15 January 2013

Character Flaw: Fatal?

You decide or rather the protagonist decides whether her flaw is fatal. Perhaps her flaw has already killed off something important to her. She doesn't yet admit that to herself and isn't conscious of her part in her own demise. That's coming much later. For now, simply identifying her flaw itself can be difficult to pin down.

Prompt #8 provides an opportunity to revisit what you may have already started --a Character Emotional Development Profile. On pages 33 and 34 in the PWWorkbook I've dedicated  to this new story, I've stuck a tab for easy reference. Now, out of the scribbles I jotted down when I started the story,  the character begins to emerge. I knew what she loved as she started the story. Only now do I discover a deeper love, the love she had before inflicted with a backstory wound. Same thing happens with her flaw. Earlier, I'd identified an overt, obvious flaw. Only now do I discover the flaw that developed out of her backstory wound. It's become a mantra to her, a belief that runs her life and is out to destroy her. What has your character revealed? So far....

Today is Prompt #9 for me.

Today, I write.

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.

If you're following along and wish to comment or ask questions, please use Twitter and be sure to include @plotwhisperer and #pwprompt to catch my attention.

The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing gives you the inspiration and motivation you need to finish every one of your writing projects. This book guides you through each stage of the writing process, from constructing compelling characters to establishing an unforgettable ending. The book also helps you get into the habit of writing creatively every day, with brand-new imaginative prompts for how to write a novel, memoir, screenplay with a plot. 

Join me here everyday as together we write our stories from page one and through all the prompts to the very end.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:
1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
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