m e l a n c h o l y

I have restructured the folders to make them easier to use and managed to add almost all languages requested and then some

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992) DIR. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

With NaNoWriMo around the corner, I thought I might show you how I plotted my novel.

This is the story structure I used:

0% inciting incident

0%-20% introduction in the world, ends with a point of no return

20% first plot point: the hero receives his marching orders

20%-50% response to the first plot point

35% first pinch point: reminder of the nature of the antagonistic force

50% midpoint: big fat plot twist that changes the hero’s AND reader’s experience

50%-80% attack: the stakes are higher now

65% second pinch point: again reminding the reader of the antagonistic forces at hand

80% second plot point: the final injection of new information into the story to give the hero everything she needs to become the primary catalyst in the story’s conclusion (no new information past this point)

80%-100% resolution + final conflict + return home

I didn’t make this up. I think it’s by Larry Brooks, if The Internet informs me correctly. Fun Fact: once you pay attention to it, you’ll see this structure everywhere. Just take a look at any Harry Potter book, for example.

These points are the “bones” of my story. Next, I decided what “flesh” to put on them.

I simply made a list of things I like to read about:

Books about books and libraries

Magic

Quirky characters

Intelligent, fast-paced and sometimes silly

So, I combined this list and the structure points into a story that makes sense. Because I don’t want to spoil my plot / I am still to shy about my wip, I will make up a new plot for this post, so I can show you.

0%: The hero does something magical without knowing how she did it. She discards it, because everybody knows it can’t have been real.

0%-20%: We see the daily life of the hero: she is unhappy because all she wants to do is read, but she is not allowed to. She reads in the dead of night and is punished for it by her evil stepcousin. She finds a book on magic.

20% It all clicks together: she can do magic!

20%-50% The daily life for the hero changes. Instead of reading all night, she practices magic. She now loves books even more. She has little victories over her evil stepcousin, but hasn’t won yet.

35% The evil stepcousin finds out that she can do magic and takes away the magic book.

50% She discovers she can do magic without the book.

50%-80% The hero is not the only one who is bullied by the evil stepcousin. Her younger cousin is a victim as well, and he doesn’t have magic to defend himself. The stakes are raised, this is bigger than herself now. The younger cousin also wants to read, so they have several bonding moments over reading.

65% The evil stepcousin hurts the younger cousin, he’s in a coma now.

80% The hero discovers the evil stepcousin could do all these evil things because he knows magic too.

80%-100% The hero confronts the evil stepcousin, fights him off, nearly loses but wins in the end. He gives up and releases his power over the younger cousin who wakes up from the coma.

It’s not the most genius plot ever, but I literally made this up in minutes. So can you! And imagine the genius plot you can come up with if you spend more than a few minutes on it.

Then I calculated how many scenes I need in which part of the story. My wip is a YA or 12+ book, so I want it to contain about 75,000 words in total. I want my scenes to be around 1,000 words long to keep it snappy, so I need 75 scenes.

Scene number 1 (0%) is the inciting incident, scene number 15 (20%) is the first plot point, scene number 26 (35%) is the first pinch point, scene number 37 (50%) is the midpoint, scene number 49 (65%) is the second pinch point, scene number 60 (80%) is the second plot point and scene 75 (100%) is the last scene.

Some sidenotes on the 1,000-word scenes:

That’s more of a vague rule of thumb than a strict rule. If your scene needs to be longer or shorter, make it longer or shorter of course. My wip has some 2,300-word scenes as well.

Having 1,000-word scenes does not mean I have 1,000-word chapters, that would be really short. I will divide my novel into chapters after I’m finished writing my first draft.

For NaNoWriMo, maybe you could write scenes of 1,667 words, so you do one scene per day. A 50,000-word novel has 30 scenes of 1,667 words. Inciting incident is at scene 1, first plot point at scene 6, first pinch point at scene 11, midpoint at scene 15, second pinch point at scene 20, second plot point at scene 24 and scene 30 is your last scene. That’s just an idea, you got to see what works for you.

Then I made up in one sentence what will happen in every scene. For example: “They meet the dragon and he sends them on a sidequest.” Now my outline consists of 75 one-sentence scenes. This way, I prevent the problem of the sagging middle and other pacing problems and I still get to surprise myself when writing.

From those one-sentence scenes, I flesh out every scene into a first draft, using the process I described in my post How I never have to face an empty page when I write.

And that’s my first draft! I hope everything is clear. Feel free to ask me questions if it isn’t.

I’m gonna tag a few people I admire, who I hope are interested. If you aren’t, feel free to ignore me, or message me to take you off my tag list. If you would like to be added to my writing advice tag list, let me know.

You let your suitcases drop to the floor. The cases are covered with many stickers representing all the countries you’ve visited.

The rug that covers the floor is intricately woven and colorful, no doubt an expensive import from Marrakesh. You slip off your penny loafers and hold them in one hand, stepping cautiously over the rug and looking about the room.

There are no photographs of family, only your aunt with many different animals, from foxes to elephants to tigers.

The unmistakably vague crackling of a record player wafts through the halls, and you follow the honey-sweet music up the stairs to a neatly arranged library, every book in its rightful place, save for a small stack by a large armchair.

In the armchair, a young man has his face hidden behind a copy of Jane Eyre, the light from a large window painting his hair a golden brown, and dust moats floating through the air like snowflakes.

The room is crowded with dancers clad in expensive, jewel-toned gowns and coats, though you can’t seem to make out any of their faces.

The dining table is laden with large plates of shining heaps of meat, and delicately ornate cake platters. The whole arrangement smells of cardamom and cinnamon.

The music is smooth as silk, though you can’t tell quite what instrument it’s coming from.

You begin to feel a little dizzy, overwhelmed by the noise and chatter, when a gloved hand presents itself to you and you take it without thinking. You find yourself dancing with an attractive stranger, their eyes an uneasy sort of yellow, oddly snake like.

You dance until your feet ache, and when the stranger turns their back you fade into the crowd and wander to some secluded section of the house, your back against the cold wall, breathing heavily.

A button-down cuffed to the elbows, loose black tie threaded through the collar. A tweed blazer thrown over the forearm and a well-worn novel tucked into the elbow. Ink-smudged fingers and sleepless eyes.

A rumpled white dress shirt. The top few buttons unbuttoned to reveal a golden locket, burnished by habitual rubbing. Wistful looks out the window.

Clean and put together. A black cotton sweater, the white collar of a shirt folded out over the neck. Pegged pants and oxfords. Hair pulled into a low bun. The sleeves of a smoky gray trench coat conceal the frantically scribbled words that cover the backs of your hands and wrists.  

Black sweater, sleeves pushed to the elbows. Messy hair twisted into a bun and held up with a pencil used as a makeshift hair stick. Mumbling Shakespeare into a steaming mug of coffee.

A white flower behind the ear. Hours spent poring over a book, lounging on a divan by the window as rain pours outside. A button-up of rosy, ghostly silk and soft gray pants. Bare feet propped up on the arm of the divan.

Hair and face damp with rain, a coat with the collar upturned against the weather. Pulling a dry book from the inside of the coat with a sigh of relief.

A cherished blazer; secondhand, ratty, and patched at the elbows.

A dark swing coat hanging off of the shoulders like a cape. A cotton turtleneck and laced ankle boots. Hair pulled back from the face by a crown of braids, a few strands loose about the face.

A creamy cotton turtleneck that peeks from underneath a black button-down, both tucked into tweed pants. A leather belt and matching dress shoes. A beaten copy of Hamlet clutched in one hand.

An ivory cable knit sweater. Silver rings adorn the fingers, frequently fiddled with by anxious hands. Hair woven into a hasty braid. A camel coat over the shoulders. 

Lips and fingers stained with cherry juice. A black silk slip. Trading Oscar Wilde quotes in front of the fireplace.

A burgundy cardigan; underneath, white shirt, black tie. Hands hooked in the pockets of black slacks. Walking, solitary, down the dark street. 

Black button-down, black pants, black oxfords, long black coat. The sky is overcast. Crows circle overhead. You count seven.

Worn, rumpled sweater tucked into a brown plaid skirt. Combat boots. A satchel bulging with books. 

> Touch up any makeup or put on some of your finest red lipstick

> Light a candle & put it on a windowsil (or anywhere it won't catch something on fire)

> Read something challenging during the day (Shakespeare, James Joyce & my boi Edgar for example) & something easygoing in the evening (Agatha Christie, Huxley, Stevenson)

> Make a cup of coffee or tea either in a delicate teacup OR a real heavy duty mug (it's impossible to look even slightly suspicious if you're holding a normal sized mug ¯\_(ツ)_/)

> Listen to antique records on vinyl. If you don't have a player, there are some amazing Spotify playlists to use!

> If you're feeling uninspired, change up your outfit! I always feel my lowest when I'm in my pajamas all day, so I will usually put on a pair of corduroy trousers with braces & match it with a spiffingly hefty blouse

> Look at Instagram or other tumblr posts on DA and see what you find! create a mood board on Pinterest if you so wish!

> Learn to raise one eyebrow- if feeling like a pretentious scholar is your goal, this small action is a must!!

> Reach your daily goal on Duolingo- while you're doing it, it may not seem very DA, HOWEVER, when you're done you feel accomplished & smart, which is perfectly on brand. Plus, you get to learn a little more of your chosen language every day- & one of those days you'll be fluent!

> Style your hair- if you have longer (and straighter) hair, I recommend an updo such as a Gibson Tuck. Styling your hair makes you feel elegant & improves your mood heavily! Nowadays it's rare to see me without my hair up

> Reorganise/ decorate your space- even if it's just a little change, such as moving the plants around your room, it's still a breath of fresh air & allows you room to think about more permenant changes such as new paint or furniture

> Carry a book with you anywhere you go- even if it's just to the kitchen, this action will totally make you feel more book smart! A spiffing one to carry with you is "Schotts Original Miscellany" as you can read about almost anything, from identifying cloud types to commonplace Latin. Its super useful to have in your pocket- almost like a pre-written notebook just for you :)

> Practice a creative skill- like an instrument, writing or drawing. This improves your DA levels for sure

> Improve your humour to be witty & sarcastic! You can pick up tricks from basically any witty (or British) show like Sherlock or Doctor Who, & when you have sarcasm and wit up your sleeve, you aren't just unstoppable, you're also turning into that pretentious scholar you've dreamed of becoming! :,)

-collects music boxes and line them neatly on the shelf, trying to set them off at the same time.

-used to buy baguettes every Thursday morning and carry them to school

- great at forging things, because their writing can instantly change

- can beatbox surprisingly

- can unhinge their jaw

- can crack their neck

- brings certain things to a get together just because it is aesthetic

- takes lessons for violin yet spends most of their time self teaching themselves piano

- knows seven languages yet has a mental blank for all of them when speaking to someone

- hunches over and makes themselves look shorter than they are, even though they are one of the shortest ones

- good at a shit ton of things yet does not seem to comprehend simple geography, will believe that Spain is in France until told otherwise

- teaching themselves to be ambidextrous

- smartass since day one

-mildly allergic to cats yet owns one

- can’t swim properly

- writes notes in a bunch of different languages mixed together and sits in satisfaction as their friends scramble to translate it.

- has a guilty pleasure of gay fanfic

- has a guilty pleasure of poetry from the romantic era

- one is a slightly hypochondriac

- uses too many commas, semi colons in their writing

- scared of butterflies

- smells like berries

- so many hand gestures and dramatics while talking.

- calls her friends ‘bub’

- whenever she’s bored and wants to read at the same time the only thing she’ll read is Lemony Snicket

- has to pick out their own cutlery otherwise will get annoyed

- checks their bare wrist as if they’re looking for the time

- has a strange obessesion with time

- really likes ink

- gets vertigo a lot

- prefers inanimate objects more than people

-used to have a room filled with paper planes

hace falta ver cuerpos contrahegemónicos más seguido