Linking back to last week’s post on Online Workshops I thought I’d take a look at PowerPoint in more detail. I used PowerPoint a lot in the late 1980s/early 1990s and then forgot all about it until Zoom came into my working life.
I don’t know about you but these days I split time into two categories – pre-pandemic and post-same. I recently ran a workshop for the Association of Christian Writers’ Flash Fiction Group on leap years. One thing coming from that was in recalling the last Leap Year Day was 29th February 2020! Much has changed since then, hasn’t it?!
One positive thing to come from the pandemic was the increasing use of video conferencing via Zoom and the like. It made certain events possible. Ironically it has led to paying gigs for me as workshops. I hope that continues!
Every part of a story or article, of whatever length, has its role to play but the most important is the opening line. Unless readers get past that, the rest won’t be read. So what does any opening line need to do to encourage people to keep reading?
Writers of short form fiction, including flash, need to find reliable, sustainable ways of inventing characters. Stories are character led. We’re writing a lot of stories. So we need to create a lot of characters, especially over the course of say a year.
Does the title of this post sound like a strange combination? It’s not as odd as you might think. I thought this would be a good topic given we have just had St. Valentine’s Day. That saint’s day alone triggers obvious writing themes – love and sacrifice, the latter especially so if you write a non-fiction account of St. Valentine’s life.
I’m a great believer in planning out my writing for various reasons.
Themes are the bedrock of any story told in any form (play, flash, novel, novella, short story et al).
Scene setting is one of the invisible “tools” a writer uses to make a convincing story though it can apply to non-fiction work too. What it involves is working out what a reader needs to know and then figuring out the best way of getting that across.
I mentioned briefly in my Book Recommendations post last week I have used how-to-write guides (and still turn to them for reference when needed). I adore Stephen King’s On Writing, which is a great mix of memoir and writing advice. Many writers speak highly of it.
All great stories focus on their characters. Why?
It’s because we want to find out what happens in the story and that usually involves finding out what happened to the lead character in particular. Did they get their happy ending? Were they a rotter who deserved and got their comeuppance?
Only one way to find out and that is to read the story but the character has to interest you enough in the first place to make you want to read on. So how can that be done? I share some thoughts about how I approach character creation and hope you find it useful.
The writing life is fun but being prepared for the roller coaster aspect of it is a good idea. Every writer has their ups and downs. It helps to know this. Going into the writing life with your eyes wide open also helps. It also helps, I think, to accept the following is true.
Have you ever kept a diary? Did you use to/still do enjoy writing and receiving letters in the post? The answer to both those questions is yes from me.
I keep a diary to help me stay on track of what I write when (and to remind me to get my author newsletter out, note down workshop dates etc). I also keep, as part of the same diary, notes on how my writing is going and whether I was pleased or not with the previous day’s writing efforts.
It was a joy to welcome Jenny Sanders to Chandler’s Ford Today last week. She and I have crossed paths many times thanks to our connections via the Association of Christian Writers, online magazine Mom’s Favorite Reads, and flash fiction.
This week, Jenny tells us more about her writing journey, including how she discovered flash fiction, and shares her thoughts on the most challenging aspects of creating a story or an article. Plenty to learn from here so, once more, over to Jenny.
Your lead character is the star of your story. Their actions are a result of needing something (to fulfil a quest is one example) but there are obstacles. This includes other characters who are not there to make life easy. Cause and consequence; conflict and resolution – these are the foundations of any story. Your lead character drives the action.
Cheating a bit here, are we, Allison? Maybe!
I knew X would be a tricky letter for an alphabetical series on fiction! Options were X-Ray Vision and Other Specialist Skills in Fiction. Or X-Rated in Fiction. The latter was out. Not to my taste. Not my field. Not for a family friendly online magazine! I think X-Ray vision is cheating as it limits the genres I can talk about! Just how often will X-ray vision crop up in our stories?
So (e)xcellence in fiction it is and I hope you send comments in about what you think counts as this in your book (pun intended!). Is it the plots. the characters, or the author’s style?
Now this topic could easily fill a book or several so this post can only be a brief overview. I focus on a few things which I have found so useful.
Now you might think one of these has an obvious place in any kind of creative writing and the other definitely not.
On the face of it, quite right too. Ironically, though there can be a place for some judicially placed verbosity but more on that shortly.
Verbs are, of course, part of the writer’s creative toolbox, along with the various component parts of our language. I use them to trigger story ideas. How?
What do I mean about underlining in fiction?
Simply it’s how to emphasize a point to a reader without repeating yourself. It will be as the reader looks back at the story they will realise certain points were emphasized without them being aware of it. Otherwise known as planting information!
Names are as important in fiction as they are to us in life. Names give us a sense of who we are. They are a major part of our identity and names can reveal so much about ourselves.
Names can indicate someone’s likely social class, whether they’re traditionalists or not, and something of their family background too. Writers can play on that to help add depth to their characterisation. Names can also indicate the genre of a book. Well, you’re not going to find the likes of Frodo Baggins turn up in a Jane Austen novel, are you?
This topic was inspired by last week’s post when I talked about Pinch, Punch, The First of the Month. I’ve often used well known sayings in my flash fiction. Sometimes I’ve used them as titles. Sometimes I’ve used them as themes. And I have written stories where the well known saying was both the title and theme.
[Read more…] about Sayings – Their Uses in Fiction and Non-Fiction
