Creative Writing 101: Interview with Annabeth Albert
Creative Writing 101: Write Smarter, Not Harder
College writing professor Annabeth Albert is the author of over 35 works of fiction.
You will LOVE this interview, based on her signature presentation, “Write Smarter, Not Harder” most recently delivered to the Romance Writers of America (RWA) 2020 Conference.Â
As a prelude to this fun, energizing creative writing 101 interview, know that Annabeth loves colorful office supplies–and feels it’s part of the joy of the plotting process.
Most everything that Annabeth discusses to plot is free or low cost.Â
Many of these creative writing 101 resources are available free or from a free trial on the Internet. Â
Ms. Albert thrives as the author of over 35 works of fiction.
**Let us now zip to the Q/A with Annabeth**
Question: Annabeth your presentation to the Romance Writers of America was excellent.
In this brief Creative Writing 101 interview, perhaps you can begin by explaining the fundamental concepts of your presentation.
Is this structuring your story around reader expectations?
To me, this is structuring your story around reader expectations.
Annabeth Albert: I think it’s important to start with genre. What do your readers expect from your genre? A whodunit mystery? A romance with a happy ending? A heart-pounding moment of danger, like a suspense thriller?
But also, what do your readers expect from YOU. For example, my readers know that when they pick up an Annabeth Albert book, they are getting a romance with a big, fluffy squishy ending.
35 books and counting and they all have an epilogue. So, that is something readers expect from me personally, and I include the epilogue scene as a key part of my plotting.
Also, my romance readers expect a specific core set of beats. Gwen Hayes describes these beats beautifully in Romancing the Beat —highly recommended. I plot for these beats and nuance them specifically for what my readers expect from me.
Creative Writing 101 and the "Beat"
Question: Annabeth, please explain in your own words the meaning of a “beat” to the creative writing 101 crowd and how this relates to the plot?
Annabeth Albert: A beat is a moment in a story where a turning point happens. Sometimes a beat can be a single brief scene, other times it may span multiple scenes/chapters.
At its root, a beat is a significant story turning point. When I refer to beats, I mean a specific scene.
However, in my longer books, it’s typical for me to have a specific beat like the “midpoint high” stretch for a couple of scenes.
In shorter works, a particular scene may serve up over one beat or turning point.
In shorter works, a particular scene may serve up over one beat or turning point.
Question: Annabeth, in your presentation and also the important “bonus” Q/A live session, you mention how you go about plotting in terms of creative writing 101?
Annabeth Albert: Initially, I started with colored physical index cards. Or a large piece of cardboard. Sometimes just an open stretch of floor (hard in this house!)
These days, my process usually starts in bed. I have a fresh notebook (I use wide ruled composition books because they divide up well) and my eReader (a mobile electronic device designed primarily to read digital e-books and periodicals).
I begin by filling the notebook with conflict/backstory/character development inspired by the book Story Genius I also use some prompts from Writing Love: Screenwriters Tricks for Authors II.
In terms of three act structure and different sequences of scenes.
Note that this is also similar to material in Save the Cat Writes a Novel.Â
Then I start a rough outline going with my page divided into fourths (Act One, Act Two A, Act Two B, Act Three) and begin thinking of what will need to go where.
At a certain point, this page gets very messy, so I move to Scrivener.Â
In Scrivener, I start with a completely blank corkboard.
Then I toss down blank cards.
Each card equals one scene.
Later, a particular chapter may have one to three scenes …
… I don’t worry about that here.
Later, a particular chapter may have one to three scenes
Usually, I have a target length in mind, so I know roughly how many cards I want on the board to start.
And I use my notes to fill in what I already know.
Sometimes that means working more with the ending of the book first.
Other times it could be the middle or the first act when I have the clearest vision.
I hop around adding notes on cards until there are just a few blank cards left.Â
My notes at this stage may be anywhere from three words to three paragraphs—often on the shorter end.
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Creativity 101 with Annabeth Albert
Question: If a writer already has Scrivener software, is it also helpful to have the colored notecards on the floor to write and shuffle around the scenes?
Annabeth Albert: As a teacher, I answer this with “it depends.”
If you are a visual learner, get an enormous piece of cardboard—one of those “presentation” pieces that kids use for science fairs.
Lay it all out or put it on the wall next to you.
Kinesthetic learners who need to touch everything also benefit from the tangible act of creating the cards and moving them around.
An auditory learner might skip the cards at first,…
An auditory learner might skip the cards at first, dictate some brainstorming, and then try to take notes from that.
For myself, I am the type of learner who needs to write it down …
… so my notebook with handwritten notes is the more helpful tool at this point in my journey.
I do drag-and-drop cards and discard them all the time in scrivener. Do not be afraid to move them and even send them to the trash heap.
Coloring Key Scenes: Creative writing 101
Question: You mention the importance of using notecards–or sticky notes–of different colors. Scrivener also has a way of “coloring” key scenes. For example, some might color a “love scene” pink/red while others reserve a color for a specific character.
Annabeth Albert: I think it’s all about what works for you.
Some like to use one color for Act One. Then another for Act Two – and so on.
Others will color different beats or key scenes.
For myself, I use colored cards to represent POV characters.
In a romance, I usually have two colors for the note cards or sticky notes.
I usually have two colors for the note cards or sticky notes.
Each major character (MC) gets a color, and I spend a little time picking their color for that book.
A sunny MC gets the yellow color, for instance.
A military character might get the color known as “army green.”
I use a third color to represent chapters … but that color doesn’t get used until I arrange scenes into chapters later in my process.
You can use as many or as few colors you wish!
Creative Writing 101
Question: Quite a bit of your presentation deals with helping long-time “pantsers” (the name for someone who writes a story by the seat of their pants) take the journey into plotting.
Can you outline the “baby steps?”
Would it be first creating an index card for the beginning (i.e. in a romance novel, the scene where the character first meet), then the “mid-point” (where the action comes to a climax”) and the finale?
Annabeth Albert: You have to start with your major character(s). What do they need? What do they lack?
What hopes, dreams, desires do they hold?
What would be the worst thing in the world to happen to them? The best? Spend some time getting to know your characters.Â
Then grab some scene cards either virtually in your preferred plotting program or physical cards.
Are you writing a novella? Are your scenes around 1,000 words? You may want around twenty cards. (And so on, depending on your specifics.)
To start, divide the cards roughly into “Acts.” 20 cards would become 5 cards per “Act.”
Label the card that represents each of the “Act breaks.”
Then arrange the turning points or beats by the acts where they will occur.
Creative Writing 1001 - Putting it All Together
For example, the midpoint high is also your Act Two A ending scene. The “inkling of doubts” will always occur in Act Two B, etc.
Notice that I still don’t have specifics for THIS imaginary story I am speaking about now …
… just places where things will need to happen.
But as I work, I’m thinking about this main character (MC). What would inspire doubt in THIS person specifically? I take that idea and add it as a possibility to the “inkling of doubts” card.
Later that idea may actually move, but it’s a starting spot.
What does THIS MC need to have happen in the midpoint high? What would represent that emotional turning point in their lives?
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I jot some ideas down on that card. I might work in order, but I also work out of order as ideas come to me as I move cards around and add details here and there. I often start with the midpoint as James Scott Bell discusses in Write from the Middle but sometimes I start with the grand gesture to open Act Three or the “meet cute” in Act 1.
When you feel you have enough information to start, then START WRITING.
For some people, this may be shortly after arranging the beats in order.
Beats do not have to be written in order.
Others may get to work with a handful of words per cards. Some may have multiple choices for a scene. Like I might know my midpoint high is a love scene, but where to place it?
I might make a few notes of possibilities and choose one later.
Others who are more detail-oriented plotters won’t start writing until every card has a fair amount of notes.
Yet there’s no rule that says you can’t start with a few cards still totally empty. It’s all up to you!
Thank Annabeth Albert you so much for having me today!
Note that you can see some of the resources mentioned here and tips to avoid distraction here.Â
