Category: Writing Exercise

Other Cool Blogs: Magical Words 8/17/2009

Erin Penn

Image courtesy of Multipedia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Magic Systems

Last month, the Magical Words posting from A.J. Hartley talked about Too Much Power. This week I thought I would circle back to an old post from David B. Coe on magic systems.

Magic in fantasy and powers in superheroes contain an affinity for exponential growth, reaching Too Much Power without much effort. The challenge is reigning in the power systems to make the story as much fun to read as it was to create the powers. 

Mr. Coe suggests three structures to control the systems:

  1. Limitations – Example, planetary gravity wells are limited to a certain distance from the planet.
  2. Costs – Example, escaping gravity takes propellant.
  3. Rules – Example, all matter is affected by gravity. Energy is not affected by gravity.

Be careful introducing exceptions to the rules to make your life as a writer easier. Gravity doesn’t get to change its rules. Well, it shouldn’t. I am sure some physicists will have a conversation with the universe creator someday about the deus ex machina of light which is both energy and matter.

The full post is here:

WRITING EXERCISE: Create one power or take one from a work in progress (WIP), just one power, for a fantasy, sci-fi, or superhero world. Define a limitation, cost, and two rules. Write a flash of 50-1000 words based on it.

***

Ancestral warrior. Limitation – most powerful in the ancestral lands, close to normal outside of the lands. Cost – obligation to protect all those of the tribe from those lands. Rules – (1) Lineage/blood-line only. (2) Peak physical, but not natural spell caster.

Look for the story Ancestral Warrior to be published Sunday 1/5/2020. You may recognize the protagonist if you have been following this blog for a while. This is where Honestly meets its Atlantis Wardens beginnings.

Writing Exercise: Movie Retrospect

Erin Penn 1 Comment

Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A friend of mine Facebooked a question of what movies to show to her teenage daughter. You often see these requests on social media.

It is an interesting exercise to see what you value. In previous writing exercises, I have suggested assembling a list of  childhood favorite books to see what common threads draw you into a story  and a review of things you have written to see what your personal writing style is, specifically what skills you use and what you need to work on.

Movies are a different medium than writing on several levels: (1) Writing usually involves one person (not counting the editor); (2) Dialogue can be nuanced with the voice in movies; (3) Visual really makes a difference. But at the heart, both books and movies are still about story and characters.

WRITING & READING EXERCISE: Assemble a list of movies which you have watched and would recommend to others for enjoyment, not educational purposes. What are their common themes? Do these match fictional books you enjoy and/or your personal writing style? What would you like to take from them to enhance your writing? How is your movie watching and your reading different?

***

My initial recommendation to my friend: Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Bugsy Malone (1976), and Johnny Dangerously (1984). What do all these have in common? They created new and consistent worlds, had amazing characters and even more amazing dialogue, and solid humor based on just being alive.

Johnny Dangerously had some meanness to it. Another Michael Keaton movie also is humorous, character-driven, and crazy-worldbuilding, but the meanness crosses the line and I never really enjoyed it. You may have a different opinion about Beetlejuice, but I would not recommend the movie. Comparing these two movies side-by-side you can see where my personal line of “meanness in humor” is.

After my initial recommendation, I had a long drive and come up with several more selections:

GENERAL MOVIE: Beverly Hill Cop I & II (1984, 1987), Ferris Bueler’s Day Off (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Cool Runnings (1993)

FANTASY/SCI-FI: Star Wars: A New Hope & Empire Strikes Back (1977, 1980), Indian Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Dark Crystal (1982)

MUSICAL: Sound of Music (1965), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

Grouped together, the world building screams out. While I have seen several character-driven movies, I need world-building before character building kicks it into the next level. On the other hand, having an amazing world is not enough – if the characters and humor don’t work, for example, The Matrix is an amazing world but the characters and humor are lacking. As always creating a writer’s exercise has taught me a lot about what I value – upbeat, hopeful, smiles, and a working world.

Happy holidays, everyone.

Other Cool Blogs: Magical Words 5/14/2010

Erin Penn

Image courtesy of fantasista at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve got a confession to make: I like running Monty Hall campaigns. I just love giving out magic items when I DM (dungeon master). I like making them and passing them out like candy … and I tend to introduce gods to a campaign way too early.

Too Much Power syndrome.

But it’s so much fun. Strangely, this doesn’t translate over to my writing much. I mean, sure, in flashes where there isn’t going to be a day-in day-out, multi-sequel build – hit god-level all I want (which, again, isn’t often – the I am Prophecy series being the exception which proves the rule). I also prefer science fiction in my writing and avoid fantasy, but when I roleplay I like the fantasy games and not the science fiction. 

Anyway, I would like to focus on the Too Much Power issue today – which A.J. Hartley (a living embodiment of TMP in real life as a NY Times best-selling writer and the Robinson Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare at UNC Charlotte) talks about in Wrestling the TMP on Magical Words.

In my present campaign, I have let the warlock have his demon be a mouse he carries around in his pocket during the initial session. TMP from the get-go. I used it to bring a character back from the dead during the third or fourth session. The party was second level at that point. Do you have a headache yet – because I’ve just set up a huge issue with TMP in the campaign.

The only way to reign things in was limit the power. The resurrected character paid dearly for being brought back – with some interesting bonuses thrown in, but he won’t be risking his life on another round trip anytime soon. And the warlock also is unsure about the cost he had to pay to survive the consequences of bothering his patreon. 

The comment section of the Magical Word post goes on about Costs and Limitations when a TMP is introduced. (Be sure to read it.) Maybe I can’t back out of my Monty Hall actions, but the TMP benefits can be modified.

The ability to modify is something to keep in mind should I ever write an Urban Fantasy serial. So many expand beyond reasonable too quickly, increasing the costs of the TMP may the way to go. And it can add some interesting plot twists as well. I can’t (or at least shouldn’t) change cannon, but what isn’t discussed yet is open season.

Again, the link for Dr. Hartley’s post and related comments is: http://www.magicalwords.net/really-i-mean-it/wrestling-the-tmp/

READING EXERCISE: Think about a television show, movie, or book – even your own work-in-progress – which has a TMP person or object. How did the writers work around it? Did they randomly shut it down (like the example Dr. Hartley provided) or was there a “leash” built into the power? How did the TMP help or hinder the storyline?

(Additional comment: Superhero stories are rife with the TMP syndrome, but for the villains and the heroes.)

Writing Exercise: Flashback

Erin Penn

Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Providing backstory is a constant challenge to writers. Sometimes the bits in pieces dropped in during dialog and narrative are not enough. How can one deliver a huge chunk of backstory without bogging the story down? Because that is usually what happens, a huge exposition dump of the “history” is delivered in a tell-not-show fashion killing momentum.

One of the ways to work around this is deliver the backstory in an action-narrative format similar to the rest of the manuscript via a flashback. The problem with that is the transitions between the flashback and narrative aren’t smooth.

WRITING EXERCISE: Attempt to create the transition for a flashback, including the transition back into the story. Don’t write the flashback or the story, just the transition bits.

***

My attempt

“Oh, you want to know what happened.” She drew her foot back and forth on the ground looking pensive. “It all started at the library…”

***

Darkness swallowed the library entrance. Yeah, going in was stupid, but I was fifteen, the definition of stupid.

(fill in the blank)

The bodies dissolved and the smoke settled as we sisters looked at each other in our living room, gasping for breath.

***

“…and fortunately the blood washed out of the carpet before the parents got home from their date night.” She smiled. “Everyone was in bed, teeth brushed, so no harm, no foul, right?”

(first published 10/24/2015; republished new blog format 11/26/2019)

Writing Exercise: Priming the Pump

Erin Penn

Image courtesy of the NaNoWriMo hive mind on the Internet

Sometimes, somedays, you just can’t get started. You and the blank screen pixels have become one. Maybe you are between works. Maybe you are coming off of editing. Maybe you don’t know where to go with the work in-progress (WIP). Maybe work was exhausting. Maybe you suffered a loss, an argument, you’re sick – mind or body or emotions just ain’t working yet.

And sometimes …. sometimes there is just nothing.

You may need to Prime the Pump. Just do a simple little exercise of 100 words. That is all you got to write. One hundred words. Maybe with 100 words you can write 100 more. Once the brain gets moving in one direction, it continues moving.

Collect a couple ideas and set them aside in a “Prime the Pump” list. You need to prepare in advance, because you likely won’t think of anything when you are in the middle of the ennui.

Examples for the list would be:

  1. 100 words of a character fault
  2. 100 words of a scene description
  3. 100 words of a motion like a kiss or a punch. Whatever is the next movement the character should be making.
  4. 100 words of why the character in the scene is fighting having the scene written. Dialog between me and him/her.
  5. 100 words of why I think I can’t write right now
  6. 100 words of what the kid did today
  7. 100 words why the spouse makes me happy
  8. 100 words of what I’m cooking for dinner and why I like the idea.

An Excel file should work just fine for the list. These are not meant to be an opus or even a sellable item. Just 100 words to kick start the day of writing. When you hit 100 words, switch out. Save the bit into the Prime the Pump folder with the day’s date and then go to the project you should be working on. Maybe have it already open, so you don’t even have to think about the switch. Just close out on the Prime the Pump file and go-go-go. The object is to get writing anything – so you can write something. 

For date formatting, I would recommend year-month-day format, that way the list appears in date order. Example:

2014 10 22 – Where I sit
2016 09 22 – Want to cry
2019 10 22 – The Kiss

By the way, if priming the pump doesn’t keep the words flowing after the switch out, give yourself permission to stop if you need to. You wrote something. Only 100 words, but if you are heartsick, or stressed, or whatever it is your brain is occupied with instead of writing, trying to write Product may not be happening today.

Give yourself permission because you tried. You actually put words on a screen. You tested to make sure it wasn’t just enough to start typing.

On the other hand, the attempt of Priming the Pump may keep you typing for hours – which is why you tested yourself. You never know which it is until you tried.

WRITING EXERCISE: Create a writing folder for Prime the Pump. Then create a PrimeThePump.xls (Excel) file. Record ten ideas. Write one of them and post it below.

***

My Attempt: Where I sit when I am typing

Despite the heavy gray curtains, the afternoon sun shines in my eyes and overheats my face, interfering with my ability to concentrate on the computer screen. Glancing left and right , blinking the spots out of my eyes, shelves of books and towers of CDs and DVDs beg me to waste time with them. Studiously ignoring them, I curl my toes against the smooth wooden floors and bang out another 100 words. (72 words)