Writing from A to Z

ST O RY A   narrative,   either   true   or   fictitious,   in   prose   or   verse,   designed   to  interest,   amuse,   or   i nstruct   the   hearer   or   reader;   tale. Where do stories come from?  Everywhere.  The newspaper, current events, your life, dreams, your imagination. Sometimes a snippet of an idea or image is enough to get you started. You simply must be open to them, and paying attention. It might be unusual, or it could be something mundane that everyone can relate to.  There are universal themes that can add great impact to your story, such as birth, death, betrayal, revenge, desire, courage, and love. Additionally, certain themes resonate more with us than others. Not sure what yours are? Try making a list of your favorite books or movies. See if they have anything in common. Or, if you can't think of anything, start now. Every time you ...

READING “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”  ―  Stephen King Do you read? If you write for others, or aspire to, you should.  Reading is one of the main ways that we develop an ear for the poetry of language, an eye for description, a sense of timing and plot.  Yes, you can also learn about plot structure from watching movies. Especially if you first do a little research so that you know to look for: the inciting events, plot points, and set pieces. But as a writer, you learn so many different things from reading. You learn what you like and dislike. You discover what works and what doesn't. There are the books you read when you want to escape. Books you read to learn things. Books you read because the language takes our breath away. And if you are lucky to find one book or author that can do all three, well, you've won the jackpot. Study this author. See if you can figure out what makes her (o...

QUESTIONS "Love the questions themselves." -Rainer Maria Rilke Does your story have questions? If it doesn't, it should. Finding out "why" is a big reason people read on. Your characters don't have to know all of the answers, and neither do you. But you should know many of them. Not while you are writing the first draft, perhaps, or even the second or the third. But when your story is done, your readers should feel as if most of the big plot questions have been answered, otherwise they feel cheated.  That said, i t's good to leave a little mystery. And some ambiguity at the end can allow for multiple interpretations that enrich the story. But that is a tricky thing to do--to allow for an open ending that remains satisfying. So think carefully about what you must reveal, and what you must not. Now let's talk about bigger questions. Philosophical ones.  Does the author need to know all of them?  Hell, no.  Many of us write beca...

PERIL   "Glory is the child of peril." -Tobias Smollett Are your characters happy? Do they lead safe, contented lives? Do they never encounter danger? If so, your story is in trouble. Characters need to be put into peril from time to time, whether it is physical danger or psychological trauma (or even better, both!). Think about what they are most afraid of. Then make it happen. Do they have any phobias?  Use them.   We are all afraid of something, so your characters should be too. Make it impossible for the characters to turn back. Not bad enough? Put the person they love most in the world in peril.  Have them make mistakes.  Even better, have one of their mistakes endanger both them AND the person they love most in the world.  And don't forget the ticking clock.  For example, Joe has to save his sick daughter and wife from the kidnappers in 24 hours, or pay their ransom, or else. The kidnappers? Joe's mistress & her, um, brothe...

OBSESSION “One hasn't become a writer until one has distilled writing into  a habit, and that habit has been forced into an obsession .  Writing has to be an obsession. It has to be something as organic, physiological and psychological as speaking or sleeping or eating.”  - Niyi Osundare What are you obsessed with? What do you think about all the time? What could you never get sick of learning about? Use it for a story--or if you've got the stamina, a novel.  “All good research-whether for science or for a book-is a form of  obsession . ”  ―  Mary Roach Are you obsessed with writing? If you are, good. To make it in this business, to find happiness in this profession, you will need that obsession to fuel you soul when times are tough, when you think that no one cares, when the easiest thing in the world would be to quit. Except. You can't quit. Writing is (almost) everything to you. Right? If not, you wouldn't still be here. So w...

NA M ES               “Names have power.”                       -Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief              What's in a name? Plenty. The name you give your character gives the reader an instant impression, even if they don't know what the name really means. For example, w hat do you think of when you hear the following names:  Destiny Colt Barack Ruby Hester Sierra Khan Jesus Barbara Magda Aloha Martha Kofi Prudence Lucifer Bilbo Miranda Filippo Jessie Duncan Anjali Peewee Ishmael Ludwig Ngai Dae won Amber Hercules Scarlett Ashley Midori Gabriel Xerxes Ralph Heathcliff Veruca Hannibal Roshanna Ramona Svengali  Hans Isabella Lolita Jeeves Pip Ebenezer  Rudolph Gump Scout Winnie Grendel Tarzan Scheherazade I bet each of them gave you an immediate impression,...

MYSTERY “It is only through mystery and madness that the soul is revealed.”  ―  Thomas Moore Mystery, thriller, or suspense. Which is it? Sometimes, it might be all three. Especially these days, when literary labels can be as slippery as a steampunk slipstream. Most of the time, though, if we are sticking with traditional definitions, your book or story will fall more squarely into one area than another. So here's a quick breakdown: In a mystery , you don't know who did the crime until the very end. It may focus more on the technical aspects of the crime, or the cerebral challenge of the investigation. In a   thriller ,  there is typically a lot of  action . It may be more about the chase or race to the end. In a suspense novel , you might know who and when, but perhaps not why or how. You read to the end to find out, and to see if the criminal will be caught. It could be fraught with danger, but not as much action. What kind of st...