# Writing Workshop 6/12/2010: Plot Skeleton



## kitreshawn (Jun 12, 2010)

So after the last informal poll I have determined there are two main 'groups' that read these little things.  One group is attempting to improve their skill at writing while the other is attempting to get help/ideas for their own stories.  To that end I am going to try and make this an exercise that will help both groups.

*The Exercise:*

The most basic story is the fable, fairy tale, or myth.  Write a simple, liner story in which the main character is trying to obtain or accomplish something important and specific (such as the antidote to a poison, key to a treasure vault, or some other thing).  The hero takes immediate action.  There is an obstacle that impedes their progress.  Finally the hero triumphs over the obstacle thanks to a magic or other supernatural event that comes from the outside.  Minor characters are alright but the narrative should never leave the main character and the story should be told through action and dialogue.  Try to keep the story to under 600 words.


*The Objective:*

Before someone can really work on something that is complex they need to be able to do simple systems first.  It is important for a writer, especially a beginning writer, to be able to handle and keep control of a basic plot before moving on to more complex elements (ambiguity, motivation, subtext).  Quite a few very good books involve a quest or journey where a single all powerful obstacle must be overcome.


I'll try to get an example up later, but I am having company this weekend so things are pretty busy again.


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## sunandshadow (Jun 12, 2010)

I don't know if I agree with that description of myth and folktale plots, but making up myths is always fun.    In the final version I think I could expand the courtship part a lot to make it more funny and suspenseful, but I just summarized it here to keep the story short.



In the early days, each of the twenty-four clans of creatures kept to themselves.  This was how the great feathered serpent had divided the world, in order that each individual might live a simple life.  The creatures all followed tradition and respected the last wish of their divine ancestor.  But all creatures had been made from fragments of the celestial serpents, and like called to like, longing to be unified into something greater and closer to godliness.

The Llyon is the leader in all things, so it was he who first crossed the boundary between clans, falling in love with a Nyghtengayle.  At first she refused him, for it was unthinkable for a creature to marry a creature of another soulbreed.  Then she refused him because he did not have shining feathers or a melodious voice, which were the virtues any Nyghtengayle expected in a mate.  But then she saw how the Llyon was brave in his attempts to court her despite her disapproving relatives.  She saw how the Llyon was enduring in his love of her despite her refusals.  She saw how the Llyon had strengths no Nyghtengayle had; he was a mighty hunter, who could keep her children well-fed and protect her even from such fierce enemies as the Tyger, and such cunning egg-eaters as the Oeasel.

Thus the Nyghtengayle woman fell in love with the Llyon, and left her own people to be his mate.  And his people too cast him out for taking a mate of another breed.  So they had no choice but to found a new clan, neither Llyon nor Nyghtengayle.  Founding a clan is always difficult, but the Llyon hunted and the Nyghtengayle gathered fruit from the trees, and together they had enough to eat.  The Llyon sniffed out a cave with his keen nose, and the Nyghtengayle wove a nest, and together they had a place to sleep.

Although they had broken tradition, the magic of nature gave her approval to the new clan by causing the Nyghtengayle's belly to grow round with an egg, which eventually hatched into a child with the fur and claws of a Llyon and the beak and wings of a Nyghtengayle.  This Nyghtenlyon is the ancestor of all people today.  And so, the first two breeds of the twenty-four were unified, and the first step was taken toward our evolutionary destiny.  When all twenty-four clans are so unified we will have regained our divinity, and once again become one of the great feathered serpents that swims among the stars.


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## Hauke (Jun 14, 2010)

I had fun with this:  I do mythology quite often!  The following was done especially for this exercise; other examples are in my gallery.  Time for some shameless self-promotion!

Rated G 
Short Film
Jaeghi's stories part 3

Rated not so G
Jaeghi's stories part 1
Jaeghi's stories part 2

Anyway, let's begin:

	Back in the days before the hanging garden grew, the weasel and badger looked a lot more alike than they do now.  The badger's face was almost all white.  They were kin; that's why when the weasel wanted to marry the Divine Priestess, who was the daughter of the King of the Smoking Hills and the Queen of the Night; he went to the badger for advice.

	And the badger helped him.  "Bring her treasures from under the earth," the badger told the weasel.  "I'll dig some up for you."  The badger tunneled into the earth, and brought up gems and precious metals.  "I ask in return that the Priestess give me her blessing."

	The Priestess was pleased by what the weasel brought before her, and consented to marry the weasel.  But the weasel didn't feel a need to rush to repay his kin.  "Let's go see the world for our honeymoon!"  So they rushed away.

	"Give me what you owe me," cried the badger as he pursued them.

	"What does that badger want," asked the Priestess.

	"I don't know," answered the weasel.

	The Priestess pulled some hairs from her comb and threw it behind them.  It sprang up into a hedge.  "Let's continue, my husband," she said to the weasel.

	The badger began to dig.  He dug all the way under the hedge, killing its roots, and chased the couple.  "Give me what is my due!"

	The Priestess threw down her outer garment.  It turned into a mighty river, too deep to forge and too fast to dare swimming across.

	The badger began to dig.  He dug all the way under the river.  When he was on the other side, he stamped his feet, he was so angry.  Part of the tunnel collapsed.  No waters flow there now, but the channel is still there to this day.  "Give me what you promised," he cried.

	"Is he talking to you, or to me?"  The Priestess removed one of her shoes.  

	"I don't know," said the weasel.  

	The Priestess threw her shoe back toward the badger; it became a forbidding mountain.  "You'll have to carry me," the Priestess told her husband, "now that I have only one shoe."

	The badger began to dig.  He went all the way under that mountain, but it was so vast that the badger became lost.  A maze of tunnels came into being.  It's where the Singer and the star-gazing bats dwell now.  He finally came out on the other side.  "I'll never rest until you deliver!"

	The weasel and his wife made very little progress, since the weasel had to carry the Priestess, so the badger had caught up to them.  He set his wife down and said "You've caught me at last.  But I was jealous:  I don't want my wife to owe anyone anything!"

	"What do I owe this badger, my husband?"  The Priestess was angry.

	"I gave him what he then gave you to win you," said the badger.  "I asked for your blessing in return."  After all that digging, his legs were even shorter than they used to be.

	The Priestess's face softened.  She pulled her fingers across her black lips and leaned down to the badger and said "I'll give you two, for being so persistent."  She touched the badger's head with two fingers, leaving two black trails across his eyes and ears.

	As you know, badgers are marked to this day.  And anyone with a persistent spirit in them is said to be badgering someone; anyone trying to escape their obligations is said to be weaseling out of it.


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## DJ_KFX (Jun 14, 2010)

Okay, here is my humble entry. I guess this kind of falls somewhere between a fable and a fairy tale? I went a little over the implied limit (about 750 words), but it should be okay.
~~

Song of the Wolf

 In ages past, the Wolf was not the majestic, powerful creature of today; he was a small meek animal that lived in fear of the other forest creatures. The Wolf was subservient to all.
If the lowliest Hare demanded a task, who was the Wolf to be insubordinate when the Hares outnumbered him one hundred to one? If the Stag demanded a task, who was the Wolf to disagree when he had no defense from the Stagâ€™s antlers? If the Fox demanded a task, who was the Wolf to refuse when the Foxâ€™s cunning made him agree willingly?

The Hares demand in Frivolity, â€œWe must feast so we can procreate, bring us more food!â€
The Wolf replied in Logic, â€œYour numbers are vast and could easily accomplish the task much better than I.â€
The Hares could not be persuaded to give up their carefree ways, so the Wolf reluctantly did his task.

Then the Stags demanded in Vanity, â€œWe do not command enough respect, you must order the other creatures to bow before us!â€
The Wolf replied in Humility, â€œRespect cannot be taken; it can only be earned. If you are benevolent to others, it will be returned tenfold.â€
The Stags dismissed him with threats of their antlers, so the Wolf reluctantly did his task.

Then the Foxes demanded in Guile, â€œWe do not have enough food or shelter, we beg that you share what you have with us.â€
The Wolf replied in Truth, â€œYou would if you accomplished things yourself instead of relying only on what you can convince others to give.â€
The Foxes asked forgiveness and promised to change their ways if granted their wish, so the Wolf reluctantly shared his resources.

 One night the Wolf spoke to the full moon. â€œI am lonely, but I do not want offspring if they will suffer as I. What shall I do, Goddess Moon?â€
Artemis, keeper of the Forest and Guardian of the Mood, appeared to the Wolf. â€œNoble Wolf, I have heard your plea. I shall grant you gifts, but I shall have to take one from you as well.â€ The Wolf nodded in understanding.
â€œFirst I shall grant you a mate, so that you may know companionship and love, and will have children to carry on your spirit.â€ The Wolf was astonished to see another wolf materialize out of the void. â€œI grant you the power of strength, so you may stand against great odds.â€ With her words, he felt his body become stronger; not only in muscle and size but in mind and will. â€œI grant you the power of fangs, so you may protect your family and vanquish your foes.â€ With her words, he felt his jaw grow and fill with sharp fangs and powerful muscles. â€œLastly, I grant you the power of intelligence, so you may know right from wrong and deceit from truth.â€ With her words, he felt his mind sharpen and his eyes grow keen and focused.
The Wolf marveled at his counterpart, for she had undergone the same changes given to him. Artemis knelt and hugged each Wolf in her arms and said finally, â€œNow I must take the power of reason from you, but do not fear. Reason has left its imprint upon you, and your children will have a sense of it known as Instinct. In return for these gifts, you must pay tribute to the Moon.â€
The pair of Wolves stared as the woman dissolved into mist under the silver light. A final whisper drifted on the breeze, â€œGo majestic Wolf; bring balance to the forest.â€

The Wolves used their gifts in a number of ways to secure a more prominent place amongst the creatures. Fangs were used to show the Stag the meaning of respect and benevolence, as the Wolves only hunted them to keep their numbers in check. Strength was used to show the Hare that the Wolves could not be overrun by sheer numbers, and were forced thereafter to only live within their means. Intelligence was used to show the Fox that the Wolf could no longer be taken advantage of, leaving them to slink and creep among the shadows seeking leverage over those less shrewd.

On the occasion of the first litter of offspring, there was a full moon. As a joyous celebration, the Wolf joined by his mate, raised his head skyward and howled. The song of the Wolf was passed through each new generation in tribute to the gifts bestowed upon them.


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## Hauke (Jun 15, 2010)

sunandshadow said:


> I don't know if I agree with that description of myth and folktale plots, but making up myths is always fun.    In the final version I think I could expand the courtship part a lot to make it more funny and suspenseful, but I just summarized it here to keep the story short.


 
It reminds me somehow of stuff by Steven Brust.  But the romance angle would make it quite a bit different..it definitely does have the "folk tale" vibe.  What'd be neat is a sort of ceremonial re-enactment with masks or other tokens to show what clan each participant is supposed to be representing.


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## Hauke (Jun 15, 2010)

DJ_KFX said:


> Okay, here is my humble entry. I guess this kind of falls somewhere between a fable and a fairy tale? I went a little over the implied limit (about 750 words), but it should be okay.
> ~~
> 
> Song of the Wolf


 
It could have been even longer..I was going to say "It felt rushed at the end" but of course, we were working with a limit.  I liked this; I wonder how it would have flowed if you used groups (prey, intimidating by numbers; scavengers, demanding a share "owed" to them; other predators, and the threat of competition) instead of specific species.


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## DJ_KFX (Jun 15, 2010)

Hauke said:


> It could have been even longer..I was going to say "It felt rushed at the end" but of course, we were working with a limit.  I liked this; I wonder how it would have flowed if you used groups (prey, intimidating by numbers; scavengers, demanding a share "owed" to them; other predators, and the threat of competition) instead of specific species.


 
Yeah, I realize that it was a bit rushed at the end. 
But I was trying really hard not to let this turn into a "big" short story. I was trying to keep the metaphors simple and just use the animals typically associated with those kinds of "values" (hare=frivolous, fox=cunning, etc) . Who knows, this may actually turn into a more developed short story.
Thanks for the feedback though, you are not the only one who expressed interest in the story.


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## sunandshadow (Jun 15, 2010)

Masks would be fun, I hadn't really considered them.  This myth about the celestial feathered serpent and the lion that married the nightingale are part of the myth cycle for a fantasy world.  So the myths are background for a more 'modern' feeling story.  I wanted to do something like Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness, where she puts myths and encyclopedia entries between chapters of the story.  I think Donald Kingsbury's Courtship Rite also does this sort of thing.  Anyway the present day of the story world is more like a regency culture, and everyone has a totem animal, which corresponds to their personality.  So they do have jewelry of their totem animals, and of eggs which are their basic fertility symbol.  For fancy-dress occasions it's traditional to wear the skin or feathers of your totem, and males are supposed to have hunted it themselves.  There are also magic rituals which involve invoking one's totem or the 12 integrated totems.  But I hadn't thought of masks, that would really make sense at a festival or religious ceremony.


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## sunandshadow (Jun 15, 2010)

DJ_KFX said:


> Yeah, I realize that it was a bit rushed at the end.
> But I was trying really hard not to let this turn into a "big" short story. I was trying to keep the metaphors simple and just use the animals typically associated with those kinds of "values" (hare=frivolous, fox=cunning, etc) . Who knows, this may actually turn into a more developed short story.
> Thanks for the feedback though, you are not the only one who expressed interest in the story.


 I like to do that too, associating each animal with a personality type.  I have Coon as my clever playful trickster, and Oeasel as the cunning amoral one.  I have Coney (rabbit) as a symbol of motherhood and softness, but her secondary characteristic is being easily distracted and focused on emotions and appearances rather than anything 'serious'.  Dogge is loyalty and gullibility, and Tyger the lone hunter with a temper.  I still need to make up my mind about the big herbivores, not sure whether I want a stag, a horse, a cow, a sheep, or what.


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## DJ_KFX (Jun 15, 2010)

sunandshadow said:


> Masks would be fun, I hadn't really considered them.  This myth about the celestial feathered serpent and the lion that married the nightingale are part of the myth cycle for a fantasy world.  So the myths are background for a more 'modern' feeling story.  I wanted to do something like Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness, where she puts myths and encyclopedia entries between chapters of the story.  I think Donald Kingsbury's Courtship Rite also does this sort of thing.  Anyway the present day of the story world is more like a regency culture, and everyone has a totem animal, which corresponds to their personality.  So they do have jewelry of their totem animals, and of eggs which are their basic fertility symbol.  For fancy-dress occasions it's traditional to wear the skin or feathers of your totem, and males are supposed to have hunted it themselves.  There are also magic rituals which involve invoking one's totem or the 12 integrated totems.  But I hadn't thought of masks, that would really make sense at a festival or religious ceremony.



Ah, that makes a lot of sense now. I could not place my finger on it when I read it, but now I can say, yes your story had a pretty modern feel to it. Not quite the same sense as mine which I was really trying for the 'ancient past' kind of setting, or Hauke's story with a more traditional fable setting.
I enjoyed it though, because it was a different perspective on the traditional way of associating the tribes with various diciplines.


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## sunandshadow (Jun 15, 2010)

It feels modern?  That's interesting.  I wonder if that's because of the word choice, the sentence structure, the moral, or what.  Not a problem though, as long as it doesn't feel cheesy or anachronistic.  People often tell me my work has an anime feel to it, wonder if that's related.


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