Month: March 2020

Starting with an Idea

Fallton Havenstonne

When I write a story, I start with an idea that develops into a scene. From that scene, more ideas flow, and those ideas develop into more scenes. As this process continues, the scenes and ideas bounce off of each other into something more specific and refined.

It’s kind like essay writing. I start with a premise that I build into scenes that are like arguments for that premise. Then I pick it apart and see where the idea goes. That’s how I go about building the universe for the story–from that starting idea.

Choosing a Book

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Sometimes I am just interested in so many books that it’s hard to focus on one. I might try to read a little a bit of each book, but one book usually ends up winning my attention. Especially with longer books, it’s a commitment to follow through and get to the end. I feel that if I slip away into another story while I’m in the middle of one book, I’ll start forgetting the details of the last book, and it would be harder to return to it later.

One analogy is movies. It would be like watching a movie, pausing it a quarter of a way through, watching another movie, pausing it a quarter of the way through, then switching to the first. The momentum is gone. It’s not the same experience. The focus has been disrupted.

I end up reading one book at a time anyway. It’s one of those things where you have to make a wishlist and prioritize what you want to read first.

Characters

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The characters I write give shape to the ideas of the story. The stories are about the characters and their decisions, actions, and the consequences of their actions. The most engaging aspect of a story is seeing what the characters pursue, or how they handle dilemmas/conflicts. The dialogue between characters can reveal a lot, just as much as their thoughts and actions.

I like to explore a little bit of each to understand the essence of a character.

Planning a Story

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Planning a story usually begins with an inspiring idea. I don’t write it right away. I develop it by writing down ideas and different scenarios (i.e. possible locations, characters, outcomes, etc.). Once the plot elements start to click together, that’s when I begin writing.

But throughout the writing process, I continue to plan and develop the story–work out all the finer details and plot elements. I sometimes catch the story going in the wrong direction or something that’s missing from it.

And when I get stuck, I look at what needs to change in the outline. Maybe there are elements that don’t click together. I focus on revising those parts, and when the problems are solved, then I continue writing.

But I catch more errors. It feels like planning a story never really ends until the draft is finished.

And when you get to the editing stage, you might discover plot holes and inconsistencies you didn’t see before. You rework those parts, planning yet again . . .

The Birnbaum Case

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My new mystery novel, The Birnbaum Case, will be released on 3 – 21 – 20. It is available on Amazon for preorder.

Stanley Birnbaum Jr. is a physics professor at Glebe University who is working on groundbreaking technology in the field of optics. But one day, he and his family disappear. Neither the police nor his sister, Melinda, can find them.

After 2 months, there are still no leads or suspects.

Desperate to find out what happened, Melinda hires a private detective, Corbin Forester, who has the unique ability to communicate with spirits in his dreams. Through each dream, he unravels the mystery behind their disappearance, and discovers that Stanley’s disappearance might not be what it seems . . .

Writing in the Zone

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Getting into the writing zone is when you are steeped in the story. It’s one of the most satisfying and rewarding aspects about writing. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, it’s that experience when all the ideas flow and integrate seamlessly. It feels like the words just roll off your fingertips.

For a novel, I often plan out the scenes and events before I begin writing. I’ll make an outline of the plot (though tentative) so that I know where the story is headed. This helps me to frame the plot so that I know how to tie in various elements and ideas so that they remain consistent throughout the story. But as the story evolves, I discover new things to add (or subtract), new ideas or characters that are necessary for the narrative.

I’m building the world. It’s taking shape–having a life of its own. Writing in the zone gets easier, and I find that I know what the characters are supposed to say, how they’re supposed to react, and what decisions they should make.

For me, it’s important to sketch the plot first, to know what’s ahead. But as the story evolves, I find that the outline was just a guide, not a rule. It becomes a road map, but along the way, I discover new things I couldn’t have known at the start.

And as the path becomes clearer, I find that I am often writing in the zone.

Nonfiction II

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There was a time when I’d read nonfiction books voraciously, especially history, science, and mathematics. It was during a time when I felt I needed to learn as much as I possible.

One trend I noticed about all the nonfiction books I enjoyed was that I learned the most when they were told in the form of a narrative. The subject of history lends itself to this because each major event builds upon a chain of events . . . a series of decisions, actions, or inactions.

Science can be engrossing if written in the same way. To read about the struggles of scientists, the experiments they developed to test their ideas, the challenges they faced, this is much more fascinating and fun to read than to just have the facts given to you.

When we approach a work of nonfiction, we can have the facts, dates, and names given to us, or we can read how ideas or people shaped the events that have happened. I find I learn a lot more this way rather than just remembering the facts.

Nonfiction

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There are so many ways to approach reading nonfiction. You could read it educate yourself, to catch up on the news, or to simply digest information that’s useful.

The best nonfiction books I’ve read not only educate me on a subject matter, but inspire me to think about the world. They address ideas I haven’t considered, and even if I don’t agree with them, I find that in the process of questioning those ideas, I refine my own.