I hope that you are hanging in there and pushing through your story design. If you find yourself thinking, "Nevermind, this story is going to be stupid," I can assure you that the voice you hear in your mind is fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of someone looking at a thing you are proud of, and saying that it is not very good. Fear of failure is a voice that feeds off of the ego. To keep fear alive, you have to continue to center your ego as the priority in everything that you do. If you ever shove ego out of the way and center the priority of your efforts as your passion, your purpose, your desire to help others, or your commitment to leave a legacy, then fear loses steam and fizzles out. Now that I have hopefully helped you get over a little of your hesitation is pushing forward, let's jump back into writing. Moving from planning to drafting is an essential next step. So what should you write down first? I have found that if you find a point at which to begin the story, then the rest will unfold. The question is, at what point does your story begin?. I have included writing prompts below, designed to get the words flowing. You may choose the one that works for you or try out all three of them to see which one leads you to a place where the words come easily. I have also included a few tips for "setting the scene" as you begin drafting your story. WRITING PROMPTS:
1. The room practically vibrated with the sound of ____________,but in that moment, all __________could hear was_______________. 2.________________sat motionless with (his/her) feet pressed against the cool tile of the floor waiting for the sound of________________pulling into the driveway. 3. The smell of _____________wafted through the air, instantly transporting ____________back to her childhood summers in ________________. She closed her eyes and thought of the ________. You must establish early on in your story that you are going to take your readers on a real journey. They want to know they will be able to feel and smell and hear what the characters feel and smell and hear. You do not want to slow your story down by getting lost in the descriptive details, but you do want the reader to be able to place themselves in the story effortlessly. To that end, approach every story in a way that engages all five of the senses. Some people may think that this arduous task is reserved for romance writers, but I assure you that it is not. One of the reasons I do not enjoy romance novels is the repetition of salacious scenes. There are only so many times that you can repeat a set of similar events before a story feels lazy and contrived. Follow the tips below to keep your story moving without leaving your reader behind. Tips for Setting the Scene:
Any time your characters are in a new setting, establish these five things: 1. What they are feeling. 2. What they are hearing. 3. What they are seeing. 4. Who else is present. 5. Are you building the conflict in your story or resolving it through this moment? If you keep those factors top of mind as you describe the setting and write dialogue, you will not stall out. Now get writing and shoot me a message if you get stalled out. The Bird House Publishing site provides for group chat through the forum, live chat, and other fantastic new-author support tools.
If you get lost in your writing journey you can always go back to the previous "Finding Your Story" posts and regroup.
Comments