Writers Write
Rewriting - A Checklist for Authors
1. Have you started with an inciting moment?
2. Have you introduced your main characters in the opening scene?
3. Have you checked genre requirement?
4. Have you included enough dialogue (at least 50%)
5. What is your promise to the reader in the beginning? Is it Clear?
6. Is there enough conflict?
7. Have you considered your target market?
8. Have you explained something in dialogue and in the narrative?
9. Have you given your protagonist a distinctive voice?
10. Have you done spell check?
11. Do you have too many long sentences?
12. Have you removed most of your adverbs?
13. Have you reduced your adjectives?
14. Have you removed th imprecise and nonsensical?
15. Have you cut out gratuitous similes and metaphors?
16. Have you cut out gratuitous profanity?
17. Have you removed the passive voice?
18. Have you take out your pretentious pieces of writing?
19. Have you taken out author intrusion and inadvertent preaching?
20. Have you used the correct lexicon for the genre?
21. Have you rewritten your novel at least five times?
22. Are there any holes in your plot?
23. Is your protagonist believable?
24. Is your antagonist believable?
25. Does your dialogue flow? Read it aloud!
26. Have you use enough contractions (explained them as well)
27. Have you chosen the correct view point for the novel?
28. Have you set your character in time and place?
29. Have you cut out modifiers and qualifiers?
30. Have you made good your promise? Is your readers satisfied?
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Writers Notes (Writer Group)
Brandon Freeman
JUMP
CHARACTERS
Murphy
Greg
Tori
Bryce
Yvonne or Ivan
Willie
Joe
Buddy
Celeste
Paul
Joan
Nick
Brady or Bradi
MOTIVATION
Hunger
Shelter
List
Penance
Self a destruction
Revenge
Greed
OCCUPATION
Soldier
Janitor
Truck driver
Banker
IT person
Forest ranger
Assassin
Social worker
RELATIONS
Bro/sis
Student/teacher
Partners
Childhood friends
Unit (military or)
Victim/suspect
Mentor/apprentice
GOALS
Back to normal
Call sibling and fess up
SCENARIOS
Begin or end of fight
Military operation
Prevention of suicide or self destruction
Family holiday dinner
Proposal shot down (marriage or)
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Jump Film Writing Group
Brandon Freeman - Jump
5-6 Pages
3 Characters
- Rose, Pete, Taylor
Situation
- Break up
- Reunion
- Ultimatum
Relationship
- Siblings
- Boss/Empoyee
- Romantic
Motives
- Revenge
- ?
- ?
- Bury the Hatchet
- what else?
Structure
Character Elements - Dialog
Pacing - Description
Ending
Funeral
- Scene Before
- Time Crunch
- Limited # of Actors
Aunt- Rose, sister of mom who funeral it is. enroute to the funeral?
Location - Pressure
Dad - Pete, salesmen, insurance, professional
or HR Transaction Specialist
Rose was the care giver of the mother of Taylor. Tessa was the mother.
Daughter - Taylor, student
Close with Pete and Rose burying the hatchet.
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Writers March 2017
What I sort of got, I have more to write.
writers march 2017
Rose - Maternal Aunt
Pete - absent biodad.
Taylor - child of Tess and Pete
after the funeral.
small setting 3 character
bury the hatchet.
scene is the grave site. Fresh grave stone, Tess the mothers name and info emblazoned on it.
Taylor is there. sitting next to the stone, leaning on it, crying.
she is grieving? age for college. dads been paying for things but is not been there.
Rose is there and sees Pete walked towards the grave site and instantly goes in fight mode, with how her posture and eyes and face change to.
she does not want him there? or other reasons. she is afraid he will take here away? Taylor his child?
he wants to be there?
Taylor says:
stop fighting
it is HER funeral. so shut up or make your peace or just leave and do not come back. And yes I invited him!
Taylor has found out more about how things was before she was born, from reading her mothers journal, that Tess the mother, basically did all she could to keep Pete and Rose apart due to she knew what sort of man he was, and in the process ended up pregnant. Or she was already pregnant, with Taylor and she knew that Rose had a crush on Pete..
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JUMP Writers March
Brandon Freeman
Characters:
-Rose
-Pete
-Taylor
Situation:
-Breakup
-Reunion
-Ultimatum
Relationship:
- Siblings
- Boss/Employee
- Romantic
Motives:
- Revenge
- Woo/Court
- Over Come
Jump PG rating
Structure
Character Elements - Dialog
Pacing - Description
Ending
Turmoil?
- Scene Before (Time Crunch)
- Limited number of actors and their ages
- Rose - Aunt Surrogate her sisters caregiver, sister to Tess the deceased mother. Has issues.
- Peter - Abscentee Father, salesmen, male slut, but pays well and his child support was upkept and it paid for much of things,
for Taylor. Saleman or like person, on the road all the time. He may have a good or bad, or even some sort of glorified ideal by Taylor of his life style/work.
- Taylor - Likely female, daugher of Pete and Tess, Tess the now deceased, it is her funeral they are meeting back up again at.
- Tess - Deceased mother of Taylor. Left a Journal of her life and raising Taylor and more.
HR Transition Specialist? Pete or .. Long haul truck driver.
Actors:
Production:
April workshop.
Free so far.
Rose - Caregive and Taylors maternal Aunt.
Setting enroute to the wake or ..
Location and pressure
Rose and Pete need to bury the hatchet, but what and why is there a hatchet to be buried for?
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Writers Notes (Writer Group)
Brandon Freeman
JUMP
CHARACTERS
Murphy
Greg
Tori
Bryce
Yvonne or Ivan
Willie
Joe
Buddy
Celeste
Paul
Joan
Nick
Brady or Bradi
MOTIVATION
Hunger
Shelter
List
Penance
Self a destruction
Revenge
Greed
OCCUPATION
Soldier
Janitor
Truck driver
Banker
IT person
Forest ranger
Assassin
Social worker
RELATIONS
Bro/sis
Student/teacher
Partners
Childhood friends
Unit (military or)
Victim/suspect
Mentor/apprentice
GOALS
Back to normal
Call sibling and fess up
SCENARIOS
Begin or end of fight
Military operation
Prevention of suicide or self destruction
Family holiday dinner
Proposal shot down (marriage or)
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Writers Notes 2017
Brandon Freeman
01/2017
JUMP
Writers workshop 2017-1
NAMES:
Billy
Jenni
Roxy
George
Tommy
Anne
Richard
Charlotte
Nicole
Ali
Doug
Branden
RELATIONSHIP:
Spouses
Boss/Employee
Politician/Constituent
Parent/Child
Siblings
Neighbors
Enemies
Minister/Parishioner
ENVIRONMENT:
Work
Party
Counseling Session
Holiday at Bar
Jail
Matress Firm
Forest
Home
OBJECTIVES:
To promote
Convince
Repel
Connect
Confide
Disrupt
To Waive
Conquer
Woo/Seduce
OBSTACLES:
Weather
Another Lover
No Time
No Money
No Energy
To little or to much booze
Social divide
Writers Block
Distance
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WRITERS NOTES
Brandon Freeman
12/2016
Writers Workshop
CHARACTERS:
Murphy
Greg
Tori
Bryce
Yvonne or Ivan
Willie
Joe
Buddy
Celeste
Paul
Joan
Nick
Brady or Bradi
MOTIVATION:
Hunger
Shelter
List
Penance
Self a destruction
Revenge
Greed
OCCUPATION:
Soldier
Janitor
Truck driver
Banker
IT person
Forest ranger
Assassin
Social worker
RELATIONS:
Bro/sis
Student/teacher
Partners
Childhood friends
Unit (military or)
Victim/suspect
Mentor/apprentice
GOALS:
Back to normal
Call sibling and fess up
SCENARIOS:
Begin or end of fight
Military operation
Prevention of suicide or self destruction
Family holiday dinner
Proposal shot down (marriage or)
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Writers Notes 3
Brandon Freeman
12/20/16
JUMP
NAMES:
Frank *
Jill *
Alex *
Suzanna
Martin
Cody
RELATIONSHIP:
High school friends
Boss/employee
Candidates need not be political.
Coworkers
Brothers
Pet/owner
Teacher/student
Step family
MOTIVES:
Hunger
Jealousy
Reunion/desire to reconnect
Money/financial
Poverty
Greed
Love aka sacrifice
Guilt
GOALS:
Forgiveness or to forgiven
Procreate
Friendship
Get the inheritance
To get revenge
Escape
Humiliate
To mess with
ACTION/ACTIVITY/OBSTACLE(S):
Drug/rufee/get them drunk or drugged up
Reunion/high school and more
Give a gift
Deliver a message
Build a business
Suicide
Dig a hole
SCENARIOS/SETTINGS:
Funeral/cemetery
Suicide
Wedding
Act of terror
Famous land mark/personnel.
Mall the/shopping
Driving cab/taxi/other
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The "Basic" Plots in Literature
Example Questions That Can Be Answered Using This FAQ
I’ve heard there are only 7 (or 5, 20, 36…) basic plots (or themes) in all of literature. What are they?
People often say that there are only a certain number of basic plots in all of literature, and that any story is really just a variation on these plots. Depending on how detailed they want to make a "basic" plot, different writers have offered a variety of solutions. Here are some of the ones we’ve found:
1 Plot | 3 Plots | 7 Plots | 20 Plots | 36 Plots
1 Plot:
Attempts to find the number of basic plots in literature cannot be resolved any more tightly than to describe a single basic plot. Foster-Harris claims that all plots stem from conflict. He describes this in terms of what the main character feels: "I have an inner conflict of emotions, feelings.... What, in any case, can I do to resolve the inner problems?" (p. 30-31) This is in accord with the canonical view that the basic elements of plot revolve around a problem dealt with in sequence: "Exposition - Rising Action - Climax - Falling Action - Denouement". (Such description of plot can be found in many places, including: Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. 6th ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1992.) Foster-Harris’ main argument is for 3 Plots (which are contained within this one), described below.
3 Plots:
Foster-Harris. The Basic Patterns of Plot. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1959. Foster-Harris contends that there are three basic patterns of plot (p. 66):
"’Type A, happy ending’"; Foster-Harris argues that the "Type A" pattern results when the central character (which he calls the "I-nitial" character) makes a sacrifice (a decision that seems logically "wrong") for the sake of another.
"’Type B, unhappy ending’"; this pattern follows when the "I-nitial" character does what seems logically "right" and thus fails to make the needed sacrifice.
"’Type C,’ the literary plot, in which, no matter whether we start from the happy or the unhappy fork, proceeding backwards we arrive inevitably at the question, where we stop to wail." This pattern requires more explanation (Foster-Harris devotes a chapter to the literary plot.) In short, the "literary plot" is one that does not hinge upon decision, but fate; in it, the critical event takes place at the beginning of the story rather than the end. What follows from that event is inevitable, often tragedy. (This in fact coincides with the classical Greek notion of tragedy, which is that such events are fated and inexorable.)
7 Plots
7 basic plots as remembered from second grade by IPL volunteer librarian Jessamyn West:
[wo]man vs. nature
[wo]man vs. [wo]man
[wo]man vs. the environment
[wo]man vs. machines/technology
[wo]man vs. the supernatural
[wo]man vs. self
[wo]man vs. god/religion
20 Plots:
Tobias, Ronald B. 20 Master Plots. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1993. (ISBN 0-89879-595-8)
This book proposes twenty basic plots:
Quest
Adventure
Pursuit
Rescue
Escape
Revenge
The Riddle
Rivalry
Underdog
Temptation
Metamorphosis
Transformation
Maturation
Love
Forbidden Love
Sacrifice
Discovery
Wretched Excess
Ascension
Descension.
36 Plots
Polti, Georges. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. trans. Lucille Ray.
Polti claims to be trying to reconstruct the 36 plots that Goethe alleges someone named [Carlo] Gozzi came up with. (In the following list, the words in parentheses are our annotations to try to explain some of the less helpful titles.):
Supplication (in which the Supplicant must beg something from Power in authority)
Deliverance
Crime Pursued by Vengeance
Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
Pursuit
Disaster
Falling Prey to Cruelty of Misfortune
Revolt
Daring Enterprise
Abduction
The Enigma (temptation or a riddle)
Obtaining
Enmity of Kinsmen
Rivalry of Kinsmen
Murderous Adultery
Madness
Fatal Imprudence
Involuntary Crimes of Love (example: discovery that one has married one’s mother, sister, etc.)
Slaying of a Kinsman Unrecognized
Self-Sacrificing for an Ideal
Self-Sacrifice for Kindred
All Sacrificed for Passion
Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones
Rivalry of Superior and Inferior
Adultery
Crimes of Love
Discovery of the Dishonor of a Loved One
Obstacles to Love
An Enemy Loved
Ambition
Conflict with a God
Mistaken Jealousy
Erroneous Judgement
Remorse
Recovery of a Lost One
Loss of Loved Ones.
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Story 7 Point
Brook West 1:33am Apr 7
05/2018
One story form writers often use is the so-called Seven Point Plot:
A CHARACTER,
in a SETTING,
has a PROBLEM.
TRIES and FAILS [or tries and succeeds, but makes things worse] (Most stories have at least two try-fail cycles setting up for the final push)
TRIES and, putting forth all effort,
SUCCEEDS.
VALIDATION - recognition and resolution:, the award presentation (Star Wars), "who was that masked man" (Lone Ranger), gets the girl (James Bond), etc.
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T-Writing Screen Plays
Notes from a recent Screen Writing Workshop, need to add notes from a recent character creation workshop for D&D and see if they can work together?
If anything to be able to create a character on the fly, and see how far it can fly or crash? Gets you inspired?
IDEA:
- What is the Idea?
CONCEPT:
- What is the Concept?
STORY:
- What is the Story?
What is the Voice
Character and their back ground, who are they, how real to life do you want to make them, often based on real people and like that you have known in your life.
Pre-Write (helps with writers block)
Drafting
Revisions
Script Test
What to do when the screen play is done/complete.
Prewriting
- Concept
- Characters
- Write the Story
- Scene Break Downs
- Write the ending first, works for many.
Story Time:
Essay Format
No rules or expectations
Stream of Consciousness
You can revise later
Research
Scene Break Down
Short - 45 minutes
Feature - 90+ minutes
Location
Props
Synopsis
Desired Shots
Notes
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