Michael Esser's...
Real Life Tips for:
Writing, Publishing, and
Promoting Your Own Books.
(On a budget of almost zero.)
BOOK ONE: Writing
Written by:
Michael E. Esser
Copyright 2011 Michael E. Esser
Smashwords Edition
ISBN: 978-1-4658-0367-2
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2011 Michael E. Esser
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: How to hone the idea
CHAPTER TWO: Get organized with storyboarding
CHAPTER FOUR: Tracking plot lines
CHAPTER FIVE: Tracking research material
CHAPTER SIX: There's an “App” for that!
CHAPTER EIGHT: Technology tools for writers
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Interview preparation
CHAPTER TWELVE: Interview questions
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Interviews over, now what?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Characters 101
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Naming your Characters
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: More on Names...
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Conflict 101
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Internal conflict
CHAPTER NINETEEN: External conflict
CHAPTER TWENTY: Weak spots in fiction
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Weak spots in non-fiction
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Weak spots in characters
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Weak spots in dialogue
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: The importance of weakness
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Weak spots in your writer life
CHAPTER ONE: How to hone the idea
So you've got a great idea for a new story but you find yourself needing a little help. You need to somehow take your idea, define its central theme, and grow it into a full-fledged book. This can be accomplished by honing your idea into an actionable storyline that you can then write on.
There are writing tools available to you that can help you with this “honing” process.
Things like synopsis writing, mind mapping, and defining each of the key parts of your storyline are all on the table for your use.
Some writers start with the story synopsis because it’s the easiest way to get your basic story idea down in just a few short paragraphs. Your synopsis should briefly rundown what the story is about without too much detail. Sort of like the back of a book or the back of a DVD cover. But, it’s from this basic idea that you can then expand and fill in the gaps expanding this basic idea into the whole story.
To begin the expansion of our idea let’s try the technique known as mind mapping. Mind mapping is the name of the technique used to organize your brainstorming ideas.
Usually the author starts out with a circle in the center of a blank page. In that circle the main idea or initial thought is written. From that you would then branch off and draw other circles around the first one filling them in with relate ideas or subplots. This continues expanding out on each idea until you have it all out in what looks like a map. They do have online versions and portable “apps” that allow you to do this digitally. Regardless once you have your mapping done you can move on to the next step.
Now let’s look at the basic part of a story. We’ll say there are eight basic parts to any story:
- The beginning or the setting of everyday life.
- The event or that thing that prompts the story.
- The adventure and whether is positive or negative is up to you.
- The events or all the little up and down things that make the adventure interesting. (Also makes up most of the stories middle.)
- The big decision or that point in the story where the lead has to take a stand.
- The climax or the highest peak of tension in your story where it all goes down.
- The change or the results of the climax as they become revelation to the lead.
- The conclusion or the end of the storyline where everyone’s gone through some change.
One last tip, the best thing to do is to begin with your ending. This will give you something to work towards throughout the process. Plus there’s nothing worse than working through all you have to do to write a great tale only to have your ending fizzle in comparison.
This way instead of settling you’ll be building up to your finale.
CHAPTER TWO: Get organized with storyboarding
When a group of filmmakers come together to map out a new project and before they go into production they go through a process called storyboarding. In that process they design shot-by-shot all the action and the camera angles they want to capture while telling the story. When their completed the actual storyboards themselves look like roughly drawn comic strips each with descriptions. This process can, based on the length and scope of the project, can literally fill walls.
These visual representations of these shots allow the creators to better plan for their execution.
As an author you can benefit from the storyboarding process greatly especially when you’re organizing your ideas into a workable storyline after a brainstorming session. The idea of mapping out your ideas shouldn’t be new to you. You have to go through the process every time you tell a new story.
Unlike outlining, which has a similar flow to it, storyboarding is a visual tool. It allows you to see your storyline from beginning to end, right there in front of you, in a format that you can easily edit. And that’s the point. You want to have the best possible envisioning of your tale. So that when it comes time to paint those mental pictures you can be vivid with details.
Before you begin your storyboard you’ll want to have at least some of your story’s elements figured out so that you have some sort of framework to build around. A basic beginning, middle, and end would be sufficient along with any of the other scene ideas you’ve come up with so far can get you started.
You can start by filling out a separate page or index card for each of these elements. If you want to illustrate each with something simple that represents its main idea you can. Just realize you might be replacing any of these boards when you break them down into more detailed parts later. Now, post them on a whiteboard or directly on the wall. Leave enough space in between each one to allow yourself room when it’s time to fill in a gap.
Now simply continue adding and adjusting these boards until you’re satisfied enough to move forward.
Storyboarding, while basic, is still a very powerful tool to add to your creative arsenal.
CHAPTER THREE: Outlining 101
For any inspiring author the ability to create a useable outline is important. While certain types of outlines help to the creation and development process others are a great at organizing those ideas into an effective storyline. The variety of available outline formats do vary but for our writing purposes we’re going to focus on mind mapping, storyboarding, and the hierarchical outline.
As the potential author of numerous projects you need to prepare yourself with some tools that you can pull on when you need them.
One such tool is mind mapping. This mapping of your thoughts can be extremely valuable when you first have that “ah-ha” moment and the sudden rush of a story idea comes to mind. Now they have programs and “apps” that can allow you to create digital mind maps but a pencil and paper will work just as well.
How it works is that you write you main story idea in the center of a blank sheet of paper and circle it. Then from that circle you branch off all the related ideas you can come up with. Now, if an idea has other elements relating to them, branch off from that idea until you’ve got it all out on your mind map. This visual map can now be used to move forward in the creative process.
Now study your mind map. What we want is to pull from it story elements that we can write down on individual index cards. If you don’t have cards take a piece of paper and fold into four or eight squares and cut them out. We want individual ideas to have their own card so that we can lay them all out and arrange our storyline. If we were to draw a little sketch on each to describe the action this would be called traditional storyboarding but for our purposes that not necessary unless of course your writing a children's book that features art.
Don’t be afraid to move cards around because that’s all part of the process.
That testing of how it all will play out will really help you to create a story flow that’s going to be satisfying to you and your readers.
Alright, you’ve come up with the ideas; you’ve organized them, and now it’s time to put them all together in a usable outline. The traditional outline we are all used to seeing is called the hierarchical outline. These outlines can use letters and numbers (A, B, 1a, 2b), roman numerals, (II, VI, IX), and/or bullet points to breakdown the separation of data.
Regardless of your preference the idea is that you will rank and organized your information. We’ll do this first by main idea or for our purpose maybe by chapter. Then directly under those chapters we’ll include the ideas we’ll use in that chapter. If we have specific storyline details beyond that we’ll include them by further indenting them under their respective idea.
For example:
Chapter One: Scientists Home
Everyone is waking up
Daughter two is bringing coffee and newspaper to Dad
She’s sweetening him up because she wants to go out
Scientist/Dad wakes up
He’s slept sitting at his desk
He awakes suddenly with a post-it note stuck to his face
Turns daughter’s request down
(Most word processors do have an automatic “outline” button on their toolbar just in case you need further help with the structure.)
The value of understanding the outlining process can really be really felt as you continue to develop your writing projects. This rundown has only introduced a few of the options available to you. But the best outlining process is the one you’ll use regularly. So try these out and then explore your options until you find the right fit for your style.
CHAPTER FOUR: Tracking plot lines
In midst of devising your literary masterpiece you found yourself unable to keep track of the increasing action. What's a writer to do? How can you possibly track them all? What practical tools do other authors use to track their story's main plot, sub plots, and time lines?
Unfortunately the question might come at a time of frustration just as your task seems overwhelming. But the answer may surprise you in its simplicity. What needs to be done is a little preparation. You need to develop some organized chronological guide that you can draw from while you create. And while each writer’s style and process is different so may be the way they arrive at their solution.
The solutions we're going to discuss include; index cards, outlining, time lines, storyboards, and writing software.
One of the most popular tools used by writers is the use of index cards. This technique is very useful especially if you're unsure of the exact order of your story's events. How it works best is each time you come up with a new scene write it on a card, title it, and write a description for it. Before you know it you’ll have enough cards to lie out and organize. It’s in this visual laying out the cards that you'll be able to find and fill any of the gaps in your story.
Tip: Maybe try using color coded sticky notes instead of index cards. They can be stuck to the wall or a mounted whiteboard and moved around as you develop your story.
What about developing a simple outline?
Most word processing programs have a function that allows you to quickly create an outline with the simple push of the button.
For your outline to be available as your guide it should be created in advance. It's perfectly normal to have an outline that is a work in progress especially as you find new and interesting ways to fill in your story's gaps. Some authors even like to keep printed out versions of their latest outline draft in something like a notebook or binder so that they can make additions or corrections whenever they need to. Tip: Maybe try converting your outline into different formats like a table or an excel spreadsheet with one row per plot line or scene.
Next, let’s talk about a time line.
The creation of a time line can be as simple as getting a plain piece of paper, drawing a horizontal line across the middle, and mapping the events of your story and when they happen in order from left-to-right. These can be created alongside an outline and kept together as a great visual reference tool.
Storyboarding is a visual way of organizing your thoughts.
It's similar to the index card technique only it includes drawings, diagrams, and illustrated scenes. It’s normally used to lay out a visual plan for a movie or television show but can be adapted to serve a writer’s needs. Especially if the writer wants to really envision each scene as if they were there.
Finally, there are dozens of available versions of effective writing software.
Some are overly complicated and you'll end up using more of your time trying to figure them out than you will writing. But then once you've figured one out the results are impressive. Beyond the tracking of story plots and writing your story they offer character profiles, detailed scene lists, and a variety of functions to display those elements in different formats. If you decide to go this route be sure to check out some of the free versions of the software before you buy. That way you at least have a chance to try the interface before being stuck in one trying to create.
Try these techniques out for yourself in any combination until you find what works for you. Once you do you might just find a process that you'll use for years.
CHAPTER FIVE: Tracking research material
The sheer amount of information an active author will collect when developing story after story can very easily become overwhelming. For this discussion, our goal is to help by introducing you to ways you can better organize all of your research materials. We'll offer you some duplicatable ideas that you can follow to help when developing the technique that works best for you.
One thing that needs to work is keeping both a hard copy of your research and a digital copy. It's not just so you can stress over keeping one or the other updated. It’s so that you don't have to stress when your hard drive crashes or you miss place your research binder. Also, nowadays with the invention of the “thumb-drive” or digital storage mediums it’s cheap and easy to store a backup of every one of your precious files in an additional solid state.
When actually organizing your files it’s suggested that you do so in a two main categories, by story and by topic. This means one section should be dedicated to nothing but the individual story and all of its notes, research, and various outlines. Your second section will be more of an encyclopedia of everything else you research based on topic, theme, location, and time frames. Basically, this second section will be the area in which you pull from when further developing your story section.
First let’s organize what should be in your story section. The minimal elements you'll want to develop will be things like:
- character profiles
- setting profiles
- plot lines
Your main character profiles should go beyond just their descriptions and tell you their story. Something you define so when it comes to motives you'll have a back story to pull from. Minor characters don't need as much detail but should contain enough to understand them. Setting profiles can be as simple as a very descriptive paragraph describing the setting in a way that brings it to life in your imagination.
While plot lines can be initially simple they are sure to grow as the story progresses.
When organizing by topic you have more freedom as to what you include. You can set up sections for genre specific ideas and research, different times in history; cultures you'd like to include in your writing someday, even works in progress can be put into their own section.
Once your sections are set up you need to develop them by using a three step process:
- Pick a topic any topic.
- Fill the file with all your brainstorming ideas. (Maybe a mind map, a synopsis, an outline,
or a drawing.)
- Fill your files with research, research,
and more research.
Then when you're ready to write you can simply return to you heavily researched information so you can review it, brainstorm again, and do any needed additional research.
From this organization will come better work and a better writing experience and all it took is a little preparation.
CHAPTER SIX: There's an App for that!
In today’s mobile world the term “app” has become very popular and very profitable one.
The term “app” is actually short for the term “web application.” These popular types of applications or “apps” have been specifically designed with the mobile internet user in mind. The term “web application” means an application that’s been designed for a browser enabled environment. While some are designed for more specific browsers like the ones on the iPad, iPhone, or Android enabled devices they are typically accessed by the user through any number of the common browsers available.
The source of the “apps” data comes from a live network feed like the internet.
It’s that idea that’s responsible for their popular design. You see the program itself is a basic piece of software. This software can be installed on a mobile device like a cell phone or tablet pc as well as on a laptop or home pc. But, because of their small size and the fact that they don’t need to be updated on the device that makes them so popular with the user. On the other side of that the designers can now maintain the “app” for all their users by simply updating the online file. No longer is there a need to create and distribute software installs to thousands of users.
Authors can take advantage of this new platform by creating interactive copies of their website’s, blogs, and even their ebooks. This is a great way to find new readers and potential fans as the growth in this market is huge. Especially when surveys have shown that around 240 million Americans are online at home and of that a staggering 60% of them already have web enabled cell phones.
On the downside, one of the drawbacks is that the “apps” do require an internet connection to function. Meaning if at any point there is an interruption in service it will render the “app” unusable. In addition, they’ve also had some concerns with privacy arise from the company’s ability to theoretically track what the user does.
All that being said you can find many professional uses for “apps” in your writing career. The best part is they are long lasting direct links to you that can reach far more places than you’d ever think to go.
CHAPTER SEVEN: Author Apps
For an author, especially new ones, the need to expand their fan-base and attract new readers is a never ending process.
In this new digital market where hundreds of millions of consumers are accessing information around the clock, one of the most popular trends is mobile access. Part of this mobile access is done through what’s called, “apps” or “web applications.”
These “apps” are a great source of information for the user because they’re cheap and easy to install on their mobile device. The attraction is that they have a small file that doesn’t need to be updated regularly. Instead it accesses fresh data every time the “app” is launched.
For the author of the “app” this is a great function in that you never have to distribute potentially thousands of updates and instead just need to maintain the main file much like you would a website. Another benefit is that you’ll have an icon on the reader’s device directly linking them to you and all of your newest and upcoming information. So when you publish new books, blogs, or schedule an event they’ll have access to it where ever they are.
It’s also a great idea to offer you writing in the form of an “app.”
We’ve all heard of e-books and their popularity is consistently on the rise but and “app” version of that same e-book can open up a lot of other doors for you and your fan-base.
A great suggestion is to create a genre specific “app.” If it’s a history rich tale then create one that covers the facts behind the story with links to graphics like maps of pictures as well as other related items. Regardless get creative because it will only add to the value of your “app” to the user.
Also most “apps” have a direct connect features that from it the user can access your Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as your RSS feed. (Not a bad thing to have sitting directly on their menu.)
You don’t have to be a programmer to build your own “apps.”
To get started just check out a little website call http://www.iBuildApp.com and start building for free. (It’s a simple step-by-step process that anyone who can point-and-click can do.) After its complete simply link it to your main web-page or blog for anyone coming through to download and be sure to post its existence on all of your social networking accounts.
As an author the question isn’t whether to develop an “app” the question is why not?
CHAPTER EIGHT: Tech tools for writers
When going through the motions that make up the writing process I have a tendency to stay with what I know. Like with most people the cliché, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” really rings true with me and my writing. But in recent years the advances in technology have greatly increased the production value of using some of these tools to manage your writing projects.
When I first get that spark of an idea the first thing I’ve always done is brainstorm using the mind mapping technique.
That’s where you draw a bubble and branch off of it related idea’s until you have enough to begin researching.
But the days of the old pencil to paper technique is on its way out with the creation of websites like bubbl.us and mind42.com. It doesn’t take much to get started with either one and they work sort of like MS Paint with a very simple point and click interface that’s very similar to the pen/paper technique.
After that we need to do our homework and research anything we don’t have a complete understanding. Especially geographic information, any dates, and any specific references we’d like to use. It might even help to double check any unfamiliar languages and customs before using them. Search engines are common enough to find anything and everything you need so we won’t get into that here.
Once your research is complete and you’re building your story sometimes naming your characters can be a headache. I suggest you log on to something like babynames.com to research not only names but their meanings as well. Maybe something that can add a double meaning and an extra level of depth to the eccentric villain.
Alright, now that we’ve got it all worked out we need to get to writing. But, what writing software is available to authors? I personally like MS Word, mainly because it’s a great tool for spelling, grammar, and has a built in link to a dictionary and a thesaurus. I can create page sizes compatible with standard book sizes so I can see how the words will flow on the actual pages plus I can get my word counts and even track changes as I re-edit.
There is other comparable software, but the one I liked the most was designed for writers and called Storybook.
Storybook is a free novel-writing tool for creative writers, novelists and authors. It’s get at helping you to keep an overview of your multiple plot-lines while you’re writing and I love that you can track your central characters, minor characters, and locations as well. Plus, if it crashes mid-sentence because it uses an embedded database called H2 to store data, and not a file, each input entered is saved in an instant so you won't lose any data.
You can download a free copy at http://storybook.intertec.ch/joomla/
Finally checkout the great self-publishing sites that offer print-on-demand services like lulu.com to get your work to the masses.
CHAPTER NINE: Mind Mapping
Mind Mapping is the process of mapping out thoughts in a way that can be easily understood and further developed. Generally the author will draw a bubble with a main topic written inside of it and then branch off additional bubbles to state related subjects. This branching out continues on until all the desired information is represented.
In the real world some of the popular ways mind mapping is used is either by project managers to organize complex projects.
The FBI to map out mafia crime family activities or writers trying to capture all the elements they want to include in a story.
Traditionally, a pencil and paper are used to brainstorm ideas using the mind mapping technique.
A method I still feel is very useful for initial brainstorming plus there’s something about the connection between your mind, hand, and the paper that flows cohesively. The downside to this method is that the information isn’t as easy to collaborate compared to using the high tech version of the process.
Technology has made such leaps and bounds that your options for mind mapping applications are plentiful.
There’s the FreeMind version you can download onto your pc, the iMindMap or iThoughts HD versions that work with the iPad and my favorites are the web-based versions offered by Bubbl.us or Mind42.com.
First up is FreeMind, a free downloadable tool that is great for creating and keeping track of your personal knowledge base and ensuring that it remains easy to manage. It doesn’t take much to get started and like all of these tools it works sort of like MS Paint with a very simple point and click interface. You can download a free copy at: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Download
For you iPad user’s the iMindMap and iThoughts HD apps are everything you would expect. The experience of creating new map topics with your finger is easy and has that mind/hand connection I love. The differences between the two are mainly in their interface but iThoughts HD can export your maps into several different formats, including PDF. Both apps work great but, the iThoughts HD version stands out because of its sheer functionality.
Finally, my favorite pick out of all these tools is the web based mind mapping tools.
The benefit to using these tools is that they available wherever you are and can be saved online for easy access anywhere.
Bubbl.us and Mind42 are both great web-based mind mapping applications. What’s cool about Bubbl.us is that you can sign up for an account to save your mind maps, but, they don’t force you to get an account to start creating and you can just print off your point, click, and type creations at any time. Mind42 is great for large mind maps with zoom and the ability to attach notes and images to different branches.
Regardless of which version you choose, mind mapping is a very effective thought capturing tool for any writing project.
CHAPTER TEN: Interview Basics
Whether you're interviewing an expert for a non-fiction book or to help develop a plot for a novel, as a writer you'll often need to interview other people. Unfortunately, this can be a daunting task if you're not prepared. But you not only need to be prepared to ask the pertinent questions but you need to be able to capture the valuable answers as well.
As an author if you're going to conduct interviews as a way of gathering information then you need to prepare.
There
are things you can do prior to the interview process that will not
only help you to yield the results you desire but leave those you
interview feeling satisfied as well.
Understanding who you're
interviewing is important. You want to be sure that who you're
talking to have the ability to answer the questions you need
answering. So many times you'll prepare a general set of questions
that really should have been broken down into smaller sets of focused
questions. You'll want to predefine the questions you ask into
primary and secondary lists just in case.
Regardless, once you're in the interview you need to reflect the tone of the interview. This way the person you're interviewing can subconsciously mirror that tone with their answers.
But, always be willing and prepared to go off script and away from those questions you prepared if the direction of the interview veers off.
Don't let the derailing of your line of questions sway you. Instead just continue have a normal conversation with someone you already know you wanted to learn from. Honestly the unfocused ramblings might lead to something even better than you ever would have prepared.
It's for this reason it might be a good idea to get permission to record the conversation.
This way you can be free to converse comfortably but know that in the end you'll be able to recap the whole discussion for your purposes. But, not all those you interview will be willing to let you record the conversation and in this instance you need to be able to take good notes. Maybe even develop a shorthand style of your own. A style you understand and one that you don't have to write things down verbatim possibly missing key details along the way.
Once the interview is concluded be sure to thank them for their time and for the conversation. Also, if it's needed, it's perfectly normal to follow up with them afterward to clarify answers and to thank them again possibly with a card.
Interviewing is a skill journalists take years to develop. It might take you a few of them to find your style but its worth it’s worth it, especially when you get gold.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Interview preparation
The interview has been one of the most respected and effective researching processes a writer can conduct.
Regardless of your topic, when it’s time to kick your research up to the next level nothing really does it like real first hands accounts.
Sometimes it’s the only way to get the information you need for your story. Nonetheless, while conducting an interview you, as the writer, need to relay a certain level of “professionalism” throughout the entire process.
A lot of that will come during the actual interview. But, as first impressions go, it’s what you do before and after the interview that will resonate with your subject.
This means as soon as you decide that you want to conduct an interview you need to start preparing your questions. Even before you decide on whom you’d like to ask these predetermined questions you need to think preparation. Part of this is because once you're granted the interview, especially in today’s digital world, you might be asked to email your questions to the interviewee.
It isn’t uncommon to have an interview via email or phone. Giving them a chance to think over their answers, depending on your angle, might be the best way for you to get the best possible answer.
For a traditional sit down interview with someone has a few logistical factors that you need to be aware of. You need to pick the right place for the interview to take place. For example do you need a quiet place for conversation or an active place to increase energy? A wrong choice can not only cause discomfort but can cause you to lose valuable information.
The next element is scheduling. You need to be cure that you schedule the date and time well enough ahead of the date so that the interviewee has enough time to put it in their schedule. Otherwise again you might find yourself disappointed.
Finally, by sending a confirmation email after you’ve made contact and scheduled the interview will project professionalism. Then again right before the interview if you send a last minute reminder email you’ll ensure that the individual is in attendance. Be sure to include complete information like dates, times, location, and directions so there is no excuses.
By following a professional pre-interview process not only will you look professional but you’ll conduct a better interview in the process.
CHAPTER TWELVE: Interview questions
Writers often need to interview other people. Now whether you need an expert for a non-fiction book or someone to help develop a plot for a novel the interview process is a valuable. To benefit from this popular process you need to have some perspectives on what kind of questions you should ask. You'll also want to know how to ask them and the best way to capture the information for later.
There are two types of questions you can ask.
There's the “open ended” question meant for gathering insights, opinions, motivations, and possibly accessing special hidden stories or gems. Then, there are “closed ended” questions which are mainly used for gathering facts and confirmations.
For the most part you want to make the questions you ask be as “open” as possible. That means go through your list and cross out all the “Have you...Do you...When...” questions. Instead replace them with things like “Describe...How...Tell me about...” as they will work better to get the most out of your questions.
The questions themselves should extend from a real knowledge base. If they are a fellow author, read their book. If they are an actor, watch their movie and so on. Then study that genre further until you feel you're well informed.
Then the questions will just start rolling out.
As mentioned before it's not a bad idea if you're researching a subject to work with the interviewee on predefined questions. The only time this might be counterproductive might be if you’re going to ask about specific personal subjects that might get you rejected before you get a chance to sit down. To circumvent this try instead to offer only the general topics of discussion that you'd like to explore more with the interviewee.
Today's interviewing formats have gone through some changes to better match our techie lifestyles.
One of the innovations is the option for one to do email interviews. Not a bad option especially if you’re subject lives in another state or country. Plus, what it takes away from the personal interaction it makes up for in convenience.
For all of your other interviews you should ask up front how long you'll be allotted for the interview. This time limit will be handy when planning out your questions as it sets a workable boundary that you can plan for.
Regardless of the type of interviews you conduct the key to their success is always going to come down to being prepared.
A simple solution... Prepare enough questions to fill your time at least twice. This will give you the option to pick your questions as your carrying on a normal conversation. And that's the key, a normal conversation. Put check marks next to the questions you really want to ask, never read straight from the list, and don't force yourself to stick to the script just be natural.
One last tip, practice interviewing somebody you know using these techniques. This is so that when it's time to do it for real you'll be nothing less than, you guessed it, prepared.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Interviews over, now what?
You've completed your first interview. You asked all the right questions. Now you're wondering, what's next? Well, you need to be able to convert that valuable information into something insightful and entertaining to read.
The first thing that you need to do is review all of your notes right away.
It's important to do this while the conversation is still fresh in your mind. Then document those highlights by either typing them up into a list of bullet points or by rewriting them into a usable list. Something you can reference or follow along while writing your piece.
Now immediately put the interview information into whatever system you use to stay organized.
Not doing this right away can result in a loss of data that's not easily replaceable. Not to mention it can potentially be embarrassing if you're forced to call the interviewee to fill in the blanks.
Next, you need to be sure to double check all of the facts you've collected.
Mistakes happen, you become engulfed by the conversation or overwhelmed with the process and you miss something. So now is the time to fact check. That means anything you feel unclear about or anything you're not 100% sure about you needs confirming.
This can be easily accomplished by making a follow up call or email to the interviewee. Just tell them there were some things you needed to clarify before you wrote the piece. Usually they should have no problem. (They wouldn't want anything incorrect getting out about them.)
Now, if the item has something to do with another individual or some other entity you're going to want to contact them directly. Getting confirmation or at least a comment on the detail in question is crucial to your credibility and the credibility of your piece.
After recapping the information, organizing it in your planner, double checking your internal facts, and getting comments on the external ones you should be ready to write.
One last etiquette tip; send a thank you note to the interviewee. This will let them know you value their time while sweetening them up just in case they are needed for any additional follow up.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Characters 101
Every great story needs great characters.
So you have an idea for the greatest story ever told but fall flat in the character department, what are left with? Twists and turns that are useless without someone worth caring about to go through them. So young writer I say to you, take time during your creative process to define your players and the payoff will be the difference between fat and flat.
Step one: Walk the fine line that is cliché.
We’ve all read stories and seen movies inundated with the ditsy cheerleader, macho jock, and lonely nerds. Sure, you might feel everything’s been done but it’s not true. In your story, the unique quirks you give them can set them apart and give them that fresh twist you desire.
Step two: Define their personality, their look, their past, dreams…
You need to create a mini-bio for each of your major and minor players. Start with their personality. What is it that makes them tick? What events in their past have led them to this point? What are their dreams for the future? Are they strong willed, intelligent, or just lucky? You decide.
Next, ask yourself what do they look like and what do they wear? Are they fat, disfigured, or other worldly gorgeous?
Classic iconic characters have elements about them that resonate with us forever. Indiana Jones and that hat, Bruce Banner’s transformation into his green skinned alter ego the Hulk, Jason’s hockey mask all iconic elements that each character owned and we all remember.
A quick tip, look around your real life. Look at your friends and family members and all their little quirks. Take from that and exaggerate those elements in an interesting combination like grandpa’s affinity for fake jewelry paired up with your aunts obsession with smoking cigarettes while baking to create a gaudy mother whose known for her horrible baking and emphysema .
Step three: Who’s anybody without their name? In short, nobody unless you’re Clint Eastwood.
Alright you’ve defined your character’s personality, looked into their past, and planned their future. You’ve even given them a unique look with memorable traits. Now it’s time to name your hero, heroin, or arch nemesis. I suggest you give a few resources a try. First, grab a piece of blank paper and a pencil and divide it down the middle. Male names down one side and female names down the other. On the back fill both rows with last names. Now start making up unique combinations that pop when you hear them.
Another cool tool is using one of those baby name books or websites. They’re great because you can not only gain access to thousands of names and variations but you can also find their specific meanings. This can be very helpful now that you’ve defined your character. You can use those elements to pick a name that means relatable to them.
Regardless of your method the goal here is to create somebody that you yourself would care about. Good luck and keep it interesting.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Naming your Characters
So you’ve got an awesome story and have created some memorable characters but aren’t too sure about their names. You can go safe and just do the generic thing but why take that little something extra away from your story when you don’t have to. Instead, use a couple of proven techniques to not only name your cast of players but to do so with enough oomph to make them memorable.
Step one: You spent all that time developing them so use that.
After developing all those cast bio’s as lengthy and in-depth as you’ve seen fit now look into that description to find any element that you feel matches or sums up that character.
Next, use something like Google to search for the meaning of that word or phrase. Even better, you could search out the opposite meaning for some characters to give them an ironic twist with their name sort of like calling a big man, Tiny.
Another great tool for this type of search is one of the many baby name websites that are available to you free of charge. Use these tools to search out the meaning behind names as well as ideas to mix and match your characters as your developing them further.
Then again you can always resort to the old tried and true method of lining up a list of first name and another of last names and start making unique combinations until your satisfied. Feel free to run your top choices by your friends and family if you have any doubt and let them weigh in.
Step two: Think about the period you are writing about.
When writing in an unfamiliar time you should always seek out others who’ve written about your target era. Go online or to the library and search for several works that take place in that era and see what the people are named. Today nobody is naming their kid Jeddah but in 1799 it was a pretty popular name.
Step three: Remember you are writing the story.
Finding a unique, meaningful name is crucial to the process. Although you do need to remember that it is a process. One that will have you typing and retyping that name over and over probably a hundred times over the life of your manuscript. Also, take into count that your reader is going to have to read it over and over so don’t pick a name that is inundating for you or your reader or is something that is a distraction from the creative process.
But, if you insist on a tough name because it “just fits your character” then I have a trick to take the headache out of retyping “Jeddah” a few hundred times.
Most word processors allow you to find/replace select text throughout your document in a few simple key strokes. I like using keystroke patterns from my keyboard like QWERTY or yuyu since they don’t coincide with any regular words.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: More on Names...
When it comes to the names your characters will assume, the elements that go in are definitely going to factor into the elements that come out. Nationality, gender, walks of life, and the era they live in will have to be taken into account. This is especially important when you begin your search for that perfect name for your emotionally unavailable hero.
Step one: Building up your database of names.
As I mentioned in part one on this topic you have resources available to you online that can become invaluable to you during your creative process. One of the tips that I mentioned was using an online baby naming site like babynames.com. There you can build a list of both male and female names as well last names. In addition, you can seek out the meanings behind those names, giving you the opportunity to pick one that actually has some hidden mean for your player.
Then again you can always resort to the old tried and true method of lining up a list of first name and another of last names and start making unique combinations until your satisfied.
I also like the way this process has been automated for us by a number of sites using name generators. The one I found at ficticity.com simply requires you to refresh the page for new names which, honestly, is really all we’re doing only automated.
Step two: Go semi-pro and do a little market research.
I know writing can be a very personal process and part of the fun of writing is revealing your work after you’ve had a chance to polish it. But, if you have a moment where you struggle or get stumped at any point sometimes the best thing to do is give a little reveal to someone you trust and get their input.
In today’s modern age with Facebook and Twitter you can easily post something like this asking for an opinion poll of your followers and high school friends. Not to mention get a little hype built up about your upcoming story that they’ve now been personally involved with and will most likely be more interested in reading because of this fact.
Step three: One last thing. Can I get in trouble if I use the name or likeness of someone I know?
The short answer is, probably not. But, I would never use somebody’s real name simply because what I’m writing is from my mind. Even if it has a basis on something else I still put it out there in my way. This is really what the law supports.
The First Amendment usually protects you if you use someone's name or likeness to create something new that is noticeably your own. Meaning that, generally speaking, you will not be held liable for using someone's name or likeness in a creative, entertaining, or artistic work. That is as long as it has been transformed substantially using creative elements that make it something new rather than a mere depiction of the person.
Tools, research, and legalities, check. Now on to the next step...
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Conflict 101
Conflict by definition is some sort of turmoil. Whether that’s internal conflict or external conflict it doesn’t matter because every story needs both. You see conflict is what makes drama and drama is what makes a reader want to read.
Conflict is what drives your characters forward.
It’s what forces them to into those ever so entertaining positions that force them to grow right before our very eyes. Without conflict what are we left with? Nothing. A scene where everything is just fine, nobody is in trouble, and it’s boring.
Essentially there are two types of conflict that go into a story.
There is internal conflict that happens inside our characters and external conflict that happens outside of our characters to their lives.
Both of these types of conflicts take place throughout three basic parts of any stories main conflict structure. There is the exposition, rising action, and the climax.
The exposition is the beginning of your story. It will probably make up the first two or three chapters of your story. The exposition part of your story introduces your main characters who are your hero and your villain as well as introducing your audience to their main problem that they face.
The rise in action part of your story is the meat of your conflict. This part is actually made up of several smaller scenes in which the hero and the villain battle back and forth. Here’s where you introduce additional mini-problems that can be solved along the way giving your story the depth that’ll make it an entertaining tale.
Finally, it all leads to the climax. That’s the pivotal point in your narrative that tells the audience who finally wins the conflict.
It can be imagined as the big shoot out at the end of that action movie of the part where all the odds come to an end and she finally lands her true loves arms for that cliché kiss. Regardless this is what you’ve built up to so dramatically, the big payoff.
Remembering the basic structure of exposition, rise in action, and climax can also be thought of as act one, act two, and acts three of a play or film. Imagine the storyline as a graph that starts like a flat line that gradually peaks like a mountain top and then decline to an end. I personally like to break my story up into at least nine parts forming my mountain, or story arc, like a staircase heading up to that peak and then even taking a few steps down to a completion. It just helps me to envision all of those mini-problems that take place on the way to my climax.
Regardless, remember your writing to entertain so when it comes to conflict every single page has to play into it. I’m serious; every page has to be involved with your stories conflict to some degree. Even more every scene, every spoken word, everything needs to be fused with this ever-so entertaining element we call conflict.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Internal conflict
One of the key elements to any story is the conflict inside its characters that force them to grow.
One of the two main conflicts that take place usually happens in a place we don’t necessarily see but we definitely feel as we relate with the characters. That element is called internal conflict.
Everyone has flaws and we all are striving for something more just like the characters we create in our stories. Just look around your real life and you’ll see we all know someone who just can’t wait their turn, or someone who is angry all the time, or even someone who is determined to succeed at all cost.
In these individuals there is a reason for those traits. Maybe it’s that they were spoiled growing up and feel they don’t need to wait, or maybe they were verbally abused and they haven’t dealt with those issues yet and so they’re pissed at the world. Regardless, it’s those elements that make up each individuals internal conflict.
That means that internal conflict is the predicaments facing the character and has an impact on that character‘s actions.
A strong internal conflict can make for really great storytelling. That’s why writers will regularly choose conflicts that provoke an emotion response in their audience, like some sort of universal inner need, desire, or belief.
That’s because, like us, our characters have little missing parts in their lives, some sort of horrible experience that has somehow scarred them. This event has made them vulnerable, and now they must confront that event through what’s going to happen to them in your story. This confrontation, whether it's successful or not, is what allows us to see how the character has grown.
In addition, to the internal conflict our character’s go through the other side of that coin is the external conflict that takes place around them that drives their growth through events brought on by their antagonist or nemesis.
CHAPTER NINETEEN: External conflict
In the scope of all that is story telling the drama created is based in conflict.
That conflict comes in the form of an internal conflict which effects the growth of a character and an external conflict which is everything that happens to move the characters towards that growth.
Conflict in storytelling is broken down into several categories that can be easily remembered by their match ups.
The first match up is man verses man or one human against another. Then, there is man verses society or man against the social structure that surrounds them. Next, we have man verses nature. That’s where we have man against the world around him. A great example of this is Tom Hanks’ in Cast Away. This is a story about a guy who gets stranded on an island with nothing but the harsh realities of Mother Nature to torture him. Although, in addition to that turmoil Hanks’ character also has another conflict going on and that’s also our finally match up and that is man verses himself or maybe better put, man against his inner demons.
This leads us to the role of our antagonist or that thing that we’re pitting against man. The internal conflict is the struggle that adds meaning and entertainment value to the external conflict, but it's the external conflict that forces the character to grow.
Those tensions from the choices that our hero has to make are what feeds the story and allows it to move along. It’s those tensions that have us putting ourselves into the story just like we want our readers to do. But for it all to work those choices must have consequences for our character.
These tough choices are forced into our hero’s life by our antagonist.
You see the importance of having this element in their lives is because, like ourselves, our characters won't easily take the difficult, yet more entertaining path at least not until they're forced to. That’s what antagonist does best.
They’re that thing whose goal it is to be the opposite of our hero. But remember this someone doesn’t have to be the stereotypical bad guy; they can be anything that forces the heroes hand so to speak. Because it’s that forcing of the hand that also leads our hero through all the additional depth building little conflicts that eventually lead us to our goal, a worthwhile climax and a fulfilling conclusion to our journey.
CHAPTER TWENTY: Weak spots in fiction
When looking for weak spots in your fictional stories the ability to patch them up quickly and easily is more available then when you’re writing about historical or non-fictional events. That’s because in fiction you have a creative license to rewrite the events taking place unlike when you’re dealing with fact based accounts.
If there are any rules when it comes to fiction writing, I’d have to choose creating as complete a world as possible, and making sure that world is written in language your readers/fans understand.
In order to truly evaluate how well you've done, I suggest you share your work with someone who reads in your particular genre and ask them question. Ask them if the characters seem lifelike from their physical appearances to their personalities? Same goes for your plot. Ask them if there any parts where they got lost or is confused.
Aside from having the privilege of someone reading your work, which can be hard to get, you can reread it yourself and answer those questions and more from an objective stand point. I’ve included ten of them at the end of this article to help you out.
Remember yours settings and your time line; they should be clear to your reader.
Confusing them will not only show a lack of planning on your part but will take them out of that special moment were they’re engulfed in your world. That means study how you've put your story together. Does it flow from one scene to the next? Does it suck them in right from the first page?
Also, be sure to not leave any dangling characters or facts unless you’ve planned to do so especially if they have no real purpose in the story. If you thought something was cool at first but it never manifests then give it the axe. Take it out before it leads to any doubts or confusion.
Alright, here’s a quick list of questions I compiled for you to keep in mind as you run thorough your storyline either in development or upon completion.
- Beginning: do you hook the reader right into the action?
- Middle: does your rising action add conflict and build relentlessly to the crisis?
- End: Is the climax big and believable for your genre?
- Have you chosen an appropriate setting that suits your genre and adds to the plot?
- Are you’re “showing” not “telling” with your descriptions using as many senses as appropriate?
- Are the descriptions delivered in readable bursts, not running on for paragraphs?
- Have you clearly established who your protagonist is?
- Have you clearly established who your antagonist is?
- Have you created minor, but important, characters to support your leads?
- Does your plot, characters and setting work with each other, cohesively as one unit?
Ask yourself these questions and don’t be afraid of making the wrong decisions when it comes to your story because it is after all your story. Trust yourself and your instincts and nobody will be disappointed especially you.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Weak spots in non-fiction
When taking on the task of writing a non-fiction novel one has to understand that the project isn’t like that of a fictional piece. Instead of focusing on developing a world and those that inhabit it, the non-fiction author has another task. That task is called research and there is a lot of it especially if you’re going to fill in the gaps between the main events of your storyline.
It's one of the biggest issues when creating a full and entertaining storyline from someone’s real life. Even when recapping the events that led up to some big event it's those smaller scenes that move the story forward.
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