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Pom has important news!
“The portals are open,” cried Pom. “The portals are open!” He ran down the flippy-floppy steps nearly tripping over his long fluffy ears.
Along Rony Trail, the flowers were singing their melodious song and the butterflies hummed in harmony while fluttering in a delicate dance. Pom’s heart leaped with joy and ached to join in with the regular forest festivities. Now wasn’t the time! ‘The portals are open,’ he told himself. He had to tell the others in the village.
Past the break in the trees, nestled in the middle of the forest, the quiet village rested.
Pom dashed into the middle of the market square where a tall bell tower stretched, although a bit slanted, toward the blue sky above.
Skidding to a halt at the feet of Humphrey, the town-crier, Pom huffed and puffed and wheezed.
Other than a large peering eye looking quizzically down at Pom, Humphrey didn’t budge. Gripped in his enormous hand rested the long rope that led all the way up to the large bell at the very top.
Pom gulped, his heart racing, pat-a-pat, beneath his fluffy paw.
“What seems to be your hurry, Pom, dear friend?” Humphrey leaned forward, the chair moaning in protest.
“You have to tell the others.” Pom’s throat ached from huffing and puffing. Finally, his breath had slowed.
“Tell the others?” One fuzzy eyebrow raised up.
Pom and Humphrey looked across the open market. Dust swirled through the vacant square. A dog barked somewhere in the distance.
Pom turned his attention back to the town crier. He stood as straight as he could. “Tell them the portals are open.” He grabbed a handful of Humphrey’s pant leg.
Humphrey’s brow arched high. A twinkle in his eyes shimmered. And a smile grew so big his cheeks mounded like hills in the green meadow.
Humphrey stood tall as he yanked on the long rope.
BONG – BONG!
“Hear ye, hear ye, gentle citizens of Rony Village. As of this morning, a notice from Pom the Messenger has arrived. The portals are open! I repeat, the portals are open!”
BONG – BONG!
Pom’s whiskers twitched and his tummy fluttered. He took a hop closer to Humphrey.
“Snuggle closer.” He pulled Pom snugly up against his legs.
Creek.
Thwap.
“Here they come,” said Humphrey.
Doors flew open and out poured the villagers. With songs on their lips and work in their hands, the village was alive with the hustle and bustle of people, cleaning, washing, and scrubbing. Hammers at work and brooms finding the dust and sweeping where dust must go. Three children rushed past them, giggling as they chased each other.
“It’s been a long while since the portals were opened.” Humphrey patted Pom on the head. “I guess the problem has been fixed, then?”
Joy swelled in his chest as he grinned. “I don’t know about that, but with them being open again then it means we get to serve our customers again.” Pom’s ears dropped by his face.
“Oh no,” he said.
“What is it?” Humphrey tilted his head, his lips pressed together.
“I gotta go help Flora. She will need my help.” Pom hopped away, turning quickly to wave to Humphrey.
“Thank you for bringing the wonderful news.” He waved in return.
Pom dashed away across the market, disappearing around the corner.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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A Simple Plotting Guide for Writers
Hello, book and writer geeks,
Before I get to the plotting guide I would like to have a bit of transparency and full honesty: While I do have a few writers’ certificates from correspondence courses and have taken a handful of English and creative writing classes, I don’t have any major writing degree (maybe one day I’ll finish a creative writing degree, but today is not that day.) I am just a simple, geeky person with an inner, blazing fire for writing and creating that has been burning since I was a child. The desire to be forever learning my craft will never cease.
During my ongoing desire to write, learn, and tweak my writing process I have made a list of prompts to aid me in my plotting process. So, in essence, it’s kind of a plotting guide, if you will. If you are a pantser then this may not be for you.
A Simple Plotting Guide (A Working Process)
This outline can be used as your personal cheat sheet or integrated into your own existing plotting guide to enhance your writing experience. If it helps with your plotting and story telling then I’m elated. We are always students and the world is our classroom (so to speak) and I believe in growing together. By helping others we are essentially helping ourselves. I will do my best to share my knowledge whenever I can. Now, on with the guide!
General Outline
Working Title:
Idea/ Premise:
Theme:
Main Character(s)/ Protagonist:
Main Character/ Protagonists Goal:
Main Villain(s)/ Antagonist:
Main Villain(s)/ Antagonist’s Goal:
First Act: Introduce protagonist and their problem and why they need to solve it – the inciting incident.
Rising action:
Falling action:
Second Act: Add twists, trials, complications, or new problems arise.
Rising action: Increase tention/character(s) make plan of attack.
Falling action: Learning from mistakes, solving clues, surprise defeats, or feeling defeated.
Third Act: Verge of giving up/ all is lost, finding resolve/ pep talk, new look on problem.
Climax: Rising action/ tension peaking. Surprising twists, or reveals using what character(s) learned.
Resolution: Facing fear, great victory, or the world changed for the better, etc.
Chapter by Chapter Outlining (use for each chapter)
Chapter:
Point of view character:
Plot point:
Scene descriptions: Use five sense/ create mood and atmosphere.
And that’s pretty much it! It’s very simple and basic. There are plenty of plotting guides out on the net that go into more detail, but I would like to learn a bucket load more before I attempt something like that. I used an early rendition of this outline for my last novel then decided to tweak it and ended up with this one, which I’ll be using for a new novel idea that I will be writing very soon. (I do have a brief character outline as well, but that will be another post.)
Until next time!
Stay geeky and keep writing.
A Writer's Journal: With Plotting Guide
I love journals, especially for my writing projects. There is often a journal or two hanging around my working area (wherever in the house that may be). Right now, I have four of them within reaching distance. While I don’t mind making up a plotting page on my computer it’s just not quite the same as pencil or pen on paper. Mmmm, stationary… my second biggest love next to books.
Due to my love of journals, I created one that had the plotting guide featured in this blog post to make it easier on me and to help keep track of my story plots. There’s also the short character outline inside which I’ll outline that info in a near future post.
If you like journals as much as I do and like to have a simple plotting guide then this journal is for you! I will be using this journal soon to help me outline a new story idea. (To buy the journal, just click the picture to take you to Amazon!)
I’ve rambled on enough today. I hope you all have a great, geeky day.
Read. Write. Create. Plot!
JT Harris.
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A Good Seat For NaNoWriMo
So, it’s a wet, cold rainy day today, which is very normal at this time of year for where I live, and I am snuggled up with some homemade soup, hot cocoa, and my big couch potato of a dog, and am getting excited and nervous as “Preptober” comes to an end and NaNoWriMo comes to a start. November is less than a week a way and I must write 50,000 words in the 30 days. Yikes and yay! I have never attempted this. Please wish me lots of luck and speedy typing fingers.
Most of my story outline is complete and have a good idea where my story is going. I am not too worried about the story itself, but more or less whether I will allow myself not to be too picky about the fine details. I can tweak these later. I am not a fast writer, but am a fast thinker (when it comes to stories and ideas.)
Writing the outline is only part of my prep this year. The other part is making sure I am comfortable in my chosen/ favourite writing spot. My main goal is to get a comfy writing chair! I have some spine issues which can cause me a lot of headaches if I am sitting in the wrong position for too long. I truly need a better chair than the ones I have. So, I will do my research for a good chair!
Any suggestions for a good chair with proper back support?
Good luck everyone who is taking on NaNoWriMo. May the rest of your prep time be smooth and that you find/plan/prepare everything you need for November.
Keep creating!
Inkblade Writer. -
I joined NaNoWriMo!
Well, I have just signed up for my first NaNoWriMo! Dear Lord, what have I done?
I am not writing a novel from scratch in the month of November, but rather pushing through the final chunk of my story. I have, so far, written my fantasy in a single point of view and I feel it needs a secondary point of view. Joining NaNoWriMo, I hope, will keep me grounded at my computer to get through to the end, and perhaps, I’ll meet fellow NaNo friends to encourage each other to persevere and to finish what we have started.Here’s to early mornings and late nights of writing! And tea. Lots of tea. But before NaNoWriMo it’s still October and so I will take this time to keep on planning, researching, stockpiling my ideas, and working on outlining my chapters and scenes, with the hope that when November rolls around it will be easier to sit down and write. If I don’t take the time to prepare now I won’t be able to just sit and write. I have a very short attention span when it comes to story writing (or just being on my computer with all the distractions of the internet). My mind won’t turn off. Many ideas come to me all at once and I find it very hard to just sit still and just work on one scene without it flitting off to another scene or idea, or even different ways I could write the same scene over and over again.In the past, I have tried writing by the seat of my pants (pantser) and even though at times it has worked well for me there has been many times it has held me back. My personality needs a bit of guidance with the freedom to change paths. That is what has worked for me and until it stops working for me I will continue to plot.Keep creating.Inkblade Writer
