Writing Update: Distinction - March 3, 2023
I've been watching more of the YouTube screenwriting series (link at the bottom of the post) and it has me thinking about outlining again. It seems like every Writer has their own outlining, or lack of outlining, template and they swear that it's the only way to write a story. I think this means that at some point in your career you have to determine what is essential in each of your stories, and your outlining strategy reflects this.
Already I know that I want to use some things that these Writers recommend and I know that I others are a waste of time. But, I think it's valuable to practice out different methods as a way of discovering what works for me. So, this week I'm trying something new: Dan Harmon's story circle.
Quick summary is that there are 8 points on the circle, A character is in a zone of comfort, But they want something, They enter an unfamiliar situation, Adapt to it, Get what they wanted, Pay a heavy price for it, Then return to a familiar situation, Having Changed.
I was very inspired by the last point, so for my next short story I'm going to attempt to write a story that highlights how much the main character has changed. I'll still be using my primary outlining method but it will fit within the story circle framework as well. I won't give any more clues except for the title. It is going to be called "The Job"
Writing update: I touched on this in my book review for Shadows of Self (available now), that I really enjoy how Brandon Sanderson writes love in his books. Specifically he doesn't write huge dramatic displays of affection, instead he wrote a character noticing something about another character that other people would never have noticed. It's the subtlety that makes it feel authentic for me. I want to include some love in my next short story and I'm going to attempt to pull from Sanderson as inspiration. The only other things that I'm focusing on for my writing is making sure my outline is solid but not bloated, and that my dialogue is punchy. In the same screenwriting series they said that a good way to write dialogue is to focus on what each character wants out of the conversation. I'm going to keep this in mind as well as reading out the lines out loud.
Last update is on the Ice Bowl, this Sunday (March 5th) I will be posting the outline for the Ice Bowl. This is going to be an accurate glimpse into my process. I started off with a solid structure but once I got into it I had to make a ton of changes in order to make it function. It is chaotic and potentially unintelligible but also authentic. I'll add more details on Sundays post but for now just know not to expect a cohesive outline. Also, I am going out drinking on Saturday so Sundays post might be gibberish in multiple ways.
That's all I got today, lots of love
-Coachscott
Screenwriting series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_sri6K_IoM&list=PLWeCOIXQgiV460YjV42SvV10_QK_sb7df