Writerly Ways

[cornerofmadness]

I had something planned for tonight. Here's hoping it makes sense as I'm so damn tired I literally fell asleep with my soup bowl in my lap for 20 minutes (sleep, died a little, whatever)

When I was most active in Dungeons and Dragons it was the 1980s and we were still doing things on graph paper. I didn't really see the importance of miniatures etc. It looked more like a money-grab to me. But mostly my group was like 4 people. Now watching it many editions later as part of Critical Role with many players I see the importance of minis and models. It is NOT easy keeping track of them in a fight scene.

So why am I babbling about D&D instead of writing. Because it's just as hard when you're working any scene with multiple characters. I'm editing something of mine right now where I have hand written notes in the margins going WHERE the hell did so and so go? Any chance you remembered this character is even here? God help you if you put a pet in the story because that sucker is disappearing. Part of me thinks minis and models might be helpful in these big scenes. Okay, maybe not them but I need better ways of tracking multiple characters in a long scene.

I'm curious how do you handle it?

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Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> When I was most active in Dungeons and Dragons it was the 1980s and we were still doing things on graph paper. I didn't really see the importance of miniatures etc.<<

At that time, miniatures weren't important, because the game was much less complex and different in focus. They were tools that some people added in, largely from wargames. After all, it started with "How much damage does a Panzerfaust do to a troll, Hans?"

But over time, those wargame influences got stronger, and the new rules began to support it more, and the flavor of the game changed from a relatively freeform roleplaying description to a board game with roleplaying aspects. Some people like it, some don't.

It's really a matter of taste. What do you find most fun about a game? Its math and mechanics, creative problem-solving, or goofing around with your friends? Do too many rules feel restrictive, or too few rules feel confusing?

Me, I like freestyle. I'll use miniatures for things like showing what order the party is standing in, but trying to nail down too many details is frustrating for me and boring for my players. You just have to know your personality and your players.

>>So why am I babbling about D&D instead of writing. Because it's just as hard when you're working any scene with multiple characters.<<

And that is why I have thousands of pages of characters sheets and floor plans of buildings and other notes. I'd never remember it all.

Most of the time, I am writing with a limited number of characters at a time, so it's not too hard to keep track. But if I have more than a handful, then I often list the names under the active section I'm writing (the notes are below the writing and who prompted it) so I can highlight each character as I use them, to make sure I don't leave any out. I might go back and count to make sure that each character has 2-3 lines or actions and they mean enough to justify their presence.

Most of the time, the action is such that I can keep track of who's where as long as I have a floor plan and/or picture to reference. In this house, you go left to the dining room and that connects to the kitchen, etc. It lets me figure out how those people will move through that space. If it's more complex than that, then I might make an outline of phrases like "John picks up the rock" "Bob picks up the branch" "They break into the abandoned building" etc. Rarely I sketch things out. I'm bad at art so it's easier to find something for a reference.

Some things have a pattern of their own. Take search patterns. You can look them up and pick one for your characters to use and that tells you where they will go. Martial arts have sets of motions that go together, or ways you can assemble moves into a sequence. So you need to choreograph a sword fight and you don't want to bullshit your way through it, there are articles and books on how to do that.

Remember what I said about taste above? Think about what you find fun and interesting to write, and what your readers love to read. Especially, consider their knowledge level. I once had a read correct the Modern Greek I put in a poem (using online translation tools) into the Classic Attic Greek that was period-appropriate to what I had written. Which was awesome. If you write period romances, be aware they're read by nerds who will shred you if you get the lace pattern or spices wrong because they know that stuff and care a lot about history. Science fantasy? You can bullshit enough to cover a cornfield, because that genre isn't about facts and fine details, but grand sweeping gestures. Fit the amount of your research and detailing to the story you're telling and its intended audience.

Re: Thoughts

[cornerofmadness]

thanks, honestly i play so infrequently today I go with whatever the DM is doing. I don't DM any more (nor do I want to)

That's a good idea about the floor plans. I really need to start doing those. That would be very helpful I think in many ways. I try not to get too many characters in a scene but sometimes it happens

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> thanks, honestly i play so infrequently today I go with whatever the DM is doing. I don't DM any more (nor do I want to)<<

I enjoyed it, I have since found other engines better suited to my style of play. Atomic Sock Monkey is awesome and their PDQ system can be taught in 5 minutes, characters built in another 5, and off you go. I use that frame for my character sheets in writing.

>> That's a good idea about the floor plans. I really need to start doing those. That would be very helpful I think in many ways. I try not to get too many characters in a scene but sometimes it happens.<<

Lots of places have pictures of house exteriors, interiors, and/or pictures of floor plans ... not always matching the same place. So if you piece together things from different sources like I do, pay careful attention to the orientation (e.g. which way the door is pointing). I don't care as much about the layout of the rooms if shown on the floor plan, that's more for showing relation of rooms to each other. I usually use room pictures for the layout if I need those extra details. Plus the look of a house or a room tells a lot about character personality.

Re: Thoughts

[cornerofmadness]

That's cool to know. I'll share that with my friends who do DM as they might like it. Maybe if I don't have so many darned irons in the fire I'd think about it online (as I live way in the middle of nowhere and the only one remotely close is for teens only which is cool they have that safe space for play)

Yeah I've definitely seen that with online house plans etc, that it doesn't always work. If I'm going to spend any length of time in a house I really should start sketching it out for myself or find ones that work. Actually the novel I'm working on right now I should get the main base Victorian house's ground floor sketched out so I don't keep messing it up

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Yeah I've definitely seen that with online house plans etc, that it doesn't always work. If I'm going to spend any length of time in a house I really should start sketching it out for myself or find ones that work. <<

You don't have to be good at art to manage the basics. You can start with a bubble diagram:
https://biblus.accasoftware.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Example-Architectural-Bubble-Diagram.jpg

>> Actually the novel I'm working on right now I should get the main base Victorian house's ground floor sketched out so I don't keep messing it up <<

Yep. Older floor plans are harder to find but not impossible. It helps if you know the name of the style like that.

https://www.thespruce.com/thmb/FngQBch1tKIXKnCk2QIFY9dUAEc=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/reno-victfloorplan-90008110-crop-58251ddc5f9b58d5b11671f7.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6c/6d/50/6c6d5078f3429c3cf3f297eb4b4507ec.jpg

Re: Thoughts

[cornerofmadness]

cool thanks.

I'm actually pretty good at Victorian architecture, I've been researching it since pre-internet days. I have scads of photoreferences including blueprints. It's a matter of me remembering where I stored them and getting my lazy butt to go drag them out