[Caelum's Scrapbook] Use Your Words.

[Tabarnac]

Maola, there will be a priest of Zulrav making port in Denval this season. FYI.

[Legion]

I took a whole day off and it was awesome. I did not write a word. I did not accept a single phone call. I didn't even do the dishes and I even threw in a run and then a nap. Here are a few pictures to show the random things I got into. Now try to figure out what all I did.

[Tabarnac]

You went to River Street like a dirty tourist, shopped for kitsch, found people downtown with antique windows that you ran over to steal for home décor, and then put up pagan religious symbols that the Christians stole... Ho ho ho!

[Paragon]

There's always one who's got to spoil the fun

[Tabarnac]

Listen to Master Jarret!

[Caelum]

Bwaha!

[Caelum]

The day’s wisdom: Even when I try not to be snarky, I end up making a big production of not being so and thus end up being passive aggressively snarky. I need professional help.

[Caelum]

Yet Another Note On Structure I feel as if I’m becoming repetitive. The bottom line, however, is that in the end enough can never be said about writing structure. It has been nearly a month since I’ve rambled incessantly about writing, so maybe I just need my fix. Truth told, I was feeling kinda bummed as it was brought to my attention that a player made some unflattering comments regarding these rambles of mine. I decided screw it, however, as at no time have I claimed to be an authority or even of any particular skill. Besides, this helps me by reminding my muse where and how to handle my abundance of often ridiculous ideas. So this one’s for me. I fail to follow my own advice regularly. Maybe if I keep structure talking I will improve. Teach becomes do? Eh. Hm. Something like that. Yesterday two friends approached me for assistance. One was for a screenplay and the other for a piece of short fiction, both independent of game. A couple of things spiked in my brain during the course of our conversations. The first is that in the confines of this scrapbook I have discussed writing structure primarily as how it applies to role playing. Mentions of OOC versus IC goals have come up which is fair considering the context. The mistake in this is that in straight fiction writing, there is no OOC. An author cannot take into consideration their own goals when attempting to hash out and define those of their protagonists for the sake of outlining. In game, a player can start with a goal of obtaining a gnosis mark or building a skill et cetera and proceed to translate that into PC goals without severe consequence. In straight fiction writing, if I don’t begin and end with character goals I am going to result in either a) failing to create a meaningful character or b) failing to adhere to character > outline rule. What I mean by “b” is that I can structure until the Second Coming and the probability won’t lessen of a thoroughly developed character taking off with their own idea of how the plot should go. Though it can irritate the crap out of me (primarily because it forces me to refurbish my structure, sometimes multiple times), this is not necessarily a bad sign. This means the character has taken on that element in fiction some have described as being “truer than true”. If I stick to my character diamond guns and effectively refurbish plot structure in accordance, it could be amazing. I have to be careful, however, that the character’s going off with their own idea is not leaving their character diamond and thereby not in actuality the character evolving but me as the writer devolving and grown lazy. I’m running out of time this afternoon and my fingers have gotten behind my thoughts again. Shocker. Quickly then I’ll end with stating that I like many others begin a thing that may be solid and compelling but get part of the way through and realize I don’t know how to carry on/conclude it. The answer is structure. The answer is always structure: Goal + Conflict = Plot along with how many/what kind of acts in the plot I’m doing. Either I haven’t done it because I’m lazy or I winged it for the sake of just getting down the goods while the inspiration bug was biting me. Or, you know, I did do it but did it poorly. Or I did it well but I didn’t abide by it or.. Or. Or. You get the picture. If you slam into a wall half way through a thing, go back to the beginning and start with a brick. Ascertain goal. Define the story into a cliché. Revenge. Love. Awakening. Etc. Figure out what plot arc you’re in when the wall smushed your face. Structure and push forward. /end ramble Back to business. - k.

[Tabarnac]

Stop telling me what to do! You're not the boss of me!

[Paragon]

Legion runs Denval - you just haven't realised it yet.