Nano writing - Act 1

Well, would you look at that. I'm actually writing stuff!
 I put a little image in the corner of this blog now, to help me keep track of how I'm doing on this wild ride called NaNoWriMo. So far its been going spectacularly. Fingers crossed it will keep going like this and I'll be able to finish quickly.
That has been the strange thing so far, in that its not felt very much like my other writing attempts have felt - that feeling of sitting down at the computer and staring with horror at a blank page, and trying to wrestle some words out through my fingers. This time its felt almost the opposite, that i'm itching to sit down and when I actually start it just comes gushing out. LIke one of my friends said - looks like my inner muse has found me, and she's hyperactive!
I like this feeling. It is an intoxicating one. Sitting down and releasing a pressure valve and letting the words spray onto the page. ALthough I get the feeling that it might be something very much like a pressure valve, and once this initial release is over, its going to get a whole lot more difficult to get those words out.
But so far, not so bad :)
Perhaps its all the planning and thinking about it during last month that lets me write. The fact that its been sitting in my head and percolating for a month means that its just that little bit more ready to be written. Also, writing in small chunks that actually feel like they are complete and adding to the story helps a LOT.
In the eternal struggle of 'panster vs planner', I think i have firmly declared myself for the 'planner' side.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some more writing to do.

NaNo prep part2

Well, this is a first!
It is starting to feel that all this time investigating stories, breaking them down, and trying to work out what makes them tick may be starting to bear some fruit!

Thanks to a bit of prodding by my mate Svavar, I broke down Aliens, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Terminator and Die Hard and started to get some insight into what sort of information if being presented in each of those parts I talked about earlier. Which let me start to think about what I want to put in my own little NaNo story :)

Lets try a little comparison.

Sequence 1

• Samurai: Meet drunk Algren, See how he's useless. Ask if he wants to kill some Japs.
• Aliens: Meet nightmare riddled Riply, see how she fired. Ask if she wants to kill some Aliens. 
• Raiders: Meet teacher/adventurer Indiana. Cant keep the Artifact. Ask if he wants to beat some Nazis.

We already have some basics - What is life like? What is kicking them into action?

Sequence 2 / End Act 1

• Samurai: Get a look at the modern army and the problem of Samurai rebels, Do stupid things and get caught.
• Aliens: Some high-tech equipment porn, talk about the Aliens a bit. Ignore the warnings are march into "secured" abandoned colony.
• Raiders: Travelling the world and exotic places. Bit of backstory, Bar destroyed by Nazi's and pair go on the hunt with a Medallion.

Again, lots of similarities. What is the predicament we're headed for? Lock our hero into a bad place.

Sequence 3

This starts to rely on "what is the problem our hero is facing". So there are differences based on what makes the problem worse, but still, see for yourself.

• Samurai: Algren suffering and lost. Learn more about the Samurai. "You're doing it wrong".
• Aliens: Ripley locked away. Learning about aliens, acid, last stand and multiple facehuggers!, Oh, colonists are all over there!
• Raiders: Following the clues and getting help (Salah). Run from Arabs and Marion gets captured.

Again, similarities. The hero is pretty passive at this time, mainly going along with the flow. But they learn more about the situation until coming up against a obstacle which raises the stakes of the story.

Sequence 4 / Midpoint

Now we're really headed into the guts of the story!

• Samurai: Algren falls in love with the Samurai culture. Suddenly Ninja! Algren fights and saves the Samurai leader! (no more kill samuraim but save them)
• Aliens: We finally get to see the alien hive and implanted colonists. Fight goes fubar. Ripley gets fedup and literally takes control, saves the last of the marines! (no more save colonists, but get the hell away!)
• Raiders: Nazi's have a medallion too! Racing to catch up as they have started digging. Sneak into Well of Souls and find the real location of the Ark!

We get some rising excitement and a more directly facing the problem. The Hero stops being a wuss and really gets into the actions. Also, the story takes a serious right hand turn and the problem is not quite what we though at the end of sequence two.

Sequence 5

This is a bit slower and on a tangent.

• Samurai: Back to city life. Some politics between the Japanese which puts a new spin on the problem faced by Algren, and now the Army is big and dangerous!
• Aliens: Mainly cooped up in the Colony. Get some interpersonal stuff with Newt (mommy issues) and Burke (money issues). All complicated by the realisation - where are all these eggs coming from.
• Raiders: Find Marion, but leave her tied up! Lot of time with Belloq and Marion, and the Gestapo guy. Ends with Indy's impatience getting the worst of him as they lead the Nazi's to the Ark, and he's trapped.

Again some similarities. We spend some time on the other characters than the main hero and see their issues. We also get some inclination that new plans may be necessary because of some new dangers on the horizon.

Sequence 6 / End act 2

This is, I think, the most fun section. 

• Samurai: The Samurai are loosing. Laws against them, captured etc. Algren comes and saves the say and escapes with the Samurai leader, but he looses his son in the fight.
• Aliens: Pure Action. Aliens attck, Bishop goes for the new 2nd dropship. Ripley nearly implanted, then the big runaway which ends with Newt getting captured!
• Raiders: Escape, Fight at the Airplane! Steal the truck, escape the baddies, GET THE ARK!

Yeah, this section is the fun one. Lots of action, lots of conflict, and it almost seems that our heros succeed. But there is one final problem to overcome - the big one!

Sequence 7

This and the following one are in a way hard to divide, because there is so much going on!

• Samurai: Algren and the Samurai return and prepare. The final fight is for the hearts and minds, so they are making a stand! Gearing up time. Algren finally "becomes one with the samurai".
• Aliens: Ripley refuses to leave. She is going to face the Aliens head on to save Newt. Heart pumping music as she gears up and enters the Hive. She's become warrior-woman incarnate!
• Raiders: Relaxing on the boat. Submarine attack, Indy alone goes to the rescue. 

Both are fairly short, but they point out in no uncertain terms what the final confrontation is all about. Our hero takes their final form! Really sets up the final as a simple choice - WIN or DIE!

Sequence 8

• Samurai: Awesome battle. Has a fake-out where you think the Samurai might actually win! But no, they (nearly) all die. Emperor has his little speech at the end saying the Samurai were right.
• Aliens: Well, The escape and face off against the Queen. Fake-out that no, you didn't escape completely, the Queen is up here with you! AT the end you get them all cleaned up and going to sleep, they can now dream as the Nightmare is dead!
• Raiders: Chases after Belloq, fake-out capture! Indy knows how to survive and the Nazi's die to the Ark. Marion and Indy happy at the end with the Ark "safely" out of reach of the Nazi's.

Yep, the big boss fight with a fake out in the middle where they try to trick you!. With a nice wrap up at the end.

So, After all this pulling stuff apart, I finally proved to myself that this structure actually holds, and set about putting my own story layered over this framework. Today I finally got something that resembles an interesting story! Now I have the rest of the week to fiddle with my scenes before I have to start putting pen to paper! (Or fingers to keyboard).

Samurai Breakdown

So, Alexandra put up some more challenges to look at the movies we listed and break them down. She talks about the "3 act" and "8 sequences" that are most movies are made up of. So I spent a quite enjoyable (but tiring) few days watching lots of movies. North by Northwest, Aliens, Centurion, The Last Samurai, Wreck it Ralph, and you know what - she's right.

I spent a lot of time going through these movies, working out what the theme, plot, characters were. Watching for the sequence and act breaks, and the big setpieces. My wife even got to the point where she told me "If I wanted the director's commentary, I'd watch the special features...". I got a little obsessive I think :/

So which movies do I think are most similar to my story?
What's my story? Good question. But lets start with the one story that sings to me the most: The Last Samurai

The tagline I wrote for it was: "A veteran of the US civil war is hired to destroy the last samurai, but after he comes to embrace their culture he still needs to stop the modernized army that now seeks his death as well". But now I think that might be a little off.

Anyway Lets look at the "8 sequences" that so many people talk about…

Sequence 1: 

Status Quo and Kickoff Setpiece.

Here we see meet Captain Algren - the "All American Hero", who is drunk, depressed, and deeply cynical. 

The first setpiece is easy to spot - the Dinner/Job Offer. Algren is playing the rude, money-grubbing lout, and the Japanese are disgusted by it, but we learn what the movie is thematically about: The Emperor wants to modernize Japan, but is having trouble with rebels. "Civilization vs Savages".

Sequence 2/Act 1: 

No going back.

Algren in Japan, learning about the Samurai and Katsumoto, and training the Imperial Army to use guns. The clarifies the core theme - it’s the Modern Capitalists (civilization) vs the Honorable Traditionalists (savages)

This setpiece is pretty great. Terrifying war cries and horns echoing through the misty forest, the unready Imperial army breaking apart. Algren going hand to hand with the Samurai, and getting captured by Katsumoto. The kicker is the beheading/suicide of the Imperial General who refused to fight against Katsumoto as it was "dishonorable".

Sequence 3: 

Get over it.

Algren is a "civilized" man, and he needs to lose his habits before he can come to appreciate the Japanese ways. Alcohol withdrawal, rudeness, stubborn attitude.

The setpiece here is great, where he literally has to have the stubbornness beaten out of him by Ujio, a samurai who is offended at the outsider holding even a practice sword. We have the townsfolk, children and the "love interest" all watching on. He's left beaten senseless, lying in the mud, being rained on, and everyone turns away.

Sequence 4/Midpoint: 

Becoming one of them.

From his all time low, the only way is up, and now Algren is open to learn, and learn he does. We are given a couple of montages, and some great scenes of Algren learning to be Japanese, but they are unsure of him and treat him "like a stray dog".

But this is another obvious setpiece, when Katsumoto is attacked by ninja. Algren finally starts to show his true colors, and leaps to the defense of his caretakers, and even risks his life to save Katsumoto. The expressions are priceless as everyone involved realizes, Algren has changed sides.

Sequence 5: 

Up the stakes!

Katsumoto heads to Tokyo to meet with the Emperor, and Algren is brought along and released. But we see how much he really has changed - and how dangerous the Imperial army has become.

The setpiece is a lovely meeting with Omura (the Capitalist Bad Guy) who has a lovely meeting with Algren, offering to take him back on as the new military general of the Imperial Army. There is a second conversation going on, implied by their choice of words - Is Algren still one of them, or has he been seduced by Katsumoto? The final line of Omura to his sidekick clinches it "If he goes near Katsumoto, kill him!"

Sequence 6/Act 2: 

Commit.

There is lots of very obvious losses for the Samurai here. Laws passed against them, harassment, and Katsumot imprisoned. The Capitalists have won, and they just need to round up and kill the stragglers.

The setpiece is spectacular here, 3 scenes which build up the tension where Algren goes to rescue Katsumoto. The climax is 4 minutes of Samurai vs Soldiers where Algren leads the escape out of Tokyo, but Katsumoto's son needs to sacrifice himself to give time for the others to escape.

Sequence 7: 

More Tension!!

Here the Samurai retreat back to the town, and make preparations for battle. "Gotta have a montage", smiths making swords, soldiers arming up, etc. There is an undertone of sadness though with lots of "final farewell" images thrown in.

The setpiece here was a bit of a hard one to pick, as there are two really moving scenes one after another, but it’s the first one that really strikes me. We get to see a very symbolic act - the wife of the man he killed all the way back when he was captured, the woman who has cared for him and seen him change from the disgusting foreigner into a person worthy of respect - she brings Algren into the room where the red armor is standing - and tells him "If you wear it, you will honor us". This is shot in a very intimate way where the woman dresses Algren in layers of protection - almost composed like a sex scene.

Sequence 8/Act 3: 

Resolution.

Heck, this whole part is just one long battle scene (with a coda with the Emperor at the end). The battle is great, with a too and fro, and rising tension which seems to climax in the Samurai driving back the regiments and being left, victorious, over a field of dead bodies, but Algren points out - they will just bring up two more regiments. We can't win again."

Which leads to the quite moving setpiece. Katsumoto leads the surviving samurai in a suicidal charge against the Imperial Army and their howitzers and machine guns. Of course, the Samurai are cut down, but even though Katsumoto "looses" and commits seppuku on the field amidst his dead companions, he "wins" the battle for the soul of Japan, as the Imperial soldiers stop firing and everyone (except Omura) kneels down before Katsumoto. 

Premise Priority!

Yesterday Alexandra continued her series on preparation for NaNoWriMo and sent out the challenge to write the "logling" for the top 10 stories I posted the other day. I thought this would be a breeze! Just do a back cover blurb, slap down a few words that tell a story and then I can go and relax, and play some computer games or watch a movie.

But no, its not that simple. Not at all!

While my wife and I were sitting on the couch catching up with Korra before the final season starts, I had my nose in my notebook, trying (and failing) to write these elusive loglines. My head was lost in those fantasy worlds, trying to distill the stories into a single sentence. Every now and again I was nudged so I would look up for a particularly good scene, but eventually I had to give up when I realized that the TV was off, and I was sitting on the couch in the dark… and it was the next day already. Sigh.

So a good logline needs to cover a bunch of bases to tell you "what the story is about".

• Who is the protagonist?
• Who is the antagonist
• What is the setting?
• What is the conflict?
• What are the stakes?

Getting all this into a single sentence is damn hard! I was writing about a paragraph, or even a few sentences at the least. It’s a really great creative exercise to try and cut out as much unneeded fluff as you can., and get the words that have the best meaning for the story. I'm not sure I nailed it, in fact I'm pretty sure that all of these can be improved upon (Hjalti where are you when I need you!)

So how did I do? This is the same list that I did a few days ago, in the same order. But can you tell what each story is? Do you want to put down whatever it is you are doing and go read/watch these right now?

• The Bad Guy in an old computer game goes on a quest to get the good guy medal, but can he become a real good guy before the relentless enemy he accidently unleashed destroys the whole arcade?

• A Bitter old man threatened with the loss of his house and memorabilia flies away with it all thanks to thousands of balloons to fulfill his lifelong dream in the wilds of south america. But he needs to reconnect with the world when his childhood hero turns out to be a paranoid evil man.

• A small American town during the cold war is frightened when a damaged giant metal machine drops from the sky. It needs to prove it is not a threat before the ruthless US military catches and destroys it.

• A veteran of the US civil war is hired to destroy the last samurai, but after he comes to embrace their culture he still needs to stop the modernized army that now seeks his death as well.

• In the mysterious island-city of Camorr, an infamous young thief is caught up in a bloody underworld coup that threatens to destroy everyone he holds dear, and he has to outsmart the ambitious and deadly enemy at its own game.

• In a nation that keeps order through a televised fight to the death between children, a hardened young girl takes the place of her younger sister and needs to keep her humanity while surviving the other brutal contenders.

• The bitter last Gunslinger must travel across a demon-infested desert, and confront its murderous inhabitants to catch the enigmatic magician who holds the key to the center of everything - The Dark Tower

• A comfort-loving hobbit needs to find his own courage to survive an unexpected adventure though wilds and forests, and help a band of dwarves to reclaim their homeland from a dragon.

• In fascist civil war spain, an imaginative young girl must complete a trio of life-threatening tasks to reclaim her mythical kingdom and escape a sadistic army captain - her step-father.

• Facing the hazardous depths of the alien zones to feed the black market in alien artifacts is a job only the desperate would consider, and to provide for his family, one such man braves its dangers and the government institute that seeks to police it.

Yeah, some of these are horribly constructed, but I think the (mostly) give an idea of what you are getting into.

NaNoWriMo prep time!

So its that time of the year again, when the skies darken and the nights become too bloody cold :)

November and the NaNoWriMo is coming around once again. I don’t remember how many times I've attempted this, and how many times the result that came out the other side was either incomprehensible, or just "meh". So this time, prompted by the lovely Alex, I am going to do a little bit of pre-planning! Perhaps the result might be a tad better?

So, what am I going to devote many hours of November to write this year? I honestly have no idea - which is what gets me in trouble each year as I fumble around and waste time trying to find out what I want to write. Alexandra is being so generous as to write a series of "NaNo prep" posts. In her first one she recommends making a list of 10 favorite movies and books, and then analyzing what that list says about "what appeals to me".

Joy, my favorite pastime: making lists and analyzing patterns! (this was a little too much fun, and I had to restrain myself from watching some movies right now!) I was in the mood for something that really got a hold of me, so while these may not be all time favorites, they are all damn close.

Movies

• Wreck it Ralph
• Up
• Iron Giant
• Last Samurai
• Pan's Labyrinth

Novels

• The Lies of Locke Lamora
• The Hunger Games
• The Gunslinger
• The Hobbit
• Roadside Picnic

Huh…
It seems the movies are more "tear jerkers" for me, while the novels are more action-y. But lets take a closer look before jumping to conclusions!

Wreck it Ralph

"…you are bad guy, but this does not mean you are bad guy."

I really love this movie. Its got hilarious at times, and really pulls out the tears at others. I really empathize with Ralph at many times. Here is this guy who is the "designated bad guy". The thing he does well is break stuff, and everyone only thinks of him as the bad guy, and so they hate him. But he doesn't want to be the bad guy, but the good guy.
The core of the story, for me, is the character interactions. A lot of the story is about how Ralph rather selfishly goes after his own goals which results in a lot of real danger for a lot of people around him. Its only when Ralph realizes what he's done and tries to help others that things start to get better. He's even willing to die for what he comes to believe is the right thing.

Up!

"Adventure is out there!"

I must have seen this about a dozen times. I have to say that the opening montage gets me teary every single damn time. I mean really pixar - a tragic story of true love, heartache, happiness and loss all without a word.
Another character I strongly identify with: Carl. Everyone wants his to just disappear or die already! He just wants to remember his wife, and keep his promise to her memory. He thinks that he'll be happy if he only just does this one last thing…
Again a story where the character relationships are vital. Carl sees everything in life as an obstacle to be endured or bypassed, and its only when he stops trying to "endure" the people around him and actually opens himself up to taking  part in their lives that he realizes what being happy really is. He gives up everything that he thought defined him - his memorabilia of his wife - to actually get out and find out that life is the true adventure.

Iron Giant

"I am not a gun."

Well, the whole setting of the story sets this up. America during the "Red Scare" years - where everything not "american" is a communist plot! While the all the various characters (Hogarth, Kent Mansley specialagent, Dean) are all pretty great, they are honestly just fleshed out Stereotypes/Mouthpieces for different points of view - but I don’t care because the whole thing is just so great :) This movie really is all about the Iron Giant finding himself.
Yet another story of a misunderstood character. The Government is after the Iron Giant, and he's basically an giant alien weapon platform with a few neurons strapped on for guidance. But he wants to be so much more! He's not the evil Roboto, he's Superman! At least in his heart. It takes the ultimate sacrifice on his behalf to finally convince the world that he's not the "Bad Guy". I feel the happy ending was tacked on because it’s a kids cartoon, but it still works :)

The Last Samurai

"I say, Japan was made by a handful of brave men. Warriors, willing to give their lives for what seems to have become a forgotten word: honor.."

Hehe! Ken Wantanabe is just superb as Katsumoto, the cited "Last Samurai". The one who is holding true to tradition, Honour and Loyalty in the face of blatant capitalism and self-aggrandizement. Sure, Tom Cruise as the drunk, bitter ex-colonel down on his luck is the point of view character, but its Lord Katsumoto who is the driver of the conflict in the movie. He is the one who looks upon the "westernization" of Japan as destructive and so refuses to let things go on their current cause.
As they saying goes "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Katsumoto tries to act, but the only act that ultimately remains for him is his own death - but that death, and the symbolic stand of the samurai,  is enough to act as a catalyst for the Emperor of Japan to change his ways.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

"You can't help being young, but it's past time that you stopped being stupid."

Oh boy oh boy! This is a real tale of adventure. Criminal plots gone astray, clever puzzles and loyal friends. But more than that, it’s the story of a very unlikely hero. Lying, conniving, manipulative con-artists, who end up saving the whole city.  It not quite a traditional "medieval fantasy", but is more of a fantasy renaissance Venice.
This story plays with the idea of "family". Locke's little band of Gentlemen Bastards is a family that looks after its own. The Barsavi criminal family manipulate and corrupt for the "cause" of family. While the Bondsmagi ruthlessly destroy any mage who doesn't become one of their "family", and rain horrors on all who hurt them.
But I really like how troubles follow Locke, so long as he tries to get his own way. Every problem that they get embroiled in is the direct result of Locke thinking too much of himself or acting for his own benefit. Only when he acts altruistically (well, mostly anyway) is when things seem to go right.

The Hunger Games

"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

What can I say. They even made a pretty darned good movie out of this one. This is another of my "unwitting hero" favorites. Katniss isn't trying to be a hero, or symbol. She is just trying to save her sister and get out alive. But it's because of her inherent character, and unwillingness to become truly despicable (as the games director wants) that saves both her and her fellow delegate from home - and make her a symbol for freedom from oppression to the other districts.
Oh, and yes there is a scene where she attempts suicide to make her point that the authorities are wrong… That is a definite repeating theme in all of these stories!

The Gunslinger

"First comes smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire"

I think the main character in this story, Roland, is the most cynical one so far. But this is a great story about obsession, and the destruction left in its wake. I think this one is actually a pretty sad book (good one, just leaves me emotionally drained) which is rather different to all the above. Roland is definitely not a hero, but he is a badass. While many of the above characters are willing to sacrifice themselves or things close to them to do what is right, Roland is willing to sacrifice EVERYTHING else to achieve his quest - and while he know that it makes him a bad man and hates himself for it, he cannot give up on his quest. Heck, he's willing to slaughter an entire town just to carry on the chase for the Man in Black.
The whole series is pretty epic, but I think that this first book, in its simple focus and clarity is the best of them all.
Maybe Roland has made a sacrifice - he's sacrificed everything else in his life, all connections, friends, family, even love for the sake of his quest, and I think its starting to dawn on him in the later parts of this book that it wasn't a good trade.

The Hobbit

"There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

Yep, this one holds a special place in my heart. This was my first "grown up" book that I read. The first one that didn't have lots of pictures and happy messages in it. This was a poor hobbit dragged around the countryside and thrust into danger after danger. I loved that even though the story was filled with strong people with swords and armor and anger issues, it is the clever guy, the little hobbit who just enjoys his tea, who manages to outsmart and put right so many things in this story.
A lot of now familiar themes of standing by your family and friends, selfish greed vs honest care, and all that good stuff :) Once more the unlikely hero as well.

Oof - now come a couple of stories that are a bit out of left field, but somehow I felt from the start that they belonged here.

Pan's Labyrinth

"But captain, to obey - just like that - for obedience's sake... without questioning... That's something only people like you do"

This is a heartbreaking story. Also one of the first real tragedies in the list. This is a "rocks fall, everyone dies", except for the one guy who really and truly deserves to die - Captain Vidal (that evil fucker!)  This is a strange, dreamlike movie set in post-civil war spain - a story of rebels and a bastard of a fascist Captain - and his innocent daughter who might be a fairy princess. Its so heartbreaking because everything just keeps getting worse all the time. There are a few moments scattered around where you thing "finally, they will win now", only for everything to get fucked up and go straight back to hell, only with some added horrors.
I love how the whole fairytale experiences of Ophelia could be real, or could be her imagination - but in either case they have a strong influence on the progression of the story. What I really love in this whole movie is that the underdogs (Ophelia, the rebels) continue their acts of rebellion even though they realize that there is no possibility of a good outcome.
(yep, I give in, I need to go watch this again now)

Roadside Picnic

Another tragedy. This is a very bleak, very russian novel written by the Strugatsky brothers. This is quite unlike anything I'd ever read before. Here was a world that had been visited by aliens, but they were so far beyond humanity that we can't really make heads or tails of the stuff they inadvertently left behind.
The main character is "Red", one of the brave (foolish?) stalkers - people who make a living going into the contaminated areas and bringing out the strange alien artifacts. But even though there is this whole science fiction overlay, this story is really about Red trying to survive in a world hostile to his existence. He braves the reality-bending visitation zones, he struggles and tricks the constricting bureaucracy that runs the research institute, keeping his mutated daughter well cared for (even though she might be an alien…)
But in the end this is a tragedy, as even though Red never gives up and keeps fighting, there is no way to survive the greed and corruption of the world…