down. Magic taking over when it comes to eating and digesting the food that they eat.

Then there was Petra, who took over the role as captain of the royal guard. She is also part snake. To help with show when she's using things like green magic.

Then finally there's this piece that I made. Over on Amino I wasn't the only one to create a MCSM UT AU. Another person created their own version and I decided to make this piece for fun. Of the character from MinecraftTale (that's the name they decided to call the AU), where they had Romeo as the character that took over Sans' role while Jesse was the 7th human soul. With Cassie Rose also being the first human soul. I never got to finish this one as I was working on it on an old device. So I gotta try and see if I can find it in a could folder so I can transfer the W.I.P piece over and see if I can finish it.

When the two encounter each other their both very confused. As MinecraftTale thinks Jess is the human he fights, while Jess thinks MinecraftTale Romeo is king Romeo using some type of magic to not be easily spotted right away.

#MCSM #MCSM fanart #Minecraft Story mode #Undertale #Storycraft #MCSM Aiden #MCSM Cassie #MCSM AU #idk what other tags to use #MCSM Ruben #MCSM Jesse male #MCSM Jesse female #MCSM Petra #MCSM Romeo #some of my old art

[burntheupholstery]

i love what @gallusrostromegalus is doing with their Bleach fic The Elephant is Warm and Mushy because it disproves every single entertainment industry truism about how spoilers will Ruin the Experience Of A Story and rips to shreds and exposes for what it truly is the incredibly clown hoops to which modern studios jump through to guard their scripts from leaks

because. right now? Gallus is telling us all these interesting plot shenanigans and chicanery and it's exactly these details that's gained traction and attention and - to use an industry word - drummed up hype for the story. i can't wait to read it, and i'll also wait extremely patiently for it to be crafted to Gallus' satisfaction and released, and then i will eat up every single word and i bet at least a hundred or so will do the same, judging by the notes.

a story doesn't lose its merit or attraction from being known! a story is to tell, to share, to be read and re-told! that it may shift and change in the retelling, that's fine! and i think fanfic is just - the - best !!! demonstration of this

#not rebloggable because these are muddy pre-sleep thoughts #burn talks #bleach fic #storycraft #fanfic

[lawyernovelist]

Mystery Villains: Rings of Power and the Season-End Reveal

Mystery Villains: Rings of Power and the Season-End Reveal

So if you’re going to attempt a project like Rings of Power, you kind of have two choices for how to handle Sauron. After all, the plot inevitably hinges on the other characters not knowing his true nature. Spoilers for Rings of Power and the Hobbit Movies. (more…)

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#rings of power #Sauron #StoryCraft #villains

[worstjourney]

Super hyped finally to have my copy of @beemacdee's new book! Not least as I've been very much in the land of the dead this last week, with the Polar Party's letters...

#books #graphic novel #storycraft #story #storytelling #myth #meta

[siegergewinnspiele-blog]

#litchat #storycraft #iamwriting #writerslife #writingparty #writers #writing #novelists #author #tuesdayserial #storyfriday #ScreenwritingSaturday #WNW #writechat #storychat #scifiwrite #yalit #rwa #sfwa #UFchat #goodreads #scbwi #mglit #kpediting #bookmarket #publishing #writetip #writegoal #storystarters #creativity

[chrisschallertideaengine]

Video Resource: Dialogue

I’m doing this from my phone, so you might have to copy and paste the link. This is a great guide on the traits of impactful dialogue (as in, it impacts the story), and even a helpful example on creating a conflict that deserves its inclusion. So you don’t end up like me, wanting my characters to say the important thing but with no way to get them to do it naturally.

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#advice #dialogue #helpful writing advice #storycraft #writer&039;s craft #writing advice for beginners

[the960writers]

We all know the Big Three elements that keep a story engaging. A character has a goal, which they want to achieve because of some motivation, and while trying to reach it, they run into some conflict.

Notice what’s in the center there?

Yep. Motivation.

It’s crucial, and yet it’s usually the last thing we writers think about. Well, maybe not the VERY last — that could be “hmm, WHAT was this publisher’s address?” — but it’s usually the last of the Big Three.

[...]

#goal motivation conflict #character goals #character motivation #conflict #storycraft

[grimwood-notice-board]

OUTLINES! WTF DO I WRITE???

By Eldon Macwood

I've seen several authors over the years talk about outlining being a problem for them. To fair, you can totally pants an entire book, edit the holy fuck out of it, and potentially make a bestseller. Lee Child, Stephen King, and many others have done just that. But if you're like me, and want to build your story, then there's hope for that.

This post isn't for the pantser. Maybe a hybrid who's a plotsters, and definitely for the plotters.

The thing about outlines, yeah, there are a few different templates out there, and you don't have to follow them them to the T. You can be as general as you want. Have as much, or as little as you want. YOu can just write story beats, which are nothing more than small guideposts on the chapter, to an outline, and then create your beats from that. Which is what I like to do.

There are two ways to write them: 1, the old fashion way, and it's totally cool if that's your way. As in, you do all the work. 2, use AI. Now, now, calm down. Breath. I know, the evil AI, blah blah blah. But hear me out, you don't have to use AI for everything. I know, this isn't something that the AI-phobes would tell ya, but it's true. You can use Claude or Chat GPT for free, and create outlines and story beats.

Even if you never use AI for anything else, using it just for outlining, and beats creation, you can 10X your writing output.

Regardless if you wish to join me in using AI as a tool, there are templates I will share with you. If you just want to write it all yourself, here are some sources (I can help you if you wish to use AI).

TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS! is a book I started out with, and was a template I used for a very long time.

Here's the template for Derek Murphy's outline template, which is one of my favorites. This post shows how to use it with AI, but you don't have to use AI to make it work. As Derek talked about this template four years ago, and can be found here on YouTube!

For doing just beats (this works from your braindump or an outline you already wrote) you take the basic events from a chapter, and you use them go off of. Back in the day, I'd usually have just a few beats. Now I tend to use the Sudowrite system which works with non-AI writing as well, which is a 12 beat system. Now you can adjust that however you like. And I prefer to have my beats organized to scenes within a chapter. Use your beats to gage how many scenes you will have.

Beats are usually at least one sentence per beat, but having a few sentences might work better for you. Depends on you, and your story. You can be as general, or as specific for each beat as you wish.

Is this a lot to think about? Maybe. Again, while it's still a system to learn, AI does in fact make it easier. I have my own system, and I use for free Chat GPT and Claude. I use a prompt I learned about in the Sudo community, the person who created it did so for a Notion template. I use it in Chat GPT which gives me really good chapter summaries of chapter I've already written. I use those with the outline chapter to create the next chapter beats. The only I don't do this for would be the first chapter. But you can still write instructions for that set of beats.

Everything here that I've talked about, you could sit down and work out to system for yourself. Be it non-AI, or with AI. Either way. At some point, I will probably show more on outlining, I'd like to put together a cheap course on it. Why cheap? Because I want to help, and i need money, and I know not many people out there can afford much. So cheap is my compromise. Still not sure if I will have time to put it together, but if I do, I will make it as easy as possible, and update it as AI changes.

This is a topic I love talking about. I have no issue with helping for free when I have time to do so, a course would just be a go-to tutorial on the subject that the consumer can use at any time.

But yea, Libbie's book, TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS! and Derek's outline template are my two main suggestions. And my top one, using AI with these templates. There's also another template I've learned from the AI community which goes up to 37 chapters.

And really, the more you work with this topic, the more you will get to the point of customizing your own template style. You might come up with more than one, depending on what you're writing.

I wish you the best in writing. If you need some help with the AI side of things, let me know, and I will give you a hand.

#authors #writers #AI #Outline #Outlining #storycraft #Sudowrite #chatgpt #claude

[demiurgentg]

Alright, I have a problem.

I've been reading a lot on story craft and it's given me an idea. I first asked "why those seven story types?" And I sort of have an answer. It's not concrete yet, but I'm working it out.

And in working it out, I've radically changed my perspective on how you should go about writing a story.

And unfortunately for me, the only way I can go about the "new" way is to plot. Properly plot.

I'm a lifelong pantser who reluctantly shifted to plantsing recently. And now I have this new idea, I have to be sure my story is properly constructed before I can write it.

Which, I will admit, seems sucky to me.

Worse, I sketched out a kid's book in my mind (because kid's stories are the hardest, y'all) and verbally told it to someone. They were far more impressed than I expected.

So this bastard "new" way that involves all this bloody plotting work... It has proven initially successful. So I need to put proper time into it.

Damn.

#writing #storycraft #plotting not pantsing #wish me luck

[author-in-denial]

saving chapter 6 for tomorrow. i can't do it tonight. gonna figure out my magic system a bit more. this is more fun than i suspected.

#writer #writers and readers #storycraft #I've not done worldbuilding for ages #just a bit i think #I'm pretty tired

[referency]

#storycraft #baltimore #the wire #video #composition of scene #script #Youtube

[lawyernovelist]

Rings of Power and Cracked Narrative Foundations

Sometimes I refer to a plotline as being cracked down to the foundations. I did that a lot with the Hobbit Movies, for example – I especially remember saying it about the White Council subplot. Usually I’m referring to a structural problem. However, Rings of Power has given me an excellent example of a plotline that is actually structurally fine, but still makes absolutely no sense and ruins…

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#rings of power #StoryCraft