The First Step

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As the topic of a story is formulating in your mind, you must come up with the  the probing question that the story is going to solve.

For example, in a coming-of-age story  a teenager desires to be included in the popular group. The question might be “How do you join a group when you are an outsider?”

The quest for an answer drives the character’s motivation. At the end either the protagonist is now a part of the desired group or has come to an epiphany that membership is not what she really wants.

What if the main character sees an injustice in society and wants to correct it. The  moral question would be “How do I motivate others to help me and what steps do I take to make things right?’

The character sees kids going hungry which impacts their ability to learn. How will the protagonist provide healthy meals on a consistent basis?

Another question is motivation. What happened to the protagonist that made her see the problem/issue? Why does she feel the need to correct the situation? What knowledge does she have that allows her to be the organizer?

Your task is to create a situation in which your character has a burning moral question that he is compelled to satisfy. First, define the question. Then make a list of possible solutions.

Establish the society in which the character lives, works, plays. Put things in motion and see what happens.

Reread. If you are satisfied, great. If not, what changes need to be implemented?

Have fun with this one.

What did the Villain do?

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If you’re a fan of thriller books and movies, you’ve seen a lot of evil. There’s always at least one villain who plans and executes a crime against an individual or a group of people. Sometimes people die. Sometimes they are horribly maimed. Sometimes they suffer life-changing mutilations. In all cases the victims suffer.

Your task is to choose a modus operandi for your villain to put into operation. Makes sure it is something that your villain has the capability and knowledge to execute. For example, if your villain is strong, then a murder by strangling, stabbing or beating is plausible. If electronics are involved, then the villain must have technological knowledge. If firearms are involved, the reader might need to know how the villain learned to shoot.

Here is a list of possible crimes. Choose on that you feel most comfortable putting in a story.

___ smoke inhalation              ___ beaten to death                ___burying alive

___ drowning (intentionally)  ___ hanging                            ___killing by machine gun fire

___poisoning                           ___ pushing in front of train  ___ running down with car/truck

___ shot with pistol/rifle         ___ slit throat/slashing            ___smothering

___ single stab/multiple stabbing                                            ___strangling

As you write, remember to include not just details, but emotions. We need to feel the villain’s and victim’s emotions.

Have fun with this one.

Defining a Character

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A good writer wants autonomous characters. That is, each character acts of their own, not as puppets that the writer controls. Characters should not be props within a story, but real beings. They have desires and knowledge. They are alive in all senses of the word. They have complex lives and intense emotions.

Your task is to imagine a character that might fit well in a story you are contemplating writing. Give her a name, age and residence. Then fill in these blanks:

  1. She would never consider doing/thinking/saying ________________________
  2. He knew this about his father, but not that _____________________________
  3. Her most prominent ambition is _____________________________________
  4. He would prefer to ___________________ over ________________________
  5. In terms of politics, she votes for ____________________________________
  6. He dislikes _________________________so intensely that he _____________
  7. His favorite recreational activity is ___________________________________
  8. Every day he drives to/buys/eats _____________________________________
  9. Her greatest fear is ________________________________________________
  10. She yearns to ____________________________________________________

Which of these appeals to you? Write a story in which at least one of these traits comes to fruition.

Have fun with this one.

Creative Nonfiction: Important Events

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Creative nonfiction requires observation. It is more concerned with what is being observed than with imagination. When we write stories from our life, we try to reconstruct events, to the best of our ability, as we remember them happening.

The catalyst for writing does not have to be a tragic loss. What is necessary is to explore the significance of specific events and our reaction to them. Readers want to know how the event affected the writer and whether or not those effects still permeate the writer’s life well after the conclusion of the event.

To find things to rewrite, begin by skimming a newspaper or informational website. Stop when a headline speaks to you. Read, looking to see what resonates with you. If nothing does, then search some more.

Your task, after reading an interesting article, is to write. You might begin with a free write in which you put into words anything that comes to mind.

Go back and search for information that raises specific questions. Imagine scenarios that you could expand into story.

Write a simple sketch of the story that comes to mind. Reread, looking for places where you can add detail and emotion. Reread again. Add more detail.

Have fun with this one.

The Saddest Time

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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every day was happy? Year after year nothing but good things cross your path. However, that isn’t realistic.

Because sadness hurts, we often push those memories so deep in our brains that they lie hidden. Until something or someone an event brings them forward.

There are endless possibilities. A betrayal. Broken heart. An abusive parent, sibling or spouse. Death. Destruction from fire, flood or earthquake.

Your task is to write a scene in which your character reveals her saddest event. Perhaps this is done through dialogue, for that would allow a give-and-take. Regardless of how you choose to write this, the important thing is that the reader feel the heartache, the despair.

This will not be a fun story to write as it might touch on events in your life.

Have fun with this one.

I Have Issues

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I am your protagonist. You have put me in your story. You like me, in fact, you might even love me. Therefor you have painted me in a positive light.

But I have issues. I have bad habits, dark secrets and questionable quirks. All of these impact how I act, think, and the things I say.

Your task is to put the real me in a story. Try writing in first person POV so that my voice is heard. My words should dominate. My thinking be made clear.

Pair me with a good friend. Preferably someone who has known me for a short period of time. Someone who has yet to encounter my dark side. In this story she will meet the secret me. She will talk with me, so dialogue is critical.

Your job is to paint me accurately, not through my friend’s rose-colored glasses.

Have fun with this one.

 

Character in an Adverse Situation

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Life is not filled with happy moments. There are times when we cry. When we are in pain. When we are embarrassed or frustrated or anxious.

Most times we learn nothing from the situation. When it is resolved, we breathe a sigh and return to whatever we were doing or thinking.

Imagine that your character is embroiled in some type of mess. It could be of his own making. It could be something that he stumbled upon. It could be something that someone else triggered.

Instead of writing the story of his demise, let’s put a pleasant spin on the ending. While enmeshed in the situation, an epiphany comes, opening your character’s eyes. He understands and realizes…

Perhaps the realization is that he has a strength about him that he never knew before. Maybe he accepts a talent that he has, but never looked at it in a positive way.

Your task is to write the story. Remember that there must be adversity that creates conflict and tension. Other characters test him, pushing him to his limits. But instead of collapsing, his eyes open.

When finished, edit looking for tension and conflict. Make sure the resolution is satisfying to readers.

Have fun with this one.

 

War Relationships

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Fighting in a war is not the normal place where friendships are formed, but by virtue of the close quarters in which soldiers live, work, and “play” bonds form.

Sometimes these friendships last beyond the end of service. Seeing each other reminds them of all that they shared, allowing the memories to heal, to bring closure, to recall those that were lost.

War stories are a popular genre right now. Walk into any bookstore and you will quickly find a variety of tales from the different wars: WW I, WW II and Vietnam. Many of the stories are from a soldier’s point of view. Just as many are about those who stayed behind: women, children, parents and friends.

Your task is to write a war story. Even if you never served, you probably know someone who did. First do some research about the war that interests you the most. Read survivor’s accounts. Read factual accounts. Take notes.

When you feel comfortable writing, tell the story that you feel most comfortable relating. Remember to include sensory details as well as to let the intense emotions that war evinces come forth.

This won’t be an enjoyable task, depending upon your opinion about war.

Have fun with this one.

Clutter

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Have you ever been in a home in which every flat surface is covered with piles of stuff? How do you feel when there? A bit claustrophobic? Does the dust that hasn’t been removed cause breathing problems? Do you not want to touch anything, eat anything, walk down the halls for fear of things toppling over?

Maybe it’s your house that’s congested with stuff. Maybe it gives you comfort to be surrounded with so many things. Maybe you grew up poor and little of your own. Maybe you have good intentions to clear things up, but never get around to it. Or maybe the thought of getting rid of even one item causes panic to set in!

Your task is to create a character who is in one of the situations.  She is either the uncomfortable one or the keeper of stuff. Your reader will want to walk in her shoes, see with her eyes, feel with her fingers, be touched by her heart.

Write the story, remembering to build tension, to create conflict, to allow the emotions of your character come through.

Include enough details that the reader understands how bad things really are, but not so many details that there is no story. Strike a balance between narrative and action. Include an antagonist who tries to inspire the character to clear the mess up. Use dialogue, not narriative!

Have fun with this one.

Perfect Strangers

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Recall a time when you interacted with a stranger. Was it while standing in line at the grocery store? Going through security at the airport? Asking advice at a bookstore?

Was it a positive experience?  If so, why? What occurred that allowed you to feel good about the interaction?

Did you initiate the conversation? If so, what words did you use?

Your task is to place a character in a comparable situation. She is out and about. She runs into someone she doesn’t know, most likely will never see again, yet strikes up a conversation.

Be sure to describe the scene in sufficient detail that we hear the sounds, smell the smells, taste whatever is being offered, but not so much detail up front that the story never gets started.

Give us emotions. Fear? Dismay? Pleasure? But not all at once. Allow us to travel the range of emotions as the character experiences them. Much of this will have to take place in dialogue form.

Then give us a satisfactory ending.

Have fun with this one.