Gabe Redel's Blog: FRYING POTATOES BLOG - Posts Tagged "idea"
The Secret to Story Telling, I Want!
Every time I read a story that gets me fired up, I can't wait to sit down and write something just like it!
The only problem is that despite my excited attitude, I have no idea what I want to write. Some might call that writer's block. I call it not being prepared.
When we sit down to write, we have two options. Either write what is on the top of our head, such as what we just ate for dinner, or draw up a story outline.
Some of us may know exactly what story we want to write when we sit down. We may know exactly what we want to say before we turn on the computer, and, to be honest, those are great times to write. If our thoughts draw us to the computer, then we are one step ahead of the game. But if our feelings draw us to the computer, we still have to get our minds involved if we are going to put anything on paper.
So, we know what we want to write---we want to write what provoked our feelings so strongly---but we don't know how to write it.
When drawing up an outline, the first thing I do is figure out what got me so fired up before I sat down. What was the message in the story I saw or read that had me scrambling to write? Once I figure that out, then I have my story. Do you know why? Because the message of the story is the story. In other words, the idea or change that the main character goes through is the foundation of the story---it is the motor that drives everything forward.
The beginning of the character's change/story usually starts with an "I want" statement. The character wants a romantic relationship. The character wants to find a pirate treasure. The character wants to learn the meaning of life.
Once we discover what we want our character to want, then we can begin building our story. The next step is to create a character that we can uncover our message with. And, the more unique our character is, the more unique our story will be. Think about a grandma who wants to find a treasure chest in the ocean. How would her story go? Think about a boy who wants to find a treasure. How would his story go?
The only problem is that despite my excited attitude, I have no idea what I want to write. Some might call that writer's block. I call it not being prepared.
When we sit down to write, we have two options. Either write what is on the top of our head, such as what we just ate for dinner, or draw up a story outline.
Some of us may know exactly what story we want to write when we sit down. We may know exactly what we want to say before we turn on the computer, and, to be honest, those are great times to write. If our thoughts draw us to the computer, then we are one step ahead of the game. But if our feelings draw us to the computer, we still have to get our minds involved if we are going to put anything on paper.
So, we know what we want to write---we want to write what provoked our feelings so strongly---but we don't know how to write it.
When drawing up an outline, the first thing I do is figure out what got me so fired up before I sat down. What was the message in the story I saw or read that had me scrambling to write? Once I figure that out, then I have my story. Do you know why? Because the message of the story is the story. In other words, the idea or change that the main character goes through is the foundation of the story---it is the motor that drives everything forward.
The beginning of the character's change/story usually starts with an "I want" statement. The character wants a romantic relationship. The character wants to find a pirate treasure. The character wants to learn the meaning of life.
Once we discover what we want our character to want, then we can begin building our story. The next step is to create a character that we can uncover our message with. And, the more unique our character is, the more unique our story will be. Think about a grandma who wants to find a treasure chest in the ocean. How would her story go? Think about a boy who wants to find a treasure. How would his story go?
