Writing Tips from Storymind.com

60Writing Tips from Storymind.comhttp://blog.storymind.comFri, 20 Nov 2009 15:58:44 GMTFri, 20 Nov 2009 15:58:44 GMTenMelanie Anne PhillipsWriting Tips from Storymind.comMelanie Anne PhillipsWriting tips from the co-creator of the Dramatica Theory of story, Melanie Anne Phillips, owner of Storymind.comWriting tips from the co-creator of the Dramatica Theory of story, Melanie Anne Phillips, owner of Storymind.comMelanie Anne Phillipsmelanie@storymind.comnoThematic Contrasthttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/29/thematic-contrast.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>The emotional argument of your theme is between the message issue and the counterpoint.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But the question arises, "How does the audience know which is the message issue and which is the counterpoint?"</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Simply put, the message issue it the human quality being directly explored in your story.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The counterpoint provides contrast to the message issue.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In a practical sense, the message issue must appear forefront, and the counterpoint paints the background.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This is accomplished solely through your storytelling approach.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>The message issue is identified by being shown in sharp, definitive illustrations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The counterpoint becomes the background contrast by employing illustrations that are more generalized or nebulous.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>For example, in "A Christmas Carol," Scrooge's lack of generosity is shown in defined moments of specific choices, dialogs, and actions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But the generosity of the counterpoint is illustrated nebulously through the prevailing good cheer and group activities of the other characters and the populace of London in general - the Christmas Spirit, as it were.</FONT></P><BR><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0> </SPAN></A><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></SPAN></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </SPAN></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000">StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000"> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay. Download or CD ROM.</SPAN></SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <CENTER> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package </SPAN></A><BR><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">FREE with StoryWeaver</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #ff0000">! </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">A $300 Value!</SPAN></SPAN></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Themehttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/29/thematic-contrast.aspx#Comments1546f668-6aeb-411b-a832-7e8ee6317bfaFri, 30 Jan 2009 00:38:00 GMT(Quick Tip) Theme - Always Leave Them Feelinghttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/28/quick-tip-theme--always-leave-them-feeling.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>An old performer's adage proclaims, "Always leave 'em laughing."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>When it comes to theme, this truism could be paraphrased as "Always leave 'em feeling."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Theme is an emotional argument, and the best way to make such an argument is by involving the reader/audience at a personal level.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Since the message issue is the human quality that your story is about, there is already a built-in level of attachment to your reader/audience.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But people don't like to look at themselves critically.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The trick, then, is to find a way to involve their emotions without pointing a finger at them.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Quick Tip - You can draw your readers/audience into an emotional bond with your message issue by devising illustrations that show the impact of that issue on characters they have come to care about, rather than preaching your message directly.  When it comes to theme, show, don't tell.</FONT></P><BR><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0> </SPAN></A><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></SPAN></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </SPAN></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000">StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000"> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay. Download or CD ROM.</SPAN></SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <CENTER> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package </SPAN></A><BR><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">FREE with StoryWeaver</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #ff0000">! </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">A $300 Value!</SPAN></SPAN></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Themehttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/28/quick-tip-theme--always-leave-them-feeling.aspx#Comments7da96e40-bdc3-4af8-9e95-5ccc7315c5c0Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:30:00 GMTQuick Tip - Main Character's Themehttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/27/quick-tip--main-characters-theme.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">The Main Character Dilemma is another tool for illustrating the thematic argument.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Because the reader/audience identifies with the Main Character, when he or she wavers between the relative values of the message issue and the counterpoint, the thematic argument becomes personal.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This helps make your message an emotional one for the audience, rather than an intellectual debate</SPAN>Themehttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/27/quick-tip--main-characters-theme.aspx#Commentsd4b267a6-1c14-4709-aee0-e02455e0cd06Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:05:00 GMTHow to Structure Your Story's Themehttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/26/how-to-structure-your-storys-theme.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Your thematic message (morel or the story) has two sides: the Issue and the Counterpoint.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  The Issue is the human quality under examination in your story (such as greed) and the Counterpoint is the opposite trait (such as Generosity), presented for contrast.  </SPAN>Together, they play both sides of the moral dilemma.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  But how do you go about making your thematic point to your readers or audience?<BR></SPAN><BR>The most important key to a successful thematic argument is never, ever play the message issue and counterpoint together at the same time.  </FONT><FONT size=3>Why?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Because the thematic argument is an emotional one, not one of reason.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>You are trying to sway your reader/audience to adopt your moral view as an author.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This will not happen if you keep showing one side of the argument as "good" and the other side as "bad" in direct comparison.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Such a thematic argument would seem one-sided, and treat the issues as being black-and-white, rather than gray-scale.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>In real life, moral decisions are seldom cut-and-dried.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Although we may hold views that are clearly defined, in practice it all comes down to the context of the specific situation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>For example, it is wrong to steal in general.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But, it might be proper to steal from the enemy during a war, or from a large market when you baby is starving.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In the end, all moral views become a little blurry around the edges when push comes to shove.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Statements of absolutes do not a thematic argument make.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Rather, your most powerful message will deal with the lesser of two evils, the greater of two goods, or the degree of goodness or badness of each side of the argument.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In fact, there are often situations where both sides of the moral argument are equally good, equally bad, or that both sides are either good nor bad in the particular situation being explored in the story.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>The way to create this more powerful, more believable, and more persuasive thematic argument is as follows:</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>1.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Determine in advance whether each side is good, bad, or neutral.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Do this by assigning an arbitrary "value" to both the Message Issue and the Counterpoint.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>For example, we might choose a scale with +5 being abolutely good, -5 being absolutely bad, and zero being neutral.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>If our thematic argument is Greed vs. Generosity, then Greed (our Message Issue) might be a -3, and Generosity (our Counterpoint) might be a -2.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">    </SPAN>This would mean that both Greed and Generosity are both bad (being in the negative) but that Generosity is a little less bad than Greed since Generosity is only a -2 and Greed is a -3.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>2.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Show the good and bad aspects of both the Message Issue and the Counterpoint.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Make sure the examples of each side of the thematic argument that you have already developed don't portray either side as being all good or all bad.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In fact, even if one side of the argument turns out to be bad in the end, it might be shown as good initially.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But over the course of the story, that first impression is changed by seeing that side in other contexts.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>3.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Have the good and bad aspects "average out" to the thematic conclusion you want.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>By putting each side of the thematic argument on a roller coaster of good and bad aspects, it blurs the issues, just as in real life.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But the reader/audience will "average out" all of their exposures to each side of the argument and draw their own conclusions at the end of the story.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>In this way, the argument will move out of the realm of intellectual consideration and become a viewpoint arrived by feel.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>And, since you have not only shown both sides, but the good and the bad of each side, your message will be easier to swallow.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>And finally, since you never directly compared the two sides, the reader/audience will not feel that your message has been shoved down its throat.</FONT></P> <BR><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0> </SPAN></A><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></SPAN></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </SPAN></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000">StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000"> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay. Download or CD ROM.</SPAN></SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <CENTER> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package </SPAN></A><BR><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">FREE with StoryWeaver</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #ff0000">! </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">A $300 Value!</SPAN></SPAN></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>ThemeStory Developmenthttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/26/how-to-structure-your-storys-theme.aspx#Commentsfd3632c8-5184-40ec-a280-f922369707d0Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:59:00 GMTUnfolding Your Thematic Topichttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/24/unfolding-your-thematic-topic.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>The thematic topic is the subject matter of your story, such as "death," or "man's inhumanity to man."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>No matter what topic you will be exploring, it will contain large issues, small issues, and everything in between.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>In Act One, you need to introduce and establish your theme so that your readers or audience gets a sense of the kinds of issues you'll be exploring.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>To do this, <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>you have three different approaches available.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>1.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>You could outline the scope of your subject matter with one or more large, definitive dramatic moments.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">   </SPAN>Then, in acts two and three, you would gradually fill in smaller and smaller details, adding nuance and shading to the overall topic as the story progresses.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This system is best when trying to apply topics that are often seen objectively or impersonally to everyday life.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>2.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Conversely, you could begin with the details in Act One, then move to larger concerns as the story progresses.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This is a good way to elevate topics dealing with commonplace, mundane, or work-a-day issues to philosophical or global importance.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>3.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Finally, you could mix it up, presenting a blend of issues ranging from the large to the small in every act.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This creates a feeling that the topic is an area to explore, rather than a statement to be understood.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Whichever approach you take, the pattern needs to be set up in Act One so your reader or audience can follow.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>So determine which approach you wish to take and then create specific examples that illustrate your topic, both in a large and small way.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Finally, pepper these examples into each act as the scope of your topic broadens, narrows, or contrasts the two extremes as it goes.</SPAN> <BR><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0> </SPAN></A><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></SPAN></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </SPAN></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000">StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000"> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay. Download or CD ROM. </SPAN><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #ff0000">Just $29.95 !</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000"> </SPAN></B></SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <CENTER> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package </SPAN></A><BR><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">FREE with StoryWeaver</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #ff0000">! </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: #ff0000">A $300 Value!</SPAN></SPAN></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>ThemeStorytelling Techniqueshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/24/unfolding-your-thematic-topic.aspx#Comments3bcdfc52-7148-434c-93ab-0a3f69c0b4cbSat, 24 Jan 2009 17:14:00 GMTCharacters in the Middle of Act 3http://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/23/characters-in-the-middle-of-act-3.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>In baseball, they call it the "seventh inning stretch."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In stories, it is called the middle of act 3.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Up to this point, your characters and your reader/audience have been on a roller coaster that's been going higher and higher, in fits and starts.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In the last part of the third act, the tension will rise up that final highest climb, and then plunge all the way to the bottom as the outcome of the story is determined.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>As with a roller coaster, there is more of a thrill if you see that hill coming.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>So the middle of act 3 serves two purposes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>First, to give your reader/audience a little breathing room, and second, to set them up for the emotional upheaval to come.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>If two characters had argued or fought at the beginning of the act, a third character might tell them they can settle their differences later, but if they keep fighting now, everyone will lose the bigger fight.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Realizing the truth of this, the two characters would calm down, let the adrenaline clear out of their systems, and then focus on the job at hand with the other party as reluctant allies.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>In Volleyball, there is the set-up and the spike.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The end of act three is the spike, but the middle is the set-up.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>No matter how much of a slam-bang finish you have planned for your story, it will mean nothing without the right set-up.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>So, consider what you have coming, consider where you've been, then use the middle of act 3 to refocus your characters on the overall goal, rather than on each other.</FONT></SPAN> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>ScreenwritingCharactershttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/23/characters-in-the-middle-of-act-3.aspx#Commentsb942b31a-d47a-4d0e-956f-55ac6e4f27d7Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:39:00 GMTIntroducing Characters in Act Onehttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/22/introducing-characters-in-act-one.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Some stories introduce characters as people and then let the reader/audience discover their roles and relationships afterward.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This tends to help an audience identify with the characters.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Other stories put roles first, so that we know about the person by their function and/or job, then get closer to them as the act progresses.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This tends to make the reader/audience pigeon-hole the characters by stereotype, and then draw them into learning more about the actual people behind the masks.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Finally, there are stories that introduce character relationships, either situational, structural, or emotional, at the beginning.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This causes the audience to see the problems among the characters but not take sides as strongly until they can learn about the people on each side of the relationship, and the roles that constrain them.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Of course, you do not have to treat these introductions equally for all characters and relationships.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>For example, you might introduce on character as a person, then introduce their relationship with another character, then divulge the constraints the other character is under due to role, then revel the other character as a person.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>This approach would initially cast sympathy (or derision) at the first character, temper it by showing a relationship with which he or she must contend, then temper that relationship by showing the constraints of the other character, and finally humanize that other character so a true objective balance can be formed by the reader/audience.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Don't forget that first impressions stick in our minds, and it is much easier to judge someone initially than to change that judgment later.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Use this trait of audiences to quickly identify important characters up front, or to put their complete situations later, thereby forcing the reader/audience to reconsider its attitudes, and thereby learn and grow.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>No matter what approach you take, you have the opportunity to weave a complex experience for your reader/audience, blending factual, logistic information about your characters with the reader/audience emotional experience in discovering this information.</FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Novel WritingStorytelling TechniquesScreenwritingCharactersStory Developmenthttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/22/introducing-characters-in-act-one.aspx#Comments8a27d809-996d-41ed-a98f-577f5b6dca34Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:42:00 GMTCharacter Dismissalshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/21/character-dismissals.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Over the course of the story,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>your reader/audience has come to know your characters and to feel for them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The story doesn't end when your characters and their relationships reach a climax.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Rather, the reader/audience will want to know the aftermath - how it turned out for each character and each relationship.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In addition, the audience needs a little time to say goodbye - to let the character walk off into the sunset or to mourn for them before the story ends.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>This is in effect the conclusion, the wrap-up.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>After everything has happened to your characters, after the final showdown with their respective demons, what are they like?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>How have they changed?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>If a character began the story as a skeptic, does it now have faith?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>If they began the story full of hatred for a mother that abandoned them, have they now made revelations to the effect that she was forced to do this, and now they no longer hate?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This is what you have to tell the audience, how their journeys changed them, have the resolved their problems, or not?</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>And in the end, this constitutes a large part of your story's message.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>It is not enough to know if a story ends in success or failure, but also if the characters are better off emotionally or plagued with even greater demons, regardless of whether or not the goal was achieved.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>You can show what happens to your characters directly, through a conversation by others about them, or even in a post-script on each that appears after the story is over or in the ending credits of a movie.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>How you do this is limited only by your creative inspiration, but make sure you review each character and each relationship and provide at least a minimal dismissal for each.</FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Novel WritingScreenwritingCharactersStorytelling Techniqueshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/21/character-dismissals.aspx#Commentsae0cd2e4-2bab-4407-9099-8d533cc640c9Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:56:00 GMTRising Tension in Character Relationshipshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/20/rising-tension-in-character-relationships.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Character relationships should come under strain over the course of your novel or screenplay so that tension in the relationship rises.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>To accomplish this, you need to create dramatic moments in which outside pressures put each relationship in an increasing vice-grip.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2>Conversely, overemphasizing tension might be detrimental, especially in particular genres.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>For example, in light comedy, action stories, and so on, relationship issues are not likely to be all that crucial or central.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Nonetheless, relationship stress should still rise, just not to the same depth and degree.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In short, keep an eye toward the overall mood you want for your story, and within that scope, bring tension to its maximum by the end of the third act.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">   </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Tension does not have to rise smoothly, but can lurch forward in fits and starts.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The key is to mimic real life and the naturally uneven nature of the stress in our lives.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Tension can rise slowly, then drop quickly in a momentary release, only to begin to rise again.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Or, it can snap into place precipitously, only to gradually fade away.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In fact, a single relationship might employ both of these techniques.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>No matter how you get there, you will want to eventually arrive at a set of dramatic circumstances that brings each relationship to the maximum stress level.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>That is the point at which the relationship will stand or snap - the character climax of your story.</FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Charactershttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/20/rising-tension-in-character-relationships.aspx#Comments106d47ac-ed32-4170-9e41-cc4e8b942bfcTue, 20 Jan 2009 23:44:00 GMTCharacters' Changing Emotional Reltionshipshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/19/characters-complex-emotional-reltionships.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Perhaps the most complex relationships among characters are the emotional ones because they can grow to any degree in any direction AND because both characters don't have to feel the same way about each other!<BR><BR>For example, how many stories are written about "unrequited love" where one character is infatuated with the other, but the other is repulsed by them, yet in the end both may love each other, both hate each other, or they may have swapped positions, emotionally.<BR><BR>Another example is the younger brother who tags along with the older brother.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>To the younger, the older brother is his hero.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>To the older, the younger brother is a pest.  </FONT><FONT size=3>Now, suppose the younger brother is attacked by a bully.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The older brother may come to the rescue and defend his tag-along.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But the moment the threat is gone and the younger brother looks up at his protector with glowing eyes, the older brother say, "Okay, get out of here and leave me alone."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Emotional relationships change with the slightest breeze and change back with the least provocation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Consider the emotional relationships among the characters in your novel or screenplay.  Now, consider your plot and also changes in situational relationships, such as who is second in command or married to whom.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Go over the emotional journey of each of your characters as individuals.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Then, imagine how each emotional relationships might shift, change, and grow for each of the characters due to changes in their situational relationships with others.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>It is a fair amount of work, but you will find that this development more than any other will enrich your characters and the passionate experience of your story.</FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>CharactersStory Developmenthttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/19/characters-complex-emotional-reltionships.aspx#Comments14d3e95b-54bb-4c24-b770-fb607b9e8abeMon, 19 Jan 2009 16:04:00 GMTIntroducing Characters - First Impressionshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/16/introducing-characters--first-impressions.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>When your reader/audience first meets your characters in a story, it has the same effects as when you are introduced to someone in real life.  First impressions have a tremendous impact that you can use either to establish or mislead your reader/audience as to the true nature of each character.<BR><BR>You might tell your reader/audience all there is to know about a particular character right up front.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>But for another character, you may drop little bits of information over the whole course of the story.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>And, of course, you want to note how a character's outlook and feelings change as the story unfolds.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Then there is the question of who shows up first? Joe, Tom, Sally, or the Monster?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">   Characters introduced early on become more important to the reader/audience at a personal level, even though their roles may not be as significant in the story at large.<BR></SPAN><BR>To elevate an interesting character who is not a major player, you may wish to introduce and follow him or until he or she latches up with a major character down the line.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Or, you might reveal several characters together in a group activity to give them equal footing at that point in the story.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Who is your Main Character?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Do you want to involve your audience immediately by bringing that character in first, or would you rather have them look more objectively at the characters and plot, introducing the Main Character later?</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>You know all about your characters while your audience knows nothing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>It's okay to reveal more about your characters later in the story, but you must lay the groundwork and reveal personality so that your audience can sympathize with them and feel for them as the story progresses. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For complex characters, it may take the entire story before all their subtleties are revealed.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Sometimes an author may want to have a character with a dark side, or a hidden side that will be revealed only later in the story.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Don't avoid introducing the character, but rather try to introduce their facade as a complete character, making it that much more shocking when they reveal their other face.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Remember, first impressions are lasting, and an audience with the first impression of someone as a good guy, will resist thinking of them as a bad guy for as long as possible.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>So, don't give hints to the truth right off the bat.</FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Novel WritingScreenwritingCharactershttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/16/introducing-characters--first-impressions.aspx#Comments5e9237d1-a0bc-4b7a-b77b-de63482f97ddFri, 16 Jan 2009 17:36:00 GMTYour Plot, Step by Stephttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/your-plot-step-by-step.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P align=center><FONT size=5> Your Plot, Step by Step</FONT><FONT size=4> <P align=center>by Melanie Anne Phillips<BR></FONT><FONT size=1>creator <A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm">StoryWeaver</A>, co-creator <A href="http://storymind.com/dramatica/">Dramatica</A></P></FONT> <P>Here are some general guidelines to help you structure your story's plot, step by step.</P> <P>Act One Beginning</P> <P>The beginning of act one is the teaser. It may or may not have anything to do with the actual plot of the story. This is where you get the feel of the story and the feel of the main character. A good example is in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the very beginning Indiana Jones replaces a statue with a bag of sand and then gets chased through a lot of booby traps. This actually has nothing to do with the story to come, but it sets the tone and grips the audience.</P> <P>Act One Middle</P> <P>The middle of act one is the set up of the situation and goal. Even though you should reveal the goal in this section, you don't need to have the protagonist accept the goal.</P> <P>If your goal requires a lot of preparation before starting on the quest, then you might want to have the acceptance of the goal by the end of this section and the preparation in the next section.</P> <P>In contrast, if your protagonist needs to think or do something before accepting the goal and/or there is no preparation needed for the goal, then the acceptance of the goal can happen in the end section of the first act instead.</P> <P>Act One Ending</P> <P>By the end of this section everything should be ready to embark on the quest. All preparation, all acceptance is completed. Just as when you are going on vacation you turn off all the lights, pet the dogs, lock the doors, put the suitcases in the car, get in the car, put on your seatbelt, start the car and drive off out of sight... all this is the first act. The second act begins with the car on the road.</P> <P>Act Two Beginning</P> <P>This section presents the beginning of the quest. It is the start of the actual journey. In many stories, this is an upbeat or at least hopeful time. Everything goes as planned. Keep in mind that throughout act two the difficulties in achieving the goal are constantly increasing. This is the section before that starts to happen; when it seems as if the journey will be a piece of cake.</P> <P>Act Two Middle</P> <P>This is possibly the most important section you will write. It is the midpoint, the exact middle of your story.</P> <P>Act two has in it, either in the this second or the end section, a special problem, often called a "plot twist." The stakes are raised in an unexpected form, and in so-doing the whole picture is changed.</P> <P>In an action story it will change what the characters think they need to do and make the goal more difficult to achieve. In a character piece, this problem makes it more difficult to resolve their personal problems; it complicates them.</P> <P>Now you have a choice to make. If your plot twist will require reorganization or recovery by the characters, then it should be in this section. But if the plot twist simply sends things in a new direction, then it should be at the end of the next section.</P> <P>Act Two Ending</P> <P>Now you have either put the ground shaking problem in the previous middle section, or you are planning to put it in this one. Remember that if your problem requires reorganization of material or the scheme, then the problem should have been in the last section leaving this section for reorganization and/or recovery. If you want to put the problem in this section, make sure the problem does not require reorganization. </P> <P>So you can have act two go out with a bang if you drop your plot twist right at the end of this section. Or, if the the bang was in the middle section you can have this section (and act two) go out with a whimper.</P> <P>Now don't let the name fool you, a whimper can be very effective. As an example, suppose in the middle of Act Two a natural disaster occurs as the Plot Twist bang. All the food the group has with them is scattered to the winds. After this disaster, all the food that can be found must be found.</P> <P>The end section of act two in this story would involve finding the food, patching bags, rounding up lost horses, fixing what's broken and so on, recovering. At the very last, everything is ready to go, and the man who is carrying the food sees a last grain of rice on a rock, picks it up, drops it in a bag, gets on his horse and leaves.</P> <P>That moment with the single grain of rice is the whimper. It ends the act with a subtle sense of closure and the anticipation that Act Three will begin with a new sense of purpose for the characters.</P> <P>Act Three Beginning</P> <P>Act three is the buildup to and, of course, the climax itself. All the plot points in the story have been set up in the first act, developed in the second, and the third act is where everything comes together for better or for worse. </P> <P>The beginning of the third act is a response to the plot twist of the second act. If you put the twist in the middle of the second act, then the characters spent the remaining part of act two recovering from that set back and getting ready to start again. In such a case, the beginning of act three feels like the beginning of the quest all over again - with renewed resolve.</P> <P>If you put the twist at the end of the second act, then it dropped like a bombshell and changed the whole purpose of what the characters are trying to achieve. In this case, act three begins with the characters setting off in a whole new direction than at the beginning of the quest.</P> <P>Either way, the reader/audience should be made to know that this is the start of the final push toward the ultimate climax or reckoning.</P> <P>Act Three Middle</P> <P>Throughout the story, although the Protagonist and Antagonist may have come into conflict, there have always been extenuating circumstances that prevented an ultimate conflict. In the middle of act three, these circumstances are dismantled, one by one, until nothing more stands between these two principal characters.</P> <P>At the end of this section it is clear that a final face-off is inevitable.</P> <P>Act Three Ending</P> <P>This is climax of your story. It is where the antagonist and protagonist meet for the final conflict. Your entire story has been leading up to this moment, with rising tension and suspense. All the stops are removed and the momentum cannot be turned aside.</P> <P>When the Protagonist and Antagonist meet, they start with the small stuff, sizing each other up. This is true whether it is an action-oriented story or a character study. The dynamics are the same - only the weapons they use are different.</P> <P>In action stories there will be physical weapons. In character stories, the weapons will be emotional. In stories about a single character grappling with personal problems, his or her demons come to bear, slowly but directly, building to the final breaking point.</P> <P>In all kinds of stories, this section builds as the two camps (and their followers) pull stronger and stronger weapons out of their arsenal, since the smaller ones have proven ineffective.</P> <P>The battle quickly becomes more heated, more imperative, and riskier. Eventually both the antagonist and protagonist have employing all the weapons they have at their disposal except one. They each retain a trump card, one last weapon that they have not yet used for fear that it might backfire or take them down along with their opponent. With the use of this last weapon the battle will be decided, one way or another.</P> <P>The final moments of the ending of act three might take one of two directions:</P> <P>1. The weapon (physical or emotion) is employed and the results are seen as the smoke clears.</P> <P>2. The weapon is employed and the result is left in limbo until the conclusion (epilog, dénouement or "wrap-up")</P> <P>Conclusion</P> <P>The conclusion is the aftermath and epilog. The climax is over and it's time to take stock of all that has happened. The conclusion is both a cool down period for the reader/audience after the excitement of the climax and a wrap up of loose ends. </P> <P>How did it all turn out? What was gained and what was lost? Was the effort to achieve the goal successful or not. Or, what the Goal only partially achieved, and was it enough?</P> <P>In a sense, the conclusion is a new "set-up." Just as the opening of your story set-up the way things are when the problem begins, the conclusion sets up how things are, now that it is over.</P> <P>What kind of new situation has come into being through the changes wrought by the climax?</P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Story StructurePlotStory Developmenthttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/your-plot-step-by-step.aspx#Commentsf9ff5239-7122-4dc7-ab9b-f8eef3e1dd62Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:48:00 GMTActs - One, Two and Threehttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/act-one.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>ACT ONE<BR><BR>Act one is about the Set Up.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>It establishes the way things are when the problem begins.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>It introduces the problem, establishes the goal and its requirements, as well as the consequences if the goal is not achieved.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Many stories include a journey or quest that leads to the goal.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In such stories, the first act concerns discovery of the need for and nature of the quest, the acceptance of the quest, and preparations to embark.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Act one then concludes with the final preparations and a restatement of the necessity of the quest by reminding the reader/audience of the potential consequences.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>In all stories, by the end of act one, the reader/audience must understand what the story is about, what is to be achieved, and how the effort toward that end is expected to proceed.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Keep in mind that for storytelling purposes you may intend to fool your audience into believing the goal is one thing when it will later turn out to be another.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Also, the plot of many stories includes a "teaser" at the very beginning of the act.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The teaser is an emotional "hook" meant to snare reader interest and draw them into the book or movie.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Almost every television episode begins with a teaser to keep the audience from changing the channel.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Teasers may or may not have anything to do with the story at large.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Sometimes they are simply exciting emotional or action-oriented extravaganzas which are nothing more than entertainment, and add nothing to the structure of the real story about to begin.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>In any event, by the end of the first act, your reader/audience must feel it understands what the story is about and the direction it appears to be taking.<BR><BR>ACT TWO<BR><BR></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">This is the Act of Development.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The second act develops plot points that you set up in your first act, adding richness and detail to your story.</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">If there's a journey in your story, act two is about the beginning and progress of that quest.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">   </SPAN>As progress is made, the obstacles to progress become more substantial.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Every step taken towards that goal increases in difficulty.</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Somewhere in Act Two there is a major plot twist, either physically or due to information uncovered, that throws the whole story into left field.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In some stories this twist happens in the middle of the act.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The second half of the act is spent trying to recover from the set back and begin anew.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In other stories, this twist occurs at the end of the second act, driving the quest in a whole new direction with the beginning of act three.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><BR>ACT THREE<BR><BR></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">This is the Act of the Climax.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The whole of the third act is leading up to that point, creating tension and suspense.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This is what your entire story has been leading up to.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>You want your third act to be more fast-paced than the rest of your story, and a lot more suspenseful.</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The most compelling stories build the forces for and against the goal so that each becomes stronger and stronger.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>At the point of climax each is so powerful that something has to give - the tension is just too great.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>And yet, since they are balanced, the outcome is still uncertain.</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The progression of the third act of plot is often heavily influenced by genre.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>For example, a compelling mystery might be designed to spread suspicion even wider than before, rather than narrowing in on just a few characters.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Therefore, the sense of building tension may spring from increasing confusion, rather than understanding.</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">In all cases, act three must and draw all dynamic forces to a head<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>and eventually tie up all loose ends</SPAN><BR></FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Story StructurePlothttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/act-one.aspx#Comments6fc2abd2-02d6-4a28-bc4d-927fc9e87b6fThu, 15 Jan 2009 03:58:00 GMTRelationship Baselines.http://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/relationship-baselines.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=3>Relationships begin with a "baseline" and then evolve.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>You will need to establish how your characters feel about one another at the beginning of your story.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Later, in the Storytelling section, you'll describe the growth of these emotional relationships over the course of the story.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=3>Both characters need not be present to establish a relationship between them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>You might your readers a look at one character's room where he keeps a score of framed pictures of the second character, his female co-worker, in a little shrine.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Then, you describe the second character's room where there is but a single picture of the first character which has been made into a dart board.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>It is obviously well-used due to the great quantity of dart holes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>There are three darts in it as another slams in to join it, thrown by the second character.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana size=3>One character might write a story about the other for a newspaper or a school report.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>A photo album might show two people in a series of pictures over the years.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In Citizen Kane, the relationship between Kane and his wife is established by a series of vignettes over the years in which the size of their dinner table grows, moving them farther and farther away from each other.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=Verdana>Of course, in real life most emotional relationships are not a single melody but a rich and complex symphony.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>You may want to develop a different specific means of revealing each aspect of a complex emotional relationship, or you might prefer to have a single illustration that reveals the complexity all at once.</FONT></SPAN> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Novel WritingStorytelling TechniquesCharactersStory Developmenthttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/relationship-baselines.aspx#Comments51ded014-d146-40c0-8384-8fb5ee26d524Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:54:00 GMTKeep Your Protagonist Humanhttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/keep-your-protagonist-human.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Characters have dramatic functions, but the reader or audience needs to identify with them as real people as well.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>A necessary but difficult task is to intertwine the personal and structural aspects of each character so that they blend seamlessly together and become interdependent in a unified person.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext"><FONT size=3>If your character is a protagonist, for example, what personal qualities or previous experiences have led them to become a protagonist, the Prime Mover in the effort to achieve the goal?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Similary, if your character is wishy-washy, how does that affect their ability to function as a protagonist?<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>By integrating both the structural and personal elements in every character, each will seem to be driven by real motivations, enacted in a truly human manner.</FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Charactershttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/keep-your-protagonist-human.aspx#Comments484525a6-f4ee-4748-a3d2-6fbb395757f7Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:40:00 GMTThe Core of Your Protagonisthttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/the-core-of-your-protagonist.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>The Protagonist is one of the most misunderstood characters in a story's structure.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  When creating your Protagonist, don't let him or her get bogged down with all kinds of additional dramatic jobs that may not be necessary for your particular story.<BR><BR></SPAN>It is often assumed that this character is a typical "Hero" who is a good guy, the central character, and the Main Character.  </FONT><FONT size=3>In fact, the Protagonist does not have to be any of these things.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>By definition, the Protagonist is the Prime Mover or Driver of the effort to achieve the goal.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Beyond that, he, she, or it might be a bad guy (such as an anti-hero).</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext"><FONT size=3>Being the Central character just means that character is the most prominent to the audience.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>For example, Fagin in "Oliver Twist" is perhaps the most prominent, but he is certainly not the Protagonist.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>So, a Protagonist may actually be less interesting than the Antagonist, or may actually be almost a background character.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>In addition, the Protagonist is not always the Main Character, who could be any one of the characters in your story who represents the reader or audience position in the story.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>So, the only attribute you should consider in selecting your structural Protagonist is whether this character is the one with the most initiative toward reaching the Goal.</FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Charactershttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/the-core-of-your-protagonist.aspx#Comments0cd0825c-7d5c-478d-8972-e2a7629c08efThu, 15 Jan 2009 03:17:00 GMTSuccess or Failure?http://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/success-or-failure.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>A story without a clear indication of success or failure is a failure with your readers or audience.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>You need to work out exactly how the audience will know the goal is achieved or not.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>This might seem obvious in an action story, but may be much more difficult in a story about character growth.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Success and Failure don't have to be binary choices; they can be matters of degree.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>For example, the effort to bring back a treasure may fail, but the adventurers discover one large ruby that fell into their pack.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Or, someone seeking true love might find love but with someone who is rather annoying.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Whether either of these examples is a partial success or a partial failure depends largely on how you portray the characters' attitudes to the imperfect achievement.  To ensure a sense of closure in your readers/audience, make sure they know exactly how things end up on the success/failure scale.</SPAN> <BR> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>Write Your Novel or Screenplay Step by Step </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>StoryWeaver Story Development Software with more than</FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000> 200 interactive Story Cards guides you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with StoryWeaver</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Novel WritingScreenwritingPlothttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/success-or-failure.aspx#Commentse8b2fbf7-9456-4133-a904-1f2cbf316ce3Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:05:00 GMTCreating Extra Tension with Consequenceshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/creating-extra-tension-with-consequences.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>A goal is what the characters chase, but what chases the characters?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>The consequence doubles the dramatic tension in a story by providing a negative result if the goal is not achieved.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Consequences may be emotional or logistic, but the more intense they are, the greater the tension.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Often it provides greater depth if there are emotional consequences when there is an external goal, and external consequences if there is an emotional goal.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Your story might be about avoiding the consequences or it might begin with the consequences already in place, and the goal is intended to end them.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>If the consequences are intense enough, it can help provide motivation for characters who have no specific personal goals.<BR></FONT></P> <CENTER><BR> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>StoryWeaver Step by Step Story Development Software </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>Story Structure for intuitive writers.  </FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000>More than 200 interactive Story Cards guide you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><FONT face=Arial size=4>Visit <A href="http://storymind.com">Storymind.com</A> for the best prices on Writing Software</FONT></P> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with ANY Purchase</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Plothttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/creating-extra-tension-with-consequences.aspx#Commentsd9a90c62-acbb-4d2c-a769-3c8eef8018adThu, 15 Jan 2009 03:03:00 GMTDon't Forget the Requirementshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/dont-forget-the-requirements.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>The achievement or failure to achieve the goal is an important but short moment at the end of the story.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>So how is interest maintained over the course of the story?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>By the progress of the quest toward the goal.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>This progress is measured by how many of the requirements have been met and how many remain.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Requirements can be specific, such as needing to obtain five lost rubies that fit in the idol and unlock the door to the treasure.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Or, they can be nebulous, such as needing to reach three progressive states of enlightenment before the dimensional portal will open.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">The important thing is that the requirements are clear enough to be easily understood and "marked off the list" as the story progresses.<BR><BR></SPAN> <CENTER> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>StoryWeaver Step by Step Story Development Software </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>Story Structure for intuitive writers.  </FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000>More than 200 interactive Story Cards guide you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><FONT face=Arial size=4>Visit <A href="http://storymind.com">Storymind.com</A> for the best prices on Writing Software</FONT></P> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with ANY Purchase</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Plothttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/dont-forget-the-requirements.aspx#Comments94c80256-614b-4296-9a11-11a57474680fThu, 15 Jan 2009 02:45:00 GMTCharacters' Personal Goalshttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/characters-personal-goals.aspx?ref=rssMelanie Anne Phillips<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3>Personal Goals are the motivating reasons your characters care about and/or participate in the effort to achieve or prevent the overall goal.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>In other words, they see the main story goal as a means to an end, not as an end itself.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3> <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Although a personal goal for each character is not absolutely essential, at some point your readers or audience is going to wonder what is driving each character to brave the trials and obstacles.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>If you haven't supplied a believable motivation, it will stand out as a story hole.</SPAN> <BR><BR> <CENTER> <TABLE cellPadding=5 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=120> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><IMG height=100 alt="" src="http://storymind.com/publish/img4.gif" width=100 border=0><BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial color=#000000><A href="http://storymind.com/storyweaver.htm"><B>Click for Details</B></A></FONT></P></TD> <TD align=middle><B><FONT face=Arial size=3>StoryWeaver Step by Step Story Development Software </FONT></B> <CENTER></CENTER> <P align=left><FONT color=#000000>Story Structure for intuitive writers.  </FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#000000>More than 200 interactive Story Cards guide you through the entire process from concept to completed novel or screenplay.  Download or CD ROM.   </FONT><B><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>Just $29.95 !</FONT><FONT color=#000000>   </FONT></B></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=center><FONT face=Arial size=4>Visit <A href="http://storymind.com">Storymind.com</A> for the best prices on Writing Software</FONT></P> <P align=center><A href="http://storymind.com/store/info/bonus.htm"><FONT face=Arial size=4>Get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package<BR></FONT></A><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>FREE with ANY Purchase</FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>! </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000 size=4>A $300 Value!</FONT></FONT></P> <SCRIPT src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> _uacct = "UA-1360980-1"; urchinTracker(); </SCRIPT> <P align=left> </P></CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER>Charactershttp://blog.storymind.com/2009/01/14/characters-personal-goals.aspx#Comments4a58101b-7c45-47af-abfa-d052fc40b91eThu, 15 Jan 2009 02:39:00 GMT