Month: January 2017

World building (generally associated with science fiction and fantasy) is essential for all writers. Whether you’re writing memoir, crime fiction, or romance, your world should come to life for the reader. Think of your world as another character. Good characters have flaws that make them more human and attractive to readers. Here’s why story world flaws are necessary:

1. If your world isn’t out of whack, you might not have a story. Story world flaws spring from imbalance, instability, or corruption (also referred to as the chaos factor). In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the citizens of Panem’s outer districts live in poverty while the people inside the capital live in splendor. The imbalance of power among its citizens eventually leads to rebellion and revolution.
2. World flaws create conflict and tension. As punishment for a past rebellion, the government of Panem has instituted a lottery system called the Reaping. Each year, citizens are selected from the Reaping to participate in a televised death match called the Hunger Games.
3. Faults create dilemmas that must be solved. Prim, the younger sister of Katniss, is selected as a participant in the Hunger Games. To save Prim’s life, Katniss takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games, creating a life-or-death dilemma for herself.
4. Weaknesses can stem from anything, even natural resources. Story world flaws can stem from problems such as discrimination, persecution, censorship, and genocide. Weaknesses can also originate from situations like natural resources and who controls them. Below is the Amazon.com write-up for Salt: A World History:

“In his fifth work of nonfiction, Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions.”

Bet you’ll never look at salt the same way again.

5. The story world and its inhabitants should react with credible response to the chaos effect. It’s hard for readers to suspend disbelief when they don’t feel grounded in your story. Your characters should respond appropriately to the flaws in their world. We’ve all watched movies where the character’s over-the-top reactions have killed our suspension of disbelief. Writers, don’t let this happen to you.

Interested in World Building?  I’ll be teaching a class for those who are currently writing or have an idea for a story. We’ll discuss novels in which the story world springs to life for the reader. Participants will leave class with a story bible template to commence or complete their story world. Email mork.jessica@gmail.com to register. More information at https://www.facebook.com/events/1159186177535739/?ti=icl

At last week’s Twin Cities’ Sisters in Crime meeting, noted mystery writers Jessie Chandler and Pat Dennis walked members through the “do’s and don’t’s” of writing a successful short story.  Below are a few highlights from the workshop:

1. A short story isn’t a seven-layer cake, it’s a cupcake.
   I like the visual of the short story as a few bites of delicious storytelling.  Don’t overload your story with too many characters or scenes.  I’ve noticed that the more I write short stories, the shorter they get.    In a short story―unlike in the bedroom―less really is more (lol).
2. A short story is a watercolor not an oil painting.
   Paint a portrait of character, mood, atmosphere and setting with brushstrokes, not a trowel.  One thing I’ve heard repeatedly is that you don’t have to do all of the work for your reader.  Letting the reader fill in some of the blanks in your story makes it a more rewarding experience for them.
3. Start your story with a bang and end it with an epiphany or “aha” moment.
   I think this is good advice for writing a story of any length.
4. Avoid common mistakes.
   These include sloppy writing, poor grammar, and not following submission guidelines.  While each publisher will have their own guidelines, I found a link where you can download the standard format for a manuscript at http://www.shunn.net/format/format.pdf.  *You’re welcome.*
5. More common mistakes.
   Pat pointed out that if you have any questions about your work, you should listen to your inner voice and figure out what’s not working in your story.  Both Jessie and Pat mentioned a big no-no for writers is not taking constructive criticism to heart even if they’ve asked for it.  And please thank everyone who reads your work―whether you agree with their comments or not.  In this business, it never hurts to be professional and polite.

The timing of the workshop was perfect, coming as it did on the heels of the announcement that the Twin Cities chapter is now accepting submissions for its upcoming anthology, Dark Side of the Loon. As usual, Jessie and Pat were both amazing and Michael Allan Mallory’s handout was super-helpful.  Thanks to everyone for a great workshop and a great night.

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Interested in World Building?  I’ll be teaching a class this weekend for all genres of writing and for people who are currently writing a story or have an idea for a story. In class, we will discuss stories in which the world really comes alive for the reader. Everyone will leave class with a story bible template to help them jump start or finish their story world.  Email me at mork.jessica@gmail.com to register.  More information at:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1159186177535739/?ti=icl