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| Stella Cameron Writer's Workshop: Motivation 10/19/00 |
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JoelyHoward - KMASSEY!!!!!!
Go back to Part 1
kamy - oops...sorry kmassy...thought you were done
Cissy - (personally, I'm not big on revenge plots, but that's just me)
Nanette - women weaker??? We don't "get mad we get even"
JoelyHoward - Cissy - what about when the avenger fall for the avengee?
Morgan - Nanetter, We get ahead!
cameron - I don't like traditional outlines. I like to use a solid overview of my story. Start writing. Keep going until I come to a halt, then outline in bits and pieces.
cameron - ga
Nanette - TRUE
Joanna - We do *Quietly* 
Lynn - logged on - 10/19 at 9:41pm EST
jeff - 
- 10/19 at 9:41pm EST
Lynn - I got booted 
Cissy - JAK has done a few that I really liked (revenge plots) but it has to be a writer a trust. I think they're easy to turn into angsty messes where I want to start smacking people.
Morgan - i'm stuck on that right now on one story , Stella. Came to an impass.
Cissy - ascribe, you're up next. Steve will follow.
cameron - ascribe, you're up
Morgan - WB Lynn 
Joanna - ?
ascribe - How many bad things do you have to heap on someone to make their motivation real enough? I have a hero whose wife left him because she couldn't deal with their autistic daughter. He distrusts women in general now. A few writers have told me that isn't enough motivation for him to distrust all women? What do you think?
Morgan - i hear you on that slaapin thing Cissy.
cameron - I believe in subtle stuff--not red rag things.
ascribe - I'm not following.
cameron - The man has an autistic daughter and his wife/the mother left. That's a huge motivation to make him leary of women.
JoelyHoward - I agree!! I would have to have her killed off! LOL
cameron - By subtle, I meant that more and more problems don't make the mix better.
Carrie - logged on - 10/19 at 9:44pm EST
cameron - I think you've got plenty to work with, ascribe and you should be able to write a wonderful, engrossing story.
cameron - ga
Nanette - emotion and mental are usually not logical
ascribe - Yes. That is what I thought but someone thought I should have maybe had his mom leave him as a baby, too? Sorry, I got disconnected.
Lynn - Hey Carrie
Morgan - hi Carrie
Carrie - hi
Cissy - maybe he's not so much trying to protect himself as his daughter. She was probably pretty confused/devastated when her mother left. I imagine he's going to be VERY careful about bringing a woman into her life who could hurt her again.
Cissy - Steve, you're up next. Joanna will follow.
JoelyHoward - See you are making us think about it with just that little bit of info -- Stella isnt that what storytelling is about?
ascribe - Agreed. Thanks everyone.
SteveC - I'm curious as to how much discussion one has with others around them (close friends, significant others, etc) when discussing motivation and reasonable action. Being male, I'm always a bit wary about trying to predict female behavior, let alone accurately reproduce it. Apparently, so far so good - my drafts have met with pretty good feedback from the 'close circle of women friends' test. Is this a good tactic to continue with? How long does (should?) one's manuscript stay in a vacuum before being leaked to those nearby? I try to at least get the main plot, complete with opening, a rough idea of the emotional progression of the story and the climax. Only when I get those fairly well anchored do I even mention the idea to anyone. Thoughts?
JoelyHoward - Sorry
cameron - Please, don't add a deserter mom to a deserter wife. That just means he managed to fall for someone like his loser of a mother. And Cissy is right, the child will be his biggie.
Morgan - ?
ascribe - I didn't want to do that either. And I don't want the ex wife isn't coming back either.
cameron - Steve: Some discussion. Only with people you really trust and who don't treat you as the surprising child!
Morgan - Steve, there are some great Chapters that help to give constructive critisizm(sp?) i had a freind that Ripped apart my story. It was VERY discouraging.
Nanette - Cissy that was soooo good
cameron - You can and probably will write from the female pov perfectly well.
kmassey - ?
cameron - I really enjoy writing male pov--and after a lot of years it's natural.
Cissy - thanks, Nan
cameron - On how much to listen to: listen to opinions that are mentioned by more than one person as long as you don't identify the dread piggyback syndrome. In other words, be sure these people are speaking with their own words.
Morgan - Lynn is getting a cal lni a while from Me steve, i have a plot to bounce off her.
jeff - logged on - 10/19 at 9:50pm EST
Mari - nite all. thanks for letting me listen.
Morgan - WB jeff.
cameron - I can't imagine sharing a story until it was finished, unless I was exceedingly uncertain of something and wanted an opinion. Once I've asked a question of the three friends with whom I share these things, I never ask the same question.
cameron - ga
Mari - bye
Morgan - Night Mari
Lynn - When are you calling Morgan? LOL
cameron - nite, Mari
Lynn - Nite Mari
cameron - ga
JoelyHoward - nite!
Morgan - As soon as we are done here. I have some probs that i need help with.
Mari - - 10/19 at 9:51pm EST
Cissy - Joanna, did we get your question? (Morgan and kmassey are in line. Then we need to close this conversation and decide about our next workshop)
Joanna - Stella, I want to take this time to tell you that I am in awe of your work ... found another historical in a ubs.. I am into historicals ... and am writing in that form ... you do very well in the male pov ... I generally bounce it off my husband and yes, they do think completely different.... When you
SteveC - Thanks!
Joanna - I sort of started and did not continue but will do so..
josephine - logged on - 10/19 at 9:52pm EST
cameron - Thank you very much, Joanna.
cameron - You're welcome, Steve.
cameron - Cissy--do we have a question from Morgan?
JoelyHoward - josephine
Cissy - She's in line behind Joanna, Stella
Morgan - writing it. Stand by.
josephine - Stella, just wanted to say loved Key West (sorry to jump in just had a comment)
cameron - okay
josephine - hi joely
jeff - When does this end?
Joanna - When you are starting your story ... you want to set up the general feeling and let your characters develope and evolve... so I believe you would start off with a slam ... a attention getter to grab your reader and keep them along with the ride...
cameron - Joanna--I don't have the complete question from you. thank you, josephine.
Cissy - we usually go about an hour, jeff, but we have a couple more questions if you'd like to hang out
cameron - Thanks, Joanna.
cameron - ga
ascribe - Got to go group. Til next time. Thanks, Stella.
cameron - bye
cameron - Can we decide on a topic for the next session, please?
Morgan - Stella, my story starts with the big conflict, but i need ot keep it going...I need to know how to keep them together, what keep him there (in town) but i am having trouble tying it in...... The circumstances seem to common..or too cooincidental...Can i do that? Or will the reader Hate it.
jeff - ?
Cissy - bye ascribe, come back next time
JoelyHoward - Thank you stella!!!
Cissy - jeff, we're not taking any more questions after the last 2.
kamy - have you done one on Dialogue yet?
kamy - have you done one on Dialogue yet?
Cissy - we did a few months back, kamy, but it's come up in the last 2 workshops, so maybe it's time we did it again
kamy - argh...sorry about double timing you
cameron - Your answer lies in curling up with pen and paper and finding that motive that keeps your hero in town. Common and coincidental aren't bad as long as they're fresh. And the reader will love it if the characters engage him/her. So go for it.
Morgan - ok, thanks. I was sooo hoping you'd tell me that. LOL.
Cissy - kmassey, you have the last question!
jeff - How about a discussion of avoiding author intrusion
Cissy - Everyone else, what are your thoughts about the next workshop?
kmassey - Dialogue or characterization would be my choice for the next workshop. I’m having a hard time thinking about how to characterize.
SteveC - I'd love to vote for descriptive background generation. Scene setting.
kmassey - (I've run out of questions for the moment.)
Cissy - okay then - thoughts on the next workshop?
JoelyHoward - what do you mean Jeff?
Cissy - so far we have dialogue, avoiding author intrustion and scene setting
Morgan - Cissy, AME says i need more dialogue!
Lynn - Sorry....I dozed off......no offense to AWESOME STELLA , just not used to my work schedule
JoelyHoward - I like scene setting
Joanna - I am game for anything as I am new at this
cameron - I understand, Jeff.
kamy - ....then who was typing under your name Lynn? hehehe
Morgan - how is the writing comnig for YOU stella?
Cissy - okay a vote?
cameron - Author intrusion is really a pov problem and tied to lack of control. So the subject would be point of view.
jeff - It is so easy to slip into without even knowing it.
cameron - Lynn I got to bed at 4:30 this morning--my blood isn't even pumping.
jeff - POV is always good.
JoelyHoward - oh ok thank you stella
Lynn - My cat has learned the neatest tricks kamy LOL
cameron - I vote for characterization but will bow to the majority.
Cissy - Stella, your preference on the 3 suggestions?
SteveC - Overnarritization, Jeff? Telling rather than showing the story?
Lynn - LOL Stella
cameron - ga
Cissy - characterization is cool with me
cameron - Or reportorial style or parallel narrator.
kmassey - Characterization please!
Lynn - characterization works for me
Morgan - sounds good ot me Stella.
jeff - Uh oh, you lost me, Stella.
kamy - Stella, LOVED Glass Houses...and you did an excellent job on nailing down law enforcement men/women....My brother is in his 19th year and I'm very familiar with the job and the men/women the do it. Thumbs up
Joanna - i
Cissy - Okay, characterization it is! Thanks as always, Stella. You do an awesome job and we all appreciate it.
cameron - Okay--we'll tackle characterization next, then work on dialogue. Pov in Jaunuary?
Joanna - I go for author intrusion POV
kamy - Cissy, what's the date of the next workshop?
Lynn - *applauding* Stella, you were awesome like always
kmassey - Starting 2001 with point of view sounds good. It is technically the first year of the new millenium, after all. LOL!
cameron - January, Joanna-. Is the schedule okay for everyone?
kmassey - Many thanks, Stella! You helped me on motivation.
LisaM - Night all, thanks for letting me listen in
Cissy - November 16 is the next workshop
cameron - It's good for me to revisit these areas, folks. I enjoy the analysis.
Joanna - I am easy to please
Morgan - all of it's good for me. LOL.
kamy - thank you
cameron - It's been fun. Have a great night.
Lynn - Nite Stella
ascribe has timed out.
kmassey - Good night, all!
Cissy - Okay, so we're all set. Thanks again, Stella
cameron - Good night!
