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MorganHawke
1 month ago
Bisexual Female, 62
United States
Forum
First Person Smartass
Quote by GallagherWitt
I haven't gotten myself banned from anywhere yet, so I should be okay. Well, there was that ONE time, but I richly deserved it.
That must have taken quite a bit of effort on your part. I just can't see you being nasty without a damned good reason.
First Person Smartass
Quote by GallagherWitt
Agreed, agreed, 1,000 times agreed. I rather like the approach of making sex necessary to reach the goal. One of my own books is pretty much a non-stop sex-fest. If I recall correctly, it's something like 4 sex scenes for every 1 non-sex scene. But every scene is necessary for the main character to reach the other end of her character arc, which is getting from "sexually-frustrated with no clue how to change it" to "confident enough to know what she wants and get what she wants." Each sex scene is a step away from her shy, naive self and toward her bolder, more confident self. There was simply no other way to show that journey.
In this one, sex is not only the Goal but the Cause, the Reason why the story happened. BECAUSE she didn't have the confidence to get the SEX she wanted, she embarked on a journey that Also helped her grow as a person. So, in this case, Sex did Triple-duty in your story.
Quote by GallagherWitt
Similarly, I have another book in which sex scenes (progressively more intense kink scenes, specifically) are used to help a woman past previous trauma. She's a survivor who wants to reclaim her sexuality from the traumatic past experience, and in her situation, having a trusted male friend ease her back into sex is the way to go.
Again, Sex isn't merely the Goal but the Cause behind everything that happens in your story.
Quote by GallagherWitt
So...yeah. Sex as a means to reach a goal works.
Absolutely!
First Person Smartass
Quote by GallagherWitt
LOL! Well, there are differing degrees of behaving badly, so... hehehehe
I'll try not to get myself banned, how about that?
Fine, fine... But truthfully, I don't think you're rude enough for that.
First Person Smartass
Quote by GallagherWitt
Awww.Thanks for inviting me in. And I promise I'll behave. Sort of. Sometimes. Enough to keep me from getting kicked off. Much.
Darlin', if you behave then the point of having you here would be lost. :)
First Person Smartass
Quote by AppleOfYourEye
Lori & Morgan~~ Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm always up for a challenge, I don't mind having to fit my writings to someone else right now. The advice is very helpful. Thanks!!!
My pleasure!
-- I love being helpful. (It makes me feel all warm and squooshy inside.)
First Person Smartass
Advanced Plotting:
The CHARACTER ARC
The CHARACTER ARC
PLOT ARC: The events that happen while the characters make other plans.
CHARACTER ARC: The emotional roller-coaster that the character suffers while dealing with the Plot.
Understanding Plot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To make a story a cohesive whole, every single thing in it must be there for a reason. Every single character, object, location, and event must push toward the ending you have planned even if it doesn't look that way to the casual observer. In short, every scene in the story should either illustrate a characteristic attribute of a main Character or be an Event that makes your ending happen.
What the Character Arc does is map out the Emotional path your characters need to take to grow and change into the heroes and heroines your story needs to achieve your story's ending.
For the record, a Character Arc can be used all by itself as the plot-line for a story or in addition to an actual Plot Arc such as The Heroic Journey, or any of hundreds of Plot Arcs found in books and on the 'net.
My personal choice is to use a Character Arc in addition to a Plot Arc, but that's just me.
The 7 Stages of Grief:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shock &Denial: Pain &Guilt: Anger & Bargaining: Despair & Reflection: Precipice & Choice: Reconstruction & Adjustment: Acceptance & Hope
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shock &Denial: Pain &Guilt: Anger & Bargaining: Despair & Reflection: Precipice & Choice: Reconstruction & Adjustment: Acceptance & Hope
Why Grief?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stories are about CHANGE; about adapting and overcoming circumstancing that should take the characters down physically AND emotionally -- and that takes Angst.
In a solidly built story, both hero and villain change and develop emotionally as well as physically. Changing takes suffering. Both the hero and the villain should suffer emotionally and physically to make those personal changes happen.
Think about how hard it is for YOU to change your mind about liking or disliking anyone. What would it take to change your mind? That's the level of suffering - of Angst - you need.
However, the ultimate difference between the Hero and the Villain is the Villain's failure to face his fears and make the final sacrificial emotional change. This inability to change and Mature is what allows the hero to take him down.
In short, in a battle between Maturity & Immaturity, Maturity always wins.
This isn't fiction. This is Fact. Without maturity, and the emotion of Compassion that comes with it, the human race would have wiped itself out in petty selfish squabbles ages ago. In fact, it almost did as recently as WWII.
What causes ANGST?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A change of circumstance of any kind (a change from one state to another) produces a loss of some kind (the stage changed from) which will produce a grief reaction. The intensity of the grief reaction is a function of how the change-produced loss is perceived. If the loss is not perceived as significant, the grief reaction will be minimal or barely felt. Significant grief responses which go unresolved can lead to mental, physical, and sociological problems. " - Editorial - TLC Group, Dallas Texas
Everyone deals with one form of angst or another on a daily basis.
The Dead Battery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You're on your way to work. You go out to your car, put the key in the ignition and turn it on. You hear nothing but a grind; the battery is dead. Think about how you typically react: What's the first thing you do?
1. SHOCK & DENIAL:
"Oh no! No! No! No! Not the battery!" You try to start it again. And again. You check to make sure that everything that could be draining the battery is off: radio, heater, lights, etc. and then try it again. And again...
2. PAIN & GUILT:
"Damn it... Why does this crap always happen to me? Sure, I had problems starting it yesterday, but I didn't think it was this bad."
3. ANGER & BARGAINING:
"Start damn it!" Perhaps you slam your hand on the steering wheel? Then you try it again. "Damn you! Start! Start! Start! Please car, if you will just start one more time I promise I'll buy you a brand new battery, get a tune up, new tires, belts and hoses, and keep you in perfect working condition..."
4. DESPAIR & REFLECTION:
"It won't start. Crap. If only I'd taken it to the shop when I had the chance."
5. PRECIPICE & CHOICE:
"Crap, crap, crap... I need to get to work! Should I call in to work and tell them I'm not coming in, or just say I'm going to be late?"
6. RECONSTRUCTION & ADJUSTMENT:
"I need the cash too badly to skip out of work; especially now with the car. I'll call a taxi or maybe my friend and see if they can get me to work?" You pick up the cell phone and start dialing numbers.
7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE:
"I'll call the mechanic from work and ask them to look at my car. Hopefully, it won't be too expensive to fix it."
STORY Stages of the Character Arc
1. Shock & Denial: "This can't be happening to me!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Inciting Event has happened to ruin the Protagonist's blissful ignorance. Rather than deal with it the Protagonist keep going as though it never happened: "I'm busy! Go away!"
In The Thirteenth Warrior: Ibn Fadlan is an Arab noble who is literally pulled into a Viking adventure he wants no part of.
2. Pain & Guilt: "If only I hadn't..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The situation is no longer avoidable. It's right there staring them in the face and the Protagonist suspects that what happened is their own damned fault: even if it isn't.
In The Thirteenth Warrior: Ibn knows for a fact that he'd been sent out into the far reaches of civilization because he'd fallen in love with a noble's wife. However, his own mouth is what gets him into trouble with the Vikings -- and why they decided to take him with them on their monster hunt.
3. Anger & Bargaining: "Screw You!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The main character does everything in his power to wiggle back out of the situation by way of threats, bribes, and outright begging. This is also where the Antagonist has his best chance of strong-arming the Protagonist into getting what they want by offering a quick solution: a bargain: that the Protagonist simply cannot refuse.
In The Thirteenth Warrior: Ibn has finally arrived in the far distant land and learned the language of the Vikings. It is then that he finds out exactly what sort of barbarous monsters he and his 12 companions are expected to defeat: and that they are in the thousands. To make matters worse, the king of that land is old and his son power hungry.
4. Despair & Reflection: "We're going to die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is where your characters realize exactly what they're up against and just how overwhelming the enemy truly is. Not only is their boat surrounded by alligators, a few more are in the boat with them disguised as friends.
In The Thirteenth Warrior: Ibn and the Vikings learn that the monsters are undefeatable. The Great Hall can not be defended. There are just too many. Another solution must be found.
5. Precipice & Choice: "Give up or go down fighting?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quite literally trapped in a "damned if you do, and damned if you don't" situation, desperation forces the Protagonist to make a personal Sacrifice during an emotionally heavy Ordeal (often provided by the Antagonist.) This often means facing the Protagonist's main debilitating fear -- and conquering it. This success gives them the inner strength to deal with their situation.
In The Thirteenth Warrior : In the hopes of taking out the two leaders of the monster tribe, Ibn and the Vikings sneak into the Monsters' vast caves with the full knowledge that it's a suicide mission. During this sneak attack, Ibn and the Vikings face a number of their fears and conquer them.
6. Reconstruction & Adjustment: "Okay, so here's the plan..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Protagonist finally gives up and commits himself to what needs to be done. Home is so far away it no longer matters. The problem at hand matters.
In The Thirteenth Warrior: Ibn and the Vikings have succeeded in taking out one of the leaders, but the other still survives. An attack is coming and there is nothing they can do but try to defend themselves.
7. Acceptance & Hope: "We'll make them regret messing with us!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With nothing left to lose, they throw themselves into the fray.
In The Thirteenth Warrior : Knowing that they are vastly outnumbered, Ibn and the Vikings fully expect to die, leaving them nothing left to fear. However, there is still the chance that the final leader will show his face. If one of them can succeed in killing him, hopefully that will stop the invasion before the monsters kill every last man, woman, and child.
"Must I use Grief?"
Does my character's arc have to be so...depressing?"
In the Stages of Grief, the word "Grief" is actually misleading. The stages aren't strictly about crushing depression. They merely map the cycle of someone under emotional pressure created by conflicts; and story conflict should create emotional pressure for your characters. Never forget: <b>Stories need Emotional conflict to be fulfilling.</b>
However, the emotional conflict doesn't have to be Horrific! The stages can be softened.
For example:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shock & Denial can become Indifference
- "So what?"
Pain & Guilt: Self-reproach
- "Okay, so maybe I could have...?"
Anger & Bargaining - Annoyance
- "You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours. Okay?"
Despair & Reflection - Exasperation
- "How do I always get myself into these messes?"
Precipice & Choice - Aggravation
- "You know what? I don't need this crap!"
Reconstruction & Adjustment: Accommodation
-- "That's one less problem to deal with."
Acceptance & Hope - Relief
- "Oh, now I have time to do other things."
"Do these stages go in EXACTLY this order?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Denial ALWAYS comes First. Acceptance ALWAYS goes Last. The others can be juggled around as you please. Feel free to Experiment!
"Where the heck did you find these Stages?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Human Psychology. You can look it up on Google by typing in: stages of grief.
"Are there Other maps for Character Arcs?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Absolutely! Any human behavior/emotion pattern can be used as a Character Arc map. "The Stages of Grief" is merely the easiest to work with and most commonly used.
In Conclusion...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using a Character Arc is one of the best ways to enrich an otherwise dry event driven story. However, that's not the only function it serves.
Outlining a Character Arc for each of your three main characters (Hero, Ally, Villain,) is your most powerful Secret Weapon toward keeping your characters from running all over you. Knowing your Characters' emotional stage allows you to choose the events and situations that will Force your characters to make the decisions needed to make your ending happen.
After all, it's YOUR story.
Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
First Person Smartass
-----Original Message-----
"I'm writing my first erotica novel, and I've set a Daily Word-count limit to improve my writing speed, but writing a whole novel takes so long. What are some other methods to break down a novel so it isn't so overwhelming?"
-- Enthused but Overwhelmed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Enthused,
-- Besides setting daily word-count goals, another method for cutting novel-writing into bite-sized chewable pieces is to write the story Scene by Scene. However, this method means planning the book out from beginning to end BEFORE you start writing, also known as: PLOTTING.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Classic Plotting Patterns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aristotle's Plotline:
From: "Elements of a Tragedy"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The reversal of the protagonist's fortune is brought on by a personal flaw.
2. The eventual recognition by the protagonist of this tragic flaw
3. The resulting moral consequences of their actions.
Aristotle Translated:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Glorious Hero does something he really shouldn't do, and everything falls apart on him.
2. Not-so-glorious Hero scrambles to fix it, and realizes that it's his own damned fault.
3. Hero crashes and burns. (He dies, she dies, everybody dies...)
Look familiar? It should. This is where the traditional Acts: One, Two, and Three, come from. However, most modern plot-lines have a Fourth Act:
4. Burned hero fixes Himself and ends up fixing the problem in the process.
Aristotle in a Nutshell:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Hero Rises.
2. Hero smacks into his own Ego.
3. Hero Crashes and Burns.
4. Hero rises again - and Kicks Butt!
The Shakspearean Plotline
From Freytag's Plotting Pyramid
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 1863, Gustav Freytag, a German playwright and critic, developed a diagrammatic outline for the Three Act Tragedy in his book "Technik des Dramas", known as Freytag's Plotting Pyramid. According to him, all of Shakespeare’s tragedies have six distinct structural elements:
1. EXPOSITION: The mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the play.
2. EXCITING FORCE: The initial incident.
3. RISING ACTION: The series of events that complicate matters.
4. CLIMAX: A crucial event where the tragic hero begins his downward spiral.
5. FALLING ACTION: Advances and declines in the various forces acting upon the main character.
6. CATASTROPHE: The consequences of the hero’s actions.
Freytag (Shakespeare) Translated:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. EXPOSITION: Once upon a time there was a moderately Decent Guy...
2. EXCITING FORCE: Decent Guy runs into trouble, and pisses the wrong people off.
3. RISING ACTION: While trying to fix things, Decent Guy does things that are not-so decent.
4. CLIMAX: Everything totally falls apart on Decent Guy. He panics and does the one thing he really shouldn't do.
5. FALLING ACTION: Decent Guy suddenly realizes just how badly he messed things up and scrambles to fix it -- but it's too late!
6. CATASTROPHE: With a stiff upper lip, and a really long speech, he dies, she dies, everybody dies. (Othello / Hamlet / Romeo Juliet / MacBeth...)
Alternate Shakespearian Ending!
6. HAPPY ENDING: With a stiff upper lip, and a really long speech, he's forgiven, she's forgiven, everybody's forgiven. (Midsummer Night's Dream / Much Ado About Nothing...)
The Mythic plotline:
From Joseph Campbell's Mythic Cycle
(Paraphrased -- so I won't get into copyright trouble.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the pattern that most Walt Disney movies follow and Star Wars uses.
Act One - Chosen
• Humble Beginnings
• Destiny Comes Knocking
• Shoved into Adventure
• Sagely Advice ~ Paramours & Sidekicks
• Leaving the Known World behind
Act Two - Challenge
• Challenges, Friends & Foes
• Dragon at the Crossroads
• Into the Labyrinth
• Temptation & Betrayal
Act Three - Crisis
• Anger ~ Despair ~ Sacrifice
• Inheritance / Blessing / Curse
• Treasure & Celebration
• Escape / Expelled from the Labyrinth
Act Four - Climax
• The Hunter becomes the Hunted
• Rescue & Loss of Paramour / Side-kick
• Dragon at the Crossroads to Home
• Death / ReBirth
• Delivery of Treasure & Just Rewards
The Fairy Tale Plotline
From 1001 unabridged Fairy Tales
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once Upon a Time:
• An impossible Oath/Promise
• Attacked /Abandoned – Lost
• Suspicious Rescue – Cornered
• Promise is partially broken
• Dangerous Revelation
• Deception / Betrayal / Debt
Into The Wilderness
• Quest / Leaving the known world behind
• Troubles & Battles
• Saves/ Saved by -- a suspicious stranger
• A dubious Gift/Revelation (Hero’s trademark)
• An Impossible Task – Refused
• Unexpected Destruction /Emotional Loss
• No choice, but Impossible Task
Evil’s Lair
• Arrival at the Stronghold
• Traps & Tests
• The Villain Enraged – Dire Consequences
• Promise Kept - scarred/marked/changed
• Impossible task completed
• Greater threat revealed
Confrontation
• Daring Escape / Rescue
• Pursued & Cornered
• Climactic Confrontation
• Hero uses gift (Hero’s trademark)
• Demise of Villain / Evil Land
• Celebration
Homecoming - The Unrecognized Hero
• Unfounded claims to hero’s accomplishments
• Challenge & Confrontation
• Hero uses gift (Hero’s trademark)
• Villain is exposed & punished
• Hero gains new rank/appearance
• Two possible futures: the Villain’s wealth/position, or the Hero's Heart’s desire
Looks a lot like the Mythic Structure doesn't it? It should. Fairy Tales are in fact old pagan myths that were adjusted to suit cultural changes.
Interestingly enough, only the really old tales in their original forms, (not doctored to make them suitable for children,) follow the entire pattern. (The Goose Girl, Donkeyskin, East of the Sun-West of the Moon, the Grimms' Snow White, Jack & the Beanstalk, Vasalisa the Wise, Mother Holle, Wild Swans...) The modern (sanitized,) tales skip whole sections.
The Romance Plotline
From 1001 paperbacks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The Lovers meet -- and have Issues.
2. The Lovers' Issues drive them apart.
3. The Lovers realize that they can't live without each other. "Oh no, it's Love!"
4. The Lovers battle odds to get back to each other -- fixing their Issues along the way.
5. He's forgiven, she's forgiven, everybody's forgiven... "I love you!" -- and they shack up together.
The Erotica Plotline:
From 1001 smut magazines and smut story sites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Erotica the basic plot is always the same: "They NEED to have sex - and they'll do anything to have it!" However, there are many Genre Variations:
• Romantic Erotica: "I love you! Let's f*ck!"
• Glam Erotica: "One was rich, the other was famous -- they f*cked."
• Mystery Erotica: "Oh my god! Someone's been f*cked!"
• Crime Erotica: "They'll never stop me from f*cking them!"
• Suspense Erotica: "Oh no! Am I going to be f*cked?"
• Humor / Satire Erotica: "You call that f*cking?"
• Sci-Fi Erotica: "They f*cked where no one has f*cked before!"
• Horror Erotica: "Oh my God! It's f*cking me!"
• Fantasy Erotica: "They f*cked -- and it was Magic!"
• Paranormal Erotica: "What the hell am I f*cking?"
• Fetish Erotica: "Mmmm-mmm f*ck! Mmm-mmmm!" (Ball gag.)
• Literary Erotica: "They came together in a glorious explosion of glittering climax. The roses painted on the battered wallpaper of their silent room watched them in the approaching twilight, a reminder of how fragile pleasure is."
Honestly, an Erotica plot really IS that simple.
-- The easiest way to plot an Erotica Story is to decide on what you want for your climactic sex scene, then build a story and characters around it to make it VITAL for that scene to happen. You couldn't possibly write anything Other than Erotica.
In Conclusion…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fastest way to write a story is by knowing what you want to write BEFORE you start writing. Plotting is also the easiest way to keep from writing yourself into a corner or getting lost in the details.
Look at Plotting as being a Map of the route you plan to take. Once you know where you are going, getting there is just a matter of staying pointed in the right direction. This doesn't mean you can't take off-roads or stop to look at the scenery, it just means that you won't get lost while taking those scenic bypasses.
Enjoy!
"I'm writing my first erotica novel, and I've set a Daily Word-count limit to improve my writing speed, but writing a whole novel takes so long. What are some other methods to break down a novel so it isn't so overwhelming?"
-- Enthused but Overwhelmed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Enthused,
-- Besides setting daily word-count goals, another method for cutting novel-writing into bite-sized chewable pieces is to write the story Scene by Scene. However, this method means planning the book out from beginning to end BEFORE you start writing, also known as: PLOTTING.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Classic Plotting Patterns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aristotle's Plotline:
From: "Elements of a Tragedy"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The reversal of the protagonist's fortune is brought on by a personal flaw.
2. The eventual recognition by the protagonist of this tragic flaw
3. The resulting moral consequences of their actions.
Aristotle Translated:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Glorious Hero does something he really shouldn't do, and everything falls apart on him.
2. Not-so-glorious Hero scrambles to fix it, and realizes that it's his own damned fault.
3. Hero crashes and burns. (He dies, she dies, everybody dies...)
Look familiar? It should. This is where the traditional Acts: One, Two, and Three, come from. However, most modern plot-lines have a Fourth Act:
4. Burned hero fixes Himself and ends up fixing the problem in the process.
Aristotle in a Nutshell:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Hero Rises.
2. Hero smacks into his own Ego.
3. Hero Crashes and Burns.
4. Hero rises again - and Kicks Butt!
The Shakspearean Plotline
From Freytag's Plotting Pyramid
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 1863, Gustav Freytag, a German playwright and critic, developed a diagrammatic outline for the Three Act Tragedy in his book "Technik des Dramas", known as Freytag's Plotting Pyramid. According to him, all of Shakespeare’s tragedies have six distinct structural elements:
1. EXPOSITION: The mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the play.
2. EXCITING FORCE: The initial incident.
3. RISING ACTION: The series of events that complicate matters.
4. CLIMAX: A crucial event where the tragic hero begins his downward spiral.
5. FALLING ACTION: Advances and declines in the various forces acting upon the main character.
6. CATASTROPHE: The consequences of the hero’s actions.
Freytag (Shakespeare) Translated:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. EXPOSITION: Once upon a time there was a moderately Decent Guy...
2. EXCITING FORCE: Decent Guy runs into trouble, and pisses the wrong people off.
3. RISING ACTION: While trying to fix things, Decent Guy does things that are not-so decent.
4. CLIMAX: Everything totally falls apart on Decent Guy. He panics and does the one thing he really shouldn't do.
5. FALLING ACTION: Decent Guy suddenly realizes just how badly he messed things up and scrambles to fix it -- but it's too late!
6. CATASTROPHE: With a stiff upper lip, and a really long speech, he dies, she dies, everybody dies. (Othello / Hamlet / Romeo Juliet / MacBeth...)
Alternate Shakespearian Ending!
6. HAPPY ENDING: With a stiff upper lip, and a really long speech, he's forgiven, she's forgiven, everybody's forgiven. (Midsummer Night's Dream / Much Ado About Nothing...)
The Mythic plotline:
From Joseph Campbell's Mythic Cycle
(Paraphrased -- so I won't get into copyright trouble.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the pattern that most Walt Disney movies follow and Star Wars uses.
Act One - Chosen
• Humble Beginnings
• Destiny Comes Knocking
• Shoved into Adventure
• Sagely Advice ~ Paramours & Sidekicks
• Leaving the Known World behind
Act Two - Challenge
• Challenges, Friends & Foes
• Dragon at the Crossroads
• Into the Labyrinth
• Temptation & Betrayal
Act Three - Crisis
• Anger ~ Despair ~ Sacrifice
• Inheritance / Blessing / Curse
• Treasure & Celebration
• Escape / Expelled from the Labyrinth
Act Four - Climax
• The Hunter becomes the Hunted
• Rescue & Loss of Paramour / Side-kick
• Dragon at the Crossroads to Home
• Death / ReBirth
• Delivery of Treasure & Just Rewards
The Fairy Tale Plotline
From 1001 unabridged Fairy Tales
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once Upon a Time:
• An impossible Oath/Promise
• Attacked /Abandoned – Lost
• Suspicious Rescue – Cornered
• Promise is partially broken
• Dangerous Revelation
• Deception / Betrayal / Debt
Into The Wilderness
• Quest / Leaving the known world behind
• Troubles & Battles
• Saves/ Saved by -- a suspicious stranger
• A dubious Gift/Revelation (Hero’s trademark)
• An Impossible Task – Refused
• Unexpected Destruction /Emotional Loss
• No choice, but Impossible Task
Evil’s Lair
• Arrival at the Stronghold
• Traps & Tests
• The Villain Enraged – Dire Consequences
• Promise Kept - scarred/marked/changed
• Impossible task completed
• Greater threat revealed
Confrontation
• Daring Escape / Rescue
• Pursued & Cornered
• Climactic Confrontation
• Hero uses gift (Hero’s trademark)
• Demise of Villain / Evil Land
• Celebration
Homecoming - The Unrecognized Hero
• Unfounded claims to hero’s accomplishments
• Challenge & Confrontation
• Hero uses gift (Hero’s trademark)
• Villain is exposed & punished
• Hero gains new rank/appearance
• Two possible futures: the Villain’s wealth/position, or the Hero's Heart’s desire
Looks a lot like the Mythic Structure doesn't it? It should. Fairy Tales are in fact old pagan myths that were adjusted to suit cultural changes.
Interestingly enough, only the really old tales in their original forms, (not doctored to make them suitable for children,) follow the entire pattern. (The Goose Girl, Donkeyskin, East of the Sun-West of the Moon, the Grimms' Snow White, Jack & the Beanstalk, Vasalisa the Wise, Mother Holle, Wild Swans...) The modern (sanitized,) tales skip whole sections.
The Romance Plotline
From 1001 paperbacks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The Lovers meet -- and have Issues.
2. The Lovers' Issues drive them apart.
3. The Lovers realize that they can't live without each other. "Oh no, it's Love!"
4. The Lovers battle odds to get back to each other -- fixing their Issues along the way.
5. He's forgiven, she's forgiven, everybody's forgiven... "I love you!" -- and they shack up together.
The Erotica Plotline:
From 1001 smut magazines and smut story sites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Erotica the basic plot is always the same: "They NEED to have sex - and they'll do anything to have it!" However, there are many Genre Variations:
• Romantic Erotica: "I love you! Let's f*ck!"
• Glam Erotica: "One was rich, the other was famous -- they f*cked."
• Mystery Erotica: "Oh my god! Someone's been f*cked!"
• Crime Erotica: "They'll never stop me from f*cking them!"
• Suspense Erotica: "Oh no! Am I going to be f*cked?"
• Humor / Satire Erotica: "You call that f*cking?"
• Sci-Fi Erotica: "They f*cked where no one has f*cked before!"
• Horror Erotica: "Oh my God! It's f*cking me!"
• Fantasy Erotica: "They f*cked -- and it was Magic!"
• Paranormal Erotica: "What the hell am I f*cking?"
• Fetish Erotica: "Mmmm-mmm f*ck! Mmm-mmmm!" (Ball gag.)
• Literary Erotica: "They came together in a glorious explosion of glittering climax. The roses painted on the battered wallpaper of their silent room watched them in the approaching twilight, a reminder of how fragile pleasure is."
Honestly, an Erotica plot really IS that simple.
-- The easiest way to plot an Erotica Story is to decide on what you want for your climactic sex scene, then build a story and characters around it to make it VITAL for that scene to happen. You couldn't possibly write anything Other than Erotica.
In Conclusion…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fastest way to write a story is by knowing what you want to write BEFORE you start writing. Plotting is also the easiest way to keep from writing yourself into a corner or getting lost in the details.
Look at Plotting as being a Map of the route you plan to take. Once you know where you are going, getting there is just a matter of staying pointed in the right direction. This doesn't mean you can't take off-roads or stop to look at the scenery, it just means that you won't get lost while taking those scenic bypasses.
Enjoy!
First Person Smartass
Quote by AppleOfYourEye
Morgan~~ You mentioned finding out from the publisher what they want in a book, and then write to meet that desire. How does one go about doing that?
What Lori says is 100% correct, and it applies to the bigger publishers as well. Most if not all of the big New York publishers, as well as most of the international publishers have websites where they post Submission Guidelines for their individual lines. READ Them. Embrace them. Love them for the writing challenges they are and try a few out, but be prepared to shift things around if it doesn't quite suit what their lead editor is looking for.
Quote by AppleOfYourEye
... I hate when someone says "That's great!" or "That sucks!" That tells me nothing other than you liked it or hated it, but what about it did you like or hate. My own personal pet peeve I guess.
Have you considered writing your critique partners and/or beta readers a List of what you want them to look for? I did. --> MY Beta-Reader's Questionnaire
First Person Smartass
Quote by GallagherWitt
...HELLO! Morgan invited me to join her here...
Yes, I did! Hi Lori!!!
-- Lori is one of my closest friends and fellow authors. She also has a wicked sense of humor so watch out for it! I invited Lori to help field writing questions and offer alternate viewpoints and techniques. Think in terms of a Second "professional" Opinion.
Please be kind to her.
First Person Smartass
Quote by DirtyMartini
...makes me think, where is an editor when you actually NEED one?
Real editors don't come cheap. My guess is they tried to do it themselves instead of hiring a real one. Just goes to show "you get what you pay for".
First Person Smartass
Quote by Irishgirl
Ohhh dear god... I went into that link and my eyes are burning..... have never read a worse line in all my years of reading and I have read a lot!!! Absolutely agree with you Morgan, no idea what their editors were thinking!! And by the way I can understand why you would be ashamed...
Where did they get their editors? From a high school? From a coffee shop? Or did they just skip using editors at all?
Quote by Irishgirl
...but having read some of what you have written there is no need for you to be ashamed... You are fantastic at what you do!!!! And I think someone who really loves books, which were my first love and still my greatest passion!!
Aww... That's so sweet! Yes, books were my first love and are still my primary love. This is why I refuse to write CRAP, even if they are just porn stories. 'Good enough' is Never good enough for me.
First Person Smartass
Quote by DirtyMartini
I I don't even want to entertain that thought in my brain...though she could probably publish a collection of some of the best, or should I say "worst" examples and sell it as a humor piece. Have you ever read some of the examples cited here? Interesting stuff.
http://www.literaryreview.co.uk/badsex.html
I have indeed. It makes me ASHAMED that these works were Published. What were their editors Thinking?!
First Person Smartass
Writing the GOTHIC
NOT your average Horror story...
NOT your average Horror story...
What is the difference between a Gothic tale and a Horror story? Intent. Seriously.
Both Horror stories and Gothic tales delve into the realm of emotional trauma such as revenge, abuse, and hate including if not especially, sexual trauma. However, the darkness in a Gothic tale is not expressed or defined by graphically detailed, and gruesome, violence, as it is in a Horror. Though violence can be featured in the Gothic, it is NOT the main focus of the story. The drama of Despair is the vehicle of the Gothic where a Horror story is driven by the action of violence.
In addition, unlike Horror stories which deal with the monsters that can lurk within our friends and neighbors, Gothics deal with the monsters within our selves. They are tales of the spiritual and/or psychological reality of the human psyche. They deal exclusively with the hidden self-destructive side of ourselves that we don't want to admit exists inside us.
This means that the unlike the Horror plotline which is simply a gory adventure story that follows the common Heroic Cycle plotline, the Gothic plot is far more complicated -- emotionally complicated.
The Gothic Plot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act 1. Rise (> = “leads to…”)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Character is Valued/not Valued > (Pride/Shame.)
~~ Underestimated Talent (Issue)
2. Incidental Accomplishment
~~ The wrong kind of attention
3. Enter the Monster (symbol of Pride/Shame)
~~ Contamination / Gift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act 2. CRASH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The Sincere Mistake
~~ Pride > Value threatened/challenged
2. CRASH > Monstrosity unveiled
~~ Wrath > Ruinous Victory
3. Departure from Society
~~ Regret > Escape / Removal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act 3. Fall (Stages of Grief & Transformation)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Dangerous territory
~~ Denial > Outcast / Abandoned
2. Meeting with the true Monster
~~ Anger > Love/Hate Relationship
3. Threats & Promises
~~ Negotiation > Temptation & Persuasion
4. Surrender & Sacrifice
~~ Despair > Submission & Adaptation
5. Escape / Rescue -- Release of the Beast Within
~~ Acceptance > New core Value
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act 4. Return
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Unfinished Business
~~ Hiding in plain sight
2. Confrontation with the Monster
~~ Deliberate Transformation > Protect / Revenge.
3. Conclusion > Willing sacrifice
~~ New Life / Heroic Death
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Fall of the House of Usher’ by Edgar Allen Poe, is a Classic Gothic tale. However, at first glance the story doesn’t appear to fit this pattern at all, until you realize that the point of view character, the narrator, ISN’T who this story is about. In fact, he barely affects the plot at all. The story is about Roderick Usher, the last heir to an old decrepit family mansion. The narrator is merely a witness to Usher’s final decent into madness (Acts 3 and 4).
Oddly, ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ by Alexander Dumas, is also a Gothic! It follows the plot pattern perfectly and it covers the most common and devouring psychological monster of all -- revenge.
The Gothic is about TRANSFORMATION.
In the average Horror story, the main character usually gains some form of outside help and / or finds a weapon to defeat their monster. In a Gothic, the main character must transform themselves into a weapon. They must become a monster to defeat their monster, then learn to live with the aftermath of their transformation.
This is why ‘Phantom of the Opera’ is simply a Horror story. NONE of the characters transform. Christine Daea, the main protagonist does not change herself to deal with her monster. She gains outside help, a protector who basically does all her fighting for her.
On the other hand, the movie ‘The Matrix’ is very much a modern Gothic. Neo must transform himself into someone and something completely alien to his original geeky character in order to survive.
Another Gothic movie, though it appears to be a Western, is ‘Ravenous’. In this story, the cowardly Cavalry officer protagonist must accept full transformation into a wendigo, a Native American cannibal monster in order to have the physical strength to defeat the wendigo stalking him.
The other key difference between Horror stories and Gothic tales are the monsters. Unlike Horror monsters which are simply opponents to be defeated, each and every Gothic monster is in fact a metaphor for a spiritual or psychological issue. In most cases, the Setting is too.
Common Gothic Settings & their Meanings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Old Mansions / Abandoned Houses = Forgotten/Historic family issues/inheritance issues
2) Run-down / Abandoned Houses = Hidden 'current' family issues
3) Antique Shops = Curiosity (nosiness) issues
4) Modern Corporations / Old Factories = Hidden/Buried business issues
5) Modern Suburbia = Peer pressure issues
Common Monsters of the Psyche
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Ghosts = Guilt
2) Vampires = Destructive Addictions
3) Witches = Wishes that Shouldn't come true
4) Sorcerers /Scientists = Insanity issues
5) Werewolves = Rage issues
6) Urban Faery = Rebellion
7) Man-made monsters = Personal Mistakes
The Gothic Hero / Heroine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The main character, the one telling the tale is always starts out as a fairly nice, normal, and decent person. Why is that?
Because Gothics are about how the individual deals with being transformed into their own worst nightmare. In other words, how they deal their own monstrous issues. It's all about the battle within. The climax of the Gothic isn't the battle with the monster that needs to be slain, it's when they accept their own monstrosity -- and find a way to deal with it.
The ENDING of a Gothic Tale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are only two options when facing a dark issue of the psyche. Interestingly enough, either option can lead to Destruction or Redemption.
1) Acceptance
~ a) Empowerment
~ b) Addiction to power > Insanity
~ c) Coexistence / Balance of dual nature
2) Rejection
~ a) Search for release / escape / cure > Insanity
~ b) Search for control > Empowerment
~ c) Denial > Insanity
In Conclusion…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gothic tales are metaphors, proverbs, and fables of goodness verses evil that describe the spiritual and psychological challenges of the human soul. They are modern-day, un-sanitized, fairy tales filled with the horrific punishments that the original fairy tales held:
• Punishment for the wicked…
• Empowerment for those trapped in darkness…
• Redemption for those who have learned to adapt to the living, breathing shadows, within themselves…
They also conclude exactly like any other fairy tale. The Brave save the day, the Foolish die, and the Guilty are Punished -- usually horribly.
"But real life isn't so neatly tied. Bad people get away with doing bad things."
-- True. Real life ISN'T so neatly tied. Bad people DO get away with bad things. That does not change the fact that Evil IS Bad and the Wicked SHOULD be punished, even if it only happens in a story.
Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
First Person Smartass
----Original Message-----
"...I don't think erotica can support an entire novel by itself, but I think it can be a very effective element in larger works.
-- N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This just begs the question: Why not?
Why do you think Erotica Can't support an Entire Novel?
-----Original Message-----
"... The main reason that erotica can't sustain an entire novel is the same reason that action or description or any other element can't sustain an entire novel. People want some buildup, they want rising tension and denouement and resolution and all those other fancy literary things. There has to be something more than just a related series of sex scenes. The sex scenes can be strung together like pearls on a necklace, but there still has to be a thread to hold it together."
-- N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ah, I think I understand.
-- You're saying: 'A string of sex scenes does not a novel make'. If so, then I agree.
Erotica is NOT defined by how many sex scenes a story has.
However, from what I can surmise, you see 'erotica' as merely "an element", something that decorates a story, and/or flavors it; rather like an exotic spice added to plain chicken soup, or frosting added to a cake.
This leads me to think that you build your stories first and then add erotic elements where they suit the storyline. Sex is the Results of your scenes, actions and character interactions. This also means that you could quite easily remove all the sex and still have a viable story.
That may make an erotic story -- but not Erotica.
To make Erotica, the "erotic" should be the thread that holds the pearls of action, setting, and character together. Rather than being the Result of action, setting, and character, it should be the Motivation, the WHY all those actions, settings, and characters happen. In Erotica, Sex is the driving force that makes the story happen -- not something tossed in as flavoring.
Sex & Plot
People talk about 'forwarding the plot' or 'intrinsic to the plot', but not a whole lot of people talk about what those actually mean.
* "Forwarding the plot" means: Motivational Force: nothing happens without this reason to push events into happening.
* "Intrinsic to the plot" means: Important Element: the story needs this to fulfill its plot.
The statue 'The Maltese Falcon' is intrinsic to that story's plot. It is absolutely necessary to fulfill that story, but it's not what makes the plot happen. You could pull out that statue and replace it with just about any other object and the story wouldn't even flinch. (The interchangeable object is commonly known as a macguffin.)
However, the pursuit of this object is what forwards the plot -- not the object itself.
This is why I say: A story with sex in it is Erotic -- but not Erotica.
If you can take out your sex scenes and replace them with another action, such as a single kiss or even an act of violence - it's 'intrinsic to the plot', but not something that 'forwards the plot'.
For example, if we make the Maltese Falcon a Maltese Dildo and every single person in possession of said object has sex with it, the story become erotic, but it still wouldn't be Erotica.
Why not?
Because Pursuit of the object is still the motivational factor. The plot would not actually need to change. In fact, you can still leave out the sex completely with no harm to the story's plotline what-so-ever.
On the other hand, if we CHANGE the Motivational Factor to "the Pursuit of the Ultimate Sexual Experience" with this object as the key to said experience, then the plot Would change, and so would ALL of the main characters -- into nymphomaniacs.
With this one shift, SEX suddenly becomes the Reason to chase the Maltese Dildo. In addition, the main characters would have to have sex at least once to discover that the object was the key to the "ultimate sexual experience", instantly making Sex Scenes absolutely necessary for the plot to move forward -- making the story Erotica.
You can STILL swap out the Maltese Dildo with any other object your heart desires, but as long as the reason you want it remains SEX it's Erotica -- even if the sex is offstage!
In Conclusion...
Coming up with a viable reason to make sex important to a story's plot can be a tough challenge. Most stories tend to be goal-driven toward an accomplishment (save the world, save my family, escape the bad-guys...) or toward a prize, (if I do this I get the kingdom, I get the girl, I get the Maltese Falcon...)
Making sex part of a story's plot is MUCH harder. An easy way is to make sex necessary to get to their goal. However, the Best way is by making Sex the CAUSE or the RESULT of everything that happens in the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
"...I don't think erotica can support an entire novel by itself, but I think it can be a very effective element in larger works.
-- N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This just begs the question: Why not?
Why do you think Erotica Can't support an Entire Novel?
-----Original Message-----
"... The main reason that erotica can't sustain an entire novel is the same reason that action or description or any other element can't sustain an entire novel. People want some buildup, they want rising tension and denouement and resolution and all those other fancy literary things. There has to be something more than just a related series of sex scenes. The sex scenes can be strung together like pearls on a necklace, but there still has to be a thread to hold it together."
-- N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ah, I think I understand.
-- You're saying: 'A string of sex scenes does not a novel make'. If so, then I agree.
Erotica is NOT defined by how many sex scenes a story has.
However, from what I can surmise, you see 'erotica' as merely "an element", something that decorates a story, and/or flavors it; rather like an exotic spice added to plain chicken soup, or frosting added to a cake.
This leads me to think that you build your stories first and then add erotic elements where they suit the storyline. Sex is the Results of your scenes, actions and character interactions. This also means that you could quite easily remove all the sex and still have a viable story.
That may make an erotic story -- but not Erotica.
"If you can remove the Erotic from your Fiction in your Erotic Fiction, and still have a viable story in another genre,
you did it WRONG." -- Edo Von Belkom
you did it WRONG." -- Edo Von Belkom
To make Erotica, the "erotic" should be the thread that holds the pearls of action, setting, and character together. Rather than being the Result of action, setting, and character, it should be the Motivation, the WHY all those actions, settings, and characters happen. In Erotica, Sex is the driving force that makes the story happen -- not something tossed in as flavoring.
Don't add Sex Scenes to the story. Add Story to make the sex scenes happen.
Sex & Plot
People talk about 'forwarding the plot' or 'intrinsic to the plot', but not a whole lot of people talk about what those actually mean.
* "Forwarding the plot" means: Motivational Force: nothing happens without this reason to push events into happening.
* "Intrinsic to the plot" means: Important Element: the story needs this to fulfill its plot.
The statue 'The Maltese Falcon' is intrinsic to that story's plot. It is absolutely necessary to fulfill that story, but it's not what makes the plot happen. You could pull out that statue and replace it with just about any other object and the story wouldn't even flinch. (The interchangeable object is commonly known as a macguffin.)
However, the pursuit of this object is what forwards the plot -- not the object itself.
An element 'Intrinsic to the plot' can be REPLACED.
Something that 'Forwards the Plot' can NOT.
Something that 'Forwards the Plot' can NOT.
This is why I say: A story with sex in it is Erotic -- but not Erotica.
It's not just Sex. It's what the Sex Does.
If you can take out your sex scenes and replace them with another action, such as a single kiss or even an act of violence - it's 'intrinsic to the plot', but not something that 'forwards the plot'.
For example, if we make the Maltese Falcon a Maltese Dildo and every single person in possession of said object has sex with it, the story become erotic, but it still wouldn't be Erotica.
Why not?
Because Pursuit of the object is still the motivational factor. The plot would not actually need to change. In fact, you can still leave out the sex completely with no harm to the story's plotline what-so-ever.
On the other hand, if we CHANGE the Motivational Factor to "the Pursuit of the Ultimate Sexual Experience" with this object as the key to said experience, then the plot Would change, and so would ALL of the main characters -- into nymphomaniacs.
With this one shift, SEX suddenly becomes the Reason to chase the Maltese Dildo. In addition, the main characters would have to have sex at least once to discover that the object was the key to the "ultimate sexual experience", instantly making Sex Scenes absolutely necessary for the plot to move forward -- making the story Erotica.
You can STILL swap out the Maltese Dildo with any other object your heart desires, but as long as the reason you want it remains SEX it's Erotica -- even if the sex is offstage!
In Conclusion...
Coming up with a viable reason to make sex important to a story's plot can be a tough challenge. Most stories tend to be goal-driven toward an accomplishment (save the world, save my family, escape the bad-guys...) or toward a prize, (if I do this I get the kingdom, I get the girl, I get the Maltese Falcon...)
Making sex part of a story's plot is MUCH harder. An easy way is to make sex necessary to get to their goal. However, the Best way is by making Sex the CAUSE or the RESULT of everything that happens in the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
First Person Smartass
Quote by DirtyMartini
I know I said some negative things about editors the other day...but, I realize it could be worse... Editor Cat does not look pleased...
It CAN always be worse. Ask Nicola about some of the more...interesting stories she's Rejected sometime.
Be glad that your eyes never had to suffer the torment hers have. Brain Bleach is hard to come by.
First Person Smartass
Writing Erotic HORROR
What is Erotic Horror?
-- According to Wikipedia: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_horror
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erotic horror, alternately noted as Dark Erotica, is a term applied to works of horror fiction in which sensual or sexual imagery (or descriptions of the physical act of sexual intercourse) are blended with horrific overtones or horror story elements.
In other words:
If Erotica is: They have sex and something happens.
Then Erotic Horror is: They know exactly what will happen if they have sex, and do it anyway.
Believe it or not, the basic principal is actually a left-over from the antique Victorian view of "If you have Sex, something bad will happen to you." Something still promoted in today's horror flicks, especially those featuring teens.
Erotic Horror takes it one step further with: Sex = Death, and occasionally, Death = Sex.
Most Common Plotlines:
The new girlfriend is a real monster.
-- Commonly foreshadowed by the fact that none of his family or friends likes her. The male protagonist then ignores all warnings to meet her in some deserted and blatantly creepy spot. They have sex and her true monstrosity is finally revealed.
This ends in one of two ways:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- He dies in her embrace.
- He kills her in self defense, and regrets it
Far less often do you see the opposite:
The new boyfriend is a real monster.
-- In this style of story, the family usually approves as do her friends, while the heroine is the one with all the doubts. Eventually she gives in to family and peer pressure and goes on a date with this guy. By the end of the date, she decides he's not so bad after all. He then takes her to some deserted and blatantly creepy spot. They have sex and his true monstrosity is finally revealed.
This ends in one of two ways:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- She dies in his embrace.
- She kills him in self defense, and resents* it.
Commonly used in M/M or F/F (Lesbian or Gay) stories...
The new Best Friend is a real monster.
-- None of their friends or family knows about the New Friend the protagonist is seeing because the protagonist is actively hiding or in denial about the fascinating, affectionate, and utterly fearless new Friend. The protagonist eventually agrees to meet the Friend in some deserted and blatantly creepy spot. The protagonist is seduced into sex and the Friend's true monstrosity is finally revealed.
This ends in one of two ways:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- The Protagonist dies in their lover's embrace.
- The Protagonist kills their lover in self defense, and actively tries to forget it ever happened.
The new Lover is a real monster to everyone except their Beloved.
-- In this style of story, the protagonist shacks up with their new love and realizes that their love is hiding some kind of secret. Meanwhile, the people around them are disappearing or dying. Completely ignoring the fact that people are dropping like flies round their love, the protagonist begins to suspect that their beloved is cheating on them. The protagonist follows their beloved and witnesses their lover seducing someone and then killing them in a particularly nasty way. Discovered, the beloved confesses their monstrosity and immediately goes all out to seduce their beloved.
This ends in one of Five ways:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- The protagonist willingly dies in their beloved's embrace.
- The Female protagonist kills their beloved in self defense, and resents* it.
- The Male protagonist kills their beloved in self defense, and regrets it.
- The protagonist kills their beloved to save their monstrous lover from suffering any more, and then commits suicide to join them.
- The protagonist kills their beloved to save their monstrous lover from suffering any more, and then walks off into the morning light.
The new Lover convinces their Beloved to become a real monster.
-- In this style of story, the protagonist shacks up with their new love who then refuses to have sex with the protagonist until they prove their love by killing someone and bringing back a trophy. Sometimes it's an object, but usually it's a body part. Eventually, the protagonist realizes that they have become a mass-murderer, regrets what they've become and finally begins to question their lover's sanity.
This ends in one of two ways:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- The Male protagonist snaps and kills their beloved in a mad sexual frenzy, then commits suicide.
- The Female protagonist kills their beloved lovingly and then commits suicide.
In short, Erotic Horror is when two lovers have sex and death is either the result, or the cause.
Occasionally you'll see a story where two lovers have sex and then a monster comes out of nowhere and kills one or both of them. This kind of story is not true Erotic Horror – it's ordinary Horror.
What's the difference?
In any Erotic story, the Erotic MUST turn the plot. In other words, Sex must make the story happen. If something else makes the story happen; such as the sudden appearance of a monster, then it's not an Erotic story. It's just a Monster story -- a Horror story.
In order to be a true Erotic Horror, both the Sex AND Death must turn the plot.
However, a simple ' to death' story isn't Erotic Horror either. That's just a Snuff tale. To be an Erotic Horror, the protagonist needs to be willing, eager, and enjoying the sex in order to be Erotic with Death as the result or the cause of the Sex.
In other words, no matter how many sex scenes you toss into a Horror story, if the sex is not directly related to the horror as the cause or result, then what you have is a plain ordinary Horror story with a few extra scenes.
How can you tell if you've written an Erotic Horror?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you can cut out the Erotic scenes without hurting the main Horror plotline – you did it WRONG.
If you can cut out the Horror scenes without hurting the main Erotica plotline – you did it WRONG.
If cutting out the Horror scenes or the Erotic scenes ruins the story – you did it RIGHT.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you can cut out the Erotic scenes without hurting the main Horror plotline – you did it WRONG.
If you can cut out the Horror scenes without hurting the main Erotica plotline – you did it WRONG.
If cutting out the Horror scenes or the Erotic scenes ruins the story – you did it RIGHT.
-----Original Message-----
"If when sex=death, or vice-versa, it's Erotic Horror, what do you call when it's basically the same thing but the bad stuff that happens isn't death?"
You've forgotten something a writer should never forget.
Death isn't always Physical.
-- The death of one's Career, Artistic skill, a life-long Goal, or Dream can be far more devastating than merely being killed. Being abandoned by one's love, or discovering that your life-long love never loved you in return are also forms of death. The destruction of one's character; when an honest man becomes a criminal or a killer is also a form of Death. Anytime a path in one's life closes forever Death has occurred.
In many of these cases, suicide is what comes After. They'd died, but their body refused to stop functioning, so they kill themselves to finish the job. Truthfully though, suicide is the most common form of giving up and refusing to 'play the game' anymore. "If I can't win, I'm quitting."
However to be accepted as Erotic Horror, the story also needs to have traditional Horror elements in it. Not because these other forms of death aren't horrific, but because it's what the Readers and Publishers expect when you use the genre label: "Erotic Horror."
Most people prefer to use a physical death in their Erotic Horror because it's far easier than writing an Emotional, Character, or Spiritual death. Living Death themes make very powerful stories, but they tend to be emotionally hard on the author. It takes a certain level of personal experience to write a downward spiral with any effectiveness. This is where the phrase: "Bleeding onto the page," comes from.
Another powerful Death theme is the Reverse -- Rebirth. The story begins with a character that has already 'died' who learns to live again. This is no easier to write because it takes the same level of experience, but since the spiral is Upward, rather than Downward, writing it is not nearly as hard on the author.
In Conclusion...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tossing a random sex scene into a Horror story will not give you an Erotic Horror story. All that does is make a Horror story with erotic bits. To write a true Erotic Horror, both Death and Sex must carry equal weight in the plot line. Death and Sex must both make the story happen, preferably with one the result of the other: Sex = Death or Death = Sex.
*Note: Why does the female protagonist typically Resent losing their lover while the male protagonist typically Regrets losing their lover?
Basic psychology. Males have a tendency to regret losing anything they found pleasurable, where females tend to resent having made a bad choice (in lovers). In the case of two male lovers, Denial is the normal route; "That never happened," because most men hate to admit they made a mistake. However, as the author, you are entitled to write your character's feelings any way you like. Those were merely what I found in the Erotic Horror stories I read.
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
First Person Smartass
Quote by sprite
just throw in the Lucky Charms leprachaun and i think you have something there.
Especially if Lucky sees Trixie as his Lucky Charm. Rivals!
First Person Smartass
Quote by DirtyMartini
Did you say something about Cereal Fiction??? I had this great story idea where Tony The Tiger tries to pick up the Trix Rabbit... I really didn't think it was appropriate for Lush...but, now I might reconsider...
It could happen? You could put it in with Celebrities.
First Person Smartass
Writing Serial & Series Fiction
~ Not just another Novel idea ~
~ Not just another Novel idea ~
A Serial Story is Not a chopped-up Novel!
I hear it time and time again: "If the story is too big, why don't you just cut it up into a Series or Serial?"
You can't just cut a novel-type Story into pieces to make a series, or use the chapters to serialize it. A true serial "episode" is its own Complete Story within a larger story. A Serial tale is NOT a chapter with book cover – and neither are Series books.
Individual Stories?
The first thing any writer learns is: “A story must have a Beginning, a Middle and an End”. EACH Serial and Series chapters, or episodes, must have a Beginning, a Middle, and an End, too!
Why? To interest New Readers.
Professionally published Series books and Serial episodes, whether it's a TV program, a set of novels, or a comic book series are EACH written as whole stories because a whole story is more likely to catch and hold the attention of new readers or viewers than a random hunk of story from the middle of a longer work.
The difference between a Story and a Serial is: Plot Structure
A Story has One main plotline.
A typical novel-type story has ONE Plot (action-driven) Arc -- the chain of events that happen while the characters make other plans -- and One Character (emotion-driven) Arc -- what the characters' are feeling about what's happening to them -- for each of the main characters: the Proponent, (the main character) the Antagonist, (the villain) and the Ally (love-interest or buddy). The overall story usually focuses on one main character's story while hinting at the other main characters' stories.
A novel typically has either two plot/character arcs: one for the Proponent, (the main character,) and one for the Ally, (the buddy or love-interest,) or Three: One for the Proponent, one for the Ally, and one for the Antagonist. Traditionally, the main plotline focuses on the Proponent and uses strictly their viewpoint. I have, however, read some excellent books that focused on the viewpoint of the Ally or the Antagonist.
Some authors have more than three main characters, (Proponent, Ally, Antagonist) and strong subplots for secondary characters in addition to the main characters, but their stories are HUGE.
Stephen King typically has one over-all plotline and separate plot/character arcs for at least three characters in each of his books, which amounts to a whole story for each character. He simply alternates between characters at chapter breaks. This of course, increases the size of the story. Instead of one main story, Mr. King has three, or more, smaller stories all connected by the same events (plot arc) under one cover. By the way, Mr. King used to write Serials!
A Serialized Story has, at least, TWO whole plot-lines happening at any given time - Plus a Story.
A Comic book series, a TV series, and an Anime series are traditionally divided by progressive Seasons with 12 to 24 episodes per (seasonal) plotline. Each new issue or episode opens with an intro to all the main characters (usually done via the credits,) then focuses briefly on that episode's protagonist in the opening sequence right before the commercial.
The story then dives into the action, which is either a piece of one of the subplots (with hints at the over-all plot,) or a piece of the overall plot (with hints at one - or more - of the sub-plots). Ideally, each character in a serial including the villain, has their own subplot story going on during the main plot. Even so, each individual episode is an entire story all by itself that dovetails into every other episodic plot arc making a single cohesive whole.
The trick to doing lots of serial episodes is by switching the focus of an episode to another main character, so that each has a chance to tell their own story -- one whole episode focusing on that one character.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer had PLENTY of characters to play with, and then some. Buffy had her Watcher, Angel, Willow and Xander, just to scratch the surface. Spike, the main villain, had Drusilla or some other support vampire.
In the old 1960's Batman TV series, Batman occasionally showed Robin's, Alfred's, Commissioner Gorden's and Batgirl's point of view. Batman’s weekly villain also got at least one whole episode too, (usually the episode that began an arc.) In addition, the Villain always had at least one close partner that eventually betrayed them.
The cast of the manga series Naruto is GIGANTIC. Typical of most manga series, that series is cut into even smaller pieces with one chapter spanning 3 to 48 episodes per Chapter plus 3 to 24 Chapters per Arc. With 4 to 6 major point-of-view characters including the villain, plus the viewpoint of one or two of the support characters that are seen fairly regularly -- that's a LOT of Story.
Why all the Extra Characters?
The longer a series runs, the more ‘story’ is needed, so more characters are added.
A typical TV series starts out with 4 to 6 major good guys plus the main character, and 1 major bad guy with other minor good-guys and bad-guys wandering through the main plotline. The last episode in the season brings all the main characters together for one big, final climactic scene. A few characters are lost in the finale and the next season starts with those characters replaced by new characters.
Each successive season typically adds more characters plus changing the situations of some of the old ones.
Why? Because they need more story to keep the serial going.
Serial verses Series
The Serial and the Series share most of the same characteristics, with one major difference – PLOT CONCLUSION.
A Series completes ALL the subplots featured in that one book. A Serial does not. A Serial completes ONE major plotline, while hinting at others.
Typical Series Novel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAIN PLOT Question 1
MAIN PLOT Question 2
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 1
MAIN PLOT Question 3
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 3
SUBPLOT Question 1
MAIN PLOT Question 4
MAIN PLOT Question 5
SUBPLOT Question 2
MAIN PLOT Question 6
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 4
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 6
CLIMACTIC MAIN PLOT Question
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 2
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 5
CLIMACTIC ANSWERS (Resolving MAIN PLOT and ALL SUBPLOTS)
Typical Serial Episode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAIN PLOT Question 1
MAIN PLOT Question 2
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 1
MAIN PLOT Question 3
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 3
SUBPLOT Question 1
MAIN PLOT Question 4
MAIN PLOT Question 5
SUBPLOT Question 2
MAIN PLOT Question 6
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 4
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 6
CLIMACTIC MAIN PLOT Question
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 2
MAIN PLOT ANSWER 5
CLIMACTIC MAIN PLOT ANSWER
SUBPLOT ANSWER 1 or SUBPLOT Question 3 -- leading (cliff-hanging) into the next installment... (Remember - SUBPLOT Question 2 is STILL Unanswered!)
TV Series...or are they?
The “Babylon 5" series had one massive over-all plot arc divided into seasonal plot arcs, divided into individual but connecting episodes that all added up to One Whole Story. “Babylon 5" was a true Serial.
"FarScape" had a very thin master plot arc with strong seasonal plot arcs made up of episodes that added up to one Seasonal Story. "FarScape" was a series of serials.
The original "Star Trek" TV series did not have an over-all plot arc of any kind, merely episodes that could be viewed in any random order. "Star Trek" was a true series.
"Star Trek-Next Generation" had thin seasonal plot arcs with the occasional story that was more than one episode long. "ST-Next Gen" was a series with a few serialized episodes.
Each episode for ALL of these TV programs was a Complete Individual Story.
"No, you Can't just cut a Story into a Serial!"
In order to create a serialized novel, the story must be crafted to be a serial from the beginning.
~ Each episode should be an individual story with a beginning, a middle, and an end under a single overall plotline to hold it together.
~ Each episode can represent a separate adventure for your main character (like a comic book) or be a separate adventure that focuses on any one of your characters (like a TV or Anime series), but each installment must be an entire story all by themselves.
~ To tie the episodes together into a cohesive whole, each successive episode should either answer a Master Plot question - or answer an earlier Master Plot question. The key here is subtlety.
~ To wrap up a season or the entire series, the serial climax brings all the characters together then ends with a final episode where the main character deals with the main villain in a grand finale.
The Plot - Thins: (In Short)
A Novel-type Story
- One whole story with one cast of characters.
A Series
- A group of complete full-length stand-alone stories (novels) all in the same universe with one (related or unrelated) cast of characters per story.
A Serial
- Lots of stories all related to each other that create one big (ongoing) story. A serial normally has one main cast of characters, though the cast tends to grow as the serial continues from season to season. A long-running serial is often divided into "seasonal" plot arcs.
In Conclusion…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The plot arc for a single title novel just isn't complex enough to be cut into a serial without major work. An ordinary novel just doesn’t have what it takes, plot-wise, to live up to a serial’s standards.
Keep in mind this is how the Professionals do it. Those of you who are Not professional are free to write as you please.
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
First Person Smartass
10 Second Tip:
"What about your Readers?"
"What about your Readers?"
As writers and artists, all too often we focus so much of our energy on Creating that we forget about the impact it will have on the people who will See it.
Consider: How do we want people to FEEL after they experience our work?
That's why people read stories, view art, and even watch movies--for the Feelings it gives them.
"I couldn't care less about the reader. I'm writing this story strictly for myself!"
-- Oh, really? Then why are you posting it in a public place where people can find it? When "I" write strictly for me, I certainly don't post it where other people will see it--not even on my private, friends-only Live Journal. No one sees it but me.
Tell the truth and shame the devil.
-- If you're posting your work where others can see it--even if it's merely a tiny private story site like Y! Gallery or Hentai Foundry , CLEARLY you want other people to see your work and hopefully, like it. Which means that during the creative process, you really ought to consider what you want your readers to feel when they're done reading it:
Touched - tears of joy
Poignant - tears of heartache
Laughter
Inspired
Horny
Embarrassed
Fear
Anger
Loathing
Disgust
To quote Edgar Allen Poe:
~~~~~~~~~
“In the whole composition there should be no word written, of which the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design. And by such means, with such care and skill, a picture is at length painted which leaves in the mind of him who contemplates it with a kindred art, a sense of the fullest satisfaction.”
Enjoy!
First Person Smartass
Quote by DirtyMartini
I'll keep that in mind...btw, I agree with everything you say...
LOL!
First Person Smartass
Quote by DirtyMartini
Hmmm...I think I would take the fact that they were pointing a gun at me as a cue that they were not in a cheerful mood...
I can think of plenty of people I'd be very happy to point a gun at -- and pull the trigger. But then, I tend to be a bit on bloodthirsty side.
First Person Smartass
Quote by DirtyMartini
Ah yes, the old non-verbal cues to show anger...like picking up that gun on the mantelpiece from Chapter 1 and firing it in Chapter 3... That's always pretty convincing...
Perhaps, but what if the one holding the gun is smiling and laughing? Could you still call that anger?
First Person Smartass
The NonVerbal Thesaurus
NonVerbal:
Not spoken > Body Language.
Thesaurus:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Latin thesaurus, treasury, from Greek thesauros.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
n. pl. the•sau•ri (-sôri) or the•sau•rus•es
1. A book of synonyms, often including related and contrasting words and antonyms.
2. A book of selected words or concepts, such as a specialized vocabulary of a particular field.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009.
Dialogue is VISUAL -- Not just a bunch of words.
Watch the average conversation between two people. 90% of that conversation isn't in what's Spoken, it's in what they are DOING while they are speaking. It's in their Body Language. Body-language cues in your story alert the reader by SHOWING them what is going on in a character’s head without Telling them, and without resorting to using the most often repeated word in fiction: said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I love you too." She raised her balled fist and smiled with bared teeth. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.” She thrust up her middle finger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to use this List.
DON'T try to copy-paste any of this directly into your story! While the terms listed are accurate, they're also Scientific. It's up to you to swap out the scientific terms for more fitting literary phrases to suit your story.
Example:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was angry. "How dare you...?"
Body language cue:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anger:
a. Jaws tensed to a biting position; “I’m going to bite you!”
Adjusted:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth. "How dare you...?"
Got it?
The NONVERBAL THESAURUS
A Writer's Cheat-Sheet to BODY LANGUAGE CUES
A Writer's Cheat-Sheet to BODY LANGUAGE CUES
KEY: The gesture; the meaning behind the gesture.
ANGER
Annoyance, Resentment, Rage
a. Jaws tensed to a biting position; “I’m going to bite you!”
b. Chest expansion, squaring of shoulders, and/or hands-on-hips; “I’m bigger than you.”
c. Cut-off and head-jerk cues; “No. I don’t want that.”
d. Hand-behind-head / hand-above-head. “I may or may not strike you.”
e. Fists, palm-down beating gestures. “I will strike you!”
f. Frowning and tense-mouth expressions; “Don’t make me bite you.”
g. Growling voice tones; “Consider me a threat.”
h. Staring; “I consider you a threat.”
I. Gaze avoidance; the head is turned fully away to one side; “Run while I am not looking and I will not attack you.”
DISGUST
Revulsion, Loathing, Nausea
a. Curled upper lip, a retracted upper lip, and mouth movements. "I feel like vomiting."
b. Digestive sounds of revulsion. Guttural sounds ("ach" or "ugh"); "I AM going to vomit!"
c. Narrowed or partly closed eyes; “I don't want to see that!”
d. Lowered brows of the frown face. "I don't want to smell that!"
e. Backward head-jerks and side-to-side head-shakes. “I don't want to taste that!”
f. Visible protrusions of the tongue. “I can see that it tastes bad.”
FEAR
Anxiety, Apprehension, Dread
a. Angling body away; “Don’t touch me.”
b. Release of underarm scent; “Go away! I am unappealing! I stink!”
c. Increase in breathing rate. "I'm going to run away!"
d. Trembling and/or chattering teeth. "I want to run away!"
e. Crouching. “Don’t hurt me!”
f. Crying. “I’m hurt enough!”
g. Displacement gestures; “How did THIS happen?”
h. Fast eye-blink rate. “I don’t believe what I'm seeing!”
i. Fear grin. “I’m friendly! Honest!”
j. Widely opened flashbulb eyes. “I can’t believe this!”
k. Unconscious escape motions designed to remove a body part, or parts, from danger (e.g., flexing the neck to lower and protect the head). "Don't hit me!"
l. Freeze reactions; “Am I in danger?”
m. Hair-bristling; “I feel danger!”
n. Accelerated heart rate. "I'm getting ready to run away!"
o. Tightened shoulder muscle tension; “It's going to hit me!”
p. Screaming; “Don’t touch me!”
q. Squirm cues; “Let go of me.”
r. Staring eyes with wide-dilated pupils; “How much danger am I in?”
s. Sweaty palms. "I don't wanna touch that!"
t. Tense-mouth. “Don’t make me bite you.”
u. Throat-clearing. “I want to vomit.”
v. Audibly tense tone-of-voice, either low and close to a growl, "I'm warning you..." or high to present a non-threatening sound. "I'm not a threat!"
w. Yawning. “I have no fangs, see? I’m not a predator!”
HAPPINESS
Contentment, Well-being, Joy
a. Laugh or smile
b. Tears; “I am overwhelmed.”
Unlike most other facial signs of emotion, the smile is subject to learning and conscious control. In the U.S., Japan, and many other societies, children are taught to smile on purpose, e.g., in a courteous greeting, whether or not they actually feel happy. A true (i.e., involuntary) smile, crinkles the skin around the outside corners of our eyes, forming "crow's feet" or smiling eyes.
SADNESS
Sorrow, Unhappiness, Depression, Gloom
a. Bowing postures; “I’m terribly sorry.”
b. Cry face and lip-pout; “Please don't hurt me anymore.”
c. Gazing-down; “I am not a challenge.”
d. Slumped flexed-forward posture of the shoulders; “I give up.”
e. Audible sigh; “I give up.”
f. Compressed lips; “No, I don’t want that.”
The facial features constrict as if to seal-off contact with the outside world. In acute sadness, muscles of the throat constrict and repeated swallowing occurs, the eyes close tightly, and then tears.
UNCERTAINTY
Indecision, Misgiving, Doubt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a. Involuntary sideward eye movements; “Where is the danger coming from?”
b. Self-touching gestures; “Am I still in one piece?”
c. Frown; “I don’t want that…”
d. Hand-behind-head; “I don’t like it.”
e. Side-to-side head-shakes “No.”
f. Sideward head-tilts; “I don’t want that…”
g. Lip-pout, lip-purse, and tense-mouth expressions “That looks like it tastes bad.”
h. Palm-up gestures; “I surrender.”
i. Shoulder-shrug; “Don’t touch me.”
Men will rub their chins with their hand, tug at the lobes of their ears, or rub their forehead or cheeks or back of the neck, in reaction to the increased tension. Male college students express uneasiness by changing their sitting posture to a more direct body orientation. “I’m going to defend myself.”
Women will put a finger on their lower front teeth with the mouth slightly open or pose a finger under the chin. “See? I have no fangs, I am not a predator.” Female college students show uneasiness by sitting still and arm-crossing. “Don't touch me.”
SUBMISSION
Acknowledgment, Compliance, Surrender
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a. Turning away “No thank you.”
b. body-bend, body-shift, and bowing “Please don’t…”
c. displacement cues “How did THIS happen?”
d. facial flushing; Blood rushing to enhance the senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell. ; Blood rushing to enhance the senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell.
e. freeze reactions “Am I in danger?”
f. gaze-down; “I am not a threat.”
g. give-way; “I will not challenge you.”
h. head-tilt-side; “Don’t…”
i. Mimic of superior’s body movements “I will not challenge you.”
j. laughing; “I will not challenge you.”
k. palms-up; “I surrender.”
l. exaggerated personal distance; “Don’t touch me.”
m. pigeon toes; “I can't chase you, I am not a threat.”
n. shoulder-shrugging; “Don’t touch me.”
o. shyness; “Don’t notice me.”
p. difficulty gazing directly at, or cross lines of sight with, a dominant individual. "I don't want to challenge you."
q. higher vocal pitch "I'm weak, and helpless."
r. yawning; “No fangs, see? I am not a threat.”
(Note the considerable overlap between expressions of submission and fear.)
DOMINANCE
Influence, Power, Control
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a. Eyebrow raise; “Are you challenging me?”
b. Hands-on-hips posture; “I’m ready for battle.”
c. Head-tilt-back; “I dare you to bite me.”
d. Palm-down gesture; “Do I need to strike you?”
e. Swagger walk; “I’m stronger than you.”
f. Table-slap; “I will strike you!”
g. Lower tone of voice, close to a growl. "Don't make me bite you."
h. Wedge-shaped Chest expansion, squaring of shoulders; “I’m bigger than you.”
i. Direct stare; “I consider you a threat.”
j. Looming with chin down; “I will bite you.”
Aggressive behaviors include the head brought forward toward another person, chin out and pushed forward, wrinkled skin on the bridge of the nose, and a sharp movement of the head towards the other person, as though in preparation to bite.
The Business Suit
Built-in Aggression
Built-in Aggression
The business suit allows a powerful, influential ‘wedge-like’ silhouette for business and public affairs.
Exaggerated Chest expansion, squaring of shoulders Strength cues are tailored into every Brooks Brothers® suit. The coat's squared shoulders exaggerate the size and strength of the upright torso. Flaring upward and outward, lapels enhance the illusion of primate pectoral strength. Dropped to fingertip level, the jacket's hemline visually enlarges the upper body to gorilla-like proportions. Pads and epaulets cover inadvertent shrugs and slips of the shoulder blades, to mask feelings of submission or uncertainty in the boardroom--or on the battlefield.
LOVE
Affection, Devotion, Attachment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a. Physical contact, including hugs and kisses. "I like you."
b. Increased breathing rate; “I want to smell you.”
c. Courtship behavior; “I want to make love to you.”
d. Direct gaze with wide pupils; “I find you pleasing to look at.”
e. Facial flushing; blood rushing to enhance the senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell.
f. Head-tilt-side; “Do I have your attention?”
g. Increased heart rate; to enhance the senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell.
h. Mimic of behavior and/or appearance; “We make a set, we belong together.”
i. Softened tone of voice; “If you want to hear what I say, come closer.”
j. Closing personal distance; "I want to touch you."
Summary of common Facial Cues.
1. Nose:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a) nostril flare; "Oh that scent!" (arousal, rivalry)
b) nose wrinkle; (disgust)
2. Lips:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a) grin (happiness, friendship, contentment)
b) grimace (fear)
c) lip-compression (anger, emotion, frustration)
d) canine snarl (disgust)
e) lip-pout (sadness, submission, uncertainty)
f) lip-purse (disagree)
g) sneer (contempt)
3. Brows:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a) frown (anger, sadness, concentration)
b) brow-raise (intensity)
4. Tongue:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tongue-show (dislike, disagree)
5. Eyelids:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a) flashbulb eyes (surprise)
b) widened (excitement, surprise)
c) narrowed (threat, disagreement)
d) fast-blink (arousal)
e) normal-blink (relaxed)
6. Eyes:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a) big pupils (arousal, fight-or-flight)
b) small pupils (rest-and-digest)
c) direct-gaze (affiliate, threaten)
d) gaze cut-off (dislike, disagree)
e) gaze-down (submission, deception)
f) CLEMS* (thought processing) This is an acronym for "Conjugate Lateral Eye Movement." When the eyes move sideward (to the right or left) in response to a question. Rightward movement is associated with symbolic thinking, or Memory, (what we KNOW,) while Leftward Movement is associated with visual thinking, or Creativity, (what we INVENT).
In conclusion...
-- Don't just SAY it. SHOW IT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skip the dialogue "he said / she said" tags altogether by using Body-language cues and ACTIONS to SHOW what the characters mean when they say: "I love you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I love you too.” She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”
“I love you too.” She dropped her chin and pouted. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”
“I love you too.” She glared straight at him. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”
“I love you too.” She turned away and wiped the tear from her cheek. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”
"I love you too." She raised her balled fist and smiled with bared teeth. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.” She thrust up her middle finger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enjoy!
Reference:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Center for Nonverbal Studies (CNS):
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
First Person Smartass
Plot Devices:
Deus Ex Machina
or
Chekhov's Gun?
Deus Ex Machina
or
Chekhov's Gun?
----Original Message----
"What are your thoughts on Good Deus Ex Machinas? I find them hard to pull off realistically in a plot." -- Puzzled Writer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Deus Ex Machina is when the Hero doesn't find the solution to the story's problem. The solution is handed to them, or taken care of, by someone or something far more powerful.
From TV Tropes:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Deus Ex Machina is an outside force that solves a seemingly unsolvable problem in an extremely unlikely (and, usually, anticlimactic) way. If the secret documents are in Russian, one of the spies suddenly reveals that they learned the language. If the writers have just lost funding, a millionaire suddenly arrives, announces an interest in their movie, and offers all the finances they need to make it. If The Hero is dangling at the edge of a cliff with a villain stepping on his fingers, a flying robot suddenly appears to save him.
The term is Latin for god out of the machine, and has its origins in Greek theater. It refers to situations in which a crane (machine) was used to lower actors or statues playing a god or gods (deus) onto the stage to set things right. It has since come to be used as a general term for any event in which a seemingly fatal plot twist is resolved by an event never foreshadowed or set up.
Good Deus Ex Machina only happen when they've been set up to happen all along and were simply overlooked--which means they're not really Deus Ex Machina...
--They're actually a Chekhov's Gun.
"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."
— Playwright Anton Chekhov (From S. Shchukin, Memoirs. 1911.)
Thornton Reed: "Take this, Dag."
Dr. Rick Dagless M.D.: "What is it?"
Thornton Reed: "Something that might come in handy."
— Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, "Scotch Mist"
"Honestly, what kind of situation would require the use of a pair of fake arms and a remote-controlled wheelchair? Only, I imagine, a completely ludicrous one!"
— Father Ted
Example:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the beginning of the horror flick, the sheriff says he's gonna cruise by later that night to keep an eye on the troubled teen watching over the huge creepy mansion--because said teen is known for painting Graffiti.
Back in the big empty house, the radio and the TV blast out "Crazed Killer on the Loose in our area! Be on the look out...! News at Eleven."
Creeped out, the kid calls a few of his friends over to keep him company.
His friends try to get him drunk enough to graffiti the house.
Eventually, the kid decides, "Why the hell not?"
Right at that moment the monster strikes! It terrorizes the troubled teen and kills off his friends. Blood! Guts! Mayhem! Screaming...!
Finally, the monster corners the kid on the roof with no place else to go.
Out of nowhere, a police helicopter shows up to rescue the kid.
-- Deus Ex Machina?
The copter door swings open and it's the sheriff. He wasn't just keeping an eye on the kid, he was also watching out for the crazed killer that had been all over the news for days.
-- NOT a Deus Ex Machina -- a Chekhov's Gun! This was set up to happen from the beginning. However, this works even better if....
Before the kid can get up on the copter, the monster finds a way to drag the helicopter down from the sky.
With the judicious use of a can of spray paint and a lighter, the monster's eyeballs are fried goo. The kid makes his escape straight into the REST of the cops heading up the road.
The cops shoot down the crazed killer and the kid goes on National Television saying how Graffiti saved his life. The End
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An example of a Chekhov's Gun that LOOKS like a Deus Ex Machina can be found in the closing scene to the video game Final Fantasy VII where the heroes tried everything to save the world, but failed. Suddenly, the world saved itself using the Life-stream--the power that had been the focus of the story's main problem since the story's opening. This Deus Ex Machina power had been there from the very beginning, yet had been overlooked making it in fact, a Chekhov's Gun.
However, an even better ending came with the sequel game Dirge of Cerberus, where one of the least understood characters in the Final Fantasy VII cast proved to have had a monumental power sleeping inside him all along--that was again, overlooked.
Getting it on Paper...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you really want to use a Chekhov's Gun, it helps to think of a story as a Circle. It should End where it Began with the main problem at the beginning of the story being the last problem solved. This means you need to have the Solution to that main problem present at the beginning of the story--preferably in the opening scene, but discounted, or not thought of as anything special.
By the way, most Fairy Tales and Fables tend to have a Circular plot pattern -- ending where they began.
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.
First Person Smartass
Quote by sprite
... laptops slung low on their hip, their typing fingers itching for the strike of the clock... "This town's not big enough for the both of us, parnder. Mind taking your little story outside and settling this mano a mano?" *giggles*
LOL!
-- The writers all standing in a circle, eyeing each other with sweat dripping down their brows. Fingers at the ready...
First Person Smartass
Quote by sprite
oh, so true! there are a pair of stories, one of Riding Hood, and the other of Goldilocks here about that are wonderful, and yet, i would have written them differently - which is good, since Red's tale is one that i think EVERYone needs to tackle at some point. Ok, off to plot out Jack and the Beanstalk now
You know, that would make an interesting writing challenge.
-- Have everyone write their interpretation of One particular fairy tale.
First Person Smartass
Quote by spriteQuote by MorganHawke
...One of these days I intend to do an erotic fairy tale collection...
i'm torn between encouraging you, since i'd love to read it, and throwing a pout, seeing as how i've already staked that out! lol - i guess there's room for more, though
No two writers think or imagine alike.
-- I can guarantee that even if the two of us write the same fairy tale, both stories would be completely and utterly different.
First Person Smartass
Quote by nicola
Excellent article once again Morgan =d>
Thank you!
-- One of these days I intend to do an erotic fairy tale collection. That's actually where the base research for this essay came from.