It’s Just Not Working

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

This whole story board malarkey lol. Perhaps it just doesn’t really work with a short story. Anyway, here is my 2000 word short story, split down into scenes of a story board.

Eating Out

Not much of a plot exactly is it? *snigger* 😉

After a really unproductive day, I had a really productive evening. I managed to extend “Eating Out” into a 1100 story and even used Autocrit to check it over, which was very interesting LMAO…… I’m now hooked, paid for an annual subscription, and will be using it a lot 🙂

So I guess the Mslexia competition is out the window…..I’ll just have to find one that’s up to 1200/1500 so that I can use this story. Will spend today doing some more editing before taking it to The Write Place tonight.

Yesterday’s prompt was eating out, and developed into the story I’ve been using today. A couple in a restaurant, and I’m not saying anymore 😉 Today’s prompt is living as he did…. so I haven’t got a clue where to start with that one.

I finished note book number 9 yesterday. It’s sad finishing a notebook, but soooo exciting starting a new one. I’m now using a lovely purple one 🙂

Story Boards

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Yesterday I tried my hand at using a story board to plan a story. I have a 300 word piece of flash fiction that I need to turn into a 2000 word short story.

The story board template I’m using (which I found on a Google image search) splits the story into 6 scenes. The 300 words I already have is basically 1 scene (but i can split it into 2) so I have to come up with another 4 lol. The problem is, what I have written so far puts my character into a particular situation, so now I have to come up with a reason as to why she’s there in the first place…..

…..and I’m struggling…… Perhaps this isn’t the right story to extend?

I’m trying to kill multiple birds again (not literally, obviously!) as my next part of the course is to use a method for plotting that I don’t usually use (the story board) and The Write Place homework is a short story to enter in a competition.

So, is it really the story, or the method that’s letting me down? Lol.

Yesterday’s prompt about bad blood ended up being a 1st person POV about a serial killer *snigger* and today’s prompt is eating out and as I do a lot of that I should find it pretty easy shouldn’t I 😉

Plotting

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’ve recently subscribed to The New Writer magazine. Really impressed with it, lots of info on competitions etc. I shall be reading my copy cover to cover and possibly submitting, if I can find the time 😉

I did some more work on my course yesterday, which was to look at all the different techniques people use for outlining their plot. For example:

Diagrammatic Maps (web/spider or cluster)
Lists
Index Cards
Whiteboard
Fragmented Notes
Storyboarding

I guess, at the moment, I’m a fragmented notes kinda girl….but, I can see the benefits of using the other methods. My next exercise is to actually use one of the techniques I’m not familiar with…..that’ll be fun.

I have managed to get up to date with my prompts. The one about the button being undone turned into a sordid little tale about a guy in a hotel with an obsession for the receptionist and the crack in the door one is about a woman who goes for a job interview. Yesterday’s one, about the instrument was hard…. I spent some time researching Stephane Mallarme, hoping that would inspire me, and it did. I ended up writing about a guy in a wheelchair committing suicide lol

Today’s prompt is write a twilight memory and all I can think of is Edward 😉