pastelpomwrites

[pastelpomwrites]

Rebecca Solnit, Recollections of My Nonexistence

[pastelpomwrites]

a poem that i think would work better as a comic but i don't have the time nor the energy to make a comic right now.

i'm at a party and i don't want to be here anymore.

[pastelpomwrites]

starting to read dark places by gillian flynn because i've been thinking recently of the time a few years back i read sharp objects and it hurt me really bad. smiles.

sometimes flynn's main characters can really be overstated in their own self-hatred and misery but in a way that is honestly very satisfying and refreshing for me to read - like, yeah, page one paragraph one our main character is fantasizing about putting a gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger, envisioning the blood splattering all over the walls. it's a lot, but it works really, really well. characters who are just completely and unabashedly suicidal or desperate to hurt themselves in order to feel something and spell it out plainly are really interesting to me from a narrative standpoint, because getting said characters to find something that compels and propels them through the plot can be a challenge! so the stakes are already high because they had to be in order to motivate this character to actually get out of bed instead of falling back asleep with a bottle of rum in her hand.

sharp objects really resonated with me for that reason. the characters hurt so so bad and flynn does not shy away from showing that at all. i finished reading that book alone in a dark, empty classroom at 4am back when i was in college. that fucked me up mentally for a good while lmao.

anyway. really enjoying dark places so far, especially its exploration of the rise of true crime "fandoms" and shit like that. very interested to see where the plot will go!!

[pastelpomwrites]

Written far too many vibes-heavy plotlight/plotless shortfics I fear it’s time for me to buckle down and actually write something plot heavy so I can like. Grow and improve as a writer.

But I don’t want to.

[pastelpomwrites]

shamelessly posting about this fic again because. well. i like it.

try Mouth Bear today!

[pastelpomwrites]

House Rules: a poem about being a house. and other things.

[pastelpomwrites]

for my friends, in reply to a question by Safia Elhillo

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[pastelpomwrites]

wrote this at a coffee shop today and then a torrential downpour happened and i didn't bring an umbrella <3

[pastelpomwrites]

Ok real promo post cause my roommate roasted me for my lack of information in the other one:

Swimming Upstream Into the Mouth of a Bear:

The world was not built for you. The world does nothing to accommodate you. Think of yourself like an insect evolved to resist pesticide - you grow in spite of, not because of, the narrative of the world. God's mighty hand inks you in the same way he would an extra in a crowd shot. Fuzzy, indistinct, vague.

You are tired of it.

Why not try something new?

Aka: I wrote a misa fic on a whim and wanted to post it teehee

[pastelpomwrites]

hi!

i forgot i had this sideblog <3 i've finally been writing again so maybe i'll post stuff here

[pastelpomwrites]

Whoa remember when I existed on here??? Wild

[pastelpomwrites]

Black Writers Matter (2019)

An anthology of African-Canadian writing, Black Writers Matter offers a cross-section of established writers and newcomers to the literary world who tackle contemporary and pressing issues with beautiful, sometimes raw, prose. As Whitney French says in her introduction, Black Writing Matters “injects new meaning into the word diversity [and] harbours a sacredness and an everydayness that offers Black people dignity.” An “invitation to read, share, and tell stories of Black narratives that are close to the bone,” this collection feels particular to the Black Canadian experience.

by Whitney French (Editor), Afua Cooper (Foreword)

Get it here

Whitney French has been published in Descant Magazine, anthologized in The Great Black North: Contemporary African Canadian Poetry, and is the host and facilitator of the Writing While Black creative writing studio. Whitney lives in Toronto. 

[Follow SuperheroesInColor faceb / instag / twitter / tumblr / pinterest]

[pastelpomwrites]

So, I just finished replotting my WIP using the “Save the Cat!” method! Originally written for screenplays by Blake Snyder, it was adapted for novel writers by the wonderful Jessica Brody!

While I 100% recommend getting the whole book (it talks about characters, the 15 STC beats, genre conventions, and sample beat sheets for popular/famous novels!), here’s my little rundown of the beat sheet for those who can’t afford the full book right now!

ACT 1

1. OPENING IMAGE

What does it do? Provides a quick “before” snapshot of your hero and their world. Sets the tone, style, and mood as well as introduces the main hero of your story!

Where does it go? 1%; the first scene or chapter of your novel.

Remember: Show, don’t tell! Highlight your character’s flaws.

2. THEME STATED

What does it do? Briefly alludes to the transformative journey that your hero will take and the flaw/flaws they will eventually conquer. A tiny bit of foreshadowing.

Where does it go? Within the first 10% of your novel

Remember: What does the hero need to learn throughout the story? Where are they now, and where do they end up? Also: subtlety!

3. SETUP

What does it do? Sets up your hero’s life and their status quo world before everything changes.

Where does it go? 1% to 10%

Remember: This is your hero’s normal life. This beat will also take up multiple scenes/chapters. The point of the setup is to make the reader understand why the hero needs to go through the transformation, why the story needs to be told!

4. CATALYST

What does it do? Disrupts the status quo world with a life-changing event.

Where does it go? 10% (or earlier).

Remember: This is the single-scene beat that disrupts your character’s whole world. It is what starts them on their transformation! Remember to keep the stakes high. Essentially, it’s a wake-up call, or a call to action.

5. DEBATE

What does it do? Shows how resistant your hero is to change and/or prepares your hero for the break into Act 2. 

Where does it go? 10% to 20%.

Remember: This is a reaction beat. It usually comes in the form of a question: What should I do? Should I go? How will I survive? What happens next? The hero has to decide how to proceed: and their decision must bring them into Act 2.

ACT 2

6. BREAK INTO 2

What does it do? Brings the hero into the upside-down world of Act 2, where they will fix things the wrong way (i.e. doing what they think they need to do, but not realizing what they really need to do).

Where does it go? 20%; there must be a clear act break before 25%!

Remember: The hero knows what they need to do; this is when they do it. The transition between Act 1 and Act 2 should be obvious, as Act 2 is the OPPOSITE of Act 1. The hero has to try something new.

7. B STORY

What does it do? Introduces the character who will somehow represent the B Story/theme and help your hero learn it.

Where does it go? 22% (Usually happens right after the Break Into 2, but can come earlier, as long as it’s within the first 25% of the novel!)

Remember: The B Story character is a helper character, and is usually a love interest, new friend, mentor, or nemesis. A successful B Story character must a) represent the upside-down Act 2 world, and b) help guide the hero toward their life lesson/theme.

8. FUN AND GAMES

What does it do? Delivers on the promise of the premise of the novel and shows us how your hero is faring in the new Act 2 world (either having fun or floundering).

Where does it go? 20% to 50% (Multi-scene beat spanning half of Act 2)

Remember: Fun and Games is the bit people read about in the summary—Harry going to Hogwarts and learning magic! Katniss entering the Hunger Games! etc. Called Fun and Games because it’s fun for the reader, not necessarily the characters. Your hero will either shine or suck. Works best if the character has a series of wins and losses.

9. MIDPOINT

What does it do? Marks the middle of the novel with either a false defeat or a false victory, while at the same time raising the stakes of the story.

Where does it go? 50%

Remember: This is the pivot point in the story. It’s a single scene beat where the hero experiences a false victory (they think they win, but there’s more story to go!) or a false defeat (they think it’s the end, but there’s more story to go!) There is also a shift from wants to needs.

10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN

What does it do? Provides a place for your hero to rebound after a false defeat MP or fall down after a false victory MP, all while the internal bad guys (flaws) are closing in.

Where does it go? 50% to 75%

Remember: This is a multi-scene beat. The bad guys can be literal villains, or your character’s flaws. If your MP was a false victory, then things are going to get progressively worse. If your MP was a false defeat, life will get better. REMEMBER THE FLAWS!

11. ALL IS LOST

What does it do? Illustrates your hero’s rock bottom of the story.

Where does it go? 75%

Remember: This is the worst your character has been yet—worse than at the start of the book. This struggle will illuminate the path they really need to take. Something must end here. You can think of it as another catalyst.

12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

What does it do? Shows how your hero reacts to the All Is Lost and how they eventually break through to a resolution.

Where does it go? 75% to 80%

Remember: If All Is Lost is another catalyst, this is another debate. The hero ponders, contemplates, and wallows. The final clue of what the hero needs to do falls into place.

ACT 3

13. BREAK INTO 3

What does it do? Brings the hero into the synthesis world of Act 3, where they will finally fix things the right way.

Where does it go? 80%

Remember: This is literally a breakthrough. They know how to fix the problem, and fix themselves. They realize they were the ones who had to change, but had it in them all along.

14. FINALE

What does it do? Resolves all the problems created in Act 2 and proves that your hero has learned the theme and has been transformed.

Where does it go? 80% to 99%

Remember: Your hero will 1. gather the team/supplies, 2. execute their plan, 3. experience a twist while executing their plan, 4. dig deep down and use the most important weapon they have: the theme that they’ve learned, and 5. execute their new plan with their knew knowledge.

15. FINAL IMAGE

What does it do? Provides an “after” snapshot of your hero and your hero’s life to show how much they’ve changed.

Where does it go? 99% to 100% (the last scene or chapter)

Remember: Show us what the hero looks like after this epic transformative journey! Readers should be able to very clearly identify how this story has changed the hero for the better. Must be starkly different from the Opening Image.

So, there you go! Every beat from “Save the Cat!” paraphrased and consolidated for your use! Hopefully, you can take a look at your WIP as it is and apply some (or all!) of these beats to it! Do they have to all go in order, and with the percentages and everything happening? Absolutely not! It’s meant as a guide. It definitely helped me push through some of the writer’s block I’ve had recently!

I hope you enjoy! Feel free to send me any questions! I tried to keep it brief so as to not give away the entire book and all of Brody’s hard work, but I understand that means some things might seem a bit out-of-context. Let me know!

[pastelpomwrites]

© (c ) copyright 1990-2011 Rebecca Sinclair

See the original HERE

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Fallen Angel by Keaton St. James

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Please be gentle with your first drafts; they are the way they are because this is the first time you’ve ever written those scenes, chapters, etc. Some concepts you thought of literally moments ago. Of course they’re not going to be perfect or come out exactly the way you wanted. There will always be more time to perfect them, though, so just keep writing and have as much fun as you can!