Food for Thought
Who doesn’t love a good workbook? 🤓
In the third chapter of Lisa Cron’s Story Genius, I discovered there was going to be some workbook-y action involved, and since I’m always fascinated by other people’s writing process, I had a thought. A while back, I got a really awesome SNI (shiny new idea), but it’s having to percolate while I’m trying to finish the book I already started. So … I thought maybe I’d use these activities to try to develop that story and use this space to share them (I can promise the writing will be awful and embarrassing, but I’m putting it out there anyway, so feel free to laugh along with me).
Chapter 3 is all about the “what if,” or the nugget that spawns a story. We’re probably all familiar with the story prompts we used to get in school, but Cron asserts that it’s quite possible we’ve been taught how to follow the “what if” all wrong.
Generally, this question leads us to describe a series of unusual or unexpected events, but by focusing on the events, we completely miss the point. While it’s true that our brains are hardwired for story, a series of unusual or unexpected events isn’t enough to grab us and keep us hooked.
We need context.
If we don’t know why the events matter, it’s just a plot—not a story. Context is what links the events to the protagonist’s inner journey, and this is the key.
Today’s assignment: Draft your “what if”
This was a 4-step process. The first three steps included identifying the pinprick, the moment the story idea popped into your mind as a nugget; then explaining why the idea stuck with you; and then explaining what your point is in telling the story (clichés welcome). Finally, you can draft your “what if.”
This is mine, copied pretty much verbatim from what I scribbled in my notebook:
When a woman discovers that her parents lied about the circumstances of her adoption, she sets out to discover the truth and is drawn into an even darker mystery: what really happened to her birth mother? As she meets her would-be family and explores what could have been her life, she begins to suspect that this perfect little Georgia town holds secrets, the biggest of which is kept inside the house her birthmother called home. When she starts peeling back layers, she finds that wolves in sheep’s clothing exist in unexpected places, that there is no limit to what a mother will sacrifice for her child, and to be very, very careful what you wish for.
Yep, it’s pretty horrible. It’s vague, all over the place, and thick on the clichés, but it’s a start. I’ll keep working on it.
In the meantime, if you want to play along, go for it! 😊📝
Today … Remembering Those Who Gave All
Tip of the Month
If you’re ever stuck or just trying to start writing a story, I LOVE Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. Read. Ponder. And then get to writing! 😎
Read Any Good Books Lately?
Most people who know me know that Diana Gabaldon is my writer crush.
Outlander.
‘Nuff said.
I’ve reached the “G”s in my alphabetical-by-author trip through my Kindle, and my current read is Seven Stones to Stand or Fall. This is a collection of short stories and novellas featuring a few Outlander characters like Lord John Gray, Jamie Fraser and Ian Murray, and Roger MacKenzie’s parents. I’ve read most of them before, separately, but two of them were new in this book. (OMG—Master Raymond & the Comte St. Germain story!! 😳)
Seriously. If you haven’t read the Outlander books, go DO IT NOW (the first 3 or 4 at least)! And then take a gander at Seven Stones to Stand or Fall. 😃
Did You Know?
Most writers and students are relatively familiar with The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. What I did NOT realize until recently was that White is actually E.B. White of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little fame. My jaw might have dropped … Was I the only one who didn’t know that?
And Finally …
Heading into the summer like … ☀️😎