Greetings moot! I apologise it has taken this long for me to communicate with you. You're an awesome individual and it's a tad intimidating. I love your writing style and just wanted to ask you if you had any writing tips for the pacing and length of scenes since I struggle with them a lot. Sometimes I will write a scene and find that it is too long or not long enough and the pacing is all out of wack. So. Please help.
oh my god, first of all...hi!!
And thank you, seriously. youβre way too sweet. i appreciate this so much (and youβre intimidatingly lovely yourself, so weβre even).
Okay, scene pacing is kind of tricky because, honestly, everyoneβs rhythm is a little different. Personally, i think thereβs no βperfectβ length for a scene; itβs all about how it feels. What i usually do is let emotion dictate pace. If the scene is supposed to ache, i slow it down; if itβs supposed to burn, i keep it quick and sharp. iβm basically chasing whatever tempo fits the mood.
when iβm writing, i also check whether something changes by the end of the scene. if the character isnβt different or doesnβt know something new, doesnβt feel something deeper, doesnβt lose or gain something...then i know iβve written a pretty paragraph and not a scene. And when the pacing feels off, i look at sentence rhythm. Sometimes itβs not that your scene is too long or too short; itβs that your sentences are all marching in lockstep. vary them. let the prose breathe, then choke, then sigh. Thatβs what gives it life.
And honestly if itβs boring me, itβs going in the graveyard doc. i donβt care how good the sentences are; if it drags, it dies (But I usually revisit that doc to see if I could rework any of those things). On the flip side, if a scene feels too short but emotionally right, i donβt force it longer. Silence can speak louder than another paragraph. We don't really need too many filler sentences.
so yeah, this is just what I do. I think everyone's a little different but to me what helps is experimenting with what other people do to find my perfect pace, and that might help you too!
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This cue card exercise is perfect for those that have trouble with plot, and mapping it out. With this exercise, I wanted to pair it down as much as I can without losing too much context. Yet, I couldnβt help myself in losing track of my thoughts a little.
First, write your details for the following:
Choose a Character
Choose a Setting
Choose an βOppositionβ Character
Choose aβ¦
Okay, you know what? Fuck plotting, fuck plot generators, fuck all those stupid "story ideas" that were written by commercial master-of-mainstream authors, and take a look at my
Plotting Dice.
Ingredients:
Dice. You'll need 3 of these at minimum. My regulars are two 6 sided and one 20 sided dice. The 6 sided ones were empty and I painted some images on them, but you can just assign keywords to the numbers. For the 20 sided dice any will do, and if you want greater variety just get a dnd 7 dice set. Preferably, the dice will be real, physical dice, but it's fine if you're more comfortable with digital ones.
For the two 6 sided dice: Assign one of these as the "doing" dice, and the other as the "thing" dice. The thing dice will generally give nouns, and the doing dice will give adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. It will depend on your interpretation.
The "Thing" Dice
Assign these words to the numbers:
1 -> Environment
2 -> Secret
3 -> Artifact
4 -> Monster
5 -> Character
6 -> Magic
These are not "rigid" definitions. You will have to interpret them depending on the context. Keep this in mind.
The "Doing" Dice
Assign these words to numbers:
1 -> Old
2 -> New
3 -> Weak
4 -> Strong
5 -> Legendary
6 -> Dead
Remember: flexible definitions. Nothing is set in stone.
And a regular old d20. Alright, now let's talk about:
The "How" Of The Plotting
Take your half-assed stupid WIP. Or if you don't have one, create it. This will be the framework, the starting point. Make sure to have some vague setting and a few characters.
Take your "doing" and "thing" dice. Roll them. The result will usually be in the format of "adjective + noun". Try to understand what it is referring to, related to your story. [Roll the d20 to confirm you're thinking about the correct thing if you're insecure and indecisive.]
There are no rules. This is a very flexible method, so you can either ask yes/no questions to the d20 to learn about the thing OR throw the "doing" dice to see what the thing does (the result will usually be a "verb", and added to the previous roll it will become a proper "adjective + noun + verb").
That's it. Repeat as required.
However, you might get stuck at some point, or the dice might tell you something batshit crazy. Do not panic. This is normal, the dice are not going mad. Rather, you've stumbled upon...
An opportunity.
This is where interpretation comes into play. It is a very thought-heavy process and requires some creativity, but it is where the dice method gets to shine.
A knot in the dialogue between you and the dice means a plot twist, an exposition-related plot point, or a major incident. Think of it like a big gulp of information that hurt your throat to swallow. (Ignore dick joke.) The best thing to do at this stage is to ask more questions.
Don't be afraid of getting confused or being too stupid in the face of cosmic forces. You will need the 20 sided dice hereβ yes or no questions will help you determine what is certain and what is not. My standard for the results are:
1-9 || No.
10 || Not no, but not yes.
11-14 || Not quite.
15-18 || Yes.
19-20 || EXACTLY that, yes.
If it's a "no", there's no point following this line of thought. Discard it.
If it's "10", you're not on the right track, but the answer is related to what you're thinking.
If it's "not quite", try a different angle, but know that you're on the right track.
If it's "yes", well, it's a yes. But there might be more to it, or you're missing some minor details.
If it's an unequivocal "YES", congratulations, it's exactly what you think. Write it down, you've solved the mystery.
You might need to use the "doing" and "thing" dice here in harmony with the d20. Usually it will be used to ask questions that aren't yes/no, or when you're too stuck to come up with a question. Think of it as a clue to help you get on the right track.
Extra Q&A
What if the dice results don't make sense?
It might be that you're focusing on the wrong thing. Ask the dice, "Is this what you want me to ask?" and the result will usually be a "no". Try changing your angle, or switch to a different part of your WIP. If it answers "yes", it just means you're on the wrong track. Try asking with a fresh, blank perspective.
My dice is telling me one thing, then when I ask it again paraphrased, it tells me I'm wrong.
It might be that your dice is trying to draw you to a particularly specific answer, and the word choice might affect your understanding of that answer greatly, or steer you down the wrong path. Write down what it has given an extremely positive 'yes' on and try asking something derived from that.
The "thing"/"doing" dice doesn't make sense.
As I said, they are adaptable dice, and can mean something different than the word's exact definition. It's always good to ask the d20, "Is this word literal?" For "Monster", it can also mean a beast, an animal, an antagonist, or a sentient being that isn't human yet behaves in a humanoid way. For the adjective "Old", it can also (and usually does) mean "from the past". "Dead" can mean "disappearing" or "removal" or "diminishing". Words have associations, and as dice have limited vocabulary, they're going to force the limits of creativity to tell you what you need to know. You can also switch the roles of the dice (making the "doing" dice the "thing" dice, though this is kinda weird for me) or ask the d20 whether something means a verb, adjective, or adverb. There are no hard rules here.
My dice is deliberately provoking me (by telling lies/giving contradictory answers/taunting me for being stupid)
First of all, stop asking your dice what it thinks about you. This is dice. It is an inanimate object that doesn't have sentience. THE DICE IS YOU. You're the one doing the interpreting by choosing to find meaning in something ultimately random. It's not that deep.
Secondly, if the answers are contradictory, ask "Is this what you want me to ask?" Because most of the time, it is not. Stop being stubborn about a plot point. THE DICE ISN'T AGAINST YOU, THE DICE IS YOU.
Finally, stop asking your dice whether it is lying. Would YOU appreciate someone asking if you're lying when they previously asked for your advice? No? So don't. Trust your dice. For the last fucking time, THE DICE IS YOU.
I've asked the same question twice, and it's given me contradictory results.
Well, since the results are random, of course the chance of you getting the same result twice will be random. And as a rule of the thumb, it's better to note and keep going than to get stuck repeating the same question over and over. If something is dubious about the roll, asking "Should I roll again?" is enough. If the dice says "no", there's no point getting stuck for no reason.
Isn't this basically dice divination?
I don't know, I don't particularly care. It is what it is. If it fits I sits. So long as it works, the label isn't important.
(And since we're on the topic, I don't think it's divination. You're not "divining" anything. Anything that came out, came out of you, and additionally it all came out because you were trying to make a bunch of randomised results make sense. I don't think that's divination. But I do think that it's your genius at work.)
My WIP isn't in the fantasy genre, there's no magic. Can I use a different keyword in its place?
Whatever floats your boat, go for it. Though it doesn't matter what genre your WIP is, the keywords aren't just themselves, they are ASSOCIATIONS. "Magic" can mean magic or it can mean "deus ex machina", "free will", and so on and on. Depending on what you associate with magic, the associations might change. I chose these keywords after reading Lazy Dungeon Master and its categorization of worldbuilding, because they were simple and I could fit them in a 6 sided dice. THERE ARE NO RULES. Do whatever suits you.
I have another question/my question isn't covered in the post.
Ask!!! I insist! I'm always happy to clarify. My asks are open and the anonymous is on.
And with that, I hope no one has to resort to "plot generators" ever again. Happy writing.
I dunno if anyone has said this before (or if I've said this before)... but I came up with a cool way to organize your info for your story.
Are you like me, and have trouble organizing all the fun info you have about your story that you may or may not implement someday, but still have it and want to record it somehow?
You know those iceberg memes, where it shows interesting facts about a concept or piece of media, ranging from commonly known to quite obscure?
Make an iceberg for your story!!!
Like. Stuff that is abundantly clear in your story or that you plan on incorporating, put at level 1.
Stuff about main or secondary characters that takes a little while to know about or is only subtly implied/briefly mentioned can go in level 2.
Things about minor characters or settings that aren't really mentioned or significant to the story but could be relevant goes in level 3.
Heavy things that are very deep in the story, setting, characterization, etc., but are either never explicitly stated or only known at the end (like things you would consider major spoilers) can go in the deeper levels. The more there is to know, the deeper you make the iceberg go.
These are just examples, and it depends on your story, but I plan on doing this to help me visualize what is important to mention in my story, how it relates to my plot, tidbits I know but have nowhere to put them, things like that!! I hope this helps anyone else who needs a new way to organize their story :)
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Things that are inspiring my plot writing shit. - Past Scandals
Researching past controversies and scams and scandals makes me want to do project plots inspired from them. There's just something out of them that tugs on my intrigue and writer strings! Whether the event had it's con-artist sent to prison, or simply had that con-artist's business shut down rather than facing legal judgment or punishment afterwards, exposed scams and scandals have recently and started going on my mind when it comes to writing stories for my projects and stuff. Sometimes I exaggerate them to some extreme, not because that's how my plot-writing style operates, but also because to not make the inspiration/reference blatantly obvious.
You want to know which ones come at my mind alot? No? Tough shit, you're gonna. Let's do this.
Milli Vanilli -
You probably don't remember this R&B duo from 1988 to 1989. But Milli Vanilli used to be a R&B music act from Germany fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus and packaged by Boney M. founder Frank Farian. This one ended with a lip syncing scandal like Ashlee Simpson on SNL. It was a performance at Lake Compounce in Conneticut that was being broadcasted live on MTV (back when MTV was about MUSIC and not Jersey Shore or Catfish and Teen Mom and shit :( fuck modern day MTV). Then during the performance, the song "Girl you know it's true" experienced a skipping and jamming issue due to a hard drive failure. Then when it was all said and done, it all made sense. The duo admitted to being the ones that never sung their albums since behind the scenes, Farian hired Charles Shaw & Brad Howell to sing as the duo on their content and went on to state that Milli were imposters. Not only that, people were suspicious to indicate that their speaking voices were different compared to the singing voices of Shaw & Howell. And so, their grammy was returned and wound up being erased by the music industry completely and faded into complete obscurity.
NFT & Crypto Scams -
With how recent cryptocurrencies are as ponzi schemes in the world, I still feel like there's plenty of opportunities to have this trend of cons to face shame and disgrace. South Park already did it a long time ago, Coffeezilla is already making a living out of exposing and putting these crypto-con-artists in their place. There are plenty of ways today to laugh at crypto now. Logan Paul & Cryptozoo (redemption's long gone), Dillon Danis (Just so gullible to fall for Oompaville & Coffezilla), Sam Bankman Fried (He's fini) and much much more. Creativity has no limits!!!
Willy's Chocolate Experience -
Admit it, you knew this list would have this scam whilst you were reading hmm?
This scam is the first notable one to use A.I. to manipulate consumers, and I am positive that it's gonna influence other would-be con-artists to have A.I. at their advantage. Trey and Matt are gonna write up a parody on this with South Park in the future, there's no denying that. I've also heard it was predicted by Krabby Land from Spongebob.
And ok, it's a very remarkable point to make but it just FEELS like Krabby Land, not actually being like The Simpsons being supposed time travelers.
Also, there's a horror movie based on this...
Should've been a Netflix documentary. Like Fyre Festival.
AH! Speaking of!
FYRE FESTIVAL -
Holy shit, Fyre Festival!
First off, hats off to The Fool for having his video on the subject to show me what it got myself into! I recommend it a ton!
What was supposed to be "the new music festival in town" turned out to be "a pipe dream to your average loser". Created by scam-artist Billy MacFarland and rapper Ja Rule (Jeff Atkins Sr.), school buses brought 500+ people to a deserted and unfinished island and were left there with cheese sandwiches with disordered lettuce and tomatoes (because the chefs backed out), no other food or beverages, just ravaged mattresses and tents and simply put, the scammed being. It was all a living nightmare and one of the most evil scams in history. Thankfully nobody died, and Billy was arrested and sentenced to 6 years in federal prison.
However...Billy got released early in 2022...And a sequel to Fyre Festival is being worked on...
FUCK!
Btw, if you're expecting what I'm anticipating to do with exaggerating these scandals. You're out of luck. I'm not having anybody steal my ideas. I'm simply writing this post to make it known that inspiration for works can be all over the place.
In fiction there are two types of sinister schemes and heroic plans that succeed, and two types that fail.
Succeed:
π schemes and plans that work because they are genuinely clever, meticulous, and well thought out.
π schemes and plans that work not because they are as clever as their schemer thinks, but I am the author and I chose not to have any of the many possible things that could go wrong with the plan go wrong.
Fail:
π schemes and plans that fail because they are not as clever as their schemer thinks and something obvious goes wrong.
π schemes and plans that are genuinely clever, meticulous and well thought out, but I am the author and I chose to have something that no possible planner could have predicted go wrong at the worst possible moment.
