Saturday, September 29, 2012

Bully Stories

Stories are mean. They posses you, trying to get their tale heard, and aren't satisfied when you finish, and tell you you are hopeless, and will nag and nag at your brain until you write their story down.
More vivid stories are even more horrible, because they won't let you change it from what they put in.
Smaller ideas are sneaky, getting into your writing without you barely noticing, and making part of a giant novel, which is so complex that it takes you half-an-hour every morning to get into the 'story world' of you narrative.
Like Gail Carson Levine says, "It takes a mean author to write a good book." That is true, but also is, "It takes a bossy author to write a good story." Don't cave into the story, and don;t let it boss you around, like I have said many times, when YOU write, YOU are in charge, and if your story is ever bossing you around, Tell it to bugger  off, and that YOU are writing this story, so YOU can change it to anything YOU like.

 How to Know if you are being bullied:

1. If you have to keep re-writing and re-writing, and are never satisfied with the result.
2. If the characters you invent won't fit into the cycle
3.If you can't even write the first sentence down because it sounds stupid.

There are other ways too, but these are the ones I come across most often.

The third one is a tie between writers block and bully stories, but writers block is another story, but one helpful tip, get the first words out, no matter what, and the rest will follow easily.

To fight Bully stories back, ask yourself some questions about the plot, even if you already know the answers. Here are some examples.

WHO is the main character at this point?:
WHERE is the main character at this part of the story?:
WHAT do they do in the story, or if you don't know, What are they doing right now, and why are they doing it?:
WHEN does this part of the story take place/ what age is the character right now
WHY does this part of the story happen?:

If you need any more help, leave a comment!

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