tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6109330298373881994.post7661389581038049638..comments2023-10-26T11:24:50.157+03:00Comments on Strange and Curious Things: Writing Book: The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chestercuriousthingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07600806228177309511noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6109330298373881994.post-4090115646146818542016-11-16T17:02:41.529+02:002016-11-16T17:02:41.529+02:00Sorry Eden, no ads, please.Sorry Eden, no ads, please.curiousthingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07600806228177309511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6109330298373881994.post-23896721177869436752016-11-16T09:14:17.365+02:002016-11-16T09:14:17.365+02:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14194421351875886128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6109330298373881994.post-3578334799478723852016-03-08T21:45:05.815+02:002016-03-08T21:45:05.815+02:00Hi Mike!
Yeah, it's quite tricky when you try ...Hi Mike!<br />Yeah, it's quite tricky when you try to put theory to practice. I think it doesn't matter if there are spoilers, because the SPOOC method is a tool for the writer to test his/her story premise, so it differs from a logline in that you're not using it to sell the story or hook the reader. If the SPOOC works, then you probably have all the necessary components of a story. (Or that's how I understood it.)<br />Butcher's plots are quite twisty and complicated (but that's why I love his work), kudos on the Summer Knight SPOOC! There's lots of side plots in the book, but I also think that's the main plot. I agree that it's very difficult to boil that particular book down to just two sentences. If you wanted to stick the Lady Aurora bit in the "situation" sentence, you'd need a really long sentence. The method isn't a good fit for literary novels, either: if you tried it on Ulysses you might sprain something:)<br />--Annacuriousthingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07600806228177309511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6109330298373881994.post-85243175543837551942016-03-08T19:17:47.981+02:002016-03-08T19:17:47.981+02:00Hi again Ana,
Hoping my previous comment will get ...Hi again Ana,<br />Hoping my previous comment will get approved, otherwise this may not make much sense. **Spoiler alert for Dresden Files #4 Summer Knight**<br /><br /><br />Here's my attempt at working through SPOOC for Summer Knight. I had a lot of trouble with the Objective but once I started writing the SPOOC sentences I realized that the Objective has to be known in the beginning (first 3-5 chapters) because of how it comes in the first of the two SPOOC sentences. I think I'll try a few more books -- maybe more traditional fantasy ones rather than Dresden -- before trying to apply to my own story idea.<br /><br />Summer Knight (Dresden Files #4) - SPOOC<br />Who is the protagonist? Harry Dresden, a wizard<br />Who is the primary vilain? Aurora, the Summer Lady (note we don't find this out until quite late in the story, though she is introduced in the first half)<br />What does the protagonist want above all else? Well, at first it seems like he wants to find the cure for his girlfriend Susan's vampirism, but I guess by the end he wants to stop the faerie-maggedon that is Aurora is about it cause. In the middle he wants to find the killer (who turns out to be Aurora) so that he can save himself from the White Council's justice of turning him over to the Red Court vampires. It's only towards the very end (the scene where the Gatekeeper asked him if he would end his quest now, or keep trying to stop Aurora) that he really decides to stop Aurora above all else.<br />What does the primary antagonist want? Aurora wants to disrupt the balance of power between the faerie realms, triggering a devastating war, so that one side will win and end the conflict.<br />Who wins at the story's conclusion and how? Harry wins by stopping Aurora from sacrificing Lily.<br /><br />So that one was okay except for the "objective" -- is it really okay for the objective to not be revealed until just before the climax?<br /><br />SPOOC plot equation (2 sentences): When the White Council rules that he will be handed over to his enemies if he doesn't deliver, Chicago wizard-for-hire Harry Dresden must find the faerie Winter Knight's killer (to avoid becoming vampire food). But can he solve the mystery on time when the powerful Summer Lady Aurora threatens to trigger a faerie war with devastating consequences?<br /><br />You can see that Harry's final objective wouldn't make sense in the 2-sentence structure because it has to be a direct result of the Situation in the first sentence. Does that make sense?Mike Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14909340252314100715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6109330298373881994.post-16413344807197363162016-03-08T18:41:15.391+02:002016-03-08T18:41:15.391+02:00Hi Anna,
Thanks for writing this post. I just got ...Hi Anna,<br />Thanks for writing this post. I just got the "FFF" book and am really happy with it so far. I too love Jim Butcher's work (though I enjoyed Codex Alera even more than the 4 Dresden books I've read so far) and got Chester's book after seeing the post on his site, like you.<br /><br />I have a question about the SPOOC method though. I actually just got to that section (page 19) so maybe it will become clear later on, but is it okay for the 2-sentence SPOOC synopsis to contain major spoilers? From Chester's examples I couldn't tell if the Antagonist, Objective and Climax are supposed to all be apparent in the story's beginning (first 3 chapters). But I think in a lot of books, the final version of these (the main antagonist, the main objective, what the final climax will be) is not revealed until much later.<br /><br />For example, in Dresden - Fool Moon (the werewolf one; **spoiler alert if you haven't read it!**), Harry doesn't find out that his main antagonist is actually the FBI agent until quite late in the book; and only a very astute reader would figure it out any earlier. Similarly, Harry Potter only slowly finds out about the philosopher's stone, Voldemort's presence at Hogwarts, etc.<br /><br />Thanks in advance for any insight you have!Mike Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14909340252314100715noreply@blogger.com