Notes from Lecture #4 wsff

  • 24:00

  • How long for the introduction?

    • Probably depends on your audience and how much they trust you
    • Generally shorter than you want it to be
    • Don’t waste the reader’s time
  • How to find Plot Archetypes

    • Watch movies and read books with an eye on the plot
    • Maybe take notes and explain what the scene does for the story not what it actually does on the page
  • How to nest plots

    • Understand the character’s motivations. Make this clear for the reader
    • Make the right promises
    • Make the relevant progress
  • Subverting Expectations

    • Not a virtue onto itself
    • Example: there’s a book that is 3/4 epic fantasy and then twists everything at the 3/4 mark
      • If you wanted a classic story and then it turns everything on it’s head, then this is most likely not what you wanted
      • Also, if you are looking for those twists you are bored for the first 3/4 of the book
  • Is there always a twist?

    • No an escalation can replace a twist
    • Twists should be satisfying
  • Viewpoint