I R still heer... but tiring. I gave up on the scribbles and typed up whatever was legible to print out for...um, further scribbling on. I seem to work better with a pencil when it's this convoluted. Typing is fast and nice for open straight stretches where I know where I'm going and just need to describe it. Pencils are for bushwhacking through the jungle of "what the heck is going on here?"
I think it's a bad case of both, but I think it's mostly the plot is confusing them more than they're being out of character themselves. I feel like I'm in the middle of one of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books with the multiple choices. i.e. The Heroine is captured by the Alien! You... A) interrupt what you're doing and go after her, saving her B)didn't see it happen and let secondary characters get her, saving her C) go in to save her and get caught yourself E) oh, and did I mention something is about to blow up so you better hurry? F)except no one knows yet what the heck is blowing up or what is going to make it do so? G)and maybe there are small animals involved? H) and the arch-villain?
I have a technique -- or silly trick -- I started using maybe two years ago -- actually, I made it up in the spur of a desperate moment, faced with a rapidly complicating plot with too many characters bumping into each other. It's worked wonders and I've used it ever since.
I cannibalised my Scrabble set. I use one tile for each character, and occasionally use additional tiles for concepts or key objects or suchlike. I clear off a space on the table, set out the tiles, and start shoving them around in combinations as I mutter my way through the steps in what needs to happen in the plot. (M meets P, they see Q and run away and bump into S -- meanwhile, J and R are over here, wondering where P is, while Q -- wait, Q is over there, M and P had to see him and run away, so L can't talk to him just yet unless she dodges M and P . . . )
It looks silly as hell, but it works. It works particularly well for me because I write in a very action-oriented genre -- but a lot of interaction, physical or emotional or conceptual, can be worked out in terms of tile M is off with tile S right now, so tile L just has to wait her turn . . . I find having the tiles in front of me, to look at, especially effective. It makes the whole thing very kinetic.
Oh yes! I was just pondering trying to put chunks onto index cards or scraps of paper and lay them out so I could SEE what was happening with everyone and then I find this idea is even better - I'm totally going to try this, really. I have a dickens of a time with action so something hands-on-visible that connects with the brain differently may be just what's needed. thank you!
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:37 am (UTC)i.e.
The Heroine is captured by the Alien! You... A) interrupt what you're doing and go after her, saving her B)didn't see it happen and let secondary characters get her, saving her C) go in to save her and get caught yourself E) oh, and did I mention something is about to blow up so you better hurry? F)except no one knows yet what the heck is blowing up or what is going to make it do so? G)and maybe there are small animals involved? H) and the arch-villain?
Arrgh!
etc.
Scrabble tiles
Date: 2010-03-20 06:47 am (UTC)I cannibalised my Scrabble set. I use one tile for each character, and occasionally use additional tiles for concepts or key objects or suchlike. I clear off a space on the table, set out the tiles, and start shoving them around in combinations as I mutter my way through the steps in what needs to happen in the plot. (M meets P, they see Q and run away and bump into S -- meanwhile, J and R are over here, wondering where P is, while Q -- wait, Q is over there, M and P had to see him and run away, so L can't talk to him just yet unless she dodges M and P . . . )
It looks silly as hell, but it works. It works particularly well for me because I write in a very action-oriented genre -- but a lot of interaction, physical or emotional or conceptual, can be worked out in terms of tile M is off with tile S right now, so tile L just has to wait her turn . . . I find having the tiles in front of me, to look at, especially effective. It makes the whole thing very kinetic.
You get the idea?
Re: Scrabble tiles
Date: 2010-03-20 06:55 am (UTC)Re: Scrabble tiles
Date: 2010-03-20 06:59 am (UTC)Re: Scrabble tiles
Date: 2010-03-20 12:53 pm (UTC)(Now if I can just find my Scrabble set. My room's being repainted.)
no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:19 am (UTC)Goodnight!
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Date: 2010-03-20 06:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-20 06:38 am (UTC)