Change

How do your characters react to change? How do they face the unexpected? How long does it take them to adjust, and how hard do they fight the change along the way?

I ask this now because the software is in flux over at the Books And Writer's Community today, and there is no telling at present if the changes are permanent or the accident of some programmer who forgot to drink his morning coffee and accidentally pushed the RED nuclear detonation button.

My observation of people is that, on the whole, people react better to change when (1) they expect it and (2) they have some say in what's going to happen - even if their suggestions aren't taken, people like to feel that they've been heard.

Changes are threatening. They move people out of their comfort zones. Unexpected changes, especially, tend to throw people off. People like the world to be predictable – no matter how unrealistic this desire.

Some people adapt smoothly, some with anger, some with rejection of the new status quo. Most people come around eventually, if they are invested enough in whatever it was that changed.

Change is certainly something that often gets our characters off their duffs. It is a change in the status quo, or a threat of some sort, that spurs characters into action at the beginning of the story. It's the Call to Adventure.

What change spurs your character into action? How hard does your character fight against that call? What actions do they take to Refuse the Call? Certainly, if the change or call is insignificant enough, characters may just turn their back. Look at your story. Is the call something that might really spur the character into action? Or are they just moving along because you want them to?

Is your character someone who embraces change? This presents a different sort of challenge as a writer. If your character is someone who rushes off to join every new fad, try every new product, explore every new avenue, then how do you create the tension and conflict necessary to move them through your story? What changes are threatening enough for them to Refuse the Call? Or, if they don't refuse but go rushing in headlong, what is important enough about that goal to make them fail to hesitate and consider the risks? Or how do you show your readers how foolhardy that headlong rush is, and create tension that way? How do you make the character believable?

So, take a few minutes today to consider your reactions to change and how your own emotions related to change relate to your characters. Are they like you or different? How hard do they fight against change? And how, in the end, do they ultimately embrace the change and move into their adventure?

Good luck!

Character Archetypes

As y'all know, I've been very intrigued with The Hero's Journey of late. Over on the Compuserve Books and Writer's forum, I've been running a Hero's Journey workshop for the past month. In July, we worked on Character Archetypes - looking at the roles your characters play in your story. Since it's been up for over a month there, I'm going to post it here (below) if anyone doesn't want to go over there to play.

Last week I posted a worksheet to help analyze movies, books and their structure. At many of the conferences I've attended, writer's a-many have said "deconstruct a book if you want to learn how to plot". Huh? says I. I tried this, several times, but ran out of steam. Part of the problem, I think, was I was trying to track too many different things at once - layers, character development, secondary story lines, etc... Starting with the Hero's Journey format has made it much easier for me to understand how many stories are put together. In a few weeks, I'll post the worksheet for story analysis that currently posted on the forum. Or you could hop over there and check it out under "Hero's Journey 2: Story Analysis" in the Writer's Exercises folder.

Character Archetypes:
(originally posted 7/2/2008 on Compuserve Books and Writer's Forum - Writer's Exercises)

Without the characters populating our stories, the stories themselves could not exist. Like the stages of The Hero’s Journey, archetypes do not define the characters who must appear in your story, but provide you with character masks or roles that appear repeatedly throughout world literature. Understanding these masks can help to strengthen your characters and give them additional purpose or attributes.

Some archetypes may be associated with a character throughout the story. Some characters may switch back and forth between different archetypes or roles as the story progresses. Christopher Vogler identified 7 archetypes common to The Hero’s Journey:
(1) Hero
(2) Herald
(3) Mentor
(4) Threshold Guardian
(5) Shadow
(6) Shapeshifter
(7) Trickster

Are these all the archetypes that exist? Certainly not! There are hundreds of different archetypes defined in an almost infinite number of books, websites and other sources. I’ve listed a few of these for your reference at the end of this message.

I'm going to use the archetypes described by Vogler to help you brainstorm some about the characters in your story. Remember, you don’t necessarily need to include all these archetypes, or include every aspect of every archetype described. Just use the descriptions and questions below to think about ways you might be able to make your characters stronger or more interesting.

Many of the brainstorming questions below may seem more plot than character related. They are there to help you determine which characters fit these roles through their action in the plot. Don’t get too hung up on answering all these questions today! You’ll see many of them again as we move through the stages of the journey.

You will be revisiting the characters, their roles, and the archetype characteristics they assume in various points of the story as we move through brainstorming story points using the stages of The Hero’s Journey. So don’t make yourself too crazy with this at this point. I guarantee you, it will change and change again over the next few weeks. However, it will be really helpful to begin to identify the role each of your main characters plays as you start to think about scenes and journey stages.

(1) Hero - Often (but not always) the protagonist of the story. Usually the most active person in the story, the Hero’s will and desire drives the story forward. The Hero is the one who learns or grows the most in the course of the story. The mark of a Hero is his or her willingness to sacrifice or give up something of value. During the course of the story, the Hero will (1) separate from the Ordinary World; (2) sacrifice himself for the service of the journey; (3) answer the challenge; (4) complete the quest; and (5) restore the Ordinary World’s balance.

• Who is the hero in your main storyline?
• How does this character change by the end of the story? What important lesson does the hero learn? What wisdom does she aquire?
• What actions does your hero take to move the story forward?
• What sacrifice does the hero make? What of value (including his/her life – real or symbolic) is the hero willing to give up in order to succeed on the journey?
• What universal drive is this character driven by: Desire to be loved? Understood? To succeed? Survive? Be free? Get revenge? Right wrongs? Seek self-expression?
• How are these drives expressed at the beginning of the story (Ordinary World)? How do they grow, change or get stronger as the story progresses?
• What does the Hero value most? What sacrifice would be most difficult for the Hero to make, but is most necessary for the success of the journey?
• What admirable qualities does the Hero have? What qualities will the reader identify with?
• How do conflicting traits help to define your hero (e.g., trust vs. suspicion, hope vs. despair, love vs. duty)?

(2) Herald – Heralds issue challenges and announce the coming of significant change. They get the story rolling. The Herald doesn’t necessarily need to be a person – it could be a dream, a book, a new idea, a storm, a telegram, a phone call, the start of a war, a drought or famine, an ad in the newspaper, the character’s inner voice.

• Who is the Herald in your story?
• How does your Hero become aware of the need for a journey? How does your Hero receive the Call to Adventure?
• What change does the Herald announce? What message starts the Hero on the journey?
• How does this message upset the equilibrium of the Ordinary World? How does this message make the Hero unable to return to his “old” life?
• How does your Hero react to the Herald’s message? How does the message transform the Hero?
• What is the Heralds motivation for calling the Hero to an adventure? What does the Herald get out of it?
• Does your Herald appear once in the story or at several points, each time announcing an upcoming change?
• Is the Herald a friend, foe, or neutral character? Villian or emissary?

(3) Mentor – Mentors have two main functions (1) training or teaching the Hero; and (2) giving gifts key to success in the journey. Gifts may include weapons, medicine, food, magic, important piece of information, or other items. The gifts may sometimes seem insignificant until later in the story. The Mentor’s goal is to get the hero past the stage of doubt and fear, and committed to the journey. The role or mask of the mentor may be worn by different characters at different points in the story, and may even be represented by the Hero’s personal code or a prop (e.g., book or other artifact) that guides the Hero.

• Who is the Mentor or Mentors in your story?
• What important lessons does the Mentor teach in order to prepare the Hero for the journey?
• Does your Mentor’s teaching style match any of these? Drill instructor? Squad leader? Sergeant? Old police officer? Aged warrier? Trail boss? Parent? Grandparent? Wise old man or woman? A fool? (or some other style?)
• What gifts does the Mentor give to the Hero to help him/her be successful? In what way are these gifts critical to the Hero’s success?
• If you have multiple Mentors, what unique skill, piece of wisdom or gift does each give?
• What does the Hero do to earn the gifts and wisdom from the Mentor? What sacrifice or commitment does the Hero give? What tests must be passed?
• How does the Mentor help motivate the Hero to commit to the journey?
• How does the Mentor test the Hero’s worthiness?
• How does the Mentor impart the Hero with courage?
• How does the Mentor motivate the Hero when he/she is refusing the Call to Adventure? How does the Mentor give the Hero a push?
• Is your Mentor genuinely interested in helping the Hero, or is the mask of the Mentor being used to hid an enemy?
• Does your mentor disappoint the Hero in any way?
• Why does the Mentor help your Hero? What does he or she hope to gain? What is their motivation?

(4) Threshold Guardian – The Threshold Guardian generally appears as the Hero attempts to Cross the First Threshold into the Special World of the journey. The Threshold Guardian protects the Special World and its secrets from the hero, and provides tests to prove the Hero’s commitment and worth. The Threshold Guardian is typically not the antagonist or enemy in the story, but may be a henchman, a neutral character or even a secret helper. May even be an ordinary obstacle – bad weather, bad luck, prejudice, oppression, or hostile people.

• Who is the Threshold Guardian in your story?
• How does the Threshold Guardian test the Hero’s resolve to continue on the journey? How many tests must the Hero pass?
• How do the Threshold Guardian’s test foreshadow difficulties the Hero will encounter in the Special World.
• How do the tests thrown at the Hero represent the Hero’s own internal demons? (neuroses, emotional scares, vices, dependencies, self-limitations)
• Why does the Threshold Guardian want to block the Hero? What do they hope to gain?
• What does your Hero do to overcome the Threshold Guardian? How is this determination tested?
• When faced with a Threshold Guardian, heroes may run, attack, craft a deceit, bribe or appease, make an ally, disguise themselves as the enemy, etc… What does your hero do?
• How does the Threshold Guardian respond?

(5) Shadow – Often times the shadow mask is worn by antagonists, villains and enemies, but it may also be worn by other characters. The character who wears this mast most often, and whose motivations are in direct conflict with the Hero’s is the villain. Shadows represent things the Hero dislikes and would like to eliminate – the dark side or suppressed monsters.

• Who are the characters in the story most set on blocking the Hero’s chosen course of action? (May be antagonists who disagree with the Hero’s path.)
• Which characters are determined to destroy the Hero and his or her cause? (Most likely the villain and his/her henchmen.)
• What dark characteristics do the shadow figures possess?
• How do the Shadow figures represent aspects the Hero dislikes about his/herself? The Hero’s dark secrets? Qualities the Hero has tried to eliminate in him/herself?
• Does the Shadow possess any positive qualities that the hero, for whatever reason, has rejected in him/herself?
• What redeeming qualities does the Shadow have?
• How does the Shadow challenge the hero?
• What makes this Shadow a worthy opponent? What unique qualities does the Shadow possess?
• How does the Shadow symbolize the Hero’s greatest fears and phobias?

(6) Shapeshifters - A character whose loyalty or sincerity, their role or personality, seem to change in significant ways throughout the story. Misleads the hero or keeps him/her guessing. Often represented by the opposite sex, a love interest. May be femme fatale/homes fatales. May also be a buddy or a magical figure.

• What character in your story is not always who they appear to be?
• How does this character’s loyalty or sincerity seem to change over time? How does this impact on the course of the Hero’s journey?
• How does the Shapeshifter add doubt and suspense to the story?
• How does the Shapeshifter keep the Hero off guard?
• Does the Hero ever wear this mask to confuse the antagonists or to get past an obstacle?
• How does the mentor’s use of this mask influence the story?
• Does the Shapeshifter’s changing nature serve as a catalyst for change in the hero?
• How does the Shapeshifter challenge the Hero (and the reader) to question their own beliefs and assumptions?
• In the end, how does the shapeshifter either lure the Hero to his doom or to ultimate success in the journey

(7) Trickster – Tricksters are agents of change. They point out both common bonds, and folly and hypocrisy by drawing attention to imbalance and absurdity. Often mischievous – clowns, comical sidekicks.

• Are there any characters in your story that create change by challenging the status quo?
• How does the Trickster create chaos in the Ordinary World?
• How does the Trickster call attention to the absurdity of the situation? Does your Trickster use word games, turns of phrase, humor, ridicule, or physical action to draw attention to the need for change?
• Does your Trickster provide any comic relief within your story? Does this humor keep things in proportion?
• Does your Trickster display cunning when facing a stronger or more powerful opponent?
  

(Note: although the research for the information above came from several sources including Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler and Michael Hauge The Hero's 2 Journeys, and Joseph Campbell The Hero With 1,000 Faces, the question format is my own. Please credit me and link back to this blog - or the original Compuserve Post, if you care to use it - Jenny Graman Meyer (c) 2008.)

If you’re interested in learning more about various archetypes, here are some places to check:

Situational, Character and Symbolic Archetypes: http://taliessin.org/Archetypes.doc
Carol S. Pearson’s 12 Archetypes: http://www.herowithin.com/arch101.html
Dramatica Archetypes: http://www.dramatica.com/theory/theory_book/dtb_ch_6.html
Tarot Card Archetypes: www.juno-lucina.com/majorarcana.html

In Elizabeth Lyon’s “A Writer’s Guide to Fiction”, she suggests the following books:

• The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes, by Tami D. Dowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders
• The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By, by Carol S. Pearson
• Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World, by Carol S. Pearson
• 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
  

EXERCISE: After reading the description of the archetypes common in The Hero’s Journey, analyze the characters in your own story. Start with a list of your main characters.

• What roles do each of the main characters play?
• Can you add the characteristics of any of the archetypes to strengthen characters?
• Can any of the characters play multiple roles?
• Do you need to add any characters to provide critical functions within your story?
  

Note that you likely won’t be able to answer every question in the archetype descriptions above, nor should you try. And you may find that the answers to many of these questions are not immediately apparent, or that your answers evolve as you work through the stages of your story. That’s great. Our work over the next few months should be fluid, causing you to think, re-think, and revise your story as we go.

Meeting With the Mentor

Have you ever had one of those moments when you suddenly know yourself for who you are?

I remember being in my Sophmore year of high school, and being the annoying kid who wanted to know what came next in the outlining format. You know:
I.
II.

A.
B.

1.
2.

a.
b.

i.
ii.

I guess I just feel better getting all the details down, not just the high level stuff.

Of course, this desire to organize didn't flow through to all my school work. I also have a vivid memory of my Senior year research paper. It was a compare/contrast paper on The Once and Future King, by TH White and, I believe, Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson. I still have my original copy of The Once and Future King. But I digress.

So I spent weeks taking notes from all the reference books I checked out of the library. I had a stack of notecards, basically cataloguing every fact I'd read, but I had no idea of the structure of my paper. So there I sat, in the middle of my mother's living room, surrounded by notecards and piles of books, sobbing.

Until recently, I've been able to laugh over this image. But I now have a 15-year-old daughter of my own and I'm having more and more trouble seeing the humor in the situation.

But the point is, this is who I am. The person who loves structure, and also wants to know everything I can about whatever I research, but am not always good at putting the two things together. My husband, who never reads fiction unless I force him, is actually a good advisor. One night fairly recently, we were discussing my frustration over this whole outlining thing. How I'm able to write non-fiction documents without any trouble at all, but I just stumble all over myself trying to write a complete novel without an outline. I want to be an organic writer. One of those people who can just sit down and write, fully formed plots appearing on the page. He pointed out that this just isn't who I am. It's not how my brain works. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to have to write an outline.

I need some mentors.

There are, of course, many methods to plot a book (at least I think there must be), but after some thought last summer, before I "Refused the Call" of plotting and went back to my old, unsuccessful ways (reached my self-imposed time limit of summer's end for plotting), I determined that my story fit well with a Hero's Journey structure.

The purpose of a mentor is to prepare the hero to face the unknown. They may provide knowledge (something I definately need), guidance, or magical equipment (oh, if only it was this easy!).

Where to find my mentors? Where I always go to find new information, of course. Books! I already had a stack of books on writing. But what I needed was books focused on plotting, and story structure. And then I needed to decide where to begin. For recommendations on these books, I turned to the Compuserve Books and Writer's forum (see right sidebar). My mentors:

• Christopher Vogler - The Writer's Journey
• Joseph Cambell/Bill Moyers - The Power of Myth, Hero with a Thousand Faces
• Christopher Vogler/Michael Hauge - The Hero's 2 Journeys
• Blake Snyder - Save the Cat
• Holly Lisle - Create a Plot Clinic
• Robert McKee - Story
  

Other mentors may appear to help me out as I move along my journey. I don't plan to learn from all these mentors before I begin to write again. In fact, I've already Crossed the First Threshold. I've finished reading The Writer's Journey, and I have plans. Stay tuned...

Refusal of the Call

I've been dancing with this plotting thing for awhile now. Longer, really, than I'd care to admit. It's a two steps forward, one giant step back thing. There is something so alluring about "organic writing" and the creativity it implies. Plus, actually writing seems so much more productive than planning what to write.

My first attempts at outlining involved stating "I'm going to outline my book", and then randomly writing down any scenes ideas that occurred to me. The problem with this approach was that (1) there was no structure; and (2) there was no clues as to what needed to go into the "blanks" to create an interesting story; and (3) my story still seemed to wander down all sorts of interesting but unfocused side paths. I needed a tool to help me brainstorm scene ideas, and some structure to help keep myself on a reasonable path, but I had no idea where to start, so I just kept writing whatever came into my head.

I thought if I kept researching, I'd be able to fill in all the holes. So I've researched. A lot.

I kept coming back to the need to outline. But still had no clue exactly what to do.

My first attempt at finding a structure, about 15 months ago, was to listen to the Christopher Vogler and Michael Hauge Audio Seminar - The Hero's 2 Journeys. Great audio "book". I wrote down lots of story ideas. But I found there were still a lot of vectors my story could go in and I guess I just wasn't ready yet to get down to the hard work. I learned a lot, but didn't really internalize it. I wasn't ready for the journey.

So I messed around a few more months and didn't make much progress. Every time I tried to write an "out of order" scene, I kept getting stuck because I didn't know what I would have already written when I got to that point in the story. I kept trying to introduce characters from scratch every time they appeared, or fill in backstory. Very annoying. Perhaps I needed to find the beginning. So I worked on that. I have several beginnings now. {g} All of them different, and probably none I'll use.

At one point last Spring, I decided I was not cut out to write a novel. It was time to quit. I mentioned this to my mother and stepfather on one of my visits. My stepfather, who is also working on a novel, implored me not to stop. He said I had inspired him to write his own novel, and I should stay with it. He offered me some software he'd purchased called The Writer's Dreamkit. I'm not recommending this. It's very prescriptive and, in the end, spits out your plot for you, including prompts for each scene. Definitely a recipe generator. But it did cause me to think a lot about my story - the archetype of the characters, the goals of my characters, the dramatic theme of my story. Maybe one day I'll create an entire post on this software. As a brainstorming tool, though, it did provide some ideas.

I was fortunate right at the beginning of summer '07 to get a Writer's Sabbatical Weekend away from my family. In that one weekend, I wrote a significant number of scenes. I made a great deal of progress. It felt good. I had some really great dramatic scenes by this time, but still no structure. In one scene, I wrote about the death of my MC's sister. But was this a climax or a Call to Adventure? Where did it fit into my story?

On a roll, I followed this with Holly Lisle's Create a Plot Clinic. A great brainstorming tool, but it didn't provide the structure I was hoping for. I fiddled with writing a few more scenes. I wrote down ideas for many more. I resolved some more character issues. But after spending the summer months brainstorming and trying to create a structure, my time ran out. I'd given myself the summer to plot, and summer was over. Back to writing.

The problem was, I still didn't have a structure, just more scene ideas. I'd given up too soon.

In the hero's journey, heroes often give up because they are not fully committed to the journey. I guess this was me. Like those heroes, I needed some other influence, some external motivator or crisis, or the help of a mentor, to move me along.

I think a lot of authors have these fits and starts. What have you done to overcome resistance and just move forward writing your story?

Call to Adventure

I am jealous of organic writers. You know, those people who can sit down and write a story from beginning to end, seamlessly creating compelling story arcs and developing intriguing characters without breaking a sweat? Or those who can write disconnected scenes and chunks, and then connect these like some sort of invisible road map only they can see. I know the reality is different, even for these people, but it seems that there are a fair number of writers who are able to plot in their head, intuitively or otherwise, without once mapping out their story on paper. I suspect they drank less in college than I did.

When I first started working on my novel, I didn’t realize there was any other way to write a story except to just sit down and start writing it. Of course, there were a lot of things I didn’t realize about writing a novel back then, but we’re focusing on plotting here.

I’ve written quite a few scenes the organic way – just letting inspiration take me where it will. In my current novel, I probably have over 50,000 words written in scenes varying from ones I’m very proud of, to ones I wouldn’t read to my cat. The problem with this method, for me, is that without guidance my imagination tends to go off in many different directions, as if ten writers were all given a high level concept and sent out to write my novel. No matter how hard I try, the scenes I’ve written will never go together in the same book.

I need a better plan.

It’s not that I’ve wasted my time writing those 50,000 words. I’ve learned a lot about my characters and their culture and environment. The characters have evolved over time, maturing and becoming more like real people. Their lives have become more complicated. I can’t wait to tell their story.

So, uhm…how does one outline a novel?

Novelists on the whole seem to have grasped this concept intuitively. Books on novel writing tend to focus on craft, with maybe a chapter overview on the three and four act structure. There are very few novel writing books that deal with plot, structure, and how to create them. Even the writer’s conferences seem to avoid this topic. I’ve heard advice like "dissect a novel" or "use Excel" or "buy software like Scrivner or Liquid Story Binder." But none of this advice really addresses how one moves a plot from point A, where the story begins, to point Z, where the story ends.

(And for those of you who are organic writers, and are now saying "give it up!", bear with me. It’s not that I have no idea what my story is about. It’s just the scene to scene building, deciding between competing ideas part that gets me in a bind.)

But the screenwriters? They seem to have a passion for structure. Maybe it’s just because pulling apart the structure of a movie takes 2 hours, over and over a few times, until you’ve got each scene mapped out. Pulling apart the structure of a novel takes 10-15 hours, a few times, if you’re lucky and didn’t decide to analyze Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) or Pillars of the Earth (Ken Folliet) or Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell).

To start my own journey of learning to plot and outline my novel, I asked around at the Compuserve Books and Writer’s forum, where most of my writing friends hang out. I received a number of recommendations: Create a Plot Clinic (Holly Lisle), The Hero’s Journey (Christopher Vogler), The Hero’s 2 Journeys (an audio seminar by Michael Hauge and Christopher Vogler), Story (Robert McKee), and Save the Cat! (Blake Snyder).

Note that all but Holly Lisle’s book have a primary audience of screenwriters. But the screenwriter seem to have a lot to say that makes sense.

So, I've set myself a task - to outline my novel. Like all good heroes, I've had a few false starts. I spent last summer looking at some software my stepfather (also an aspiring author) loaned me called The Writer's Dreamkit (more later, maybe). I also worked my way through Holly Lisle's Create a Plot Clinic. Then I reached my self-appointed end-date -- the end of summer, and discovered I had a lot of new scene ideas, and a new depth of understanding about my characters and story, but still no real structure.

Several months later and I'm at it again. And this time I'm sticking to it. I'd love to discuss my process and learnings with you - so stick around!

My Ordinary World

When did you decide you wanted to be a fiction writer? Maybe you always knew. Maybe some event, something you read, or saw, or experienced, created a sudden inspiration. Maybe you woke up one day and the inspiration just took hold. However you came to the decision to write, I’m sure you will agree that the process is a journey – not unlike the Hero’s Journeys of mythological stories.

My decision to write a novel happened about four and a half years ago. I’ve always loved reading – it was my sanctuary as a child, and a love that continued into adulthood. But I’d never considered writing a novel.

Perhaps it was the series of books I’d recently read with less than satisfying endings. Perhaps it was a realization that authors as different as John Grisham and Diana Gabaldon had not, in fact, majored in English in college with an eye toward becoming professional writers. That writing was a path you could choose at any point in life. Wherever you want to place the blame, once the decision was made, I shortly awoke to the fact that I had a lot to learn. Writing a novel wasn’t as simple as spilling my personal fantasies and imaginations onto a page. (Believe me, you do not want to read that!)

I’m no stranger to non-fiction/business writing. I spent 10 years writing reports explaining health care insurance claims data to executives, and creating in-house training documents for fellow data analysts and end-users of a database reporting system I helped to develop. And let’s not forget about that Master’s Thesis (Service Line Management in Healthcare, if you’re wondering) – a year in the making, hardbound, and collecting dust on some library shelf in the Xavier University archives.

Does non-fiction/business writing really prepare one to write fiction? Clearly, four-and-a-half years later, it’s not an immediate transition, at least not for me. Although perhaps more knowledge of fiction craft techniques would have kept those executives awake and on the edge of their seats! But the love of writing, of enlightening the reader, that carries over. More difficult for me is how to structure that fiction story. How to write engaging scenes that flow together into a complete novel.

I’ve done a lot of learning in the past four years – mostly with the aid of the Compuserve Books and Writer’s forum (see link to the right) and the many, many wonderful writers I’ve met there, and by attending the Surrey International Writer’s Conference for the past 3 years. And of course, I read about writing, and practice writing, and exchange pieces for critique with my other writer friends. And I read, a lot. I can’t imagine my life now without my writer’s community. But that question still hangs out there – when am I going finish my novel?

Come back and visit me as I travel along my road, discovering plotting techniques (my next self-assigned learning goal), exploring web design, book and author promotion ideas, and generally traveling my self-assigned journey to writing a novel.