STOP! Are You Operating On An Arbitrary Set Of Terms And Rules Known Only To You? Have You Created An

42+ ways to fix a story in progress

(Also posted on: 42+ ways to fix a story)

Here is a list of (some) ways to fix a draft or story in progress. I started it in the observation journal when I was struggling with some story changes.

In summary, these can be reduced to intensify; focus/tighten; swap/invert. But in a tight spot, specifics are often more useful. And making the list was also important, because it reassured me I knew all these techniques, and had used them before, and should calm down.

List 10 terrible endings (adapted from a Helen Marshall exercise), or just 20 endings. Or 100…

Re-outline it

Map it onto another story (I like to quick-outline fairy tales until one resonates, and then identify the parts to strengthen)

Fill it out as a synopsis questionnaire (I used to use Sue Dennard’s 1-page synopsis to trap story ideas)

Ask — what is the story behind the story?

Change the place

Change the era

Genderflip main character

Genderflip everyone

Change the genre

Change the adjectives

Describe the story in one emotion, & align/adjust

Do the same for each scene/section (see also three moods)

Flip (main) character’s personality (quiet to loud, etc)

What happens after

What happens before

What’s happening at the same time

It’s a metaphor for: ___

Pick/change emotional note for end

Scene-map

Match to 3-act structure

Match to 5-act structure

Give characters a preoccupation or secret

Start it later

Start it earlier

End it earlier

End it later

Map it onto a song

Blow something up

Make everything worse

Change [define & intensify] the aesthetic

Explain the reasons

Invert

Make it/ the weak bits A Whole Thing

Make it/ the weak bits a Good/Bad Thing

Make it/ the weak bits The Shape of the World

Tell from a non-obvious point of view (see also: by whom and to whom, and some less common points of view)

Change the type of character in the role (think archetypes and stereotypes)

Change drama – pose (?)

Change motifs

Change sentence structure

Change form, shape (e.g. list, pastiche, non-fiction)

And to these I’d add:

change voice, and

change age.

I might add more as I go. But in the meantime: hey, my debut collection of short stories, KINDLING, is now out from Small Beer Press (in the USA, and coming soon to Australia). It includes the new story “Annie Coal”. And if you look closely at the journal page above, you’ll see that was the story I was editing when I made this list.

Resisting tyranny takes a lot of forms.

TIL that the reason lead levels in children’s blood have dropped 85% in the past thirty years is because of an unknown scientist who fought car companies to end leaded gasoline. He also removed it from paint, suggested its removal from pipes, and campaigned for the removal of lead solder from cans.

via ift.tt

No, you're not wrong.

You're not wrong for wanting a better life for yourself.

You're not wrong for believing that you are deserving of better.

You're not wrong for making those necessary changes in your life.

You're not wrong for changing the way you show up to life.

You're not wrong for distancing yourself from those things that harm you.

You're not wrong.

Credit

Reblog to give the person you reblogged it from the energy to do one (1) chore or maybe many

there are days where things dont go like you wanted them to go. the weather is gray and the wind is cold. you miss your bus. you miss a deadline. someone rejects you. you’re late for an appointment. but it’s okay. opportunities will present themselves again. there’s always the next bus. there will always be someone who wants to hug you. the weather will get warmer. i will feel the sun on my face again soon. i know it will be okay. we’re going to be okay.

I’m all scratched up and I can still taste spray paint in my mouth and my husband almost fell out of a tree BUT THE GHOST SCULPTURES ARE FINISHED!

They’re finally finished and I’m so happy with them!!

Some progress shots:

You all need to hear this:

1. You probably dont suck at your craft as much as you think you do, I bet a lot of people are amazed at what you can make, and

2. If you actually are the Literal Worst In The Whole Wide World at your craft... who the fuck cares? What are they gonna do, call the police on you? Keep making your shitty little things, youre the boss of you, fuck the haters.