The Cottage of Blog
Good morning from the Cottage of Blog. Coffee's fresh, juice is Tropicana and breakfast is oatmeal with dates, raisins and nuts. Can't get much healthier than that.
Okay, so I'm starting to get into the frame of mind to go back to work. I've come to grips with this. In fact, I'm almost looking forward to it. (Yeah right)
WIP: (that means work in progress) It's coming. I have it pretty much plotted out. In Chris Voglers terminology, they're approaching the cave. The villain has followed the heroine to her refuge and now will be making nice, nice, with the hero's ex-girlfriend. Some parallellisms here, I think. Two men, dumped by the women they love, both handling it in two very different ways.
I think the heroine's character came out in the last scene when she defended a waitress tripped by a bus boy and fired on the spot by, you guessed it, hero's ex-girlfriend. It takes a real heroine to stand up to an antagonist. And, folks this ex-girlfriend certainly is an antagonist in this story.
I won't go on too much, except to say, because of the vilain's particular obsession, I'm threading it throughout the story. Water.
Paintings on the wall of the restaurant, all oils of different parts of the lake. When the waitress falls , she spills water all over the customers. I just thought of this, so I'll have to work it all in during the second draft.
Once again, I'm adding horses to the story. Another show of strength for my heroine. I'm not sure it will actually belong in the story, but it's fun to write. If I have to edit it out, that's what second, third and fourth drafts are for. (oh, that's exhausting)
I'm loosely following the Chris Vogler blocks, with some changes. Thanks Janie. You've made it somewhat easier and not as confining. However, I love Voglers character archetypes. It gives me direction into the roles the characters should be playing. And, Tammy Cowdin and friends, I love your guide to Heros and Heroines. Another useful source. I'd credit all names, but I can't find the book! Horrors of horrors. I hope I didn't leave it in Brooklyn last time I was there.
Moving right along, I haven't counted words, so there are no updates on the story at present. I should do that, and I should somehow put all the sections together. I'm pretty sure, though, they're in the correct placement. Hopefully--I've never written in sections before.
Now, if I can just get the difference between scene, sequel, episodes and happenings into my head--and provide a good balance of each, I'd be a really happy camper.
I'm working on Dwight Swain's MRU (motivation and reaction units) you know, sequence of events. I say something, you reacte to what I say. But you don't react before I say it. I don't leave the room before I've huffed at the person I'm mad at. And so forth. Easy? Not so fast. I've seen accomplish authors make those mistakes, and until I read Mr. Swain, I was guided by pure instinct.
Well, take care all. Enough about writing. Back into the school mode.
Happy reading, writing and blogging from:
The Cottage of Blog
Pat
