Credibility
Credibility, by Vincent M.
Wales
“One of the most important aspects of a story (and of an author) is
credibility. This is an important trait that’s not hard to gain, but easy to
lose. And few things can ruin credibility like factual inaccuracy.”
Exercise: Select a favorite novel or short story that includes facts about the story world. Note how these facts impact the story world and help create it.
Creativity
Creativity on Demand, by Steven Barnes
“The key to brainstorming is that you
must give yourself specific permission to come up with absurd answers.
Otherwise you will think only in a direct, linear path, and miss the chance of
a high-level breakthrough.”
Exercise: Ask yourself which aspects of your story you’re grappling to present because they seem to fantastical to include. Then consider which characters the story elements impact and how. Begin weaving the realities into a plot list to concretize new directions for your story.
Beginnings and Endings
Begin
at the End, by Michael Dillon Scott
“… in my experience, even those [writers]
who do not plan their stories have an ending mind and will work toward that
particular conclusion … All writing is a journey toward a destination, that
final page in the story. Like any journey, it makes perfect sense to begin with
a destination in mind. The entire story becomes a lot easier if the ending is
written.”
Exercise: Your story may already have a beginning and an end. If so, ask yourself how the two inform each other. Then consider ways to deepen both. If you’re stuck for a beginning, ending or both, consider starting the story in the middle of a scene. To create the scene, sit for a moment, eyes closed, and allow yourself to imagine the scene, no matter how strange it may seem. Let it play out a bit before taking notes.
World Building
Humming the Sets: World Building That Supports the
Story, by Melissa Scott
“There’s an old joke about musical theater that seems
perennially relevant to discussions on world building … no matter how good a
designer you are, no one leaves the show humming the sets … This is part of
persuading readers to suspend their disbelief: the buildup of solid, consistent
details that seem to follow logically from the choices you’ve made; and to make
it work, you have to know your imaginary world inside and out. The other reason
for knowing your world in detail is that it helps you learn about your characters
… The more you know about the world, the more fine detail you can add to your
picture, the better you understand how to shape your characters’ lives and
choices.”
Exercise: Ask yourself which aspects of your story or characters is least clear. Then consider why this is and what might be missing that would fill in and clarify the picture.
Setting
Leaping into Landscape, by Wendy Mewes
“Take forest, with a dual
personality fruitful for fantasy … Shelter also becomes concealment, and the
forest’s semi-magical powers of transformation and regeneration challenge our
very sense of self. Hidden from the sun, we literally lose direction and the
balance of life suddenly shifts. [However] Forest is never destination, but a
step on the path, a setting for adventure and challenge.”
Exercise: List the various aspects of your story’s setting. Next to each item note its metaphoric values. Keep the list handy as you revise your work.
Drama
Writing Is Seeing, by John Shirley
“Verisimilitude,
believability—that’s a key to persuading a reader that what you’re describing
is real. Where do you get it? From observation—from observing yourself, people
around you, the world around you … Being ‘in the moment’ helps you see things
as they are—and it may bring you insight into the human condition … A good
writer can find the human dilemma, the human condition, in any situation,
because it’s always there, if you’re really looking closely.”
Exercise: List the main character(s) in your story. Next to each list the dilemmas the person faces. Next to each dilemma note the possible outcomes that could result. Consider these realities as you revise your work.
Adele Annesi is an award-winning author, editor and teacher. For questions on writing, email Adele Annesi. Adele’s new novel is What She Takes Away (Bordighera Press, 2023).
