Happy 2013 everyone.  I hope your year is full of inspiration and wonderful creative experiences.

I’ve had a busy start to the year with a publisher deadline and moving house.

I’ve also been working on my picture book, Molly Loves to Help.

For the first time, I’m trying my hand at illustrating and it’s so much fun. I’ve just finished the roughs and now I’m working on finishing each of the illustrations.

Working on this book is special to me in so many ways. It has taken me back to drawing, which is something I always loved at school, but could never find time for until now. It’s also special because I’m writing about my goat Molly, who has personality plus, and also happens to be my writing muse.

TUESDAY WRITING TIPS

One of my new year’s resolutions was “less blogging, more writing”. This means I’m still going to provide writing tips here, but not every week.

Feel free to suggest writing tips topics in the ‘comments section’ of this post. I’ll also be providing tips based on the project/projects I’m working on and specific writing questions I get from people.

Thanks for supporting my blog last year.   I’m looking forward to sharing our writing worlds in 2013.

Happy writing:)

Dee

P.S. remember to share any suggestions for writing tips topics in the comments section of this blog post.

With Christmas fast approaching, I couldn’t resist mentioning this cute Australian Christmas story written and illustrated by Michael Salmon, and published by Ford Street Publishing.

Santa Claus has landed outback and is busily checking his list twice. The kangaroos are in charge of all the presents and his koala helpers are not being much help at all!

And are those crocodiles really “a-snoozing”?

With surfing sharks, skiing snakes, dancing dingoes, leaping lizards and lots more, Michael Salmon’s Aussie characters come to life in pictures and verse.

Welcome to Christmas down-under.

This book is cleverly written and beautifully illustrated by best-selling Aussie creator, Michael Salmon.

It is full of his customary colour and wonderful humour.

A great Christmas pressie for kids aged 3+.

Today I’m thrilled to welcome Katherine Battersby, a special friend, and the creator of the adorable Squish Rabbit series.

In Squish Rabbit (Book 1) we meet Squish and his adorable friend Twitch the Squirrel for the first time.

Squish is just a little rabbit, but he has a very BIG heart, and in his first adventure he finds a new friend.

In Brave Squish Rabbit, Squish must be very brave in order to find his friend. In this delightful new Squish story, the little rabbit discovers that being brave makes the dark a little wonderful after all.

If possible, I loved this second Squish adventure even more than the first – it even features a ‘glow-in-the-dark’ Squish. Little Squish’s confidence grows as he becomes braver, and Katherine’s hilarious giant chickens are a gorgeous collage of colour.

Katherine is currently working on the third Squish book, but she has taken time out to generously share her tips on creating picture book sequels.

Creating Picture Book Sequels:

by Katherine Battersby

I love picture book series. When you fall in love with a character it’s always exciting to find they have other stories out there. But I’d never considered what it took to create a picture book (PB) sequel until it came to writing my own.

The core thing to remember is this:

• The story needs to be able to stand alone

With a good PB sequel, you should be able to read it without even knowing the first book exists. They’re not like novels, where people read them in order. Young kids often choose books randomly: because the cover appeals, because they like pirates, because mum has given them precisely 5 seconds to choose as they’ve been faffing around and it’s time to go. So it’s really important that each book stands alone and doesn’t rely on prior knowledge.

The next most important thing is balance. Creating a PB sequel is a bit of juggling act between:

• The needs of the story (as its own stand alone project)
• The need to reintroduce a set of characters (and possibly what has already happened in book one)

The reason this is such an important balance is ultimately you’re juggling the needs of new readers and the needs of fans (the people who are reading the sequel because they liked book one). You want to allow new readers room to come in and meet your characters for the first time, but you don’t want to alienate fans by doing too much ‘summing up’ of the character or previous book. In fact you want to reward fans for sticking with you, so you need to create a balance of the two.

Study how other talented book creators have tackled this. Some of my favourite PB series are:

• Pigeon books by Mo Willems
• Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

Many PB series use a rhythm or structure of storytelling that is the same in each book, creating a lovely familiarity. Others use clever new ways of introducing their main character and all their quirks in each story. Many sequels reward fans with a ‘secret’ reference to earlier books (I may just have done this in Brave Squish Rabbit…).

The tricky thing with picture books is they’re such a short form. They’re all about the beautiful sparsity of language and distilling an idea down into its essence. Which means every word is precious. It can take many drafts to capture all these things in under 500 words (mine are under 200). But it’s so worth the effort.

Now, with that in mind, I’m off to redraft an idea I’ve had for Squish 3…

MORE ABOUT KATHERINE AND SQUISH

You can find out more Katherine and Squish at the charming Well Read Rabbit blog

WHERE TO BUY SQUISH

Squish is an adorable little rabbit who belongs in every Christmas stocking. You can find his stories at all good bookstores and online if you follow these links :

Squish Rabbit: http://www.booktopia.com.au/squish-rabbit-katherine-battersby/prod9780702239250.html
Brave Squish Rabbit: http://www.booktopia.com.au/brave-squish-rabbit-katherine-battersby/prod9780702249433.html

There’s been a lot happening lately with two competitions at DeeScribe Writing in the last month.

It gives me great pleasure to ann0unce the winners here:

COMPETITION 1.    Name the next 10 Top Writing Tips Book

WINNERS

How to write a character profile – Melissa Khalinsky

How to show not tell – Rachel Bradbury

Melissa and Rachel both win a 500 word manuscript assessment and a free copy of my 10 Top Writing Tips e-book: Ideas and Inspiration

COMPETITION 2.   Attend the online launch of Josie Montano’s new YA novel, Sunlight

WINNER

The winner of the launch prize was James Douglas.

During the launch, Josie also gave away two PDFs of her new book to Dimity Powell and Kathy Hoopmann for bravely sharing their cancer stories.

Thanks to everyone who visited the blog and entered our competitions.

Congratulations to all these worthy winners:)

Congratulations Josie Montano on the launch of your new YA novel, Sunlight.

It doesn’t matter if you’re running late to Josie’s launch, there’s still time to join the party.

Just click on the links below.

Welcome to the Sunlight Cyber Launch - http://wp.me/ppiTq-1ck

• Welcome and author introduction
• Win a FREE e-book on writing

Josie’s Writing Tips - http://wp.me/ppiTq-1bw

• Josie shares fabulous writing tips and Sunlight’s journey to publication

Review of Sunlight - http://wp.me/ppiTq-1cv

• Book review
• Win a copy of Sunlight

SUNLIGHT by Josie Montano

Josie Montano is the author of more than forty books and her experience as an author shines through in the way she seamlessly handles a difficult topic in her new YA novel, Sunlight.

16 year-old Paulini has just been diagnosed with cancer, and apart from her best friend Amy, nobody seems to be handling it all that well.

Paulini’s boyfriend, Ryan has dumped her without bothering to tell her, and her father can’t stop crying. Paulini wishes her mother was here to talk to about things, but that’s not going to happen.

I can’t even think about Ryan, his face when he heard that I was being locked away. Not sympathy or shock, but disgust, like I was dirt. All of a sudden I was dirt. I wasn’t dirt last week when you wanted to…well…was I?

In this poignant story, Paulini discovers the true meaning of friendship and love, and finds an inner strength she never knew she had.

Sunlight is hard to put down, and readers are swept along on Paulini’s difficult journey, as she struggles to cope with the treatment and the full impact of her illness.

Paulini is a great character with a strength and sense of humour that make her story even more poignant.

“Oh my God! Paulini, do you have cancer?”

Did she have to yell it out? Might as well have taken out an ad in one of those trash mags, ‘Girl, 16, cancer, might as well be dead.’ Just wanted to run into the toilets and hide. I could hear the whispers, could see the solemn faces, they didn’t know what to say, what to do. Honestly neither did I. I felt so sick in my stomach and so angry.

Josie Montano uses strong symbolism to share Paulini’s plight and allow the reader to experience the depths of her emotions.

There’s also a realism to Paulini’s family that make her story so believable. Apart from her traumatised dad, there’s her dramatic grandmother,  Ya Ya and her younger brother, Theo who has his own way of dealing with things.

Sadly, teenagers do go through Paulini’s experiences and it’s important that stories like this be told. Teens need to be able to read and talk about these issues and find characters like Paulini that they can connect and empathise with.

In spite of its difficult topic and some heartbreak in the book, Sunlight ends on a positive note and gives the reader hope.

WIN JOSIE’S BOOK

You can win an e-book version of Josie’s new YA novel, Sunlight by sharing a funny or positive cancer experience in the comments section of this post.

BUY SUNLIGHT

You can buy Sunlight at the following locations:

Happy writing:)

Dee

Thanks for sharing this special day here at DeeScribe Writing. We hope you have enjoyed it.

Thanks, Josie for sharing your journey with us:)

I hope you enjoyed the cyber bubbles. Feel free to help yourself to another piece of cyber cake.

Josie Montano is here now to share some fabulous writing tips based on how she wrote her novel, Sunlight.

JOSIE’S WRITING TIPS

1. Write for your audience;

Research the lingo for the age group you are writing for, i.e.: early teens speak differently to teens in their later years, so if your character is 14, make her a regular natural 14 year old. There’s a big difference between a twelve, fourteen and a sixteen year old, primarily hormones:-)

I research by eavesdropping on the bus, but don’t make it creepy stalky like, or they’ll just think you’re some crazy cat person! Also if possible and if mutually acceptable and appropriate, befriend teens on facebook so you can read how they communicate with one another. You can straight out ask a teen for help with lingo for your book if you feel you are not getting ‘it’. If you have teens in the house, perfect … just make them sit down to dinner with you and listen to the silence ….

2. How to hit the US market?

Sunlight is my fifteenth fiction book but the first to be published outside Australia.

Sunlight visited six Australian publishers over four years and none of them were interested in publishing it, I always wondered whether it was because it was a touchy subject, cancer? I never gave up on having it published, never let those rejections get to me and even considered self-publishing when I noticed an add in ‘Buzz Words’ where Solstice Publications were looking for paranormal manuscripts. What the heck I thought, maybe my story borders this genre as the main character travels from one world to another. So I sent it to them and here we are today!

If you have an agent then they may be able to help you get your author tentacles in. Or if you are persistent, and vigilant then keep a keen eye out for opportunities – they are always there.

3. What is speculative fiction?;

The definition is really hard to wrangle but here are a few dot points that helped me get my head around it!

• It’s the majorly ‘what if?’ fantastic genre;
• It is ‘Speculative’ i.e.: fiction that allows you to speculate and ask questions.
• Over a dozen genres fit under the spec-fiction umbrella that encompass sci-fi, fantasy, horror, paranormal, steam-punk, fairy-tales etc.

4. Can spec-fiction and YA work?;

Of course! Look at the latest works of Hunger Games and Twilight for example, YA and fantasy/paranormal combined. You can have teen angst, coming of age stories mixed with a spec-fiction sub-genre.

5. Method write;

Sunlight was part of my university Masters and I wrote the novel and also am researching the exegesis (essay). I chose to research how the tools of method acting can assist with method writing. I won’t say much more as I’d like you all to wait for my paper to be published.

6. Example of method writing;

OK you twisted my arm, here’s one example of how I utilised method writing into the manuscript. I used memories from my own cancer journey of nearly ten years ago and wrote them directly into the emotions of my teen character in Sunlight.

7. How to write a real character?;

I always become my character, a little like I allow my character’s ‘soul’ to slip into/takeover my body. I was known to dress like a teen while writing Wogaluccis – around the house of course!

I get to know my character from the inside and out. So not only their physical features, but their emotional needs, concerns, angst, what triggers their emotions, what was their past like, what is their future going to look like. I have a questionnaire that I like to fill out initially that brings out the character onto paper.

8. How did I come up with the idea for Sunlight?;

Rewind back a few years before my own cancer experience, I was asked by a teacher of a hospital school to visit one of their students as she had read Wogaluccis and loved it, the teacher thought it would be a lovely surprise for her student while she was a patient going through chemotherapy. This visit to a very special young adult lying in her bed wearing her best wig and make-up left me feeling very humbled, and I knew I had to honour this experience, but a story evaded me for years – and I know now why, because I had to experience this myself.

It was then a few years after my own cancer journey that I wanted to get life insurance – which was a frustrating exercise because as soon as the insurance company found out I had cancer (even though now in remission) they didn’t want a bar of me. So I compared that with an ex-prisoner who even though they have done their time and have been rehabilitated, finds it hard to get a passport, enter another country, get a job, gain respect etc because they have this prison sentence over their head.

Click! The idea began to formulate in my head, what if my story is about a young girl diagnosed with cancer, how does this affect her family life, social life, school etc? Will her boyfriend support or dump her? What kind of strength does she need to go through the therapy? How does she cope with that? And I answered my own question with …. She goes into a fantasy prison world which parallels her true world to cope with her diagnosis, pain and therapies.

9. How did you know you were writing spec-fiction?;

Um I didn’t. My story just fell into that genre. So don’t get caught up in the genre, get caught up in the story … ooh I like that one, copyrighted!!! Write your story with meaning, heart, passion and I always throw in a little humour, yes even with a serious topic like cancer, then work out what genre it fits into. And make your writing mean something, from a picture book to an adult novel, even the simplest story will mean something to someone, somewhere.

10. Do you have to like spec-fiction to write it?;

I’m not ashamed to say that I didn’t even know what the term spec-fiction meant until I started my university masters. I recognised the genres that huddle under the spec-fic umbrella but didn’t know they had were part of a spectrum.

I also don’t particularly like full-on fantasy stories such as dragons, elves etc, I prefer science fiction and specifically stories with robots, artificial intelligence etc – I seem to be attracted to Phillip K Dick’s writing style.

I also don’t find myself attracted to vampires or the paranormal, have not read any of the Twilight books and yet find it very surprising that I am dabbling with a sequel to Sunlight that may incorporate vampires in a fantasy world that my character will delve in. So that will be interesting!

If you have a question for Josie about her writing, feel free to leave it in the comments section of this blog.

WIN JOSIE’S BOOK

You can win an e-book version of Josie’s new YA novel, Sunlight by sharing a funny or positive cancer experience in the comments section of this post.

BUY SUNLIGHT

You can buy Sunlight at the following locations:

Happy writing:)

Dee

P.S. See you back here in half an hour for a review of Josie’s book.

Welcome!

Thanks everyone for coming here today to celebrate this exciting event.

I’m thrilled to be launching Sunlight, the latest book of lovely and multi-talented Josie Montano. I was lucky enough to  meet Josie in Queensland recently and she’s every bit as thoughtful and lively as her books.

Josie works as a full-time writer and her love of fiction began at aged 8.

That’s about how old I was when I found fiction too, but I wasn’t quite as confident as Josie who used to shelve her stories in the school library.

Josie has won a number of awards for her writing and after reading Sunlight, I’m not surprised. She writes with passion, originality and authenticity, getting right inside the minds and hearts of her characters.

Josie is also well published in the field of Asperger Syndrome, and I’m sure her books have helped many people with the condition and their loved ones. She was presented with an Autism Carers Award in 2009 by the Governor-General of Queensland.

If you want to know more about Josie, you’d better come back here in half an hour when I talk to her about how she wrote her YA novel, Sunlight.

WIN an e-book on writing

Send a congratulatory message to Josie in the comments section of this post and you could win a free copy of my e-book, 10 Top Writing Tips: Ideas and Inspiration

Thanks for coming to Josie’s Cyber launch. Charge those glasses and enjoy the cyberbubbles and the calorie free cyber cake.

Cheers Josie and congratulations on your new book:)

Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray!

See you back here in half an hour when Josie provides her writing tips on how she created her new book.

Today I’m pleased to welcome talented and charming Dimity Powell to DeeScribe Writing.

Dimity has dropped in on her blog tour to celebrate the release of her debut junior novel. PS Who Stole Santa’s Mail?

“Dimity’s new book is a quirky, fast-paced, light-hearted Christmas mystery filled with evanescing elves, odd smells and stolen hopes and scooters.”

Dimity says, “I didn’t set out to change the world with this children’s novel but I did want to embody my crazy love of all things Christmas within it, and to show kids the power and magic of believing in the spirit of Christmas.”

DIMITY’S STORY

Here Dimity shares her path to publication, and she has some great tips for new writers.

Each author’s path to publication is unique and fascinating. Mine is no different. PS Who Stole Santa’s Mail? began as an assignment submission back in 2006.

Five years down the track, a couple of competition entries and a lot of editorial advice and massaging later, the manuscript was shortlisted by Morris Publishing Australia in their inaugural writing competition. I was overjoyed but dwelt little on it; thinking that I’d spend the rest of 2012 overhauling the story. When I got the email that I’d won a publishing contract, I experienced the usual disbelief immediately followed by panic. No sitting around on my hands now thinking about a rewrite! It was game on for real.

My first publishing experience has been pleasantly gratifying. Much of what I had been preparing and studying for over the past six years has been beautifully validated by the whole process. The term ‘journey’, used to express and define one’s rite of passage on any given venture, is sadly overused. Being an ex grotty yachty; I’m more comfortable with ‘voyage’. Sometimes it was smooth sailing. Sometimes there were choppy, uncertain seas, but it was always exhilarating.

Here are my top tips for newbies to the (traditional) publishing process.

1. You’ve won a contract! Great.  Give yourself a quick pat on the back; enjoy the moment then, steel up. If you thought actually writing your story squeezed every last creative drop out of you, think again. The hard work is about to begin.
2. Go back and give yourself another quick pat, because being offered a contract really is a momentous thing.
3. Write out the word ENJOY and stick it somewhere prominent. Try to remember to do this at all times, because like many first time experiences, it’s easy to forget what the dream is all about when you are so busy living it. I enjoyed just about every aspect of the voyage even the rough bits because they were proof positive that I was attainting my goals. Maintaining a positive outlook well enhance your overall enjoyment.
4. Read. Read everything you can about: others’ experiences, your contract, whatever your publisher sends your way. Make sure you understand exactly what you are reading. If you don’t, seek advice. A publishing contract is a legally binding agreement like any other. It is filled with terminology and percentages and clauses unique to this industry. Associations like ASA (Australian Society of Authors) can offer contract assessments, advice and guidance for the uninitiated.
5. Don’t be shy. Develop a sound working rapport with your publisher. Even in the larger houses this is still possible. I was fortunate to be published by a growing independent publisher. The advantage to this is that any communication is almost instant. I felt more involved and was consulted at most stages.
6. Be professional and friendly. Whilst you don’t need the docility of a house cow, being malleable to the publisher’s various requests goes a long way to establishing a workable relationship with them. Showing your publisher you are willing and able to work in a professional team and could also ensure an extended business relationship with them.
7. Be prepared to rewrite parts of your manuscript. I really enjoyed this part. It gave me the opportunity to get back to the nuts and bolts of my story and tighten it up even more.
8. Keep calm when it comes to editing. Again this was the part I was extremely keen to partake in. My edit was a bit rushed as it turned out; I would have loved more red pen queries. Don’t be put off by a heavy final edit. The result will be better, cleaner, and brighter.
9. Be resourceful and pro-active. In today’s financial and forever changing climate, no publishing house has buckets of PR dollars to splash around, especially on first time authors. Try to take up as much of the promotional marketing slack as you can and know how to. I developed my own plan which I shared with my publisher. We then used it to fit her requirements and recommendations. Have a clear idea to whom you are aiming your book for, why, and how you intend to reach them. Know how you can best promote yourself and your book. Are you a keen blogging, social media fiend or part of a club or group that can assist you? Don’t be afraid to learn new ways to broaden your author platform and strengthen your author brand. But if you are not comfortable with online baring all, then investigate other ways to reach your audience; through library, festival or school visits for example. Don’t stop once you’ve received your first print run of books either! Happy days indeed, but if you want to move those books out of the box, you must maintain your marketing momentum.
10. Start planning for publication before it happens.  Being published wasn’t my ‘be all and end all’ goal for writing. I just wanted to share my stories with the kids I wrote them for. But I did have a very clear plan of attack; almost down to the copy I would send to the local newspaper! I liken it to planning for your own wedding even before you’ve snagged a husband. Because it’s healthy to plan for your dreams right?
11. Finally, like the Sam in PS Who Stole Santa’s Mail?, believe: in yourself, your publisher, your book.

Good luck with your writing and enjoy your reading – always!

Thanks Dimity for those fabulous tips.

Wishing you and Sam all the best on your blog tour and I hope that Sam finds his way onto many bookshelves:)

Dee

VISIT DIMITY ELSEWHERE ON TOUR

Find out more about Dimity and her book by visiting these other great blogs on tour:

Today on Tuesday Writing Tips I wanted to pay tribute to everyone who has supported this blog since it started in 2009.

In that time, I have published nearly 400 posts on writing.

I’ve had so much wonderful support, and many people have suggested that I compile all my writing tips into a book/books for easy reference.

So that’s exactly what I’ve done.

Today, I’m excited to be launching the 10 Top Writing Tips series containing books for both adults and kids who love to write.

FREE e-books

To thank my blog readers and to help writers on the write track, I’m offering two books FREE

Discover the Writer in You

10 Top Writing Tips: Discover the Writer in You provides an easy to follow overview of the elements of a story, and how to explore your inner writer. It has tips on:

1. Becoming a writer
2. What sort of writer are you?
3. Getting started
4. Stuck for ideas – more fun writing activities
5. Creating characters
6. Use your characters to make things happen
7. Setting
8. How to get your characters talking
9. Using all the senses
10. Editing

Download your FREE copy here and feel free to spread the word and share the book with other writers.

For Kids Who Love to Write

A guide with handy tips and activities for young writers who aspire to be published. This is the first book in the 10 Top Writing Tips For Kids series and has tips on:

1. Becoming a writer
2. What sort of writer are you?
3. Getting started
4. Stuck for ideas
5. Creating characters
6. Use your characters to make things happen
7. Setting
8. How to get your characters talking
9. Using all the senses
10. Editing

Feel free to share this with young writers you know or even with teachers looking for writing ideas for the classroom. They can download their FREE copy here.

OTHER E-BOOKS ALSO PUBLISHED IN THE SERIES

Other books also published in the series are:

10 Top Writing Tips For Kids – What to Write About

10 Top Writing Tips – Ideas and Inspiration

I know from experience how hard it is to break into publishing and earn money as a writer. So I intend to keep all books in the series FREE or at an affordable price of 99 cents.

CHOOSE THE TOPIC FOR MY NEXT BOOK AND WIN A FREE BOOK PLUS 5 PAGE MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT

There are plenty more books planned for the series, but I’d love your input on what you’d like to see me write about in my next book.

Do you have a writing dilemma or something you’re struggling with in your writing?

It could be the subject of the first book 10 Top Writing Tips  published in 2013.

What to do:  Leave your suggestion for a book topic in the comments session of this post for your chance to win.

The competition is open to anyone anywhere in the world and closes 20 December.

I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

I hope you find my 10 Tip Writing Tips books helpful.

Your comments and suggestions are very welcome.

Happy writing:)

Dee

Some people suffer from writer’s block because they can’t think of anything to write. For me, writer’s block is caused by having too many things I want to write … too many ideas colliding in my head.

Only my closest friends (and family) know just how many finished, but not quite right/not quite ready/just not quite manuscripts I have stored in the overflowing filing cabinets in my study.

Recently I decided that the ‘system’ wasn’t working. I am usually working on 2 or 3 works in progress at once and if I spread out all the drafts and research for these manuscripts, my study turns into complete chaos. And I have to spread the materials out because I can’t keep all the information in my head.

LET THE DOG SEE THE RABBIT/S

So I have embarked on a new system. It’s called ‘let the dog see the rabbit’ or in plain English, ‘let’s see what’s here.’

All my WIPs are going into clearly labelled plastic containers that if stacked, should take up less room than my filing cabinets. And I can sort them into genre stacks…YA contemporary, YA dystopian, chapter books, mid grade adventure, mid grade humour, picture books, non-fiction, adult books …. yep I have some of each.

The theory behind all this is that it should allow me to focus on ONE piece of writing at a time. I plan to get that ONE box off the stack and leave it out while I’m working on it …. and then put it back in the stack.

Apart from anything else, this stack system allows me to see exactly what manuscripts I have in which genre so I can target particular publishers or competitions, and just focus on those manuscripts.

There’s also incentive to get manuscripts published so that the stacks don’t become too high and cause a potential toppling hazard.

That’s the theory. Wish me luck.

If nothing else, the whole exercise has allowed me to see what I have to work with … and to focus on ONE thing at a time. I guess it’s allowing me to symbolically and practically compartmentalise things.

I used to write on the basis, “work on the manuscript that’s calling to you.” But that doesn’t work if there are six manuscripts shouting at you at once, “Pick me. Pick me.”

So here are some things I’ve learned that help me focus on ONE manuscript at a time.

1. Mentally and physically separate your manuscripts into ‘boxes’.
2. Once you have put your manuscripts into ‘boxes’, only take out the ONE you are working on.
3. Work to a competition/publisher submission deadline.
4. If you don’t have a competition/publisher deadline, set one for yourself.
5. Write the name of the manuscript you are working on in huge letters on a piece of paper or whiteboard to remind yourself to stay focussed.
6. Promise yourself a reward when you have finished the draft of that manuscript or met your deadline.
7. Tell your family and friends what you are working on… you don’t have to give them the whole story, just the title. When you verbally commit to it out loud, it can help you stay focussed on it.

Do you have trouble staying focussed on one manuscript? What do you do to keep you on track? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Feel free to leave them in the comments section of this blog.

Happy writing:)

Dee

One of the fun things about being a storyteller is that you can change the way things really happened and turn a real event into a work of fiction. You have control of your story. You decide what happens,who it happens to and where it happens. Real people and events can provide great inspiration for fiction.

But having creative licence brings responsibility. You have to write with integrity. You don’t want to do things that will invade people’s privacy, you don’t want to upset them and you don’t want to get sued.

If you want to turn a true story into a work of fiction for whatever reason (like I did with Hope for Hanna), these are my tips on how you could do it:

• Step away from the true story as much as you can. Try and sift the essential elements of what your story is about from the detail of what really happened.
• Write down the main things (action points) that happen in the memoir/biography. Decide what’s important to you – what do you want to keep in your story?
• Decide where your story is going to start and where it’s going to end – this could be different from what actually happened in real life.
• Do a plot plan for your story with a beginning, a series of events leading to the climax (the high point of your story) and a conclusion tying all the threads together. Plot your story as you would a novel.
• Decide which characters to include in the work of fiction. In a memoir there are usually lots of people mentioned because real life is full of encounters, but you can cut some of these out if you are writing fiction. It can get confusing if you have too many characters or too much happening.
• Do a character profile for each person you want to include in your story, but make their background and details totally different from real life. Completely change names, places of residence, appearance, number of siblings, number of children, possibly even gender. Do what you can to make them unrecognisable in your story, whilst still being real people. It’s the essence of the people you want to capture in your story, not their detail.
• Use these characters to create fictional things in your story and you can blend these with the true events.
• Rework your plot outline to include true and fictional incidents you want to use. Perhaps change the order of events from what really happened.
• Try and sum up in a paragraph what you want your story to be about. Leave out any incidents/action that is not related.
• Get someone who knows you well to read your writing to make sure you have moved away enough from the true story.
• Try and feel your story and allow it to take you in new directions. Don’t fight against these changes because they are not what actually happened.
• Find the truth in your story in the power and complexity of your characters rather than the detail of actual events.

If you have any tips or experiences to share on how you have turned fact into fiction, please feel free to share them in the comments section of this post.

Our series of posts on point of view is coming up soon on this blog so stay tuned.

In the meantime, 

Happy writing:)

Dee

My first introduction to verse novels was through the work of bestselling verse novellist Ellen Hopkins. Her novels, Burned, Impact and Crank, just to name a few, hook you right into the story from the first page.

I was lucky to first meet Ellen and hear about her books at a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in 2008.

Inspired by Ellen’s work I moved on to devour the wonderful writing of Australian authors, Sherryl Clark, Lorraine Marwood, Sally Murphy, Steven Herrick, Catherine Jinks and Margaret Wild.

There’s something about the rawness of verse novels that gets right to the heart of the emotions – it draws the reader straight into the main character’s world.

Verse writers tell us so much in so few words. They take the reader on an intimate journey, make you feel that you are there by special invitation – that it’s just you and the point of view character taking this path.

Keep it simple

The power of verse is that it doesn’t have time or space for adverbs and adjectives.

The reader has to visualise using his/her own imagination. They come to understand the main character’s world through the way that the main character acts and reacts to what’s happening around them/to them. And through the way they speak…their voice.

A good verse novel is like a well decorated Christmas tree – balanced and striking with no excess baubles – beautifully simple.

A natural form

A verse novel isn’t just a novel with fewer words in an easy to read format. There has to be poetry and power in those words.

For a verse novel to work, it has to be the natural form for that piece of writing.

Breaking a piece of text up into stanzas or verses doesn’t make it a verse novel.

Sensory Detail

As Ellen Hopkins said at her 2011 SCBWI LA workshop,

” A verse novel has sensory detail…not just in a visual sense but as a way to show information about emotions.”

How long should a verse novel be?

This really varies depending on the age of the readers and the story.

YA verse novels can range from around 14,000 words (Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block ) to more than 65,000 words (Identical by Ellen Hopkins). Junior novels might be even shorter.

Like any book, a verse novel should be as long as it needs to be to tell that particular story.

Steven Herrick and Pookie Aleera

Steven Herrick is an Australian verse novellist who has been a full-time writer for twenty-five years. The Sydney Morning Herald has described him as “The king of poetry for children”.

His latest verse novel, Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend is a typical example of how Steven weaves reality and strong imagery into his powerful verse.

One of the appeals of his writing is that he takes everyday situations and places like swimming in the creek and turns them into something much more.

Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend is set in a country town and brings together the lives and stories of the Kids in Class 6A.

There’s Mick, school captain and sometime trouble-maker, who wants to make the school a better place, while his younger brother Jacob just wants to fly. There’s shy and lonely Laura who hopes to finally fit in with a circle of friends, while Pete struggles to deal with his grandpa’s sudden death. Popular Selina obsesses over class comedian Cameron, while Cameron obsesses over Anzac biscuits and finding out the true identity of Pookie Aleera.

These characters and their lives are woven together in a rich tapestry that draws the reader into the story…and sparks their curiosity about who is Pookie Aleera?

According to Steven Herrick, Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend is the book “he’d been wanting to write for a long time.” Steven’s strong vision for this book is apparent in the telling detail, and the sensitivity and gentle humour. It’s a story about life and friendship and the differences and similarities in us and the things that make us happy and sad.

Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend has a large cast of characters, but strong characterisation makes each one distinctly different.We see each character’s vulnerability as they walk the line between childhood and adolescence.

Like all Steven Herrick’s works, this book is full of beautiful imagery. For example, Rachel’s response to “Night Sky” written on the board is “It’s like a blanket for the earth to sleep under.”

Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend is charming, funny, and evocative.

It would be a great book for classroom discussion, dealing with life issues in a gentle and non confronting way. Being so accessible in its content and form, Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend would also be a great tool for introducing  kids to verse novels.

Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend is published by UQP for ages 9+

This book is a true example of how verse novels have the power to get to the heart of the emotions, and take the reader deep into the point of view character’s world.

Do you have trouble with story structure…knowing what to include in your story…coming up with ideas?

Before I start my story I usually have an idea of what it’s going to be about…eg with Letters to Leonardo I had an idea for a story about a boy who gets a letter from his ‘dead’ mother.

After I have the concept or basic premise for a story, the next thing I do is brainstorm and mind map it. This helps me work out what happens in the story and when it happens. It also helps me identify themes and story threads that can form the basis of sub plots and be used to add depth and tension to the story.

Here’s a diagram of how I mind-mapped Letters to Leonardo.

HOW TO MIND MAP YOUR STORY

1.            Think of a character. To find out more about them, you can do a character interview (Help on how to do this is available at the character interview recipe) This will also help you develop the back story. You might not end up using the back story, but what has happened to your character in the past will affect how they behave in the future.

2.            Once you know this character, think of a story problem for them. What is something they want or need, but can’t get? What has happened to them to create this immediate need or want? For example, in my YA novel, Letters to Leonardo, Matt gets a letter on his fifteenth birthday from the mother he thought was dead. What is the catalyst – the even that starts your story off.

3.            Write this is a circle in the middle of a large sheet of blank paper or a whiteboard.

4.            Based on the event that started your story, ask yourself a lot of questions:

• What exactly happened?
• How did this event happen?
• Where did it happen?
• Who did it happen to?
• Why did it happen?
• When did it happen to?
• What if things had happened differently?
• What will happen next?

(You can see in the diagram where I have asked these questions when mind-mapping Letters to Leonardo.)

5.            Let your mind flow free and offer up different answers to the questions you asked in “4.”

Write down whatever ideas come into your head.

This activity is all about thoughts and inspirations and possible plot points.  (These are the things I have written in green on my mind map).

6.            Select the parts/elements from your mind map that you want to include in your story. These will be the catalysts for the action in your story – the plot points.

I hope you have found this post helpful.

Do you have any tips on brainstorming/mindmapping your story? Please feel free to leave them and your comments.

Happy writing and brainstorming:)

Dee

In previous posts, we talked about how to create your characters. But what if you create a character that nobody likes?

A few years ago I came up with a YA plot and a main character (MC) I really liked. I wrote her story, but it soon became apparent that I was the only one (apart from her mum and her best friend) who actually liked her.

Particularly when writing YA and we are trying to make our MC’s angst ridden but feisty, it’s too easy to create a character that nobody likes or cares about.

Your main character doesn’t have to be sugar sweet, but they have to be someone you and your readers can empathise with. In Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter is appalling, but in my mind, it’s really FBI agent, Clarice Starling who is the MC and carries the reader through the story because of  her vulnerability and determination.

In my YA novel with the unlikeable heroine, I  had created plenty of problems for people to sympathise with, but clearly that wasn’t enough.

WHY READERS DIDN’T SYMPATHISE WITH MY CHARACTER

In real life, do we sympathise with the drunk driver who keeps getting in their car and having accidents? Do we sympathise with anyone who keeps making the same mistakes again and doesn’t heed anyone’s advice?

OTHER MISTAKES I MADE

1.    I thought I had made her angst ridden, but I had just made her irritating.

2.    I thought she was feisty but she was just plain aggressive.

3.    I thought she had enough problems to make readers sympathise but they felt she had brought her own hardship on herself.

(You might recognise some of these problems in your own stories:)

When I looked for ways to fix the problems with my story, it came back to character development – not just my MC but her supporting cast too.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHARACTER LIKEABLE

1.    They have to have some normality in their life so that readers can relate to them.

2.    They have to have understandable reasons or motivations for what they do.

3.    They have to have character traits that are both qualities and flaws – this makes them believable and strong. For example, in my current work in progress, my character’s determination and tenacity are her strengths, but they’re also her downfall because they are the traits that stop her from letting go of the past, even when it puts her life at risk.

I went back and did some serious work on both my MC and her mother (who was the other ‘accidentally’ unlikeable character in the book).

I discovered that both my MC and her mother’s characters had good motives and reasons for their actions. The problem was that I hadn’t actually conveyed this to the reader. It was clear in my head so I thought they’d understand, but of course they couldn’t make the connection if I hadn’t put the necessary pieces in the story.

As writers, so much of the backstory is in our head and we have to be discerning about what we reveal, but sometimes we have to give our secrets away.

If you have people who need to be more likeable in your story, my tips would be to develop their character more, and give the reader enough information so they can make the right connections in your story.

Next week’s post at DeeScribe Writing will be about Mind Mapping your story.

Happy writing:)

Dee

The fabulous Deborah Abela has stopped by on her blog tour to celebrate the release of her latest Ghost Club book, The Haunted School.

Deborah is currently working on her third Ghost Club book, and has generously agreed to share her fabulous tips on writing a ghost story.

Ten Tips for Writing Ghost Stories

By Deborah Abela. Children’s author

www.deborahabela.com

1)             Write From a Point of Fascination

I’ve always been fascinated by ghosts and have really enjoyed writing four ghostly books so far. 

2) Make your Ghost Feel Real

Write about your characters as if you’ve met them.

3) Read Famous Ghost Stories

Learn from them, borrow techniques of the genre but make it uniquely your own.

4) Establish the Rules of Your Ghost Story

In The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen, (Vintage Classics) Aurelie discovers a secret about her family that has something to do with ghosts, but before I could do that, I had to work out the rules that operated in that world and stick to them, so that the story remained true.

5) Decide How Spooky Should You Be?

This will depend on the kind of story you want to write, who your audience are and being true to your characters. Ghost Club is a series aimed at 8-11 year olds and because I am essentially a coward who doesn’t like to be scared, I like to create a sense of mystery and suspense, with a smattering of comedy but pull back just before it gets too scary.

6) Wherefore Art Thou?

Work hard on the details to create the perfect setting for your story…so far in the Ghost Club series, I have set the ghostly quests in a castle, a haunted school and in a citadel in Transylvania that was frequented by Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s, Dracula. I used real facts about Vlad and the citadel to further add gravitas and authority to the story. Sometimes, though, the most usual and unfrightening settings can be scary….bedrooms late at night, a small wavering of a curtain when there isn’t a stirring of wind.

7) I’m in the Mood for a Scare

Create a sense of mystery and suspense by slowly revealing small snippets of information to the reader that will hopefully hook them in so they can’t wait to find out what happens next.

8) A Story is still a Story

…so there will need to be:

a)    Characters we are intrigued by (even if we don’t like them, we need to be keen to know what’s going to happen next)

b)    A setting that feels real

c)    A series of problems that keep your reader turning the page all the way to the exciting climax and conclusion.

9) Just Checking

Some good general questions while you’re writing are:

• What is the story I am trying to tell?
• Who are my characters and what’s in the way of them getting what they want?
• What is driving the plot forward?
• Where is my story set? Is it interesting? Does it add to the story?
• Does it have a strong voice?
• Does the dialogue sound real?
• What is the X Factor about my story that makes it unique? 

10) And Finally

Just start.

Happy spooking!!

From Deb

Visit the next stop on Deborah’s blog tour:

http://orangedale.livejournal.com/

Did you miss the previous stop? See http://fairfieldbooksonstation.wordpress.com

More information about the complete blog tour is available at the end of this post where you can also leave your comments for Deb or questions about her books/writing.

To see all the stops on the tour see http://www.DeborahAbela.com

REVIEW – GHOST CLUB – The Haunted School

I’ve always loved a good ghost story so I was looking forward to reading Deborah Abela’s new book Ghost Club: The Haunted School. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Deborah Abela lured me into the story from the first chapter, The Dead Headmistress, and the suspense just kept coming.

Ghost Club features twins Angeline and Edgar who are Ghost Catchers. Unwillingly, they become embroiled in a Senior School Experiment to conjure up the spirit of Mary Tudor. But the experiment goes horribly wrong.

Fortunately the entity seen by the students isn’t real, but the pale girl ghost in the corner is.

To make matters worse, Angeline’s worst enemy, Travis seems to know exactly what they are up to, and there’s nothing to stop him from blowing their cover..

Travis follows them when they are trying to find out more from the girl ghost, and she makes some surprising revelations.

Ghost Club: The Haunted School is the second book in the Ghost Club series for 8-12-year- olds.

Angeline and Edgar are great characters – clever and funny with their own vulnerabilities and quickly endear themselves to the reader.

You can also catch up with Deb, and find out more about her books and writing at these other great blog tour stops:

Next week we return to our regular writing tips with a piece about How to Fix Unlikeable Characters

Lately I’ve been exploring new genre and trying to write outside my comfort zone, to experience new worlds, characters and types of stories.

That’s why I wanted to review Word Hunters – The Curious Dictionary at my DeeScribe writing blog. It’s a perfect example of where trying new things can take you.

This book, written by Nick Earls is a big deviation from the young adult novels he normally writes. It’s not just for a younger readership, it’s a fantasy adventure, laced with history.

For people who love words, this is a fantastic journey that takes the reader on a tour of discovery, finding out where different words had their origins. It’s the story of twelve-year-old twins, Al and Lex Hunter who are transported into various times and places when they stumble upon an old dictionary, Walker & Fuller’s Curious Dictionary of English.

On their travels they are accompanied by Al’s pet rat, Doug who adds more risk to their journey.

This book is so different from anything else I have read by Nick Earls, but it’s clear that he has immersed himself in the lives of these young characters and their world.

Word Hunters – The Curious Dictionary is a non stop action adventure and for me, it really shows what a writer can do when they step outside their comfort zone.

As someone who is just starting to venture into the world of illustration, I couldn’t help but admire Terry Whidborne’s simple, but character filled drawings.

Word Hunters – The Curious Dictionary is full of well known historical identities and interesting places and times. It provides a fabulous and memorable way for any kid to learn history.

It’s also a fascinating story about words and where they come from and how they got their meaning.

Word Hunters – The Curious Dictionary is the first book in a new series for kids by Nick Earls and Terry Whidborne, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Do you think it’s important to stretch yourself as a writer? If so, what are some of your tips.

Have you ever ventured outside your comfort zone and come up with a story that you’re really proud of? If so, I’d love you to share your experience in the comments section of this post.

I’d love to know your thoughts.

Next week the fabulous Deb Abela will be here to talk about her new Ghost Club book and about how to write spooky stories.

Happy Writing:)

Dee

As it’s the last full week of the month, I’m taking my blog break week to focus on writing.

So there won’t be any blog posts this week.

Sorry for any disappointment, but if you need a writing tips’ fix, Janice Hardy has a great blog at The Other Side of the Story and agent, Rachelle Gardner has great posts and discussions on being a writer/agent/publisher at her blog

Literary Rambles is another favourite of mine.

I hope you have a great writing week and if there are any topics you want raised on this blog, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments section of this post.

Thanks and Happy Writing:)

Dee

Everybody writes differently. Some writers struggle to find an idea for their next book…others like me, have more ideas than they know what to do with.

If you’re someone who gets stuck for ideas of what to write about, this post is for you.

Here are where some of my best story ideas come from:

• Things that have really happened to me or to people I know;
• Memories of people, events or places;
• People I see on trains and buses;
• Conversations I overhear;
• Newspaper articles;
• Other books;
• A picture in a magazine;
• A place I have been to;
• A smell, sound or feeling;
• A problem or dilemma being faced by someone I know;
• Playing with two words that don’t quite go together eg Flower attack;
• Using the last line of a story I have written as the first line in a new piece of writing;
• Thinking of a secret that someone might want to keep and what would happen if it was discovered
• Imagining getting a letter or email from someone I have never met

If I’m still stuck, I think of a character/name and match them with an action to try and get me started.

For example:

• Ashley fell
• Ashley twisted
• Ashley tumbled…
• Ashley rocketed…
• Ashley flew…
• Ashley flopped…
• Ashley leapt…
• Ashley shook…
• Ashley dropped…
• Ashley shivered…
• Ashley trembled…
• Ashley bobbed…
• Ashley soared…
• Ashley is…

Then I ask myself why this action happened to Ashley, where this action happened, when and how?

THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR STORY

Every story needs a catalyst – an action that starts the story on its course. At the start of your story, something will happen that changes things for the main character.

Every story needs a problem for your character. There is something they want and someone or something is stopping them from getting it. That’s what your story is about.

As a writer, you need to decide how your main character is going to solve their problem – and that’s where you will finish your story.

Where do you get your story ideas from? Please feel free to share with DeeScribe Writing blog readers by commenting at the end of this post.

Happy Writing:)

Dee

P.S. Our next writing tips post will be about story beginnings.

Story beginnings are hard. I often make a common mistake with my stories – starting them too early. What this means is that I include too much backstory upfront. Sometimes it’s information I need to know about the characters and their situation, but it’s not something the reader needs to know.

A story needs to start with some kind of conflict or hook. If you think the start of your story could be a little slow, try beginning it later. Perhaps chapter two, or three or even four might be a better place to start.

No matter what the length of your story, the beginning or opening is what encourages your reader to keep reading and involves them in the characters and what is happening to them.

There are many things that a story beginning has to achieve:

• Attract reader attention
• Keep reader attention
• Establish time and place in which the action is happening
• Introduce the main character
• Give some clues as to what the stories is about. Letters to Leonardo opens with a letter from the main character, Matt, to Leonardo da Vinci. This is an indication to the reader that letters, art and Leonardo da Vinci are probably important to the story.
• Give reader an idea of what kind of story it is. For example, if you are writing a psychological thriller, a funny slapstick beginning will attract the wrong type of reader. The reader will soon realise this is NOT a funny story, and they will lose interest.

Early on in Letters to Leonardo, I wanted to establish the fact that Matt does not come from an ‘average’ family background. I thought this would help build up suspense and curiosity for the reader – the feeling that something unexpected might happen.

In his second letter to Leonardo da Vinci, Matt says, “I don’t do furry pets and family holidays – probably comes from growing up without a mum. Tomorrow’s my birthday. I guess I could tell you about that.”

As well as giving hints about Matt’s family background, this piece foreshadows to the reader that something unexpected could be about to happen.

The beginning must arouse the reader’s interest – give them something to keep reading. In Letters to Leonardo, it’s Matt’s first letter. But your beginning can be in any format. It can be scary, funny, shocking, bizarre, too ordinary – or whatever sort of beginning you choose – just as long as it hooks the reader and is in keeping with the rest of the story.

If you introduce your main character immediately and get straight into the action, you can’t go far wrong.

To write with authenticity, you need to get inside your main character’s head. You need to know how they will react to certain people and circumstances. You need to know how they would handle adversity and what makes them who they are.

The first thing I do is interview my main character. You can even find a picture of your main character or draw them yourself.

I look upon this first phase as the preliminary interview…and I don’t need to answer all the questions straight away. Sometimes, for instance, I don’t name a character until well into writing the story when I feel I know them better and a name that fits them might occur to me.

I don’t often describe what my characters look like, but I want to be able to see them in my head when I’m writing about them. So here’s what I ask them first:

1. What is your name and nickname?
2. What is your age, gender and religion?
3. What is your mother’s name, age and profession?
4. How would you describe your relationship with your mother?
5. How would you describe your relationship with your father?
6. What is your father’s name, age and profession?
7. What are your sibling’s names and ages?
8. What are your sibling’s most annoying traits?
9. What do you like about your siblings?
10. If you had a secret, who would you tell it to?
11. What are you afraid of?
12. What makes you happy?
13. What is your favourite food?
14. What food makes you want to puke?
15. What is your favourite form of entertainment?
16. Who is your best friend?
17. Who is your worst enemy?
18. Describe how you look?
19. Describe how you think others see you?
20. Do you have any special interests?

Record their answers on tape or in writing. (It is okay to speak aloud to yourself with this activity).

You can do this same activity for your villain too. By now you should be getting a bit of a picture of your character in your head, but now you need to delve deeper – look at what really makes them tick.

That’s what we’ll be looking at in our next post.

If you have any tips on how you get to know your characters, feel free to share them with us.

Happy writing:)

Dee

Story beginnings are hard. I often make a common mistake with my stories – starting them too early. What this means is that I include too much backstory upfront. Sometimes it’s information I need to know about the characters and their situation, but it’s not something the reader needs to know.

A story needs to start with some kind of conflict or hook. If you think the start of your story could be a little slow, try beginning it later. Perhaps chapter two, or three or even four might be a better place to start.

No matter what the length of your story, the beginning or opening is what encourages your reader to keep reading and involves them in the characters and what is happening to them.

There are many things that a story beginning has to achieve:

• Attract reader attention
• Keep reader attention
• Establish time and place in which the action is happening
• Introduce the main character
• Give some clues as to what the stories is about. Letters to Leonardo opens with a letter from the main character, Matt, to Leonardo da Vinci. This is an indication to the reader that letters, art and Leonardo da Vinci are probably important to the story.
• Give reader an idea of what kind of story it is. For example, if you are writing a psychological thriller, a funny slapstick beginning will attract the wrong type of reader. The reader will soon realise this is NOT a funny story, and they will lose interest.

Early on in Letters to Leonardo, I wanted to establish the fact that Matt does not come from an ‘average’ family background. I thought this would help build up suspense and curiosity for the reader – the feeling that something unexpected might happen.

In his second letter to Leonardo da Vinci, Matt says, “I don’t do furry pets and family holidays – probably comes from growing up without a mum. Tomorrow’s my birthday. I guess I could tell you about that.”

As well as giving hints about Matt’s family background, this piece foreshadows to the reader that something unexpected could be about to happen.

The beginning must arouse the reader’s interest – give them something to keep reading. In Letters to Leonardo, it’s Matt’s first letter. But your beginning can be in any format. It can be scary, funny, shocking, bizarre, too ordinary – or whatever sort of beginning you choose – just as long as it hooks the reader and is in keeping with the rest of the story.

If you introduce your main character immediately and get straight into the action, you can’t go far wrong.

Everybody writes differently. Some writers struggle to find an idea for their next book…others like me, have more ideas than they know what to do with.

If you’re someone who gets stuck for ideas of what to write about, this post is for you.

Here are where some of my best story ideas come from:

• Things that have really happened to me or to people I know;
• Memories of people, events or places;
• People I see on trains and buses;
• Conversations I overhear;
• Newspaper articles;
• Other books;
• A picture in a magazine;
• A place I have been to;
• A smell, sound or feeling;
• A problem or dilemma being faced by someone I know;
• Playing with two words that don’t quite go together eg Flower attack;
• Using the last line of a story I have written as the first line in a new piece of writing;
• Thinking of a secret that someone might want to keep and what would happen if it was discovered
• Imagining getting a letter or email from someone I have never met

If I’m still stuck, I think of a character/name and match them with an action to try and get me started.

For example:

• Ashley fell
• Ashley twisted
• Ashley tumbled…
• Ashley rocketed…
• Ashley flew…
• Ashley flopped…
• Ashley leapt…
• Ashley shook…
• Ashley dropped…
• Ashley shivered…
• Ashley trembled…
• Ashley bobbed…
• Ashley soared…
• Ashley is…

Then I ask myself why this action happened to Ashley, where this action happened, when and how?

THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR STORY

Every story needs a catalyst – an action that starts the story on its course. At the start of your story, something will happen that changes things for the main character.

Every story needs a problem for your character. There is something they want and someone or something is stopping them from getting it. That’s what your story is about.

As a writer, you need to decide how your main character is going to solve their problem – and that’s where you will finish your story.

Where do you get your story ideas from? Please feel free to share with DeeScribe Writing blog readers by commenting at the end of this post.

Happy Writing:)

Dee

P.S. Our next writing tips post will be about story beginnings.

To write with authenticity, you need to get inside your main character’s head. You need to know how they will react to certain people and circumstances. You need to know how they would handle adversity and what makes them who they are.

The first thing I do is interview my main character. You can even find a picture of your main character or draw them yourself.

I look upon this first phase as the preliminary interview…and I don’t need to answer all the questions straight away. Sometimes, for instance, I don’t name a character until well into writing the story when I feel I know them better and a name that fits them might occur to me.

I don’t often describe what my characters look like, but I want to be able to see them in my head when I’m writing about them. So here’s what I ask them first:

1. What is your name and nickname?
2. What is your age, gender and religion?
3. What is your mother’s name, age and profession?
4. How would you describe your relationship with your mother?
5. How would you describe your relationship with your father?
6. What is your father’s name, age and profession?
7. What are your sibling’s names and ages?
8. What are your sibling’s most annoying traits?
9. What do you like about your siblings?
10. If you had a secret, who would you tell it to?
11. What are you afraid of?
12. What makes you happy?
13. What is your favourite food?
14. What food makes you want to puke?
15. What is your favourite form of entertainment?
16. Who is your best friend?
17. Who is your worst enemy?
18. Describe how you look?
19. Describe how you think others see you?
20. Do you have any special interests?

Record their answers on tape or in writing. (It is okay to speak aloud to yourself with this activity).

You can do this same activity for your villain too. By now you should be getting a bit of a picture of your character in your head, but now you need to delve deeper – look at what really makes them tick.

That’s what we’ll be looking at in our next post.

If you have any tips on how you get to know your characters, feel free to share them with us.

Happy writing:)

Dee

Last week we learned some basic things about our main character. Now we have to look beyond the mask.

We have to look not just at the face our main character presents to the world, we have to look at who they really are.

Now we’re going to delve deep into our main character’s mind, thoughts and beliefs. This interview session may make them quite uncomfortable…and may be quite revealing to you, their creator.
The interview continues:

1. Do you have any special belief systems?
2. What do you look for in a friend?
3. What do you look for in a partner?
4. What are your talents and skills?
5. Do any of these talents or skills have a down side?
6. What are the things you like most about yourself?
7. What are the things you like least about yourself?
8. What was your first sexual experience?
9. How did you feel about it?
10. How would you describe your childhood?
11. What are some experiences from your childhood that have affected the sort of person you are now?
12. How do you feel about discipline?
13. Are you someone who fits in with society or someone who fights it?
14. How would you spend a typical day?
15. What do you want more than anything in the world?
16. What is the best thing that could happen to you?

In this session of getting to know my main character, I start to think about the qualities that define them.
For example, they might strongly believe in ‘truth’ – honesty could be a fundamental element of their belief system – a part of who they are. I look at the reverse of this quality and its implications.

What if they were too honest? What if they confessed to something that they should have kept quiet about?

A character’s strongest quality can also be the thing that brings them undone.

Here’s what I mean:
REVERSE CHARACTER TRAITS
There are two sides to every character traits

GOOD THINGS ABOUT CERTAIN TRAITS

• Perfectionist – things get done properly
• Super responsible – makes someone reliable
• Family loyalty – helps family
• Keeps their cool – useful in a crisis
• Predictable, reliable – makes people comfortable around her.
• Strong moral values – makes a character trustworthy
• Intense – makes character focussed
• Bossy – gets things done

BAD THINGS ABOUT THESE SAME TRAITS

• Perfectionist – compulsive behaviour, causes stress
• Super responsible – unable to have fun
• Family loyalty – enables self destructive behaviour to continue in members of the family
• Keeps their cool – bottles up feelings, especially anger. Can be seen as unfeeling
• Predictable, reliable – reacts badly to change
• Strong moral values – judges others
• Intense – makes her sensitive to criticism and addicted to dramaBossy – makes her controlling

Depending on how long your story is, you could spend a lot of time with these characters so enjoy getting to know them.

The more you know your characters and how they behave, the more interesting and believable they will be for your readers.

Happy writing:)

Dee

P.S. next time we’ll be looking at how to fix an unlikeable character