PLANNING YOUR STORY: PART 1

PLANNING YOUR STORY: PART 1

You think you have an idea for a story or book. But it’s nebulous, fuzzy and feels just out of reach. You stare at the blank screen or paper, depending on how you plan or write. Nothing happens.

We’ve all been there.

As I contemplated Nanowrimo this year I sat inside those shoes. This was the third year I’d be working on the same story concept. Each attempt had evolved into a different story. But none were the right one. None had that spark. In fact, I couldn’t even finish any I’d started so far.

So I sought help. I read books and blogs and thought hard.

Then the story began to coalesce into a real plotline with protag and antag and all of the turning points and climax and and and. I got excited. Finally the story was writing itself, almost, but at least all of the necessary elements were there.

Now that I’ve finished my Nanowrimo with over 50,000 words by November 25^th, and I’m into the climax of the story, I’m finally pleased and excited to begin editing and polishing. I finally think I got a good thing written that others will enjoy reading.

Isn’t that the reason we’re in this business?

So now you’re asking, “What did you ask yourself to attain such magnificence?”

I’ll give you some questions to ask yourself in the planning stages. These should guide your thinking and start the ball rolling. They did for me.

PREMISE-This gives you a clear idea of what the story is about:

·         What if?

·         What is expected?

·         What’s unexpected?

For me, it meant: What if Rayna didn’t have red hair? (the cause of all her problems); What if she wasn’t a twin? (another serious issue she faces) and so. What is expected? Rayna will hate the restrictions of living in the Gestortium. Her red hair will cause problems. What is unexpected? (this is harder to predict and I didn’t know until I started writing the story)

So what became the PREMISE for my story after all of my thinking? This:

Hidden away from society for her protection, Rayna is forced into her societally expected role under duress and endangered by the very reasons she was hidden while discovering the truth of her birth, who she is and what her future holds.

Next month, determining your BIG PLOT MOMENTS, aka turning or plot points.

Thanks to K.M. Weiland’s Outlining Your Novel

Rebecca Ryals Russell, a fourth-generation Floridian, was born in Gainesville, grew up in Ft Lauderdale then lived in Orlando and Jacksonville with her Irish husband and four children. Due to the sudden death of Rebecca's mother, they moved to Wellborn, near Lake City, to care for her father, moving into his Victorian home built in 1909. After teaching Middle Graders for fourteen years she retired and began writing the story idea which had been brewing for thirty years.  Within six months she wrote the first three books of each series, YA Seraphym Wars and MG Stardust Warriors. The world she created has generated numerous other story ideas including two current works in progress, SageBorn Chronicles based on various mythologies of the world and aimed at the lower Middle Grade reader and Saving Innocence, another MG series set on Dracwald and involving dragons and Majikals. She is finishing a YA Dystopian Romance which has been a NaNoWriMo project for three years. She loves reading YA Fantasy, Horror and Sci Fi as well as watching movies.  Read more about Rebecca and her WIPs as well as how to buy books in her various series at http://rryalsrussell.com  You may email her at vigorios7@gmail.com

Using Shoping Malls To Sell and Promote Books

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Readers of Writers on the Move may know that I spent nearly 30 decades as founder and operator of my own chain of retail stores. That experience was invaluable when it came to all kinds of publishing advantages and I like to pass them on to you when I can. Time magazine ran a piece on how shopping malls are changing in their regular section on the economy.

Many upscale malls are doing very well, but middle-of-the-road malls have lost tenants like crazy. They are filling their real estate with all kinds of businesses like ice rinks, museums, health clinics, and even churches. They also (though this isn’t new) fill empty spaces with temporary rentals. I got to thinking how this could be a trend that could benefit your book because those spaces can be gotten very cheaply by mall standards. And I also figured they would be open to just about any ideas an author came up with.

Here are some ideas you could approach your local mall with and yes, this is the time of year to do it:

~Go in with your critique group or other writing organization to open a mini bookstores for the holiday season. It could carry all of your books and any associated merchandise (called spinoffs by the publishing industry) that participants might have. You could hold holiday readings, seminars, etc. in it. And I can imagine the coverage you’d get in the local press with this idea—maybe even the national press that has business pages like USA Today.

~If there is a store window in a space that hasn’t been leased, rent it for the season to showcase your book.

~On a smaller scale, ask the mall administration about their kiosk or cart programs.

~Make your new well-trafficked space into a money making venture. Rent out space for readings, how-to demonstrations, children’s hours, poetry open mics, even to bloggers who want to increase their visibility. And, of course use the space for your own events.

~How about a one-week or one-day rental. Say you have a cookbook. How about a week of cooking demonstrations and book sales before Mother’s Day.

~Capitalize on any big promotion ideas you are already using. I met a man who outfitted a huge motorhome as a rolling advertisement for his book. He could easily use that promotion as the centerpiece for his temporary holiday store. BTW, you may have seen C-SPAN, CNN, etc use a similar idea a tradeshows like Book Expo America.

Hint: My book A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (http://budurl.com/RetailersGuide), will help you with these projects. .

Note: This idea can be done quite simply or on a large scale. If you have a big idea, start now for your 2013 promotion. And you may not want to wait for the December holiday season. Mall business is excellent around Valentine’s, Mother’s and Father’s Days, graduation time, etc. If you have a book that involves politics, put your thinking cap on for a bash on the Fourth of July.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor

Writing and Theme

What is Your Story’s Theme?

Theme is the take-away value your story provides; it can be a moral, a teaching, insight (in regard to your perspective) into the world or human nature. Along with the plot, it is what motivates your main character, subtly, to struggle to get from point A to point B.

Interestingly, at times, we’re not aware of what our theme actually is, or whether it will have more than one suggested take-away. This can be problematic. I reviewed a wonderfully illustrated children’s picture book, not too long ago. The main character was cute and it was well written, but the authors didn’t realize there was an alternative message that young children could take-away from the story, one that might have children feeling they have to conform in one way or another to be accepted.

In the Children’s Writer June 2010 Newsletter, an article by Chris Eboch explained, “Try to envision the different messages someone could get from your story. [. . .] Having readers miss your intended theme can be a problem, if they are seeing messages that go against your beliefs.”
Eboch suggested that authors let children read the story and see what message they take-away from it. This is a great idea; what better way to determine if children can find alternative messages in your story. Another useful tool is to be part of a critique group; the members’ perspective can prove to be invaluable.

Another good point Eboch related was not to overly structure your story around a theme, “It’s [theme] a fragile concept, and we need to allow it to come out of the subconscious mind, which is where the best writing takes place.”  The article goes on to explain that if we try to force a particular theme, it will create forced characters, and a forced plot.

Sometimes this is hard to accomplish, especially when you are adapting an old tale or myth into your own creation. The moral or teaching is already in place. This happened to me with my story, Walking Through Walls; it is loosely based on an ancient Chinese tale. I did change it drastically by using children instead of adults, and creating a full story with additional characters and plot around a sketchy outline of the tale, but it was the outline that motivated me to write the story. While the moral, or take-away value, is somewhat different than the original tale, there is a vague resemblance.

Working from a tale, and having an established theme in the back of my mind, didn’t seem to be a hindrance for me; I focused much more one the main character’s journey to fulfill his goal, and his enlightenment and growth in the process. The theme, I think, gently nudged the protagonist along and gave me the security of knowing the general vicinity of where he’d end up.

~~~~~
MORE ON WRITING

The Elevator and One Sentence Pitch
Writing an Ebook – What’s Stopping You?
10 Things Writers Should Know About Coffee

What It Really Takes to Improve as a Writer

What It Really Takes to Improve as a Writer 

Guest Post by Andrea Shay

According to the 10,000 hour rule, it takes approximately 10,000 hours to become an expert or a master of something. This equates to roughly 10 years of practice at 3 hours per day. If you want to master the art of writing - or even if you simply want to go from "okay" to "great" – you're going to need to put in some serious hours. One of the major components of improving any skill is putting in the time and effort to practice regularly.

In addition, creating any form of art requires the ability to think both creatively and linearly. Practicing other creative hobbies like visual arts, music and even cooking can help you improve your writing. Trying new things both in your writing and in your real life can also open up new worlds and give you new skills.

Also, it never hurts to take a few lessons from the masters. Learn about rhetorical devices and stylistic tricks you can use to make your prose as evocative as possible.

Practice A LOT and Learn New Techniques
Many aspiring writers make the mistake of doing only one of these two things rather than both of them. Writing a significant amount each day is important for improving your skill level, but you also must learn new skills and techniques and try them out in your writing as well. Writing alone isn't enough, and simply learning new techniques without practicing them won't help you improve.

Study and imitate your favorite authors and learn rhetorical and stylistic devices to create effect. Set aside a specific time to write, and do just that. Keep those fingers moving regardless of whether or not you write something profound or incoherent. You can always go back and edit later.

Put Your Whole Brain to Work, Not Just Half of It

For several decades people have promoted the mistaken belief that "artistic" or "creative" activities use only one side of the brain – the left side. Along with that idea went the notion that logical activities use only the right side of the brain. New evidence has emerged in the last few years that suggest that the two halves of the brainwork together during activities we tend to label as either "creative" or "logical."

To improve your writing, examine how you write.

Do you work more creatively with minimal structure?

Or do you work more logically, structuring everything down to the last detail?

Whichever you do, try to incorporate more of what you do least. If you're a structure freak, spend more time just letting your writing flow and see what happens. If you tend to sit down and write whatever comes into your mind with very little structure, try working in the opposite fashion and spend more effort structuring your characters or the events in your stories to see how that impacts your work.

Try New Things

Try new things, both in your writing and in your real life. Try a new technique just to see how it works out. If you've never tried a flashback, write a scene with a flashback. If you tend to conceive of the end of a story first, try starting in the middle and working your way out, or try starting at the beginning. And if the converse is true and you always start at the beginning, start somewhere else first.

If you always plot out your characters' personalities, try writing a few chapters before you fully understand your characters and let them become revealed to you. Additionally, practice other creative arts as well as logical tasks like math or organization. The more you can create flexibility between the two halves of your brain, the more flexibility you'll have as a writer as well.

Andrea Shay is an editor and writer, living in Sarasota, Florida. She holds a B. A. degree in English from U.W.-Oshkosh. She also works as an alternative healing practitioner and teaches the art of energetic healing.

Moody Blues - Letting the Creativity Flow

Confession: some of my best creative writing comes when I am feeling blue. This is the time when I write allegories with ease. It just flows.

I realize there are some serious mood disorders and I am not minimizing this. Yet, our strengths can be our weaknesses if we choose to see it that way. Whether you have the normal sad days we all have from time to time (hormones ladies?), or you have a more serious condition, think about how you can use it to express yourself. Life isn’t perfect. Behind every cloudy day the sun is still shining! And the satisfaction I’ve experienced through allowing the richness of my deep feelings and thoughts to be written has often made me think, “Wow. I wrote that?”

Haven’t we seen some amazing people who have overcome physical disabilities? So inspiring! It’s all in how you view your struggle, weakness, or disability and how you will overcome it through making it a strength and using it to your advantage.

It is incredible to read about people who have overcome their weaknesses or disabilities and the contributions they've made to the world.  Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Monet ... and depressed writers include authors such as Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Dickens, and John Keats. You have something wonderful inside of you to share with the world, too. 

What is the silver lining on your cloud? 

Shine!

Photo courtesy:

pedrosimoes7 / Foter 

chantrybee / Foter / CC BY

 

                                                              ~~~

Kathleen Moulton has a passion to bring hope to hurting people of all ages who are facing disappointment, discouragement, and loss. You are invited to read When It Hurts - http://kathleenmoulton.com

Luminol: Fact or Fiction

Luminol is not just a fictitious creation of the entertainment world. It is a real investigative tool used by crime scene investigators. It was created based on the precedence that nothing totally disappears. Tiny particles of blood, for instance, will cling to most surfaces for many years, unable to be detected by the human eye. However, the idea is to reveal these tiny particles with a light-producing chemical reaction between several chemicals and hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein in blood.

Investigators spray an area with luminol. Then they turn out the lights, black out the windows, and look for a bluish-green light. If there are any traces of blood in that area, they will glow.

When hemoglobin and the luminol mixture come in contact with each other, the iron in the hemoglobin accelerates the reaction between the hydrogen peroxide, which is in the liquid with which the luminol powder is mixed. This creates a reaction call an “oxidation reaction,” and this reaction creates an energized state. Because the iron in the hemoglobin accelerates the process, the light is bright enough to see in a dark room. This is as simplified as I can get in explaining this process, but it all boils down to a chemical reaction with the end result of lighting up the blood particles in the dark.

When an investigator finds evidence of blood traces with the luminol, he/she will photograph or videotape the crime scene. As a general rule, luminol only shows that there might be blood in an area. There are other substances, such as household bleach, which can light up luminol; however, experienced investigators can reliably make an identification based on how quickly the reaction occurs and further tests can be done to determine whether or not it really is blood.

Luminol is a great investigative tool. It can help determinate the point of attack and what type of weapon was used. This is because a bullet makes blood splatter differently than a knife does. It can also reveal faint bloody shoe prints, giving the investigator information about what the killer/attacker did after the attack.

The one problem with luminol is that it can destroy other evidence in the crime scene. For this reason, crime scene investigators use other tools first and explore the crime scene before spraying luminol.

Though a great investigative tool, using luminol does have its drawback and is not used as frequently as we may think. On the other hand, a writer can do some interesting things to his/her story by bringing this tool into the investigation.

Faye M. Tollison

Author of: To Tell the Truth

                  Sarah’s Secret

Member of: Sisters in Crime

                    Writers on the Move

www.fayemtollison.com

www.fayetollison.blogspot.com

It's that time of year again . . .

As I write this, Thanksgiving is only a few days away and I have not had time to write a proper blog post!

For those of you who celebrate this American holiday:

What are you thankful for this year? How are you going to spend your holiday weekend? Will you do any writing? Perhaps you will get some ideas while traveling, cooking, eating, shopping, decorating, watching Christmas movies, attending special events, and spending time with family and friends.

And if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, you might get more writing accomplished this week than the rest of us. J

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a safe and fun holiday weekend.

Debbie A. Byrne has a B.S. in Mass Communication with a minor in History. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is currently working on her first children’s book.