Get Your Facts Straight About Facts

Now, I don't think you need me to tell you that when you're building your world, and even more importantly when you're setting your story in a real world setting, you should really pay attention to the details.

Remember that Will Smith movie where it starts out he's chasing an alien through the streets of New York, was it Men in Black?  And he jumps off the overpass  that rings around Grand Central Station.  And two blocks later they're running passed the Gugenheim.  That's like 40 blocks!  I know, I know, it could be they were going for time-lapse, but it still bothered me.

Well, it's the same in your novel.  Even if you invented the fictional town your story is set in.  It can't take someone twenty minutes to bike across town at one point in your story, then later they run over quickly to warn someone about something.  A lake has to be where a lake is, for the whole story.

One of my favorite books from the last year or so is The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffendough.  The story is amazing, but what is so impressive is the perfection with which she paints San Francisco.  There is a community garden on a corner where she says it is.  I can even picture exactly where her character walks in a public park and finds flowers and trees and bushes specifically placed.  Now, yeah, if you don't know San Francisco, it doesn't matter.  But since I do, the book is that much more magical.

So even if you're creating a completely fictional town, I strongly urge you to draw it out in detail in your mind.  Know where every house, every store is.

Now, let's talk about what your characters know, and what they don't know.  If Mary wasn't there for a conversation between John and Sue, Mary can't know what they talked about.  She can't know what was divulged to whom by whom.  And once they know something, they know it.  I just read a book where something was explained to a character in the beginning.  Then later in the book, he doesn't know it again and he's told the same thing again.  Now he could have forgotten, but no, it's obvious the author forgot the character had been told something earlier.  It's just not clean writing.  If you're telling a story, keep your facts straight!  And actually, you have to keep everyone's facts straight!  What all your characters know, what they're aware of, what they think, how they feel about someone or something.  Particularly if you're writing a mystery!!!

OK, time to head to the beach, more later...

May the Road Rise Up to Meet You, by Peter Troy

 It's been a while since I posted, so let me say first, I've started a new job.  I'm now, well, since August, it's been that long since I've posted much on here, I'm now, as I was saying, senior acquisitions editor for AudioGO.  We publish unabridged audiobooks, as linked to below, but also I am launching into original publishing, looking for new and established authors.  We are looking forward into the new digital world and have a unique publishing program that will focus on eBook and audio publishing for the books that we publish.  I don't want to be one of those folks that screams that 'print is dead,' but this new digital world creates opportunity to get new exciting authors and innovative, edgier books published.  We hope to expand out of the common and into the innovative, challenging, and experimental.  More to come, always.

TG -- but not yet!

Write a five-minute scene.  Set up: an office worker desperately trying to leave the office early on the day before Thanksgiving.  An email goes around from the big boss telling everyone they can leave early.  But our hero's manager has asked him/her to get one thing done urgently before they leave.  As everyone else piles out of the office, what's going on in the life of our hero?  Does he/she get it done; stay late; does bedlam ensue, maybe nothing seems to be going right; or does he/she bag it in dramatic fashion?  Have fun.  Maybe try a little farcical scene...

As always let me know what you think of the exercise.

Writing Exercise: The Message

Here's an exercise in dialogue/monologue/rambling... you've all heard of it. Perhaps you've done it.  Drunk-dialing an ex in the middle of the night.  Maybe you ran into them in a bar.  Maybe it's a recent break-up.  Maybe something reminded you of them.  Who broke up with whom?

Here's a writing exercise.  Your character drunk-dials an ex in the middle of the night after being out.  But it goes straight to voicemail.  Write the message that he/she leaves on the voicemail.  Have fun with this one.  Think about what they would say to an ex.  Think about when it ended, how it ended, why this character is driven to dial, why the phone wasn't picked up on the other end, and most importantly, your character is drunk.

Enjoy.

As always, comment on here and let me know what you think of the exercise.  Email me if you enjoyed it or want to show me your homework.  I'll read and review it.

Write a crazy story

OK, ready for your prompt?

A family of four (mother, father, son, daughter).  Living room.  And one of them comes into the house with the new puppy.  And something crazy happens.  Write the scene.  Don't lose any of the five characters (you didn't forget the puppy, did you!).  All of them have a part.  They all have something to say, something to do, they're all a part of whatever it is that happens.  Pay special attention to your writing of dialogue and actions.

Plan out your story first, doesn't have to be long, but think about a lot of questions first.  Or I don't care, dive right in.

Did everyone know it was new puppy day?  Who brings it home?  How do each of the family members feel about new puppy day?  Are they all excited about this?  What's the puppy like?  What does it do?  Feel free to improvise the story.  Maybe there are other pets in the house already.  Do whatever you like with the prompt.  Just ... go ... WRITE!

Books on Writing

People ask all the time about book on writing.  Nobody can teach you how to come up with a good story, but like I try to do here with writing prompts and exercises, you can be nudged to start writing.  You can be given a launchpad for a specific project, or you can be inspired to sit down and get to work.  Where your story goes is up to you!  But if I had to name one book that is a must, I would have to recommend WRITING DOWN THE BONES, by Natalie Goldberg.  It'll inspire you.  Give it a look:

Memoirs

What makes a good memoir?  Not just a good story, but you have to remember in the case of memoir, the reader needs to be able to relate to your story.  Ironically enough, my first rule of memoir is, actually it is NOT all about you!  It's about the reader.  When you think about putting out your experience or your life to the world, think about not just what happened to you, but think about what your story can mean to your reader.  What will the reader get out of the experience of hearing your story?  It's that age-old question, why you?  Feel free to post on the comments here and we can open up a discussion on memoir writing...

My friend Kim does it perfectly with her memoir, just out from Random House.  It's an amazing combination of personal story with reflections on self-esteem, self-respect, and as she puts it, 'learning to love yourself.'  Read it!