Tag Archives: Story

Reasons to Write

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Reasons to Write

Rory C. Keel 

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.

Over the next few weeks I will share with you a few of the reasons I write.

Reason #1

I write to tell a story. Everyone loves a good story. Children drift off to sleep with their heads cradled gently in downy pillows, and their minds full of colorful images from fairytales. Young adults turn the pages of books filled with adventure, loyalty, and sometimes tragedy. They experience a spectrum of emotions as they learn the meaning of dedication, true love, and even loss. Adults feel alive with the thrill of a great suspense novel. As we grow older, we can gain a sense of who we are, and where we came from by reading of our youthful yesterdays.

For a few brief moments in time, a story affords the reader the opportunity to escape reality. Traveling through time into other dimensions, we can explore the far reaches of the future, or a place in history. A story allows the reader to become someone else, able to triumph over evil, or transform into the bad guy. The words of a story can inspire us to overcome the odds stacked against us, and we can experience the exhilaration of victory.

Everyone has a story–write yours.

Rory C. Keel        

Why do You Write? – Keeping the Big Picture in Sight

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Middle Grade Monday

Why do You Write?

Keeping the Big Picture in Sight

By Natalie Bright

So, why do you write?

I don’t mean the reasons that we hear most people repeat: they want an agent to get a big publisher for a big book deal and a big movie deal so they’ll make major bucks and then retire to their massive beach front property. I honestly don’t believe that’s motivation enough to put oneself through the endless torture of trying to write. It’s the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life.

What about the gutt-wrenching, down in your soul reason you’ve never told anyone, ever. If everything suddenly went to ePublishing and all books were free and there was no way whatsoever that you could ever make money writing, would you still write? I’d like to think that most of you would, because you haven’t lost sight of the big picture.

The Big Picture: Story, Story, Story

Story is the reason. It’s the oldest form of human entertainment. Down through the ages, “tell me a story” has brought countless generations together. From the time we were youngsters, we remember stories that spoke to us and left their imprint in our brains or hearts. Agents, editors, publishers, book packagers, book stores, book buyers  and now the ePublishing world all gravitate around a need for quality work. It’s all about story.

Who Holds the Key

Writers are the key to this process. The successful writers I know are continuously learning and improving upon the craft, and they have a zillion ideas in their head, just not enough hours in the day.

Falling in Love with Your Work

It saddens me to meet writers who have lost sight of the big picture. They have talent, amazing ideas that I’d be thrilled to see as a book, and they are very capable, yet they’ve very much attached to their work and remain steadfast to argue and justify instead of moving forward.

I understand that you may not agree with others opinions. That’s okay. In the end, remember that it’s your work and you can write it however you want. I’ve discovered that most writers and editors and agents tend to be very generous people. They enjoy helping others reach their dreams.

When someone says “I have this story”, my first instinct is elation. I want to grab it up, I want to read your story, I want to love your work, and I want to help you make it better. People who work in publishing have never lost sight of the big picture and know that there’s always a better word or phrase. There’s always a better way to tell the tale.

So Why Be Snarky?

Here’s a thought; don’t submit your story to a critique group, editors or agents if you don’t want to know what’s wrong. Don’t waste other people’s time by asking for advice that you never have any intention of following. It’s okay to be completely and absolutely in love with your work. Treasure it, keep it safe in a beautifully padded box, but don’t make copies and don’t ask me to read it.

Honest opinions are golden in this business, so why do writers waste their creative energy fuming and fussing over opinions when they’ve solicited said opinions? Let me repeat, in the end, it’s your work and you can write it however you want.

Listen, Learn, Find the Magic

For me, once I was able to really hear the feedback without argument and move past the fear of chopping off the fish head or rewriting parts that didn’t fit, then I understood even more about the writing process.

The story will take over and empower you and you’ll know why you write.

My hope is that you’ll realize you write because you want your story to be the best that it can be, and it will entertain, teach, touch a heart, or make a life-long impression on a reader. And you’ll know when it’s ready.

In short, the big picture of this maddening process:  you write because there’s a story burning deep in the core of your being, and no one can tell it like you.

www.nataliebright.com

A child can ask a million questions.

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A child can ask a million questions.

by Rory C. Keel

We encourage children to ask questions because it indicates that a child wants to learn and fill his mind with knowledge. This is the way they develop the skills to reason and the ability to know about the world that surrounds them. To a parent though, there is one question that can grate on every last nerve. “Why?”

The question “why” can cause various reactions in adults, from a simple frown to a severe nervous tick, and sometimes bordering on the edge of insanity, especially when it’s repeated like bullets from a machine-gun, “Why is this…? Why does he…? Why did it…? Why? Why? Why?”

Why does this question aggravate parents? Because we feel obligated to answer every “why.” Yet we may not have the answer. Our mind is forced to think rapidly.

What does this have to do with writing?

Ask questions

Asking questions will bring out specific information that will bring your writing to life.

As you begin the research on your story idea ask the question, “What if…?” about every detail of your story and keep a list.

What if the (main character) is a male or female, alien or animal?

What if the sky is cloudy or clear?

What if it is hot or cold?

Write down every question and answer that comes to mind, even if it seems “off-the-wall” weird.

When you have run out of “What if…?” questions ask, “What is expected?” And in turn ask, “What is unexpected?”

These questions will beg you to answer them and force you to open your mind to endless possibilities to create and keep your story moving along.

Do you feel compelled to answer all the questions?

 

A THOUSAND WORDS

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

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

Long Sentences

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Long Sentences

I write long sentences. I usually weave them through a story, bobbing in and out, up and down causing the reader to run out of breath. However, not all long sentences are bad. I have to remember that after long extended sentences, I need to sprinkle in a few that are short. I need to use some of medium length to fill in thoughts.

Keep changing the length and rhythm of your word combinations by adding varied length questions. Use one-word phrases or expressions when possible. This will keep the reader from becoming exhausted, or board with your writing. The End.

Rory C. Keel

Reading for the Music

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Reading for the Music

By Natalie Bright

Successful authors tell us over and over again to write every day and read every day. Why is reading so important?

Do You Hear the Music?

NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Jodi Thomas, [www.jodithomas.com] explained it like this at a talk she gave to area writers; “writers must be able to hear the music.”

As you listen to the radio, you can distinguish between rock and roll or country.  How about classical or bluegrass? By reading the genre you want to write, your brain becomes geared to the flow of a romance novel, or the twists and turns of a mystery, or to the humor that would appeal to children.

Goodbyes are Hard

I found this to be so true in my own writing. My first middle grade novel took three years to write. I loved those characters, and never got bored with the editing process. I probably read that story hundreds of times. My husband, a man of few words, said, “It has no plot.”

As much as I loved that story, he was right. I had to bury that one in the closet. I then focused on reading middle grade novels, starting with award winners and those that made bestseller lists.

Story, Story, Story…

I printed lists by authors who posted their favorite reads in blogs or on their websites, and scanned Amazon for used editions of Newberry winners. I read hundreds of middle grade books over the next year, and discovered so many amazing authors.

Recognition!

From a dream, a new character took shape in my head:  a feisty, eleven year old named Silver Belle. Her personality jumped off the page, and the story emerged. Recently, Silver Belle’s Train Caper received a 2nd place award in the OWFI ’12 contest, which tells me the story has potential but still needs polish. The work goes on.

Have I finally recognized the “music” of a middle grade story? I don’t know, but the melody continues to fill my soul and keeps me on task.

Are you listening to the music of your story?

Natalie Bright

Injecting Life

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

 Injecting Life

The twisted little body lies on the slab. So far that’s all it is, just a lifeless rag. I’ve put a suture here and there to string pieces together in an effort to make the body whole. There are a few loose ends, but those will heal once the life begins.

I have a whole ward of these lifeless little things. Some of them could be beautiful; some of them could be powerful. All of them are mine. The only thing missing from each one is a beginning sentence.

These special little wads of bodies are ideas that I’ve had for stories. They pop in my head at random times, sometimes uncanny in their ability to find the most inappropriate moments to show up. I can be in the middle of a sentence during a conversation with a complete stranger when one of these ideas knocks on the door and says, “Guess what!” Or I can be deeply immersed in reading an amazing book, except for the split second when I hear, “Sort of like what happened to me.” Music brings them, pictures bring them, people walking down the street bring them. One time an idea spoke so loud I woke up from sleep in the middle of the night to listen.

I take the idea and lay it on a slab, gluing it down with my ink and a promise saying, “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back,” and usually I do come back and fiddle with it a little more. Occasionally, though, they get tired of waiting on me and go on to find someone else with more time—but for the most part, they wait patiently.

So I look at this one particular idea and see the marks of where I have tried to find the right sequence of words to inject into its veins that will open its eyes. I see a lot of needle marks, but still the eyes have not opened. There was a flutter one time, for a split second. This poor little waif is in two parts, and the second part is set. The first sentence of that scene caused the eyeballs underneath the lids to roll in a curious REM fashion, but they did not open. The first part is not there yet.

From all the words that exist in language today, there has got to be a combination that will work to open these eyes. And so I will continue to look for the perfect fit, that special key that will give life to this story. Then I can move on to the next.

Nandy Ekle

Message From Mundania

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Message From Mundania

Life, moving slowly, as if the same day repeats over and over and brings to mind a phrase from the days of Flower Children: What a drag.

You get up in the morning, rub your eyes, wash your hair and drink your coffee. You go to your jobs or classes, work a while, eat your lunch, work a while, go back home. You eat supper or dinner—whatever you like to call it—turn on the TV and settle for the night. And it all starts over the next day.

But what we forget are the little adventures we have every day, you know, the little things that are different about a day. The postage machine hijacks the fax machine, the client forgot to send in the payment, or a black plastic bag scoots across the highway and reminds you of an alligator coming after your car. Once, just breaking the promise to myself that I would not eat my favorite snack that day brought a very nice story.

When something happens just the teeniest bit out of the ordinary, whether it’s frustrating or hilarious, you can write an entire story centered on this event. Let your imagination ponder and study it. Then add in some exaggeration to what you already know about the event. You’ll soon find that your ho-hum life is full of story-worthy adventures and “boring” will be for people like detectives and spies.

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

Nandy Ekle

Foundation and Details

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Foundation and Details

Over the last year, I have been involved in planning and building a new facility for the church where I attend. In the planning, every aspect of the building has a purpose. The measurements of the foundation are laid out on paper and then the details are considered, what color of paint, what kind of flooring? Will the congregation be comfortable with the seating? What about sound quality? What happens in an emergency? Is the lighting adequate? The list seems endless.

The day came when the project started and the foundation was poured. At the end of that first day, I stood gazing at a slab of concrete that didn’t come close to looking as large as I had imagined. My mind said something’s wrong! The plans confirmed the size was correct!

Every day since, I have watched as each wall was raised and the roof now appears atop the building, and my perspective has changed. The building has been transferred from ink on paper, to a multi-dimensional object that better fits the concept I had imagined.

As a writer, a similar process takes place, only we use words as the building materials. We hold a story concept in mind with all of its grandeur and we begin to write, one page then two, our mind says something is wrong! What we see doesn’t look like what we have imagined, so we wad the paper up or hit delete.

The story doesn’t look like the grand story in your head, because it isn’t finished!

Don’t give up too quickly, create an outline, the foundation, and then build your story by filling in the blanks with the details.

Rory C. Keel

Message From Mundania

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Message From Mundania

Life, moving slowly, as if the same day repeats over and over and brings to mind a phrase from the days of Flower Children: What a drag.

You get up in the morning, rub your eyes, wash your hair and drink your coffee. You go to your jobs or classes, work a while, eat your lunch, work a while, go back home. You eat supper or dinner—whatever you like to call it—turn on the TV and settle for the night. And it all starts over the next day.

But what we forget are the little adventures we have every day, you know, the little things that are different about a day. The postage machine hijacks the fax machine, the client forgot to send in the payment, or a black plastic bag scoots across the highway and reminds you of an alligator coming after your car. Once, just breaking the promise to myself that I would not eat my favorite snack that day brought a very nice story.

When something happens just the teeniest bit out of the ordinary, whether it’s frustrating or hilarious, you can write an entire story centered on this event. Let your imagination ponder and study it. Then add in some exaggeration to what you already know about the event. You’ll soon find that your ho-hum life is full of story-worthy adventures and “boring” will be for people like detectives and spies.

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

Nandy Ekle