LOL I collect online references as well as e-books... And I have a Scrivener file crammed full of random bits of info I've found while wandering around different sites.

Is there anything in particular you are looking for?

Hmm mostly just tips and tricks for organizing your thoughts, best ways to plot out events and well just even the basics can help me. I have ideas but half the time I have no idea how to go about writing them down so I'm not just boring the reader.

-edits- Please note everything with square brackets around them is just a general term that can be replaced with specifics. The stuff in parentheses is just notes.

Getting Started

Integral parts of the story are:

1. Who are your characters? (I suggest looking up archetypes. The basic five are Main, Sidekick, Mentor, Love Interest, and Antagonist.)
2. What kind of story is this? (36 Dramatic Situations will help you figure your premise.)
3. What is the setting? (You can just answer with real world, fantasy world, alien world, etc. or you can go into more detail.)
4. What is the basic conflict? (Is it unrequited love or oppression or… well, you get the idea…) Refer to the Writer's Cheat Sheets linked at the end of my post. I suggest saving your own personal copy on your computer somewhere and/or printing them out because they are so useful!

Some notable tips I feel I must quote here: "Plot + Character = Theme" “Plot is [external conflict] caused by [outer problem] and the solution is blocked by [internal conflict]. Character is [internal conflict] caused by [inner problem] and the assumed solution is blocked by [misguided goal] but the real solution is catalyzed by [external conflict]. Theme is [outer problem] leads to [internal conflict resolution] which leads to [external conflict resolution]. In other words, the combined solutions for inner and outer conflicts constitutes the theme.”

“At the start of your story, you will also need to establish: A. An obvious problem. (Start the story off with action - not the main story problem but an interesting problem in the character’s usual world.) B. A hidden need. (The protagonist is missing something in his life and you must illustrate this without being obvious about it.) C. Admirable qualities. (Show the reader what is likable about the character, even if he is the bad guy.)”

I would suggest coming up with a form for story specifics. Mine goes something like (which, if you want, you can use/edit):
Possible Title(s): General Concept: Main Protagonist(s): Main Antagonist(s): Umbrella Genre(s): Sub-genres: Approximate Time Frame (or closest comparison for AUs): Notes on Places Integral to the Story: Basic conflict(s) is/are… The overall theme(s) is/are… Dramatic Situations for this story include… Inspirations: (this is usually a list of songs and movies for me and what exactly it is I like about them) Secondary Characters: (include some basic info on characters including how they know the mains) Important “Minor” Supporting Cast:

Plotting

I have combined Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet, Dan Wells’ Seven-Point system, and Pixar’s plotting system (for the underlined bits specifically), as well as bit and pieces from other sources, to create my own beat sheet and explanations for each beat.

Dan Well’s Seven-Point System is a good place to start and for non-outliners it’s probably enough. [spoiler=Dan Well’s Seven-Point System] Start at the end. Then figure out the beginning. Next is the midpoint, followed by 1st Plot Point and 2nd Plot Point. Find the 1st Pinch Point and the 2nd Pinch Point. (I’ve added: Finally, insert these into Beat Sheet and work on fleshing out the rest of the plot.)

1. Hook – [Hero] has a sad, boring life
2. 1st Plot Point – [Hero] becomes [Role].
3. 1st Pinch Point - A [Bad Guy] attacks.
4. Midpoint – [Hero] learns the truth about [Something] and swears to [Defeat the Villain].
5. 2nd Pinch Point – [Companions] fall to [Villain] and [Hero] is left alone.
6. 2nd Plot Point - Facing [Villain], [Hero] discovers [The Power Is In Him].
7. Resolution – [Hero] defeats [Villain].

My more in-depth Action Beat Sheet, with basic explanations, goes something like this:

The Beats

Act One (Put your characters up a tree.)

Part One - The Setup

Opening Scene: (The job of the opening scene is to grab the reader, provoke interest, and cause questions to be asked.) 1a. Opening Image: Once there was a [character] (This is a “before” snapshot that sets the tone of the project. Play around until you find something that perfectly introduces your story’s character, plot, theme, and voice.) First Line: (Because that’s gotta happen in here somewhere. Probably at the very beginning. IDK.) 1b. Hook Moment: (As simple as it sounds, there is only one thing the hook does - it hooks. The hook needs to be big enough to get the reader asking questions, but not too big that it overshadows the rest of your story.)

Take a Tour of the Old World: Every day the [character] does [the same old thing](Introduce or hint at every character in your main story.) 2a. Theme Stated: (Another character states the theme but the main character doesn’t understand.)

Catalyst: Until one day [something different happens] (This is the moment everything changes for the main character.) 3a. Inciting Incident: (Optional; can be combined with 1st Plot Point) (This is draws the main character into the story line. It’s what engages them, motivates them and is why they make a decision to change at the 1st Plot Point.)

Debate: Because of that [character] reacts (The main character doubts the journey they must take until eventually they must make an irrevocable choice at the 1st Plot Point to push them into Act 2.) 4a. 1st Plot Point: (The 1st Plot Point forces the character to fully inhabit the New World. It is the journey starter.)

Break into Act 2: (The main character has made their choice and their journey begins. They leave their Old World and enter their New World.)

Act Two (Throw rocks at them.)

Part Two - The Response 6. Subplot: (A minor story layered under the main narrative. It often adds another layer to the characters by allowing them to engage in behavior not necessarily connected to the main plot but still relevant to the overall narrative.) 7. Fun and Games: (The main character explores the New World and the reader is entertained by the adventures.) 7a. 1st Pinch Point: (Apply pressure. This beat is often used to introduce the villain.) 7b. Midpoint Catalyst: Until [character] must take action (New information or awareness changes the character’s experience or understanding; activates new decisions.) 8. Midpoint: (The Midpoint marks the turning point. After the Midpoint the character’s response moves from defense to offense. They have spent the first half of the story running away. They spend the second half confronting the problem.)

Part Three - The Attack 9. Bad Guys Close In: (The antagonistic forces attack and this time the main character fights back.) 9a. 2nd Pinch Point: (Applies more pressure than the 1st Pinch Point. This is the jaws of defeat from which the hero will snatch victory. The teeth should be sharp.) 9b. All is Lost Lull: (Optional) (Slower paced; creates anticipation.) 10. All is Lost: Then [crisis] happens which drives the [character] towards [resolution] (The “whiff of death”; a false defeat makes the main character feel as if they cannot win) 10a. Darkest Moment: (Main character has lost everything and now they are feeling defeated and/or depressed.) 10b. 2nd Plot Point: (Injects information into the story; this is where the main character gets what they need to defeat the antagonist, though they don’t realize it at the time.)

Act Three (Get them back down again.)

Part Four - The Resolution 11. Break into Act 3: (The solution is found.) 12. Finale: (The battle is fought.) 12a. Final Image: Ever since then the [character] has a different life. (Gives readers a glimpse of how the character has changed and at the new life the character will live in the aftermath of the conflict.)

Please note these beats are just suggestions for the aspects of an action story. Depending on the genre, the beats will be different. My stories are usually a combination of action and romance so what I add for each beat reflects that. [/spoiler]

The links: Writer's "Cheat Sheets"! url=http://www.inkalicious.com/cheatsheets.html[/url] or the downloadable pdf version: url=http://www.writerscheatsheet.com/writing/[/url] K.M. Weiland actually has a Pinterest account (and a blog, as best I can tell) that links to blog posts about the stuff she writes about in her writing skills books: url= https://www.pinterest.com/kmweiland/writing-resources/[/url] This monster list of links to tumblr resources (which I have not gone through so I cannot confirm they all work but maybe the can at least give you an idea what to do a web search for): url=http://thewritersarchive.tumblr.com/post/51965789306[/url]

Kay. Done. -flops over- Let me know if you have any questions. I'll try to answer them. :)

Ooooo

What motivation to get it finished! From what I gather, the best way to get better is to dedicate time to doing a webcomic or something similar because the more pages you do, the better the art gets.

It's especially noticeable with comics that have been going on for awhile (like Homestuck, surprisingly enough, and certain manga series) since you can see the progress over time, but even someone who does multiple short ones will have noticeable improvement.

You should! There's also makehuman, which is a program specifically for making 3D modeling of people easier (in that you don't have to sculpt every little detail yourself and it's literally just a bunch of sliders that are labelled exactly what they're for), but it's a little finicky when it comes to the textures. It comes with some basic ones for clothing and the skin and hair and whatever, but they don't always seem to work for me depending on which ones I choose so your mileage may vary.

Even with its shortcomings, though, it's pretty damn good at getting a quick model done that is to your specifications. Won't be perfect in regards to lining up perfectly with what you have in your head sometimes, but it's a good start.

Thank you for that, really helps a lot... believe me structure always seems to help me more than I ever thought it would! I'm keeping your post noted for future reference, thanks again for any and all help!!

I like structure, when I am writing especially, because I get lost otherwise. XD My personalized story building "template" is probably more in-depth than absolutely necessary but I'd rather I had too much structure built in as opposed to not having enough.

- I know. I like to look back at the first couple strips of comics that I read now and then and see how much the artist has improved, and I'm like... I can do that... but I don't want my first pages to be crap art though! lol. (I also don't want my story to be crap, I seriously need someont to beta it and tell me where it works, and where it fails, but it's super long and no one wants to do it, and it's not even done yet)

- I might steal that template/plan thing too, that might help me stay on track with my stories and keep the big picture. (instead of throwing everything into a fire and trying to pick up the pieces that didn't get burned along the way)

Please, feel free! If you think you can use any of it, go right ahead!

I am still working on steam-lining my forms (i.e. figuring out what is necessary and figuring out what I really want). My beat sheet is pretty well where I want it (though I am still working on making reference notes for each beat in a resource file) but I'll also have the story specifics form, a basic character profile, and an in-depth character profile. I may also come up with some kind of form for settings.

If you are interested, I can post the final versions of my personalized forms here once I'm done. It'll probably a week or two though. I'm splitting my time between using what I have and getting everything more like I want it.

Oh dear. Good luck finding someone willing. You may have to do the first run-through or so yourself, unfortunately, but it can be done. :)

Same. I want to at least try the webcomic thing, but I don't know what story I'd do. My NaNo novel doesn't exactly translate well into webcomic form and the one character I'd love to do a webcomic for has no story to go with her because I use her for LARP/RP stuff. :(

- that would be cool!

- Well, my sister started reading it a while ago, and she said that it read more like a comic than a novel, which is what I was going for, so there is that at least :) Maybe you could draw that character's LARP experiences and RP stories, that would be a start at least, it could even be kind of comedic, like her thoughts as the character as you put her through all these random LARP situations and break the fourth wall and stuff.

Well that's good! :D Definitely a good start.

I could. :0 Maybe even her backstory since that could use visuals and would be interesting to explore in general.

I think I know what I'm doing instead of what I had already planned to do come July. :D

- giving you character backstory is always good :) Hopefully camp kicks my butt and makes me write more stuff. I've been such a slacker.

She already has one, so it'll be more putting it into a narrative style over the Wikipedia Article style it currently has going on.

I hope it will, too. Plus, you have all of us to kick your butt, too, and you can kick ours in return. LOL

- That's good :P I actually have to do that for a bunch of my characters too, more story-like backgrounds than biography-like backgrounds. That's what I'm hoping to get done in July.

The benefit of working with an RP/LARP character. The background is all set up so all that's left is their adventures. :)

July's going to be the story-like background, plus whichever of her adventures I feel need chronicled. Which will likely be all of them.

- Sounds like fun :)

Indeed.

This particular character is a part-demon necromancer who happens to be self-employed bootlegging during the 1920s, so shenanigans are never too far away. Right now, she's making a deal with this guy to help him overthrow a government. If they succeed, she becomes governor of somewhere and gains a place to live when she's in town. If they fail, she still gets the place to live. LOL

- Nice, gotta love the prohibition. And a female governor in the 1920s? How progressive of her :P

Indeed. Makes for a fun setting, to say the least.

Yep. I mean, technically speaking, she's likely going to end up governor of a place in a steampunk setting (she's from a dieselpunk/diesel noir setting, but the way the RP/LARP is set up, anything goes so long as it isn't offensive, so there's a lot of genre mixing), making it even more progressive.

She's going to be providing military aid in the way of thrall and a ring that lets her control djinn for this overthrow. If people don't agree with her being in the position, they won't have a very good time trying to get her out of office.

Well, I finished my character profile forms. The "questions" marked with an asterisk are the basic character profile while the rest is the in-depth version. In both cases, I'll add or remove questions to fit my needs. (Because it is basically impossible to create a form that covers everything or, alternatively, a form that doesn't cover anything extra. Also, my writing is mostly supernatural and/or romance so I kind of just ignored things that were better suited to different genres. Like... worst fears... or what kind of car do they drive... Yeah, IDK.)

Also, I'll be going through Types of Heroes Wikia and Types of Villains Wikia for my heroes and villains respectively and adding the list of applicable categories to their profiles. (Just because that is the easiest way for me to distinguish their motivations.)

Warning... Long List Ahead

General *Full Name: Pronunciation: Meaning of Name/Reason for Name: *Nicknames (who gave it to them; why): Nationality and Ethnicity (species, if non-human): *Actual Age (and appears to be, if applicable): Gender: Sexuality: Job Title: Socioeconomic Status (past and present): Where do they live? If they live with anyone, who do they live with?

Relationships *Significant Family Members (immediate, step, extended, adopted): Which family member is their favorite? *Significant Friends (especially oldest friend and confidants): Who is the most influential person in their past? Partner/Love Interest: How They Met: How This Character Acts Around Love Interest(s): How Love Interest(s) Act(s) Around This Character:

Romance What kind of romantic are they? (easily love-struck, tough nut, etc.) What caused them to become this sort of romantic? What traits do they look for in a possible lover? What traits do they avoid in a lover? Are they picky when it comes to romance searching? (Why or why not?) *How many times has this character been in love? *Who were they in love with? (Short description: Name, How they met, Distinguishing trait, Why they aren’t together)

Physical Appearance *General Build (e.g. tall and lanky): *General Health and Fitness: If they are athletic, what kind of sports of physical activities do they engage in? *Physical Disorders (if applicable): *Are they right-handed or left-handed? Complexion: *Eye Color: *Do they wear glasses or contacts? *Hair Color (natural and current, if applicable): Hair Type (natural and current, if applicable) (straight, wavy, curly, coarse, thick, etc.): Hair Style (long, short, crew-cut, side-part, ponytail, bangs, etc.): Describe Style of Dress (expensive, inexpensive, conservative, business, casual, comfortable, gaudy, eclectic, trendy, daring, sexy, etc.): Grooming Habits (neat, average, clean but sloppy, unkempt): Why? (Do they dress to be noticed? To blend in? To appear professional? To appear younger? To appear older?) Are they narcissistic/vain or humble/modest? *What are the prevailing facial expressions? (e.g. sour, cheerful, judgmental, etc.) Notable Accessories: *Distinguishing or predominant features: *Marks? Scars? Tattoos?

Personality Is this character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted? How do they see themselves: as smart, as intelligent, as uneducated? *Are they an optimist, pessimist, or realist? *Are they easy-going or intense? *Are they self-serving or self-sacrificing? Are they insensitive and critical or are they insightful and complimentary? Do they try to ignore their problems or do they try to solve them? Do they try to manipulate others? Are they easily manipulated or are they skeptical? What do they fear? What do they want? *Vulnerability/Soft Spot: *Is it visible to others? *Deepest Darkest Secret: *Does anyone know this secret?

Values *Personal Priorities (e.g. self, close family, extended family, lover, friends, community, country, work, money, success, natural environment, religion, humanity): What or who are they willing to die for? What would make them they lie, particularly to someone they care about? What would they like to change about themselves? *In what type of situation would they be at their best? *In what type of situation would they be at their worst?

Do what? *Any peculiar routines or obsessions? What do they do for fun? What do they do when they are sad? (Is there something they do to make themselves feel better?) What do they do when under pressure?

Communication *Language(s) they speak: Are they prone to false flattery (i.e. superficial) or are they always honest (i.e. sincere)? Or are they somewhere in-between? Do they have any catch phrases? What is their speech pattern? (e.g. educated, precise, pretentious, average, childish, uneducated, vulgar, etc.) *Are they reticent or are they candid? What topics are they comfortable discussing? What topics are they uncomfortable discussing? Mannerisms/Demeanor (cool and confident, volatile and moody, nervous and fidgety, shy, etc.): Posture (stiff and rigid, slumped and defeated, slouched and careless, relaxed, varies with mood): Gestures (infrequently, frequently, in a controlled manner, when excited/upset, wildly/weirdly): Are they willing to curse? If so, what are their “go-to” curse words? *Sense of Humor (if applicable): (i.e. What makes this character laugh out loud?)

Additional If they had theme songs, what would they be? (Include excerpt!)

Abilities (as in powers): Rate their power on a scale of 1 - 10, 10 being most powerful in all the universe they're in: Are these powers inherited generation to generation? Why/why not? Special skills (not meaning powers):

I'd also like to direct all interested parties to Write World's Character Questionnaires. They have several different ones linked to there. Some questions are repetitive but there are some interesting questions mixed in that you might find applicable.

[edit] My story specifics form is definitely what I am going to be figuring out next since I've already got one that I created a while back. I was kinda looking in to coming up with a form for settings instead, but I really don't know where to start. Suggestions?