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 the characters physical description

(how tall are they, what color are their eyes, do they have any distinguishing

characteristics), their background, their temperament, their relationship to

other characters, and their psychological motivations.

Really well-rounded and interesting characters will have authentic and

believable strengths and weaknesses. I usually have much more detail

about the characters in my character profiles that I write in pre-writing

than will show up in the actual story. I like to let the reader form an opinion

about the character without me telling them everything.

Another aspect of pre-writing is the setting. This can include the time

period, location, economic condition of the characters, and sometimes a

historical reference. I will sometimes write out a few pages describing the

setting like I do for characters. Getting the setting right does require some

research. Since I have written mostly historical fiction, I will spend

significant time reading old newspaper articles and looking at pictures. If

you’re writing fantasy, you may have to create a setting.

A good example of creating a setting is the old Star Trek TV series.

Things like warp drive, engineering deck, transporter room, and the

bridge did not exist, except in Gene 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 taking place at the sametime. Conflict in a story enhances the reader’s understanding andempathy toward the characters while creating the suspense andinterest needed to make the reader want to continue.

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