Families. Love them, hate them (hopefully not!). Either way, they can be inspiration or distraction for story making, which equates to the same thing really.
Present company, whether they bring us joy or angst, can be supportive. Cups of tea and slices of cake to keep us going, looking after the kids, or cat-sitting so we can take some time out to actually put words on the page.
The ones yet to be born; our future family are, come to think of it, the ones we are writing for. We owe them everything, so spare them nothing – bare all!
Perhaps though, the most interesting family are the ones who are no longer with us: our past participles. We are all we have learnt from them, all they have given us. They are gone and not forgotten.
Therefore, delving into our family history can indeed be a great story starter. Everyone has their own ready-made cast of characters to research, explore the places they lived and define their professions. This, I learnt, while writing my own story.
For years I’ve researched and traced my family tree to the bewilderment of some living relatives. Why do you want to know about the past? Why do you want to visit their old haunts? Why do we have to spend every Saturday afternoon scraping moss off headstones to read indecipherable names? Why, why, why? Because it’s interesting. Because I want to know who I am and where I came from. And, ironically it seems, only the dead can tell me.
Perhaps not everyone wants to know and that, I accept. For curious minds however, and future selves who might not know yet that they might want to know in the future (if you see what I mean), we owe it to them to have the choice.
So, family history keepers write down what you know about Great Uncle Bulgaria, or cousin Jane twice removed. Think about their lives, their interests, their jobs and what was happening in their world. Create a timeline, draw a map, build a picture of their environment and step into their shoes.
Comfortable? Well, accept that someone else’s brogues might not be a perfect fit because it’s only a metaphor and look with your own eyes – just look a little longer and a little deeper and maybe your ancestors will give you a story starter!
If delving into the past doesn’t unstick your words (it’s not for everyone), return to the present and apply the same thoughts to your life, your special interests, or best subjects at school and write what you know.
For example:
· Some writers focus on historical fiction
· Some writers have favourite settings they return to
· Some writers prefer science fiction and fantasy
· Then there are the adventure writers
· While others have skills in poetic language and a real way with words
to bring their stories to life, or use dialogue as the key to moving the action forward
However you do it, the most important thing to know, is that if you want to write a story, you have to start!
Updated: Aug 17, 2023
At the beginning of a story I wrote, the main character was not keen on reading and even when his teacher encouraged him to escape into an adventure, he still insisted there was already too much going on in his own head to take in anyone else's world. No spoilers here, but our reluctant reader does become more interested in books as the pages turn and he realises there's more to a paper caper than just words!
A literary journey can get going when someone is given the right book. Simple as that! But what if it starts with meeting the right person to give it to you...
If you know a reluctant reader, or you are one yourself, it's probably just that they, or you, haven't yet discovered the story that will ignite curiosity. It may be a story that's already familiar; you just didn't get a spark the first time around. Or it may be the person who will offer you that book hasn't found you yet. Be they a librarian, teacher, bookseller, friend or family - they'll be waiting somewhere with something precious to share with you. When it happens, you might not even know; but in time you'll remember and want to pass that gift to someone else so they can experience the magic of reading too.
Ooh, I got all philosophical there! It's because I believe there really is a story, poem, comic, recipe book out there for everyone. It will find you when you least expect it, which is usually when you need it the most. Be bold and brave; read what's around you, write down what you notice and how it makes you feel. It might just be the spark you need to start your own story.
Updated: Aug 17, 2023
Don't fear the dead, they have left only words. The living are with you indeed.
I've a feeling that might be a famous quote - or I may have just made it up. Either way, fact or fiction, it makes an intriguing chapter opening or character introduction.
I like choosing names. It's something I'm rarely stuck on. If anything, I have the opposite problem - too many to choose from. For me, the question is not what to select, but how to pick.
Something unusual? A name that's special to you as the writer? A name that defines your character? Or something completely and totally random- there are name generator tools for that if you really can't decide. And let's face it, the choice is unlimited (within reason).
If your protagonist is a blond archeologist for example, how would Red Bracie, or Dug Ticker sound? How do you choose? How do you know what's right? Does it matter?
First impressions count. Many books, especially children's ones, echo similar names inside and out - ever noticed there are many stories with Sams and Daves or The Boy Who... on the cover. Ask yourself this: do you want your character to join this curious melee, or stand out and make your reader curious. Think about that.
Of course, you could end up causing reader distraction, with an unusual spelling. Say, an unpronounceable heroine like:
Niamh Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch*
Certainly unforgettable, but with something this far out, you run the risk of halting the flow - your reader will either skip over the complicated that they can't get their tongue round, or spend so long trying every possible permutation that they give up and swap your story for something that doesn't need a DIY glossary.
My favourite place for character inspiration is the local churchyard. That might seem a dark place to start, until you discover headstones create flash fiction all of their own.
Try it - study the names, dates, inscriptions, monumental carvings and statuettes. Just watch out for weeping Angels... don't blink!
Graveyards offer peaceful anthologies of family and social history, if you look hard enough and learn how to read them. Question whether they say more about the person under the ground, or the person who laid the stone? Afterall, unless extremely well organised in forward planning, who designs and orders their own epitaph? And if so, how would you want to be remembered? What would you include or leave out? Perish the thought of being asked to write your own obituary.
Brrr... this is getting a little morbid now, but don't let that put you off exploring. Tread carefully and be respectful of your elders. Their ancestry might leave you with more to query than resolve, but surely all good stories start with curiosity?
*(I haven't made that up, honest! It's the name of a place in Wales. Google it! I suggest you copy and paste though).