Story Ideas From the 4 Seasons

I wrote the following in my writing journal in late winter:

"A bird sang outside my window this morning. It was startling, but quite welcome, considering that we have just come out of two weeks of double-digit sub-zero temperatures and more snow than normal. It's an unmistakable sign that spring is not too far off."

Hopefully you've noticed that, as spring approaches, there's a different aroma in the air. And in a sixth sense sort of way, there's anticipation in the air, as well. The landscape is changing from snowy white to soggy brown and in places yellow-green as the snow mountains that decorate parking lots and roads begin to melt. Such details are the stuff of good fiction. They can inspire theme, setting, characters or a possible story situation.

So regardless of what season you are in, it's important for you as a writer to make note of the details and nuances of that time of year. Observe your responses to weather or weather-related incidents/activities, as well as the reactions and behavior of people around you.

Why is this necessary? Well, if you don't do this and you're, say, in Tahiti trying to write about winter in Vermont (and I would be so jealous if you were!) I guarantee you'll have difficulty making your readers shiver with cold and feel snowflakes kissing their cheeks unless you have previously recorded impressions from winter -- that or you have an eidetic memory. If I had not written about that late winter experience and the context of the incident, I might not remember the impact that bird's song had on me. And I would have missed a great slice of life to use in a short story or a novel.

The key is to catalog the input that your five senses (and even your sixth sense) take in, WHILE YOU'RE IN THE MOMENT.

So when in Tahiti, while taking a break from writing about building a snowman, making snow angels and skiing in Vermont, be sure to record the sights and sounds unique to where you are:

• the feel of tropical breezes caressing your skin
• the smell of the sea
• the pounding surf
• the shushing of palm branches
• the thud of coconuts falling
• the water lapping at the stilts of your hut hotel
• insects in your hut
• the tastes of unusual cuisine
• island traditions
• exotic-looking men and women
• unique entertainment
• local legends

And so that you can write about winter wherever you are, regardless of the season, make note of activities like this and many more:

• quintessential snow days where children are sledding and delighted to be out of school
• a glorious day for skiing
• digging out after a blizzard
• navigating country roads (or freeways) in treacherous, drifting snow
• the race to batten down the hatches when high winds are about to pummel your home
• the sound of the wind: does it whistle or moan?
• when you came inside, what did you smell? Hot chocolate to warm you? Chicken soup to soothe you? Do those smells take you back to another time and place?

Make similar lists for spring and summer, as well.

Be Prepared
I recommend having a notepad always handy for those moments when you're away from your writing area, like when you come inside from shoveling snow and you feel your cheeks begin to thaw and your eyeglasses fog up.
Don't neglect everyday situations unique to the season. (e.g. - chopping wood, loading up the wood stove, shoveling the sidewalk, thawing snow/ice for barn or field animals to drink, etc.) If something happens only at a particular time of year, or as a direct result of a weather-related occurrence, WRITE IT DOWN!

What Journal Will You Use?
Now let's talk about an actual "journal" to use for documenting your observations, reactions and feelings. What you decide on should fit with your personality and personal preferences.
Some choices:

1. fancy leather journal
2. simple cloth-bound or paper-back journal
3. spiral notebook
4. computer spreadsheet program
5. word processing document file

The advantage to a digital journal is that it's searchable and sortable. With a physical journal, however, you'll need to set up your system of how to organize the information.
You might begin a naturalist's journal, commenting on temperature, humidity, other weather phenomena, and your observations of flora and fauna.

For example, you might comment on the antics of a pair of squirrels chasing one another from tree to tree, across the telephone cable, up the side of a house, scrambling across the roof, etc. Perhaps you discovered crocuses poking their heads through the snow in your garden.

A multi-subject notebook with tabs would lend itself well to this naturalist's journal. Create a label for each season or for certain months. Some of these notebooks have pockets in the divider pages where you could store photos from each season, pressed leaves, bird feathers, etc.

Of course you need not be limited to observations about weather. Here are some suggestions:

• Capture the sights, sounds, smells, feel and tastes of any given day, so that you can recall what it was like.
• Take photos as a way to jog your memory.
• Record sounds if possible, such as the delighted squeals of children sledding, the crunch-crunch of people digging out their cars after snow and ice storms, the music of the calliope or merry-go-round at a carnival, the desperately pathetic cries of the mothers of calves who have been weaned and removed to another location.
• Pay attention to your reaction to aromas -- good or bad: e.g.- skunk, cotton candy, chlorine at the pool, wood smoke, a backyard barbecue, etc.

What can you do with this seasonal information?

Here are 14 story starter ideas, given in the form of questions relating to the four seasons. Take your characters through a weather transition, possibly even using the seasons as a metaphor or to support your underlying theme. (Savvy non-fiction writers can draw inspiration here, too.)
Spring

- If Spring is delayed, is there a sudden crime wave because people have "cabin fever," or is there something else going on, some other influence? Why is Spring delayed? Is it a natural phenomenon? This could be science fiction, mystery, thriller or horror.
- Premature Spring gives everyone a bad case of Spring Fever, including the teachers. What madcap situations can you envision?
- Spring sports, including injuries, might be a topic to explore with your characters, at least as a sub-plot -- particularly if you write for teens.
Summer

- Heat wave sends tempers flaring in the city and crime takes a sudden frightening trend upward.
- Drought plagues an area for the third year in a row, leading to famine. What desperate measures do people take to secure water and food?
- Examine summer vacation from a unique perspective -- the family pets, the air conditioner unit, the house when it's unoccupied with the family traveling, etc.
- July 4th celebrations in the U.S.are a big deal in most communities. What might turn an ordinary event into a disaster? A miracle? A phenomenon?

Autumn
- Follow the stages of fall as it progresses from crisp, bright days full of color, to soggy, cold nights, to leafless, bleak, almost-winter landscapes, using the evolution of the season to characterize your protagonist's life.
- Fall is a time of more beginnings than the first of the year. School, college, a first job and fall sports are just a few. Create your own list and place your characters in that scenario.

Winter
- Unusually warm weather followed by extreme cold wreaks havoc on orchards and the commerce of a community. Who might be affected? What's the long-term impact. Short term? Consider what characters have the most at stake in the situation. One should be a protagonist and another the antagonist.
- Limited snowfall for the past few years has nearly devastated the local ski industry. Now the snow is back. What changes take place at individual resorts? Did an owner recently sell out for a song to a competitor, only to regret his decision? Does he try to get back his business?
- An adopted child from a warm climate experiences snow for the first time. This might make a kid book story spark, or perhaps a scene in adult fiction.
- Holiday gatherings (are there ever too many family gathering stories with all their attendant interactions, conflicts and resolutions?
- What if you want to write about someone on the run in depths of Winter? What physical trials will s/he endure?
Whatever kind of journal you use, not only will it become a primary source of writing inspiration, but it should, with some time perspective, yield insight into your life. And that can only help your writing.

 

In addition to this technique for finding story ideas, I invite you to visit The Story Ideas Virtuoso blog, where you will find many different ways and places to find those often elusive story ideas at Lessons Hurricane Ike Taught Me
And I invite you to download, with my compliments, two excerpts from "Story Ideas - The Calendar of Our Lives" on using the seasons, weather, holidays and life events related to the calendar as story inspiration at: The Calendar of Our Lives Excerpts

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Gallardo


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5195786

So You Wanna Write a Book

Many consultants, entrepreneurs, speakers, business professionals, inventors, teachers, salespeople, professors, trainers, coaches, and others have a secret (or not-so-secret) yearning to write a book. They each have a story to tell, a process to share, or a successful strategy they feel can benefit others. Authorship helps people to be known as thought leaders... be seen as experts in their fields... generate additional income... and to grow their businesses.
So what are your chances of getting a book published in this highly competitive industry? The truth is, today anyone can publish a book. If you don't go the traditional publishing route, you can go the self-publishing route. The following are three essential steps to plan, write, and publish a book.

PLAN IT

Planning is crucial before you actually delve into writing the contents of your book. Yet it's the step most people skip. Instead, they sit at their computers and struggle over where to start, what to include, how to get through writer's block, and so forth. Strategic planning will eliminate all that angst. It's during the planning process that you unfold the following, which will lay the groundwork for writing your text:

• Developing a schedule and timeline.
• Getting to know the marketplace and what's already out there.
• Generating a working title.
• Creating a detailed table of contents and back cover text.
• Planning the submission process with a query letter and strong proposal.
• Outlining a robust public relations and marketing campaign.

WRITE IT

Once you've gone through the planning process step by step, writing the draft will be somewhat like filling in the blanks. As you write the draft, keep in mind the following:

• Focus on writing, not proofreading or editing. Initially you must to get your thoughts out of your head and onto your computer. Save the proofreading and editing for later.
• Keep paragraphs to about 8 lines of text. That's a manageable, readable chunk of information.
• Harness the power of headlines that will draw your readers into your text and give valuable information at a glance - much like newspapers and magazines do.
• Be succinct and conversational.
• Use bulleted and numbered lists to highlight key information. (Words tell information.)
• Incorporate visuals to illustrate key information. (Visuals show information.)
• Use positive words and the active voice.
• Proofread, edit, and revise.

 

PUBLISH IT

As previously mentioned, today anyone can publish a book. Options include traditional publishers, vanity/subsidiary presses, self-publishers, print on demand (PoD), electronic books (eBooks), audio books, series of podcasts, or vooks. Here are a few things you should know:

• Get a detailed contract and make sure you understand it. Get help from an attorney or publishing agent if you need to. This is especially true for contracts from publishers which can be difficult to understand.
• Don't sign on with an agent or publisher you see advertised online or in a publication. Reputable agents and publishers are inundated with requests; they don't advertise.
• Don't sign on with an agent if you intend to self-publish. No self-publisher will refuse you, so you don't need to pay an agent to represent you.

Remember that all authors started with a first book. Get started with yours. If you truly believe in yourself and your abilities, you owe it to yourself to do everything possible to get your book published. You don't want to look back many years from now and say, I woulda, coulda, shoulda.

These are excerpts from HOW TO WRITE A NON-FICTION BOOK: PLAN - WRITE - PUBLISH, an eBook by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, 25-time published author, which is available on amazon.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheryl_Lindsell-Roberts

 

Books That Shaped America: Library of Congress List

Books That Shaped America

The Library of Congress, the world’s largest repository of knowledge and information, began a multiyear “Celebration of the Book” with an exhibition on “Books That Shaped America.” The books in the exhibition, along with several that were added reflecting the results of a public survey, are displayed below.

“This list is a starting point,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “It is not a register of the ‘best’ American books – although many of them fit that description. Rather, the list is intended to spark a national conversation on books that have influenced American lives, whether they appear on this list or not.”

We hope you will view the list, discuss it with your friends and family, and most importantly, choose to read and discuss some of the books on this list, reflecting America’s unique and extraordinary literary heritage, which the Library of Congress makes available to the world. 

Library of Congress 

You can find the list here:  Books That Shaped America

Visit the online exhibition


Do you agree with this list?  What would you add or take off?
Kateri

Book Author: No Experience Necessary

How to start:

• Pick up a pen (or pencil)
• Grad a blank piece of paper
• Write about your lunch.

You are now a book author.
:-)

Not an English major? 

Neither was John Grisham, Kurt Vonnegut, Danielle Steele, JK Rowling, or Michael Crichton.
What did all of these authors have in common?  They wrote about topics they knew with an extra touch of spice to make it interesting.

This is the first idea to begin your writing.  It doesn't need to be War and Peace, it can be 10 sentences. But write what you know.

Write about your lunch.

Write a couple sentences about your lunch.
Write about that same lunch somewhere exotic, like a small island in the South Pacific.
Write about that same lunch on an island served with coconut water in a coconut shell.

Keep adding to the same idea, and after a couple thousand words, voilà, you have a book.

You are a book author with no experience!

 

What's the trick?

The trick is to keep writing.  It can be daunting sometimes, husband, kids, animals, work, school, and just living your life. 

 

Most Importantly

Believing in yourself!

The rest  you can Google.

:-)
Kateri