Comments - b_blakeney

Here's a stab at chapters...

Number One - Visualizing Your Idea

1. It is important to do thorough preparation and research. Be an "expert" in your subject matter. This applies whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction. For example, obviously you will have to do extensive research on a particular time period if you are writing a historical romance. If you are writing a current thriller from a female African-American's point of view and you are a white male, you have to do a different kind of research in order to get into the character's mindset and make her ring true. You literally need to know how that character would react to any given situation. If the character is genuinely real to you, it's easy for an outsider to get the nuances of that character or world. The point is to really know your subject -- whatever it may be.

2. The challenge is not to write truth, but to write seductive BELIEVABILITY. (The art of verisimilitude.) One of the things I've tried in the past is to weave what I know with what I don't, but I threw in too much of the latter. Consequently, my stories were unbelievable and crappy. I'm not saying you can't throw in some ********, but curb your enthusiasm a bit. If you're dealing with real people, then they need to seem real to the viewer or actor. And if they're not real, convince them.

3. A screenwriter should look for places to integrate his/her screenplay with toe-to-toe, eyeball-to-eyeball CONFLICT: social conflict, emotional conflict, spiritual conflict, cultural conflict, internal conflict, relationship conflict, psychological conflict, and/or, yes, physical conflict, too. Conflict is crucial in maintaining the reader's interest in the story and in the characters. You may write a story about a man in solitary confinement who never has interaction with anyone except a prison guard and still have conflict which could be interesting to read about. But some kind of conflict is usually necessary.

4. Most writers don't spend nearly enough time on character, so the characters lack depth. We don't bond with them; thus they are incapable of taking us along on even the most exciting roller-coaster story ride. You can have the most complex, brilliant "roller-coaster" in the world, but if the reader/audience isn't "hooked" emotionally to your main characters, they won't be "along for the ride."

5. In good stories, you start out with a likeable Hero(s) who have psychological and moral flaws. He/she must be likeable enough to entertain and intrigue us, but flawed enough to have the potential to learn and grow. Max Payne, for example, is a flip of the goody-two-shoes cop. He was for a minute there, but then his whole world was torn down after the murder of his wife. He became what was, in essence, a "bad man." So do you think has better stories to tell? Nice Max, or Mad Max? Remember, "perfect" people are not likeable!

6. Try to take us into a unique world - e.g., in my novels: a Presidential campaign, con artists, computer hackers, Chinese Triads - we should learn something new while we're being taken on a journey and entertained. Create a world you love and feel passionate about, and you'll embark on an affair with writing you'll never want to end. ;)

That's all I've got for chapter one, More to Follow.

--b

I'll do it as soon as I can. ;)

--b

Hey, guys. If you need any extra help with anything, I'm a n00b hoping to cultivate his talents. I have extensive writing skills, though, so you can use me as a sounding board if need be.
Peace

--b

Dude, that's essentially the whole mod. :D

--b

Seems Helpful.

--b