STORY STARTERS
By Natalie Bright
Empty page = empty mind?
Starting a story is one of the hardest things for me. Ideas are everywhere. I’ve got ideas jotted on sticky notes and outlined in several idea notebooks. Now where to begin?
Here’s a list of several ideas to jump start your word count (hopefully):
Personal Vignette
Humor
Surprising Fact
Unusual Idea
Question
Quote
Dialogue
Smack in the Middle of the Action
(skip that boring intro)
Now Get to work!
Natalie Bright
A Perfect Writing Space
By Natalie Bright
We have a lovely home office. Oak bookcases span one entire wall from floor to ceiling and a leafy plant engulfs a huge picture window, with two comfy chairs – one for typing at the desk and one for reading. It is the perfect place to dream, imagine, explore words, and create. When it came to the work in progress, I couldn’t write a darn thing in that room.
Instead, the kitchen table called out to me. Smack in the middle of an open floor plan, I watched television, the kids, the dogs in the backyard, and the pot bubbling on the stove. Kitty watches the world from the window sill, and even though my mother has been gone eight years now, I have her aloe vera just behind me and the lively family of chickens she painted. I feel like I can create in this spot.
The topic of my story was a difficult one. For fifteen years the story of our first son has been on my heart and mind. Finally, in the middle of today’s chaos notes on loose papers, partial outlines, and journal entries came together. GONE NEVER FORGOTTEN is an eBook about hope and healing for families who have suffered the loss of a baby.
What surprised me was that my productive home office had abandoned me. So beware, fellow writers, the perfect writing space may relocate without giving notice.
What about you – have you found your perfect writing space?
Natalie Bright
THE WRITING PROCESS
Head Games minus the Publishing Part
By N. Bright
It’s true that there are as many different writing processes and ways to craft a book as there are writers. However, based on what I’ve learned, all writers go through similar angst before they type THE END. Whether it’s your first book or 49th, I’m guessing you’ve probably experienced a few of these head games yourself.
Happy NaNoWritMo everyone!
Being A Writer
By Natalie Bright
On the first night of class she scanned the room, looked us all in the eye, and said, “You are all writers, or you wouldn’t be here.” That comment shocked me to the core. A writer! Me? Just hearing those words gave me hope. Even though my day job involved writing, I never once considered working on the stories that floated around in my head. It was several years later before I could say the words out loud to anyone.
“I’m a writer.” Why is that so hard to explain?
What is it about being a writer that is so intimidating? I think it’s the pressure we put on ourselves. It’s not like we have someone standing over our shoulder saying, “Write. Produce. You MUST crank out those chapters. Don’t stop.” On some days I wish there were someone who could make the world go away and insist that I sit down at the key board.
Once you say those word, the world has great expectations. Non-writers think they’re being helpful. “You’re a writer? You must have a lot of time on your hands.” “What have you written?” “Do you even have a book?” “Are your articles in anything I’ve heard about?”
Now the pressure is on—write a book, win a contest, publish something, submit anything…the world is wondering what you’re doing.
What happened to the joy of writing? Where did the thrill go of finding the right word? I used to feel less pressure to do this thing that I love.
I ponder my sanity at the start of another NaNoWriMo. This November I will finish the WIP, but I’m going to enjoy the process. Just me and words. Just me and the world inside my head. I don’t care if you like it or not.
“Allow your characters to take you on their journey,” the writing instructor said so many, many years ago. In the end, that’s the key to this crazy process.
Just write it.
The Semicolon
By Natalie Bright
To separate two closely related sentences joined without a connective.
To separate sentences joined by conjunctive adverbs (e.g. however, moreover, therefore, or other transitional expressions).
To clarify the main break when sentences joined by coordinating conjunctions, which are ordinarily separated by commas, contain enough internal punctuation to obscure the main break.
THE COMMA
By Natalie Bright
Put a comma:
Before—and, but, or, for, nor, yet, still, when joining independent clauses.
He arrived in town last August, and everyone was happy to see him again.
Between—all terms in a series, including the last two.
She brought candy, cookies, and punch to the meeting.
To set off—parenthetical openers and afterthoughts.
Running to meet him, the children helped him carry the books into the house.
Before and after—parenthetical insertions (use a pair of commas).
He, overjoyed at their greetings, hurried toward the villagers.
ARE YOU AFRAID TO FLY?
by Rory C. Keel
It’s amazing that so many people have a fear of flying. Several years ago, while on a plane from Saint Louis Missouri to Portland Oregon, I remember boarding and seeing a man who looked as pale as death. He took his seat across the aisle and immediately buckled the seat belt, grabbed the armrests and shook so violently I wondered if it was the engines or him shaking the plane. After sedating himself with a couple of adult beverages, he slept soundly to our destination.
While I have never been afraid to travel in an airplane, I have experienced a fear of flying. Realizing I would never pilot an F-16 fighter jet, I turned to the hobby of remote control airplanes.
After what my wife called “investing heavily” in a kit, I began to build my first R/C airplane. For days I trimmed every piece of wood with the skill of a surgeon to the exact specs. For weeks, I placed every drop of glue precisely in the correct spot, as to not change the balance of the plane. And after months of careful tune-ups on the engine and electronics, along with a few instructions from others to assure that my plane would soar with the eagles, fear took over.
What if it crashes? All that hard work and time will have been in vain.
On my first solo flight, I rolled the plane down the tarmac and lifted off. A feeling of accomplishment flooded over me as I made one pass, then another over the stands. Not wanting to run out of fuel and lose the plane, I made the approach to land. That day I witnessed the most horrific sight—in front of me laid splinters of wood, pieces of plastic and shards of metal. I crash-landed my plane.
In writing, there are moments when we are afraid to submit a piece of work, fearful of rejection. We work on a piece until it is perfect then, “WHAT IF” takes over. What if it’s rejected? What if it was a waste of time because no one likes it?
The good news is that my first plane did finally soar. I learned that my time wasn’t wasted at all. In all the hours of building I had learned how to repair the broken plane, and after adjusting the mistakes I made in the landing approach, confidence took control.
Yes, I have letters of rejection for my writing, however with repairs and a few adjustments, those same pieces have been published.
Don’t be afraid to fly!
Inspiration
By Natalie Bright
for writers can come through a variety of venues, and I’ve learned to take what I can get. Don’t question. Write it down.
Inspiration can also come from hanging out with other writers; one of my favorite ways to ignite the muse. When you’re passionate about something, who doesn’t love to “talk shop”? The creative energy in a room full of writers is difficult to ignore. If you take the time to lunch, meet for coffee, attend a conference, you’ll be re-energized.
Alone Times
Of course, at some point we have to get back to work, and that means time alone. Lots of time alone. How do you get back into the writing groove?
It’s the most difficult part about writing, I think. To leave the hustle and bustle of the present day and disappear into the fictional world of your sub-conscious.
Journaling
Having a hard time getting back into your story? Read through your WIP journal and before long your fingers will be flying over the keyboard. I’ve extended my WIP journals into Pinterest boards for visual inspiration.
What other kinds of information do you put in your WIP journals?
By Natalie Bright
Children’s Literature celebrated Banned Books Week Sept. 21-27. Hooray for that because I’ve discovered many wonderful books from these types of lists. Take for example the news that a large school district in Texas has banned The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
Written in first-person “diary” format, it’s the inner thoughts of a teen so it’s raw, realistic, inappropriate; just like teenagers. The main character faces bullies, alcoholic parents, racism, abusive adults, sex, cuss words; just like life.
It’s written for YA (young adult) audience which means this is a story for older teenagers. As the mother of two teenaged boys, I absolutely believe in the power of parents to control the materials our children have access to. (What parent hasn’t cringed at the mention of internet?) I understand how inappropriate teenagers can be and how shocking some of their questions are, but they’re also funny, charming, and crazy smart. Kids today continually amaze me. It doesn’t mean every teenager is into any of the topics covered in a YA novel. Sherman Alexie’s book doesn’t promote a certain kind of life style. These topics exist in our world, in a teens world. This book is for high school aged teens and, in my opinion, should not be in grade school or Jr. High libraries.
Based on the author’s own experiences, THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN is about a main character who leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white high school 22 miles away. It’s a story about following your dreams, finding acceptance, facing adversity, and coming through as a winner. It’s a story with loads of HEART. I loved this book.
Opinions are subjective. For as many people who hate a book, you’ll find just as many who love it. I’ve discovered so many wonderful stories through these kinds of lists, so hooray for banned books! Let’s work together to promote the joys and privilege of reading a great story. Let’s broaden the world view for our children and open the dialogue. Let’s do more talking, reading, learning, and less judging.
Writers Take Action:
1) Post an online review of one of your favorite stories from childhood. Ask your kids what’s one of their favorites. Post an online review of that book too. By promoting each others work, we’re also promoting the joys of reading.
2) Choose one book from a Banned Books List and read it.
The Power of Proof-Reading
By Natalie Bright
A relative gave me a lovely picture book that his friend had self-published. The story is sweet and the illustrations absolutely blew me away which is not surprising since the author is an award winning artist. As I begin to read through the book again, with the intention of posting several online reviews, a typo on page one smacked me in the face. My heart sank.
Do You Tell Authors about Their Mistakes?
Do I contact the relative who gave me the gift? Or perhaps send a nice email to the author about the typo? It would be an easy fix, IF, and it’s a big if, a second print run is being planned. How can I recommend this book to the bookstore owners and gift shop managers in my area without damaging the professional relationship I have with them? What if one of their customers sees the typo and complains? Picture books don’t come cheap these days.
Proofread
Proofreading is an important step that seems to have been pushed aside in an effort to ‘become a published author in 72 hours’. Misprints and typos are not that uncommon in the eBooks I’ve purchased whether it’s by self-published or big name authors, although I understand that funky things happen in the digital process. That’s not to say how annoying it is after paying good money for what you assume will be a quality product. For print books from publishing houses, especially those priced on the high end with beautiful illustrations, typos are even worse but nonexistent. Professional copy-editors do good work.
Read Your Work Out Loud
There are things you can do to minimize typos. If I’m stuck on a chapter and it’s not flowing well, I’ll read it out loud. I also read the entire story out loud from beginning to end during the final revision process, after I’ve made edits based on critique group suggestions. Put your work aside and in a few days, or even longer, READ YOUR WORK OUT LOUD. You will be shocked at the typos and awkward sentences. They’re an easy fix at this stage in the game. Also, you’ll get a sense of how the story flows from chapter to chapter. Listening to dialogue as you read it out loud will help conversations ring true. And it’s not all bad. You might be surprised at how good some parts are. Prior to your work being officially ‘published’, the editor or publisher will send you a proof to look over. Read it aloud again. For me personally, every single time there have been typos whether it was a big-big-name anthology, freelance magazine article, self-pub novel or eBook. Regardless of the gazillion times I’d already gone over it, there are misspelled words, awkward sentences, missing pieces of chapters before final publication. Every. Single. Time.
Why Settle for Okay?
Many people have dreams and hopes of being a professional author. There are many opportunities today enabling you to realize that dream. And yet, is it so critical that the story be published by the end of this week? I’ve been a reader all of my life, and I get giddy buying books with only the click of a mouse. I really do want to discover a great story. I want to post five-star reviews on my GoodReads page so maybe someone I know can discover that good story too. Help your readers be true to you as the professional author you are. Make it easy for them to become a fan.
Give your story the time and attention it deserves before you share it with the world.
Wordsmith Six 