Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Visual Dare 7: Stuck

NOTE: I have enabled links so you can post your entry on your own blog and 
link back here. See the cool linky tool below today's photo! 
(And let me know if you have any problems with it!!)

If you do NOT have a blog, feel free to post as usual in the comments below.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Here is your weekly Visual Dare! You can use this photo in one of two ways:

     * incorporate it into your current Work In Progress - literally, or figuratively
     * use it as a 100 word flash fiction to get the brain going in a different creative direction.


Here's your dare:


Photo by: Raegan Bird


Where does this take your writing - even for a short burst?

Be sure to link through and encourage other writers who are also participating!

Remember ~ if you don't have a blog, you can still post your entry in the comments below. 






Monday, May 28, 2012

Storyboarding vs Mere Plotting


With JuNoWriMo almost upon us, I have tweeted more and more lately about the “storyboarding” stage of my writing process. Several people have asked me what I mean by that, and still others have asked for a closer look at how I go about the prewriting process entirely.

Most writers refer to this as simply “plotting” – but I confess, it’s a word that rarely enters my writing vocabulary.

In the world of Angela, prewriting means storyboarding.

What is storyboarding?

A nice dictionary definition of storyboarding is simply this: “A panel or series of panels of rough sketches outlining the scene sequence and major changes of action or plot in a production to be shot on film or video.”

In other words, it is a term generally applied to the film industry. Generally, it’s a visual pictorial outline that looks something like this >>> See johnstanicek.com for excellent storyboard examples. <<<

This sort of “plotting” is essential to those in film, since so many details hinge on the presentation of the visual aspects, and not dialogue only.

The Megatokyo Connection

I first ran across the term storyboarding several years ago, when I discovered the mother of all quality, convoluted, complex webcomics known as Megatokyo. The mastermind behind the comic, Fred Gallagher, was still putting out Largo & Piro goodness in his original gag-a-day comic strip format then. But not long after I joined this deliriously inverted world of geeks, mystery, social awkwardness, gaming, and the undead - Fred did something VERY interesting: he decided to morph the comic strip from a daily yucks-and-giggles routine to an overarching story with multiple characters, intricately interwoven plotlines, and ongoing themes that actually went beyond humor and meant something.

In short, he wanted to move out of sitcom territory and tell a substantive story.

As he went through the transformation, Fred documented his efforts in his blog posts, which always show up at the bottom of the page after the comic. This is where I first heard him rant about storyboarding, and how much time was consumed in plotting things out correctly.

Then he started posting snippets of his storyboards. He still does this sometimes, by posting “in progress” comics when the finished result is taking a while to really polish off.

Once I saw what he meant by “storyboarding”, my whole vision of what it meant to put a story together changed. Drastically.

Why storyboard a novel?

The idea of “storyboarding” changed my view at a bedrock level, and on a point so simple as to be considered obvious: Stories need to be visual.

That’s almost a “duh” kind of statement, isn’t it? After all, we live in a visually charged society. If it’s not the internet or television or movies, it’s coming over our iPhones and iPads, Kindles and Nooks, not to mention the old standbys – billboards and posters and magazine covers in the grocery store check-out lines. We are bombarded by visual stimuli constantly. Yet we still need the reminder – or at least I do – that today’s audiences are so visually conditioned that any would-be-author who ignores this reality of the modern audience does so at his own peril.

Again – a “duh” moment, right?

But here’s where the lightbulb went on for me: If I am going to write for such a visually charged audience, then I need to write visually – even before I put words to paper.

Please do not misunderstand me.

Storyboarding a novel does NOT mean:

·      Drawing tons of sketches beforehand (though some authors – including J K Rowling, are known to do this. But it’s not for everyone.)
·      Belaboring my writing with loads of long, heavy description. (This is generally considered monumentally BAD writing.)

But my audience is visual. VERY visual.

So how do I do this?

My personal answer is what I would like to take you through for the next few weeks. I’m not saying that I have all the answers – only that I’ve found what works for me; and I have helped enough writers along the way that it seems to help other people as well – not everyone, perhaps, but many. And it’s adaptable; so if you’re NOT an artist, then you can tweak the process in a way that fits you.

Over the month of June I will break down the steps of how to storyboard a novel the “Angela Goff way”, and let you be the judge of which part of these sub-components works for you.

Generally speaking, the trajectory of this series will cover: context, hooks, idea gathering, timelines, maps and sketches, and then of course how to merge all of that into a full storyboard.

I hope this little foray into my brain will help some of you, or at least encourage you in knowing that you’re already doing some of these things that will save your novel from the slush pile.

Follow me on Twitter (@Angela_Goff) or subscribe to email notifications for this blog to catch the next installment, hopefully coming your way by the end of the week.

Questions? Comments? Does any of this sound helpful?
Let me know in the comments!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Quick Notes

It's a splendiferously busy Friday and my laptop battery is about to die, so here's a quick run-down of things to know and look for:

(1) If you haven't been there lately, go to Anna Meade's Yearning for Wonderland and check out the interview I did for her on my favorite writing space and why it fuels my literary aspirations so well. Thanks to Anna for giving such a wonderful opportunity to share!

(2) I'm having such wonderful responses to the Visual Dares every Wednesday that I am actively looking into ways to allow people to post their responses on their website and "link in" to mine (in the same way that Lillie McFerrin does with her Five Sentence Fiction challenge). Stay tuned on that - should be up and ready by next week's Visual Dare!

(3) Speaking of Five Sentence Fiction, be sure to check out Lillie's latest challenge and craft your own entry!

(4) Have you signed up for JuNoWriMo yet? If you haven't - I encourage you to do so!!! Writing a novel in one month is no shabby goal, and when you have scores of other crazies doing the same thing with you, it's soooooo much easier to sprint toward the finish line. Check out their website and sign up - and I'll see you there on June 1st!

That's all for now, kiddos! More later....!


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Visual Dare 6: Obstacles


Here is your weekly Visual Dare!

This dare is up for your writing pleasure until next Tuesday at midnight (EST) at which point the next Visual Dare will go live. :)

You can use this photo in one of two ways:

     * incorporate it into your current Work In Progress - literally, or figuratively
     * use it as a 100 word flash fiction to get the brain going in a different creative direction.

Give it a try! Feel free to post your creative responses to the prompt in the comments below (if it's 100 words or less, plus personal comments, of course!).

Here's your dare:



Photo by Franco & Lia - Liberate Rossella Urru


Where does this take your writing - even for a short burst?
Let me know in the comments - in summary or 100 word excerpts!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Monday, May 21, 2012

A Kreativ Honor



Yay me! I have been nominated for the Kreative Blogger award by fantabulous Irish writer Matt Sloan (Everyone go to his blog and say hello! And comment on his current flash fiction because it is amazing.).


The Rules:
1. Thank & link back to the person who nominated you.
2. Answer the ten questions.
3. Share ten random facts/thoughts about yourself.
4. Nominate seven worthy blogs for the Kreative Blogger Award.

The Questions:
1. What's your favorite song?
The hymn "And Can It Be" by Charles Wesley. I adore many songs, sacred and secular, but this one sends chills through my soul every time. Good chills. Love it.

2. What's your favorite dessert?
Nothing really stands out....though if it involves mango, I'm liable to fight you for it.

3. What ticks you off?
Recklessness. Sheer, utter, stupid recklessness.

4. What do you do when you're upset?
Write.

5. Which is your favorite pet?


Not allowed to have pets at my current location (SNIFF!) but I am definitely a dog person. Would probably have a cocker spaniel since that is the dog I had growing up.

6. Which do you prefer: black or white?
Black tea. White chocolate. Yes, thank you.

7. What is your biggest fear?
Not finishing what I've said I will do. Namely, finish at least ONE of my manuscripts and get it published. So hold me accountable to that dream, won't you?

8. What is your attitude mostly?
I'm here. I'm healthy. I am surrounded by loving friends and family and great opportunities. So....obviously I'm supposed to learn something, do something. What is it?

9. What is perfection?
Mercy and redemption personified, given in unselfish sacrifice. I'll let you guess where that puts me in the spectrum of religions and world views.  :-)

10. What is your guilty pleasure?

In music: Flogging Molly and Boiled in Lead
In food: Chocolate. Always chocolate.
In writing: Using my writing to procrastinate something else.





The Random Facts:

1. I bit my tongue off the summer following first grade.

2. I have been to 5 of the 7 continents.


3. I once had dinner with the Lord Mayor of London.

4. I ring in a handbell choir.

5. My favorite color has always ALWAYS been blue.

6. When I was little, my dad would sometimes read to me from Rime of the Ancient Mariner as a bedtime story. This is when I first fell in love with poetry - especially epic poetry.

7. Tried writing an epic poem in high school and got about halfway through, until I tried to get feedback from my AP Lit teacher and she said "That's not my thing." Talk about having the wind taken out of your sails...

8. I've had a poem, "Inflexible and Stationary" published in an anthology from The National Library of Poetry (Essence of a Dream, 1997).

9. In addition to writing, I am also a painter (watercolors), a sculptor (clay), and a potter (functional stoneware). I've done several art shows with my pottery and still produce work that sells rather well - when I have it in stock. (The trick is finding time to do it with all my other obligations.)

10. As a general rule, spiders and snakes do not bother me - unless they are poisonous or bigger than me. :-)

SO. Enough about me.....how about some nominations for other fabulous blogs?



Below are several other wonderful writers I've met through the wonders of Twitter. They are also the writers who have bedazzled me with the flash fiction they've written for my weekly Visual Dare. Be sure to pop in and say hello to all these wonderful people!!


SARAH @reraveling / Re-Raveling
SUSAN @SuperEarthling / Super Earthling
MARY MARGARET @JustPlainMary_ / Spark of Hope
ANMELIA [Twitter name?] / Anemlia's Blog
AFSANEH @Afsaneh_Dreams / Dreaming of Stories
STACY @RowanWolf66 / A Jar of Fireflies
SHARON @sharonscribbles / Sharon's Scribbles


Questions? Comments? I would love to hear from you!
Let me know what you're thinking in the comments!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sunday 7: Ready to Fight


Sunday is when I showcase my own little spin on the "Six Sentence Sunday" challenge that has gained such popularity on the web. I've got my own reasons for not participating on the official blog, so I'm posting seven sentences from my current, newly merged-and-trimmed manuscript, renamed Taproot.

Here are today's sentences:


With a sudden lurch, Ahmik sprang upward, his good leg planted firmly in the dense grass. In the same motion he threw a protective arm around Brenna, grasping her opposite shoulder.
Brenna was ready. She threw her weight into a wide-legged stance, grounding herself against the full weight of Ahmik’s body. She felt the twisted claw of his dead right arm at her back. His left arm stretched protectively across her chest and grasping her right shoulder. So standing, he looked like he was poised to fight, though they both knew that it was Brenna who held him up. 

Comments? Questions?
Let me know in the comment section below!
And as always - thanks for reading! 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Visual Dare 5: Waiting


Here is your weekly Visual Dare! You can use this photo in one of two ways:

     * incorporate it into your current Work In Progress - literally, or figuratively
     * use it as a 100 word flash fiction to get the brain going in a different creative direction.

Give it a try! Feel free to post your creative responses to the prompt in the comments below (if it's 100 words or less, plus personal comments, of course!).

Here's your dare:



Photo by: Weichuan Liu



Where does this take your writing - even for a short burst?
Let me know in the comments - in summary or 100 word excerpts!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Sunday 7: Shape-Shifting


Sunday is when I showcase my own little spin on the "Six Sentence Sunday" challenge that has gained such popularity on the web. I've got my own reasons for not participating on the official blog, so I'm posting seven sentences from my current, newly merged-and-trimmed manuscript, renamed Taproot.

Here are today's sentences:


            If Ahmik had not already trained his good eye on the spot where the bird landed, he might not have seen it at all – though he did not see much to begin with. Yet something was happening – a curious bending and twisting, a stretching upward and outward, so that what had been a transparent bird-shape a moment earlier now looked very different. How different, he did not know. But something else now stood there, that had been something quite different a moment before.
            “Brenna? What do you see?” he hissed.
            “Curious. You can’t see me at all – can you?” said a new voice. 

Comments? Questions?
Let me know in the comment section below!
And as always - thanks for reading! 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Visual Dare 4:The Scream


Here is your weekly Visual Dare! You can use this photo in one of two ways:

     * incorporate it into your current Work In Progress - literally, or figuratively
     * use it as a 100 word flash fiction to get the brain going in a different creative direction.

Give it a try! Feel free to post your creative responses to the prompt in the comments below (if it's 100 words or less, plus personal comments, of course!).

Here's your dare:



Photo by: jimimac90



Where does this take your writing - even for a short burst?
Let me know in the comments - in summary or 100 word excerpts!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Writing Lessons Painfully Learned


So....about that merged manuscript.

You know the one - two different manuscripts, merged together at a whopping 246,100 words, that I have spent the past month trying to whittle down to a reasonable size so I could...er....finish it? Maybe even begin querying this summer?

Yeah. Impossible idea. Absolutely insane. But I'm still working on that.

As of today, the merged manuscript - newly renamed Taproot - is sitting at a much more docile 107,619 words. My understanding is that your average fantasy work is between 120,000 - 150,000 words. So by paring this critter down by more than half, I've given myself ample wiggle room for this beast to grow a bit more once the rewrites begin.

Which is now, actually. Specifically on Tuesday, while my students are taking their final exams. Yay for laptops!

As for the manuscript itself, I've learned a LOT about the higher aspects of writing a novel through this entire experience - and am still learning, to be honest, and will be learning for some time.


Lessons Learned

1.  No writing is so good that it can't be cut, especially if it does nothing to further to story.

2. Nepotism = BAD. If I'm too much in love with my writing in a particular place - it's probably needs to go. Cut it.

3. Don't be a hoarder. Eliminating unnecessary characters is the literary equivalent to taking out the trash. It's a chore to do, but everything smells so much better once it's gone.

4. Switching POVs can be magic. Writing a certain scene from the point of view of a different character can infuse all sorts of life into what might otherwise be a clunky moment.

5. Lose the love handles. When you merge ideas and cut out unnecessary fluff, your tale becomes SO MUCH MORE watertight. As in, you won't believe it until you do it.

6. Less really IS more. When you lose the love handles (see #5), you find that you actually have to explain a lot LESS than you originally thought. (That's true for me, at least.)

7. Be a berserker. Sometimes a bit of #stabbylove requires a battle-axe. (Thank you, Andrew Kincaid.)

8. Don't take too many breaks. If you "lay off" for more than a day or two, getting back into the daily routine of editing and writing is HARD. Too many things claw for our attention any more.

9. Put all your characters to work - so you don't have to. Since I'm notoriously long-winded, I've found that changing POVs now and then not only perks things up (see #4) but also eliminates the need for a lot of expository. If I can show it better through character C's POV rather than letting A and B lecture each other to death - I need to do so.

10. Utilizing #4 and #9 doesn't mean the mystery will be ruined. In fact, if I can manage to utilize my various character POVs wisely, I should be able to ramp up the mystery in unexpected ways.

Have I learned all my lessons well? Tuesday will tell.....

What about you? What lessons have you learned from your writing endeavors?
Let me know in the comments!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sunday 7: Stone-Dreaming


Sunday is when I showcase my own little spin on the "Six Sentence Sunday" challenge that has gained such popularity on the web. I've got my own reasons for not participating on the official blog, so I'm posting seven sentences from my current, newly merged-and-trimmed manuscript, renamed Taproot.

Here are today's sentences:


Beneath his stony layers, Gair seethed with anger. Nothing he dredged from his astonished soul could do justice to his wounds. He only knew that, at some point in his rock-slumber, when the painful edges of the sound-shadows had just faded into a healing rest, he had been shaken out of his rock-shape. One moment he was stone-dreaming, and the next he was flat on his back, looking into the livid face of his father. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Razivan roared. 

It had gone downhill from there. No matter how hard he insisted on the pain his listening had put him through, Razivan would not hear of it. 

Comments? Questions?
Let me know in the comment section below!
And as always - thanks for reading! 

Thursday, May 3, 2012

An Excellent Thursday

This day keeps getting better and better.

Aside from a few unexpected blessings and boons during the usual work day, I looked on my iPhone shortly after lunch to check Twitter updates, and found that the fabulous fairies behind the Once Upon a Time writing contest - which closed just this past Sunday night - had decided to do something completely amazing.

Apparently they were so enamored by all the wonderful entries that they have undertaken the extra step of publishing an anthology of all 88 Unexpected Fairy Tales.

They didn't have to do this, mind you - this was NOT part of the original promised prize package, or option to any of the entrants. Out of their own goodwill and love for writers and writing, they put this together for those who had gone out on a limb with their writing and put it out there for all to see.

I tell ya, my mind was numb when I read that. Had to read the article twice, over my nice-but-still-kinda-small iPhone screen, for it to really sink in.

The added plus is that two of my students are also included in the anthology, as is another good friend and soon-to-be-published-author-in-her-own-right, Amanda McCrina. That's four writing gals from this one corner of ye olde Georgia - that deserves a little golden star of its own, I think. Or maybe not. Doesn't matter. I'm proud.

And so grateful. Thanks so much to the fantabulous Anna Meade and Susi Holliday for hosting such a wonderful flash fiction contest!

Oh, and congratulations to the sweet-posing-as-devious Corey Eadson for winning the fan favorite vote last night for his entry "Three Simple Words."

And the overall winners for the contest? We'll find out who they are later this month. Details of that happy day can be found here.

Want a preview of all the wonderful entries? Take a look here.

Did you participate in the contest? Do you have a favorite entry?
Let me know in the comments!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Visual Dare 3: The Stare


Here is your weekly Visual Dare! You can use this photo in one of two ways:

     * incorporate it into your current Work In Progress - literally, or figuratively
     * use it as a 100 word flash fiction to get the brain going in a different creative direction.

Give it a try! Feel free to post your creative responses to the prompt in the comments below (if it's 100 words or less, plus personal comments, of course!).

Here's your dare:



Photo by: Josefina Bietti



Where does this take your writing - even for a short burst?
Let me know in the comments - in summary or 100 word excerpts!

Looking forward to hearing from you!