Mi's Writing Classroom: Lesson 7 [Plot Process] Prologue (Part 2)

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The author of this article まろ is the author of the light novel “Southern Cross”. He hopes to use his own experience to help more friends write good stories. Thank you for authorizing the “Content Hacker” website to reprint it. Thank you hereby.

The importance of the beginning of the story not only serves as the initial introduction to the whole play, but most importantly, it lays the initial foreshadowing and echoes the ending.

Recently, netizens have been asking me about “how to write good novels”. Therefore, I organized my experience in writing light novels into 34 themes, divided into three stages: [Preparation Assignment], [Plot Process] and [Writing Management].

Whether you want to write a novel, a biography, or a business history, these articles can help. No matter what your writing level is, I will help you complete a work in the two stages of [preparation] and [plot flow]!

This unit quotes the unique insights of Bangbangtang Creative Marketing. I would like to express my gratitude to Teacher Elton for building a bridge between written communication and psychology.

Is it really okay to describe it in just a few words? “Less is more” is not only applicable to visual design, but also to written communication, as long as you don’t lack what you shouldn’t lack.

Welcome back to the [Writing Classroom] unit! Today we are going to take a bird’s-eye view of the first chapter of “Southern Cross”, which is the prologue to the whole story. Please study with me! Before proceeding, it is recommended that you check from “まろ’s writing classroom tag” to confirm whether you have read the content of Lessons 1 to 7 (Part 1). If you don’t want to create a fantasy story, you can skip Lesson 5 (Part 1).

If you have practiced after the last course, I guess you will have a question.

_Midsummer. _

_The azure night that had just arrived was too late to take away the scorching heat in the wind. The wind chimes and the chirping of cicadas are silent, releasing a sense of laziness in the air. The boy was taking a nap in the Japanese-style wooden corridor, leaning against the wall and the low cabinet in the corner. At this time, Aoi’s phone rang. _

Is it okay to use such a brief description of the protagonist’s family? Is this really okay? Uh… aren’t there any paintings on the wall? Isn’t there a potted plant next to the low cabinet where the phone is placed?

I won’t give you the answer directly. If you haven’t done the exercises or watched the first episode of “Southern Cross”, please don’t rush to read this article (if you are at work, please wait until you get off work to read this article!). When you are finished and have free time, please lend me half an hour. Please go to [One of the serial pages of the first chapter of “Southern Cross” (link)] (http://blog.hukaka.com/2018/06/03/ss-01-1-1/) to read. Please don’t choose it while commuting. Choose a place where you are comfortable and relaxed, whether you are lying down or on your stomach and looking backwards. Come back after reading the first and third chapters, and don’t miss the latest serialization progress all the way!

Teatime…

Okay, it’s time for you to come back.

I wonder if you also feel that when you finish reading each serial, you will be a little stunned, pause, and even seem to wake up from a dream. What impressed me most was that a young friend, who was only about 20 years old, asked me in a panic after reading the paper book, “Why does the picture in front of me change when the paragraph is changed!?” If you often read books, comics or movies, you may feel particularly profound.

Because, you thought you were reading a novel. You’re actually reading to a lazy brain, but it’s formatted like a novel.

The brain is lazy because, for it, it reserves energy for life-or-death matters. So the best way to communicate with it is to give details according to their importance. If it is not a special scene, it only requires the most basic synchronization with the brain (hot summer evening, Japanese-style corridor, the sound of the phone). The brain will automatically complete the rest, completing the whole scene with the Japanese-style corridor that you remember actually going there and seeing in the movies and comics. And it’s the most beautiful picture in your subconscious, the one I can never describe.

Therefore, redundant descriptions will not only fail to write the most beautiful picture in everyone’s mind, but will also increase the burden on the brain and leave no room for the construction of the picture. You guessed it right, this is a slight hypnosis, so the feeling of “awakening” at the end of the story is because the hypnosis is over. (By the way, if the paragraph ends poorly, it will feel like “waking up” and make people uncomfortable)

There are three keys, derived from NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Neuro-Linguistic Programming):

2. Delete: Delete any statement that does not affect the plot or character construction, unless it is foreshadowing.

3. Distortion: Describe it in simpler terms. Assume that the protagonist Sahara has 10 qualities, two of which can make him gentle, focus on these two, and weaken the other qualities. But be careful, twisting it too much can make it appear thin and unresonant. You have to strike a balance, for example, “He is usually gentle enough to be a little overly devoted, but sometimes possessiveness emerges.”

4. Generalization: If it is not an important description, just use an ordinary way to describe it. For example, there are many people walking around on the street. If there is no special situation, such as “the streets are full of zombies, baring their teeth and trying to break into the house, and a disgusting stench comes from their mouths”, then just use “people are still busy walking around”.

If you have a collection of “Southern Cross” novels, you may notice “Screenwriter まろ” written on the cover. Screenwriter means “script”. When you read this novel, your subconscious mind acts as the director and directs the scenes you see!

Of course, it’s not okay to keep your brain bored all the time; it will get bored. Therefore, in this course, we will share with you how to “slightly force” your brain to synchronize or suggest special scenes, and gradually complete the foreshadowing required for the prologue.

“The First Chapter One”

_‘Sure enough, why should I go out on a day like this? 』 The young man who was thinking in his heart looked at his dead eyes and weakly stepped on the stone steps leading to the shrine on the hillside step by step. Intertwined with the lights of the stone lanterns on both sides, pairs of happy couples walked down the slope. Love can anesthetize people, at least it can anesthetize those who have their girlfriends by their side and are unaware that their shoulders bumped into teenagers. _

This paragraph picks up where the previous lesson ended. Although the protagonist can pretend to be cool when talking to Ayuya, he is actually trying to show off his strength. In this section, I used the idea that a passer-by would not notice even if his shoulder bumped into the protagonist, to make the protagonist appear to be detached from the entire situation.

_The same thing as the torii that turns into vermilion under the dim light is the girl’s short shoulder-length hair. A head of fluffy and voluminous hair with beautiful natural waves. The bangs that fly in the wind are pinned with a green four-leaf clover hairpin. The upper body is a pale pink summer dress with two layers of ruffled trim on the front of the chest. The round neck is so wide that the shoulders are almost exposed, showing off the girl’s sexy and slender collarbone line. Complementing the top that looks like a flower stamen is a pink blue wide pleated skirt that looks like petals.

The girl’s bright rose-colored eyes and slightly raised almond-shaped eyes have a gentle yet persevering temperament. He held his hands in front of his chest and turned a blind eye to the conversation. Even if the boy didn’t hear their conversation, he could tell from the girl’s expression and lip shape that she was really too lazy to pay attention to the two boys. _

Next, the heroine Yizhi (pseudonym “Strawberry”) appears. Because it is a special scene, detailed description must be used to initially sculpt the heroine’s internal and external characteristics. One thing that is special is that the red-haired girl’s name was not mentioned until “Chapter 1 Part 2”.

Some authors will rush to introduce the character’s personal profile when they appear. In fact, as long as it can create its personality, other details, even the name, can be added later. But be careful not to leave too many protagonists nameless for a long time. At this point, the main story begins.

_‘You can tell at a glance that you are waiting for your boyfriend, so why are you asking for trouble? 』 The boy who secretly came to a conclusion met the girl’s eyes when he started again. To make matters worse, the girl flashed a sly smile and ran towards the boy quickly. _

Obviously, this is a foreshadowing. Because this kind of thing is unlikely to happen, it is hinted that the girl should have a special connection with the protagonist, but we don’t know now.

_“No way. How can this stupid boy be your boyfriend.” One of the taller and thinner boys looked at the boy with a wink, as if there was not a single cell in him from head to toe that was worthy of this girl. “Brother, I think so too. This guy looks like that protozoa.” Another boy with freckles on his face also spoke. _

At this time, we use the eyes of passers-by to judge the protagonist, making the protagonist’s “ordinary” characteristics more convincing. The roles of passers-by and sidekicks are very important (these two bad boys are sidekicks). We will talk about this again in [Lesson 11: The Use of Passers-by].

_“And he also has a black belt in Taekwondo!” As soon as these words came out, the boy immediately felt that his brain was disconnected. The background sounds like “I will definitely be beaten to death” and “Namo Amitabha” were repeated in my heart at high decibels. However, he was still stuck in place like a wooden statue, acting as a shield or bunker for the girl. “Ha~!?” The two teenagers expressed complete disbelief in their expressions and voices. “I said boy.” The eldest brother patted the boy’s other shoulder. “There must be a limit to joking. Don’t just show off as a hero in front of pretty girls…” He grinned sinisterly, his right eye widened to the point of almost falling out, and the corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously. “Brother is right. For a guy like you, even I can kill you instantly!” The boy who followed him also fiercely poked the boy’s shoulder twice, but his face full of joy was not convincing at all. _

I mentioned the argument of “Let the hero save the cat first” in the last class. Compared to comforting Ayuye, this mission of “rescuing the cat” is obviously much more difficult and terrifying. After all, you have to fight two people and protect a girl at the same time. Let’s see if the protagonist can still implement his “gentleness”?

_『Run away quickly』 When the almost inaudible whisper fell, the boy grabbed the girl’s hand and turned around and ran away. Ignoring the steepness of the hillside and the surprised looks of passers-by, I rushed down the grass beside the stone steps while running and slipping. If possible, the boy would probably want to pick up the girl and slide her down directly.

The wind lifted the girl’s hair and skirt. When the flashing light passed through, the gorgeous red hair rippled with soft edges that were lightly dyed. The halo of the stone lantern was constantly being thrown behind, while the dim orange color stained the girl’s pink cheeks.

That’s definitely not an illusion.

Her expression was a happy smile of a successful mischief. In the faint scent of lavender, there is the bitter taste of sea water. _ As a result, our hero grabbed the cat and ran away with him. But there is no other way. Rather than a “pure heroic” development (for example, the protagonist’s fighting talent suddenly awakens), I hope that through this escape, I can leave scars in his heart and become a motivation for growth.

This section is definitely a foreshadowing. If it were not arranged in the middle, it might escalate to suspense. We already know that the girl has an uncharacteristic “mischievous smile,” but why? The “lavender fragrance” and “bitter taste” that symbolize her are also brought out along with this short process of intimacy (escape?).

I don’t know if you noticed the sentence “It has the bitter taste of sea water”. A fan once asked me bluntly, “Does that mean Yizhi is crying?”, and I said, “Yes, but she won’t let anyone see it.” This anyone includes the god-narrator in the story. To a certain extent, this is to satisfy the five senses of writing (the current plan is lesson 25), but the main meaning is to show the stubbornness of childishness.

_“Ha! Ha! Ha! I’m almost…dying…I can’t run anymore.” The boy who was panting until he was about to die wailed. “You are really terrible, Sahara-san. It would be better to practice more when you have time.” After the two of them rushed down the hillside, they blended into the crowd of people attending the festival. There happened to be an empty table at the goldfish fishing stall, so the boy pulled the girl in without saying a word. Seeing that the other party didn’t seem to be chasing her, the exhausted boy slumped down on a low stool, but the girl took the fishing net handed over by the stall owner with ease.

“Ha! Ha! You… Who are you calling so inferior… Isn’t this all… eh…?” “It’s you who are so inferior.” The girl who was caught by the boy and ran away with him was actually not blushing or out of breath, teasing him with an expression like a little devil. The physical strength of the young man who belongs to the Go Home Club is indeed not very good, but at least it is still at the level of an average person. On the contrary, this level of exercise seems to be just a piece of cake for girls. _

The foreshadowing here points out that girls are not ordinary in terms of physical fitness, which is a very important setting for Yizhi.

_“Ha…__…_I am the bride you promised to marry when you were a child, have you forgotten?”

_The girl squatted side by side next to the boy and said to him. The light only illuminated half of the girl’s expression. She smiled, her tone was gentle, but a little complicated, and there seemed to be a secret in her rose eyes. And the pursed lips seemed to be holding words that could not be said.

“Really…really?” “Of course I’m joking, idiot. I just transferred here, and since it’s summer vacation, the teacher first showed me photos of the whole class. What’s with that serious expression on your face? You’re thinking too much!” “Gah…” The girl who succeeded in her prank once again burst out laughing, as if saying, “Who would believe such an old fool?” Completely ignoring the boy who was instantly struck down in a comic-like dream, looking at the girl who was laughing from ear to ear, he could only say that there was nothing he could do with her.

“Yes, how could a beautiful girl suddenly appear and claim to be my childhood bride?” But…” But the boy had a feeling that the girl in front of him seemed to overlap with someone else. I just couldn’t remember it, so I could only look at this prankster girl silently.

It seems like it really feels familiar? _

Here I borrowed (sarcastically?) many classic settings from works, then denied its possibility (laughs), and finally, through foreshadowing, hinted that this thing might be true. (Do you really need a beating? The old man also wants to play new tricks~~)

_In front of the goldfish stall, the duo of delinquent boys yelled at the grandfather-like boss who narrowed his eyes and seemed to be a little deaf. At their feet, a boy and a girl were squatting on a low stool, curled up and fishing for goldfish. The masks borrowed from the next stall were hanging on the back of their heads, and their bodies were covered with a quilt with a large word “ji” on it. How should I put it… It was a completely amateurish disguise. At this moment, the boy really wished he had ninja-like skills.

“The mask of Masked Superman matches you very well.” 』 “Shut up!” ! 』 In the face of a formidable enemy, the girl still doesn’t forget to tease people. And her fox mask seems to be giggling along with it. Is it because she has too little muscle or is she overconfident? The boy who was sweating coldly kept telling her to shut up with expressions and gestures, but the girl smiled relaxedly. _

Faced with a cat that is very good at looking for trouble, the rescue mission is indeed not that simple. But the protagonist still found a way to protect the girl based on his gentle character and quick wit.

_The two idiots walked away, and the goldfish fishing boss ended before he entered the situation.

“Pfft. Hahahahahahaha!! What an idiot!!!” ”…………………………” The girl who almost fell off the stool burst into laughter, and the boy who was sweating was drained of energy again. A grimace spread across his shoulders, it seemed that he could no longer hold back his emotions.

“Say, classmate, is there something wrong with you? Or do you like to deliberately make trouble for others?” “Ouch? Isn’t it fun?” The girl stopped laughing and responded with a smile. “No. I don’t know who you are, but I’m not a good fighter. What if…” “If you are beaten down by them, will there be no one to protect me?” The girl leaned her face towards the boy and said “Really?”. That smile was mixed with many thoughts, a touch of ridicule, a touch of expectation…

With a faint happy expression. Concentrated in those rose-colored eyes that seemed to hide words. _

If the protagonist has no temper at all, he will have no charm at all, but I think compared to most people, he has a good temper. Moreover, he did not completely fall into his own emotions. He showed his thoughts based on “protecting girls” from the dialogue. This idea needs more thinking.

If we could engrave the protagonist’s growth on the wall like measuring his height, this moment would be his “limit of gentleness.” In the future, we will see him surpass this mark.

_But the girl grabbed her sleeve, her pleading expression seemed to be saying “So, please don’t leave.” The girl put away her exaggerated smile and lowered her long eyelashes to cover her sadness. That expression caught the young man’s gaze, and the world was left in silence like the two of them. Everything else is just the background to set off the girl, and the light shed for it.

While the boy was dazed, the girl approached him softly, quietly, like a cat walking. Close your eyes lightly and put on your pink lips.

Time seemed to slow down, and only the breathing of the two people was left to record the passage of time. One second, two seconds…until even the sound of breathing becomes blurry.

“Where.” Following a slight inhalation, the world turned again.

───In this way, we are even?

In the moment before the world turns around again, the faint fragrance of lavender comes from the girl’s hair.

Has the bitter taste of sea water. _

This paragraph, with the continuous synchronization of details of the five senses (perhaps including the sixth sense), requires the brain to enter a state of concentration. “One second, two seconds…until even the sound of breathing becomes blurry.” It is a strong time synchronization that slows down the brain’s operation and focuses on “simulating the feeling of a kiss.”

But this state cannot last too long, so “with a slight inhalation sound, the world turns around again” is used to de-synchronize the state, and at the end, the symbol of the heroine is used to leave a foreshadowing.

“The First Chapter One”, which is full of foreshadowing, ends here.

This time the length is much longer than I expected (dead fish eyes), let’s leave the second and third parts to [Lesson 7: Prologue (Part 2) Continued‧Determination of the Main Line Direction] (Click to read)!

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Further reading

• Misaki’s Writing Classroom: Lesson 7 [Plot Process] Prologue (Part 2)
• Misaki’s Writing Classroom: Lesson 7 [Plot Process] Prologue (Part 1)
• Want to write a story? Or want to try story marketing? [Writing Classroom] The column is your good partner!

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