Story ideas, etc.
by V.E. on October 6th, 2005
filed under ladyamedeus, personal, writing
More plot ideas:
Something in the Civil War? One man/battle/whatever? Two brothers on opposite sides? A woman spy? A woman soldier? Following a doctor through the horrors of post-battle?
A bus full of passengers are traveling through the outskirts of the small town known as Silent Hill when suddenly the bus began to slip because of an unexpected and sudden outpour of rain, and fog which made the dark roads unstable. The bus barely clings on the road before t-boning a parked ambulance in the middle of the lonely highway.
“the Calivinist girl”
lolerberries, roflwaffles
save the Prince, “save the Q/queen”
aliens put someone on trial for the sins of humanity
retelling of a myth, Bible story, or Shakespearean play
pirate Shakespeare
return of the Nazis
communism takes over US
plague/yellowfever story
modern Tyrannicides (http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/dunkle/athnlife/H&A.htm)
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/membership/writing
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/alex/Handbooks/WWWPlots/index.html
http://www.queensjournal.ca/articlephp/point-vol133/issue1/arts/lead2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/getwriting/module27p
http://my.voyager.net/~jayjo/plots.htm
1. Let characters influence the plot.
Characters develop out of the situation for a story. Think about the characters in a particular situation, and
plot ideas will emerge. Suspense author Andre Jute says, “Plot flows most easily and genuinely from
character . . . and the actions characters undertake because of the relationships they have and the
frictions built into such contact. On the other hand, if you first work out the plot and then simply people it
with characters who can carry out the actions you’ve dreamed up, your characters will seem wooden and
unreal.”
2. Avoid too much plot.
Don’t create a crisis every two pages, too many characters and story lines, characters that are “in action”
so much they do not have time to think, etc. Many writers go back through a first draft and look for story
lines, characters, and plot events they can cut to improve the story’s focus on the theme.
3. Know when to start the story.
The action of your story should begin at the point at which the characters start moving toward the end of it.
For example, a story about a family coping with the breakup of the parents’ marriage might begin on the
day one parent moves out.
4. Let readers wait.
Anticipation is part of the fun for readers. Readers get involved because they want to know what happens
to the characters. If you answer that question too soon, you may have to dream up another plot to finish
the story.
5. Pace the plot.
Think of your plot as having a kind of wave motion: with ups and downs, action sequences and calm
scenes (sitting, talking, thinking, etc.), and tension that builds up, comes to a crest, and then settles down.
This kind of pacing sets your reader up for the final climax.
6. Let your characters grow.
In most stories, plot is about how life affects people or characters. Between the beginning and the end of
your story, your main characters should learn, grow, and be in some way affected by the events they have
just lived through.
Catholic Church has come a long way
by V.E. on October 6th, 2005
filed under fyi, ladyamedeus, spirituality
Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.
The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy†from the Bible.
“We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical precision,†they say in The Gift of Scripture.
The document is timely, coming as it does amid the rise of the religious Right, in particular in the US.
Some Christians want a literal interpretation of the story of creation, as told in Genesis, taught alongside Darwin’s theory of evolution in schools, believing “intelligent design†to be an equally plausible theory of how the world began.
But the first 11 chapters of Genesis, in which two different and at times conflicting stories of creation are told, are among those that this country’s Catholic bishops insist cannot be “historicalâ€. At most, they say, they may contain “historical tracesâ€.
The document shows how far the Catholic Church has come since the 17th century, when Galileo was condemned as a heretic for flouting a near-universal belief in the divine inspiration of the Bible by advocating the Copernican view of the solar system. Only a century ago, Pope Pius X condemned Modernist Catholic scholars who adapted historical-critical methods of analysing ancient literature to the Bible.
In the document, the bishops acknowledge their debt to biblical scholars. They say the Bible must be approached in the knowledge that it is “God’s word expressed in human language†and that proper acknowledgement should be given both to the word of God and its human dimensions.
They say the Church must offer the gospel in ways “appropriate to changing times, intelligible and attractive to our contemporariesâ€.
The Bible is true in passages relating to human salvation, they say, but continue: “We should not expect total accuracy from the Bible in other, secular matters.â€
They go on to condemn fundamentalism for its “intransigent intolerance†and to warn of “significant dangers†involved in a fundamentalist approach.
“Such an approach is dangerous, for example, when people of one nation or group see in the Bible a mandate for their own superiority, and even consider themselves permitted by the Bible to use violence against others.â€
Of the notorious anti-Jewish curse in Matthew 27:25, “His blood be on us and on our childrenâ€, a passage used to justify centuries of anti-Semitism, the bishops say these and other words must never be used again as a pretext to treat Jewish people with contempt. Describing this passage as an example of dramatic exaggeration, the bishops say they have had “tragic consequences†in encouraging hatred and persecution. “The attitudes and language of first-century quarrels between Jews and Jewish Christians should never again be emulated in relations between Jews and Christians.â€
As examples of passages not to be taken literally, the bishops cite the early chapters of Genesis, comparing them with early creation legends from other cultures, especially from the ancient East. The bishops say it is clear that the primary purpose of these chapters was to provide religious teaching and that they could not be described as historical writing.
Similarly, they refute the apocalyptic prophecies of Revelation, the last book of the Christian Bible, in which the writer describes the work of the risen Jesus, the death of the Beast and the wedding feast of Christ the Lamb.
The bishops say: “Such symbolic language must be respected for what it is, and is not to be interpreted literally. We should not expect to discover in this book details about the end of the world, about how many will be saved and about when the end will come.â€
In their foreword to the teaching document, the two most senior Catholics of the land, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, and Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop of St Andrew’s and Edinburgh, explain its context.
They say people today are searching for what is worthwhile, what has real value, what can be trusted and what is really true.
The new teaching has been issued as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of Dei Verbum, the Second Vatican Council document explaining the place of Scripture in revelation. In the past 40 years, Catholics have learnt more than ever before to cherish the Bible. “We have rediscovered the Bible as a precious treasure, both ancient and ever new.â€
A Christian charity is sending a film about the Christmas story to every primary school in Britain after hearing of a young boy who asked his teacher why Mary and Joseph had named their baby after a swear word. The Breakout Trust raised £200,000 to make the 30-minute animated film, It’s a Boy. Steve Legg, head of the charity, said: “There are over 12 million children in the UK and only 756,000 of them go to church regularly.
That leaves a staggering number who are probably not receiving basic Christian teaching.â€
BELIEVE IT OR NOT
UNTRUE
Genesis ii, 21-22
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man
Genesis iii, 16
God said to the woman [after she was beguiled by the serpent]: “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.â€
Matthew xxvii, 25
The words of the crowd: “His blood be on us and on our children.â€
Revelation xix,20
And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone.â€
TRUE
Exodus iii, 14
God reveals himself to Moses as: “I am who I am.â€
Leviticus xxvi,12
“I will be your God, and you shall be my people.â€
Exodus xx,1-17
The Ten Commandments
Matthew v,7
The Sermon on the Mount
Mark viii,29
Peter declares Jesus to be the Christ
Luke i
The Virgin Birth
John xx,28
Proof of bodily resurrection
JOIN THE DEBATE
www.timesonline.co.uk/debate
Original article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1811332,00.html
And thefirestarter said this, which I agree with:
I mean, one part of me is glad to see that people are finally starting to put the fanatics in their place and pulling them out of the stone age. I find it very noble of whoever wrote this thing they wrote to deviate from the long-standing tradition/stereotype and put things in a more realistic light.
Another part of me is a little sad to see the extremist orthodoxy beginning to fade away. The strictness with which die-hard Catholics regard anything, especially the Bible, though laughable sometimes, was sometimes admirable, even if it is under some sick logic. That sort of passion and dedication to something being complete truth is rarely seen anywhere. Plus, without fanatics, you have nobody you can feel more sophisticated and sensible than.
Buut, then again, it’s not like because they recognized that there are parts of the bible that could not have been physical truth they’re going to suddenly become nice little fence-sitters. I’m sure they’re still ridiculously strict in any other situation annyway. In fact, they’re being pretty strict about what’s truth and what’s not truth. I’m surprised by some of the things they showed.
Novel ideas
by V.E. on October 6th, 2005
filed under ladyamedeus, personal, writing
Okay, so I THINK I’ve got a decent plot idea. Semi-autobiography, each chapter a year in my life. Is that even plausible? Probably less than 20 (21, since it’s the 21st year of my life) chapters, though, since I don’t remember the first five years or so. I can probably put those all in one or two chapters.
Outline thus far:
1. First years, part 1 (0-2).
2. First years, part 2 (3-4).
3. Ages 5-8, kindergarten through third grade: Mountain Ave. Elementary.
4. Age 9, fourth grade: beginning at Palm Crest Elementary.
5. Age 10, fifth grade: trip to Valley Forge, PA.
6. Age 11, sixth grade: hiking across the Grand Canyon with Daddy.
7. Age 12, seventh grade: beginning at La Canada Junior High School.
8. Age 13, eighth grade: the Civil War report.
9. Age 14, ninth grade: beginning at La Canada High School.
10. Age 15, tenth grade: dating Angelica, gayness.
11. Age 16, eleventh grade: earning a driver’s licence.
12. Age 17, twelfth grade: high school graduation.
13. Age 18, college freshman year: beginning at F&M, Daylin, Nathan.
14. Age 19, college sophomore year: breaking up then breaking down, Bennett.
15. Age 20, college junior year: life goes on.
16. The future.
Also: family, friends, gayness, activism, sex, church & spirituality.
Other story ideas include: Sita & Gabrielle, Belladonna (aka. Circus Colt), continuation of Katie’s/my Odds McGee fic, fanfiction. We shall see.
—————————–
People see intelligence in your eyes. You probably
enjoy reading a good book and are pretty good
at outsmarting people. You like finding the
meaning behind things and you know how to hold
an intellectual conversation. The downside of
this is that people can mistake you for a nerd
or people who aren’t as smart as you will get
angry and try to bring you down. Don’t let
them, though! You should prize your
intelligence and not worry about what those
people think. Btw…can you help me with my
homework?
What can people see in your eyes?
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