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I made a long overdue visit to the eye doctor this week. It’s not one of my favorite things to do, but since I could no longer read road signs from much distance, I knew it was time. Surprise! My eyes have not gotten worse. My prescription was actually too strong. That’s a first. Of course, the flip side of that is that the optometrist explained that after a certain age, your eyes start going the other way. At this rate, by the time I’m 100, I may have the 20/20 vision of my preschool days.
W—World. Set the scene. Time and place.
A—Active characters who are doing something.
G—Goals. When a character in a scene is thwarted in his goal, have him take another swing; i.e. try another tactic such as flattery, rationalization or confrontation.
S—Stakes. Things have to matter. Something must be at stake.
I’ve been wearing wire frames for quite some time and have admired the trendy plastic glasses that have come out in recent years, so I went with a new look. What do you think? Chic? Writerly? Or do I look like an aging female Buddy Holly? 
The best news is, I can see great, and the world is a safer place when I’m on the road.
On another note. On Tuesday evening, I heard Gail Provost speak on the Story Circle, a novel writing method instituted by her late husband,
Gary Provost. Gary was a Writer’s Digest Magazine contributor for many years and dubbed The Writer’s Writer. Gail presented a visual workshop that gave new perspective to the time-honored Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. I especially enjoyed the diagram Gail used that showed a fist (the inciting incident) sending the character in a completely different direction and thus, the beginning of the story circle. Most of the presentation was familiar, but as she spoke, I couldn’t help but apply the different aspects to my WIP and came away with new ideas and a new acronym to apply to writing scenes. Bet you’re dying to know, aren’t you? All right. WAGS.W—World. Set the scene. Time and place.
A—Active characters who are doing something.
G—Goals. When a character in a scene is thwarted in his goal, have him take another swing; i.e. try another tactic such as flattery, rationalization or confrontation.
S—Stakes. Things have to matter. Something must be at stake.
So now, with my new glasses and a new tool for writing my novel, I have no excuse. Everything’s looking good from this side.