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Writing Clinic: Characterization and Plotting

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Dancing Word Writers Workshop

with Brandilyn Collins

 September 13, 2001

Hosted by: Lynn Coleman

Dancing Word Guest Host

*This chat has been edited for clarity

Lynn Coleman: Welcome to the Christian Writers' Workshop Chat. Our guest tonight is the lovely and most talented Brandilyn Collins. Let's all welcome Brandilyn. <G>

Brandilyn Collins: ooh-lala

Lynn Coleman: Good to see you Brandilyn.

Brandilyn Collins: Thank you, thank you. (Bowing and scraping.) Oh, yes, thank you for those flowers. Oh, kisses,kisses!

Jill: Here's some chocolate

Lynn Coleman: Tonight we'll be working with protocol. Type ? if you have a question, ! if you'd like to add a comment, and end everything with a ga. Before we begin let's take a moment to pray.

Father we ask that you be with Annie tonight and help her heal quickly from her surgery. We thank you that it was successful and with no complications. Bless Brandilyn as she shares this evening. And with all we say and do may it be praise to you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Brandilyn why don't you begin by telling everyone a bit about yourself then launch right on in with your topic tonight.

Brandilyn Collins: Okay. Although I think everyone knows me. I'm an author, or at least I try to be.

Lynn Coleman: hmm probably but this gets recorded <G>

Brandilyn Collins: Oops. I guess I better behave then. I forgot. Okay. My novel, Cast A Road Before Me , came out last March. (be quiet, Lynn!) Road is the first in my Bradleyville series. Eyes of Elisha , my first suspense, releases very soon now from Zondervan.

I have two more books releasing next March. One is Color the Sidewalk for Me , the second in the Bradleyville series. And the other is a nonfiction, Getting Into Character. GIC is a how-to book about writing fiction, published by John Wiley & Sons in the secular market.

Then next October...my second suspense, Dread Champion , will release. It's the one I'm just finishing now. And in March of 2003...my third in the Bradleyville series will release. These last four novels are all from Zondervan. After that, I'm going to sleep awhile. :) Okay, Lynn, is that enough about me?

Lynn Coleman: LOL Yes

Brandilyn Collins: Okay. Annie and I agreed that tonight...we would not have a set topic. We've done this before--invited folks to bring their writing issues/problems for discussion. Usually these issues prompt conversations about many different things -- anything from POV to story structure, etc.

bethrachg: That's great because I have lots of writing issues/problems LOL

Brandilyn Collins: Don't we all. So--I'm going to throw the floor open for questions. We'll see where to go from there.

Please remember the protocol. Raise your hand with a ? Second... would everyone please type in black for the sake of my mom, who will have trouble reading the other colors? Thanks.

Ruth: Thanks a mllion. That I can read

Jill: The book I'm reading right now says the lead must either be trying to gain possession of something or get relief from something. Can they be trying to do both?

Brandilyn Collins: Your main character must be pursuing a strong goal. That goal can have more than one facet. Rather than dividing what your character wants into "relieving" or "pursuing," it probably would be better to discover very specifically what that character is trying to achieve.

The more specific this Desire...the more conflicts that can arise in your story...for the very definition of conflict in a story is something that opposes Desire.

Jill, does this make sense? Do you want to be more specific in your question? 

Jill: I think I understand. I was trying to create a goal of my heroine trying to possess something, but she also needed relief from certain feelings

Brandilyn Collins: Good...

Jill:  So, I wondered if the two could be combined. I guess it would make a complex desire?