"We write for our readers."~N.A.Z. Pankey
Let's get started!
Generate ideas by planning, drafting, and developing. Find a topic to write about. I chose to write about my childhood. Good writing is about telling the truth. All stories have a beginning, middle, and ending. All stories have conflict. Conflict can be many things. What is the need of your main character and what is preventing that need? What will change things around? What is the conclusion or resolution. Think of a hill. At the beginning is Conflict. Walking up the hill is Rising Action. At the top of the hill is Turning Point. Walking down the hill is Falling Action. At the bottom is Resolution.
CONFLICT may be internal or external—that is, it may occur within a character's mind or between a character and exterior forces. Conflict is most visible between two or more characters, usually a protagonist and an antagonist, but can occur in many different forms.
The basic types of conflict in fiction have been commonly codified as "man against man", "man against nature", "man against self. Man is universal and refers to woman too.
Man against Man is an external conflict which involves stories where characters are against each other. The Conflict may be a robbery, fight, or an antagonist against a protagonist.
Man against Society where man stands against a man-made institution (such as slavery or bullying).
Man against Nature is an external struggle positioning the hero against an animal.
Man against self is internal. Man must overcome his own natures or make a choice between two or more paths - good and evil; logic and emotion.
RISING ACTION a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest.
TURNING POINT marks a change, for the better or the worse, in the protagonist’s affairs. If the story is a comedy, things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to this point; now, the tide, so to speak, will turn, and things will begin to go well for him or her. If the story is a tragedy, the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good to bad for the protagonist. Simply put, this is where the main part happens or the most dramatic part.
FALLING ACTION during the falling action the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist. The falling action might contain a moment of final suspense, during which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt.
RESOLUTION serves as the conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of release of tension and anxiety, for the reader.
A great way to get started is the make a time line of topics and events. Make sure they're in order and not mentioned twice. Repetition is boring. If you explain on page one that your dog had black spots, no need to mention it again on page 10. Try not to use the same word more than once in a sentence unless there is no way out.
Think of your Audience. What age group will your story attract. Your intention should be to create something that will move your audience.
Here is an example of Conflict that starts in Chapter One of Evergreen Uprooted, Memoirs of Secret. Pay attention to the first four sentences.
I
was standing in the dimly lit stairwell of the first floor in my building. It was the size of a single prison cell. And my mother Ann was standing next to me.
I
had followed her out of the house to make sure she was okay. She had just been
punched in the face by my stepfather Buck, for disappearing for three days and
coming back home without money. She
claimed he had broken her jaw. This,
however, did not stop her from pulling out a crack pipe and getting high.~N.A.Z. Pankey
Conflict - My mother Ann had just been punched in the face by my stepfather Buck.
Here is an example of Rising Action also from Chapter One of Evergreen Uprooted, Memoirs of Secret.
As the long seconds passed by, I began to feel alone and afraid. After about a minute or two of staring at me,
she offered me a hit.
“No thank you,” I said, shocked that my own
mother was asking me, at nine years old, to smoke crack. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I hope this information helped. Part TWO of GETTING STARTED will be posted soon.
Read the rest on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Evergreen-Uprooted-Memoirs-Secret-ebook/dp/B009HYTC3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350781086&sr=8-1&keywords=evergreen+uprooted
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