October 23, 2015. Welcome to my Blog Challenge on preparing your novel. Those who are just arriving, do check out the earlier posts on this challenge, as the exercises/ reflections build on each other. To find out more about this challenge, read my original post HERE.
We are now entering the second half of the middle, otherwise known as Part III or Act II b. The further we get from the beginning, the harder it is to plot specifics - unless, of course, you are a firm plotter. Your characters may have surprised you by now, your enthusiasm and energy may be depleting, and the end is still a long way from sight. Hard as it may be, the more you have outlined in advance, the (relatively) easier it will be to get through this part.
Yesterday's post left off with the mid-point crisis or turning point. As you start the second half of your novel, you need to show the fall-out from that.
1. How does your protagonist respond to the mid-point obstacle? How will he/she overcome it? What does that cost him/her?
2. How do his/her friend/mentor/love interest react to it?
3. How does the antagonist respond to the protagonist's overcoming it? What does this failure cost him/her? NOTE: the protagonist may, in exhaustion, consider giving up, but the antagonist can never doubt himself or think for one minute of giving up.
4. How are all of the relationships between the characters changing as the journey progresses?
5. Has the protagonist's attitude toward the goal changed in any way? If so, how?
6. Part III ends with the climax, the hardest obstacle yet, the third turning point of the novel. At this point, all seems lost, the protagonist is worse off that he/she was at the beginning despite all his/her attempts to achieve the goal, and is on the point of giving up. How will you show this scene?
7. What morally significant choice is your protagonist faced with at this point? (The thing he/she would NEVER do) Why MUST he/she do it?
8. How has the protagonist brought him/her self to this point? What fatal weakness or secret has the antagonist taken advantage of in the protagonist?
9. What fatal weakness in the antagonist will the protagonist be able to use to resolve this final obstacle?
Once again, this looks like a lot to cover in one exercise, but this can be just a rough outline of the main markers, to keep you on track as you are writing.
Please comment, tweet, or like this post. Happy outlining! See you tomorrow.
We are now entering the second half of the middle, otherwise known as Part III or Act II b. The further we get from the beginning, the harder it is to plot specifics - unless, of course, you are a firm plotter. Your characters may have surprised you by now, your enthusiasm and energy may be depleting, and the end is still a long way from sight. Hard as it may be, the more you have outlined in advance, the (relatively) easier it will be to get through this part.
Yesterday's post left off with the mid-point crisis or turning point. As you start the second half of your novel, you need to show the fall-out from that.
1. How does your protagonist respond to the mid-point obstacle? How will he/she overcome it? What does that cost him/her?
2. How do his/her friend/mentor/love interest react to it?
3. How does the antagonist respond to the protagonist's overcoming it? What does this failure cost him/her? NOTE: the protagonist may, in exhaustion, consider giving up, but the antagonist can never doubt himself or think for one minute of giving up.
4. How are all of the relationships between the characters changing as the journey progresses?
5. Has the protagonist's attitude toward the goal changed in any way? If so, how?
6. Part III ends with the climax, the hardest obstacle yet, the third turning point of the novel. At this point, all seems lost, the protagonist is worse off that he/she was at the beginning despite all his/her attempts to achieve the goal, and is on the point of giving up. How will you show this scene?
7. What morally significant choice is your protagonist faced with at this point? (The thing he/she would NEVER do) Why MUST he/she do it?
8. How has the protagonist brought him/her self to this point? What fatal weakness or secret has the antagonist taken advantage of in the protagonist?
9. What fatal weakness in the antagonist will the protagonist be able to use to resolve this final obstacle?
Once again, this looks like a lot to cover in one exercise, but this can be just a rough outline of the main markers, to keep you on track as you are writing.
Please comment, tweet, or like this post. Happy outlining! See you tomorrow.
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