Presented byBob Perry

The following slides represent some suggestions about theprocess I use to get started and complete a writing project.These thoughts may not universally work for you, but theymay provide some ideas that will help you on your journey.

Words make sentences

Sentences make paragraphs

Paragraphs make chapters

Chapters make storiesThe idea of using words to make sentences, sentences to

make paragraphs, paragraphs to make chapters, and chapters to

make stories may seem overly simple, but I’ve found many would-be

writers get overwhelmed trying to think of all the aspects of starting,

much less finishing a long work.

When I write, it helps me to focus on finding the right word to

construct a sentence to really communicate my message. I also find

when I edit and rewrite that it is helpful to break a longer work down

to look at the individual chapters, then paragraphs, sentences, and

finally analyze individual words to make sure they are saying what I

intended.

Think about:1. The intended audience.

2. Theme or Themes

(What do I want the reader to take away?)

3. Point of View

(What perspective will I use to tell the story?)

4. Characters

5. Setting

6. The Beginning, The End, and then the Middle

Before I begin writing, I have a checklist of things I’ve considered. I am not

systematic about using this list but I find it helpful to know the following

items before I begin.

My background is in Business Marketing and not

literature so I may see things from that perspective. I

think it is helpful to think about the intended audience

before I begin writing. You can segment audiences by

age, gender, geography, religious view, politics, etc.

Beginning writers fool themselves by thinking,

“Everyone wants to read my work.” In reality, finding

readers is more of a challenge than getting published.

Thinking about the reader can help a writer stay

on task while crafting plotlines, characters, conflicts,

and resolutions that will pull the reader into the story.

Some people do not think this is an important step in

pre-writing, but having a theme or themes helps motivate

me. I define the theme as “what I (the writer) want the

reader to learn, remember, or understand when they’re

finished reading.” I usually start out with a theme and

sometimes that theme evolves or completely changes.

For example, in my first book, The Broken Statue, the

theme of seeing the current reality is never explicitly stated.

I’m sure the idea is so subtle that many readers gloss over it,

but that idea helped me develop characters, action, and plot.

My second book, Mimosa Lane, had a theme, “Tomorrow is

rooted in today,” which the characters explicitly quote in

dialogue.

First Person Point of ViewIn the first person point of view, the narrator participates in the action of the story and is in the story. First person writing lets the reader get up-close and personal with the story. It has the advantage and disadvantage of limiting the writer’s perspective—the writer/narrator can only report and know what they witness or hear.

Third Person Point of ViewIn this point of view the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets the reader know exactly how the characters feel. Readers learn about the characters through this outside voice.

• Objective Point of ViewWith the objective point of view, the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.

• Omniscient Points of ViewA narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient.

• Limited Omniscient Points of ViewA narrator’s knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, so has some insight into motives.

I struggle to write anything until I choose a point of view. Deciding on a

point of view will impact the story and how the author can tell it. I generally

believe there are two main perspectives, first person or third person. There

are, however, many variants of these points of view.

Most stories have a protagonist, an antagonist, andpossibly a foil.

Most main characters need to be dynamic,meaning they evolve or develop with the action ofthe story.

Characters need to be well-rounded or three-dimensional, meaning they have strengths,weaknesses, virtues, and flaws…both protagonistand antagonist.

The author should know the characters better thanthe reader, meaning the author may have anunderstanding of the psychology that cannot beexplicitly stated in the story.

I find it helpful to create character profiles before I

begin writing. In a character profile you can write about thecharacters physical description (how tall are they, what colorare their eyes, do they have any distinguishingcharacteristics), their background, their temperament, theirrelationship to other characters, and their psychologicalmotivations.

Really well-rounded and interesting characters willhave authentic and believable strengths and weaknesses. Iusually have much more detail about the characters in mycharacter profiles that I write in pre-writing than will showup in the actual story. I like to let the reader form an opinionabout the character without me telling them everything.

Another aspect of pre-writing is the setting. This caninclude the time period, location, economic condition of thecharacters, and sometimes a historical reference. I willsometimes write out a few pages describing the setting likeI do for characters. Getting the setting right does requiresome research. Since I have written mostly historical fiction,I will spend significant time reading old newspaper articlesand looking at pictures. If you’re writing fantasy, you mayhave to create a setting.

A good example of creating a setting is the old StarTrek TV series. Things like warp drive, engineering deck,transporter room, and the bridge did not exist, except inGene Rodenberry’s mind.

People that speak professionally understanda few basic principles that serve them well—Primacy, Recency, and Brevity. This means thatpeople tend to remember the first thing said andthe last thing said.

I think the same principle applies whentrying to pull a reader into a story. The writermust have a great beginning, a hook to attract thereader’s interest, a memorable ending, and thein-between parts need to be coherent andconcise. This rule is essential in the overall work,but is also useful in constructing chapters andeven paragraphs.

1. Background Information What’s needed to understand the context?

2. Conflict or Complication What challenges or unites the characters?

3. Climax What happens to the characters?

What is the crescendo event?

4. Resolution How does the story end?

There are a multitude of ways to create an interesting plot. It usually is best

to avoid any type of formal method, but these four elements are found in

many stories and may help get you started in developing your story.

Linear or ChronologicalA plot developed in chronological order, a sequence of events happening in order.

HistoricalA plot using specific historical events to frame the character, conflict, and

resolution.

EpisodicA plot created by using a series of episodes or events connecting together

someway to tie a story together.

Non-linearA plot that follows one or more characters through events that may or may not be

occurring in chronological order including flash-forwards, flash-backs, and flash-

sideways.

Other?A plot can be constructed in a myriad of creative ways. The above strategies are

simply some suggestions that might help get you started.

Open• Let the reader determine the meaning

Resolved• Provide a clear-cut outcome

Parallel to beginning• Tie the end to the beginning

Monologue• Have character comment on the meaning

Dialogue• Character converse at the end

Literal Image• Setting or aspect of the setting resolves

the plot

Symbolic Image• Details represented have a meaning

beyond the literal one

Closing the circle• The ending reminds us of the beginning

The tieback• Tie ending to an earlier element

The timeframe

• Time runs out

The space frame• Getting to a final destination

The payoff

The epilogue

Problem and solution

The apt quote

Look to the Future

Mobilize the reader

Idea or Imagination • A visualization of the story

Drafting• Developing major plot elements, characters, setting etc.

Editing• Grammar check

• Style check

Rewrite• Altering plot elements

• Polishing characters

Re-editing

Re-rewrite

Final Draft

Anything which is created begins with an idea and the imagination

of the creator. I often hear writers says they’re “looking for inspiration.”

I think what they’re really searching for is ideas. I don’t have any magic

formula for coming up with a winning idea for a novel, but I’m constantly

looking and listening for aspects of the human condition I find interesting.

Keeping a daily journal is also a good way to collect ideas.

One thing I’ve struggled with is coming up with an idea which is

also feasible to write about. Sometimes I’ll have an idea that is not in itself

bad, but I don’t have the background, expertise, or clear method of

putting the idea into a story. Some ideas have to incubate for a time and I

will spend time sorting through ideas to develop main points.

I will usually start a project with a notes page where I’ll jot down

aspects of the story like setting, conflicts, events, and characters. I’ll write

character profiles of major characters including their hair color, eye color,

temperaments, background, education level, etc. I will typically have

much more information about the character in this pre-writing profile than

I will in the actual story.

For me, this is the fun and exciting part of writing. I usually start

with a very vague plot based on my notes page of prewriting. After

agonizing over the first sentence and first paragraph, I will generally try

to write a little each day with minimal breaks. To me, drafting a story is

much like reading a novel for the first time. I may have an idea about

where the story will go, but there are always surprises along the way. I try

to avoid long breaks in writing during the draft phase because I tend to

have to re-read and get myself acclimated to the story once I’ve left it for

a few days.

The exception to this rule is when I come to a fork in the road where

the decision will alter the ultimate outcome for the characters. I never feel

I’m taking a real break during these periods because I’m almost always

trying to think my way through the problem. Drafting a story is a lot like

putting a puzzle together for me. The more complex the pieces the more

interesting, but ultimately the pieces all have to fit and make sense—

without seeming contrived.

Drafting a story is the fun and entertaining part of writing. Whendrafting a story you can develop characters, plot lines, and conflict. You’reheading toward an ending and although you, the writer, may have a goodidea of how the story will end, you can still be surprised.

Editing and rewriting is the opposite of fun for me. Creating areadable story is much like a mining process. You start out in a raw statelike ore coming out of a mine and then you crush and refine the story untilit becomes polished and hopefully enjoyable to read.

When I edit, I start by looking for obvious grammaticalirregularities. Word processers can be a big help in initial editing. Afterlooking over the grammatical mechanics, I look at style elements andsentences that are clunky (my word, not a technical term). Editing andrewriting is tedious because I think you really have to break the storydown to the sentence level. I don’t take many breaks during drafting, butwill take many during editing and rewriting. I will typically go throughthis process 5 to 7 times before turning a manuscript over to an outsideeditor.

I believe this—a story is never finished, only abandoned. Everytime I rewrite I think the story gets a little better.

Characterizations

Conflict

Foreshadowing The goal in writing is not to finish a novel, but to ultimately find

readers for your work. Constructing grammatically correct sentences and

paragraphs that are coherent is not that difficult. If you can do three or

four pages a day for 100 days you can complete a work.

Finding an audience and readers that will actually read through

your work is more challenging. Using these literary elements can help.

Some of these elements will be difficult for novice writers, while some

writers will have a natural aptitude. I always think of writing as a

continual learning process. Using literary elements might be awkward or

clumsy at first, but as the writer gains fluency in using them, the work will

be richer, more interesting, and more readable.

Most stories will have a protagonist, an antagonist,and possibly a foil (a character the others play off of).

Main characters need to be dynamic, meaning theyevolve or develop with the action of the story.

Characters need to be well-rounded or three-dimensional, meaning they have strengths,weaknesses, virtues, and flaws…both protagonistand antagonist.

The author should know the characters better thanthe reader, meaning the author may have anunderstanding of the psychology that is not beexplicitly stated in the story.

Main Types of Conflict• Person versus Person• Person versus Nature• Person versus Society

• Person versus Self

Often, more than one kind of conflict is takingplace at the same time. Conflict in a story enhancesthe reader’s understanding and empathy towardthe characters while creating the suspense andinterest needed to make the reader want tocontinue.

Foreshadowing is when the writer uses hints or clues tosuggest events that will occur later in the story. Don’t be tooobvious. Foreshadowing can help a writer build suspense byraising questions that encourage the reader to find out more andcan also make narrative more believable by preparing the readerfor events which will follow. I also like to use a little falseforeshadowing, too, keeping the reader on his or her toes.

This is probably a good time to remind you of an issue I haveto constantly guard against—telling the reader too much. Whenwriting, we often want to paint a picture with words to help thereader visualize the setting and feel the emotion in the characters.

Foreshadowing needs to be subtle and so doesstorytelling. Try showing the reader what is happening throughdialogue and character observations (what the characters see)instead of telling the reader what is happening by reading thecharacter’s mind. Readers like to figure things out on their own.It gives them a great sense of satisfaction when they caninterpret the writers clues. Let them have that satisfaction.

Irony• Verbal Irony

• Irony of Situation

• Dramatic Irony

Tone/Mood

Symbolism

Theme

Imagery

I don’t have much to add about these literary devices. There aremany good writing manuals that give examples. My only advicewould be to use these elements of storytelling with a light hand andlet them flow naturally into the story. I don’t think the reader needs tobe thinking, “Wow, the writer used irony or symbolism to make thatpoint.” Let the imagery, symbolism, and other elements happen aspart of the story.

Make lists. • Sketch out characters, plot, emotional tone, etc.

Develop a list of events.• Think of difficult, distressing, or unusual things that have

happened in your life. Look at newspapers and magazines. Try writing descriptive paragraphs.

Try clustering. • A form of mind mapping…free, word association.

Keep a notebook.

Write on a regular, daily basis.• Try to write daily…even if it is for your own practice.

Collect stories from everyone you meet.

Listen.

Place yourself in the background

Write in a way that comes naturally

Work from a suitable design

Write with nouns and verbs

Revise and Rewrite

Do not overwrite

Do not overstate

Avoid the use of qualifiers

Do not affect a breezy manner

Use orthodox spelling

Do not explain too much

Do not construct awkward adverbs

Make sure the reader knows who is

speaking

Avoid fancy words

Do not use dialect unless your ear is good

Be clear

Do not inject opinion

Use figures of speech sparingly

Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity

Avoid foreign languages

Prefer the standard to the offbeat

A solid plot is the skeleton to an effective

story

Characters are the muscle that gives

form to the body

Details like foreshadowing provide the

skin to a story that will get attention

Remember, the goal of writing is to get read! A good idea supplemented

with good sentence structure, non-confusing grammar, and proper use of

literary elements will help achieve that goal. I like to think of a story as a

skeleton, muscle, and skin. The little details can add interest and intrigue,

but the details must be supported by muscle to give form, and a skeleton

that fits together and makes sense. Good luck on your writing project.

Bob Perry

Rule 1: Use quotation marks to indicate words which are spoken by characters.

Rule 2: Always start a new paragraph when changing speakers.

Rule 3: Make sure the reader knows who is speaking.

Rule 4: Use correct punctuation, capitalization, and spacing.

Few writing tools are as helpful as good, solid dialogue. For

me, I want the dialogue to tell the story and drive the action. It keeps

me from telling too much.

Dialogue also creates some nice white-space on a page that, I

think, gives the reader a break and helps with readability. Below are a

few basic rules to get you started on the right track:

You don’t have to answer that question! I’ll

answer the question. You want answers? I think

I’m entitled to them. You want answers? I want

the truth! You can’t handle the truth!

What famous movie is this from?

Why is it confusing?

Below is an exercise to demonstrate the basic rules of

writing dialogue.

What famous movie is this from?A Few Good Men

Why is it confusing?

We have no idea who is speaking, their

demeanor, or who is speaking next. It’s all

confusing and a good rule is to never confuse

the reader.

“You don’t have to answer that question!”

“I’ll answer the question. You want

answers?” “I think I’m entitled to them.”

“You want answers?” “I want the truth!”

“You can’t handle the truth!”

Rule 1: Use quotation marks to indicate words

which are spoken by characters. At least in this

example we know when the speaker changes, but

we still have no idea who’s speaking.

“You don’t have to answer that question!”

“I’ll answer the question. You want answers?”

“I think I’m entitled to them.” “You want answers?” “I want the truth!” “You can’t handle the truth!”

Using Rule 2 and paragraphs to indicate when the speaker changes helps, but is still not enough.

“You don’t have to answer that question!” said the Judge.

“I’ll answer the question. You want answers?” said Jessop.

“I think I’m entitled to them,” said Kaffee.“You want answers?” said Jessop.“I want the truth!” said Kaffee.“You can’t handle the truth!” said Jessop.

We now know who is speaking, but it’s so BORING!!!

The Judge turned swiftly toward the witnessand declared, “You don’t have to answer thatquestion!”

“I’ll answer the question,” Jessop said coldly,fixing his eyes on Kaffee. He asked the defenseattorney,“You want answers?”

“I think I’m entitled to them,” Kaffee replied.Jessop asked again, more forcefully, as if

scolding an errant recruit,“You want answers?”“I want the truth!” Kaffee shouted, banging his

fist on the counsel table in defiance of Jessop’sintimidating presence. The court members sat instunned silence.

The colonel leaned forward, rising to his feet,and thundered,“You can’t handle the truth!”

This begins to read like a story!

1. Bob said, “Good morning.”

2. “Good morning,” said Bob.

3. Bob said, “Good morning,” then sat

down.

4. “Ladies and gentlemen,” said Bob,

“good morning.”

Bob said, “Good morning.”

If the sentence begins with a speech tag, the

comma goes directly after the last word before the

quote, followed by a space, then the quotation

marks, then the first word of the quote is capitalized.

If the sentence ends with the end of the quote, the

period goes right after the last letter of the last word,

then the quotation mark, then a space before

beginning the next sentence.

“Good morning,” said Bob.

If the sentence ends with a speech tag, and thequotation would normally end in a period if it waswritten by itself, the last word of the quote isfollowed directly by a comma (instead of theperiod), then the quotation mark, then a space,then the next word (unless it is a proper noun)begins with a lower-case letter.

(Note: If the quotation contains more than onesentence, the speech tag should not be placedhere. It must be either at the beginning, as inExample 1; at the first punctuation stop, as inExample 4; or eliminated altogether, with thespeaker identified by a preceding sentence.)

Bob said, “Good morning,” then sat down.

If the quotation is embedded in the middleof a sentence, where the sentence beginswith a speech tag and continues after thequotation, the last word before the quote isfollowed immediately by a comma, then aspace, then the quotation mark, then thecapital letter to begin the quote.

The last word of the quote is followedimmediately by a comma, then the quotationmark, then a space, then the sentencecontinues with a lower-case word, unless theword in question is a proper noun.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Bob, “good morning.”

If the quote begins and ends the sentence, andis broken up somewhere midway by a speech tag,the last word of the initial quote is followedimmediately by a comma, then the quotation mark,then a space, then the speech tag begins with alower-case word (unless it's a proper noun).

When the speech tag ends and the quoteresumes, the last word of the tag is followedimmediately by a comma, then a space, then thequotation mark, then the quoted sentence resumesand the next word begins in lower-case unless it's aproper noun.

"Where did they go?" she asked."Unbelievable!” shouted the announcer.

Sentences that would normally end in a periodwhen written by themselves; the period becomes acomma if the sentence continues after the quote.

However, if the quoted sentence ends in a questionmark (?) or exclamation point (!), and the sentencecontinues after the quote, the question mark orexclamation point does not change to a comma, thefirst letter of the first word after the quote is still lowercase, and the overall sentence still ends in a period.

Jeff thought, This is going to be a long day.

This is going to be a long day, he thought.

Where did they go? she wondered.

To show a character thinking words to

himself or herself, without actually speaking

them aloud, follow the same punctuation and

capitalization rules but eliminate the quotation

marks.

Idea or Imagination • A visualization of the story

Drafting

• Developing major plot elements, characters, setting etc.

Editing• Grammar check

• Style check

Rewrite• Altering plot elements

• Polishing characters

Re-editing

Re-rewrite

Final Draft

Anything which is created begins with an idea and theimagination of the creator. I often hear writers says they’re “looking forinspiration.” I think what they’re really searching for is ideas. I don’thave any magic formula for coming up with a winning idea for a novel,but I’m constantly looking and listening for aspects of the humancondition I find interesting. Keeping a daily journal is also a good wayto collect ideas.

One thing I’ve struggled with is coming up with an idea which isalso feasible to write about. Sometimes I’ll have an idea that is not initself bad, but I don’t have the background, expertise, or clear method ofputting the idea into a story. Some ideas have to incubate for a time andI will spend time sorting through ideas to develop main points.

I will usually start a project with a notes page where I’ll jot downaspects of the story like setting, conflicts, events, and characters. I’llwrite character profiles of major characters including their hair color,eye color, temperaments, background, education level, etc. I willtypically have much more information about the character in this pre-writing profile than I will in the actual story.

For me, this is the fun and exciting part of writing. I usually start

with a very vague plot based on my notes page of prewriting. After

agonizing over the first sentence and first paragraph, I will generally try

to write a little each day with minimal breaks. To me, drafting a story is

much like reading a novel for the first time. I may have an idea about

where the story will go, but there are always surprises along the way. I

try to avoid long breaks in writing during the draft phase because I tend

to have to re-read and get myself acclimated to the story once I’ve left it

for a few days.

The exception to this rule is when I come to a fork in the road

where the decision will alter the ultimate outcome for the characters. I

never feel I’m taking a real break during these periods because I’m

almost always trying to think my way through the problem. Drafting a

story is a lot like putting a puzzle together for me. The more complex the

pieces the more interesting, but ultimately the pieces all have to fit and

make sense—without seeming contrived.

Drafting a story is the fun and entertaining part of writing. Whendrafting a story you can develop characters, plot lines, and conflict.You’re heading toward an ending and although you, the writer, may havea good idea of how the story will end, you can still be surprised.

Editing and rewriting is the opposite of fun for me. Creating areadable story is much like a mining process. You start out in a raw statelike ore coming out of a mine and then you crush and refine the storyuntil it becomes polished and hopefully enjoyable to read.

When I edit, I start by looking for obvious grammaticalirregularities. Word processers can be a big help in initial editing. Afterlooking over the grammatical mechanics, I look at style elements andsentences that are clunky (my word, not a technical term). Editing andrewriting is tedious because I think you really have to break the storydown to the sentence level. I don’t take many breaks during drafting,but will take many during editing and rewriting. I will typically gothrough this process 5 to 7 times before turning a manuscript over to anoutside editor.

I believe this—a story is never finished, only abandoned. Everytime I rewrite I think the story gets a little better.

Does your verb agree with the subject?

Are you consistently using the right tense of

verb?

Have you used the appropriate punctuation?

RESOURCES• Strunk and White, “The Elements of Style”

• “Writing Tools” by Roy Peter Clark

• Any Freshman level English Composition manual

will do.

Are you being consistent and intentional?• Point of view

• Verb tense

• Capitalization, punctuation, and word usage

Are you using active verbs whenever possible? Focus on Nouns and Verbs…supplement with

Adjectives and Adverbs. Are you clear and concise to the reader. What are your “tics” and watch out for them.

• Overuse of “that”

• Overuse of “and”

• Repetitive words or phrases

Place yourself in the background

Write in a way that comes naturally

Work from a suitable design

Write with nouns and verbs Revise and rewrite Do not overstate Avoid the use of qualifiers Do not affect a breezy

manner Use orthodox spelling Do not explain too much Do not construct awkward

adverbs

Make sure the reader knows who is speaking

Avoid fancy words Do not use dialect unless

your ear is good Be clear Do not interject opinion Use figures of speech

sparingly Do not take shortcuts at the

cost of clarity Avoid foreign languages Prefer the standard to the

offbeat

A solid plot is the skeleton to an effective story

Characters are the muscle that gives form to the body

Details like foreshadowing provide the skin to a story that will get attention

Remember, the goal of writing is to get read! A good idea supplemented

with good sentence structure, non-confusing grammar, and proper use of

literary elements will help achieve that goal. I like to think of a story as a

skeleton, muscle, and skin. The little details can add interest and intrigue,

but the details must be supported by muscle to give form, and a skeleton

that fits together and makes sense. Good luck on your writing project.

Bob Perry

The soldier decided to desert in the desert without any dessert.

The present is a good time to present the present. At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a

bass drum. The dove dove into the bushes. I did not object to the object. The bandage was wound around the wound. They were too close to the door to close it. After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got

number. I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

Bob Perry said you’re correct.Bob Perry said you’re correct?Bob Perry said, “You’re correct.”Bob Perry said, “You’re correct!”Bob Perry said, “You’re correct?”Bob, Perry said you’re correct.“Bob!” Perry said. “You’re correct!”

Bob believes their books.or

Bob believes they’re books.

I would rather have my mom’s cake than eat dirt.

orI would rather have my mom’s cake then

eat dirt.

Words make sentences

Sentences make paragraphs

Paragraphs make chapters

Chapters make stories

My name is India Opel Buloni, and last summer my daddy,

the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-

cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes, and I came back with a

dog.

Somebodyor

Something{ }

is or was

does or did{ } something{ }

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT

1. Write a sentence

2. Write sentences about the first

sentence.

3. Make sure each sentence tells

something about the first sentence.

Topic Most people look forward to the holidays, but the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas just makes me a nervous wreck. 1If you make a mistake in the first eleven months of the year, it’s no big deal. 2But it you do something wrong during the holiday season, you’re gonna pay for it. 3The day before Thanksgiving there was a big anti-bullying assembly. 4It’s too much pressure to be on your best behavior for a whole month. 5Everyone was looking at Dennis the whole time. 6The most I can really handle is six or seven days in a row. So if they moved Thanksgiving to the week before Christmas, it would be fine by me.

Topic Most people look forward to the holidays, but the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas just makes me a nervous wreck. 1If you make a mistake in the first eleven months of the year, it’s no big deal. 2But it you do something wrong during the holiday season, you’re gonna pay for it. 3The day before Thanksgiving there was a big anti-bullying assembly. 4It’s too much pressure to be on your best behavior for a whole month. 5Everyone was looking at Dennis the whole time. 6The most I can really handle is six or seven days in a row. 7So if they moved Thanksgiving to the week before Christmas, it would be fine by me.

Topic Most people look forward to the holidays, but the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas just makes me a nervous wreck. 1If you make a mistake in the first eleven months of the year, it’s no big deal. 2But it you do something wrong during the holiday season, you’re gonna pay for it. 4It’s too much pressure to be on your best behavior for a whole month. 6The most I can really handle is six or seven days in a row. 7So if they moved Thanksgiving to the week before Christmas, it would be fine by me.

3The day before Thanksgiving there was a big anti-bullying assembly. 5Everyone was looking at Dennis the whole time. NewIfelt sorry for him, so I tried to make him feel better. NewUnfortunately, Dennis is a real bully, and when I tried to be his friend, he punched me!

1Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni's mother

left her seven years ago. 2Two years ago, about

30,000 dogs were born in Oklahoma. 3India has

been asking about her mother ever since, so

that she won't forget her mom. 4My mom is

loud. 5I like macaroni-and-cheese. 6When India

moves to Naomi, Florida, she befriends a lively

stray dog. 7The loveable canine helps her meet

some unusual characters who teach her about

love, life, and forgiveness.

1Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni's

mother left her seven years ago. 1aIndia

has been asking about her mother ever

since, so that she won't forget her mom. 1bWhen India moves to Naomi, Florida,

she befriends a lively stray dog. 1cThe

loveable canine helps her meet some

unusual characters who teach her about

love, life, and forgiveness.

Theme or Themes (What do you want the

reader to take away?)

Point of View (How will you tell the

story?)

Characters

Setting

First, Last, Middle

Strive to be clear, concise, and coherent.

Knowing and applying the right grammar

rule helps keep you clear, concise,

coherent.

Use active voice whenever possible.

Get objective and brutally honest

feedback…then rewrite again.

If you have questions, I may or may

not have an answer, but I almost always

have an opinion. You can e-mail questions

to bob@bobp.biz and I’ll try my best to

give an answer.