LDS Writer Blogfest

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

LDS Writer Blogfest

Today I want to write about one of the most epic tales (non-fiction) I’ve ever read: The Book of Mormon. I am participating in the 4th annual Mormon Blogfest, where Mormon writers blog about their beliefs. 

If you are not a Mormon, you might ask, what makes the Book of Mormon an epic tale?

Well, it is a volume of Holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It was written by ancient prophets, and contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ for everyone living on the earth in the last days before our Savior returns to the Earth. These prophets lived in the Americas 500 years before Christ, during His mortal life on earth, and about 400 years after his death. They wrote about their spiritual experiences as well as the history of their people.

The reason I love this Holy scripture so much is whenever I have a question or problem in my life, the answer is ALWAYS in the Book of Mormon. I am so, so, grateful to be a Mormon and have this Holy scripture to guide me and my family through these troubled days.

 Here is the link to Kayeleen’s blog to read how being a Mormon affects her life.

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Research

Posted on June 25, 2012 by

Research for writing for a specific time period or culture is a fun yet daunting task, and I’m grateful for Google’s assistance. As I’ve searched the Irish culture and life in Ireland for my short story, I have found interesting facts.

I thought my great-grandparents from Ireland spoke Gaelic, and bought both the Gaelic and Irish language books, and discovered that in the late seventh century, the Irish form of Gaelic language declined and changed to English. The potato famine in the 1840′s killed about a million people and the other million left for America. Most of the remaining people spoke English as they were ruled under the English crown.

The Ellis Island Foundation foundation has a passenger list from the various ships that sailed to Ellis Island in 1910, which is very helpful in choosing which port and ship to send my characters to.

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The Inciting Incident

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Every writing book I’ve read discusses the importance of the inciting incident – the initial surface problem that throws the main character into some form of trouble.

Les Edgerton, author of the fabulous writing book, Hooked teaches that the inciting incident must be written as a scene where the reader experiences and understands the character’s emotion. The moment the protagonist is aware of the initial problem and has to take steps to solve it is one of the most essential aspect of a story. Telling the reader will not be enough.

It’s hard for me to know where to place the inciting incident where my readers has enough information with their current life status to actually care about how the character is affected by the new conflict.

A scene is a unit of drama, and drama is conflict which reaches into the heart, soul, and mind of the character. Melodrama is the physical form of conflict, such as bloody fights, murders, or rapes you see in the movies. Edgerton teaches that melodrama shrieks while drama is quiet yet deep. I love the example he gives of a lion eating an animal while the poor mother watches her offspring’s death with anger and sadness in her eyes. She does not scream or pound her chest though; that would be melodramatic.

She simply watches in silence, and I can picture the terrible scene in my mind.

Do you find it easy or difficult to write the inciting incident scene when starting your novel?

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Story Bible

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

Having a story bible (a place to hold all of your novel planning) is critical   for me as I write my three novels.

Some of the formats you can use are: an electronic file on your computer, such Word, there are new online services that allow you to fill it in as you write, and you can leave the story bible open while you work on your novel.

Here is a list of methods I’ve used:

Character profile: everyone from the main character to the waitress that serves your character’s drinks.
I am a visual person, so I write down their physical characteristics, such as hair color, eye color, etc. I also treat them as though they really exist – where do they live, what is their childhood history, relationship with their families (at least for the crucial characters) what makes them tick, such as are they materialistic, or do they wear the same clothes on an almost daily basis. What kind of education do they have, high school, college, trade school, etc. if/where they work. Are they are in a romantic relationship? Do you want them to be?
One of the most important character profiles for me was why does my antagonist behave the way he does? What his his childhood like?

Next I wrote about the setting of my book, in the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania area. Since I used to live there, I know which ice cream shops and restaurants to send them to. I even printed out pictures of homes I want my main characters to live in. :)

Potential plot conflicts are another important area for me: should my villain attempt to kill off my protagonist and anyone who gets in his way, or not make him too evil. Making this decision in the beginning helps keep me focused if I’m not in a ‘mean’ mood. What conflict should I include for my both the protagonist and antagonist? I think of some ideas and write them in my developing scenes outline. Each chapter had a general outline of what needed to happen, but I was free to add in additional scenes.

My story bible also holds some words I looked up in the thesaurus so I could think of different ways to write commonly used words: walk, talk etc. My binder is large so I can add additional bits of information when I find it.

Have you tried using a story bible?

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Protagonists and Heroes

Posted on May 6, 2012 by
As I start to write a new novel, I ask myself: Who is at the center of my novel? Is he/she a protagonist (main character)? A hero?
In The Fire In Fiction by Donald Maass, says: “Every protagonist can be a hero, even from the opening pages. That quality is essential if readers are to tag along with your main character for hundreds of pages.”

I hadn’t thought of making any of my protagonists heroes, just characters showing us how they deal with and learn from their difficult life experiences. Maass also says, “you need only find in your human being what is strong, and in your strong human what is real. Even greatness can be signaled from the onset.”

That sounds good, but I wondered how do you find your protagonist’s strength?

Step one: It depends on how you created him/her! Depending on the personality they have, you can find any kind of strength, even something small, such as caring about someone, or longing for hope or change.

Step two: Provide a way for that strength to be demonstrated within your protagonist’s first five pages. This is known as the inciting incident, where the protagonist first encounters the change/problem. Any time you have a major life change: move, marriage, new job, or loss of a job are perfect starting plot points.

Step three: Revise your character’s introduction to your readers so they feel this story is worth their time, that it will greatly stir and impact your readers and stay with them.

It has taken me a while to determine my protagonists strength, but I think I’m getting closer to showing it in the first five pages.

Have you had success with finding and showing your protagonist’s strength in the first five pages? Any tips you wish to share?

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