Written by Kim on December 18, 2009
I love it when someone takes a concept that is normally complicated and explains it in a way that makes it very easy for everyone to understand. Ray at Writer Unboxed does this in a post where he outlines story telling at is most fundamental level. It goes like this:
1. Once upon a time . . . The beginning, the setting of the scene, the introduction of a character
2. Every day . . . The life of the character as it is, and is about to be disrupted
3. Until this . . . Something happens, the inciting incident, that throws a character’s life out of whack
4. Because of this . . . The character reacts with an attempt to put her life back on track, but there are complications.
5. Because of this . . . The effort fails, and then the character tries again (there can be a series of these), and there are complications.
6. Until finally . . . The climax, the point in the story that the character achieves her goal
7. For every day . . . The resolution, the tying of things together (or not, if you have an ironic ending) that completes the story experience
Head on over to Writer Unboxed and take a look at the example story that Ray included. You’ll see immediately that this story shape (I don’t feel comfortable calling it a template) has so many uses. It is a great brainstorming activity for short story and novel ideas. It’s also a great journal entry. If you’re a teacher, you could use it to teach a unit on creative writing. Best of all, it would make a great party game, particularly after everyone’s had a few drinks.
In: Writing, Tagged:novels,short stories,Writing
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Written by Kim on November 30, 2009
It’s 7:15am on Monday, November 30th and I’m sitting here at my laptop as I have done every morning since November 1st. What makes this morning different is that I just finished typing my 50,160th word for National Novel Writing Month. (Excuse me while I do my happy dance!)
At the end of October, I wrote a post in which asked if I would have what it takes to write a novel in a month. The question I should have asked instead was would I have what I takes to write 50,000 words in a month. The answer: an enthusiastic yes!
When I first decided to participate in NaNoWriMo, 50,000 words seemed like a huge challenge, one I would have a hard time accomplishing. Now that I’ve gotten to 50,000 words, it doesn’t seem to be that much anymore, especially since my novel isn’t done yet. I still have about another 40,000 words to write before it’s completed. But if it weren’t for NaNo I don’t think I would be writing it.
With NaNo done I wonder if I will have the same drive to get up every morning at 5:30 to write my requisite 1600-2000 words now that I don’t have a hard and fast deadline hanging over my head anymore. If I am committed to getting this thing published, I will.
My goal is to finish my first draft by Christmas.
In: NaNoWriMo, Writing, Tagged:NaNoWriMo,Writing
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Written by Kim on November 15, 2009
I have a new piece up at Pajamas Media about fall coming to the northwoods. This is a companion piece to my article about spring coming to the northwoods that was published at the end of May. Here’s a portion of today’s article:
Late October is always a bittersweet time of the year here in northern Michigan. Unlike the yearning we feel for spring after a hard winter, we feel a bit melancholy as we prepare the equipment from our AuSable River canoe livery for their long winter hibernation.
Cleaning up and repairing the canoes and kayaks for their wintertime trestles and deflating and storing the rafts and tubes in the barn feels a bit like saying farewell to old friends at the end of summer camp. We have our memories of lazy days canoeing down river, watching the trout jump, and while we know we’ll see them again next season when the softening breezes gently awaken the pines and the hardwoods from their winter slumbers, we are still a bit wistful about saying good-bye.
At the same time, though, fall is the most glorious of all the four seasons up north. While hot, leisurely days on the river lull us into sleepy summer dreaming, autumn sharpens our senses. We crawl out of our beds one morning in October to find the air has crisped, as we are jolted out of our summer stupors. The red maples and red oaks recast their lush, green leaves into reds so brilliant that they seem to make the rest of the world around them look drab. As the rich red leaves fall from their branches, they mingle on wooded pathways with the burnished gold leaves of the birch and aspen trees, forming a colorful mosaic — a ground quilt that tempts us from our work to come explore in the wilderness.
Please head over to PJM and check it out.
In: Nature Writing, Tagged:autumn,change of seaons,Nature Writing,up north,Writing
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Written by Kim on November 11, 2009
I crawled out of bed at 5:35AM to work on my novel, just as I have the past week and half. As I trudged downstairs I noticed that something was different this morning. I wasn’t awake as I normally was and I figured out why almost instantly. I wasn’t as excited about getting in front of my computer to write another 1,600+ words as I had been other mornings.
As I sat down and turned on my desk lamp, I heard a little voice in my head that whispered, wouldn’t it be nice to go back to bed? This was the first time I had heard this voice since I started NaNoWriMo and it made me a little nervous.
But I ignored the temptation, got my laptop warmed up, and opened my novel. Scrolling down to where I left off yesterday morning, I reread my last few paragraphs and made myself write.
Before I knew it, I had 600 words written. I patted myself on the back and then got up to make myself a pot of coffee. The excitement of wanting to know what would happen next was returning. That was what I was afraid of this morning: that writing this novel was starting to lose its excitement and that I would be tempted to find excuses to not write.
Once my coffee was brewing, I plopped my butt back into my chair and kept tapping away at my computer. A few hundred words later, low and behold something wonderful happened. My character had a turning point, a mini epiphany. It was a wonderful moment for her and for me.
Her problem is far from over, of course, because I’ve still got 33,000 words, probably more, to write. But she and the story felt renewed by the time I finished my 1850 words this morning. I can’t wait to get started again tomorrow morning.
In: NaNoWriMo, Writing, Tagged:NaNoWriMo,novels,Writing
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Written by Kim on November 7, 2009
I was so psyched to begin my very first attempt at writing a novel in 3o days for NaNoWriMo. My novel was in my head and my notes were in my journal. I was raring to go. By the end of the second day I had 3,600 words and was thrilled with how well it was going.
Just as I got started, however, real life stepped in. Monday morning my four year old daughter started throwing up. The poor thing had the stomach flu, so I put the writing on hold. She has physical and speech disabilities that require additional attention so I was by her side almost the entire time. I did not feel comfortable taking time away from her to write until Tuesday night when she was safely in bed with a healthy tummy.
Wednesday morning I was up at 5:15 am once again and tapping away at my laptop. I wrote two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening after the kids were in bed. By Friday night I had 8,100 words, and after writing for about an hour and a half this morning I have reached 9,593 words. When I crawl into bed tonight I should top 10,000 words, so I am close to catching up.
There will no writing for me this afternoon, though. My husband and I are taking our three kids to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum for some fun. I’ll be back here at my laptop later tonight.
In: NaNoWriMo, Writing, Tagged:creative writing,moms,NaNoWriMo,Words,Writing
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Written by Kim on October 31, 2009
I’ve got my concept down. My main character has her name. She’s got a story and all I have to do is get it down on paper by November 30th. I’ve got thirty days to write 50,000 words.
Here’s my strategy. Each day my goal is to write four well fleshed out scenes. Hopefully that will get me at least 1,667 words a day. If not, then I’ll have to tweak my goals.
Now, when to write? The best time for me is to get up at 5:30 in the morning and write for two hours. Night time is more difficult for me because I’ve got three young kids who love their mommy time and by the time they get in bed I’m tired. However, in order to stay ahead I’ll have to find time to write at night no matter how exhausted I may be. With Thanksgiving and a possible weekend trip to Chicago, I’ll need that word insurance.
Hopefully I won’t run into too much difficulty moving through the storyline. If I do, the only thing I can do in that situation is to to keep writing, no matter what. Even if what ends up on the screen is crap, that’s fine. My goal is to finish. I can revise in the next few months.
I think I’ve got a very good concept that has a shot at becoming something. What it needs is commitment and one month is not too much to ask to bring the this story to life. All I have to do is get it from my brain onto the page.
Easy peasy, right?
Not really. But it will be a great challenge.
In: NaNoWriMo, Writing, Tagged:NaNoWriMo
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Written by Kim on October 27, 2009
Even professional writers can use fresh tools to exercise the parts of their brain that may not have been used in a while. Meryl Evans wrote a post last week about muscle memory and writing. She made the point that as writers we need to continually work our brain to keep it limber and strong. If we’ve gotten into the habit of writing in one particular style or genre, maybe research writing or SEO focused web writing, we need to cross train, if you will. We need to continually keep our brain, our writing muscle, in tune by working different parts periodically. Meryl ended her post with this question:
How do you pump your writing muscle memory?
Here’s my suggestion. This is a writing exercise that I came up with when I taught college level Composition I about 14 years ago, but it is also a great journal exercise for any writer, amateur or professional.
It was always a challenge finding interesting exercises for my students that made writing a lot of fun. Usually I brought in a controversial article or a thought provoking aphorism and asked them to put their interpretations onto paper. Sometimes these exercises were turned in for grades. Sometimes they weren’t.
One exercise that I created was particularly effective in jolting their creativity to life. I brought in a portable CD player. I told my students to take out notebook paper and a pen and nothing else. This was a free writing exercise. No dictionary and no editing. Their job was to put the pen to paper and write without concerning themselves with editing or revising.
I played Cursom Perficio by Enya. I had two reasons for choosing this track. First, the lyrics are in Latin, so they couldn’t influence my students’ interpretation of the song. Second, it has a haunting melody that lent itself perfectly to what I was trying to do.
Here’s the process:
With their pens down, I played the song through one time so they could become familiar with it. All they had to do at that point was just listen to the music.
Then I played the song again. Pens were still down. This time, however, I told them to close their eyes and focus on the music. I wanted them to really let go and allow the song to penetrate their imaginations and tell them a story. Their job was to let the story unfold in their minds and to remember everything they saw, smelled, heard, etc.
Once the song was over, they were to pick up their pens and start writing. And let me tell you they couldn’t write fast enough. The words spilled out onto the paper. When they were all done, I picked out a few students who were comfortable reading their stories to the rest of the class.
This exercise turned what my students thought was barren land – their creative minds – into seriously fertile ground. They honestly didn’t think they were capable of writing the compelling, creative, and in some cases bizarre stories that they scribbled on the paper in front of them. Many were older students who had given up on school years ago but reentered college out of necessity because they needed new skills. Some were moms who stayed at home to raise their kids and wanted to do something for themselves for once. No matter what their life experiences, they entered the class convinced that writing wasn’t for them. By the time they left class that day, their perspectives were altered.
In: Writing, Tagged:creative writing,exercises,free writing,journal writing,muscle memory
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Written by Kim on October 26, 2009
I guess I’ll know the answer to that question at midnight, November 30th.
I entered this year’s NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Anyone who is a glutton for punishment loves a good writing challenge can sign up and participate. The purpose is to dive in and work furiously to complete a 50,000 word novel in one month. Since I’ve never written a novel in my life and am doing this completely on a whim, I was relieved when I read in NaNoWriMo’s About page that the one and only goal is to complete the novel, which in the end means quantity over quality. My goal, of course, is to achieve both. I don’t know if I’m being refreshingly optimistic or foolishly naive, but I will do my best.
My plot idea is fun and compelling (it had better be, right?) but I still have to flesh out all my characters. Thankfully, I’ve got another week to do that and work on the outline. Then come November 1st, it’s off to the races.
In: NaNoWriMo, Writing, Tagged:fiction,NaNoWriMo,Writing
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Written by Kim on October 22, 2009
Amazon’s Kindle is one of my favorite gadgets. My husband gave it to me as a birthday gift last June. After using it for almost five months, I can say it is one of my husband’s best presents.
I love that I can toss what would have been just a few years ago a back-breaking stack of books into my bag and head out the door without a second thought. When I take my daughter to physical or speech therapy, I can open my Kindle, peruse the selection of books I have on hand, sit back and dive in as I wait for her to finish her appointment.
These are only a handful of the books that I purchased for my Kindle:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen
The Renegade Writer – Linda Formichelli. Diana Burrell
2009 Writer’s Market Complete – Robert Brewer
I never read any Sherlock Holmes when I was young (yes I know it’s hard to believe), so I am thoroughly enjoying these stories right now. That reminds me. I’d like to download a Alexandre Dumas book.
I am convinced that the Kindle is a great gadget for moms. A lot of moms love to read when the get a few minutes to themselves. Reading an engrossing novel takes them away from their stress better than Calgon ever could. It keeps their minds and imaginations sharp as well. And, boy, is it convenient. They can take their entire libraries with them everywhere they go, so when they get those few quiet moments, they can pull out the Kindle from their purses or diaper bags, choose the book they want and start reading exactly where they left off.
It’s a wonderful thing and right on target.
In: Reading, Tagged:Amazon,Kindle,moms,novels,Reading
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Written by Kim on October 17, 2009
In May of this year my editor at Pajamas Media asked me to write a piece that captured what it was like when spring finally came to the northwoods after a long, hard winter. It was completely different from what he asked of me before, which were my thoughts on various political issues and events. Excited about the opportunity to expand my writing portfolio to nature writing, I jumped in enthusiastically. This is what I came up with:
As I stood at the kitchen window that faced south toward the gravel parking lot of our canoe livery and fly shop, I felt the breeze drift in. I stopped what I was doing, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. The freshness of the air was glorious.
Even though my two younger children were at the dining room table waiting for lunch, I made myself stand there and embrace the warm air. It only takes one Up North winter to learn that you do not take a moment like this for granted. After a few slow, deep breaths, I could sense it. Pine. There is nothing more invigorating than the scent of fresh pine as it lingers in the air. It’s one of the reasons I love living Up North.
Living in northern Michigan requires a kind of hardiness of spirit because the winters, while breathtaking in their beauty, are something to endure. To appreciate what it is like to travel the long journey of the winter months and come out on the other side to spring, you have to experience it fully by living in the Northwoods. It is not enough to come up for a weekend or two. You have to feel the transformation of the air, as crisp fall days slowly turn cold and then bitter. You have to witness the snow that falls before Thanksgiving, continues until early April, and is punctuated by hearty snowstorms. By the time March arrives your bones ache for spring, and any sign no matter how small gives you hope that warm, leisurely days on the river will soon arrive.
Those earliest signs of spring can be elusive. Even when the snowdrifts are still so deep that you sink to your waist, the air can carry the subtle but unmistakable warm scent of spring. It is a sign that the pines and the hardwoods are stirring as they approach the end of a long hibernation. I was snowshoeing through the path in the wood at the back of our property when I got my first trace of the softening of the trees. I maneuvered my snowshoes over and around a fallen tree, when the wind whistled through the needles and caught me full in the face. I stopped, put my face in the air, and inhaled deeply the distinct and unmistakable warmth and freshness that signaled spring. It was at that moment that I knew the days would be different. My mood and my attentions shifted to spring.
Then, as I stood in front of the kitchen sink and savored the pines, I noticed the tiny green buds peeking out of the branches just outside the window. Just the week before the cherry trees had been bare and expressionless but now the buds swelled from their branches, and in just another week or so, there would be blossoms in their place. My mind flashed forward to July and to the aroma of freshly baked homemade cherry pies.
My attention was drawn through the branches to the three SUVs that were parked in our gravel lot. Six fly fishermen, lawyers from downstate, had ventured north for their annual fishing trip, a getaway from their frenetic world even if only for a day or two. I could tell by watching the way they unloaded their fly rods and their gear and strapped on their waders that they were relieved to be in the north. Their movements were animated and they laughed big, like men who had just had a burden lifted from their shoulders. Just a few yards away was the river they had waited all winter to visit.
Like so many fishermen before them, these men were drawn to the historic AuSable River and its calm, steady current that winds its way from Grayling to Lake Huron. The stretch of the river we call home is just below the Mio Dam. It is a wild portion of the river that eagles, cranes, ducks, beavers, and other animals call home. Anglers from all over the world have come to call it the Trophy Waters because of its large number of trophy-sized brown and rainbow trout.
The six lawyer-fishermen will ply their fly fishing skills here, which they have done for several years now. With hands firmly gripping graphite rods instead of pens and Blackberries, they will cast tight fly lines and watch intently as the Hendricksons, StoneFlies, and Blue Wing Olives they bought at our shop settle on the surface of the riffles. They will stay on the river all day and into the early darkness, waiting, hoping for the sudden thrill that comes when a fish finally rises and bites. But these men were drawn here for more than just the trout and the beauty of the river.
Like the softening of the trees after a hard winter, the AuSable can soften and renew a spirit that has been worn down by the stress of a busy and out of control life.
Pajamas Media is a site dedicated to news, technology, lifestyle, finances, science and technology, and conservative politics and policies. You’d think a nature writing piece would seem to be a bit out of place, but the readers at PJM enjoyed it and left some wonderful comments.
Since the spring piece was so well received, my editor has asked me to write another article that captures the essence of what it’s like when fall arrives in the north. I’m looking forward to writing it.
If you like this piece and think I can help you with a writing project, please contact me. I’d love to talk to you about it.
In: Nature Writing, Writing, Tagged:exposition,freelance writing,Nature Writing,northern michigan
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