The Place For My Writers Notes

We recently had lunch with the wife of a man we have known for quite a few years. He had died recently, less than a month before. And there's the puzzle, which I thought you might like to play with in your story...

1. Imagine a set of characters, and their interactions. Perhaps they have taken trips together, or whatever. And...

2. One of the characters has died. And now, the others are getting together for a lunch, dinner, night out... you decide what they are doing...

3. And tell us what they say to each other. Perhaps one of them has photos from their travels to share? Or at the very least, memories...

I suppose it's a bit dark, but we actually had a pretty good meal. We talked about the various times we had traveled together, and what they remembered. We also looked at photo albums which his wife had kept, and laughed about those young folks and what all they got into...

So, take that party of characters for a time, and see how they deal with the death of one of their members.

Oho! That’s right, Feb. 14 is Saint Valentine’s Day! Celebrating romantic love, young romance, and all that, right? Also chocolate! You can find out all kinds of stuff at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day about it, if you like, or just use whatever rumors and vague thoughts you might have rattling around.

So, as writers, what can we do about it? Well, a short story about one of the many themes of this day is certainly possible. Or perhaps a poem? Naturally, you might twist it… what does a vampire do on Valentine’s Day (or night?)? It’s the halfway point for poor February (28 days, three years out of four), which might suggest something. Or maybe… just a chuckle about youngsters and cards and candy and such?

Anyway, I thought some of you might like to take on the challenge of writing a short story, perhaps a 100 word wonder, flash fiction, or whatever? To celebrate the day when love is everywhere, and candy hearts thump?

Oh, let's see. Not Robinson Crusoe's Friday, who was a helpful fellow, or even Heinlein's Friday, who is a bit of a wonder. Just another Friday...

Earlier today, I was wondering why we talk about orcs and forks and torques, but not orks and forcs and torks, but that's rather esoteric, I suppose. Although the line "He stuck a fork in the orc and twisted it with plenty of torque" does rather suggest an odd scene or two.

So, where were we? Ah, yes, wondering how to prompt some writing on a lazy Friday afternoon? Well, we do have the various categories to contemplate...

SUB and CRIT, for those wonderful submissions and comments in response? Hum, I suppose I could dig out an old tale or two and see if anyone bites?

TECH, of course, for the technical side of things. How do you twist a tale? What are the ingredients for stone soup? And similar walks on the DIY side of writing...

Which goes with EXERcise, when we need to practice those tricks and juggling and all that stuff. Give us a way to keep those writing muscles limber!

INTeractive, naturally, means we're going to play together! A round robbin, or some other group writing, to keep the words flowing!

WOW? World Of Writing? I saw something over there that looked interesting! And here's what it was...

And, of course, there's FILL, for all those odds and ends that don't quite fit in the other categories.

It's kind of a bare bones skeleton, but maybe you could put some on those bones?

A bit whimsical, but that's what Friday afternoons are good for, right?

So, here's a little bit of fun. Pick a place. It can be somewhere you have been, long ago or recently, or a place you have read about or seen on tv, or whatever. Just make it a place that you would like to explore. Think about the setting, the sights, sounds, smells, what you might feel, all of that. Yes, if you like, walk the little Google maps figure along the road and take a look at it!

Now, take a character or three. Perhaps from a work in progress, perhaps someone you would like to get to know, perhaps from a piece of fiction that you enjoyed? Anyway, one, or two, or maybe three. Probably not too many more, because you don't really want a mob scene.

Then, put them in that place. Why are they there? What are they looking for? Go ahead, let them walk around and explore, perhaps have a bite to eat (or did something bite them?), or whatever. Show us that place, seen through the eyes, memories, toes, and whatever of your characters.

Write that up. This may not be a scene you want to put in your work, but it is both a good way to practice describing places (aka settings, or even milieu) and a way to get into the heads of those characters and see what they notice about those places...

Okay? Pick a setting, put some characters in it, and write up what happens when your characters take a stroll through that place.

I was poking around in some old files and found this list. I think it must be a list of possible actions or events for stories, and I think I added the ones after the dashes as possible alternatives? Anyway, I thought some of you might find it useful for brainstorming. When you want to think about what might happen next in your story… Run down the list and see what catches your eye, what kind of problem could your character be involved with?

Supplicate, ask for help – offer help, deliverance, rescue
victim of misfortune – receiving good fortune
disaster
abduction – eloping, running away, vacation
obtaining – giving away
hatred – love
rivalry – boosting
adultery – reinforcing marriage
madness – sanity
murder – saving lives, giving life
self-sacrifice – self-fulfillment, expression
dark secret – hidden abilities
love blocked – love aided
ambition – promoting others
revenge – good payback, forgiveness
pursuit – helping to freedom
revolt – support
daring expedition
mystery
fatal curiosity – curiosity repaid
mistaken jealousy
faulty judgment – mistaken forgiveness
remorse
recovery/loss

Something there for almost anybody!

There is a funny bit going around on Facebook, where some poor guy is whispering into his lady love's ear about how he thinks there is a landscape inside every woman, that needs to be unfolded... it ends with him saying, "Let's construct an assemblage."

Now, admittedly, it's kind of a rough and ready version of romance (when I read it, I was reminded of the old joke about the guy who asks women a fairly rude question, and someone asks what happens? He says he usually gets slapped, but once in a while... constructing an assemblage seems almost as far out). But it suggests an interesting twist.

Take an analogy, a process, something like that. Now, wrap it up in a romantic meeting between your two lovers. You can make it their first date, a somewhat more steamy scene, or even an outright adult scene, but let one of them be trying to lay out this analogy as part of their dialogue.

So, perhaps they see the relationship as a chess game, and they are about to force a checkmate? Or it's like automobile repair, and we're about to make the engine run? Or... go ahead, take your wildest analogy, and wrap it in a romantic dialogue.

Write that scene!

This challenge was actually issued in the context of writing resumes, but I think it works for writing, generally. So, here’s the challenge.

What’s the best bit of advice you have gotten (or given) about writing?

Basically, what’s one point, one idea, one piece of advice about writing that you think everyone should know? Basic, advanced, whatever, what is that one thing that you would point up for us all to pay attention to?

Go ahead. Tell us about it? Feel free to make the point, then give us the story behind it, if you like. Or maybe tell us a story, and then the moral of the story? However you want, let us know about the best advice for writing. Okay?

Original posting: Sunday, September 30, 2018 8:43 PM

Since you are probably hard at work on those Halloween stories and poems for the contest, let’s see what we can find...

Okay, let's start with this list... 22 party themes, but they could be story themes, too.

https://www.care.com/c/stories/3709/22-halloween-party-themes/

1. Monster Mash
2. Willy Wonka
3. Haunted house
4. Autumn harvest
5. Carnival
6. Murder mystery
7. Freak show
8. Mad scientist
9. Jack-o'-lantern carving
10. Superheroes
11. Graveyard
12. Alice in Wonderland
13. Hollywood
14. Edgar Allan Poe
15. Harry Potter
16. Rocky Horror Picture Show
17. Politicians
18. Pirates
19. UFO
20. Zombies
21. The mummy's curse
22. Gothic

Not quite what you were looking for? How about these 8 uncommon Halloween party themes?

https://www.greenvelope.com/blog/eight-uncommon-halloween-party-themes

1. Creepy Crawly
2. Crime scene
3. A speakeasy
4. Spells and potions
5. Ghouls night in
6. Full moon halloween
7. Murder mystery
8. Dia de los Muertos

Or poke around the web and find a Halloween theme of your own! After all, I know you have the heart of a little boy, in a jar on your desk…

Over here https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/critique-7-possible-hooks-for-your-opening-chapter/ there's a column about seven types of hooks you can use to start your story and get your readers engaged. Hooks? Something interesting, that makes readers curious about your story. Implicitly, a question... but which ones?

1. The "Why" hook. If you can get readers to ask, "Why is this happening?" you've got them hooked. Now reel them in...
2. The "Character" hook. A protagonist that the reader can identify with? Yes!
3. The "Catastrophe" hook. Kaboom! Wow! What happened?
4. The "Setting" hook. A really good, interesting place can work. 
5. The "Contradicting Emotions" hook. Wait a minute, this and that? No...
6. The "Inherent Problem" hook. There's trouble right here in River City...
7. The "Goal" hook. I'm going to climb that mountain...

There you go. I love lists like this. When you're looking at your beginning, trying to make it grab the reader, try taking this list and think about working those hooks into your beginning. Which ones do you have already? Can you add a little more bait? Go ahead, set those hooks out and catch yourself a reader or two!