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Story Ideas

4/25/2015

 
SCOUR YOUR PAST FOR STORY IDEAS

Some of you may be fortunate to have a relative who used to tell you stories when you were still living at home with your family. Maybe you remember these stories; or possibly these relatives are still alive so you can interview and record them.

Transcribe the interviews, work them through and you have the potential for a wonderful  book!
 
One of our Dandelion Books authors, Laurel Johnson (I am also a publisher; the web address for my company, Dandelion Books, is
www.dandelion-books.com) was inspired to write her grandmother’s biography. Her uncle had made a series of recordings before this extraordinary woman passed away.

Laurel used these recorded sessions as the basis for reconstructing her story. This book succeeded in reuniting the entire family. All the cousins, grandchildren, grand-nieces and–nephews came out of the woodwork from all over the U.S. to buy and read the life story of their relative. (The name of the book is My Name is Esther Clara, by Laurel Johnson.)


IDEAS FOR POEMS

One of the best places to find ideas for poems is to browse through a collection of poetry.  By “poetry” I am not referring to forced rhyme, song lyrics or greeting card ditties.

Good poetry makes a point or says something profound. It has its own internal music and hits the gut. Hard. I’ll be talking more about that later when I discuss poetry writing in detail.

Go to a poetry collection and imitate a poem you like very much. Imitate the style, content or energy. This is an excellent way to get the juices running and also “dish pan” some new ideas.




Stories Are Just Waiting To Be Discovered

4/11/2015

 
Most stories are just waiting for you to find them.  

Do you have a pet? Write about your dog or cat or horse or gerbil. If you watch them long enough and communicate with them, they’ll tell you lots of stories.

Write a story about a good friend. Make that friend the hero or heroine of your story. If you can memorize geometry theorems, you can surely memorize your friend’s body language, mannerisms, moods, personality, physical description, speaking habits, etc. You can easily create a dialogue between the two of you.

Have you taken a trip somewhere? Do you belong to an organization that plans special events or takes outings? How about family holidays? Favorite and not so favorite relatives? Occasions that were “memorable” for good or bad reasons… Don’t forget to season your writing with humor. Dry wit works well, too.

Don't feel you have to stick to the facts. EMBELLISH. Have you ever sat around the campfire and told ghost stories? They keep getting more incredible or fantastic… right? Try this with a character description or a plot. Start with something small and keep embellishing it with colorful details. It doesn’t make any difference if it’s unbelievable. Have fun and remember, it’s fiction!

When writing non-fiction—articles, essays, research papers—if the choice is yours, i.e., if it is not an assignment or paid work, write only about something that turns you on. Writing with a passion usually drives home the work faster than the time it takes to order and pick up a pizza. And why not? You are totally focused on it because the Central Character is You, the Writer is You, and The Work is Yours.

You may have a cause; it could be saving trees, or supporting the replacement of fossil fuel with free energy… peace on earth… universal health care, etc. Gather information. Collect as much material as possible. Overwrite (write more pages than necessary) and then cut back. It’s better to have extra fat to trim off. Ultimately, less is more, but start with more.

Read the newspaper: international, national, regional news, feature section, books, sports, gardening, entertainment… whatever turns you on.  Browse on the Internet and read feature articles. Read blogs. Read all kinds of material. You’ll find hundreds—thousands of crazy stories: miracles, “conspiracies,” scams, gossip—you’ll find whatever you’re looking for, believe me. Use this material as the “clothes hangers” for hanging your own “clothes” or life experiences.

"The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly… Once you've got some words looking back at you, you can take two or three—throw them away and look for
others." —Bernard Malamud

Stories really do grow on trees. Reach up, pluck one off that branch right next to your work table, and set to work.








April 11th, 2015

4/11/2015

 

    Author

    I am a ghostwriter, book doctor, editor and publisher. I am also a published poet, novelist and author of two books on writing tips & techniques. Websites:

    Dandelion Books 
    Carol Adler's Writing & Editing Services
    Carol Adler's Writings
    Carol Adler's Blog
    

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