Plotting. What can be said about plotting? Well, there are entire books and lecture series devoted to plotting. Plotting always seems so artificial to me, but without it I tend to wander. The Problem, I believe, is one of the first things to help bring clarity in the fog. After finishing my rather exhaustive character creation process last night I managed to uncover the problem. I had a vague notion of it from the start, but it wasn’t until I understood the character that I could really define her problem. Now I have a better idea what is needed to make this story a success. The type of story it is no longer evades me.

I’ve been listening to the Odyssey SF/F Writing Workshop Podcasts. They all have something interesting to offer. I often go back to my Clarion West notes and listen to the lectures again. I hear new things in them every time. With all my new short stories I’m focusing on using the Plot Skeleton. Most writers are familiar with this formula:

(1) a character (2) in context (3) with a problem
(4)which the character tries to solve
(5) only to experience unexpected failure
(6) followed by either victory or defeat, leaving a need for (7) validation

I believe Algis Budrys gets credit for this particular flavor.

I tend to develop my stories in that order now. Especially with shorter works. This little jewel really helps one focus on what really needs to be in the story, so at least the basics are covered.

So on the story front; Tattoo (probably not the final title) now has a main character, a few conflict characters, and the main character has an almost insurmountable problem that is in relation to the major aspects of her life. Now I start the fun part. Finding ways for her to solve the problem and ways to crush those attempts with the fantasy devise that I’m using to make this a genre work.

I think I might talk a bit more about what makes something a genre work later.

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