"IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME"
THE CREATION OF A STORY
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED WHAT GOES IN
TO CREATING A STORY? UNLIKE GOD, I DON’T POSSESS THE POWER TO SIMPLY SPEAK
THINGS INTO EXISTENCE.
ALTHOUGH IT IS A LITTLE LIKE THAT, ONLY I USE A KEYBOARD
AND THE IMAGINATION HE GAVE ME.
MOREOVER, THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT DEVELPOING
A STORY LINE? NO, WELL I’LL TELL YOU. FIRST YOU BEGIN WITH FIVE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS, CHARACTERS, SETTING, PLOT CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION?
I HAVE TO BE INSPIRED FIRST TO WRITE,
AND OFTEN LOOK FOR THINGS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SUCH AS BOOKS, MOVIES, THE NEWS
BELIEVE IT OR NOT AND A FEW OTHER THINGS.
I TRY TO STAY RELEVANT WHEN I’M
WRITING, FOCUS ON SITUATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW AND USE THIS AS
INSPIRATION FOR MY STORIES.
I DON’T USE OUTLINES, OR LAYOUTS TO DESIGN OR PLAN
ANY OF MY MANUSCRIPTS BEFORE I BEGAN WRITING THEM. FOR THOSE WHO DO, THERE’S
NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS STYLE OF WRITING, BUT IT MAKES ME THINK OF WHEN I WAS
STUDYING TO BECOME A PROGRAMMER AND USED FLOWCHARTS TO DIAGRAM HOW THE PROGRAM
WOULD WORK.
BASICALLY, IT ALL STARTS WITH AN IDEA. MOST OF MY IDEAS OR SLEEP
BORN, WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THEY OCCUR WHILE I DREAM. I’VE AWAKEN IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FUMBLING FOR PAD AND PEN THAT’S NEVER FAR AWAY. ALWAYS ON
MY BED IN HANDS REACH. USUALLY, IT’S A PARTICULAR SCENE AND THE WAY MY BRAIN
DEPICTS THINGS IS NEVER IN ORDER. WHAT
I’M SEEING MIGHT OCCUR FURTHER IN THE STORY.
LET’S USE LOVE UNREQUITED FOR
INSTANCE, MY SECOND BOOK, (AVAILABLE AT ALL ONLINE RETAILERS) JUST SOME FYI,
BUT ANYWAY, WHEN I WROTE THIS BOOK IT CAME TO ME IN SEQUENCES, IN PARTS.
SO I
WOULD WRITE THEM DOWN AND KEEP IN MIND, I KNEW EXACTLY WHERE THEY WOULD FIT IN
THE STORY. EVEN BEFORE I’D WRITTEN ONE CHAPTER. THERE’S THIS PARTICULAR SCENE,
A DREAM, ANALISE, SHE IS THE FEMALE LEAD OF THE STORY BUT IT’S A CLUB SCENE
WHERE BENNIE BKA BENOIT, HER HOT PUERTO RICAN LOVE INTEREST HAPPENS TO OWN. SHE
SEE’S ALL THE WOMEN FROM HIS PAST THROUGH A DREAMLIKE VISION.
THIS IS HOW I WAS
ABLE TO WRITE THE ENTIRE STORY BASED ON THIS ONE SCENE THAT STARTED IT ALL FOR
ME. I LOVE THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING STORY LINES, AS WELL, CHARACTERS. IF YOU’VE
READ ANY OF MY BOOKS, YOU’LL DISCOVER THAT I AM A DIVERSE WRITER. I LOVE
VIBRANT SCENERY AND HISTORY.
I LOVE HISTORY. AND ALWAYS TRY TO SPRINKLE A FEW HISTORICAL
FACTS, HERE AND THERE, THAT PERTAIN TO A PLACE OR EVEN A PERSON THROUGHOUT THE
STORY. AND IF I MAY USE ANOTHER EXAMPLE: MY CURRENT BOOK, “IF TOMORROW COMES”, NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK AND EBOOK, TAKES PLACE IN NEW YORK.
WELL WE
ALL KNOW THE CITY IS MADE UP OF BOROUGHS, MANHATTAN, IS THE PARTICULAR BACKDROP
FOR THIS STORY THOUGH, ESSENTIALLY WASHINGTON HEIGHTS.
HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER
SEEN THE MOVIE SUGAR HILL, OR HARLEM NIGHTS? WELL WASHINGTON HEIGHTS IS IN THIS
AREA OF THE CITY, BKA AS DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN. VERY HISTORICAL, IN FACT BEFORE
WASHINGTON BECAME OUR COUNTRY’S FIRST PRESIDENT, HE WAS A GENERAL IN THE
REVOLUTIONARY ARMY AND WASHINGTON HEIGHTS WAS HIS COMMAND POST THIS MILITARY
FORTRESS FOR THE CONTINENTAL ARMY.
I TRY NOT TO INUNDATE YOU WITH TOO MANY
HISTORICAL FACTS, BUT ENOUGH THAT IS RELEVANT TO THE STORY. ANYWAY I SPREAD
WELL KNOWN TIDBITS THROUGHOUT THE STORY, AND SOME FACTS MOST PEOPLE MIGHT NOT
EVEN BE AWARE OF. THIS IS MY REASON FOR INCORPORATING THEM IN THE STORY.
ANYWAY
MY POINT IS IS THAT I USE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS TO BUILD ON AND HELP DEVELOP A
STORY. THE MORE FACTUAL CONTENT YOU BRING TO A STORY WILL HELP MAKE THE CHARACTERS BELIEVABLE AS WELL.
A PERFECT SEGUE AS WE MOVE ON TO THE CHARACTERS. WE ALL
LOVE STRONG HANDSOME MALE LEADS IN ANY STORY, BUT YOU ALSO NEED AN EQUALLY
DIVERSE FEMALE TO HELP CARRY THE STORY AS WELL.
WHAT ABOUT THE NAMES? WHAT’S IN
A NAME, YOU MIGHT ASK? WELL SHAKESPEARE SAID IT BEST, AND COULDN’T HAVE COME UP
WITH BETTER ONES, LIKE ROMEO AND JULIET TO SPIN A BEAUTIFUL TALE.
I TRY NOT TO
BE TOO UNIQUE, OR TRADITIONAL. BUT I FEEL NAMES SHOULD REPRESENT SOMETHING
PERSONAL AND LASTING FOR EACH CHARACTER. I WANT THEM TO BE RELATABLE AND CATCHY
AT THE SAME TIME.
I MEAN IF YOU'RE WRITING A PERIOD PEACE, THEN YOU’D CHOOSE
NAMES MORE ALONG THOSE LINES. SUCH AS EMILY, ABIGAIL, CHARITY, CHARLES, ROGER,
NEIL, LANGSTON.. YOU GET THE PICTURE.
ARE ULTRA MODERN ONES, SUCH AS VOLTRESS,
ENCHANTRESS.. SEE WHERE I’M GOING. AND OF COURSE MY FAVORITE GENRE ROMANCE, I
TEND TO USE CONTEMPORARY NAMES LIKE NINA, NYROBI, ZAIYRE, KATURAH, SOLEDAD,
JACOBI, JOAQUIN, I KNOW VERY ETHNIC SOUNDING BUT DEPENDING ON WHERE THE STORY TAKES
PLACE I TRY TO MATCH THE NAMES TO FIT THE DESIGN OF THE STORY.
I TRY TO USE
NAMES OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE HISTORICAL FIGURES TOO. WHETHER THEY ARE FELLOW
AUTHORS, DANCERS, POETS OR LEADERS.
I FEEL AS THOUGH I OWE ALL OF THESE
INDIVIDUALS WHO INSPIRED ME IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AN HONORABLE MENTION.
OKAY, LETS MOVE ON TO THE STORY LINE DETAILS. WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DESCRIBE TO THE AUDIENCE? WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE
TRYING TO TELL THEM IN THE PARTICULARS? HOPEFULLY A LOT. BECAUSE THERE ARE NO
PICTURES TO GUIDE THEM, SO WE USE VISUAL IMAGERY TO DESCRIBE WHAT’S TAKING
PLACE IN THE STORY. DIANA GALBADON, AS YOU KNOW IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS.
THIS WOMAN IS AN EXTREMELY GIFTED WRITER, AND VISIONARY STORYTELLER. WHO TAKES
YOUR MIND ON A VISUAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORDS SHE’S WRITTEN.
SUCH A
DESCRIPTIVE WRITER SHE MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU SEE EVERYTHING IN VIVID DETAIL
AS IF YOU HAVE CLIMBED IN BETWEEN THE PAGES, AND RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDST OF
THE STORY. BE PREPARED, FOR A CENSORIAL FEAST OF THE MIND. I KID YOU NOT, AND
THIS BY THE WAY IS HOW YOU CREATE A STORY. ONE THAT IS MEMORABLE, AND TOUCHING,
COMPELLING, DETAILED AND WELL SPOKEN. CONSISTENT FROM BEGINNING TO END, WITH NO
LEFT OVER PARTS THAT WILL LEAVE YOU HANGING WONDERING WHAT IN THE WORLD
HAPPENED.
NOW LETS TALK A BIT ABOUT
EMOTION. HOW DO WE INFUSE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EMOTIONAL TURMOIL IN A STORY?
WELL I DON’T BELIEVE THERE ARE ANY SET GUIDELINES, IT’S ANOTHER NECESSARY
ELEMENT TO DRIVE THE STORY AND PULL IN THE READER. NOW THERE IS SUCH A THING AS
OVERKILL, NATURALLY THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN YOU’LL TAKE THE READER ON AN
EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER. BUT DON’T OVER DO IT. IT’S LIKE A PRESCRIPTION FOR
MEDICATION, USE ACCORDINGLY AND SOMETIMES ONLY WHEN NEEDED.
I’VE READ BOOKS THAT WERE FILLED WITH SO MANY
EMOTIONAL TWIST AND TURNS THAT I HAD TO CLOSE IT UP AND PLACE IT AT THE BOTTOM
OF MY TO READ STACK. BUT AGAIN THE RIGHT
AMOUNT OF EMOTION IS NEEDED TO COMPEL THE STORY TO AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL.
I LOVE
A GOOD BOOK THAT MAKES ME CRY, OR HAPPY. ESPECIALLY THE ENDING WHEN THE HEROIN AND HERO GET THROUGH ALL THE OBSTACLES AND ARE HAPPY AS WELL.
I KNOW I MENTIONED THE FIVE DETAILS
OF HOW A STORY IS CREATED. BUT MY MAIN FOCUS IS MORE SO ON THE MECHANICS OR
TECHNIQUES OF STORY WRITING.
WE’VE COVERED A LOT OF THINGS, ALL IMPORTANT DETAILS, BUT LETS TALK ABOUT PLOTS. I LOVE A WELL LAID OUT PLOT LINE TOO. ONE
THAT IS NOT TOO PREDICTABLE OR TWISTY, BUT HAS ENOUGH INTRIGUE TO KEEP ME ON
THE EDGE OF MY SEAT. I THINK THIS IS WHY I LOVE BOOKS THAT ARE SERIES. BECAUSE
THE PLOT GROWS AND THE STORY CONTINUES, VERY EXCITING.
NOW WE NEED A RESOLUTION.
YES FOLKS
ALL GOOD THINGS DO COME TO AN END. BUT HOW YOU WRAP UP THE ENDING OF THE STORY
IS CRUCIAL AS WELL. THE END HAS TO BE A HAPPY ONE, UNLESS AS I STATED BEFORE
THE STORY IS A CONTINUATION. IN WHICH CASE WHEN YOU COME TO THE END OF THE SERIES
THERE STILL HAS TO BE A CONCLUSION.
NOW I’M NOT OPPOSED TO A TWIST AT THE END
AS LONG AS IT MAKES SENSE. BUT A GOOD FINISH IS VERY VITAL NOT ONLY TO THE
STORY BUT THE WRITER AS WELL. TRUTHFULLY IF THE ENDING IS JACKED UP YOU ARE
LESS LIKELY TO READ ANOTHER BOOK BY THAT AUTHOR AGAIN. WE DON’T WANT THAT TO
HAPPEN SO KEEP THIS IN MIND.
WELL I DO BELIEVE WE’VE COVERED EVERY
DETAIL AND HOPE THAT I’VE BROUGHT SOME CLARITY TO YOU TODAY WITH THE SHOW. IT
IS MY EXPRESSED DESIRE TO BE HELPFUL IN THESE BROADCAST. I DON’T KNOW
EVERYTHING AND DON’T EXPECT YOU TO EITHER. BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS WE NEVER STOP
LEARNING, AND GROWING AS WRITERS.
GOOD ADVICE IS STILL ONE OF THE BEST TOOLS A
WRITER CAN HAVE.
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