BOO!!!!

In honor of my good friend Gary Jansen's new book, HOLY GHOSTS: How a (Not So) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things That Go Bump in the Night, about his experiences dealing with the weird and creepy things that were happening in his new house, let's talk paranormal.

Can anyone believe how this craze in paranormal has taken off?  Really, it started with Harry Potter.  Though we don't necessarily lump magic and sorcery in with the term paranormal as a genre, wands and spells are certainly para -- normal.  OK, OK, I've taken long enough to say the word: vampires.

There are many standards for paranormal.  Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, possessions, immortals/gods, fairies, zombies, demons, angels, gollums (OK, I use that word instead of simply saying Frankenstein's monster, but what I mean is created/sewn/built animated creatures).

I know I have a solid vampire novel inside of me.  I've been holding off working on it, because I don't want to be a tail-ender on the trend.  Besides, my vampires are old-school.  They don't boink you, they kill you.  Zombies will be making a big surge soon, especially if the movie of World War Z ever comes out.

But let's focus on the good old, tried-and-true, spooky haunted house ghost story.  I guess the first thing you have to decide if you're writing a ghost story is: will your haunting be explained, or will it be a hoax, a complete mystery even at the end of your story, let's face it: is it really a ghost?

OK, I know I"m rambling a bit now.  But we've all heard of the haunted house.  How come there's never been a good haunted condo story?  All right, I digress.

Come on, you know you've always wanted to... write the set up: location, background, characters, story of a good ghost story.  Lots of different questions to answer can help you start:

What's the place (or person?) that is haunted?

Does the living person know the ghost?

How did the ghost die?

Why is the ghost hanging around?

Does the living person believe in the ghost?

Who's the second living person, either an unbeliever or an antagonist of some type?

Is this evil or lost soul or possession or what?  I personally am tired of the ghost looking to get justice for their murderer, but go with what you want.  Also sick of the loved one who can't let go.

What's the ghost's motivation?

It's Labor Day weekend.  Just have fun.  And be glad I didn't go with a woman-in-Labor exercise (tee hee)....

Today -- on the couch

Today I'm out sick from work.  Nothing horrible, just a really unhappy stomach.  I shouldn't have made those baked jalapenos stuffed with cheese last night.

A day out of sorts or out of your regular routine is a great setting start-off point for a story.  Something out of the ordinary is of course one of the very first rules of what makes a good story.

So write a story about someone who takes a sick day, settles down on the couch, maybe watches a television show that they never get to see usually, like the Today Show or Good Morning America.  They have the tea and toast or coffee put in place.  Maybe they're wrapped in a blanket, still in the 'jamas, or maybe they're surrounded by tissues.  The only plan in their head is rest and relax.  But those plans are changed or complicated by something.

Did the roommate also call in sick?  Now it's two of them on the couch?

Did work call and say they are absolutely needed?

Does the power go out?

Does your character catch a burglar? (ooh, that reminds me of a great novel called, PS Your Cat is Dead)

Does your character decide to go to the doctor, or E.R?

Take it wherever it can go.

Great Monologue

I have two ideas for you.  Remember to use them to launch into something else...

The first is that classic monologue from the movie Bull Durham.  Susan Sarandon says to Kevin Costner's character, 'Well what do you believe in?'  And his character answers with a long litany of things he believes in.  Write one for yourself.  'I believe pizza is the perfect food.  I believe there is no such thing as a soulmate -- there are hundreds of people I could be happy with.  I believe that if you have salsa in the refrigerator, there's no need for ketchup.  I believe decaffeinated coffee and non-alcoholic beer and low-fat potato chips are stupid -- if you don't want it, don't eat 'em!  When you're writing a story, and you're trying to understand one of your characters, write one of these 'I believe' monologues from that character's point of view.

The second idea is very similar but in reverse.  A big trend is happening on YouTube for people to post video rants.  The standard is that every sentence starts with 'I hate....'  it's actually really fun!  Write one, then you totally have to read it out loud.  Or...  Bring a notebook around with you, or use a notes app on your smartphone, and keep a running list of everything that annoys you, however small, however big.  This one is less planned, because it's based on things happening that you react to during a day or week.  If you're able to do it very detailed, it could be really fun.  Imagine, 'I hate when I type a word wrong and have to hit backspace.  I hate when I spill coffee on my shirt.  I hate when someone's trying to talk to me while I'm trying to write.  I hate that there's a possum in my backyard.  I hate having to go to work.  I hate eggplant.'  You get the idea... it could become a really great journal entry.  Instead of the typical 'Dear Diary, today I went to work, and I'm looking forward to the weekend...'  Again, write one from one of your character's points of view when you're writing.

Prompting through Little Suggestions

I'm working on a story that's growing every week to more than a story.  Suddenly I thought it was possibly a novel.  I've continued to work on it, and it just might end up there.  But now in my head, I realize it would be even better as a screenplay.  I am not stopping.  I'm going to continue to work on it in its current form, because I started it, and I have to finish it before flopping around on the idea here and there, then never finishing it.

But what I wanted to mention is, how it started.  I was sitting on my patio with the laptop, wanting to spend some time writing.  I had no idea in my head at all.  I just started writing from snippets of ideas.  Guy's late for work.  But it doesn't matter, because he's the owner of the business.  But it does matter to his employee who worked the morning shift.  Why is he late?  Did he have a hot date?  No... he stayed up late watching an old movie.  She gives him shit, tells him he needs to get out more.  And the conversation started.  It led to this and that, and I'm on my way.  It's almost equivalent to starting a novel with 'A guy walks into a bar....'

All right, what am I saying? I'm saying that the simplest writing exercise can spark you into something more specific.  That's why I will constantly say, don't use my little ideas and exercises and prompts just for what they are.  Once you complete one, take what you wrote and keep thinking about it.  Break the original exercise's rules or expand it into something else.  Take one of the secondary characters or the scene or anything you can out of what you've written and keep going.  And going.  Write, write, write..

That's why I call this site INSPIRE CREATE WRITE.

Two friends sitting on the porch.  They start talking about a favorite movie.  What movie is it?  Why do they both love it, for the same reasons or different?  How old are they?  How old is the movie?  So how old were they when they first saw it?  Did each of them see it in the movie theater or rented at home after the fact?  A third person joins them.  This third person has never seen the movie and has no knowledge of it whatsoever.

The conversation continues... psst... that's where you come in...

Oh It's Been Way Too Long

I've abandoned you all, I'm so sorry.  You know, it's summer, I'm on the beach 3 days a week... boardwalk, lifeguards, sunbathers, one guy with a metal detector, every now and then a drunk stumbling by.  Write something set on the beach.  No Snooki allowed.

What Do You Have to Do?

Write about a character who rises very, very early one morning and gets up.  The alarm is blaring.  This character would not typically be getting up at this early hour.  Who is it?  And why does he/she have to get up today, this day in particular?  What is it he/she is doing?  Is he/she doing this thing alone?  Is he/she really looking forward to it, is it something that's been planned for a long time?  Or is it something he/she is dreading?  What preparations does he/she have to make right after getting up, and what is going through their minds?

Write your piece as an anticipation story.  What your character is doing and thinking after they get up, and end the piece as they walk out the door (or don't walk out the door) as they face what it is they have to do.

Again, maybe it's a great thing, maybe it's dreadful.  Going to the beach?  For a hike?  Court date?  Funeral?  Don't be easy on yourself with it.

The Lady Is an Inspiration

I have to say, one of my television guilty pleasures is watching Judge Judy.  Her show is real life.  Those people while seemingly crazy or obsessed show you all the real drama going on in the world all around us every single day.  They've just taken their grudges, arguments, fights, disagreements, on TV.

Watch it!  Watch many, many episodes.  Tape a case and watch that case over and over again.  Study the characters.  Study the argument, how they present it, what each of them says.  Two sides of the same argument.  Think about point of view.  Now take that case, use it as your inspiration, and choose your protagonist... it doesn't even have to be one of the two main parties, may be it's one of their mutual friends, a mother or father of one of them, a witness to what went down, a neighbor across the street from the scene of the argument who saw through a curtain, then saw them on Judge Judy, OMG that's the people from across the street!  Write the entire course of events from that person's point of view.  Then come up with the back story.  Write about what led up to it, what happened between the event and how they ended up with an actual lawsuit, how they ended up on Judge Judy.  Work on it until it's a free-standing short story.

Enjoy...