Scenes

Bronwyn Jameson states, “Every scene should advance the story, moving the plot and the characters toward the story's resolution and conclusion. If the scene doesn’t fulfil that purpose, then it doesn’t belong in the story.”

This is a very easy thing to forget when you’ve just written something hilarious or nerve-wracking or thought-provoking or otherwise brilliant, and you want to keep it in your novel just because it’s a good scene.

Good scenes aren’t good enough.

Every scene should contain action, AKA conflict AKA proactive characters.
Every scene should derive logically from the preceding action.
Every scene should directly cause change, thus provoking the following scene(s).

(This, of course, assumes you are writing a chronological piece, and not something like Pulp Fiction or Momento.)

Three Act Structure

In three act structure, Act 1 belongs to the hero, or the situation. Act 2, however, belongs to the villain. This is where everything the hero does backfires even though s/he is being heroic. The situation escalates and worsens with every scene.

Hero's Journey: Point of No Return

In Vogler's "Point of No Return" stage of the Hero's Journey, the worst that could happen actually happens. Part of the hero dies, causing the rebirth of the "new" hero. S/he has learned new lessons, but there are severe consequences.

Hero's Journey: Tests, Allies, Enemies

In Vogler's "Tests, Allies and Enemies" stage of the Hero's Journey, the hero/ine figures out new rules, builds a team, experiments with change, and deals with new minor enemies as they crop up.

Be sure to show/exacerbate different sides of the same issue.

Hero's Journey: Refusal of the Call

For the story to work, the journey must be treacherous. Vogler's "refusal of the call" stage of the Hero's Journey is to illustrate the risk involved. Reader must know what is at stake for the hero.

Internal Conflict

The internal conflict is an intangible clash of belief, value structures, dreams, and hopes. These are your characters' hot buttons, and the clash directly affects the external conflict.

External Conflict

The external conflict must be tangible. The oft-cited metaphor is of two dogs competing for one bone.

The reader must be clear about the goal (bone) and there must only be room for one winner.

Internal Conflict

Use internal conflict (like relationship challenges) in push/pull between hero and heroine.

Emotion and Motivation

Keep your characters well-motivated. Emotional stakes may include guilt, fear, worry, shame, etc. Often this directly relates to the internal conflict.

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character is on the run
02) Character discovers something very old
03) Character borrows something
04) Character gets cursed
05) Character decides to take the direct approach
06) Character deals with passive-aggression
07) Character dances
08) Character plays along
09) Character goes wild
10) Character makes a big mistake

Goals

Story goals should be both measurable and explicitly defined.

Jimmy joins a boxing league.
So?

Jimmy joins a boxing league because he wants to impress a girl.
Defined, but not measurable.

Jimmy joins a boxing league because if he *wins*, Susie will go out with him.
Whether Susie goes out with him or not is measurable because it’s visual, clear cut, obvious. Either she does, or she doesn’t.

Scene goals should work the same way. Don’t just have your characters sitting around the coffee table yapping (or worse, laying in bed ruminating on their lives) when you can have them striving toward an unambiguous goal.

Where there’s goals, there can be opposition—and where there’s opposition, there’s conflict. Conflict turns pages. Conflict is good.

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character finds self in "Podunk" town
02) Character is on trial
03) Character realizes s/he is in love
04) Character realizes s/he is NOT in love
05) Character narrowly avoids being in a fight
06) Character starts a fight (or finishes it!)
07) Character forgets something important
08) Character escapes
09) Character gets lost
10) Character gets trapped

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character teaches a lesson
02) Character learns a lesson
03) One (or more) of Character’s belongings disappear
04) Character rents/test drives a car
05) Character has a wacky/scary Friday the 13th
06) Character has must appear in court
07) Character gets stranded somewhere
08) Character is falsely accused
09) Character has superstitious habits/routines/fear
10) Character must appear for jury selection

Character Arcs

All the major characters should experience character growth or decline, not just the hero, heroine and villain.

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character unmasks someone in disguise
02) Character is fooled by someone in disguise
03) Character spies on someone/something
04) Character is spied upon / watched
05) Character gives a high five (or a whoo-hoo)
06) Character gives chase
07) Character runs away
08) Character faces biggest fear
09) Character hears a bump in the night
10) Character does some "trash talking"

Sex: Differences Between Men and Women

Women believe relationships should be repaired before lovemaking. Men believe sex repairs relationships.

Men's Emotional Reaction to Sex

Men might be fumbling/nervous/possessive after/during the first lovemaking because it's the relationship point of no return.

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character is in an accident
02) Character witnesses a crime
03) Character participates in a crime
04) Character attends/stops a wedding
05) Character gets married
06) Character gets jilted/stood up
07) Character jilts someone/stands someone up
08) Character learns someone (or self) is NOT pregnant
09) Character is in disguise
10) Character is tricked

10 Writing Prompts

01) Character receives mail
02) Character sends a package
03) Character receives a package (not necessarily thru mail)
04) Someone Character knows is hospitalized
05) Character is hospitalized
06) Character witnesses a murder
07) Character witnesses vandalism
08) Character participates in vandalism
09) Character gets mugged
10) Character is lied to

Alpha Heroes

According to wikipedia, an alpha male is the individual in the community whom the others follow and defer to.

What this means in terms of characterization is that this type of hero is a can-do hero. He's a proactive hero. He's intelligent, self-assured, self-confident, skilled, successful, opinionated, respected, proud, strong, courageous, passionate, and powerful.

Your alpha hero will be in a leadership position. He doesn't work at the corporation; he owns it. He doesn't advise the king; he IS the king.

This situation means that plenty of responsibility--for himself and for others--rests on your alpha hero's shoulders.

In contrast to all his good traits, some character weaknesses emerge.

Your alpha hero's independence may lead him to a "needs no one" or distrustful nature. Your alpha hero's talent and charisma often leads to arrogance. Your alpha hero's natural leadership abilities can come off as demanding and bossy in other areas of his life. His power--whether physical and/or social--often leads others to fear, resentment, or subservience.

Your alpha hero may be aggressive, angry, hard, forceful, high-handed, hostile, tough, jealous, or dark--but he is also heroic: honest, loyal, dependable, capable, honorable. He is not abusive, selfish or cruel.