"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.