Tag: WIP: T.A.G.

Unconventional formats are story structures that eschew the typical narrative flow of traditional formats, such as the three-act play, the Hero’s Journey, or Save the Cat. They are often less concerned with chronological time flow. And they can allow for modes of communications that are much more casual or much more formal, which can be more revealing or less revealing, depending on the device used. 

Unconventional formats include vehicles such as:

• Letters, postcards, emails, and DMs (epistolary novels)
• Diary entries
• Obituaries
• Blog posts
• Social media posts and forum threads
• AI prompts and outputs
• Outlines
• Transcripts and scripts
• Legal forms
• Police reports, disciplinary reports, case reports, and progress reports
• Recipes
• Instruction manuals
• Lists

How I use these in my sci-fi trilogy

While entire stories can be written in these unconventional formats, I’ve enjoyed weaving them into my sci-fi trilogy (Project T.A.G.) to change up the storytelling mode. For instance, in book 1, a messenger delivers a letter that a character reads, reacting to every few sentences. Later, the MMC writes a letter home, commenting to himself as he goes about all the details he’s not including.

In book 2, the MFC struggles to write a letter to her father, saying too much and then editing it down to its simplest, irrefutable core. That rewriting process shows readers details and feelings that would have otherwise stayed hidden had only the final letter been included.

In book 3, one of the antagonists edits video content, including using strikethroughs to indicate word changes in the script. And later, to show the passage of time, one of the government leaders reads monthly tournament ranking reports—which is what I’m working on right now.

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In addition to my book files, I have a separate book notes file for Project: T.A.G., my dystopian sci-fi trilogy. That file is currently 683 pages, and includes over 100,000 words of copy I’ve cut or substantially rewritten, but wanted to save. The remaining 50,000 words are focused on two very different aspects of the project:

Continuity & story details

• Information about each of the two superpowers, the Union of Nations and the Global Assembly, including the national anthems I wrote for them
• Cast list, including details on appearance, backgrounds, motivations, mannerisms, speech patterns, etc.
• A timeline that goes from 2048 to 2116, even though the action in each book takes place over a year or less, academy-style, between 2104 and 2106 over the course of the three books in the series
• Locations around the world where scenes take place
• A list of all weapons, equipment, and technologies used by characters
• Themes for each book
• A list of mirror scenes and echoes
• The playlist for each book

Publication & marketing plans

• Comparable books
• Back cover copy and flap copy (book description, bio, etc.)
• Potential blurb contributors
• Notes on book cover concepts
• Website updates to make, including creating an electronic press kit
• Pre-publication launch marketing plan
• Post-publication marketing plan

Along with my book notes, I have a separate spreadsheet to track my querying efforts. I also have a separate doc to plan my blog and social media content that has a running list of topics and draft posts for this trilogy and the next four novels I have planned.

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