Because Writers Need Another Challenge…

Filed Under Writing Group | Leave a Comment

My writing group has decided, thanks to our shameful lack of progress in NaNoWriMo, to do writing challenges every other week. As if writing wasn’t difficult enough with trying to write and revise whole novels…

Don’t get me wrong. I fully endorsed this idea, even though I loathe writing prompts. I simply have nothing else to share. The way I’ll make the challenges work for me is to make sure everything I write can be tied back to Narrator, Gatekeepers, or Fragment of the Moon. That way I won’t feel like I’m wasting time and effort.

For example, this week’s challenge is to re-tell a myth. I scoured the internet for a story I could use to explain the (as yet unexplained) enmity between two of my gods in Fragment. Last night, I finally found one I liked about Artemis and Apollo. My version of this myth may even find its way into my novel. Two birds, one stone, etc.

Does anyone out there adore/despise writing challenges? Any tips to share with the rest of us?

Tangled Web of Plotting

Filed Under Characters, Creativity | Leave a Comment

I saw Tangled on opening night and wow. Instant classic. But as I watched the story unfold, I thought I could see how the script writers came up with their ideas, adapted the original.

Now, if you’re a Spoilers Nazi, don’t read any further. Granted, you’ll learn most of this in the beginning narration of the film, but I don’t want to be stepping on any purists’ toes. (This means you, brother!)

Are they gone? Awesome.

Now, when you’re re-telling something as familiar as a fairy tale, you need to be able to add your own twists. And I like that Disney actually gave this one some thought. You can almost see them asking: why on earth does Rapunzel have such long hair? Sure, the witch who imprisoned her uses it to climb up and down from the tower, but so could a rope. Or stairs. Why the hair?

The answer? Because the hair has magic. And it loses that magic if it gets cut.

Boom. Instant reasoning. What witch in her right mind is going to risk losing a source of magic because a girl may have somewhat freakishly long hair?

But what magic to give her? None of the other princesses had magic, there certainly isn’t any precedent. If you look at the original story, the prince is blinded and Rapunzel cries on him (yeah, lame, but what can you do?). He’s healed, they live happily ever after, etc.

Boom. Magic healing hair. So many ways to go with that right there.

This may not be the reasoning the Disney team used to arrive at their version of Rapunzel, but I certainly enjoyed tracing it back. Of course, it’s harder than it looks. I tried to do something similar with other fairy tales and couldn’t come up with anything as brilliant as magical healing hair for Rapunzel. Then again, they worked on this for how many years? I think I’ve got some time.

So when you’re working on re-telling a story, and trying to think of twists, try to answer these types of questions logically. (For example, I’m still trying to figure out why there’s a cursed prince (the Beast) living in the middle of the woods and nobody knows about him. He’s a freaking prince.) It can really help move your story along paths you’d never have dreamed of otherwise.

P.S. Go see Tangled!

The End?

Filed Under NaNoWriMo | Leave a Comment

Aaaand pencils down! NaNoWriMo is officially over! Count your words. How’d you do?

I certainly didn’t make it. Huzzah for real life. But if you’re like me, and didn’t reach the month’s goal, there’s plenty of other stuff to be proud of. Maybe that scene you never thought you’d figure out. Maybe that character you hadn’t expected but who stuck around through thick and thin. Maybe that frying pan on a rampage that…wait, that was Tangled.

And just because NaNoWriMo’s over doesn’t mean your novel has to be. (Especially if you realized your novel is longer than 50,000 words.) Keep writing!

← Previous Page

  • Welcome

    new haircut

    Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

    You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at:
    jennifer.a.johnson7 at gmail dot com

  • Official Progress


    4/21 segments

    A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

    Status: Second revision



    1,639/70,000 words
    A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

    Status: First draft



    1,087/70,000 words
    When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

    Status: First draft





  • All writing, unless otherwise specified, is the property of
    Jennifer Johnson © 2010