An unexpected tool Scrivenier Templates

While I've stepped away from writing in Whateley, I still like helping people out in developing skills. I've been working on my own story I hope to self-publish one day. With this goal I decided to get more organized and bought Scrivener. It's a writing tool that brings together note cards and writing into the digital age.  The program itself has been used to write everything from novels to screen-plays to blog post to school reports.  Anyway when I first got the program, I admit it kind of throws you into the deep end of writing. No tips and barely any notes to get started with the included templates.  I bought a few books online about story plotting and went from there.  While I'm doing okay, I know it can be done better.  To that end I decided to see if there were any freely available templates available for Scrivener. I learned of one that was created at the same time as the author was working on nine different books about writing.  I downloaded it and decided to take a look.  WOW! Even without having the books the template itself is chock full of helpful information on outlining, plotting, and character development. All before you actually start writing the story you want to write.

I have to say that I remember talking with the rest of the original canon authors there were lots of, "Have you done this, or this or this?" kind of questions. And I have to say that I couldn't understand the need to spend what I imagined as months or years before I got a chance to put story word to story page. I went on to write Hive with only minor goals in place. Basically, "Get to Whateley." was the goal and I imagined it as a road trip. The other stories came with similar goals placed along with "Let's try writing a story in this style." thrown in.  This style of writing broke down for me when faced with my first interaction with someone else using Sam and setting their own narrative for the character.

So, something needed to be done, I got busy in real life and eventually lost my job.  I fell back on writing and I'm marching along to publishing my first story for sale.  Still using my old method which isn't going to hack it for the next story.

Enter the fore mentioned "Wow" template. It's actually named "KM Weiland  Template.scriv"  the extension there is specific to scrivener.  KM Weiland is the book author who was writing the author help books.

Using a template like this one technically allows an author to be working on multiple stories at the same time.  Not that actual writing of the story but the research and development of the story(s) as the thoughts strike. Even when you come up with a great supporting character an no way to fit them into a current story. Using multiple copies of the template allows you to take inspiration from your day and stash it for your stories.

I'll probably come back to this topic as I explore other scrivener templates.

Continuing to explore the KM Weiland Template. At the top after a greeting note, it starts breaking into sections. The first section is the Outline section. which as a series of sub folders all aimed at helping to build that story hidden in your mind.
The first sub folder is General Sketches. This folder is your "big-picture" part of the outline. Just throwing ideas out and seeing what sticks. It can help you work through obvious plot holes and key questions until you can see the story coming to life.

Although you will almost be guaranteed to come up with specific scene ideas, this area is not a scene outline. This is the Figure-out-what-your-story-and-characters-are-about part of the outline. It's very loose and free. And a lot of the time the most fun to work through.
Some example questions to ask.
1. What are four or five big moments that will occur in the plot?

2. Can you think of at least two complications for each of these moments?

3. How will these complications push the characters in ways that make them uncomfortable?

4. What additional settings will these complications demand?

5. Which character will be the protagonist?

6. Which character will be affected most by the Inciting Event?

7. What major problems does this character have in his life? And which offers the most potential for conflict and drama?

8. How does this problem affect other characters?

There is a Premise sub folder here broken into three "note cards" "What if?" "Reader expectations.." and the "Premise sentence"
"What if.." is that first question every writer and scientist ask themselves as they start a project. A story could actually have a few "What if'" questions.
"Reader expectations..." This is a bit of a misnomer in that it's the author's understanding of what they think the reader is expecting. You can then throw in the unexpected. You're not writing the story yet this is still the "Oh I want the character to do this..." then responding with "if they do that they could be lead to this..." and so on

I remember reading a guide on writing a mystery story. It started out with "Write the murder first." Even if it never sees a single word of the murder scene in the story, it sets the events in place. Then set it aside and work on something else so you forget about it.. Come back and start to read the murder again, but look for mistakes made by the killer. Things the sleuth could discover. Then it's just a matter of writing the scenes so the protagonist makes those discoveries. Of course there's always the chance that those same clues could lead them the wrong way.

And last was the Premise Sentence. Your statement of what the story is gonna be about.

Who is the protagonist?
What is the situation or Normal World in the story’s beginning?
What is the protagonist’s main story goal?
What opponent will stand in the way of the protagonist’s goal?
What disaster at the First Plot Point will set up the main conflict of your Second Act?
How will the antagonist’s opposition to the protagonist’s goal create the main conflict?

Now use your answers to these questions to create a two-sentence premise:

Thanks EoF.

Continuing with the Plot of the story, Most authors start plotting the story with the main character aka the protagonist. And why not? It's the completely obvious entry into the story.

One problem starting with the protagonist is that a lot of times the antagonistic force becomes an afterthought. As a result of this, the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist becomes fragmented and doesn't drive the story plot by getting behind it and pushing with everything it has.

Instead start by exploring the antagonistic forces in the story. What do they want? Once that's known, you can see more clearly how, where, and why the protagonist will run afoul of them. It's a bit like I referred to earlier with writing the murder first.

Now In thinking about the Antagonist, consider five different levels of antagonistic forces (don't worry not all of them have to appear in every story) and the various levels of stakes they might create:

1. Global Stakes
2. International Stakes
3. National Stakes
4. Public Stakes
5. Personal Stakes

As you can see in this case the descriptions are a level of scale.

Global Stakes are the massive, world-ending stakes, driven by an antagonist that wants to take over or destroy the world. Non-human antagonistic forces also qualify. These threats are often impersonal. Alien invasion, an end of the world event like a comet strike is another threat that fits here. If you've seen the books the "system reset" books where the characters are thrown into a "role playing game system" would also fit this.

International Stakes: It's just like it sounds, The stakes between countries. In this situation it's better to narrow the force down to a single personified antagonist. (such as, in World War II the antagonist it's "Germany," but "Hitler")

National Stakes: Again it's like it sounds. Stakes within one's own country with the fate of the country in the balance. An example would be political rivals with enough clout to affect national policy.

Public Stakes: This is getting down to the level I imagine most budding authors start at. Public Stakes arises from conflict amongst people with whom the protagonist interacts with every day: such as coworkers, family, even friends. Bullies fit here too.

Personal Stakes: This is the stakes that directly arise from conflict between the protagonist and the most important supporting characters: the relationship characters.

Once you've identified/created unique antagonists for each category, take a closer look at them. Specifically, you want to ask yourself:

1. What does each of your antagonists want (goal)?
2. Why does your antagonist want this (motive)?
3. How will he go about obtaining his goal (plan)?

Take your time exploring your antagonists. You may be eager to get to the good stuff (aka your protagonist) right away. But your antagonists will provide the foundation for your entire story. The stronger your understanding of the antagonistic forces that oppose your protagonist, the more adeptly you will be able to craft a conflict that creates the most meaningful, realistic, and symbolically rich journey for your protagonist.

Every author gets that "Oh my main character is so cool." in their heads. The thing is, the author still needs to be able to showcase just how cool the main character is.

Now you can get around to writing some similar lines for the main character.

Rule #1: The protagonist’s goal shouldn’t be simply “stop the antagonist.” (And vice versa: the antagonist shouldn’t start with a simple goal of “stop the protagonist.”)

Rule #2: The protagonist should have selfish reasons for desiring his goal.

Rule #3: The protagonist’s desire should be inherently related to the thematic question at the heart of his character arc.

This is simplistic but this example gets the meaning across I think. Antagonist is going about their day working towards their goal. The main character stumbles into the Antagonist's plan. The main character says, "This abomination must be stopped!"
Simple and silly, Villain is allergic to cats. So sets out to kill them all so he can get a good night's sleep. Main character works at a pet store. Comes back into the live pet area after feeding to find all the cats dead for no apparent reason. Checking security cameras reveals the villain gassing the cats. No one believes the main character so they have to handle it themself.

Next Theme and Character arcs.

Before I start relating how to outline the theme of a story I need to jump a bit. And this is into characters. We're going to role play a bit and interview ourselves as the various characters of the story. You don't have to fill out everything. and in some stories you can't, but the more you do, the more fuel you'll have as you build the story(s). And you'll want to do this for every character who becomes important by one means or another. I know it's a bummer, and you want to write! But if you want it to stand up and not be something that is more like a one off scene or a bad short story, preparation is paramount unless you're going to write by the seat of your pants.

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Name:
Background:
Birthday:
Place of birth:
Parents:
Siblings:
Economic/social status growing up:
Ethnic background:
Places lived:
Education:
Preexisting unique skills he will use to solve plot problems:
Jobs:
Salary:
If he could do anything other than what he does, what would it be:
Travel:
Friends:
How people view this character:
Lives with:
Fights with:
Spends time with:
Wishes to spend time with:
People who depend on him and why:
People he most admires:
Enemies:
Dating, marriage:
Children:
Relationship with God:
Outlook on life:
Opinion of himself:
What, if anything, he would like to change about his life:
Personal demons:
Lying to self about:
Optimistic or pessimistic:
Real or feigned:
Morality level:
Confidence level:
Self-control and self-discipline level:
Typical Day:
Physical appearance:
Physical build:
Posture:
Head shape:
Eyes:
Nose:
Mouth:
Hair
Skin:
Tattoos/piercings/scars:
Voice:
What people notice first:
Clothing:
How he sees himself:
Five words he would use to describe himself:
Five words best friend would use use to describe him:
Identities of this character (mother, lover, soldier, etc.) in order of priority to this person:
Degree of self-awareness:
Greatest joy (thing that’s keeping him alive):
Greatest pain:
Health/disabilities/handicaps:
Characteristics:
Personality type:
Love language:
Strongest/weakest character traits:
Three rules he lives by:
Public identity:
Does that ironically contrast with a hidden interior self?
Default personality trait:
Default argument tactic:
Physical vulnerabilities:
Emotional vulnerabilities:
Things that make him irrationally angry:
Things that make him cry:
Fears:
Talents:
What people like best about him:
Interests and favorites:
Political leaning:
Collections:
Food, drink:
Music:
Books:
Movies:
Sports, recreation:
Color:
Best way to spend a weekend:
Great gift for this person:
Pets:
Vehicles:
Typical expressions:
When happy:
When angry:
When frustrated:
When sad:
When afraid:
Idiosyncrasies:
Laughs or jeers at:
Ways to cheer up this person:
Ways to annoy this person:
Hopes and dreams:
Plan to accomplish these dreams:
Worst thing he’s ever done:
Greatest success:
Biggest trauma:
Greatest embarrassment:
He is the kind of person who:
What you love most about this character:
Why readers will sympathize with this person right away:
Voice on the page:
Core Need:
Corresponding psychological maneuver (delusions, obsessions, compulsions, addictions, denial, hysterical ailments, hypochondria, illnesses, behaviors harming the self, behavior harming others, manias, and phobias):
Anecdote (Defining Moment):

Now that, you've overloaded on character information we can actually begin to work on the story theme.

Can You Outline Theme?
I’m glad you asked. Because the answer is: God Yes!

In fact, theme is one of the single most important story elements you can address in the outline. An early understanding of your story’s thematic questions will provide you the foundation you need to make all the varied story decisions that follow.

Without this foundation, you won’t be able to pull the disparate elements of your story—plot, character, and theme—together into a seamless whole with a cohesive focus.

The theme of the story is derived by the plot and the character(s). The plot is made up of the main character's external conflict, that is caused by their outer problem which is being blocked by their internal conflict. A simple example would be a man has a low self worth (internal conflict) which makes him appear depressed (outer problem) caused by evil coworkers belittling him. (External conflict).

The Character points we're interested in are their internal conflict which was caused by their inner problem which is being prevented being solved because they think doing something different will fix it. And this was created by the same external conflict that started the plot.

The Theme is the combination of key elements of the Plot and Character.. The outer problem leads to the internal conflict resolution which should also solve the inner and outer conflicts. And that's the theme.

While thinking about this, You can pretty much think of any movie, TV show, or book you've read or seen and you will probably be able to break down the theme pretty easily.

This is why the thematic questions are always the very next stop in the outline after figuring out the basics of the plot. Before you go one step further with your characters’ external adventure, you must first understand their internal journeys. Only then, can you move forward in crafting an external plot that catalyzes the inner journey and provides an external metaphor for the very heart of the story.

Question #1: Plot: What Is Your Story’s External Conflict?

Take a long hard look at the plot you’ve already uncovered. What is it really about? What is the story under its skeleton?

What is your protagonist trying to achieve?
Why is he trying to achieve it?
What is the antagonist trying to achieve?
Why is he trying to achieve it?
What are the stakes (personal and public) should the protagonist fail?
How will the protagonist have to change to be able to externally and physically defeat the antagonistic force and gain his goal?

Even though these are all plot questions, the answers will depend on your story’s theme. (And now you see the integral weave of plot, character, and theme.)

Question #2: Character: What Is Your Story’s Internal Conflict?

In laying the framework for your story’s external conflict, you have also laid the framework for its internal conflict. Your protagonist’s internal conflict is the foundation for his character arc

Just how do you discover the right arc for your characters.

Positive Change Arc: Character transforms into better or more equipped person. Learns necessary skills to handle external conflict.

Negative Change Arc: Character learns incorrect skills or beliefs which cripple pursuit of outer coals and inner wholeness.

Flat Arc: Character will not change much but will help others evolve through their own Positive Change Arc.

To determine which type of arc is best for your story, consider the external conflict:

Will your character achieve his end goal? Why or why not?
Will he end as a better or worse person?
How might he need to grow into a better person in order to gain his goal?
How might his personal desires and motives change over the course of the story?

Character arcs and their internal conflict are founded upon the fulcrum of two opposing goals within the character:

The Thing the Character Wants
Prompts the external plot goal.
Is a conscious desire on the part of the protagonist.
Is a wrongful desire (either because it is an inherently harmful or selfish end goal or because the character blindly believes it will fix his inner problems when it will not).
Is based on a Lie (see next section).

The Thing the Character Needs
Is an internal thematic need.
Is often an unconscious desire on the part of the protagonist.
Is a healthy desire (which will ultimately lead to health, fulfillment, and wholeness—but not necessarily external gratification).
Is based on a Truth.

Question #3: Theme: What Is Your Story’s Theme?

If you’ve answered the previous two questions, then your theme is already right there in front of you. Boil down your character’s conflicting Want and Need into something more fundamental and primal: a universal thematic premise.

Stop thinking of theme as a nebulous transcendent concept. Instead, think of your theme as a road within a defined beginning and ending.

The beginning is what the character wants and the end of the theme road is the thing the character needs.

As you figure out how to find the heart of your story, what you’re ultimately looking for is the story-long journey of theme.

The Truth is your story’s thematic premise. The Truth is the heart of your story. The Truth is the inner story that is being proven by the metaphor of the outer story.

Once you know your story’s Truth, you will be able to start mapping a way to help your character either find it or reject it in your story’s end. It will influence every important plot decision you make from this point on.

Find your Character's Arc

Based on your answers to the following questions, you should be able to identify which arc you want your character to follow and start plotting accordingly.

Is your character in a comparatively good place in the beginning?
If so, then he’s either in:

A flat arc (in which he’ll have to leave that good place and fight for it when it is threatened).
A disillusionment or corruption arc (in which he will leave the good place and never return).

Is your character in a less-than-good place in the beginning?
If so, he’s either in:

A positive change arc (in which he’ll journey toward a better place)
A negative fall arc (in which things get even worse).

Does your character start out believing a Lie about himself or the world around him?
If so, he’s either in:

A positive change arc (in which he’ll overcome the Lie and reach a positive Truth).
A negative disillusionment arc (in which he’ll overcome the Lie and reach a negative Truth)
A negative fall arc (in which he’ll never grow into the Truth, but instead embrace an even worse Lie).

Does your character start out believing the Truth?
If so, he’s either in:

A flat arc (in which he’ll use that Truth to transform the world around him).
A negative corruption arc (in which he’ll fall away from that Truth).

Where does your character’s arc end?

A positive change arc will end with the character in the opposite situation to the one in which he found himself in the beginning. The character will have changed for the better, and the world around him will reflect that.

A negative change arc will also end with the character in the opposite situation to the one in which he found himself in the beginning, but in reverse. Characters in disillusionment and corruption arcs will end in a place that’s a darker reflection of their beginning, while characters in fall arcs will end up in a place that’s the same as the beginning, only worse.

A flat arc will end not with the protagonist having changed, but with the world and the characters around him in a drastically different from place from where they were in the beginning of the story.

The Positive Character Arc

It is centered around a series of questions about the character's history and a bit about how you want the character to develop.

The Lie the Character Believes
The Thing the Character Wants/Needs
The Ghost
The Character Moment
The Normal World
The First Act
The First Plot Point
The First Half of the Second Act
The Midpoint
The Second Half of the Second Act
The Third Plot Point
The Third Act
The Climax
The Resolution

In the next few post I'll be talking about these questions.

Questions to Ask About the Lie Your Character Believes:

The Lie Your Character Believes is the foundation for his character arc. This is what’s wrong in his world. Once you know what’s wrong, you then get to set about figuring out how to make it right.

1. What misconception does your protagonist have about himself or the world?

2. What is he lacking mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, as a result?

3. How is the interior Lie reflected in the character’s exterior world?

4. When the story opens, is the Lie making his life miserable? If so, how?

5. If not, will the Inciting Event and/or the First Plot Point begin to make him uncomfortable as a result of his Lie?

6. Does your character’s Lie require any qualifiers to narrow its focus?

7. What are the symptoms of your character’s Lie?

Questions to Ask About the Thing the Character Wants and the Thing the Character Needs

Your protagonist’s inner conflict is all about this silent war between his Want and his Need. But it’s also the gasoline in the engine of the outer conflict. If you have these two elements working in concert, you’ll also have plot and character well on their way to perfect harmony.

1. How is the Lie holding your character back?

2. How is the Lie making your character unhappy or unfulfilled?

3. What Truth does your character Need to disprove the Lie?

4. How will he learn this Truth?

5. What does your character Want more than anything?

6. How is his plot goal related to or an extension of the Thing He Wants?

7. Does he believe the Thing He Wants will solve his personal problems?

8. Is the Thing He Wants holding him back from the Thing He Needs?

9. Does the Thing He Needs preclude his gaining the Thing He Wants—or will he only be able to gain the Thing He Wants after he has found the Thing He Needs?

10. How will his life be different once he embraces the Thing He Needs?

Questions to Ask About Your Character’s Ghost

Backstory is always one of the most interesting aspects of a character. In constructing yours, pay special attention to the Ghost. If you know what initiated your character’s belief in the Lie, you’re halfway to helping him overcome it.

1. Why does your character believe the Lie?

2. Is there a notable event in his past that has traumatized him?

3. If not, will there be a notable event in the First Act that will traumatize him?

4. Why does the character nourish the Lie?

5. How will he benefit from the Truth?

6. How “big” is your character’s Ghost? If you made it bigger, would you end up with a stronger arc?

7. Where will you reveal your character’s Ghost? All at once early on? Or piece by piece throughout the story, with a big reveal toward the end?

8. Does your story need the Ghost to be revealed? Would it work better if you never revealed it?

Questions to Ask About the Characteristic Moment

Don’t settle for anything less than spectacular for your Characteristic Moment. This is your opportunity to create a fun and effective scene that will introduce readers to your character in a way they’ll never forget—and won’t be able to look away from.

1. What important personality trait, virtue, or skill best sums up your protagonist?

2. How can you dramatize this trait to its fullest extent?

3. How can you dramatize this trait in a way that also introduces the plot?

4. How can you demonstrate your protagonist’s belief in his Lie?

5. Can you reveal or hint at his Ghost?

6. How can you use this scene to reveal the Thing He Wants Most?

7. Does your protagonist’s pursuit of both the overall goal and the scene goal meet with an obvious obstacle (i.e., conflict)?

8. How can you share important details about your protagonist (name, age, physical appearance) quickly and unobtrusively?

Questions to Ask About the Normal World

The Normal World presents the valuable opportunity to visually dramatize your character’s Lie. Take full advantage of your story’s Normal World and create an opening segment that will explode into readers’ minds and perfectly set up the adventure to follow.

1. What setting will open your story?

2. How will this setting change at the First Plot Point?

3. How can you contrast the Normal World with the “adventure world” to follow?

4. How does the Normal World dramatize or symbolize your character’s enslavement to the Lie?

5. How is the Normal World causing or empowering the Lie?

6. Why is your character in the Normal World?

7. If your character doesn’t want to leave the Normal World, what is helping him mask the discomfort caused by his Lie?

8. If your character wants to leave, what’s stopping him?

9. Will the character return to the Normal World at the end of the story?

10. If the Normal World is a legitimately good place, how will the protagonist need to change in order to appreciate it?

Questions to Ask About Your Character’s Arc in the First Act

As the first building block in your character’s arc, the First Act is your opportunity to lay a solid foundation for your entire story. Setup is more than half the battle. If you get everything in place in the beginning, you’ll have all the tools you need at your disposal in the remaining acts. Engage your readers and launch your character on the adventure that will change his life forever.

1. How will you introduce and reinforce your character’s Lie in the First Act?

2. How will you use the the First Act to space out the various layers of your character’s Lie, goals, and personality?

3. How will you indicate your character’s latent potential to overcome the Lie?

4. What aspect of the Truth can you share with the character in the First Act? How will you share it (through another character’s mentoring, etc.)?

5. What will be your Inciting Event?

6. Why will your character initially reject the Inciting Event?

7. How quickly will your character get over his initial rejection of the Inciting Event’s “call to adventure”?

8. Toward the end of the First Act, how will your character’s belief in how he serves the Lie begin to evolve?

9. What decision will the character make that will engage him in the Inciting Event?

Questions to Ask About Your Character’s Arc in the First Plot Point

The First Act is about setting up your character’s Lie. From the First Plot Point on, that Lie’s days are numbered. From here on out, the Second Act will be about destroying the Lie and helping the character find the Truth that will allow him to combat the external conflict and grow into a whole person. Plan a First Plot Point that will tear away your character’s safety nets and force him to step out into the biggest adventure of his life!

1. What major event will slam into your character’s Normal World and force him to alter his original plans?

2. What decision will lead your protagonist to the First Plot Point?

3. Will the First Plot Point seem favorable? If so, how will the complications turn out to be worse than the protagonist expected?

4. Or will this event be obviously disastrous? How?

5. Will the protagonist willingly embrace the First Plot Point and walk into the Second Act under his own power?

6. Or will he have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, through the gateway between acts?

7. Will the First Plot Point destroy the Normal World? Or will it physically remove your character from the Normal World? Or will it warp the Normal World around the protagonist?

8. How will your character react to the First Plot Point?

9. What new plot goal will the character form in response to the First Plot Point?

10. How will the First Plot Point put your character’s feet on the path to his new Truth?

11. How will the First Plot Point create a new world in which the character will be “punished” for acting according to his Lie?