Articles On Writing

Our plotting stage is our testing area.
Everything in the plot should be tested for its effectiveness before we put in into our stories. If you believe something in your plot could be better, make it better.
Figuring everything out in your plot will save you time rewriting later.
So how do you test your plot?
Start with everything that has gone into it.
For example...
 Are the events interesting?
 Does your plot contain problems for the character to solve?
 Have you given your character a goal?
 Is the conflict strong?
 Is the resolution of the conflict interesting?
 Is the character interesting?
 Is the setting of the story interesting?
 Will the incident or situation be interesting to your readers?
 Etc
Make a list of what your plot contains. Comb through it carefully and tick off each item. If you find that some things need to be worked on some more, work on them.
I know to some this might be tedious work, but…
“Every one-minute you spend in planning will save you at least three minutes in execution.” Crawford Greenwald

© Nick Vernon
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Writing is a creative process and how every writer chooses to create, is individual to them. Likewise, with plotting, every writer plots at a level they are comfortable with.Some just plot the bare essentials. They have a firm idea of the story they want to write and have a good memory to be able to memorize everything.
Others go into more detail. These writers prefer to figure everything out before they write the story.
How you plot will also depend on your level of experience. For the beginner, it’s recommended to plot thoroughly.
Before writing, think of every possible situation. Plot events thoroughly, plot scenes to the last detail and generally leave no questions unasked or unanswered. This way you will always know where you’re going.
Are You Using The ‘What If’ Technique When Plotting?
Your short story of 500, 2.000, 10.000 words or whatever word length you choose to write, will spring from a single idea - Perhaps a one-sentence idea.
So when you are still in that one sentence stage, using the ‘What If,’ technique is a good way of generating ideas to build on that initial story idea.
While you are in the plotting stage, experiment. Your aim should be to write the best story you can. Experiment to see what bits and pieces you can put together to write the best story ever.
So using ‘What If,’ ask yourself questions then answer them…
 What if the character was like this?
 What if this happened to him?
 What if I placed him in this situation? How would he react?
 What if I took this away from him?
 What if his worst fear came true?
 What if he doesn’t get what he wants? What will he do?
 What if I placed this obstacle in his path? What will he do?
You’ll be surprised what you come up with, if you take the time to experiment.

© Nick Vernon
Source: Free Guest Posting Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Write from the heart - that's all you really need to do.
Never try to second guess the market or try to be clever with your audience - or those who would help you achieve your aims.
Be true to yourself and be honest with your readers - because that's the only way to create anything of value and to sustain an artistic career of any kind.
It's easy to get fooled by the system into thinking that you work to get paid, therefore you can write anything for money - but it doesn't really work like that.
Not with art anyway. Not with anything creative.
Creativity requires more than just turning up and punching the clock.
Writing, painting, sculpting, playing an instrument, making movies, anything that requires personal expression, needs a soul at work.
Your soul - your time and passion and commitment.
That's what creativity of any kind demands:
YOU.
It's intimidating, sure, when you see so much finished stuff around - you know, finished books, completed movies, and mastered songs that just glow with semi-perfection - all neatly packaged and oozing confidence and, well, some kind of stature.
And all available for sale...
It's hard when you want to be one of those people who has a book out there or a song or a film - and you know you haven't even started or worse actually, you're half way through something that feels like it's never going to be completed let alone recognized and available as a finished product.
It can be extra intimidating to see so many people with finished products who are social networking constantly - trying to get themselves and their own books, films and music seen and taken seriously.
Especially when on the same page some fabulously famous people are doing exactly the same - and they have the fame, the kudos and the riches to do it well!
How can you possibly compete in a world where just about everyone is shouting, "Look at me, look at me!"
Thing is, it's not about competing.
It's just about being there - and being yourself and being honest.
People might criticize you (but actually they rarely do).
Most likely people might appear to ignore you.
But that's okay too.
How many times have you seen people online and not said anything - just stored away their image or their 'thing' in your brain and moved on?
That's pretty much what everyone else is doing.
They may never contact you or involve themselves with you but they know you're there.
And there is just where you need to be.
You gotta be in it to win it, as they saying goes.
That doesn't mean you spout bollocks all day though.
People respond best to sincerity.
Consistent sincerity - the kind you can't fake.
Do what you do, feel what you feel, and write what you write...
Love what you do and do what you love.
And get it out there.
And the world, my friend, will know.
Trust in yourself and your dreams.
And write from your heart.
Till next time.
Keep writing!
© Rob Parnell
Writing Academy

It’s no use coming up with a theme and not using it. Short stories are about a character or characters and about one situation or happening in those characters’ lives.
By concentrating on that one thing, our stories are focused. You will need to focus to maintain a level of intensity and sticking to the theme enables us to do that.
Let me give you an example…
Scenario One
Let’s say your story is about a young man (main character) who is being harassed (one situation) by the school bully (secondary character.) Let’s place the setting in grade school.
Now if we focus on that single happening and in our story say….
• What started the bullying
• What the main character felt, confronted with this problem
• What the main character did to overcome this problem
• If the main character won or lost against the bully…
Then we’ll be focusing only on that incident which is what our story is about.
Scenario Two
Now if we took that situation further and in our story said that this character grew up and was bullied in high school and then later by a colleague…
That will be listing three incidences, which will weaken our story because we are not focusing.
Remember a short story is short.
We don’t have too much leeway to develop too many things so we have to be selective with what we choose to concentrate on. Short stories work best when they span over a short period of time.
Like in scenario one, this incident might span over a couple of days or a week, where in the second scenario, it spans over a number of years. The shorter the time span the more intense the story.
Your theme should begin at the beginning, run through the middle and conclude in the end. So let’s put a theme to the first scenario…
‘Strength Comes From Within And In The End Prevails.’
How can I have this theme running throughout my story?
Initially I will portray my main character as a weak individual. But I will excuse his weakness, by saying perhaps that…
“He comes from a closely knit, loving family and initially doesn’t know how to deal with such a conflict.”
As my story progresses, I will gradually show his inner strength and I will do this through incidences, which will show his maturity, like…
• He helps out by caring for his younger siblings and contributes with the housework.
And
• I can show him cutting the neighbours’ lawns or delivering newspapers before school to show that he contributes economically too.
If I do this, my ending (when he wins against the bully) will be believable because I have developed his inner strength. My theme would have run its course.
Is your theme running throughout the story?

© Nick Vernon
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