Melva Gifford

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.

These are notes I took at the roots and wings storytellers’ conference this year. Any inaccuracies are the fault of the note taker.

Who: who would you like you to tell to? Who would you invite? Who are your ideal audience members? Who would be stragitic invites to your gigs for getting future gigs? For example, Rachel Headman is a stragitic contact. She has influence on many future opportunities. Maybe invite business or social directors’ community directors

When you think of who. You have to appreciate the stories they bring to the table. Maybe there are fun stories that had poignant content. Maybe one of your tellers does well at marketing. Sometimes you may want a program that has a mix heavy with some comedy.

Knowing who you want to tell is empowering. If you’re doing children keep them, their parents may not be engaged. You don’t have to babysit. See if you can break up school assemblies from younger to older.

If you need to practice story: always looking for free concerts.

What

What stories would you want to tell

What theme would you tell?

Would you record or not record?

What stories do you feel comfortable with?

What incomes do you want from your events?

Some tell personal stories that have humor. others may be geared to have poignancy. There may be stories of founding fathers. Folktales can provide international flavors. There is universality in folk tales. Get people to think and grow a little in good things. Build more stories and get new material. Do family home evening and builds communities.

When: target to the people you want to come. Will it be a single time event is it reoccurring? What would stretch you as a teller? You want to have a range of material that it can fit more themes. How often would a reoccurring to help you stretch without destroying you? Some tellers want to do an hour program? Contact a teacher. Do program on Greek mythology or another theme of the school.

House concerts are free but have a tip jar. House concert is about having a place to tell. Tellers pick and choose where do free work. If free bring out a new story. Some will mix new with known stuff for free concerts.

Schedule your planned concert and do it. If you never scheduled it’ll never happen.

Where: do you have friends or family who have a big home. Nondimensional church rent cheaply. Community centers. Neighborhood events. Know anyone who has a weekday building that is not scheduled? someone who has big backyards? One teller had a pie and story. the place does not have to be huge, any churches or senior citizens center, or parks or rent a bowery at a park for $25. Done in the front yard. Have people bring camp chairs. Using theater place. Black box Theater. Restaurants especially are quieter. The banquet room in restaurants. Consider telling in a bookshop. Find a place that is not noisy. Do for restaurant patrons. If you bring your social network for them to come to your place. Chose a day that is a slow day. A place for book readings or clubhouses. Consider a friendship center, and Quintus club, be flexible. Combine your efforts with other tellers. Talk to people that you already know. Ask people what venues they are aware of.

Why: why do you want to tell the site to the public? Teach people about the founding of America. Want to do house concerns it gives me the motivation to perform to get on the national stage… eventually. Get to record myself in front of an audience. It is fun when you’re told a story feels good when it works. One teller told of a little 3 yr old girl in the audience who giggled during their story. You don’t want to get old and not be growing. Family reunions is a place to tell. Grandpa becomes known as a teller. Way to communicate important ideas. It is fun to work with a partner.

How: how to make a successful house concert. There is a marketing person. Let Rachel know a month or two advance, it goes through crosswords. She will help you out. People of influence see you busy each mo. Every time have a house concern so people I can give emails to tell people of the next concert. I give pages contact info and page number. If you in a group. Have the person hosting be in charge. The host has the responsibility to get their people there. The host provides treats etc. a good way to get the audience to send out personal text one by one not as a group. And do a reminder the day of the event. Some doing a concert too often and people feel its too much. Personal text is best and reminders. A Facebook group is a way to promote. Milk it for what it’s worth. If you are going to do a reoccurring group thinks through what needs to happen to make it work for you. Everyone is responsible for performing in two concerts a year. It is the host who manages their assigned concert. Each member contributes to the team. Need to establish a good way of communication. Ask for help with deserts, ask for a potluck for people coming.

Turn off cell phones. Hostess with the mostess. If you want to get tips. It’s a lot easier when it’s not in your house. Have someone MC who can ask for the tips. Have the MC who is not the host to do tips. If set up a reoccurring group and have more and different peoples performing. Train people to expect entertainment needs to be paid. You can do one event and test out the water who you work with each other. Send announcements and the storytelling club will advertise.

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.
I don’t recall the real name of the panel.

– Plotting is what is happening.
– 90% of movies follow four-part pacing process.
– If you don’t have the right thing happen at the book at the right time your book you usually don’t work.

First quarter:
– Start with what you know
– Divide your story into meaningful charter
– Each quarter should accomplish a task and have a turning point.
– Plant seeds, introduce the main characters. Ends when the journey ends.
– Readers will know what the story is about.
– On middle-grade fiction, you need to grab the reader in the first chapter.
– The Buffy TV series, notice the beginning of the last episode of the first season. Vampire lord comes to power. Buffy beginning trying to get dates for the prom. If you make something important to the characters your readers will be engaged.
– Need a conflict that will pull the readers into the story that is not the main conflict. That conflict will start in the first quarter. The real problem is introduced into the second quarter.
– Plant seeds to prepare the reader.
– How do you plant seeds and not have the reader something?
– There are a lot of kinds of seeds to plant. Your reading pays attention to something or not pay attention to something. I.e.: two characters sitting at a table. Waiter limps and smells bad. And the waiter fills the glasses a lot.
– The seeds are being landed now so they can be harvested later.
– If you introduce a main character later, find a way to introduce them later and it won’t be a surprise.
– Don’t introduce a bunch of characters all at once.
– 90% of readers will stop reading a book in the first quarter.
– Second-fourth had a major milestone that starts the quest.
– In Tangled it opens with: this is the story about how I died. Girl paints stars on wall.
– The Goonies: first quarter ends want to save their family. The story begins at a tunnel.

Second quarter
– Start opposing characters on their path. Usually starts on the wrong path.
– Characters need to be active.
– Ends when characters discovering the true path.
– It is usually a false path.
– The second quarter you’ve got mail. 2n’t quarters is about her keep her book store open but at the end of the quarter, the book store closes.
– In Tangled, Flying rider wants to scare her so she will give him the crown. Flying rider is being blackmailed by Rapunzel.
– Your characters have to be trying to accomplish their goals.
– It is a series of proactive failures they are doing actions but are unsuccessful. We are rooting for the characters to succeed.
– This is the most important part of the book.
– In You’ve got mail, Meg Ryan learns that the tom is trying to close her store.

Third quarter.
– It is the heart of the story
– It is where the character learns.
– Sets them on their true quest.
– Set up for the climax.
– Set characters on a true quest.
– This is where the major obstacles happen.
– The bigger the obstacle the more we help.
– The most powerful obstacles should not be a monster > should be a belief that your main character has that has to crack for them to succeed
– In Hunger Games, she sees that Rue is trying to save her when she was previously only thought of winning. She recognizes it is the capital that is bad.
– There has to be a ticking clock to push the story to completion.
– What does our character learn?
– Tanged the two see they have trust issues.
– Flying Rider and Rapunzel overcome their trust issues and fall in love. Rapunzel sees that the witch is not her mother.
– The Goonies: they are going to get the treasures.

Four quarter:
– Begin major revelations
– Extremely high tension
– False success
– Exciting climax
– Lessons learned.
– Character reflections at the 3 quarters point and get a big reveal.
– No one can put down the book
– The fourth quarter you will not go to the bathroom
– Extremely high chances. In the movie Matrix, agents have located them. Crates attacking the ship and girl tell him she loves him.
– Characters try and fail. Flynn rider dies and Rapunzel’s hair is cut.
– This is the most important part of the book. There are three possible responses from your reader. A. it was terrible b. good book c. throw it across the room and wonder when the next one will be available. Throw the book across the room and they ask when the next book is coming out.
– Wrap up: what did the character learn?

Do you have anything add? Please do so in the comment section of this blog.