W3: Storyboards

Writing can be the most frustrating thing in the world, especially if you want minute details in a fast-paced situation. Details like the color of someone's shirt or whether the right or left hand is holding something can be a bane.

A couple days ago I reached a point in my WIP where one of my characters is in a combat scene. Back in grade school I had no difficulties whatsoever coming up with details for fights. The inspiration came, snap-snap-snap!

Long story short, I miss those days, haha. I'm not sure what's so different about how I write now that makes it hard for me to keep those details in place. Today my fights seem a lot of "he did this, she did that, he did this, she did that, okay-let's-finish-this-I'm bored." 

Normally my remedy for this kind of situation is to act it out while I'm home alone. Talking, choreographing, music optional. Since I've been juggling around work, school (even in the summer!), and Tae Kwon Do classes, my alone-time has reasonably shrunk. 

My storyboard. How did I differentiate
the fighters, you ask? Well, one
stayed on the right and one of the left.
...Genius, I know. 

I tried something new one day at work while it was slow. I grabbed a piece of paper, drew a big grid on it, and created a storyboard. Nothing fancy at all - just stick figures and arrows with sketched 'special effects.' It served its purpose, though. I now have a detailed, recorded idea of how I want this fight to go.

Point being that storyboards are the type of thing you only see for movies, cartoons, or other media. Not a lot of people apply it to writing. I suggest giving it a try the next time you're stuck on small details/events. Events are also a little easier to X out prior to the actual writing. 

It's easier to get creative with the storyboards if you have the right resources too. Something I want to try next time I do this, if I have to, is color-coding characters (since stick figures are much easier to work with). It'll allow more flexibility than I had with my board.

Just a thought for you all who might be having some writer's block!