Christmas Tree

So since this will be my last post before Christmas and since I post first every week I thought I would create a theme for this week. Challenge to the gurrrls: Tie in something about Christmas to your post this week. Simple, right? Of course.

So my tie in is more of a metaphor. A Christmas tree metaphor. This tree is your story. your initial idea is the tree itself. The strong truck, the green branches, this it the meat and potatoes of your story. You have to have the tree before you can have a Christmas tree. But, it is only a tree at this point.

Lights come next. This is your story line. The lights wrap around your idea tree to create the events that make your story shine. But you need to have the right amount. Too many and your lights may get bunched up. Too few and the lights become stretched and may not even reach the top (or bottom depending on where you start). Don't let the lights get tangled and make sure you don't blow a fuse. By this I mean keep the story straight and don't add too many "ghost plots" and JKR would probably say. They might take away too much attention from the main story. Just make sure everything is spaced out right and everything is plugged in. Once this is figured out you can begin to add your ornaments.

Ornaments are your characters. Some ornaments you buy yourself. I believe that everyone has their stock characters that they put into every story. For instance, my MC always seems to have red hair. Boy, girl, young, old, there is always a MC that has red hair. Then there are the ornaments that other people give you. Ideas you take from from other books or people you base your characters off of. These are not ornaments you would have bought yourself but they are one that will fill out your collection over time. Finally there are the ornaments that seem to have been on your tree your entire life. The hand-me-down ornaments that are always there. These pertain more to the personalities of your characters. There is always the mean one, the funny one, the really smart one, the hero, the villain, the annoying one, and so on. You must take these different ornaments and move them around your tree so they are spred out in just the right mixture.

Once all of your ornaments are in place you can fill in the more bare spots with tinsel. This will be all the fluff stuff of your story. Whatever extra details that will really make the story make sense and flow well. Make it pretty. But just like the lights and the ornaments make sure that the tinsel is spaced well and covers the places it needs to without clumping up.

Finally, you can add the topper. My family always uses an Angel. This will be your goal. Whenever you believe all the lights, ornaments, and tinsel needed are in place you can then add the Angel. Whether this is publication or just saying "I'm done" this will be your Angel.

Finally, the presents can go under the tree. Show your friends and family or whoever you want. The presents will be their comments. The good and the bad. There are always some presents that you believe are better than others. But take them all with a smile and say "thank you" and go merrily on your way.

Once that is done you can take a step back and be proud of your tree. Sit on the couch, turn on some Christmas music, sip some cider, and just enjoy the view.

Oh! Christmas Tree. Oh! Christmas Tree, how lovely are your branches.

Author: Isaac Asimov