Snapshots and Story Prompts

March Snapshot 2014--kendaturner.blogspot.com

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away." --Eudora Welty

Have you ever reached for your camera and taken a series of random shots with no real idea of what you've captured until you check the results later? I did--and this is one of the images I got. Believe me it was truly random and serendipitous. I couldn't have staged anything this comical on my own. 

Littlest granddaughter and I were just hanging out together while Grandpa entertained two older siblings elsewhere. I grabbed the camera and snapped away as 15-month old Cecy played, tottered around, rolled on the floor, climbed on and off a tyke-sized bike, giggled and flashed endearing smiles. Before long she was into the Sunday paper still strewn on the floor, picking up a section here, discarding it there. I had no idea what print was on the back of the section she held up until I checked my photo roll later.

And there it was. A moment caught, as Ms. Welty said, before it could run away. Along with a funny story to tell.

Hmmmm...If I were to tell a story from this photo, what might be the log line? If I chose it for a writing prompt, what ideas would I run with? What would  be a good caption? Oh, the potential! Snapshots and story--they can work together in a creative way.

Do you rely on photos for writing inspiration? Do you post favorites around your writing space to keep you inspired? Do you use pictures for writing prompts? It appears a good number of writers do by the looks of Pinterest boards, including: Pictures as Writing Prompts, Writing Picture Prompts, and Picture Writing Prompts. 

What caption might you suggest for my picture above?

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What Inspires Your Setting?

On morning walk, March 2014

"For most novelists the art of writing might be defined as the use to which we put our homesickness. So powerful is the instinct to memorialize in prose--one's region, one's family, one's past--that many writers, shorn of such subjects, would be rendered paralyzed and mute." --Joyce Carol Oates

The sky was magnificent on my walk the other day (glad I had the camera with me!)--and for some reason it seemed to draw me into my surroundings in a way I hadn't experienced before. Thoughts began to flow. Suggestions whispered. Possibilities for connecting dots in my story leaped forth. What fun. I didn't know "they" lived over there! Who would have guessed "that" character's house was just around the curve? And the pine grove between the two? Turns out, it's begging to be included, too.

Of course, the actual setting in my story will be fictionalized, but my, how my neighborhood is helping me "see" it. I can pretend I'm walking in my character's shoes as she lives, struggles, fights for that which is most important to her--all while being drawn into the drama and misfortunes of the times in which she lives (it is historical fiction, after all).

 "If you're lucky," writes Elizabeth George in Write Away, "the place in which you live is a place that resonates with you. If that's the case and if you can remain alive to and aware of the details that make that place unique, you should certainly consider using it for a setting because you'll more than likely be able to render it and not merely report it."

This works for the writer in me that immerses herself in an era of history. But what about the writer who builds her own world, fictionalizes a setting far different than her own reality?

It's all in the details. As Donald Maass says: "The great novelists of the past and the breakout novelists of today employ many approaches to setting, but all have one element in common: detail. A setting cannot live unless it is observed in its pieces and particulars."

Alex, at Write World, contrasts the advantages of real locations vs. fictional settings in his article, "Location, Location, Location: The Fundamentals of Choosing a Setting." In it he says, "There are two sides to setting: logistics and soul. If a character gets on a specific bus route, it's probably a good idea to research if such a bus actually exists, but this is only one side of writing about setting. The part that is infinitely harder is understanding the spirit of location, what makes it tick, what motivates its citizens, and how this culture matches your story. Whether your place is real or made-up, this will be your greatest challenge in writing setting."

"Real location" writers and "world builders" have more in common than not.

Additional tips on setting come from Moira Allen's "Four Ways to Bring Settings to Life" (at writing-world.com) where she suggest we reveal setting through motion...a character's level of experience...the mood of your character...the senses.

And what about the writer's own setting--the place in which we actually write? Take a look at Joy Lanzendorfer's Writer's Digest article, "5 Writing Lessons Inspired by Famous Writers." Ms. Lanzendorfer garnered inspiration by visiting the homes of such writers as Jack London, William Faulkner, and Emily Dickenson. A sample:

"In 1879, Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in a hotel in Monterey, CA, after traveling from Scotland. He didn't write anything of note while there, but the scenery, Spanish influences, and a local legend about buried coins later went into his most famous book, Treasure Island."

What has inspired your settings? What locations have influenced you? Do you draw from real places or build your own worlds? And have you written out of homesickness as Joyce Carol Oates suggests, or drawn from the deep well of imaginary places?

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Revision's Mountain and More

The mountain called revision looms and the climb seems insurmountable, but wait, there's a map! Like the intrepid mountain climber, we start at the base and work our way up.

I came across this neat infographic by Gabriela Pereira on a great resource site: Jody Hedlund's Pinterest board, "How to Edit." So many inspirational pins can be found there for those of us in the revision process.

And yet, Jody's site is only the tip of the iceberg (I mean, mountain) since I linked there after first discovering The Write Life's "20 Inspiring Pinterest Boards for Writing" where Jody's board is listed. Talk about resources! You can get lost wandering through all the neat links. 

I'm tempted but better restrain myself. After all revisions are calling.

Where are you on the climb of Mt. Revision? And do you ever get lost in the wilderness of great writerly resources and get sidetracked away from the work at hand?

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James Scott Bell: The Doorway of No Return

In the neighborhood, February 2014

"Think of it as the Doorway of No Return. The feeling must be that your lead character, once she passes through, cannot go home again until the major problem of the plot is solved." --James Scott Bell

Has my MC passed through the Doorway of No Return? Ah, that's the issue I'm addressing this week after coming across an article in Writer's Digest (January 2013): The Two Pillars of Novel Structure by James Scott Bell. In this article, Bell uses two metaphors to help explain novel structure: a bridge and a door.

A Bridge to Somewhere. Bell discusses the idea of a suspension bridge and how it represents story structure: "The key foundational elements here are the two pillars, or pylons. These pillars are set down in bedrock, allowing the suspension cables to support a solid and secure platform... Think about it: Every story has to begin, and every story has to end. And the middle has to hold the reader's interest. The craft of structure tells you how to begin with a bang, knock readers out at the end, and keep them turning pages all the way through."

The Doorway of No Return. This, according to Bell, is the first pillar of the bridge. "The beginning of a novel tells us who the main characters are and introduces the situation at hand (the story world). It sets the tone and the stakes. But the novel does not take off or become 'the story' until that first pillar is passed. Think of it as a Doorway of No Return. The feeling must be that your lead character, once she passes through, cannot go home again until the major problem of the plot is solved...There is no way back to the old, comfortable world." She will not be able to turn around and go back across the bridge the way she came. She has no choice but to go forward.

"And," Bell says, "the timing of the first pillar should be before the 1/5 mark of your book." That means our character needs to hit that bridge running. There is no place for hanging back or dawdling on that bridge.

The Second Pillar. This pillar is another doorway of no return, according to Bell. It makes possible or inevitable the final battle and resolution. "Remember, the first door has been slammed shut...Then the second pillar, or doorway, happens. This is often an event that feels like a major crisis or setback. Or it can be a clue or discovery. Regardless, it pushes the lead character into Act 3." Our lead character must go through that door, too, with no hope of return to what used to be--but, at the same time, this door becomes her access to the final battle and the story's resolution on the other side.

The Other Side. "The two pillars of structure will never let you down. In defining the three acts of your story and creating points of no return for your characters (and your readers), they will guarantee that the platform of your story is strong. And they will free you to be as creative as you like with the elements of your story--characters, voice, scenes, without fear of falling off a rope bridge into the Valley of Unread Novels."

This week's assignment: build a page-turning bridge of a story with strong pylon doorways of no return at both ends. And while you're at it, don't look down. That valley of unread novels doesn't have your name on it. The story of your character's exciting, completed journey does!

What challenges in story structure do you struggle with? How do you build your story bridge?

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Grammar Blind Spots

photo courtesy Pixabay.com

"I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it." --Carl Sandburg

I have grammar blind spots. They shouldn't surprise me--no one is the perfect grammarian, right? not even Mr. Sandburg it would seem--but still when they're pointed out, I tend to go, what?? How could I have missed that?

Except when I'm in the dark and the mistake jumps out of the blue. Whoa, I didn't even realize. Thankfully my beautiful friends and writer critique buddies are smart, kind, and...well...non-critical. Helpful. Encouraging. Did I say smart? Thanks, Lanita and Connie.

We were working on potential short submissions this month, and, following our monthly meeting where we talked about them, I emailed my revisions for their final perusal. Lanita pointed out the use of a word she had already mentioned at our meeting--and, it turns out, a correction I had promptly forgotten. This time she sent me a link asking if I thought its explanation might help.

My usage? "I can still see myself pouring over vocabulary lists..."

Her thought? "I think 'poring' is the word you need."

And of course she was right.

In gently leading me to the correct choice of words, she also steered me to a website I had never visited, but now count as one of great value: vocabulary. com. Here the pouring/poring issue is made clear:

"A pore is a small opening in a surface that lets stuff through. To pour, on the other hand, means to flow continuously and rapidly...As a verb (though), to pore is used with through or over and means that you are absorbed in the study of something or that you are reading something intensely." Hence: "I can still see myself poring over vocabulary lists."

Ah, the light bulb goes off. The understanding soaks in. The appreciation builds.

I'll be visiting vocabulary.com more often, starting with another troublesome combination for me: farther vs. further. I always have trouble with their correct usage, too. Why do I have such a blind spot when it comes to some of these words? Oh, the life of the writer--where there's always room to learn something new!

What grammar issues play in your blind spot? Any favorite grammar resources that you might recommend?

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10 Things Writers Have in Common with Woodpeckers

"The woodpecker might have to go." 
Courtesy of christianfunnypictures

Okay, I finally got a walk in this morning before getting blasted with yet another wave of snow (3"-5" predicted again tonight). What freedom I felt. How invigorating was the crisp air. What a refreshing chance to see something besides the four walls of the house. 

Then, lo and behold, I looked up and saw...a woodpecker. And the bright discovery added a bonus to my walk: inspiration. Here was this red-capped, feathered creature out in the cold, too, another survivor of this never-ending winter, and a fragile little guy faithfully doing his thing--pecking away and getting results.

So, as you might have already guessed, I was inspired to look closer at the life of a woodpecker. Not surprisingly, I found some things writers have in common with him.

10 Things Writers Have in Common with Woodpeckers

1. "Woodpeckers can peck up to 20 times per second, or a total of 8,000-12,000 times per day." How many keyboard keys do we peck (tap) in a day?
2. "Many woodpeckers have barbed tongues that help them extract bugs from trees and holes." What tools do we have to extract just the right words out of our heads?
3. "The woodpecker also has a very long tongue, up to four inches long in some species, with a glue-like substance on the tip for catching insects." Do we have the ability to stick with a project?
4. "The woodpecker's strong, pointed beak acts as both a chisel and a crow bar to remove bark and find hiding insects." Do we have a strong nose for the story, a drilling focus, and crowbar tenacity to pull it all out in its best form?
5. "Most woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, which means they have toes facing the front and toes facing the back to help them grip trees vertically." What helps us grip our... ahem... backsides to our chairs and stay there until the work is done?
6. "They use those toes with their stiff tail feathers to brace on trees as they climb." Do we have as stiff a backbone to see the project through?
7. "Feathers that look like bristles on the nostrils of the woodpecker prevent inhalation of wood particles." Okay, this might be a stretch, but how do we put on blinders to block out the distractions when we are in the 'zone' and the words are flowing?
8. "Woodpeckers have a unique flying pattern: three wing flaps are followed with gliding." Have we found our rhythm? Mixing writing and living (defined as cherishing relationships, maintaining myriad responsibilities, etc etc )...sometimes it seems like one suffers at the hands of the other. Yet we desire to keep things in balance, don't we?
9. And speaking of relationships, "woodpeckers are monogamous (one mate for a lifetime)." You could say 'family' is important to the woodpecker, too!
10.  "Woodpeckers eat primarily insects, along with fruit, acorns and nuts." Well, writers might want to substitute chocolate for insects and acorns, but otherwise fruits and nuts sound good.

I did find one way, however, that woodpeckers are different than writers:
1. "Woodpeckers don't get headaches from pecking. They have reinforced skulls structured to spread the impact force, and their brains are tightly cushioned and protected." Are our skulls as cushioned in the event we bang our heads on our desks in our most frustrated sessions?!

Have you ever considered your affinity with the woodpecker? Any comparisons you can think of that wasn't touched on here? Would you throw the woodpecker off the ark???

"Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts." --Coleman Cox

Sources for facts on woodpeckers:
Basic Facts About Woodpeckers
Woodpecker Trivia
Woodpecker Facts
Why Woodpeckers Don't Get Concussions

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Putting a Face on Character: Questionnaire Resources

clipart courtesy pixabay.com

"I like it when the deeper you go with the character, the more 

you see the layers start to peel away." --Edward Norton

Had a need this week to go deeper with a minor character, peel away the layers of his life--see his face a little clearer. Where to go for prompts?

Thankfully we don't have to go far. Some resources I've found helpful:

Gotham Writers' Workshop

Charlotte Dillon

Jody Hedlund

Sandra Miller

Epiguide

Writing Children's Books for Dummies

Pulling out some favorite questions:

"Look at your character's feet. Describe what you see there. Does he wear dress shoes, gym shoes, or none at all? Is he in socks that are ratty and full of holes? Or is he wearing a pair of blue and gold slippers knitted by his grandmother?"

"When your character thinks of her childhood kitchen, what smell does she associate with it? Sauerkraut? Oatmeal cookies? Paint? Why is that smell so resonant for her?"

"Dear Character: How do you feel in a crowd? How do you feel alone?"

"Your two main characters have to change a flat tire in the rain. What do you learn about them from this?"

The danger is in getting lost in the lists, they pose so many possibilities!

Do you have favorite questions that help reveal who your character is and what motivates him or her? Glimpses into the past that helped shape your character's present? A favorite questionnaire source you frequent?

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