These are notes I took from a wonderful writing symposium called Life, the Universe, and Everything. We have a lot of talented people in Utah and visitors with a great deal of knowledge. Any Misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

Q: How chose the strongest opening scene?
– Write out of order will know where the story is going. For glass door have a prolog. Wrote half of the book before writing the prolog. Had to get into the characters first. Gave her to a chance to delve into the character.
– Things to look forward. Want a slice of a character’s normal life before the inciting incident. Questions asked: first 10 things the character does?
– One author thinks of a book in her head for weeks or months. Then she starts it and writes a character linear experiences all the way through.
– Some authors you can cut the first three chapters and not lose anything. You should start the story the day the character’s world change.
– Some authors get tempted to start the story in the middle.
– The same author will write a book linearly and others just follow how they feel.
– One author writes linear for epic fantasy and a lot of stuff is introduced. So tries to keep the narrative simple.

Q: What is a good first line to open a book?
– The sole job of the first sentence is to read the second sentence. Maybe an unusual phase.
– Find something true and authentic line in a story.
– An intrigue character’s voice or something that sets the setting. The perfect first line may not be created until you’ve finished the book.
– Melva: you need to know the end before you can write the beginning.
– The first couple of paragraphs tries to have them establish what kind of world we are in. i.e. secondary world (not earth) and the character is doing something interesting. Establish who the character and how they view the things they are looking at i.e.: a lady general enters a fortress her army just conquered.
– The building was on fire and this time it wasn’t my fault> Dresden book.
– The color of the sky was the color of cat vomit.
– Things to turn off: a lot of action that has no connection with the character.
– Melva story Coward: a story of a coward who wins in spite of cowardice.
– The editor has done 30K rejection letters, most rejections are due to the first page. Looking for reasons to care. Showcase your strength as a writer.
– Make sure your beginning accuracy depicts the genre you’re writing for.

Q: good justification for Prolog: if it does not showcase your greatest writing trait.
– Prologs work for an occurrence o long ago.
– Young readers usually skip prologs.
– If your first chapter can go without the prolog then submit it without.
– Prolog needed to establish a time about the world that is different from the characters. Many Prologs have info through the contest of the story and can make them unnecessary.
– Your prolog should not be longer than a chapter in the book or shorter.

Q: Introducing new characters suggestions:
– Like physical details but get to know the character by their actions of the character.
– Brandon Sanderson’s books do not describe characters.
– A different point of view character is the one who describes the protectionist.
– List then the things would help the reader understand the character and show some of those traits.

Q: what makes believable motivations and why necessary motivation is the core of the character?
– the character is the core of the novel.

Q: How do I make this character sympatric to the reader?
– They can be terrible people. If their motivation is believable, then the reader sympathizes with them.
– What would be the motivations to why kill parents: food, zombies, to avoid a worse situation, planning on having you killed inheritance. If you don’t agree with it, you can sympathize.
– You can dig deeper to give motivation that on the surface level is abhorrent.
– There has to be continued conflict in the story for the story to progress.

Q: how show multiple characters motivations without info dumping? Each character needs to have a defined motivation. Frodo wants to toss the ring another character may have another wish for the ring.
– Focus on the motivation of the key character and find a lot of layers. With side villains or other characters, you want to layer character without being inside their head. Drop of little bits of info throughout the story to see what motivations exist for the villain. Just sprinkle a little bit more. Take a little bit more time because you’re spreading it out throughout the book.

Q: Unreliable narrators:
– Sometimes their true motivation is not given to the reader until the end.
– You can redirect the reader to manipulate the reader to go in a different direction.
– Where the crawdads sing: a good example of an unreliable character.
– There are stories where a character’s motivations change?
– As characters get new facts and new info comes up and thus changes the character.
– You need to sell it to the readers to believe the change.
– On oceans 11 his team finds that the casino he is stealing the guy who has his old girlfriend. His team pushes back when they realize it’s for the girl
– Internal goals and external goals should climax around the same tie. Star wars Luke must see if he can trust the force. And as a result, resolves the external claims of the destruction of the death star.
– The inner motivation does not have to lead to the external. The internal may give them the insight to solve the external conflict.

Q: when plotting a story, how do you we weave magic with motivations? Some use magic as a tool.
– Time travel one guy wants to return home to be with family. Others want to time travel for revenge.
– If use magic throughout the day using magic in a new way they need to be sprinkling to story to prepare the reader via foreshadowing.

Q: Favorite motivations:
– The story of past war hero wants revenge but has adopted a little girl. And question what am I teaching this girl?

Q: How to flesh out a character but still obscure their motivation?
– Dropping hints. When you pull a trick the reader needs to feel you didn’t trick them.
– I want to save the world because the person I love lives in it.
– If a character does not feel strongly about something the reader will not feel motivated about the hero.

Q: Grudge:
– The count of Monti Cristo. Great because they spiral out of control. The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. It gets worse and worse the grudge gets stronger.
– Grudge: push buttons and don’t hold back your punches.
– It is important to know about the seed that started the grudge and what is the fall out to make the grudge worse or fixed.

Q: motivations that are overdone?
– Motivation can be altered by a person twist of opinion. The author gives their option of that motivation.
– If you write epic fantasy doesn’t write about farm boys seeking revenge is overused.
– Melva Story title to write: do-gooder

Q: Why is a character nice?
– It is related to their self-worth.

Want to add to this list? If you do please respond in the comment section.