Writing Process: "Ravens Hold Grudges"

The short story "Ravens Hold Grudges" was written in the "Outliner" method, one of the 3 ways to develop an idea into a story. That is: plotting the story in advance of writing it.

Of course, there are **spoilers**, so if you haven't read the story yet, do that first, using the link in the first sentence of this post.

CHALLENGE

Writing Prompt: I used a prompt from the Reedsy website in their "Weekly Writing Contest" section.

Down Memory Lane 

• Write about a character with an unreliable memory
• Write a story that involves a flashback
• End your story with total oblivion

Select any one or combination of the prompts. 

Method: Outliner

CONCEPT

The "unreliable memory" prompt brought to mind "unreliable narrator."

By the magic of free association, in one of those flashes of inspiration that sometimes come, the idea of a “Noir” set in the Viking era bubbled up. (The mythical/fantasy element came later, during the character development step in the process).

So I though about (and did some research on) what makes a "noir", summarizing it to:

• Voice-over narration
• Allusion over depictions (sex, violence etc.)
• A femme fatale
• An anti-hero protagonist (typically male)
• Direct, simple dialogue
• Ominous cinematography (influenced by German Expressionism) — meaning that it happens in darkness, in this case lit only by firelight

GENRE

• Crime (mystery, thriller)
• Fantasy
• Historical

CHARACTERS

I used a character name generator for ideas (one of the many I found in the Writer's Treasure Chest.

The character name generator I used lets you specify things like nationality, historical era, etc.

I wanted the names to be "Intentional" (see this article I wrote about naming characters, which uses the acronym "COIN" meaning that ideally your character names should be "Clear", "Original", "Intentional", and "Natural").

So, the names I selected after running the character name generator many times, were "Intentional" in the sense that as I selected the names, I also used the meaning of the name to begin to form a picture of the characters in my mind.

These are my original character concept notes:

• Brandr - male, firebrand, sword, passionate - Role: antagonist (and co-protagonist in the end)
• Trygve - male, trustworthy — but now cynical, world weary - Role: protagonist
• Eldrid - female - beautiful fire, blond hair with red-ish highlights - Role: tempter, love interest
• The Jarl - Jarl Havard of Skiringssal in Kapuang - Role: really a "minor" character. He is Eldrid's husband and becomes the murder victim.
• Minor characters - Thralls (slaves with the slave collar around their neck and short cut hair and un-dyed clothes), Karls (farmers, working class, freemen, craftsmen, fishermen, merchatns, boat builders), Jarl(s), (and the Kings may be mentioned ... this would be in the days before Harald Fairhair so there would be multiple Kings)

Note that on the minor characters, I didn't end up using any of them, because I didn't need to as the story worked best being tightly focused on the triangle of Trygve, Brandr, and Eldrid.

Hidden Characters

I had a vague idea that I wanted some hidden characters and that these were more mythical, not of the current Viking age.

The name "Busiris" came up in the random character generator, which lead my down a research path.

These are my original character concept notes:

• Busiris - male, a king who killed guests (greeks who came to Egypt, he was an Egyptian king and son of Poseidon, Heracles killed him when Busiris tried to sacrifice Heracles -- his story rule is the true (hidden) protagonist as both Brandr and Trygve are really Busiris (split and made into mortal enemies through the ages -- they can't recall why they are such enemies)
• Morana - female, male, trustworthy - protagonist - slavic goddess of winter and death, black haired, pale, fangs ... she will give OBLIVION ... "Eldrid" is actually Morana

OPENING LINES

Next, I did some freewriting of the opening lines that came to mind, to get a sense of the narrative voice, the characters, and to begin to shape the story.

Here is the original freewriting, which is not too far from the final version in the story:

When I finally caught up with Brandr, he was having a horn in the darkest, dirtiest mead hall in the seediest part of Kaupang. Brandr’s kind of place. The less light the better, with his scarred-up face and his missing nose. But the woman next to him, she looked good in the flickering torch light. She’d look good in the brightest sunlight. She’d look good by the hearth in my longhouse -- if I had a longhouse. So, what in Odin’s name was she doing here, and with a monster like Brandr?
Brandr saw me at the doorway, waved me over.

“Trygve,” he said, “come meet Eldrid, the fairest shieldmaiden in Noregr. Have a horn on me, old friend.”

Old friend.

I approached from his back side, my right hand closing around the hilt of the knife at my waist. This could be the day. It was dark enough. I might have to knife Eldrid as well. That would be a shame, but … the company you keep.

PLOT 

Since the original challenge was to write in the "Outliner Method", I used the FictionMAP form.

The FictionMAP is a simple narrative structure with 3 acts, each made up of 3 "beats" for a total of 9 beats.

• Challenge (Act I)
• Complications (Act 2)
• Conclusion (Act 3)

If you want to know more about the FictionMAP form, check our our FREE Guide, Workbook, and Course, "Write Fiction Faster (... and better)"

Here is the FictionMAP form that I used to outline the story:

WRITING THE STORY

And with that, I sat down, using the Drafts application because I wanted a very clean, uncluttered container.

I used Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest" as my "Stagecoach" for the noir / hardboiled narrative voice (adjusted for the Viking age, naturally).

 (For more about the concept of using a "Stagecoach", see the "Write Fiction Faster ... and better" free course — specifically, Lesson 18: Deliberate Practice.)

Resources

Here are some other resources that will be helpful as you write your stories.

MY FAVORITE ALL-PURPOSE RESOURCE

The Writer's Treasure Chest - everything in one place, curated, organized, this is a great reference for all things writing craft, with tons of prompts, plot/character generators and other tools to inspire you to write great stories.

RELATED ARTICLES

Here are some articles that will be helpful as you work on all the aspects of the writing craft and your writing process: 

• Write Fiction Faster! — How to Speed Up Your Story Writing 
  
  
• Need a Great Idea for Your Next Story? Try the Story IDEA Formula
  
  
• From Idea to Story: 3 Methods to Develop Your Story Idea 
  
  
• How to Write Characters Who Stick in the Reader's Mind 
  
  
• What Makes a Good Story? — Great Scenes! Here's How to Write Them
  
  
• Make Your Story Sing — Write Great Dialogue!
  
  
• Flash Fiction: How To Use It To Supercharge Your Writing 
  
  
• Blast Through Writer's Block: How to Get Unstuck 

FREE COURSE, GUIDE AND WORKBOOK

Do you want to write fiction faster, while practicing your craft and your writing process to consistently get better? Check out this link to the "Write Fiction Faster ... and better" guide and workbook, which comes with a companion course with 23 bite-sized video lessons and 4 worksheets.