ART GONE
August 28th, 2010
ART PIECES THAT HAVE FOUND OTHER HOMES. I MISS SOME OF THEM. ONE DAY I WILL MAKE SOME MORE.
THE BASICS
August 28th, 2010
Why, after all these years do I think I need to be reminded of the basics of “Story” ???
My only explanation: I Stray. I’m a wanderer. I chronically disregard signs. I’m skeptical about instructions and advice.
Soooooo ….. Back to Basics! This is the list I’ve posted on my wall beside my new ginormous monitor….
STORY
CHARACTERS
- Protagonist
- Antagonist
SETTING
THEME
PLOT
- MOTIVATION
- CONFLICT
- person vs. person
- person vs. environment
- person vs. self
- person vs. animal
- person vs. supernatural being
- COMPLICATION
- SUSPENSE
- CLIMAX
- OUTCOME
- DENOUEMENT
BASICS
- Exposition (the story leading up to the climax)
- Rising action (events that lead to a turning point)
- Climax (a turning point as a result of conflict)
- Falling action (winding down)
- Resolution (a satisfying ending where the conflict is resolved – or not).
Move backward & forward from the original idea. Ask OVER & OVER & OVER again “What happened next?” & “What happened before?”
Limits for a SHORT story:
A NOVEL can occur over many years, have a variety of subplots, have action over different geological locations, and use a Russian novel full of supporting characters.
The main events of a SHORT STORY should occur over a short period of time (days or even minutes), with one plot, two or three main characters, and one setting. If your story needs more than this, it will need to be a novella or novel.
Points of View:
- First-person (“I”) a character in the story tells the story
- Second-person (“you”) the reader is made a character in the story (rarely used)
- Third-person (“he” or “she”) an outside narrator tells the story.
OTHER STUFF
- Stories have at least two timelines.
- The order in which the events occurred.
- The order in which events are revealed to readers. (They don’t have to be the same).
Aftermath of a Week in the Woods
August 23rd, 2010
A week in the woods. No electricity. No running water. After shampooing 3 times my hair still smells like a moccasin - and that’s a good thing. Those of you who think the preceding sentence is a racist slur have not had the privilege of owning a proper pair of smoked, moosehide footwear. http://www.chichesterinc.com/CreeMoosehideMoccasins.htm. When I was a little kid I used to sit behind the wood cook stove in the winter where my dad’s mukluks were drying. Heavenly smell.
Experimenting with Book Cover Art
August 6th, 2010
I have a love/hate relationship with Book Cover Art. Some covers are so inspired, I want to weep and hang it on my wall. Other BCA is insipid and easily over-looked.
I’m finding Book Cover Art not as easy as it seems. Here are a few experiments:
Phony Title / Fake Author
Another pretend cover page
Facebook: answering my own question
August 1st, 2010
Facebook: How, when, where and why did it begin?
Launched by Harvard computer geeks in February 2004, to be used by Harvard students. In March 2004 it expanded to include students in other universities. In September 2005, Facebook launched a high school version. September 2006 Facebook expanded to include anybody over the age of 13 with a valid email address. By July 2010 Facebook had 500 million users. Interesting.
But, not surprising. We’re a social species in an era where being social with each other has become so formalized and ritualistic that many of us get tired trying to make the effort. Read more…
SUMMER HOLIDAYS
July 24th, 2010
Summer holidays are like Santa Claus. They are real and wonderful when you’re a child. Then, when you wake up one morning as an adult, the childhood magics of lazy, hazy summer days become fragile. Some of us try to nurse the magics back to health, but are saddled by a saboteur that messes with the medicine. Read more…
The Miracle of Libraries
July 4th, 2010
Enrolling the 9 year old in a summer reading program at the public library disturbed ghosts of libraries past. In a small prairie town (pop 500) in the 1950s & 60s, a public library was not a priority. Lucky for me, the lady doctor (Dr. Ann Wiegerinck) and a handful of teachers moved an old granary into town and stocked it with donated books. When I was 9 years old those books introduced me to a world bigger and more astonishing than I could have imagined. Read more…
Writing in the Back Yard
June 19th, 2010
Lovely day. No wind. Gazebo tent still set up from last week’s birthday parties. I have a zero-gravity chair to get my feet up, laptop, extension cord, cuppa tea. Get settled. The sun is coming in at an angle burning down on me. No prolem.. Crank up patio table umbrella. Drag table around until umbrella blocks the sun. Get settled. Sun reflecting off upstairs window burning down on me. No problem. Hang up Em’s Hannah Montana blanket. Sun blocked. Get settled. Wasp in tent, wants to sit on feet. No problem. Unzip screen and chase out wasp. Get settled. Dog next door barking. Barking. BARKING. No problem. Borrow sound reducing earphones. Get settled. Tea cold. No problem. It’s summer. Sip tea. Fly floating in tea. NO PROBLEM. Get bottle of Scotch and large glass.