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Hi, I’m Hannah Conway• Kentucky Native• Army Wife, Momma &
Speaker• Author with Olivia
Kimbrell Press• “The Wounded
Warrior’s Wife”• “Wedding a Warrior”
WWW.HANNAHRCONWAY.COM
Who’s the other one?Sara R. Turnquist• Clarksville native• Wife, mother, “closet
writer”• Author with Clean Reads• “The Lady Bornekova”• “The General’s Wife”
Mind Mapping?What is it?
Brainstorming to make a plan
Why do it?Your mind has more ideas than are on the surface
After Mind MappingCircle groupingsAre there patterns?Any possible topics for a second book?Can you put a grouping at the beginning?
The middle?The end?The Climax?
5 Basic Plot PointsInitial event/Exposition: An action or idea that starts the action. Normal world before life changes…Inciting Event/Rising Action: point of no return, something prompts them into actionCrisis: A choice that has to be made, the decision that propels them forward on their journeyClimax: When we find out if the hero is going to succeed or fail, we need to believe there is a chance he could fail; the darkest moment is in the midst of the climaxDenouement/Falling Action: The End, The Resolution, to untie, leave nothing left to explain or do
Darkest Moment is Essential
Spine of the storyThe Darkest Moment or The Darkest Night of the Soul Moment
Often mixed in with the climax, directly before, after or during.It’s the all hope is lost momentIt can’t get any worseYou character faces his biggest fear/challenge
External Event(s) but the Character has internal dark moment too
What’s Your Character’s Dark Moment Story?
It’s why they are the way they aredrill down (ask character questions until you get to a story they tell (like a prologue in a movie, but don’t use it as a prologue in your book)Each Character POV (Point of View) needs a Darkest Moment Story, it drives the whole story/journey/quest
Dark Moment RecipeLIE: That thing they believe that’s not true about themselvesFEAR: What is your character most afraid of?FLAW: What’s his/her flaw? Often a strength is a flawCOMPETING VALUES: What values/relationships in the characters life conflict?
WANT: What’s the one thing your character really wants?WHY (behind whole story): Why does your character want that thing?WOUND: What hurt your character? Disappointed? Embarrassed?
L = Life (Normal World)The world in which your character normally livesNormal challenges, their status quoLength – chapter, few pagesA glimpse of their regular life
I = Inciting IncidentSomething happensThe trigger, or ignitionFirst blip in their world that will change it and set them on the course of their journey
Inciting IncidentNothing is the same…nothing can ever be the same again…Simba is sent on a journey of self discovery…
N = Noble QuestThe effect of the inciting incident (I) Unpleasant I => the quest is to return to normal worldPositive I => the quest is to increase that pleasureIgnition – the start of the story where it takes offStakes –the higher the stakes, the bigger the story
The NOBLE QUEST is a cause, a journey that your character feels is worthy of his/her time and we agree it’s a good idea
D = DisappointmentsThe obstacles they encounter, the conflictsCan be positive things that cause a rumple in the advancement of the plotIt may be revelation of information, or because of a choice, or because of outside forces Must contain 2 elements:
Unexpectedness Plausibility
Y = Y in the RoadCritical Choice/Point of No Return“What am I going to do now?” Every character reaches a point where they have to make a choice about their actionsTwo equally worthy choices, characters forced to choose between external and internal goals
Y = Y in the RoadThe choice => new conflicts => point of no return
Consequences – plot must allow for character’s choices and consequences (preferably worse) for each choice - leads to darkest pointSurprises and Choices – each testing the character’s mettle
More notes about Ds and Ys
When character comes to a D, has to make decision based on VALUES and SECRET DESIREGrows and continues journey toward becoming a better person, making better decisions5 Ds– each one helps him/her growACT II – dropping “truthlets”
“Man in Mirror” Moment• propels him into the rest of the story• tries to “do” the right thing• seems as if the lie has been dispelled by truth
H = Help! (Climax)Final challenge – event the book has been building toCharacter’s goal in jeopardy, everything at stakeNo Hope – or the Black moment –it can’t get worseCharacter’s epiphany occurs close to Climax
H = Help! (Climax)• Darkest moment – sees lie –
accepts truth• Inner Journey – comes from
dark moment story • Climax = confirmation of the
lie
Climax…Will Simba prevail? Or will he perish like his father? Does he have the strength to overcome?
O = OverhaulThe change that occurs in the characterSomething internal or externalSomething that redefines themLogical, derived from the journey
P = Perfect Ending (Resolution)
The new normalThere must be an end game, something definable to the reader, and the character.
Why brooding?• Afraid his father is a
Russian spy/double agent
Why?• Father disappeared 6
weeks ago after mother’s death
• Father has disappeared on and off all his life and his character has logged subconsciously every time
• leads us to one of his values – loyalty, patriotism, dislike – secrets
Again…why brooding right now at beginning of book?• because he had
to take his mother off life support
• argument with father
• “you were always gone and I had to take care of things”
What happened?
What happened?• One Thanksgiving,
dad wasn’t there and Dirk and mom got a flat tire on the way home, spent the night on the side of the road in Minnesota
• dad comes home and tells him to “man up” and “don’t cry about it”
Lie: He can’t depend on anyone, can’t show emotion, must take care of mom
Greatest Fear: to show emotion, to need someone, that a decision of his will cost a life
Dark Mome
nt
WoundLie
Fear
Competing
Values
Flaw
Want
Why?
LIE: Emotions are bad
FEAR: that a decision of his will cost a life
FLAW: can’t show weakness, stubborn
COMPETING VALUES: Family, protectiveness, responsibility, loyalty, patriotic
WANT: approval from dad, perfect familyWHY (behind whole story): he wants a promotionWOUND: disappointing an authority figure, embarrassed
ACT IL – at hospital with motherI – home, left skid room open – dad is there, fight with dad, calls boss about breachN – I will find the mole (who is the boss, someone Dirk looks up to as a father figure)
(remember, N is motivated by SECRET DESIRE – approval from work)
ACT II (a) – build motivation
D – house on fireD – can’t get into CIA headquarters
“Truthlets” delivered
ACT II (b) – Man in Mirror Moment
D – dad crying at grave site D – Dirk calls love interest/coworker (her phone is being tapped) – emotional decisionD – dad is shot by boss (while dad is protecting Dirk)
ACT IIIH – Black Moment – emotional decision led to my dad’s death• TRUTH = dad’s dying words of
approvalO – does the right thing, a patriot, his father’s sonP – Thanksgiving Day, dad did not end up dying, playing football with dad
Elevator Pitch: What if…What if you grew up your whole life with a Russian spy and you didn’t know it…and now you’re a CIA Agent.
Why do we care?• “Fictional dream” • Do your best but don’t obsess• Less is more• History supports the story
The Internet
“The problem with internet quotes is that
you can’t always depend on their accuracy.”
- Abraham Lincoln, 1864
The Real WorldLibraries
Interlibrary loanYour friendly neighborhood librarian
BooksBird’s Eye View vs. Worm’s Eye View
Experts – museums, universities, reenactments, etcOther Documents
Period MediaGovernment Documents
More points to consider“Rule of Threes”:
Three sources establishes accuracy – three primary sourcesconsider the importance of the tidbit to the storylineconsider the “weight” of the source
More points to considerNever assume. Watch out for modern views.
we are influenced by what we see on TV and in movies, by what we read in novels; these are not factswatch out for what we think we “know”
Watch the chronologyStart general, work down to the specific
Organization and Documentation
BibliographyCapture the essential information
The ever useful BINDER!Organizing in the computer
Make sure you have BACK UPS!!!
Location, location, location…
Nothing can replace putting your feet on the ground…seeing it, smelling it, touching it
Character Profile SheetCharacter is like the tip of the iceberg above the water – you need to know the whole iceberg to understand the “tip”
Bradford Smith• West Point Graduate,
Still on Active Duty• Married with Nine
Children• Missions Pastor at The
Way Church in Clarksville• Author with Olivia
Kimbrell Press• “Scourge”• “No Higher Call”
HOW TO FIND USHANNAH
www.hannahrconway.comTWITTER: @hannahrconwayFACEBOOK: Hannah Conway, Author
SARAsaraturnquist.comTWITTER: @sarat1701FACEBOOK: Sara R. Turnquist, Author
Clarksville Christian Writer’s GroupWEDNESDAY NIGHTS6:30 – 7:30 pmHilldale Baptist Church2001 Madison StreetClarksville, TN