Angela VanWell

Author | Reader | Traveler | Tea and Coffee Drinker

river run series

My Writing Journey Pillar IV: Creating Awesome Chapters

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For centuries storytelling has been used to share news, explain events, entertain, inspire, and lecture. The earliest known example of written literature, as of the date this was written, is from Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians first developed cuneiform markings on clay tablets around 3400 B.C.E. At first the texts focused on administration, but by the third millennium B.C.E., there were also poetry and myths.

Poetry has a rhythm to it. A means to make it easier to memorize and pleasant sounding. Myths, and other story types also have a rhythm to them. There is a conflict or problem, the hero must determine how to solve the problem, and then they either do or they don’t. This can be broken down further into chapters. Each chapter is in itself its own little story. It will have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

In Pillar IV of Plot Development Step by Step by Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt, the Chapter is broken down into a series of questions:

  • What is the character trying to achieve?
  • What is the obstacle or conflict between the character and their goal?
  • What inner emotions are attached to this obstacle? If they overcome the obstacle, how will that effect them internally? If they fail, how will the respond?
  • What is the climax of the scene? The point of greatest tension before the character wins or loses.

Ending the chapter before the climax is resolved, leaves a great cliffhanger. For readers like myself, it means I turn the page and read on to find out how the character is doing. Which is the point of the cliffhanger. Who can go to sleep without knowing if their character lives, saves the prince, or makes it out in time before the confetti bomb is released.

They end the outline process with a list to validate the outline. Ensuring all subplots are folded properly into the main plot. And the most important point to remember: “the story always trumps the template.”

For my novella, my chapter outlines are synopsis. I think better in sentences than in bulletin points. Remember, this is my outline, not the written or finished product. So it is sparse in detail and missing formatting. It is my thoughts all pushed together and shared here. I am sharing the scene where the Inciting Incident occurs. Where Ally and Riley lose the envelope they have taken responsibility. An envelope that contains a signed contract that would save Riley’s family river cargo business.

Remember: this is a first draft, unedited. Therefore, expect it to be full of mistakes:)

“Riley. Riley!” Ally shouted over the boisterous crowd who surrounded her. It was then she realized the band were louder than the crowd. One of the brothers was glaring at the other one and pushed him out of the stage area. They both dropped their instruments and a fight broke out.

Ally, whose table was close to the stage, was pushed away from the table, her chair slammed back into the person seated behind her. Ally turned to apologize as other band members, and Riley, try to break up the fight. One of the brothers snarled, then punched his brother in the face. The injured brother stumbling and smashed into Ally’s table. The table broke under his weight, all of Ally’s papers, her drink, the table and the guy, collapsed to the floor. The patron she had been pushed into, pulled her chair back away from the fight. Ally lost sight of her papers and her bag as more members of the band jumped into the fight. 

She could see Riley on the stage, his arms wrapped around one of the other band members who was throwing his drum sticks at the members of the fight. She was thankful to see he hadn’t been pushed into the fight. Once he had the guy under control he searched the room and looked relieved when he found Ally. She waved at him from across the fight to let him know she was okay. 

Their must have been police already at the pub, because within minutes they were pushing their way through the crowd and breaking up the fight. The rest of the pub noise fell to a hush as the police broke up the fight. The band members swore at each other as they were subdued. Ally watched, wanting to pull Riley out and make sure he is okay. There was more than her table broken. Several chairs, glasses, and plates littered the floor from the nearby table and along the bar. The patrons who had been sitting in those places looked angry but she didn’t see anyone injured. The bartending was pouring fresh drinks and handing them out to those who had lost theirs. They must have been regulars, because the bartender didn’t need to ask what they were drinking. 

“Thank you.” Ally said the the gentleman who had pulled her back. He nodded at her and took a drink from his stein. She turned to see what had his attention.

The bartender was shaking his figure at the band and swearing in German. She understood the band were told if they don’t leave now, the bar would press charges. Ally’s stomach tightened. Riley hadn’t done anything wrong and might get in trouble for being with the band. One of the band members stormed out while the rest agreed to clean up and leave. Ally searched the floor for her papers, hoping they were not too badly ripped or stained. She had been intending to show them to her parents to show the school would be paid for. But if they were covered in beer stains and ripped, they would not give off the best impression. She would have to see if the information was online and she could print off a cleaner set. Riley nodded at her and then turned to help the band carry out their equipment as Ally helped straighten up the bar. Collecting broken glass and plates on the floor so no one was injured.  She would have to talk to Riley about this band. She already had a bad feeling about the two guys, but now she knew they were no good. It wasn’t a good idea for Riley to be connected to them. The villages along the Rhine were close, problematic people were shared to keep the locals safe. If Riley’s name was associated with this band, his parents would find out and the police would be monitoring him as well. All bad.

Riley finished carrying out the last drum then joined Ally who had filled a box the bartender had given her, with broken dishes. “Are you okay?” he asked as he carried the box and placed it on the bar. 

“I’m okay.” Ally moved her chair aside and tried to find where her bag had landed. But she couldn’t find it anywhere. She had all of her papers, some in worse shape than others. If she had been drinking water it would have been better but the cola stains were through everything, there was no getting the stains out. At least it wasn’t beer. 

“Riley, do you see my bag?” It was as if the chair and the bag simply disappeared. She couldn’t find either anywhere. 

Frowning, Riley moved aside the broken table and found the chair in pieces below. But no bag. A chill swept up Ally’s back. She didn’t have anything valuable in the bag, but Riley did. “Riley, your parents envelope was in the bag.” Ally said quietly. 

 His naturally brown skin paled. “We have to get it back. It’s a signed contract between my parents and a new client. If they do not have it to him on time, they could lose the deal. And it was a really big one.” He swallowed, “They purchased a new boat for that contract. If we don’t get it back then the job could go back to tender and they could lose it. And they would still be responsible for the payment on their new boat.”

Ally was the one holding it, her stomach plummeted. She was responsible for the loss. “I’m sorry Riley. I don’t know what could have happened to it. I don’t know what we can do.” 

My Writing Journey: Pillar III Subplots

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Subplots are a way to expand character development while supporting the main plot. The main plot of this story is how Ally and Riley are going to recover the document they were trusted with and lost.

If you read the character development sheets, there is a lot of potential subplots for these characters.

Ally is hiding her desire to leave the family business to the extent that she has hid her applications to various secondary institutes and acceptance. She is not sure how she can sell it to them as a benefit for everyone. She does not want to disappoint them. They love her and support her but she is ashamed that she does not want the life they have built for her. How can she tell them she doesn’t want it? What if they find out without her telling them? The worse thing that could happen is hurting them. But it feels like Ally is held with golden handcuffs; a home, a business handed to her, but in a lifestyle that she cannot stand. Yet, they have no other children, no one else to leave the business they built up to. They were only able to have her, a sick child who took all of their love and care to bring to an adult.

Riley loves his family too and although he supports Ally and helps her to reach for her dreams, he does not forget he will be left behind as well. And it hurts. Especially since he knows there is more to their world, there is magic. But he does not want Ally to choose to stay because of him. He wants her to follow her dreams and he is going to start following some of his own. As the youngest son, he does not inherit the family business and is treated as the baby in the family. They love his support but do not trust him with the important parts of running a river cargo business. If only he and Ally could change places. But then he would have to give up his mom’s home cooking and there is no way he would hurt her. So he will find his way. find something for himself for when Ally leaves him and he is alone.

Hunter, at this point, does not have a large part in this story. (But I rarely follow an outline to the T, so who knows what part he will play when its written?) He is only there as a favour to Logan because he knows Logan cares about Ally and Riley. Not much older than the two friends, Hunter begrudges them their easy, safe lives. He owes Logan for saving him, so he will help the two out, though he would rather enjoy a beer at the pub and ignore them.

Ciarron and Darragh have a lot in common with Riley. Music, the need to escape from the family business, and to start making money on their own. They plan to make their family proud. It was at a concert they had met Riley as they dreamed about making their own music. They didn’t usually like humans, other than their music, but Riley was from the Riverboat Community which meant they did not need to hide who they were. Life was looking up for them. They have their own sound, though they get hired more for their cover tunes, and were starting to make a name for themselves. But then, the boss took an interest in their band, and now they are being used as spies. So, instead of taking gigs that will spread their musical sound, they have to take the gigs that will help the family business. If only they could get a big score, maybe then, they would be allowed to go back to playing the music they love and make their mom proud.

Ally, Riley, Hunter, Logan, Ciarron, and Darragh, all with wishes and dreams, all wanting and needing something different in their lives. But who will win and who will lose?

My Writing Journey: Pillar II The Journey

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Pillar 2 in Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt’s Plot Development Step by Step Book is all about the journey. They outline the section in a series of plot posts integral to fully developed story. I did follow the exercise completely, all 69 pages of it, but I will not be showing that outline here. Instead I will talk about the beginning, and how Ally and Riley ended up in their mess.

Why am I not sharing the Posts? For several reasons. First, even though I outlined it and have a general sense of where the story is going, I find that a strict outline does not work for me.

The first manuscript I completed, in 2017 my first NaNoWriMo I completed a middle grade novel, I did not have an outline. I had an idea of the story I wanted to tell and wrote enthusiastically. It was through the process I would realize, I needed more structure. At the beginning of the day if I started with a blank page, I would end up staring at it for a long time before I had an idea of what I wanted to write. By the end of the month I was jotting down notes the night before so I had something to start with. It was stressful, but a great way to learn what didn’t work for me.

I then started taking creative writing courses. They helped me find a writing style that works for me. What proved just as beneficial is I kept writing. I would brainstorm ideas and searched online for ideas of how to structure my stories. Then every NaNo event, whether the big NaNoWriMo in November, or camp in April or July, I would write. It is thanks to the combination of learning and experience that I have the beginning of a writing style that works for me. I say a beginning, because I am still at the beginning of my journey. If there is a workshop, webinar, a podcast, a book that looks interesting, I investigate it. I love to learn and happily embrace new strategies I can incorporate in my learning. Creating this blog is one of them! As an introverted person, I prefer small groups of people I can get to know and hang out with. I am not as good at large events. The blog provides a way for me to be both.

Back to Ally and Riley’s journey. Ally doesn’t want to live on a boat her entire life, but she doesn’t know how to tell her parents she doesn’t want to take over the family business. To see her backstory, here is a link to her introductory blog post. She has applied to colleges and universities where she had a chance at a swimming scholarship. And finally, she was accepted.

Riley, her best friends see his intro here, the only person she trusts where her secrets, is taking her out on the town to celebrate. They have one little errand to run for his parents and then they are free. Unfortunately, not everything goes as they plan and they end up chasing down the missing envelope before Riley’s parents lose out on a contract that will put their company in jeopardy, and they need to get back to the boat before it takes off and her parents meet it to find her missing and her acceptance letter on her bed.

Ally needs to create her own future, but hurting her family would break her heart.

Riley loves being apart of his families’ business, and wants they to see him as a responsible adult, not the baby of the family.

Riley’s family has been working on the river as long as Ally’s has. Such history also means they know the secrets of the river. Something Riley’s family shared with him, but Ally’s hasn’t. Some of those secrets are at risk as they two friends chase down the missing contract. Riley wants to share what he knows, but how can he tell his friend the secrets of the valley when all she wants is to escape? He was trusted with the knowledge of magic in the valley, a part of the community that may be responsible for the missing document. If they don’t find it, then there is more than his families’ boating company at stake.

As this book is a prequel to the River Run Series, it will be a full story in itself but will leave open plot points for entry into the trilogy. It, and the free short story, Lynx in Exile, which you can get by signing up below, provide background to the River Run Series that will be published in 2021.

My Writing Journey Pillar I: Love Interest

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“Any relationship worth having is earned through commitment, patience, and compromises.” Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt are referring to the love interest being a fully developed character, with his or her own wants and needs that may run counter to those of the protagonist.

Hunter, with a chip on his shoulder and his less than stellar communication skills, will only be introduced in the novella. The focus is on Ally and Riley, their friendship and how they work as a team. Hunter is a shadow, a man whose help may save them, but it is not given without reservation. To be honest, he is only there because he respects Logan, he has no relationship with Ally at all. It is one of the reasons I like them as a potential romance.

In the book, Jesper and Autumn provide several examples of how romance can develop. Whether it begins with a love-hate relationship, frowned upon, unexpected, unlikely, fated, or they are soulmates. Regardless of how it develops, both characters need to be independent of each other in their needs and wants. This is why I thought it would be good to introduce Hunter here while he is still finding his own path, and has a chip on his shoulder.

Ally does not need a knight in hiking boots to save her. Rather, she wants to save herself. A relationship is not her focus, she is more interested in taking control of her life and not hurting her family in the mean time.

While Hunter is trying to find his way in the world, but in a very separate way, with a separate agenda. He knows where he belongs and understands the situation Ally and Riley are facing better than either of them do. His own life being torn apart, Hunter’s focus is on protecting his own community through decisive actions. He tends to not talk about what is wrong, but rather just fixes it. Ally and Riley running around without calling for help is a rookie mistake to him, an annoyance he is forced to deal with.

As the novella is set years before the trilogy, both Hunter and Ally have a lot of growing to do. Neither one of them is interested in investing in a close relationship, instead they are both working on their own lives. Hunter acts more like a mentor in this story, as he tries to emulate Logan, a man he holds in high regard.

The Challenger

The Enneagram Institute

The Challenger, Type 8, a self-confident, decisive, resourceful person fits Hunter perfectly. Hunter’s focus is on self-reliance while he protects those he cares about in his community. He learnt early on in his life that survival requires will, persistence, and endurance, and he carries those learnings through his adult life.

My Writing Journey: Pillar I The Sidekick

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Riley has been in my imagination as long as Ally has. Always there for her through thick and thin. As she is for him. They are as close as family without the blood connection.

In Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt’s Plot Development Step by Step exercise book, the Sidekick is loyal to the protagonist through anything from defending the innocent, investigation for clues. to stealing cookies. Riley is idealistic and a people person, he spreads himself thin using his big heart and personality.

Riley is the youngest son in his family and therefore spent more time at his mom’s healing practice on shore than he did on the boat with his father and brothers. Although the whole family is close, it has created a distance between them, even more so then him being younger than them. Luckily for him, and for Ally, they were both basically only children and that is why they grew so close so fast. He is also the main reason Ally has experienced as much as she has, outside of the boating community, because she would stay with him and his mom shoreside for visits. He is gregarious and friendly so always had somewhere for them to go, people for her to meet, and experiences to share.

Now that Riley spends more time on the boats with his family, he longs for his favourite part of living on land. His goal of joining a band. But now, when he is not in a location for longer than a couple of nights, it is problematic. He finally receives an invitation to audition for a band, but there are other agendas that might stop him from pursuing his dream. Fortunately, Ally is there by his side, as the two of them are always there for each other.

The Helper

From the Enneagram Institute

Ally and Riley are the main focus of the prequel Wicked Currents, to the River Run Series. The novella will be written during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November. I had mentioned NaNoWriMo before, but as a reminder it is open to anyone who wants to write. A community of like-minded and enthusiastic individuals who welcome everyone to join in. You can find out more information here at: National Novel Writing Month

My Writing Journey: Pillar I The Protagonist

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Pillar I in Plot Development Step by Step: Exercises for Planning Your Book by Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt begins with character. (I also have Plot Development, the main guide, but I am using the step by step guide to develop my novella I am writing during NaNoWriMo this November.)

The workbook takes the reader through the five main character types used in stories. The characters are the Protagonist, the Mentor, the Sidekick, the Antagonist, and the Love Interest. Today I will be exploring the Protagonist of my story. The workbook takes the reader through the usual questions; name, gender, ethnic background, age, height, weight, etc. I am choosing to share a picture instead of typing out the words. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and I think this one is true to Ally. Not only her looks but her favourite escape, the water.

Protagonist Alessandra (Ally)

I decided on Ally as my protagonist, and my only Point of View (POV) character She is the main driver of the story, the one who has to face the conflict and find a way to reach the story goals while learning more about herself along the way.

Backstory:

Ally is an eighteen-year-old close to completing her high school requirements. In fact, she finished early, but she didn’t tell her parents so she could spend her free time following her dream. And, unbeknown to her parents, Ally’s dream is not to follow in their footsteps and learn to take over the cargo business that has belonged to her family for four generations. Instead, she is secretly applying to secondary institutions where is had a chance at a swimming scholarship. She doesn’t want to break her parents hearts, but she wants to follow her own dreams.

Living and growing up on a boat, an only child of two dedicated and loving parents was tough. She could not see the rest of her life entrapped in the metal jail where home was a transitory term. She wanted a home that stayed in place, where the neighbours were the same every night, her favourite cafe was around the corner, and she didn’t get motion sickness while she slept. A place where her ability to turn from ghost to ochre lobster in an hour would not be a big deal, because she would no longer live and work on the water. She would have trees to shade her home and to hold her hammock.

If it wasn’t for her best friend, Riley, she wouldn’t have lasted this long. Their sleepovers, at his parents house when his mother was at her healing practice instead of on the boat, were the best memories of Ally’s childhood. Those escapes showed Ally there was another way to live, and it wasn’t stuck on the water.

Morals, Needs, and Proactivity:

The book states, “Morals, or the character’s controlling belief, is how the character distinguishes between right and wrong.” To make the story interesting, Ally needs to have morals that push her goals out of her reach. For Ally, this would be her reliability and work ethic. While those are both great traits to have, they make her feel that following her dream, leaving the family business, is a betrayal to her family. Her parents count on her to be a part of the crew and to eventually take over the family business that has been passed down for four generations. How can she not follow her heart? Her family is precious to her as it is only the three of them.

Ally’s needs are for Love and Belonging when searching through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. She have safety, food, and the security of family and a career. But she needs the belonging of community. Of there being more than her parents and the friends they may see on and off the water. The ability to get a good nights sleep without nausea pills, staying with friends, or sleeping in her hammock in the woods would be amazing. Especially in the winter.

Proactivity is simply, Ally needs to be proactive. She needs to make the decision of how she intends to move forward, and follow that course. Before the novella begins, Ally applies for swimming scholarships at schools with business and marketing management programs. She chose a program with the most flexibility and would also be helpful to her parents cargo hauling business. It is a matter of waiting for the responses, and if she is accepted, sharing the news with her parents in way that doesn’t break their hearts.

Digging Deeper into Personality Type: Enneagram

The Peacemaker

Graphic belongs to The Enneagram Institute

Ally is an optimistic, supportive, and accepting person. She is willing to go along with the status quo to keep the peace. The cargo hauling business is important to her family, so it is important to her. Wanting to make her parents and herself happy, Ally is trying to find a way to leave the boating community without leaving her parents, to preserve the loving relationships they have.

Once I have developed the other main characters in the book, I will research how the different personality types interact with each other. I think it will be a great point of conflict and camaraderie, depending on the character! Most of us know how to push other people’s buttons, characters should do the same.