Questions

 

A ****?d short story has withstood the test of ***?me and remains ***? vital and relevant today ***? it was one hundred years ago.

 

Short story enables busy readers to “shop around” for storytellers with whom they may eventually enjoy longer relationships.

 

A short slice of life

So what do you do when you have to tell a ***?iry story, or love story and have to make it long enough to sustain your nephew’s interest ****? short enough to end before he ***?lls ***?leep?

You find a story to tell.

If you remember enough of what you felt strongly about – recently or from a long ***?me ago – you tell him that.

And do you remember those ****?ry ghost stories grand-mom used to tell, bring them back in your recollection with the help of these children’s ghost story.

If, like most of us, you don’t, you ***?ll back on short stories you cajoled out of parents and uncles and aunts and ****?t to make them fresh short stories in today’s connotation.

The short story grew out of an increasing readership’s desire for shorter reading material.

 

It needs a skill to ***?ltivate a short story from your recollected thoughts for course or arrangement of events. Even it is more challenging when you have to co-relate something what morals you need to convey thorough the story.

 

Now no worries, you have everything here what you would have imagined for; short stories, ghost story, love story, and basically you are in short love stories ***?llery.

 

Hey, are you looking for love making stories, if yes, you will find how a soldier is making love story in some frontier land.

 

We know our thoughts give meaning to our actions and they should be conveyed to Tom by these kid’s stories which ***?lfill the flair of ***?nny short stories, isn’t it?

 

We are required to contact, welcome and log in any and all ***?ntient races or multibeings in this quadrant of the Universe, without prejudice, fear or ***?vor. So let’s join the voyage.

 

http://free-shortstories.com


- Kontiki Radisson

I’ve had writers block before, but never quite this bad. It usually lasts maybe a week max, and so far I’ve had writers block for close to three months! I love my story and want to end it. I love my characters and would love for them to be alive. I just can’t seem to write!
Has anyone got any tips that have worked for them?

Oh and I am writing a young adult/supernatural/romance book if that helps =].

Thanx!
Bachi: Awesome! I’m going to try that right now. Thanks!!!
- ¢?????? [RIP babe iloveyou]

Creative writing calls for all the talent you can muster. If you don’t have very much talent, that’s just dandy. No one will notice it for a while anyway. Meanwhile, just lope along with the herd and fake it. And while you’re at it, think up a good story theme. What is a theme? It is what the story is about, generally speaking.

The climactic scene in the center is called the plot. Gone With the Wind is a love story from cover to cover. Moby Dick is a tale of revenge. Pinnocchio is a story of morals. The Ten Commandments is about righteousness and judgment. What will your story be about?

Whatever your theme is, every sentence in the story should point to it somehow. If it is imagery or scenery, the intent should be to weave it into the theme. For example, if you are writing a romance story and your opening scene is filled with snow and Christmas lights, it should be building up to something that connects with the theme. It should be introducing a character, or a situation that will tie into the story. If it has no purpose in the story, delete it.

Everything points to the theme, and all of it builds to the center plot that will be unfolded in one huge climactic scene. Everything that the characters say should be necessary to the story. Yes, some of the dialog may seemingly relate to something else, but in the scheme of things, every word must be part of the gluten that glues the whole story together.

Using the romance theme mentioned a moment ago, let’s suppose you have a scene where two neighbors are gossiping over the back fence. How could the gossiping scene relate to the romance theme?

· It could be introducing a new character

· It could be building the characterization of an existing personality

· It could be shifting the scene to a closer part of the theme

· It could be the first reference to a new piece of the puzzle.

One piece of the puzzle builds on the other until all the pieces mesh together to form the intended picture. A writer is an artist painting words on a canvas, just waiting for someone to open the cover and see the picture waiting for them. As with all paintings, develop it slowly and meticulously.

As you weave the theme, you will see natural questions emerging, and they must be answered. These questions are like little roads that lead to an unnamed destination. The plot builds on these roads until it finally bursts into the central climax. This process is called arcing. The first part of the story is “flat”, the middle of the story arcs, and the last part of the story resolves to a “flat” stage once again.

It resolves with answers to all the questions that have been raised. The end of the theme ties up all the loose ends until you have a nice, neat package with nothing left undone.


- Deborah Owen

I just got done reading The Kommandant’s Girl, which is an excellent love story type book about World War 2 Germany. I want more books about that. About World War 2 Germany. About the Holocaust. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Ok so who wrote “Elle”?
- mylifedax2

But is the article writing job really for you? Just because you are a good writer does not mean that it is. Read on to see if you should pursue it, or find another niche.

Of course, you can always use article writing to create e-books, which can be given away or sold.

You can also spin short stories into worthy articles. You can use your creative impulse to weave some magic and entertainment into your articles. You will find that you can also appeal to a wider audience by using a story telling technique, children especially love a good story. As a writer, you can imagine that I love the fact that my children are interested in the arts and literature.

Here are a few tips for good article writing:

Keep your paragraphs short and to the point. Your article needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end. Most articles will be between four hundred and six hundred words long.

NO errors. Spelling mistakes are simply not accepted.

If you’re a freelance writer looking for work, many times you’ll see job ads that ask for writing samples. Well what better way to get in some practice and good exposure than write a few articles on writing?

To Start Writing is also a great tip. It is so easy to come up with an excuse to NOT write. But once you are seated, you will find it is easier than you thought. Don’t worry too much about the quality initially, the important thing is get something down on paper. You can always tidy up things later.

People don’t necessarily write about something because they understand it already. They often start writing about something because they want to understand it, and the process of writing is what brings about their understanding. Why not start article writing today and improve your thinking skills by writing?

Save photos or clip pictures from magazines. One way to start writing is to view something that gives you a scene or some action that will lead to a story.

Make a list of the stories that you most like. Start with any story you really like, and think about how you could weave that into an article.

Then start writing and see if the article “grabs” you. Bible stories have been successfully retold a hundred ways in books and movies, under many titles. Why not find a formula you like, which has been proven to work, and write your own updated version?

Oh yes, by now you may be asking, what is The Secret To Good Article Writing? Well, it is simple really, sit down and write them.


- Allen Jesson

Stephen King says he starts his novels with a “What if?” question. What if a woman and child are trapped in a car by a rabid dog? What if a family pet buried in a Pet Semetary came back to life? What if a young girl could start fires with her mind?

I have also heard many other bestselling novelist such as Jodi Picoult, Janet Evanovich and Nicolas Evans lay claim to the same thing.

And I have heard others say they just saw an image in their mind, or had a persistent sentence knocking on the inside of their brains, and they just followed that to where it lead them.

And while their insight and tutelage is invaluable, when I was a budding writer it left me with another question.

What’s next?

It’s all good and fine to have a starting point. In fact a starting point is imperative. But in answering the question of “What next?” you will lift your novel from “What if?” to “Howzat!”

So in answer to the “What next?” question, I defined the five essential elements of any good story, whether it’s a novel, a short story, a play or a screenplay. Use these five elements to plan your story and you’re guaranteed to write a bestseller everytime.

Step One: Desire

It is essential that your main character want something. Even if it’s only a glass of water, they must have an “object of desire” to pursue. It can be anything from a way of escaping their predicament, or a way to bring their world back into balance, but the key is that your main character must want something. Without that you will not have a story.

This “desire line” is the golden thread that will run through your story.

For example, in a love story, the object of desire is the beloved. In a story of illness, the object of desire may be anything from a medical specialist who can treat the patient, to a specific medicine guaranteed to cure. In a failing marriage, the object of desire could be the best divorce lawyer in town, or an apartment of their own. It’s your choice and will be dictated by the type of story you are writing.

Step Two: Conflict or Opposition

You will undoubtedly know that nothing ever moves forward in story except through conflict. So once your main character knows what they want, there has to be something or someone around to stop them. And the most powerful person, or thing, to oppose the main character is the one who can put the most pressure on them and force them to change.

It’s critical to remember this: the strength of any story is directly related to the strength of the opponent. If it’s easy for the main character to reach their goal, then where’s the challenge? Where’s the drama? Where’s the struggle for growth and change?

The Harry Potter novels kept us on the edge of our seats for seven books and ten years because of the promise of a showdown between Harry and Lord Voldemort. The success of Star Wars hinged on the multilayered battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. The Bourne series enthrals us because it’s one man against the CIA.

In our earlier examples, the opponent in the love story is always the lover. If boy meets girl and they get together and live happily ever after, where is the story? There isn’t one! So the lover must resist in some way. In the case of the illness, the main opponent could be a government department that is withholding approval for a drug that will cure you, or it could be a lack of funds to travel overseas to see that one specialist who can treat you. And in the failing marriage, the opponent would be the other marriage partner, who is either trying to send you broke or stopping you from moving out.

Really take the time to explore your opponent. They can often be the most interesting character in the story!

Step Three: Moral Dilemma

The conflict must build so that your main character is forced into a corner, where they must make a decision that challenges their values.

There is only one question you need to ask yourself at this stage, and that is, “how can I push my main character into a place where they feel as though they are stuck between a rock and a hard place?” The decision they make here must be a true test of their core values, and whatever decision they make needs to tip them into the most intense conflict of the story, where they battle the opponent in a do-or-die climax to your story.

For example, in the love story, your character may be forced to choose between love and security, or love and family, as they enter new territory in the relationship stakes. In the illness story, your character may need to choose between health and authority, or health and pride, if they are forced to ask for charity to finance their overseas trip. And in the case of the divorced couple, your main character may be forced to choose between freedom and control, or financial security and love, depending on the scenario you choose.

One way or the other, your character has to make a choice and this choice sends your story into its most intense conflict.

Step Four: The Battle or Climax

You are now entering the most intense conflict of the story and the action here must take place between your main character and the main opponent. This is the classic “fight” scene, or where the great revelation comes out, where you can otherwise surprise or shock your readers. Push it out there! Allow whatever comes out to come out onto the page. Remember you are just exploring your story here. If it goes too far you can pull it back in the writing or the editing. Just remember that the most powerful climax will be one that brings about absolute and irreversible change.

It’s a good idea to explore your character’s highs and lows at this time. By this I mean look at how they can behave really badly, as we often do when we are pushed into a corner. Does your character come out swinging, or do they submit and surrender? Neither answer is wrong or right. It will depend entirely on your story.

Step Five: Resolution

Every good story asks a question at the beginning. Whether it’s a Stephen King “What if?” question, or something entirely different, it’s imperative that you answer the question here. How can you show your character having learned their lesson? How are they seeing themselves clearly for the first time? What impact does that have on those around them? What is the “solution” to your story?

I recommend not spending too much time planning this final step, as it almost always simply comes out in the writing. Stories that you are meant to write have a way of just coming out the way they need to, and too much planning of the ending will make it seem contrived.

So those are our five simple steps to great fiction. Have a character who wants something, add something or someone who tries to stop them, put them in an impossible situation, watch them fight their way out and see what they learn in the process!

Simple really!


- Suzanne Harrison

What Type of Novel Are You Writing? Tell me about the novel you are writing. Is it a mystery, love story, or something you believe to be different? What inspired you?
- Mr. Grudge

okay i need vampirey horror romance plots. im not picky but this writers block is given me a frikin seizure!!!
- Rosalie Dearling

i really want to write a book…….but the only thing thats stopping me is the thing called “writers block”! i want to write a vampire love story..but i have no clue how to start one……and it surprises me cuz im a really good writer so plez help ASAP! soooo……….DO U GOT ANY IDEAS!
- Natasha P