Winning Nanowrimo: Creating an Outline

I hate outlines.

They remind me of essays in English class, with a thesis statement, three supporting arguments, and a conclusion at the end. What a bother. I'm what's known as a Pantser: I don't know what I'm going to write until I've written it; I fly by the seat of my pants. In English class, I always wrote the outlines after I finished the essay.

But for Nanowrimo, I write outlines.

Or rather, I brainstorm ideas for my novel, so that if I hit a blank wall during Nanowrimo, I still have something to write. And then I try to organize those ideas into a logical sequence, so I don't get confused. That's my outline.

Outlines don't have to be permanent. That's what I like about them. At any time I like, I can ditch them and go off script. But if I don't have a script and get stuck, that's when panic sets in and panic can be deadly.

Plot

My plot outline is simple. I need at least ten important events. These events should take the form of scenes and should, if possible, take place in the present. No flashbacks, no backstory.

Event #1 should be the inciting incident--the thing that gets the ball rolling. Whatever that first idea that popped into your head was.

Somewhere between Event #2 and #9, you should include two reversals. Things seem to be going along in a straight line, then, bam, the road turns. The lovers are about to admit their feelings, when, bam, in waltzes the jealous ex. The detective thinks he's discovered the murderer when, bam, that suspect ends up dead. Death, betrayal, loss, scandal, secrets... these things work well.

Event #9 and #10 should probably be the climax and resolution. The resolution is optional, but the climax is not. What is the high point in the novel? What's the big action blowout, the big reveal, or the heart-wrenching emotion?

  If you can figure out Plot Points #1-10 (or #1-20, or #1-64, or whatever) in one sitting, congratulations! You can outline better than I ever could. I get, at best, halfway down the list before I get stuck and then it takes me until the end of October to figure out the climax.

As a rule, the more specific, the better. Your climax might be: good guy kills bad guy, and that's great. But why does he kill him? And where? And how? What makes the scene new and exciting and dramatic?

I like to bombard my scenes with as many questions as I can think of, in order to give myself the clearest possible picture of what's going on. 

Once you figure out at least some of the events, the next thing to do is figure out what order they go in and how they connect together. This often takes a while. You might know for sure that Andy and Melissa meet in Oklahoma, but two scenes later, they're dodging assassin’s bullets in Paris. Great! Just figure out how it happened.

Have ten key events? Know how they fit together?

Congratulations. You have an outline.

Characters

Of course, a novel is more than a plot. There should be solid characters at the heart of any good stories. In fact, the more you know the characters, the better chance you have of getting the plot to work.

The best way you can get to know the characters is by asking them questions. You can find some thorough character questionnaires out there, asking you to fill in everything from their favorite music to their blood type, but we don't have all day, so I've boiled it down to the essentials.

What do they look like?

Age and gender are always good. After that, focus on any physical trait that might be crucial to the story. Like if, say, your girl has wings. Or if your warrior is missing a hand. Even things like height and build might be important in an action story.

Who/ what do they love?

When a character loves someone, anyone, they become very relatable and we empathize with them. Love also gives them stakes. What are they willing to do for the person they love? How will they act if that loved one is in danger?

For a villain, you might twist this around into, "Who do they hate?"

What do they desire?

This gives the characters motivation. Motivation is crucial to the story, because it forces the character to take action. Without action, a story dies.

What do they fear?

If the character isn't motivated by action, they may be motivated by fear. Also, knowing the character's fears gives you a good idea of what kind of obstacles to present them. Putting a character with a fear of heights on a cliff adds to the drama.

What do they believe in?

Belief helps when it comes to developing a book’s theme. Usually a belief will be tested, and either triumph or lead the character to change. A minor example might be the heroine who thinks she'll never fall in love, right before Prince Charming sweeps her off her feet.

What's their background/ history?

You don't necessarily have to share this with the readers (and you certainly don't need a big flashback) but a little personal history will help you understand why the character acts the way he does. Look at family and defining moments in his life.

What’s their greatest secret?

Secrets are so useful. Hint that a character has a secret and your audience will be fascinated. Reveal a secret, and you cause shock, scandal, betrayal, angst, and other fun emotions.

Setting

When you look at setting, you might want to start by getting a broad view of where and when you are. For example, you might consider thinking about:

Time Frame

how long does the story take place: days? months? years?

any noticeable time gaps?

Physical Landscape

city, suburb, or country

the shape of the land: mountains and valleys

bodies of water

nature: plants and animals

buildings and man-made environments

Era/ Culture

clothes: how does it express their culture?

objects: what things are commonly used?

technology

politics

religion

Seasons/ Weather

clothes: how does it protect them from the elements?

holidays

dangers

But after you have a general idea, it helps to take a closer look at three specific places where scenes take place. This could be anything from a house, a room, a cafe, a fortress, a spaceship, a volcano. Whatever catches your interest.

Try developing three specific places. You might already know how these places play a role in the plot or you may not. It might help to develop the place first and figure out what to do with it later.

Look around your specific place. What objects surround you? What can be used to help or hinder the hero? Is there anything that holds metaphoric value? How might landscape and weather affect the hero's actions?

 More Information?

If you want to learn more about my brainstorming techniques, see this article "Brainstorming: Finding Where Your At"

If you need more to go on for an outline, Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt gives a pretty good map.

  

Next Week: CRUNCHTOBER

Character Archetypes: Trickster

Lately, I've been playing with an idea for a girl who uses a magical ring to change her appearance and lead a double life. Diamond, as I call her, likes to be at times beautiful, at times plain, at times rich, at times poor, at times the center of attention, at times practically invisible. She uses these dual roles to get what she wants. She's a trickster.

Which got me thinking. What is a trickster? What makes them tick? How do they pull off their mad plans and what roles can they take in the story?

Definition

"A trickster is a character who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. The Trickster openly questions and mocks authority, encourages impulse and enthusiasm, seeks out new ideas and experiences, destroys convention and complacency, and promotes chaos and unrest." So sayeth TV Tropes, my authority on archetypes.

Put another way, a trickster is the polar opposite of your typical law-abiding hero. He trades relatability for unpredictability. You might not approve of what a trickster does, but darned if hhe doesn't make things interesting. And therein lies both the risk and reward of writing one. You may have to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in order to give the character life.

Characters In-Depth

I want to look at what makes other trickster characters tick. T.V. tropes offers a wonderful list of examples, but for my intents and purposes, I want to study tricksters I know very well, so I've chosen one trickster I watch every Sunday and another I wrote an awesome fanfiction about.

Rumpelstiltskin (Once Upon a Time--TV series)

In a show chock full of magicians, Rumplestiltskin is arguably the most powerful of all. Though he's known as "The Dark One," he's not really into taking over the world or committing acts of genocide. Instead he watches on the sidelines, offering deals to heroes and villains alike. If you need something, he'll give it to you... but often at a price.

The deals are the source of his trickster power. Every single one is made to his benefit and few are what they seem. Sometimes, Rumpelstiltskin seems to promise one thing, only to deliver something else. Sometimes he asks for small tokens in return for powerful magic: name, a cloak, a strand of hair. They will be important later on. Rumpelstiltskin works the long game like no one else in the show. It took him several hundred years to put his grand scheme into action, but he did succeed.

Nabiki Tendo (Ranma 1/2Anime/ Manga)

Almost everyone in Ranma 1/2 is a rock-splitting, high-flying super martial artists, half the characters are cursed, and the rest are more than willing to use magic objects lying around for their own nefarious purpose. (It should be noted, this is a comedy, so said purpose includes anything from growing hair to making someone fall in love.)  In this world, Nabiki Tendo is an anomaly. She doesn't fight or dabble with magic. Yet, when something stands between her and money, she will destroy heaven and earth and poor hero Ranma to get it.

Whereas everyone else uses physical force, only Nabiki relies on manipulation to get her way. She blackmails, spills secrets, sells things the heroes might want. To keep from getting hurt, she plays up her own weakness and her strategic position as the sister of Ranma's girlfriend. Nabiki knows Ranma will be obliged to save her from the chaos, even if she's the one who created it. If worse comes to worse, she'll whip out the crocodile tears, pretending she's hopeless in love or wounded by the hero's actions. Then, as he stands paralyzed, she'll strike like a viper, wheeling and dealing not two feet behind his back.

Personality Traits

Deceptive

All tricksters lie. If they don't fib outright, they tell half-truths or leave out important information. It's impossible to play tricks without deception. But aside from that, this may have a defensive purpose. They know the power of getting inside someone's head; they don't want that to happen to them. So they feign indifference about the things they care about, mask anger with a smile, and lie about their motives. Some may go all out and pretend to be crazy. They want to seem unpredictable, as that is their greatest asset.

Student of Psychology

Tricksters are smart. Not in a memorize-the-Internet way or a make-robot-out-of-soupcan way. Their power derives from psychology. They can predict how people will react. This isn't done by reading books, but by going out and studying them. The trickster doesn't hide out in a tower, he interacts with the masses. And if he finds a special subject of particular interest, you can be sure he will unwrap their loves, desires, weaknesses, and philosophy on life.

Master of Planning and of Improv

Tricksters can draw up insanely complicated plans and abandon them in an instant. Maybe they say that everything is going to plan. Maybe they say they have no plan at all. These are lies. Think of any prank or surprise party you've pulled off. You need to figure out what you want to do and how to pull it off. So you plan. But something goes wrong. So you improvise. Tricksters must do both, and do them so well it comes off as effortless.

Playful

Tricksters generally don't take themselves too seriously, and ultimately, this is their saving grace. An evil mastermind will pull off a complicated schemes in hopes of ruling the world. Tricksters usually settle for a few bucks, a shiny object, and maybe some amusement. Even dangerous tricksters tend to be witty, charming, and amusing. They force you to like them--perhaps their greatest trick of all.

How to Play a Trick

The Motive

Why are they playing the trick? That's the first thing a writer must consider. Reasons can range from great to petty: trying to prove a point, trying to win a bet, boredom, money, a valuable object, love, greed, vengeance, justice, freedom. They may, of course, say they want one thing (like money) but really want something else (like vengeance). Or their motive may evolve alongside the prank.

The Victim

Who are they playing the trick on? Bear in mind, the choice of victim may shine a light on the trickster's psyche. Does he chose people he admires or loathes? Does he pick easy marks or go for a challenge? Even if he chooses at random, he may adjust the trick according to the person.

The Set Up

You cannot just pull off a trick in a void. You need to make sure the circumstances are just right. In The Dark Knight, the Joker had to carefully cultivate an atmosphere of terror. In Ocean's Eleven, Danny Ocean had to make sure he had the right people in the right spot at the right time. Costumes are dawned, mirrors polished, smoke blown. Even magicians aren't exempt. They may be able to wave their hands and come up with any scenario they want, but first they need to think up that scenario. Weirdly enough, the more powerful the being, the more they relies on rules and limits. A trick is only fun if you can get the hero to play along.

The Test (Optional)

If the trickster doesn't know their mark very well, and if they are a relatively normal person (not an immortal god), it might behove them to set up a little test in order to gauge their victims reaction. For example, in my fanfiction, I Want a Refund, Nabiki's trick relied on her victim carrying enough about her to fight for her honor. To test this out, she had him walk her home from school. Little tests like this are a good way to foster trickster-victim interaction and make the audience wonder what's to come.

The Strike

This is where things go boom.

Now tricks can take many forms, but its usually vital for the trickster to insert himself in the action. No sitting in a tower for him.  First of all, the trickster knows the trick won't go off without his involvement. Second, this is where the fun is.

The Counter Strike

Tricks don't go as planned. Any simple thing might go wrong. The victim may fight back. A good trickster will roll with the punches.

The Getaway (Optional)

The problem with tricks is that, even if you succeed, you will end up with a huge mess and perhaps a mob of angry people. This is a good time for the trickster to make a graceful getaway, far from the chaos and the consequences.

The Lesson

Tricks are a psychological experiment. You mess with people in order to see how they'll react. If the victim is wise, he will learn something from the trick. The process may also change the trickster.

Final Thoughts

Tricksters work especially well as wild card supporting characters in long running series. Their personality adds spice and they can cause the hero plenty of stress without doing him much harm. Tricksters can be good or bad, helpful or bothersome. They can switch sides on a whim.

The question, for me, is can they work as main characters? I think so, but they may be trickier (ha) than a regular hero. The fun of a trickster is their lack of inhibition. Heroes get saddled with the weight of expectation: upholding morals, saving the world, etc. One way of balancing this is creating a secondary character who can act as the pillar of respectability, freeing the trickster to act as they want.

Another problem is the actual trick. A trickster must be like a magician, misdirecting the audience all the way until the end. Having a trickster as a point of view character risks giving up the goat too soon. However, a writer can get around this by judiciously cutting scenes or setting up the trickster as an unreliable narrator. It's a delicate art to leave out important information without annoying the reader, but it can be done.

Character Archetypes: The Banished Prince

Sometimes, when I read or watch movies, I come across a character I think is awesome.  And then I notice a character in a story I'm writing is actually very similar.  And maybe I see another character in a T.V. show.  Clearly, I'm attracted to this type.  But why?

Last December, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arrived in theaters, and being a Tolkien buff, I had to go see it at least twice.  Though I liked Bilbo and Gollum, as expected, the real break-out character for me was Thorin, the dwarf prince.  I found his tragic backstory, regal demeanor, and growing friendship with Bilbo compelling.

Then, this spring, I sat down to watch the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender.  Naturally, I noticed Prince Zuko, the scarred firebending prince, who starts off pursuing the protagonists with Javert-like intensity, before slowly evolving into an anti-hero.

What do these very different characters have in common?

They are both fit he archetype I like to call "Banished Prince."

And what does that mean?  Well, before I explain it, let's take a closer look at the characters.

The Characters In-Depth

Thorin Oakenshield 

Thorin's grandfather was once the dwarf King of Ereborn (aka the Lonely Mountain), until the dragon Smaug flew, burned the lands, and stole the treasure hoard for himself.  Forced to abandon his home, Thorin has carved out a decent life for in other lands.  But his long lost gold calls to him.  He begins the principle quest to reclaim the long lost treasure, enlisting thirteen dwarves, a wizard, and one lucky hobbit.

Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation 

Zuko is the son of Fire Lord Ozai, a bloodthirsty conqueror bent on world domination.  When he innocently questioned his father's methods, Ozai scarred his son and banished him.  Zuko's only chance of returning home is to capture (or kill) the elusive Avatar, a boy named Aang.  Zuko pursues Aang and his friends relentlessly, convinced that this is the only way to restore his lost honor.

Both characters are born into prestige and wealth.  They expect to continue their way of life, at the very least.  Then, all of a sudden, everything they had, everything they hoped for is lost.  They are ejected from their home, striped of power, and left to fend for themselves. But rather than sit and sulk, they decide to reclaim their birthright.  The obstacles they face seem insurmountable--yet they plow into them headlong.

This is the "Banished Prince" in a nutshell.

As they start their quest for restoration and redemption, they start to exhibit similar characteristics.  Qualities that they will help and hinder them on their quest.

Personality Traits

Pride

When you start off as one of the privileged few, pride is a natural quality.  But even if you take away all the titles, a residue of arrogance remains, a defense mechanism of sorts.  If they didn't feel they deserved their former life, they wouldn't fight so hard to reclaim it.  So they stick their noses in the air just a bit and are aloof if not rude to others.  The universe, of course, does not allow such blatant pride to go unpunished.  Expect lessons in humility to be thrust upon them.  Whether or not they learn from them, is up to the character.

Honor

Their honor is what justifies their pride.  It's what makes them princes.  They have very high standards of behavior, which they hold themselves and others to.  Like pride, this is one of the very few things salvaged from their former life.  Unlike pride, honor tends to be a more positive trait.  While the audience might cheer for the prince's loss of pride, they secretly want them to hold onto their honor.  It's what makes them sympathetic, even admirable.

Stubbornness/ Determination

If you choose to pursue an impossible quest to regain your throne, you'd better be determined.  On the positive side, determination usually goes hand in hand with persistence and these characters will stick to their quest, come hell or high water.  On the negative side, stubbornness can also cause the character to fail to learn from his mistakes, to stick to bad decisions, and to fall into the same blind spots over and over.  It may also grate on those trying to help him.

Haunted by the Past

This archetype comes standard-equipped with a tragic backstory.  There is no way to happily lose your home.  Though the character may or may not bring up the past, it is clearly important to him as it drives all his decisions.  But can the past really be restored?  And if it can, is it worth the years of pain and suffering?  This can easily lead to an internal conflict.  Will the character accept that some things can never fully be reclaimed?

Ending

On the surface, you'd think this character's ending would be simple: either he regains his throne or he doesn't.  Either he fails or succeeds.  But if you've read The Hobbit or seen Avatar you know that rarely is it so neat and tidy.  The banished prince is a complex character.  Depending on where his journey takes him and what lessons he learns, his story could end with:

Redemption: Hard work and sacrifice pays off.  The prince restores his position, regains his honor, and possibly becomes king. 

Epiphany: The prince realizes that he is seeking the wrong thing.  He turns off his path and goes after a new goal.

Tragedy: The prince cannot let go of his past and/ or pride.  By stubbornly clinging to it, he loses everything all over again.

Growth: The prince is able to adapt to his new situation.  He is stronger, more humble, and/ or wiser for it.

My Thoughts

From a writer's point of view, the banished prince hits the character development trifecta: an interesting background story, clear motivation, and internal conflict.  Oddly enough, though, they are rarely the main character.

I have my own reasons for being fascinated with the banished prince archetype: I'm writing one myself.  Not to give to much away, but his mother's the head of a crumbling regime and he anticipates losing his position soon.  What actually happens, though, takes him by surprise.

In the end, though, the banished prince is more of a situation you put the character in.  It does not and should not fully define the character himself.  Who the character is and who they become depends on their choices and their personality.