Cleaning House and September 2013 #writemotivation Update

So the first week of September has come and gone and I have finished my homework for my awesome mentor. And I've learned something.

Having two antagonists with two separate agendas and that are not working together can really confuse things.

Yup. I did it.  And this is why Nicole said this:

Where is the plot? I think this is the biggest element that I struggle with. I kept looking for the hook, the moment where the problem would be presented and I'd follow the hero on his journey to overcome it. However, there is no clear plot.

You're hero should have one defined goal. Yes, you can have multiple bad guys, but they have to work together against the hero. Yes, they can have their own agendas, but if your protagonist has to split between struggling against two separate camps, it's going to get confusing.

So, I'm cutting a character arc. The character will still be there and involved, but not with the same focus. The character is more of a symptom of my main character's life and not the cause of it.

I have direction.

I have committed atrocities to my plot using a dull chainsaw and have duct taped the tattered remains together. And I've started rewriting. And when I'm done, it'll be (hopefully) prettier than when I started.

The other thing I've learned is that Sick Puppies is the perfect soundtrack to writing this story. I thought I had a good soundtrack, but then I heard "My World" by Sick Puppies and I knew.

Goals for the month:

1. Do the homework assigned to me by my Mentor Agent regarding HJ. DONE!!
2. Revise HJ based on Homework.  IN PROGRESS
3. Take what I learned and apply it to my current WIP if I have time.  Probably won't get this done, but we'll see.
4. Blog once a week. Yes
5. Cheer on my twitter and #writemotivation friends. Totally!

'Till Next Time

Plodding Plots

Yesterday, my father-in-law loaned me the book "Plot and Structure" by Jason Scott Bell. I've read part of it on my Kindle and it seems interesting. Plot and structure are important to any story, or poem.  It gives the writer direction and keeps them from getting lost in the prose. Despite its importance, how you do your plotting, is another thing.

I know some people who spend a long time plotting everything to the point that they just have to fill in a few words and they are done. For them, it works. It's structured, it's clean, and they can quickly write out scene upon scene and finish very quickly (in a sense). The work they do on the front half, reduces the work they do on the back half.

Then there are people like me, sometimes called "seat of your pantsers", or "pantser" for short. Now, I'm not a complete pantser as I actually do preplan a little before writing a chapter. I also have a pretty good idea of where my story is going. A true pantser just writes, and writes, and writes, and lets the plot set itself.

Either way you do it, there will always be the need for editing and revision. Nobody is perfect.

I've also decided that I'm somewhat boring with my blog so here is an obligatory random image from: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/random/images/4954525/title/fantasy-art-wallpaper.  It looked cool. No other reason. :D

'Till next time.