Author: leestephensstoryteller

Novelist and storyteller. I live in Florida.

Making Trouble

I have to say one thing about scene creation I’ve seen over and over as I search for lessons on craft.  If you want to write a novel you have to make trouble for your main character.

You know, put him up a tree and throw rocks at him.  Two dogs and one bone.  You get the general picture.

It’s what novelists DO.

Period.

I found a Jewel by a master that explains the concept in a way that lets you get your head around it.  I just can’t say enough to recommend this to anyone wishing to understand an essential aspect of story-craft.

One more time.  I say again.  Essential Aspect.

But you know what?  With a little practice it can become a part of what you do naturally.

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Conflict and Suspense by James Scott Bell

Seriously, check it out.  Keep on writing.

 

 

BIC.

Ramblings

So.  Here we go.  This is to be an unworthy attempt at explaining something.  Maybe writing to try to produce a novel.

struggleMaybe even better would be a wholesale attempt to peddle my stuff.  To shamelessly pander my little words.  For those who might wonder about the writing of a novel, There is hope.  For those thinking about a successful novel, maybe not so much.

Still best of luck to us all.

Welcome

Well, Here it is!  The big day of my first WordPress post.  Everything I’ve read so far indicates that the existence of an online presence is a must it you want to be a published author.

Panic

Problem is, I am not at all sure I want to be published.  There.  I said it.  Horror of horrors.  Seriously, I love to write.  Love to tell stories.  I just don’t know if I want to fool with all of the bullshit that goes into getting it published.  I seriously don’t know if it would be worth all the anxiety those damnable query letters generate.  I mean you have to sell yourself and that’s just plain hard.

Wait  a minute.  Let’s think about this.  Do you have to sell yourself?

Maybe not.  Maybe all you have to do is present your story in a way that shows why you liked the story enough to actually spend all that time writing it.  Hmmmm.  Maybe I could write a query letter and not try to be cute, hip, awesome, wiseassed, or self important.

Yeah.  I think I could do that.  My point is that it doesn’t have to be a bloodletting.  It needs to be an honest and straight-forward presentation that is succinct and yet revealing enough to give a true taste of the story.  That’s it.  Let it be about the story.  The author is completely secondary.

There now.  That makes it easier, don’t you think?

Keep on writing.  BIC.