lilfluff‘s topic was: Plotting methods that have worked for you, or that have intrigued you.

Plotting methods that have worked for you, or that have intrigued you.(12)

Okay, so you may have noticed my two favorite formats are “serial that just keeps going” and “500-words-or-less.” Neither one of these rely heavily on plotting, the flash fic even less so than the serial.

Needless to say, plotting is something I’m working on.

When I work on serials and long stories (that would mostly be Rin & Girey), I tend to outline chapters on four (Steno-book-sized) lines each, and then draw plot arcs along the side. “This is Shahin’s recovery.” “This is someone chasing Girey.” It works… okay. Writing to the outline is another skill I’m working on <.<

For “Monster Godmother,” I found that if I put the story in 100-to-500-word chunks, it made a lot more sense to me. So the outline looked like

[intro:250]
[flashback: 100]
[First scene:250]
and so on.

When I did Nano, inventrix had just introduced me to beat sheets: here. I’m still pondering them, but they don’t work well with my flow and tend to throw me off. “Wait, what, they’re supposed to be having a defining moment here? But I’ve got that scheduled as a dramatic pause!”

(I like dramatic pauses.)

And on the “intrigues:” I’m contemplating this: The Snowflake Method, recommended by clare_dragonfly.

So, what about everyone else? How do YOU plot?

Bonus link: 25 Ways To Plot, Plan And Prep Your Story

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/860375.html. You can comment here or there.

What Follows is available in Print! Books make great holiday gifts!

Dec4

Check it out!

What Follows is an anthology of post-apocalyptic stories, answering the question “how would an immortal handle the end times?” It features “Monster Godmother,” a story of the Faerie Apocalypse written by yours truly, as well as stories by jolantru, K Orion Fray, and many more!

Want it in electrons format? Check here for sources.

Cheers!

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/859470.html. You can comment here or there.

Inner Circle is Up! Chapter 12 – Valran – Choose

Dec4

“Choose.”

“Choose, ma’am?” Valran blinked at the ancient, terrifying woman who owned him. The car had gone quiet for a little while, almost entirely silent, as they wended their way into the heart of New Indapala. And then… that.

“I’m sorry, I got lost in my own thoughts…” Read on…

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/859385.html. You can comment here or there.

“Hey, Lyn, Why Don’t You Write More ____?” Here’s your chance(s)!

Dec2

Ever want to poke me to write something in specific?

This thread gives you a chance to suggest a blog topic sometime in December,

and

this thread is for prompts for anything non-Addergoole (is there a desire for an Addergoole/Fae Apoc/Doomsday prompt thread?)

and

this thread is to help me narrow down the “more please” tag to a few stories.

😀

Go, tell me what to write!

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/857835.html. You can comment here or there.

December Meme – Day One

Dec1

inventrix asked: What have you been watching lately?

Well, we were watching Dr. Who, but then its ridiculously short season came to an end (dun-dun-DUN). I was really enjoying it, right up to the finale, in which I believe the actors did the best with awful dialogue writing.

I watch the news. 😉 ABC World News with David Muir. We also watch the Daily Show, which isn’t news, but is often informative.

And T. & I watch Cutthroat Kitchen rather religiously. It’s a Food Network food competition show, hosted by Alton Brown.

We’re very slowly re-watching Picket Fences and Torchwood on days when we don’t have anything else to watch.

I didn’t marathon anything in November, or watch anything, really, on my own. I might track down something, but all my previous shows are sort of leaving a funny taste in my mouth. Anything to suggest?

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/857285.html. You can comment here or there.

December Meme – Tell me what to talk about

Dec1

Stolen from aoifes_isle who stole it from theladyscribe: Pick a date in December and give me something to talk about. TV, books, movies, fandom, writing, science, publishing, food, travel, fictional characters and all of their feelings, cuddly animals, whatever.

@dahob, days of my choice – -Angel Fight! -snow -sexy eyes

kelkyag, days of choice – Art — your tastes, a favorite piece you or one you’ve been inspired by, art to go with your writing;Mud. (Says the potter, but interpret in your own choice of contexts.); Cooking, recipes, something you want to make; Something you want to learn, or learn about; Language or color choices; Collections; Mythology (or mythological beasts, or places, or …); Getting lost; Meeting people; Cycles; ~~Fire.~~

1 – inventrix: What have you been watching lately? – 1
2 – kelkyag: Garden Plans – 2
3 – aoifes_isle: Snow, love it or loathe, and why. – 3
4 – me – Farmville (really) – 4
5 – lilfluff: Plotting methods that have worked for you, or that have intrigued you. – 5
6 – kelkyag: Fire – 6
7 – Wyste, budgeting – 7
8 – aoifes_isle: Obscure factoid that everyone should know. – 8
9 – rix_scaedu: Doug – 9
10
11 – thnidu: Rolling the dice.
12 – kay_brooke: How about fictional characters and your feelings? Who do you like the most? Who do you enjoy writing the most? Who do you frequently want to knock some sense into? – 12
13 – lilfluff: Your favorite games – 13
14 – http://www.denisedrespling.com/7-books-that-shaped-my-life/ – 14
15 – eseme: Favorite places to shop for the late shoppers – 15
1 [16] – thnidu: oops! Something’s missing! – 16
17 – inventrix: the cats – 17
18 – lilfluff: What shows/movies would you like to see rebooted? – 18
19 – kelkyag: Knitting – 19
20 – thnidu: what’s the score?
21 – inventrix: Christmas plans! – 21
22 – lilfluff: Comfort foods – 22
23 – @dahob – Why do you like apocalypses so much? – 23
24 – thnidu: the dozens
25 – thnidu: Square, perfectly square
26 – thnidu: From A to Z
27
28
29
30 – aoifes_isle: New Year’s traditions (in a fic ‘verse or real life)
31 – lilfluff: A writing tip or prompt for people to take into the new year.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/856919.html. You can comment here or there.

On Nano, and what I’m learning

Nov26

So, I’m 26 days into nanowrimo – by my chart, that’s 86.67% of the time by the end of the day, and 80.29%
done with the writing before I start today.

This month was an experiment – several experiments, actually.

* Writing 15K fiction pieces.
* Writing fiction-for-submission serially, i.e., one after another with no break.
* writing several pieces of different lengths for nano.

What I’ve learned already is that I have a process in writing for submission that is different from my process for writing for y’all or for serials, and that messing with it messes with my brain.

The process is:
* write 250-1000 words of a piece
* throw it out
* start again.
* finish that, then edit heavily.

skipping steps 1 & 2 totally messes with me. <.< Also, wastes time.

I’ve also learned that pacing for longer short pieces is totally foreign to me and I have no idea how to do it.

also, I need/want/crave/like distraction projects. See Doomsday.

that’s it so far. See you on the 1st!~

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/855189.html. You can comment here or there.

There’s been a lot of Addergoole/Doomsday Writing Lately…

Nov26

…and for good reason.

But, to be fair: Leave a prompt (or prompts) for any setting of mine not Addergoole/Fae Apoc, and, over the next month, I will try to write 100 words to each of at least 10 prompts.

Optional themes – holidays, family, winter/seasons’s turn, i.e., anything you can think of as a December sort of theme.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/854937.html. You can comment here or there.

Mother-Daughter Shopping, a ficlet of Addergoole/Doomsday (@inventrix)

Nov26

Cynara (Cya) is a long-running character in my Addergoole/Doomsday series.
It is a trope of the series that she picks up a new Kept every year on Addergoole graduation/send-home-for-summer-vacation day.
Lady Maureen runs the creche where children of Ag students spend time until or unless their parents claim them on graduation.
Yoshi is Cynara’s son; Howard is her crew-mate, Kishmish is Howard’s adopted daughter and Nibibizhiw is his blood son.
Phew!

It didn’t surprise Luke to find Cynara leaning against Lady Maureen’s fence; by this time, the surprise was the few years she didn’t show up.

It did, however, surprise him to see her with another woman. The girl looked to be about the same age as Addergoole students, although he had spent enough time around fae to doubt appearance. She was blonde, with freckles sprinkled across her nose – the current partner of one of Cya’s sons or grandsons, maybe? Luke moved in a little closer.

“Mo-o-om.” The girl sighed with clearly long-suffering patience. Luke, recognizing the sound from his own children, smiled. The smile died quickly, however – mom? Cya had given two sons to Addergoole.

And told him about others having third children, fourth, fifth to have kids they didn’t have to give away to Luke’s school. She’d as much as told him.

But who was the father? Luke studied them, muttering a Working to let him eavesdrop from a safe distance. Blonde, well, that was likely an Aelf-get, but considering Cynara’s taste in Kept, that didn’t narrow it down. The freckles were Cynara’s; both her sons had them.

“…No. I don’t want a maid. I mean, I probably do want a maid, but it’s not like we can’t just hire a maid. I don’t need a house-Kept.”

Interesting. Shopping. Well, from the looks of Yoshi & his occasional visits to the same fence where his mother was now sitting, it ran in the family.

“Well, what about a-“

“No. I am not talking about that with you.”

“Well, what do you want?” It was both interesting and a bit reassuring to find Cya sounding every bit as frustrated as any other parent of a teenager.

“I don’t know, why don’t you just find someone?”

“I thought you’d never ask. Look, it helps if you drop the Mask. Then they don’t worry you might be a lost human.” Cynara dropped her own Mask.

The girl did the same. Pronghorn antlers poked from her blonde hair. That – did not actually help.

Cynara had only once given a Kept a child, Luke remembered. And she’d been in love with Howard, even if neither of them would ever admit it.

Well, the kid had good genes, and Howard – well, Howard spoiled them rotten, which would explain a lot. But he’d raise them well, too. He’d done well with Kishmish and Nibibizhiw, at least.

“Now. Who would be good for my daughter…” Cya’s eyes landed on Luke, and, very deliberately, she winked.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/854511.html. You can comment here or there.

Story Idea

Nov20

Okay, so this is what came to me in the shower this morning:

A technomancer Addergoole grad in school for/just graduated from college for rocket science is faced with the apoc.

Using her college roommate’s concept drawings for an FTL ship and substituting magic where human tech isn’t there yet, and pulling in the skills of a diverse team of misfits, she puts together an escape ship to bring a smallish population (1000 or so) away from the mess that is Earth.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/851490.html. You can comment here or there.

Alder's Grove Fiction

The Worlds of Lyn Thorne-Alder

Archives

December Meme – Day Five

What Follows is available in Print! Books make great holiday gifts!

Inner Circle is Up! Chapter 12 – Valran – Choose

“Hey, Lyn, Why Don’t You Write More ____?” Here’s your chance(s)!

December Meme – Day One

December Meme – Tell me what to talk about

On Nano, and what I’m learning

There’s been a lot of Addergoole/Doomsday Writing Lately…

Mother-Daughter Shopping, a ficlet of Addergoole/Doomsday (@inventrix)

Story Idea