Remember Veruca Salt in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY? This spoiled young girl wanted everything–a golden ticket, an Oompa Loompa, a golden goose, the golden egg–ALL RIGHT NOW!!
Not everyone knows what they want. Sometimes it’s wrapped up in immediate gratification or based on current trends. Or maybe it’s reflected in the mood of the day.
There’s a certain level of respect, albeit a very thin one, we should offer Veruca, as she absolutely without a doubt knew what she wanted, how to articulate it, and by the way, if you didn’t understand, it was all to be delivered RIGHT now. Yes, she was extreme and yes, she did fall on unfortunate circumstances, but she had her moments to shine and exploited used them to her advantage.
It’s hard to wait for the things we most want. It’s even harder when you’re young, when patience is a foreign word, and you believe you deserve the world. Think about this as you discover what your MC wants most and how to get this to happen in your story.
Hey, even better, use the following Magic Questions. Proceed with caution…if used properly, you’ll find your story transformed. If not, you’ll have one cluster@#$#.
- What does your character want most?
- What is the main thing that will drive your MC to reach her goal?
- What kinds of things will your protagonist do to get what he wants?
- When push comes to shove, what makes your character reach into inner reserves to get what she wants?
- How does this influence others around him?
- What IF…?
Write-a-Scene Writing Prompt: Write a scene where your MC finds resistance when acting upon desires. I know, I know. Your manuscript needs to be built with scenes like this. So, get writing! Before writing each scene, remember to ask yourself the questions I’ve noted above. These questions are magic. They will drive your story forward and help create a compelling character AND intriguing plot.
Come on. Try it!
Make your words count!
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Great post, Vivian! And of course I had to go watch the Youtube video of that song. 🙂
I think I may try this exercise with my new WIP – I’m stumbling some with the beginning – and maybe this will help me get going!
Glad this helps, Chris. The video is funny, isn’t it? Good luck with your beginning!
Vivian,
Thanks for putting up this website. I stumbled upon it while looking up Megan Whelan Turner and I’m so happy that I found it at the beginning of my first writing intensive summer. I’ll definitely be using your writing prompts to help me out and I’ll be participating in Kaz’s summer camp as well.
In addition, thank you so much for that interview with Megan. I tried to contact her several times last year with no success. I was happy to see that yes, she is out there and yes, she does communicate with fans.
Amyryuu
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and your kind words, Amyryuu. Megan Whalen Turner is awesome and I’m glad you enjoyed the interview.
Best of luck with your writing!