Category Archives: Nandy Ekle

DO THE TWIST

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Do the Twist

Once upon a time a handsome prince came to a faraway castle and met a beautiful princess. They fell in love instantly. Her father, the king, saw immediately how much the prince and princess loved each other and arranged for the two to marry at once. And they lived happily ever after.

Ho hum. We have to find some way to make this story more interesting.  Luckily I took a writing class about a year ago and I know exactly what this story needs. This drab little tale must have some twists and turns.

Every plot must have a character with a goal and lots of problems ranging from very serious to very minor. And there is a very nifty way to create these obstacles.

I learned in the writing class that if you write down everything you assume is true about a character and/or a situation, then change one of those things, you have a nice little twist. So in the story above, what do we assume?

Well, we assume the prince and princess are young unmarried lovers. We assume they are sweet and charming. We assume their courtship is smooth and romantic. We assume they are earthlings and that they are human beings. And we assume the time is long ago.

Which one of those assumptions would you change, and how does it affect the story?

Congratulations.  You have just received a post card from the muse.
Nandy Ekle

A NEW RULE

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A New Rule

Okay, class, it’s time to talk about grammar.  Stop groaning. Grammar is very important to a story. Yes, I know it’s boring and I know there are way too many rules for it to be reasonable. However, we’re going to take a new approach.

The accepted guidelines for creative writing today can be found in the Chicago Manual of Style, which is a gigantic tome and anyone who has memorized the whole book deserves a giant pat on the back.  But proper punctuation and noun/verb usage is not necessarily what our lesson is about today.

Today we’re going to talk about creative grammar. Now this is not the license to throw away all the rules in the name of art. In fact, knowing what the rules are is very important to this lesson, and I’m going to add a new rule that will make punctuation become as important to your story as your characters and plot. Ready?

IT’S OKAY TO BREAK THE RULE IF YOU KNOW WHAT THE RULE IS AND WHY YOU NEED TO BREAK IT.

I have read stories where the punctuation and grammar is so perfect that the whole thing is very stiff and formal and unfriendly – and not a lot of fun to read. On the other hand, I have read a few stories where the author uses grammar and punctuation, fonts, italics, all-caps, and bolds almost as characters in the story. These authors have achieved something so mouthwatering that a magic spell is woven that forces the reader to keep reading until they see the words “The End.”

Become friends with grammar and punctuation and let it breathe life into your stories. Don’t be afraid to experiment with its uses—or lack of (as long as you know why)—and watch your story develop a beating heart and start to live.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

FACING YOUR FEARS

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Facing Your Fears

As the giant spider crawled across the floor, my legs involuntarily drew up under me on the bed while my arms crossed themselves to protect my vital organs from the monster. As much as I hated looking at the hairy thing, I couldn’t take my eyes away. My lungs pulled in a gulp of air and pushed out a piercing scream.

Is that fear? How about this . . .

I watched him open the door of the car and toss his bags into the backseat. His last words stung my face as if they had needles and stuck in the air. I couldn’t believe he would leave me like this, that the years we spent together were over and he now hated me. I had no idea what I would do without him. My tears ran openly as I screamed for him to come back.

Fear is a huge part of every plot, whether it’s very obvious, as in the case of a character running for their life from a monster, or whether it’s disguised with another emotion, such as anger. Even a romance story has an element of fear: fear of commitment, fear of intimacy, fear of losing someone.

If you take the fear and amplify it to a phobia, you have a nice big glowering obstacle for your character to overcome. There are hundreds of well-known phobias; it’s the unusual phobias that make a story interesting.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

A THOUSAND WORDS

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A Thousand Words

In the back of one of my closets is a green plastic tub full of the images of memories. There are pictures of my wedding, the births of my children and grandchildren. There are family photos, Christmas photos and birthday photos. I look in the tub and see reminders of children sleeping, playing, fighting, performing and posing. I also find reminders of places where we took those children, and when they left my house. And sometimes I find a face I don’t remember in my green tub.

One really fascinating place to find inspiration for writing is pictures, paintings, photos and mementos. Each little scrap of paper, ticket stub, greeting card or lock of hair brings up the memory of an incident.

Have you ever seen an old photo that brings memories and feelings to your mind and the story behind them begs to be told?  Did you ever come across a scrap of paper with what appears to be a coded message that you know you wrote but will never remember why or what it means? And who is the nameless person smiling at you in the photo begging for your attention?

Congratulations! You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

GARAGE SALING

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Garage Saling

Second hand stores, pawn shops, garage sales. These are great places to find a good bargain, if you’re willing to hunt and haggle. If you know what you’re looking for and how much money you want to spend, these kinds of places can pull you in and keep you busy searching for treasures all day.

But saving money is not the only treasure at a “Used” store. When you walk in the door, what’s the first thing you notice? If it’s a store front shop, you probably see racks and racks of clothing, shelves of old dishes, boxes and bins of toys and books, maybe furniture, bedding, and even electronics. If it’s a garage sale, there are card tables and home-made racks and shelves lining a driveway or yard.

But look closer. Gently handle the set of china plates and what do you see? Maybe you see the chip or crack on the edge. Or maybe it’s the fact that the set is not complete. But do you see the age? Can you sense the previous owner, the housewife who was widowed after sixty years of marriage?

How about those child size jeans? They look a little frayed in the knee and feel thin in the seat. Do they remind you of a little boy who learned to ride his bicycle while wearing them?

And the stuffed animal loved ragged by the little girl who took it to the hospital when she had her tonsils removed?

Congratulations.  You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

HONOR TO THE MASTERS

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Honor To the Masters

“I love that story!  It’s my all time favorite!”  You have the story almost word for word, almost every dot of punctuation embedded in your heart, and you still can’t get enough of it.  You’ve probably read the book and seen the movie a thousand times a piece, and it still thrills you to the core.

There are a ton of reasons that particular story calls to you over and over. It could be the high concept, or a perfect plot with no loopholes. Maybe the voice is comfortable and striking at the same time. Maybe the world and the atmosphere bring you exactly the feel you are looking for, or any number of other traits of a great story.  But actually, it all boils down to plain good writing.

A master of words can take any theme, any plot (no matter how weak) and make it fascinating.  He can make you hear the words as if they fall out of his mouth.  She can set the tone in the first sentence, with the first couple of words on the page.  A master can weave a spell around you with very little effort, and you are helpless to break free until you see the words, “The End.”  And then you are left feeling lonely and know that it won’t be long before you must open that book and read it again.

These masters of the craft feed our desires to be just as good at writing as they are.

Study your favorite book and analyze exactly what it is that stays on the edge of your consciousness when the book is closed.  Then you can give them the ultimate homage by emulating their eloquence.

Congratulations.  You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

Killing Me Softly

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Killing Me Softly

It’s that song!  You know the one I’m talking about.  When you hear it on the radio it commands your attention and pulls you in, ears first, then your head, followed by your soul.  It’s the words, the tune, the voice, the chords.  There’s just something about that song.

Music is a wonderful place to find a story. It’s not always obvious, in fact sometimes you have to dig for it.  But you know it’s there.  It’s hiding between the words and the notes.

Over and over you listen to the piece and over and over you fall into the score searching for the real story behind the lyrics. A single phrase fogs your imagination further and the mystery grows deeper.

Listen closely to your music and piece together the story.

Congratulations! You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

Echoes of the Day

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 Echoes of the Day

“I saw her again today.” You hear this uttered between friends.  You’re not part of the conversation, but the phrase works its way into your ears as if it was aimed there. The rest of the day you walk around repeating it over and over. You have no idea who “she” is or when the last time “she” was seen. But the words echo through your imagination until you develop some sort of picture and story.

Sometimes just a simple phrase will catch your attention and stay bouncing around your brain. You listen to it whisper inside your head over and over and marvel at the sounds and meanings of the words.  You consider all the different things it could have meant. Eventually you realize that there are as many stories as there are meanings of the phrase.

As writers, our job is to find the story that best fits the meaning of the day’s magic phrase.  When such a story is discovered, use the provocative phrase as your starting sentence and watch the rest of the story appear on your page.

Congratulations!  You have just received a post card from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

The Moon

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Postcards From the Muse

The Moon

You’re riding in the car late at night.  The sky looks like black velvet with tiny rhinestones dotted around the darker inkblots of clouds.  You admire the dark shapes the clouds make and notice a bright sliver working its way out from under the edge of the blackest splotch in the sky.  The moon struggles for attention.

As you watch the contest, you notice that as the cloud moves at just the right angle, the illusion of a frowning brow is created over the face of the moon morphing it into a giant eye watching the earth below.  You can’t take your eyes away.  A fuzzy line of fog forms around the silver disk morphing the illusion further.  You suddenly feel certain that a being observes and takes notes of the night life on the planet.

Who or what does this eye belong to?  Does it spy on a crime taking place?  Has a lover’s tryst caught its attention?  And why does it choose to appear angry?  What story can you find here?

Congratulations.  You have just received a postcard from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

Postcards From the Muse

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Postcards From the Muse

 

The old house sits on its own little acre of land.  It’s beautiful in its dilapidation, sunburned gray siding, broken windows, roof falling in.  You can’t stop looking at it and wondering about its story.

How many old buildings have you seen as you drive down the road, ancient places full of history and drama?  Do you notice shapes moving around inside?  Do you think that if you listen closely you will hear whispering?  Eerie music?  Phantom laughter?

Congratulations.  You have received a postcard from your muse.

Nandy Ekle