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2023 October: Prepare to Write
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I would first like to address the journey for my published book. I have only self-published one book, and that was in 2012 “Mayan World of Vampires”. This was back when vampires were on the big screen and TV (Twilight and Vampire Diaries). It inspired me to write a paranormal romance novel. At the time, I had a coworker with two young daughters. All three of them would read chapters I wrote for this and gave me critiques. I wrote it for young adults. There were violence and adult subject matters, but no bad language or graphic sexuality. I also wanted to interject a subtle Christian perspective, basing this thought on Isaiah 40:31 “but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” That is why I wrote about Brotherhood of the Eagle in my book. This is why the main character, Tez the vampire doesn’t drink human blood; he drinks the blood of large animals and large fish. The true villain of the story is a cursed vampire named Zafrina who had her beginnings in ancient Egypt during the reign of pharaoh, Rameses II.
*As far as research, most of my research was done both before and during my writing. Wikipedia proved to be very helpful
“Mayan World of Vampires” has a wide range of characters, not only vampires, but young people coming of age, a holy man from the Brotherhood of the Eagle, ghosts, and an angel named Micah which means “Who is like Yahweh?” I made a list of the characters, using Mayan names with their meanings and their relationships. At the time I was a new writer and knew nothing about doing outlines. I was a “panser” at the time, meaning I wrote by the seat of my pants – not outlined. I would envision the scenes and then write dialogue and action. It was like a movie in my head that I put to words.
*I not only took inspiration from what I learned about the Mayan history and culture, but I took inspiration from music. I still have the playlist that inspired me. I took this cue from Stephanie Meyer when she was writing the Twilight Saga.
• “Fading” by Decyfer Down, a heavy metal Christian song speaks of the transition of Tez the vampire. “Every single day a part of my soul is fading...so save me from what I’ve become.”This would be the main story theme if this were a movie.
• “Deliver Me” by Sarah Brighton is about the main character Melanna, daughter of the king. She also had an antagonistic sister. And she was being forced to marry a demonic, abusive vampire; but there was a twist in events.
• “Fight Inside” by Red is heavy metal Christian song which reminds me of the blood lust of Tez who struggled to do good versus to give in to his vampire nature.
• “Burn Back The Sun” speaks of the struggle of Tez, and the melody speaks of good times with his love, Melanna.
• “Frail” by Jars of Clay speaks of their relationship and journey.
• “Forever With You” by Decyfer Down is another song that cries out for a relationship, falling in love, “I want a lover to love and see what you see…here I am, forever with you”.
I have a half-written novel as a sequel that I’ve never completed, “The Cursed Leviathan” which is a ship that is commanded by Captain Jon “The Devil” Devon, a Jamaican vampire. I used YouTube videos to help me in Jamaican pronunciation and general speech.
For this sequel, I did type out a thirteen-point outline, although the outline is only half of the story. The timeline for this story is around the time that the Spanish had occupied parts of the United States, primarily Florida. The Colusa Indians were living in Florida in my story. The villain Zafrina clashes with the Colusa Indians who happen to be shifters that change into cougars and alligators. (I took a hint from the Twilight Saga). I envisioned this novel coming to a climax of a battle between the Colusa/shifters and Zafrina’s bunch. Hopefully an end of the curse for Jon Devon since a jealous witch cursed him and his love: in the daytime his love turns into the ship’s masthead while he is forced inside his cabin; they cannot see or speak to each other.
I have mostly done short stories throughout the years since. I have added to a story theme using the same main characters that would make a young adult book, “The Enchanted Willow Forest” that all began with a story theme and prompts by Heather Schuldt. I really enjoy writing in the fantasy genre.
Glenda, using music as an inspiration is something I'd never heard of, but totally love idea. Thank you for sharing about your books.
A shame there are no story contributors. I am also guilty but since 2020 my writing is quite broken.
Justin, your post shows so much feeling in so few words. Our world feels broken, so of course our writing will be affected. Thank you for sharing.
S. wrote: "Justin, your post shows so much feeling in so few words. Our world feels broken, so of course our writing will be affected. Thank you for sharing."Yes, the only thing I can produce is the odd poem. A narrative is very tricky right now.
...But this month it will be more like a narrative, following the "process" listed by Sharon and as Glenda did. (Nice, informative details, Glenda!). No plot, just going over the way each one of us creates fiction tales.
Why I became a WriterWhen people told me I couldn’t get a good job without an education, I thought your right. And when my Gymnastic career, and dreams of being a Hollywood stuntman ended with an injury at West Point—I dropped out of college.
Armed with my 140 plus IQ, I read. I read everything I could on computers and programming. The big four and most major fortune 500’s would not touch me… that is, as an employee. I found I could make twice as much as a consultant, because nobody cared if a consultant can read and write.
“Can you program?”
“Bet your sweet ass I can—the attitude is free.”
My commute was long, and I started to read fiction to pass the time. In one year, (1988), I was in forty-two different states and sixty-eight different airports. Yes, I have a big screen TV and lots of other toys from my miles. I found that I had a voracious (I hear the giggles), appetite for reading. I was raised by a Marine, and soon had aspirations of writing a movie. That’s how it started. But years went by, and every idea I had became a movie by someone else. Why? Because I didn’t know how to write. I had a good vocabulary, hell I always had a thesaurus with me when I read fiction.
What is a protagonist?
Hell, forget about conjugating a verb—I knew nothing about POV, tense or active voice.
I used to have a lawyer as an administrative assistant. I would write up tech papers and give it to him to fix. One day he got tired of just fixing my grammar. He knew nothing about the topic I wrote on, but he re-wrote the paper. Four hours later, he gave it to me to read. “Shit,” I said. “Doug this is great, do you have the paper I gave you?”
“That’s it,” he said.
“Huh?”
“That’s… what you really wanted to say.”
Amen.
On business trips I had the opportunity to visit 42 of the 50 States, and met a ton of interesting people—this would later aid in creating my cast of characters.
After my last flight I tendered my resignation and retired at 50. Still the analyst at heart—I spent most of my time researching and started writing short stories. They sucked.
I got bored and took a shot at IT Security auditing (SOX 404) for a couple of years—a massive heart attack ended that. I retired in 2006 at fifty-four after a complicated heart surgery.
My dreams of retirement joy, was squashed when my wife was diagnosed with cancer, and I became a 24-7 nurse.
In January of 2013, I started writing Dragon at 1600—a political espionage thriller. I relived my rebellious past through my protagonist Buckner Axele Davidssen—a protector of the Constitution—who reported only to God and Old Glory.
After 150 pages, I thought I was the man, and starting letting friends read it.
They don’t talk to me anymore—
But I kept on writing short stories for the Writers 750 Group on LinkedIn, and one member—a God send (I call her Doc, because she is), read my short. It was the third one I wrote, and the group picked it as their favorite. Doc gave me a list of books to read. I will list a few that helped me. Strunk and White - The Elements of Style, A Dash of Style by Noah Luckman, The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyons, Stephen King on Writing, and the Chicago Manuscript of style—yes, I have a copy. She also sent me a request, said she wanted to teach me English and how to write.
I thought about it—I can just hear her. “Good thing this guy writes on a laptop, because if he used a pen—he would probably hurt himself.”
Yes, I said, because I was that bad. Five months later and over twenty books on writing style and English usage—I became a writer. I still had comma problems, but my writing improved. So much so that I won a couple of contests. Remember, you can’t edit a blank page. So write. You will get better.
I put Dragon at 1600 away. It sucked, but it gave me the opportunity to create my cast of characters. I started writing The K2 Sanction, and about 25,000 words into it, my wife passed, and I stopped writing altogether.
My writing friends suggested trying something different. And I said I’d toy with it.
My affinity for Physics and Spacetime, and the thought of creating a young female protagonist was always planted somewhere in the Limbic System of my brain. As a long time Cornwell fan—I was enamored with Kate Scarpetta, and when Lucy Farinelli was introduced—I just wanted more. Cornwell thought she created a monster—I begged to differ—I loved Lucy, and decided I wanted my own.
While outlining a story, my ten year old granddaughter Jules walked into my office. I turned toward her . . . with a tear in my eye.
She asked, what are you doing grandpa? I smiled and said, “Writing FIRST OF JULES.”
Right then and there I knew what I wanted.
A character that was intelligent, athletic, packed an attitude, and had enough faults to make her interesting to the YA arena and adults. And with that, and one look at my granddaughter’s inquiring face—I created Jules Spenser—a prodigy child—who wanted nothing more than to follow in her Grandpa Buck’s footsteps.
I followed that with Second Chances, where Dr. Jules Spenser is now a Neuroscience Physicist and Nanotechnologist at the South Padre Island Advance Nanoscience Research Center—the largest asset of Freedom Corps, a covert counter-terrorism organization run by her grandfather, Buck A. Davidssen—a retired Maine sniper who fights terrorism, foreign and domestic.
At the Research Center, she reveals her latest programmable biomedical nano-chip, and stuns the scientific community.
Planted deep in the medial temporal lobe of the brain it will replicate electronic signals from neighboring neurons, and circumvent areas of the brain that became dysfunctional after a stroke or other head injuries.
Others wanted this chip for foul play—
The third novel in the series; Dragon at 1600, finds Jules sitting at the head of the table. She not only has controlling interest of Freedom Corps, but she is in charge of the President of the United States taskforce.
The fourth novel—in progress, is The Fourth Dimension, and has Jules pushing the fringes of science.
Ok. Back to my writing routine.
As a scientist, I am always researching, and I keep spread sheets for everything that could end up in one of my novels. Because my novels have action in every continent on Earth. I maintain the following: time zones, sunrise, sunset, airports, airplanes, hotels, people, places, things, military grade weaponry, senses, interesting dialogue, and everything physics—including Tesla, etal.
I start with a spread sheet of possible chapters with who, what, why, when, and where. I do not write start to finish. A whim, a spark, and/or a fancy strikes me, and I write. The scene—which most time is a single POV becomes a chapter and I give it a name. It will go somewhere.
BTW, I am a rule breaker. Because I can be. I love this quote:
“We don’t need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do’s and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shall not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” Philip Pullman.
Godspeed and feel free to ask for help.
Gene Hilgreen – Published author
ehilgreen@aol.com
Nice to know you, Gene! Just kidding... I love how you wrote in descriptive narrative your path to becoming a writer--in several plot-like sequence of events surrounded by a hidden sense of humor.
Mod
Justin, back in 2011 I had a reason for writing. It was for entertainment for my coworker and her 2 daughters. But then it became something more. It became an obsession. I immersed myself in information and things that would give me inspiration. I get it if people stop writing because something bad happens in their lives. We are not machines that you can turn on or off. Writing should come from the heart and soul. Hopefully, this theme for October will create a "revival" of writing in some of our members. I certainly do miss them and their contributions.
Mod
When people told me I couldn’t get a good job without an education, I thought your right. And when my Gymnastic career, and dreams of being a Hollywood stuntman ended with an..."
That was just TOO COOL! I had to laugh a couple of times. Once when you gave your writings to friends, and they didn't talk to you anymore. I'm going out on a limb and say because you are a patriot, a conservative, and a God-fearing man, whereas they may not have been. I also adhere to my creative writing like you put it, "A whim, a spark, and/or a fancy strikes me, and I write." It starts in your head and your heart.
Gene wrote: While outlining a story, my ten year old granddaughter Jules walked into my office. I turned toward her . . . with a tear in my eye.Having a real person in mind helps me, also. Thank you for sharing this and other helpful ideas.
THE ARTIST WITHIN ME By Mirta Oliva (Writer, painter, illustrator)
At the end of the 6th grade, my teacher’s farewell speech was motivational and caring in nature--guiding us toward our future studies and goals. In a calculated way, she suggested that those who did not want long-term degrees might wish to aim for advanced business studies—taking English as the preferable second language. I liked the idea and without delay, I mentioned it to my dad. The next day he registered me at the Havana Business Academy, followed by the Havana Business University. Even though advanced Spanish was also enforced, we were supposed to speak in English only on the premises. And that was a good thing. Except when I visited my cousin, who attended the same school… My uncle also insisted that we speak English only. Jiminy Cricket! Although we had learned idioms and expressions, they were not enough to allow for engaging “teenage talks.”
Fast forward a few years, who would have thought that a teacher’s suggestion would become so propitious later on when I had to leave my beloved homeland to start a new life in a new country that I also love? Even though I enjoyed a fair command of the language, I tailored part of my curriculum at Miami Dade College to include American and English literature plus advanced grammar and English composition—which led to writing anecdotes among other assignments. Needless to say, the latter served to cement my interest in English writing.
That interest had been quietly growing since earlier years when--during every free moment I sat at a desk--I would be doodling or painting something and also writing down my thoughts, trivial things soon to be forgotten. I never imagined a future writer was within me until one day, displaying on the table several paintings I had made of paper birds, I realized that—by chance--the series told a sweet tale. Thus, I began writing “Birdyjosh and Birdylu—A Paper Birds’ Story,” adding more paintings as the story evolved. While I typed the pages ready for publishing, CreateSpace, Amazon’s arm for self-publishers at the time, did the rest. It was a rushed-out project but the theme and plot deliver a message of love and caring with every picture and every sentence.
A second book, the novel, “Sublime Adoption * A Tale of Love and Mendacity,” initially depicted my semi-truthful impressions about a charming character dominating the story under a fictitious name. Past the introductory paragraph(s), the charm disappeared as the affable character became persona non grata while remaining an integral part of the plot as a fictitious being. See below:
“His voice was like an inspiring murmur that kept the studious young women in the American literature class in sublime meditation—all the while hiding a myriad of inner emotions. It was the soft, engaging voice of Mr. Edward Porterlang.
“As part of his theatrical routine, the professor was reading Edward Allan Poe’s enigmatic poem—The Raven—with a sensual inflection each time he whispered ‘Nevermore.’
“I often wondered why our teacher showed a marked preference for The Raven, among so many other poems written over recent and past years. Although he read other titles to us, perhaps he loved the attention he received from Poe’s memorable piece. During his sporadic recitals of the poem, it seemed as though each girl believed in her heart the professor was reading the catchy lines for her—and for no one else. That’s not to say he was openly trying to seduce us... Although it was obvious that he did not spend his classroom hours casually throwing words to the wind. Could it be the good-looking professor saw himself as an actor and, aware of his suggestive enunciation, was enjoying his charade?” The revelations that followed changed the perceptions that appeared in the beginning.
My third publication, Book of Diverse Writings, Volume I—2015-- had miscellaneous material including a novella, several “Writers 750” short stories, and two anecdotes highlighting life-threatening events. One of them, “It Happened at the Horse Ranch,” was adapted from an essay written during my college days. As it really happened, in a measured way, my horse had placed himself slowly at the end of the caravan, turning his head every so often, so that he could escape the forced ride…” The smart aleck had detected I was clueless and hysterical so I had to go.
“’ Horseplay, what is wrong with you! Where in the world are you going? Whoa!’ I shouted to no avail. At this speed, I could not jump off… It would have been a rough and painful landing on pointed rocks—or death? Now I was obviously scared. What if this crazy beast jumped inside the canal? In horror, all I could think of was the newspaper headlines: ‘Young woman dies when she falls into a canal clinging to Horseplay, her loyal horse.’ Loyal…? My foot! What an unflattering and inglorious way to go...” But the agony did not end there...
“As I was trying to figure out how not to go down in history with Horseplay tied forever to my name--Headstone and all--I looked ahead and about a block in front of us, I could see an orange grove... The place that the reckless animal had chosen to take us for my final ride. I could visualize the news headlines: ‘Young woman is decapitated as her horse gallops amidst a beautiful orange grove.’ Umm... That sounded more elegant and dignified!” It ended with the guide abruptly holding my reins, asking me if I wanted to continue on the horse as we returned to the office or to call for a cart. Really?
My last publication, “Book of Diverse Writings *Volume II is a compilation of poems—the ones I had been writing over the years plus some new ones and a few appearing in third-party anthologies. It includes romantic; inspirational and motivational; abstract and miscellaneous; Haikus; Spanish, and poems written for my other books.
Years later, by working and going to college after hours, my love of the arts remained a hobby only to stop completely when I started a long banking career. The latter called for courses including advanced accounting plus seminars and an off-duty, 6-month intensive credit course--all a must to master the career I got to love after all. Actually, after studying bookkeeping in my teen years I prayed that I never had to work in any accounting capacity. My thinking changed when I finally saw an open path for a true career. Go figure!
Slowly, I moved up the ladder and, ultimately, was offered the position of Vice President and Credit Manager of our three Leasing Divisions (Floorplan lease lines; business, and personal leases).
As time passed, when the opportunity arose for me to go into the antique trade, I opened my dream store, “Antiques Are Forever,” for which I had been preparing by reading books, storing antiques, visiting local and foreign museums, antique stores, and shows. Buying good, old art allowed me to examine paintings in detail to better see how the artist had achieved critical areas with proper brush strokes, i.e., lace is painted in a minimalist way to resemble a fine decorative piece when seen from a distance. When the business where my store was located was sold, I closed my shop to take care of my mother at home.
Both my banking career and my antique business fulfilled my long-time dreams. What I had learned at the bank served me well to always keep an eye on my antique finances and budget.
Regretfully, the once top Florida institution, Southeast Banking Corp. collapsed a year after my departure--something widely criticized in the media, more so when the acquired short and long-term assets yielded substantial profits in a relatively short period.
Being at home allowed me time to resume painting with new self-learned tricks. A few years later, I joined Writers 750 where I enjoyed writing short stories.
Since I had to follow the club’s guidelines for each story, my first step would be to write the first paragraph molded along the prompts or at times from personal past memories as a sneaky reality flexed to suit my needs. Subsequent paragraphs would twist everything around into fiction; thus, eliminating any similarities with people or situations.
As a versatile person, I usually became bored with routine work; thus, I switched from one art style or task to another. I have delved into painting in realistic or abstract styles--using oils, acrylics, pastels, aquarelles, and ink. I liked sculpting heads but it can be a messy proposition without a designated studio. And lastly, writing: Prose and verse. I have done all book cover illustrations—getting them ready for Amazon Kindle publishing. As a collector, I belonged to antique pens plus clock and watch collectors’ clubs—doing some repairs myself. And I enjoyed every bit of it. I am writing in the past tense since I’ve been so busy lately with the tools and requisites of the modern world that I only find time for one thing: Writing—if at all.
Mod
Glenda wrote: "Mirta, my life is quite boring compared to yours. You are such a talented lady."Thank you, Glenda. But I disagree. No one's life is identical to any other. I guarantee you that if you start writing you will find paths you have crossed and forgotten and vivid scenes of where you have been, what you have done, and how you got there. I know you'll find plenty to write about.
Mirta Oliva (Writer, painter, illustrator), you're right, each life is different. You must admit your life has been interesting. I'm glad you're still writing. Thank you for your story.
Thank you, Sharon. Yes, the muse follows me as soon as I announce I am in for the task. Finding the time is a different story.
I'm so pleased with the response we had in October! On to November...Thank you, Glenda, for posting a new prompt to keep our minds busy on creating.
Mod
Yes, ma'am. Going into 2024, do you think we should do something quarterly instead of monthly? I think it was suggested twice. I was thinking today that it has been years since I worked on my second novel. It is about half-written. It would be nice to be able to focus on that again. I do work a full-time job. As it is, I hardly have any time to myself.
Yes, I think quarterly would be worth a try. What do they rest of you think?
Mod
Some years ago, a client asked me to ghostwrite a book for them. I had never taken on such a big project before, but I thought to myself, "Hey, I can string a sentence together, so how hard could it be to write a book? It's just a longer version of a short story, right?"
Well, I quickly realised that there was more to it than I initially thought. Luckily, it turned out to be just a 12,000-word novella, so I managed to navigate my way through it and get it done. The client loved it and even published it on Amazon, which led to a grand book launch in New York’s Central Park. It was a big win for me!
Fast forward a couple of years later, and I found myself invited to participate in Nanowrimo. For those who don't know, it's a challenge where you aim to write a 50,000-word draft in just 30 days. Now, considering I had survived writing a 12,000-word book, I foolishly believed that 50,000 words wouldn't be much of a problem. Well, let's just say I was wrong. I only managed to write about 20,000 words before completely running out of steam.
One of the reasons I struggled was because I was a "pantser" - meaning I would sit down and start writing without a plan or structure. I had an idea for a book, but I didn't know how to shape it or where it was going. Initially, following the advice of writing gurus worked for me. They suggested just getting yourself in front of the computer or grabbing a pen and paper, and letting the words flow. And it did...for the first 20,000 words.
But eventually, I hit a wall. I had no direction, and I was just making things up as I went along. That year, I didn't win Nanowrimo.
The following year, however, I decided to do things differently. I started watching lessons on how to plan and structure a novel, and I made an effort to attend writing meetups with other participants.
I still remember my first meetup. I went feeling pretty proud of myself. I was hitting the minimum word count of 1,667 words per day and sometimes even reaching 2,000 words. But when the other writers started sharing their progress, my pride quickly deflated. Most of them had written over 30,000 words by that point. I was shocked!
I quietly swallowed my humble pie and joined in on the word sprints for that session. What amazed me the most was that, when I was around those talented, focused, competitive writers, I actually found myself writing almost double my usual word count during the sprints. It was mind-blowing.
The best part was how we could help each other generate ideas to keep the story moving. If someone ran out of ideas, especially when they had already written around 30,000 words, other writers would jump in with suggestions to push the storyline forward.
And guess what? That year, I won Nanowrimo for the first time! I completed a whole 50,000 words, and there are even prizes that come with the win. You get to order a scarf with the words of your novel on it, among other things. It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment.
So, in response to this month's prompt - Am I a "pantser" or do I follow a structure when writing a novel?
Well, I'm more of a "pantser" by nature. But after going through those experiences and seeing the positive results that come with planning, I've started making an effort to outline and structure my novels before diving into the writing process. I get my inspiration from everyday experiences and encounters.
I hope that gives you some insight into my writing journey!
Mod
By Mirta Oliva (Writer, painter, illustrator)
At the end of the 6th grade, my teacher’s farewell speech was motivational and caring in nature--guiding us toward our future s..."
You have accomplished so much Mirta. That’s why I love being in communities and groups like this one. I learn so much.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Mod
Yes, ma'am. Going into 2024, do you..."
I think quarterly is good Glenda.
Mod
I would first like to address the journey for my published book. I have only self-published one book, and that was in 2012 “Mayan World of Vampires”. This was back when ..."
That’s fantastic Glenda. I hope you find the time to finish your novel.
Mod
When people told me I couldn’t get a good job without an education, I thought your right. And when my Gymnastic career, and dreams of being a Hollywood stuntman ended with an..."
Wow Gene, your life story - that’s a whole novel right there. So sorry for your loss and admire how you’ve pushed through every single obstacle and come out shining.
I love how your granddaughter was such an inspiration for you.
I hope to see your newest published novel.
Mod
I would first like to address the journey for my published book. I have only self-published one book, and that was in 2012 “Mayan World of Vampires”. This was back when ..."
I’ve enjoyed reading your stories over the last decade Glenda. It has been an absolute honour to be among such talented people like you.
Mod
I would first like to address the journey for my published book. I have only self-published one book, and that was in 2012 “Mayan World of Vampires”. This..."
Wow, Rejoice. I have really felt like giving up on moderating this group. It will have been 8 years that I've been moderating here at Goodreads and of course, Shae, may she rest in peace, was there with us too to moderate. But after reading your comments, it just fires me up to stick with it. I think quarterly challenges will help. It would be nice if Terry came back to the group.
Rejoice, thank you for sharing your inspirational journey. Getting the words on the screen are the hardest part for me.
Mod
Thank you, ma'am. It has been a pleasurable and fulfilling journey.
Rejoice wrote: "I want to share a little story before I talk about my writing style.Some years ago, a client asked me to ghostwrite a book for them. I had never taken on such a big project before, but I thought ..."
What a reassuring story about perseverance. I loved every sentence you wrote... Plus the flow, how you narrated your vicissitudes in critical terms while you were, in fact, doing the right thing. And that brought you to achieving your endeavors as a writer... You thought you couldn't write a long story but you did! And even won the contest!
Rejoice wrote: "Mirta wrote: "THE ARTIST WITHIN ME By Mirta Oliva (Writer, painter, illustrator)
At the end of the 6th grade, my teacher’s farewell speech was motivational and caring in nature--guiding us towar..."
Rejoyce, I am late in reviewing the above stories and yours. Also late in responding to your nice comments about mine. Thank you! Further to everything said about writing long stories, I think of them as eating at a fancy restaurant. One cannot simply order the main course and nothing else. Lengthy tales tend to divert into distinct segments that must somehow blend within the plot. The first draft of my novel included a segment added for volume...later on deleted as it did not add interest to the story. The more we write, the more creative we become and the easier it gets to add new or different situations or characters that enhance the theme.
• Do you write out character notes?
• Maybe you outline the plot of your story before beginning the actual
writing.
• Do you skip the outline and begin by writing scenes?
• Tell us about the seed of your story idea and how long you’ve been
pondering.
• Is your research done in advance or as you write?
Word count: 750 - 1,500
Voting is not necessary. We will all be learning from one another.
Purpose -
Some fiction writers are looking to win a short story contest, keeping in touch with making deadlines, and/or simply sharpening the skill of writing fiction. The main purpose of this contest is to sharpen plot and character skills, collect your own short stories, receive good feedback, make a good connection with other writers, and take a short break from your current novel to get a fresh view when you return to it.
Rules and Directions -
* Type in English - no erotica, no profanity.
* Post your title, by line, and word count total in the first line of your story posting.
* Writers are responsible for their own copyright. Authors keep all rights. PRIVACY POLICY IS ENFORCED. COPYRIGHTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS BELONG TO INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS. THIS CONTEST DOES NOT GRANT ANY PERSON THE RIGHT OR LICENSE TO COPY OR USE OTHER STORIES. EACH STORY IS PROTECTED BY THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.
* ONE entry per person, must be writer's original work, a final revision, and a new piece of writing. Please do not delete and repost since this becomes confusing to the readers. Try to post your final revision.