Category Archives: Writing

Five Baisc Elements of PLOT

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Five Baisc Elements of PLOT

Natalie Bright

The plot is the thing that moves the story along. How you craft the plot can make a different between a best selling page turner to unforgetable and unsaleble. According to Donald Maass in his book, “Writing the Breakout Novel” one of the mistakes beginning novelists make is to write the sequentail activiities of a characters’ every day events. This makes for very dull reading. The goal of story craft is to hold a reader’s attention.

He lists the five basic plot elements:
# 1 – a sympathetic character
#2 – conflict
#3 – reinforcement. Conflict must twist, turn, deepen and grow.
#4 – climax
#5 – resolution

“Writing the Breakout Novel” is an excelent book on story craft. Be good to yourself and add it to your writing reference library.

 

Eyes On the Prize

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Eyes On the Prize

By Nandy Ekle

 

Your main character is the most important person in the story. Your readers immediately love him for good reason. He’s just a normal guy try to better himself in some way. Basically, he’s exactly like the person who’s reading your story, and that’s why they love him so much.

He’s average, he needs food, shelter, and love. And he will do anything in the world to get those needs met. Every action he takes, every word he speaks lead toward this goal. And, since those are the basic needs of every person who has ever lived, your readers are involved from the first word.

Now, there is a nemesis who, for whatever reason, wants to keep one, two, or even all three of these needs from your main character. This nemesis could be another person, a government, a circumstance, a situation, or mother nature. He could even be against himself.

But our readers want our character’s needs to be met. Remember, the reader loves the person in our story and their heart will be broken if the story ends without so much as a slight struggle. And our character has a strong will to have those needs met, which makes him that much more lovable to our readers.

So we much have struggle. The character is willing to give up nearly anything to get those needs met. In fact, he has to go so far as to give up his life to attain his goal. And this is when he becomes a hero to the reader. Even he doesn’t actually every receive his prize, the fact that he makes the sacrifice to get within arms reach will make the reader love him even more.

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

The Thrill

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The Thrill

by Adam Huddleston

 

“There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”

                                                        -Alfred Hitchcock

 

For works in the horror or thriller genres, the high point of the story comes with a bang; the killer is revealed, the hero is murdered by the antagonist, the kidnapped girl is finally discovered. Fans of these types of books and movies are usually drawn more to the build-up of tension rather than the climax. So, if someone were inclined to pen a horror/thriller short story or novel, what methods could they use to increase this anticipation?

  1. Give small bits of information as the story goes on. It stands to reason that the reader does not want the ending spoiled and feels more involved if they can try to answer the puzzle themselves.
  2. Make sure that the reader cares about the character that is in danger. The closer they feel to them, the more “terror” they will fell as the climax approaches.
  3. Set up the “thrill-causing” events of the story in order of increasing dread. By the time the bang arrives, the reader should be flying through the pages.

Hopefully, I’ve given enough advice to help you in crafting your suspenseful story. Happy writing!

Spooks

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Outtakes 218

Spooks

by Cait Collins

I love the fun of Halloween. Kids and adults dressed up and pretending to be someone or something they aren’t is part of the holiday. I just don’t get the all the slasher, zombie, and thriller costumes. Whatever happened to doctors and nurses, cops and robbers, cute little witches and devils? It seems these days the more gruesome the costume, the more hefty the sales. What is the draw to being scared or grossed out?

Take books as an example. I’ve read good horror and I’ve read terrible horror. The bad novels are usually good for a laugh. In attempting to be frightening, the stories can become campy and silly. The good stuff I can’t read. Sorry, but I don’t like being frightened. I tried reading Stephen King’s IT. When I got to the description of the cellar, I had to close the book. King is so masterful with his description, he terrifies me. I could not only see the cellar, I could feel it, smell it, and taste it. That’s too real.

Think about it. What is more frightening; a zombie or a boy-next-door serial killer. I’m more frightened by reality, by something that could actually happen than fantasy characters. I couldn’t sleep after reading Helter Skelter. Charles Manson is far scarier than the Phantom of the Opera. Reality is makes good fiction because a writer has a plot and characters at hand.

I may not enjoy ghouls and goblins, but I appreciate the talent it takes to write good horror. The Stephen Kings, R. L. Steins, and Dean Koontz’s are rare and should be respected. That said; forgive me if I prefer my suspense and women’s fiction books.

 

Beginning, Middle and End – WHAT A RIDE!

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A story has a beginning, middle and an end.

Make a brief outline answering these questions to create a story skeleton to build upon.

  1. The Beginning: What event happens to person, that creates a problem or a need?
  2. The Middle: What struggle does the character face in solving the problem or the need?
  3. The End: How is this person changed and what have they learned as a result of the struggle?

This is where the story is made. Imagine the process like a roller coaster. The reader’s attention is captured by the alluring promises made by the title and then they are locked into their seat at the beginning of the ride. Tension builds as the chain’s click-clack pulls them higher into the problem, and then drops them into the middle of the story where there’s no turning back. The reader struggles back and forth, and then up and down along with the characters to solve the problem. The ride then comes to an end where there is resolution showing a change created by the struggle.

Rory C. Keel

roryckeel.com

THE HASHTAG

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THE HASHTAG

Since opening an Instagram account, I’ve become fascinated by the power of the hashtags.

Hashtags are words preceded by the pound symbol (without spaces). These key words or phrases categorize posts. For example I use #TexasPanhandle on every one of my Instragram pictures. Through the use these key words and phrases, you can follow anything of interest including places, people, hobbies, food, fashion, special interest groups, companies, TV shows, movies, etc.

The birthplace of the hashtag symbol first happened on Twitter. Discussions became trackable and content can be organized using hashtags. Twitter hashtags allows for “trends”, or specific topics in conversation that you’d like to follow or become engaged by posting comments.

So how can writers benefit from using hashtags?

Create hashtags for your book titles, character names, author events, or use key topics that relate to your books when you post something.

Social media sites such as Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine utilize hashtags to maximize shareability. Popular hashtags will help you pick up followers who are interested in the same things, and will help you discover new accounts. So what’s popular or trending now, you might ask. Go to hashtags.org to find out.

Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram! Links are located on the home page of my website at www.nataliebright.com

#havefun #write

As the World Turns 

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE  

As the World Turns 

 

By Nandy Ekle 

 

The alarm rings early in the morning. Our character turns over and sees the colors glowing through the bedroom curtain. The pinks and oranges overriding the blues and purples in the sky take her breath away. She grabs a pencil and jots some notes. 

 She steps in the shower under the scalding hot water. The pressure makes each drop of water feel like tiny little scrub brushes on her skin. Amazing, delicious, and energizing. She cherishes each pinpoint of heat that lands on her body. After she dries off she takes her pencil and paper and makes a few more notes. 

 Driving to her office she passed by a strip mall. In the parking lot a police car and a silver car were stopped. The officer stood next to open window of the car.  

Our character also passes a group of teenagers as they wait for the school bus. They all wear jeans and jackets, carry stacks of books, and peck at cell phones. One girl has jet black hair, piercings, and a tattoo on her hand. 

As our character enters her office, she takes out the pencil and paper and writes a few more notes.  

A normal person watching our character’s day on the job would think it was an average day. But she sees more. As she studies each case she is assigned, she sees potential. She sees red flags and life stories, and she sees endings. She takes out her pencil and paper and jots a few more notes, always keeping confidential matters confidential.  

During her lunch hour she turns on her audiobook and works on her craft project. As she cross-stitches, her mind tunes into the story on the I-pad. The story, of course is intriguing and one part of her mind follows closely. But another part of her mind concentrates on the style of the writer. She marvels at his words and how they unfold the tale with so much grace that even after 25 hours of listening, she is still enthralled. At the end of her lunch break, she makes a few more notes on her notepad.  

At the end of the day she drives out of the parking lot. Nothing unusual happens, until she approaches the highway. She notices the traffic backed up and slowed to a crawl, so instead of getting on the entrance ramp, she continues to drive on the access road next to the highway. 

Looking over the guardrail she notices flashing lights and orange cones. A little further down the road the EMT loads a victim into the back of the ambulance. Several twisted cars are stopped amid a ton of broken glass.  

When our character reaches her home, she pulls out her computer and begins to write.  

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

Sports in Writing

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Sports in Writing

by Adam Huddleston

 

With football season in full force (Go Cowboys), the topic of sports is on the majority of American minds. For the writer, there may be instances when you include sports in your work. Whether you are writing fiction, blogging, or reporting, there are a few rules that need to be adhered to:

  1. Make sure you know your sport! This may sound like a no-brainer, but nothing will turn away a sports reader faster than referring to runs in baseball as points or referring to Wrigley Field as Wrigley Stadium. Unless you are creating a brand new game, have a firm understanding of the rules and scoring system.
  2. Use plenty of vibrant action verbs and try to avoid repeating them. “Joe Bob ran” will only work for so long before the reader falls asleep. Strengthen your repertoire and use terms appropriate for the sport.
  3. If you are blogging, blog often. Serious sports fans like to keep up-to-date on their favorite teams and players. They look forward to reading about their most recent exploits, not how they lost a game in double-overtime five days ago.

With some study and a little practice, writing about sports can be a lot of fun and very rewarding.

Reality

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Outtakes 217

Reality

by Cait Collins

I was working on the final edits of my memoir, First Love, Forever Love, when I realized the book was not finished. It needed something else. The last two chapters were entitled The Promise and the Dream. But what about the reality? There had to be a resolution; a return to Maine and the sea.

The problem with reality is the fear of disappointment, or the fear of the real thing not measuring up to the dream and the memories. .In the ten months of planning for the return trip I never lost a sense of foreboding. I refused to get too excited because I didn’t want something to happen that would derail my return north. I wanted to go, but what if it wasn’t everything I had hoped for?

I arrived to beautiful weather, but not fall color. A warm, dry summer delayed the turning of the leaves. Although disappointed, I had to admit the varying shades of green were beautiful. We had good sailing weather and good winds. The Mary Day cut the water like a champ. It was invigorating. And there were those spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Nothing could be more glorious. Disappointed? Not on your life. The reality was every bit as good as the dream.

And now I get to write the final chapter of the memoir. I just hope I do justice to reality.

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

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Reasons to Write

     Why do I write? Is it because throngs of fans demand it, anticipating every word of my next masterpiece? Is it because I honestly expect to make millions of dollars on a bestseller, or desire to be famous? No.

This week I will share with you the 5th reason of why I write                                                                                                                                                                                   

Reason #5 – Endless Possibilities                                                    

On a recent business trip to the west coast, I noticed something amazing. Traveling along the highway, I read the billboards. Some of them knew I was reading them and said things like, “Caught you looking!” or “You’re so good. You read me like a book!” As spots on a connect-the-dots drawing, these towering advertisements had information about the grandest hotels, motels and the cleanest restrooms. They pointed the way to the best buffets and restaurants. Some revealed the places to go for the nightlife, and what it will cost if you drink too much of the highlife and turn into a lowlife while driving.

Occasionally we pulled into roadside rest-stops for short breaks and “free coffee,” and then we would load up on all the local vacation magazines, free maps and tourist information to read along the way. One visitor’s guide said that Arizona has more boats per capita than any other state in the nation—and they’re a land locked desert!

My point is that the possibilities for writers are endless because writing is everywhere. From billboards along the American road to epic novels, behind everything you read is a writer.

Rory C. Keel