wvgenes

[wvgenes]

Great tips!

Characters care about external stakes. READERS care about internal stakes.

OK. Here's a distinction I've recently started to think about and really notice after reading and watching some things that handle this poorly.

Fiction needs stakes, right? We all agree on that?

Characters have to be doing something, and they need some reason to do things, and there has to be some kind of reward for succeeding or consequence if they fail, yeah?

Cool. So here's the thing about stakes. They can be internal or external.

External stakes are things like: "if we don't do this, the sun will explode" or "if we do this, we'll win the game."

Often, to make things more interesting, external stakes have a ticking clock attached to them. You have to complete your quest before the next full moon or else the spell won't work for another hundred years. You have to score the winning point before the buzzer goes off in five seconds. That tension is important to shuffling the story forward.

But here's the thing.

The reader doesn't give a fuck about the external stakes and the ticking clock. We know perfectly well they're not going to miss the window for the spell or fuck up the finals game. We understand how stories work and how genre conventions work and you're not impressing anyone with your ticking clock.

What readers do actually care about is a character's internal stakes.

Internal stakes are things like "if I can save the world, I can finally absolve myself of guilt for letting my mom die." Or "if I win this game, my crush will finally notice me."

They are personal motivations. They are the reason why your character cares about what they're doing. They are why we care and how we get invested in their story.

Because like. We're humans. At the end of the day, we care about human things and we have human emotions and we relate to people -- even fake people made of scribbles on paper -- who care about stuff the way we care about stuff.

Raising the stakes doesn't mean "make the sun explode if they fail." Raising the stakes means "we care about this person and want to see them succeed."

So why bother with the external conflict and the ticking time clock? If what we actually care about in a story is the person, why can't we just read a couple hundred pages of the character going through therapy and working through their trauma?

Because what that ticking time clock does is it forces a character to act before they're ready. It prevents them from procrastinating. And it makes them do stuff they're not prepared for. And it's thrilling to see them interact with stuff that way, because it forces them out of their comfort zone and into an area where they can grow and challenge their status quo...which is the thing that pushes on those internal conflict bruises.

Imagine that our heroes have as much time as they need to fulfill the prophecy. They can take their time training, studying, making failsafes and backup plans and then go and the plan goes off without a hitch and they save the day without breaking a sweat. That's boring! That's just people going to work. That doesn't force them to confront their inner demons at all! That doesn't rip them from their existing environment and leave them struggling to adapt to new circumstances!

So those external stakes are necessary to keep the plot rolling forward and put pressure on the characters. But ALL OF THAT is only important if that pressure reveals interesting things about those characters, and forces them to engage with the stuff deep inside that they're probably hiding from. Because that's the part that's juicy and interesting for the reader.

Capiche?

[wvgenes]

Can relate.

[wvgenes]

Great writer meditation

[wvgenes]

This was an early attempt at outlining a chapter. Come a long way from this. May revisit some themes though

[wvgenes]

Rejection In A Small Town

I don’t like sports, what else is there to do beyond those Friday Night Lights?

It’s cold this autumn, without those stadium lights and families of fans with their hot cocoa screaming “Go! Go! Go!”. 

I don’t much care for fair rides and can’t be bothered with school dances.

Will you accept that my differences are loud?

My gender, that’s different. I wouldn’t brag. My heritage, it’s only of mild help here.

I’ve got this feeling I should could do more, but looking around everybody’s making do with less.

Where do I belong? Is it with the struggling mothers, the promiscuous daughters, the insecure sons, or their hardworking and unaffectionate daddies? 

I’m sheltered from the kind of trouble that gets you respect around these parts. 

Mama told me to finish school but will that draw more ire my way?

I don’t hunt, can’t shoot for shit. I don’t sing, can’t hum a lick.

What now? What next? Where is it I belong again? By a coal man’s side, they say. I decline at my own risk. 

[wvgenes]

Draft 1 Plot Reminder

The main character is a misfit who wants to feel accepted in her family’s small West Virginia hometown. Upon arrival, she sees just how sheltered and naïve she is to how this new world works. Through her failure to fit in with kids her age, humiliating attempts to woo the boy next door, a botched reunion with her estranged father, and her mother’s near fatal hospitalization, she learns that embracing change is the only way to survive a hick town, for better or worse, stuck in its ways.

[wvgenes]

Testing out popular (FREE) writing hacks

There are a lot of writing hacks floating around, tips that are supposed to increase your writing productivity. Well, I tested them, and here are my thoughts:

1. Use Comic Sans

Let’s be honest. When we were in primary school, we typed EVERYTHING in Comic Sans. However, as we got older and more professional, Comic Sans appeared childish and we stopped using it.

Ask anyone what the most unprofessional font is and they’ll probably answer: Comic Sans MS

However, earlier this year the idea of using Comic Sans when writing your first draft started popping up and now, a lot of writers are swearing by it.

So, did it increase my productivity?

YES

I started writing a scene in Comic Sans and I wrote about five pages in like 30 minutes. The words just flowed. I don’t know why this font increases writing productivity, but if it works, I don’t really care why.

So, I would 100% recommend trying Comic Sans for your first draft. Remember, no one’s going to see it. And it’s pretty easy to change back to something like Times New Roman once you’ve finished a scene.

2. Dictation

I’ve heard a lot of professional authors rave about how much time they save by dictating their first drafts. However, a lot of dictation software and microphones are quite expensive. So, I tried the free alternatives at my disposal.

The latest version of OneNote, which comes included in a lot of Microsoft Office packages, now has a dictation feature. I know this isn’t technically free, but it was for me, since I already have Office installed. The OneNote mobile app is free, but I don’t know it is has this feature. And I just used the built-in microphone on my laptop. Google Docs also has a dictation feature, I think, but I haven’t tried it yet.

So, does it work?

The accuracy is surprisingly good. I dictated about three paragraphs this morning and only one or two words were incorrect. Also, OneNote’s dictation doesn’t allow for speaking punctuation, which means you’ll have to add these after the fact. Additionally, few people actually write in OneNote, so you’ll have to paste the text into your document.

Overall, this could be great for someone whose hands are tired of typing or who cannot sit at a desk any longer than their job already requires. However, it doesn’t really increase productivity. This may just be me, but I take longer to think up good sentences when I have to speak them. Then, I have to go back and add punctuation marks and correct some words. And then paste it into my draft document. It’s easier to just write it from the get-go.

However, some authors say that it just takes getting used to. So, maybe if you’re more of a verbal/audio thinker and don’t have your hands available at all times, this is a good hack for you. I just don’t think I’ll be using it much. 

3. Writing sprints

This has been around for quite some time, but I only really started using it when I attempted Camp Nanowrimo during my test month. Essentially, writing sprints entail setting a timer for somewhere under an hour and then just focusing on getting as many words written as possible before the timer goes off. There are many published authors who swear by this.

So, does it increase productivity?

Yes. Firstly, it pushes you to write when you wouldn’t have in other circumstances, since it allows you to utilise even the smallest free periods. Have an hour between classes? Find a flat surface and do a writing sprint. Have to study all evening? Do a 25-minute sprint before you start. Secondly, it also helps you get more words down in that time, because you don’t have to worry about what you have to do next or whether your writing is any good. All you focus on is producing as many words as possible before that timer goes off.

So, if you’re a busy person, try using writing sprints here and there to increase your productivity.

4. Writing groups

Many authors enjoy the camaraderie and accountability that comes with writing with a lot of other people, whether it be in a physical space or an online group. There’s a set time everyone in the group will be writing and you keep one another company, checking up on one another’s progress and sharing motivation.

Does it increase productivity?

Not for me. This is largely a personal thing, but I actually get less writing done in the presence of other people. I’m more anxious. I get distracted by other people’s comments. And I constantly find myself wondering when the session will end. To me, writing is a solitary thing. I work best holed up in my room with no one around and no one leaving online comments about their own writing. Yes, I love checking in on others’ progress and sharing my own on Instagram, but only after my writing session has finished.

However, you may find that writing groups work for you. Maybe not being alone is just nicer for you, regardless of whether you get more words down or not. So, this one is definitely dependent on the individual.

5. Background noise

Some writers create signature playlists for each of their WIPs. Some write specific scenes to specific songs. Others use white noise or instrumentals. But it’s clear that writing with some form of background sound works for a lot of authors.

Let me start by saying that I cannot get any work done when listening to music with lyrics. So, I didn’t even try this. Instead, I tried fantasy instrumental playlists on YouTube, rainymood.com and ambient-mixer.com 

Does it work?

Sometimes.

If I’m writing a fight scene, listening to epic battle music will help me write it faster. I write at my best during thunderstorms, so rainymood.com definitely increases my productivity. Ambient mixer offers a huge variety of ambient sounds to listen to, ranging from scary woods to driving with the Winchesters. “Quiet library” on ambient mixer helps a lot when I have to study, but not really when I have to write. So, yes, in certain instances, background noise helps me write faster. But, mostly, I enjoy writing in silence or with natural, real-life sounds around me.

Once again, this is purely personal. Regardless, I can definitely recommend the two websites I mentioned above.

So, that’s all I have for you today. I hope that these “reviews” can help you decide which writing hacks will work for you. Remember that my asks are always open for creative writing questions, and that post submissions are always welcome!

Reblog if you found this post useful. Comment if there are any writing hacks you’d like me to try out in the future. Follow me for similar content.

[wvgenes]

Jotting a note through insomnia

(12:06am)

I want to impress the severe intimidation between authority figures (namely teachers) and little Black children - a phenomenon known as the racial discipline gap.

It wasn’t just the threats of suspension, outcasting, or displacement.

It was the yelling, the shouting. The towering and hovering. The sprays of spit at close range.

It was the humiliating singling out and reoccurring complaints that created a pattern, a paper trail, a record.

It was the mistrust. The eyes that narrowed as a simple request rolled from the tongue - was it the meekness or the boldness that bothered her so?

It was the assumptions of inferiority. The tones that clanged against classroom walls alerting the others of your audacity. How could you know the right answers? How would you follow their unspoken rules? How dare you think so highly of someone so...displeasing. A Black child.

[wvgenes]

[wvgenes]

Microaggressive Education

(6:00am sprint)

This place seemed bigger as a child. Maybe were my borders of safety had not extended for miles rather than a city block and always in sight, I would have seen the limitations sooner.

I arrived eager to please. Many rules were explicitly clear. For how to dress becomingly there was a written code to follow. For how to behave on a rickety yellow school bus, the rules of the road applied no matter who was the passenger. But the rules of pleasing school authority figures was another thing.

Should I raise my hand, risk enthusiastically calling attention to my curious mind or would my teacher perceive me as hyperactive and incapable of restraint?

I learned to be quiet instead of trusting my instincts to speak up if something or someone was wrong because girls don’t tattletale, girls don’t dig deep, girls don’t right wrongs, they are only done wrong.

i learned to be agreeable because that was what school was for. It was not prepared to validate freethinking and long meandering quests for truth, only to confirm with icy matter-of-fact answer books that there was only one way to arrive at correctness.

I learned that I was a target. I was one of six Black students across first through fourth grade and our behavior was monitored if only to surveil the inconsistencies compared to small, always presumed innocent, and “promising” white children.

“You can be anything you desire children,” except you dear Black girl. Your choices will be limited to the scope of our imaginations, lived experiences, and the firm grip of poverty. We’ll take you to Carnegie Science Center but never teach you about astronaut Mae Jemison or mathematician Katherine Johnson.

We’ll expect perfection from your underdeveloped faculties. Sit up straight, stand still, walk quietly, keep your five senses to yourself. Don’t explore your world without permission. This world is ours.  

And your body is ours. Come here let me feel your hair. It’s so bizarrely different. Weave, braids, beads, barrettes. Oh my, how novel. Let’s trot you around like a show puppy. You’re so special. Who’s a good little girl? You are.

[wvgenes]

The School, The Bus  pt 1

(5:39am Sprint )

The day my twin sister and I enrolled at Jayenne Elementary was an overcast gloomy morning. Crows circled in the sky like vultures. Maybe they knew this was the place where can do spirits go to die. What would it mean to pick the bones of innocent flesh. 

Elementary school was an interesting time for me. I attended several schools. There was the Montessori school in Washington DC. I’d count with colorful blocks and trace sand paper etched cursive lettering at the tender age of 5. The instructors had such faith in my ability to embrace new things quickly. Then there was a small kindergarten classroom in Phoenix AZ. My family moved there with the desperate hope of tracking down an environmental cure for my mother’s asthmatic breathing struggles...The experiment failed and we moved to my mother’s hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia. 

For its small population (less than 20,000) there were a number of primary schools a family could choose. I could have attended Jayenne, Watson, or Barnes ES, as many of my neighborhood peers and family members did. But Barnes was overcrowded, understaffed, and rumored to have all kinds of discipline problems. Watson was a longer drive from home and its jurisdiction was just beyond our fault lines. That left Jayenne.

Jeff, our bus driver, adored our sweet polite salutations every day. We practiced being kind and grateful to the man transporting us to and from the schoolhouse. For all his gracious service, Jeff had a temper - egged on by rough housing boys and defiant girls. If the conductor ordered us all to remain seated, filthy fingers inside the rickety vehicle, and crumb littered mouths to ourselves, well that’s just what Casey and I did, and what Mitchell and his motley crew refused to. 

Abuse ensued. 

What I mean is an adult, entrusted with our physical and emotional wellbeing, lost his shit. 

[wvgenes]

Love his account of winning the Pulitzer so much. It makes me feel less uncertain about my own talent and potential as an author.

[wvgenes]

This was my first time learning the location of and visiting my maternal grandparents’ grave sites and I feel so blessed for the perspective my Aunt Jewel and Uncle Bean shared with me this trip (and every time we link up). The family history, laughs, pride, and challenges to keep pressing on I enjoyed over this weekend will without a doubt fuel this next phase of writing for this memoir, baring the torch of excellence, and leading through example for the next generation. It’s humbling hard work and I’m honored to do it.

[wvgenes]

Attending this webinar right now. Will add notes later...

[wvgenes]

So we (bae and I) decided we’re heading up the road to Fairmont for the 4th. And I’m so giddy he’s gonna experience the glory that is PEPPERONI ROLLS!!! If you know, you know.

[wvgenes]

More straggler pieces of paper. I always find some tear off of call numbers from when I was deep in the stacks looking for God knows what topic. I think most of these are about the ends and outs of book publishing.