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11 Days in February

I discovered why I wrote 10 plots for 11 days. I started on plot ten in the book which means I had eleven to work with during February. Which means that either I duplicated the last plot I did in January—which I don’t recall—or I only gave you nine plots in January which is possible but seems rather obviously egregious. I usually avoid obvious egregiousness.

My work here in February does not impress me. It gave me a backbone to work from and for that I am happy, but I fought it or blew it off at most opportunities. I may have had two plots worth coming back to and a third worth coming back to with vengeance.

Most of the plots offered up felt limp. Tobias’ elucidation of all twenty never held scads of concrete details to work with when envisioning his master plots. The later ten fared worse than the former. Sure, that is an excuse. I could have cinched up the strap accepted the challenge with lighter heart.

All that said, I don’t think that these first ten (eleven) days of February were wasted. I did write every day for one. I did plot every day. I did ingrain Story Fixer’s structure every day. I do feel like I benefited each and every day even if those benefits are not evident to you. Even if I can’t effectively codify them here. Mainly I learned to push through a scene to get to a whole plot. To get to (no matter how flimsy) an ending through (no matter how sparse) conflict. Secondarily, I learned to increase the conflict. I didn’t excel at defining the stakes. And I suppose it was worth it for me to briefly explore plot archetypes I might not otherwise have been drawn to in the past. So not a waste.

I should revisit these plots in the future, and I should do it soon. I should put the main points on note cards, fill in the gaps, and arrange till I’m pleased. I should take those cards and those plots which please me, and I should fucking write a story.

356 words on day 679

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Your Descent

I must have started a day late or missed a day or doubled up because it’s the Eleventh and I’m on my last of ten plots. There is no time to sort that out now though, only time to write on.

Tritti from The Shany thread stepped up yesterday for the Ascension plot; I think You might be a fun volunteer for the descending corollary.

Theme – Descension

Setup – You are hired to impede the delivery of a [McGuffin] to the Adroit Supplicant (just made that name up) in ah’Taconschientee.

Hook – You meet with a shadowy figure of power you suspect is a demi-god; the meet is odd since clients of any caliber rarely engage you directly. Additionally, the figure forgives you.

Plot Point 1 – A usually open informant proves uncharacteristically reticent; you stoop to toture to gain the location and time of the hand off.

Pinch 1 – Tritti implores you not to kill her or to block her delivery of the [McGuffin] to Adroit; she escapes and you tear up a market looking for her.

Mid-point Twist – You discover the man guarding Tritti is a demi-god, and the real threat to accomplishing the task you were hired for.

Pinch 2 – Tritti and Brother Gane block your efforts to get backup; you resort to black magic to increase your skill.

Lull – You speak to the Adroit Supplicant and blame him for your desperation.

Plot Point 2 – You decide the only way out is the way down; you vow to kill the demi-god expecting to die in the effort.

Conclusion – You do kill the demi-god; you do die in the effort.

Some of that’s a little squeezy, but I think I could work it out to make sense without significant overhaul. At least it’s a shit ton further along than I’ve been in the past with You or The Shanty thread.

319 words on day 678

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Tritti’s Ascension

Yesterday when I was writing or thinking about that wretched Wretched Excess plot I spent some time looking up other’s lists of master plots. So far I’ve only collected them into my writing wiki and skimmed the contents. I find the variety interesting; I may employ some of them in future months.

My twenty master plots book wraps up with a bit of a cheat if you ask me. Tobias combines the chiral Ascension and Descension plots as if he were running out of paper to print his book and just now noticed how similar they are to each other. I don’t begrudge him the aggregation, but I would be less critical had he done the same with his other matched plots.

Anyhow. He contends the difference between these plots and others is the gradual nature of each, the protracted crescendo or decrescendo of the main character. The plots I find them similar to, Transformation and Wretched Excess, should be administered quickly and focus on the effect each change has on the character rather than drawn out and focusing on the character…or something like that.

Both Ascension and Descension rather an ultra-real charismatic character who can hold a reader’s attention and carry the whole plot.

Beat.

I keep thinking maybe a day with these plots in my head will turn them into something appealing by evening. I suspect I’d need to devote brain time to the effort to get anything out of it. Funny that.

I hope Tritti the Pilgrim from The Shanty thread helps me out here tonight.

Theme – Ascension

Setup – Tritti pilgrimages to ah’Taconschientee.

Hook –

Plot Point 1 – Against tradition, Tritti decides to enter ah’Taconschientee to deliver the [McGuffin] Johnka gives her. She meets Brother Gane.

Pinch 1 – In the land-side market You attempts to kill Tritti. People she’s just met protect her with their lives.

Mid-point Twist – Johnka confesses to Tritti that he is a demi-god.

Pinch 2 – You kills Johnka but misses Tritti.

Lull – Tritti recovers from her wounds at Brother Gane’s monastary.

Plot Point 2 – Tritti inspires the monks to escort her back to ah’Taconschientee to complete the delivery.

Conclusion – Tritti fights off the folks she’s been battling and ultimately delivers the [McGuffin].

378 words on day 677