Thursday, September 23, 2010

On the Write Again

Well, it's been a few months since I finished Torn Heart, so you may know what time it is: new story time! If you followed my old blog, you might have seen my "potential story ideas" page.  If you have, I'm going with the ship story.  For all the rest of you...no more information given on the plot.  :D

I've always wanted to write a ship story with pirates!!! So excited.  I started writing back when I took my trip to PA, because when you're in a car for ten hours...you get tired of reading.  So I wrote.  Despite the ten hours there and back, I only finished about two chapters.  And they're short ones.  But that's because I really wasn't sure of the plot.  However, now I have it almost completely under control.  Right now, I'm doing my version of "outlining", which most people would call...well, a conglomeration of character sketches, drawings, and snippets.  Here's an example of how I'm planning my plot threads out this time.  Remember - JUST EXAMPLES.  :)

Conflict 1 (Action): Porridge is too hot for three bears -- They leave -- Goldilocks comes and eats it -- Bears come back and find her -- She escapes


Conflict 2 (Character Development): Goldilocks angry at parents -- Runs away -- Gets caught by bears --Realizes her parents just want to keep her safe -- She goes home and they make up

See? This actually works pretty well in that I don't feel confused at all about my plot so far.  Now all I have to do is write the story by intertwining all of my plot points (four), like braiding a rope.

Here's a list of "outlining" I have to do before I start writing again.  (I have already done the crossed out things.)


- Finish worldbuilding questions (you can use the same ones here
- Find picture of Merriam online (minor female)
- Polish Merriam's character sketch
- Finish Grailyn's character sketch (lead male)
- Research guns/cannons (This is the first book I've tried to write with firearms - should be interesting.)
- Write Sahmo a character sketch (minor male)
- Develop SAMAn group
- Research John Paul Jones (Maybe.  Don't ask.)
- Watch Pirates of the Carribean (Yay! I have an excuse to watch it! Hopefully my dad will let me...is there anything bad in it?)
- Find theme verse and maybe song for story (I did this for Torn Heart - my theme verse was Matthew 6:24, and my theme song was Half of What We Know, by Crooked Still.)

I'm having lots of fun with this part of the book - it's like the icing on the cake, especially since I love organizing and putting things in their proper places.  But soon I'll have the icing all licked up and I'll have to start on the actual cake part: writing.
Ah, well.  I'll just try to make the cake a chocolate one.  :)

Oh...do you want to know my theme verse and song? :)
Verses: Proverbs 18:15, and Matthew 7:1
Song: Sometimes in this Country, Crooked Still (Have you noticed I like them? :P)


P.S. Next time, I'll post a way to organize your characters.  It's really cool, so stay tuned.

Cheers,

Ellyn

6 comments:

Mia said...

Thanks very much for the link to the worldbuilding questions! Those were just what I needed.

Mia said...

And I forgot to say: "Pirates" is an okay movie, nothing too obscene or offensive- it's appropriately rated PG-13. I like the characters. :)

I can't wait for the character post!

hazel marie said...

Now I've got the writing bug! {Thanks, I needed it!}

PotC is fairly clean as far as romance. It's mostly rated PG-13 for the violence, and even that isn't all that bad. The first one I think is actually PG.

Can't wait for you next post on the subj.!
-Gwyn

Anonymous said...

I sound like you with the icing on the cake and all! So many times I've just stopped when I finished the icing. *Sigh*

Cool way to outline too!
Can't wait for your characters post.

Sarah

Caroline said...

Yay! Let's hear it for pirate stories! That's what I'm currently writing now (and I LOVE it. Most of the time.XD)

PoTC should be fine. I've seen all three (didn't finish the third) and I love, love, love them. They'll give you much inspiration for your book. Word of advice, though--I thought the third one stunk, and was too gory and depressing, so that's why I didn't finish it. :)

Sierra said...

I love the Pirates of the Carribbean movies all but the third. It was really gory and the plot was kind of wierd.