HQ of an Aspiring Author
08/02/2014 2 Comments
Last week I tried my hand at some Science Fiction six word stories, and explored some of the idea of how to get the story across. In particular, about answering some of the fundamental questions, the 5 W’s – Who, What, Where, When, and Why. So I thought for this week I would try my hand at doing the same for Fantasy.
Except, Fantasy seems harder! To really seem like a Fantasy, I was trying to figure out working in Elves, or Dwarves, or something. However, while this might answer the “Who” question, it doesn’t necessarily provide direct relationship or meaning if you talk about two of them. As opposed to last week, where “two lovers” says a lot, saying “the Elves and Dwarves” takes a lot more words and accomplishes far less.
So I went back to basics, tapping into some fundamentals on Fantasy, or at least of Fairy Tales. The classic ending, above, or how about the classic beginning, below…
It doesn’t end up saying much, though. Some great stories have been built on, for instance, taking apart the idea of “happily ever after.” But in six words, that’s harder to do! And what two words can you add, after “Once upon a time,” which tell a story all on their own?
I’m still thinking my way through this one, so let me know your thoughts on telling a Fantasy story in short order!
07/29/2014 Leave a comment
Here is Hannah’s response on the Writing Process Blog Tour! Like me, she hit on blogging and fiction… she went for a third, however, and added her history writing!
I didn’t cover how I do research/history writing (as a fellow history major!) but I noticed many similarities. How I learned to work on history also informs a lot of how I write other things now, especially blog posts. Collect what you’re going to talk about, your outside sources (or links), and then outline, and then write. By the time you’re writing, it can be a breeze!
Also – I love the Writing Process as shown in pictures of Robert Downey Jr. – worth checking out her post just for this!
I was tagged for the Writing Process Blog Tour by CompGeekDavid of DBCII and Comparative Geeks! I appreciate it very much, and I really enjoy both those blogs, check them out!
The rules for the tour are simple:
Here are my nominees before I get going. I tried to pick people who haven’t been tagged yet… If you don’t do awards or chain posts (or have already done this one), no worries, just consider this a shout-out.
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07/26/2014 1 Comment
This week, I was trying to think of an epic Science Fiction story to tell in six words. What do you think?
In trying to think of how to tell a complete story, beyond just my idea before of the beginning, middle, and end, I thought back to the 5 W’s:
You can add How if you like. But then, if you do add How, you have six questions to answer in six words. So I guess in part my question is: did I do it?
For instance, with “two lovers,” there’s two words that describe not only Who, but is a defined relationship, which gives you some of the What and Why. Meanwhile, “the multiverse” gives you the Where and, in some ways, a nebulous When as well. And with “infinite combinations,” I try to answer (while also leaving open) some answers to What, Why, and How. Kind of? It’s six words.
I thought I would use this setup for a different one as well:
[tweet https://twitter.com/dbc_ii/status/492824148620890112]Similar construction, very different story!
Next week, I’d like to try some of the same thing with Fantasy.
07/22/2014 2 Comments
When I tagged Alex Hurst for the Writing Process Blog Tour, I had failed to notice she had already answered it! Here are her answers and nominations for this – good stuff! Enjoy!
Click on the image to read all my posts, and the great conversations they spawned!
DBCII 