Are you finished with your book but can’t quickly articulate what it’s about? You know it’s a great story, but it falls flat as you struggle to find the right words? Maybe you need to hone your Storyquestion. The Story Question is the conscious, or subconscious question that drives your character – and reader – through the book. It’s the truth they are seeking to find. Or it could be the truth they will accidentally discover. Whatever it is, it’s personal, and something that readers themselves want answers to. Every book, movie, short story – and non-fiction book, for that matter, has a question, however subtle. And, it’s the stories that ask riveting questions through the circumstances of their characters that linger with us. Consider Of Mice and Men. A haunting […]
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About Susan May Warren
Former Russian Missionary Susan May Warren is the best-selling author of more than 40 novels and novellas with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill, and Summerside. A Christy award and RITA winner, and multiple finalist for the RITA, Christy and winner of Inspirational Readers Choice contest, Susan currently has over a million books in print. A seasoned women’s events speaker and writing teacher, she is the founder of http://www.mybooktherapy.com an online community for writers, and runs a fiction editing service teaching writers how to tell a great story. Visit her online at: http://www.susanmaywarren.com.Author Archive | Susan May Warren
Truth or Dare: Getting Started – Cultivating your story spark with a Story Question
Snow graced our little hamlet, lacy upon the rocks of our town’s shoreline, evidence of the blizzard over the weekend. A perfect opportunity to huddle into my arm chair and get some writing done. Although wedged into rewrites of a story, I pryed myself out to plow my way into town to meet with Sally, the aspiring writer I promised to mentor. I hoped she’d taken my dare to dig deep into her life and interests to find a story spark. I probably should have told her to start an idea file – I’d recently discovered Evernote as a way to capture all my wandering thoughts and story ideas. She found me lost in the tangle of my rewrite thoughts, nursing a skinny vanilla latte. “Hey Sally,” I said as […]
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Fabulous Fiction Friday: Shadows On The Sand
Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with an interesting collection of locals although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children, rebuilding his life one painful step at a time. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin. When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries and into her life. But Carrie has a painful past, too, and when the reason she once ran away shows up in town, the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg threatens to implode from the […]
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Quick Skills Class: Characterization and Core Identity
Are you creating a new character and trying to figure out how to make him/her different from every other character you’ve created? Try this – Instead of picking out a name from thin air and then attaching a bunch of characteristics to your paper doll, start from the inside-out. Start with finding their core identity. Identity is not about what career you have – skydiver, wilderness EMT, policeman, lawyer, photographer, chef, teacher – but rather the person on the inside that has driven you to this destiny. A core identity starts with an adjective and ends with a proper noun. “My character is a [insert proper noun here].” Here’s how: Let’s take a firefighter, for example. We might automatically assume he’s a protector, or courageous. But let’s take a look […]
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