Sunday, January 31, 2010
Yes, but...to combat Now, what?
So I've run into a problem in my WIP. I run into this problem regularly, in fact. I'll be cruising along, writing a new scene, playing with the dialog and making fiddling with the setting, thinking...Now, what?
And then the other day, I was flipping through a how-to book for a chart on structure, and I found the answer to my question.
Yes, but...
Let me explain. In each scene, there should be a goal, right? Something your protagonist is trying to attain or achieve. And there's some form of obstacle in her way, be it the hottie next door or the vampire trying to suck her...blo0d. So she has a goal in each scene. Does she get it?
There are only four possible answers to that question: yes, no, yes but, or no and furthermore.
Yes and no are boring answers. They don't leave you with anything next. You say yes or no to the conflict of the scene, and then you're stuck staring at the screen, going, "Now, what do I do?"
So how about the other two options? "No and furthermore" gets more interesting. No, she didn't get attain her goal, but furthermore...fill in the blank with a way it can get worse."Yes, but" gets interesting too. Yes, she attains her goal. But...
Recently, I had a scene I was floundering with. Josephine, my protagonist, had a goal. She was being released from prison, and about to face the media storm standing between the gates of the prison, and the car taking her to the airport. And she did it. She withstood the media, made it into the car with her dignity intact.
And then. . .
So I thought, what if the answer was "yes, but" instead of just "yes." What if she gets through the shit storm of cameras and questions, but there's something worse waiting for her in the car?
Suddenly, there are new possibilities. The things I needed to have happen plot-wise can, yet the possibilities in front of me are now endless.
So how about it wenches? Anyone have a scene they seemed to stall out on, and are left going "Now what do I do?" Check if the answer to the protagonist's goal is a plain yes or no. Will giving that scene a "no, and furthermore," or "yes, but" ending open up your future options? What else do you use to get you past the "Now, what?" sticking moments?
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30 comments:
Wow, now I'm really confused! This one is going to take some thinking...and examining my current WIP!
Hal, may I suggest that you try reading Ian Flemming's 'Bond' books. They are quite different to the films. Furthermore, Bond is forever getting in to cars when unexpected things happen.
Felix Lighter or a glamorous Russian spy may be driving, or an ominous looking sports car may start to tail them. Flemming has made an art out of getting into cars. I suspect that the car is just a well worn piece in Flemming's jigsaw though. A necessary preliminary to some hair raising action. He was a plotter if ever I read one.
You could do a lot worse than imitating the master! *grin*
I definitely like the "Yes, but" -- it kind of gives your MC what they want, but then yanks it away. LOL I hate being mean to my characters, even though I know they *need* it. LOL
So this is a good way of being nice and THEN being mean.
Thanks! I needed that!
Great way to build in scene/chapter cliffhangers...and those signs fit perfectly! :)
I have this problem with practically EVERY scene, so yes, this is very timely. *LOL* Although it can be said in the opening scene Adam & Eve want a divorce; and then in the second scene, do they get it? Yes, but...they have to find new people to marry. So I'm guessing that's why I didn't stall immediately. Now I've probably just not determined what their immediate goals are. Do they really want the divorce? Do they want to be married? Do they want to make the other one sorry they ditched them? Do they just want to have sex with their ex on the nearest surface that doesn't have a stain on it?
I like the no-furthermore. I like NOT giving them what they want and then making it worse. I think that's more fun. *LOL*
WTH is with those signs? Are those real? *LOL* Who could follow that? Are they supposed to make sense?
Chancey - sorry to get so philosophical so late at night :)
Q - you're right, he is the absolute master at using cars to raise the stakes, isn't he?
Hey Melissa! those signs are a riot, aren't they? DC has some streets that insane - hence my sticking to the metro at all times :)
Donna - I love being nice first and then mean! It lulls them into a false sense of security, before the hammer falls, *whap!* (evil laugh)
Hellie, what an awesome Yes, but! Sure, you can have your divorce, but you have to find some other schmuck to marry! LOL!
I have no idea where those signs are. Can you imagine trying to figure out which lane is going your direction with only that sign as a reference?
Here's a different kind of "Yes, but" -- LOL
I'd mentioned earlier about waiting on some contest results. Well, I won 2nd place (out of 5 finalists), which is the Yes part.
The "but" part -- there were two editors judging the finalists, and they didn't ask to see any more of the manuscript. :(
So the "Yes, but" can be a true life adventure too! LOL
OK, so I thought about it... I think I'm mainly a 'yes...but' writer. More because my characters get what they want but it generally isn't really what they need, so it doesn't satisfy. (Save for the sex, of course.)
So...they are never content with that 'yes' and keep digging, keep searching...
I had to think about your question in a scene that is coming up with my 53 year old heroine... Where a question gets answered, but not really with enough thoroughness to bring her any comfort...
Donna, yay for getting 2nd place! How exciting! I'm sorry you didn't get a request to go along with it. Boo, editors!
Chance - I love that, that the yes they get their yes, but in it's not actually what they need in the end. awesome!
I'm all about the 'yes, but' scenarios. It keeps everyone on their toes, especially in suspense fiction.
The signs are cracking me up.
I have this issue constantly right now. If only I could get on a roll and whip out some pages. It seems just when my muse starts to talk, I get the paper and pen and she shuts up. I'm left there sitting in silence trying to remember the flow.
Renee - I think you're right that this works especially well for suspense fiction. I think it can work for more internal conflicts as well, when a character gets what they think they want, like Chance was talking about, or when getting what they want just brings out all sorts of new complications
Sin, gah, don't you hate that! that always happens to me too. something about setting my fingers on the keyboard makes my muse hightail it to Costa Rica. Little bitch.
What a great idea! I'm getting to plunge back into my WIP after nearly a month away, and I need all the ideas for a restart I can get. This is particularly true since I just read jessica Faust's Friday blog, and she advises unpubs not to write books 2 & 3 of a trilogy util after book 1 is sold. Start something new, she says. I'm considering.
Janga - I hope it helps as you get restarted! I'm currently working on book 2 of a series, even though book 1 hasn't been picked up yet. Jessica definitely knows her stuff - intellectually, I should be working on something else. But this book is already plotted, and I'm excited about it and on a roll, so I figure, why mess with the muse when she actually is inclined to help me out :)
What are you leaning toward? Continuing on with your current series, or starting something new?
I have between 30-40K on each of the next two books. I know that sounds crazy, but I don't write lineraly. Plus the three stories are really a single story in my head. On the other hand, it makes sense not to invest all that time and creative energy in something that will never fly. And something completely new might be energizing. I have an idea for a category that's been playing in the back of my mind for a while. i might try that.
As you can see, I'm a champion waffler. :)
Janga - Not sure I agree with waiting... If you really have a spitfire idea and are fired up excited about it... Just keep writing. When it comes to pitching, if you can pitch book one with the promise that book 2 is in the editing stage and book 3 is half way through, it shows a level of committment to your story. And if you pitch to an editor who is looking for a series... She won't have to wait for you to get back into the flow with books 2 and 3...etc.
I did this at RT and ended up with a request to pitch a series...
This day is a cluster all the way around. Are you still sitting under snow, Hal? we got close to 8 inches here and the whole place is still shut down. They even closed my office today. We haven't seen a new flake since Saturday night! But things are supposedly slick. I wouldn't know since I haven't left the house since Friday afternoon. I'm getting cabin fever!
This blog is a complete lightbulb moment for me. When I've been plotting, I've only asked the questions "What do I need to show/establish here?" and "How can I do this?" No wonder I have no idea what my GMC is at any given moment. Gah!
I like the "Yes, but.." idea. Perfect way to make sure the story escalates and raise the stakes. I'd think you also get the benefit of adding the "page turner" element.
I'm going to take a look at my storyboard and see if I can apply this stuff and find some GMC in there somewhere.
chance, yay for a whole series request! That's awesome, and also why I'm still chugging away as well, rather than doing the "smart" thing and waiting to see what happens to book #1.
Janga - wafflers unite! I'm the same way. I have category ideas floating around in my head too. But we're writing, and that's half the battle!
Ter! I wondered if you guys were buried too. TEN inches!!!! Everything is a complete mess. this whole county (close to 80,000 people) has exactly two snow plows. They're sticking plows on the front of every city works truck they can find. We live in-town, and still haven't been able to shovel our way out. The university even shut down, which never happens. Snow day!!!
And yay for light bulbs! Hope it helps!
For just a moment...I wondered...why would pillows on the front of every city works truck help out in snow?
I don't live where it snows...so I just figured it was something I was simply ignorant about... ;)
Chance - I don't live where it snows either! LOL! Hence the mess. And right now I'm freezing! I'm getting the space heater.
I'm sure this will help, Hal. And I hope the snow goes away soon? I haven't even looked at the weather. Any idea when it's going to warm up?!
Whoa, I really needed to read this. Thank you! I feel like I'm so much better about the overall goals of the characters but within in a scen it's far more difficult. I think this will clear up a few things.
Hal - I like this. I'm always stalling out at a moment where I go, now what? This seems a good way to keep things moving, combat that inevitable stall out.
And I'm glad Hal's writing Josephine's story. It's so good, I say, why wait? :)
Hope you guys are getting out of the snow. Ours is about gone. We ended up with an inch or so, but that's more than they told us we were going to get. (Flurries. I want those people's jobs. It'd be cool to be able to be wrong all the time.)
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