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'Reflections on the water, like shadows in my mind, Speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time...' ~ Season Suite by John Denver 
Life gives characters and storyline ideas to every writer on a daily basis. There’s so much information in a day, it’s incredible. When the question comes up what to write, how does a writer decide what’s worth the telling?
The writers I like best tell stories about real life in fiction or non-fiction; it doesn’t really matter as long as truth comes through. Joseph Campbell is one of my favorite writers.
Myth serves to provide base stories for culture, much of the information given in myths in a general way works with individual life too. Given a long enough time line the characters in myth are seen for who or what they are, often providing the information needed for others or for the listener to come to the correct conclusion. Trends lead the protagonist or hero through a series of adventures to reach the discovery.
Often the discovery of self which is at least a portion of the quest includes overcoming obstacles, sin or character flaws to gain important skills and to acquire a sense of self or virtues along the way. In addition, the secondary players in the quest such as the villain or the trickster often reveal him/herself through the course of the story.
This is the stuff that makes a good story. Young writers who read myth gain the wisdom of the ages in a few short years. In addition to reading, observing people in their natural habitats help to make characters more believable. To become an accomplished writer there is a need to understand the basics of a good story as well as how people interact, so the story is not only entertaining but believable.
Resources:
E.B. White’s body of work includes Charlotte’s Web & Stuart Little and Elements of Style.
He first published in The New Yorker magazine in 1927. He continued to write for the magazine for decades as well as writing a column for Harper’s Magazine. He turned from magazine articles to children’s fiction publishing Stuart Little in 1945 and Charlotte’s Web in 1952.
In 1959, he focused on his former professor, William Strunk’s work: Elements of Style originally published in 1918. His improvements made the book become a grammar standard.
E.B. White’s story Charlotte’s Web is now a children’s classic. His impeccable writing provides an excellent example of well written literature. The story is character driven with only mild action but such heart-warming characters that children around the world know and love Fern, Wilbur, Charlotte, and Templeton.
Fern’s compassion saves the life of Wilbur, the runt of the litter.
The runt of litter, Wilbur overcomes his lowly status to become: SOME PIG and win at the county fair.
Charlotte helps save Wilbur from slaughter. She explains her life pattern to Wilbur who doesn’t like her necessary diet, but comes to understand his friend’s habits.
Templeton, a fairground rat serves himself first and offers life’s lessons to the sheltered pig.
The lesson for writers from E.B. White life is to keep writing.
Annotation is the practice of highlighting, underlining or jotting notes in the margins while reading. Creating comments which are usually a phrase to a couple of sentences gives points of reference and relevance to the writing.
Learning to annotate in books that you’ll use as reference in the future is helpful for several reasons.
Read a passage. Pause. Do you have any questions or thoughts? Write them in the margin.
As an example: The first paragraph of the Gettysburg Address with Annotation
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
What is four score and seven? A score is twenty years – four score is eighty years- 87 years ago.
Who are the fathers? Revolutionary Founders and Country Forefathers: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, etc.
Conceived in liberty Dictionary lib·er·ty [lib-er-tee] noun, plural lib·er·ties.1.freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control. 2. Freedom from external or foreign rule; independence.3.freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.4.freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint: The prisoner soon regained his liberty.5.permission granted to a sailor, especially in the navy, to go ashore.
Why is this speech so moving so many years later?
Gettysburg was haunting when I visited there.
Annotating makes the book your own. It helps study. It helps memory. It helps growth. Annotating is a good habit for readers and writers.
If you write daily, write often, write, write, write; you are a writer. Writing is something that writers do.
Picking projects, finishing them and moving them through to publishing, is the business of writing. Today's market requires writers do much of the editor and publisher duties. In addition. writers are expected to market their books too. Wearing 10 hats is the business of writing today.
With so much on a writer’s to-do list it’s amazing that any writer gets anything written. The answer is to write about what you absolutely love or hate, passion will make the difference in writing regularly.
One of my passions is Disneyland. I was three when my parent s first took me to the Magical Kingdom. I’ve loved Walt Disney’s creation ever since. Today, I have a regular column at Examiner.com about Disney California. It’s easy to write about the Happiest Place on Earth.
Life happens and writers write about it. Well, that’s sometimes true. More often than not, life happens and writers write to vent their frustrations or create a new universe. I’ve done both.
All life is inspiration if we choose to see it that way. Wherever it comes from, the inspiration to write should be honored. Take notes of those moments when you think to yourself. This so-and-so should be the victim of a serial killer. Don’t kill him, just write about it.
Therapists often assign writing as a way to work through problems. These writings need not be fodder for blogs but they can be used as inspiration. For example: a certain 7th grade English teacher was excellent as a pompous merchant in a short story. The butt-in-ski nose with the small half-moon glasses was priceless. I couldn’t make it up. But I did change his profession and exaggerated his character-traits to the delight of my editor.
A Big Thank You to Sandra McLeod Humphrey for passing the Versatile Blogger award this way for the post 'Avoid Kid Melt-Down'
Sandra's excellent blog is called Kids Can Do It! Dare to Dream Big!
http://www.kidscandoit.com/blog/
Instructions for the Award:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award
2. Include a link to their blog.
3. Paste the award on your blog.
4. Share 7 things about yourself.
5. Pass this award on to as many as 15 blogs you enjoy reading and let them know about the award!
Seven Things about Me:
1) Tea Drinker
2) Love Chocolate
3) Ride Horses
4) Ride Motorcycles
5) Love Big Dogs
6) First Children's Story was Randy Raccoon
7) Thrilled to help other writers; the focus of Inspiration Write Every Day
15 Bloggers Who Are Versatile:
Rob @ http://robztobor.blogspot.com/
ED @ http://flotsamandjetsamandderelictme.blogspot.com/
Donna @ http://donna-realworldwriting.blogspot.com/
Lynn @ http://lynnproctor.blogspot.com/
Kathleen @ http://parlezmoiblog.blogspot.com/
Jen @ http://whatsonthebookshelf-jen.blogspot.com/
Cami @ http://myaddictionisreading.blogspot.com/
Tracy @ http://pullupatoadstool.blogspot.com/
Joanne @ http://wordsplash-joannefaries.blogspot.com/
Delores @ http://mybabyjohn.blogspot.com/
Mieke @ http://www.miekezmackay.com/
Joshua @ http://vivelenerd.blogspot.com/
Mysti @ http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/
Sabrina @ http://sabrinaafish.blogspot.com/
Sarah @ http://sarahallanauthor.blogspot.com/
Thanks again Sandra :)
Characters: sometimes we love them, sometimes we hate them but it’s important to say YES to our characters.
When we say yes to our characters we, as writers, are giving a character we care about to our readers. If we care about our characters, love them for who they are. We are better able to tell their story.
Understanding your character
Even if all the information isn’t in the story the author should know:
How does the character look: features, clothing.
Where is the character from: background, location.
What is the character’s motivation: good, evil.
When does the character live: time period, lifestyle.
Why does the character want this: the small stuff
Who does the character: love, like, hate & why
Just like real people, characters need to be consistent; otherwise the reader will know the piece isn’t authentic. When characters exhibit flaws and failing in correct measure and context the story is more believable. With a more believable story your readers will say YES to your characters.
She: What can I do for X?
He: What?
She: Yes, X. I’m finishing up the A to Z Challenge. I’m to X & I don’t know what to write. Augh!
He: Well, don’t use Xylophone. It’s overused.
She: And it sounds like Z not X.
He: And don’t use X-ray; too basic.
She: Agree. But what am I going to write about today?
He: You know we should get rid of X. It’s not useful. It can be replaced by Z or Eks.
She: Everything phonetic, don’t know if that would work?
He: So what are you going to write about?
She: How’s this: ‘X it out’, what do you think?
He: EXIT OUT, what does that have to do with writing?
She: No, X it out, then I could write about editing. X this out, X that out.
He: Mama, you’re funny. No one Xes anything out, they just hit delete.
J
It’s Journalism 101 but it’s really the basics to every story, Who, What, When, Where, Why.
Lead paragraphs in news stories need to include the five Ws. Subsequent paragraphs can be devoted to one or more of the Ws with reference material inserted as appropriate. Compelling side stories are moved to another area or page.
For the novelist/storyteller, each W can be chapters unto themselves or spread out of the course of the story.
Who: Write a character analysis to keep your character at the forefront of your story.
What: The plot unfolds throughout the book.
Where: Make a conscious decision about where. The story may be completely different depending upon the location: jungle or artic.
When: Time is in the details, the clothes, the cars, etc: Where & When work together to give the character place, time and points of reference.
Why: The emotional stuff, the reason why this is a story worth the telling.
And then there's the question writers always ask themselves: why am I writing this story?
Stories that endure are those that speak to people of truth. Moral stories tell of a good man who goes from rags to riches or good people who triumph over evil for the betterment of themselves, family, friends and society.
Dickens stories are a perfect example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens
The purpose of your story may be only to put a few dollars in your pocket, but writing provides an opportunity to make the world a better place.
Eventually every writer has a legacy, what’s yours?
Universal Stories tell us of our commonality, our humanness. The great writers just tell the universal stories in wonderful ways.
Best Sellers use the elements of universal messages in the story lines. The themes resonate with readers. Readers understand when the basics are brought together into the genre successfully.
Writers are challenged to apply the universal story within their chosen genre. Which stories can you identify that use a universal stories within your favorite genre?
