Tag: plotting

Reading up on introductory participial phrases last night, I decided I might add those to my list of comma exercises, but I won’t do that today.

Wither shall my women go?

If I were to make what I wrote the opening scene of a story, I’d need to feather in the differences between witches and sorceressess since I’ve essentially defined that as the dynamic between Rhoda and Wendle. Also, it might be good to explain why they’re meeting at a third party alter in the woods. As well as back down from the “I caught you on the way” feel I’ve set up so far.

Or write a better beginning.

Let’s think about the timing of that a bit. Pre-abduction just gives me an excuse to slap three chapters of back story before the kidnapping: Morgan, Wendle, and Rhoda. I could probably shorten that to two by doing Morgan-Wendle and Morgan-Rhoda. Then slice out the explicit kidnapping since I’d’ve foreshadowed that anyway and drop straight to what I’ve already written. At least that way I’m grounding the reader and getting some of the faceplant effect of what’s written. Caring for Morgan as Wendle and Rhoda do pulls in sympathy to make Morgan less of a McGuffin.

Then there’s the other people likely to want to rescue Morgan I need to neutralize: the eight brothers. One could be dead already, one could be in a politically difficult position, one could be a fuck-up, two could be unreachable, one could be missing, two could be with her. That was easy.

267 words on day 587

OK. So, this witch and this sorceress walk into a bar and this witch says, “Bartender pour me a Tombstone.” And the bartender says, “We’re all outta tequila, but maybe the grave digger could sell you a plot.”

The people making up the sorceress and the witches culture encroached on land rich in magic resources. The indigenous people didn’t much like this, but their inability to stave off the invaders didn’t leave them much choice. They have been raiding towns and eking out an existence as best they can for a few decades, but recently they’ve been backed by some other hereditary rival of the first group.

On an ambassadorial mission to the indiginous’ nominative leader Morgan is kept captive.

Because of some undefined subtlety the first group’s leaders do want to bargain for Morgan’s release. Possibly unaware of the 3rd party backers they believe some concessions will alleviate the enmity between the two peoples.

Regardless of the political value of such diplomacy, Rhoda and Wendle think the wait-and-see plan is bullshit. Their sister and wife has been abducted and they don’t care for the reasons why. Or maybe they have some suspicion regarding the 3rd party. Potentially a suspicion that puts their otherwise indigenous sympathies at odds with their desire to have Morgan back and safe.

Sorceresses and witches don’t get along well because sorceresses see the use of magic as a mundane tool. Their training is practical and parallels the sort of training any craft would perform. Witches see the use of magic as a religious endeavor. They acquire skill through prayer and devotion and they use magic in subtle and deep ways. Neither group argues that they possess a different power than the other, but sorceresses think witches are meek and pointless while witches find sorceresses blunt and disrespectful. There is plenty of middle ground, but powerful people on both sides think the other should be put down.

Morgan and Wendle’s joining is some backstory that was supposed to help bridge the gap but didn’t. This story could be about Rhoda and Wendle pulling that off instead. In fact, it could be that Morgan had a more traditionally witch-like vision of the future that her marriage to Wendle would be that bridge. She originally thought it would be just the marriage, but she is now better seeing it as the abduction leading to the teaming up of her sister and her wife.

Filled out some coarse dramatis personæ. But still no plot.

424 words on day 585