StoneWriter

Outline Before Writing a Story

When I started  writing my first novel, I jumped in with both feet and never looked back. I had the idea laid out in my head. Not each scene or chapter mind you, or even all the characters, or the setting, or the antagonist, or three acts, or any research on the technology that would eventually become part of the central plot. The ending, you ask? No, hadn't really given that much thought either.

But hey, I did know who the protagonist would be, but no, I hadn't really flesh out his background on paper or anything. He was going to be cool though. I knew that. He wasn't going to be like all the other hero's out there. He was going to be different, something unusual. There was no rush, I could wait to get to him. After all, he wasn't going to appear in the book until at least chapter seven.  So, what's the rush to figure out what made him who he is?

The Written Art of Storytelling

In case you haven't noticed, (which I know you have, but I had to start somewhere) I have a new banner.  As a new blogger and blog, I've been learning the minutia of blogging and deciding on what I want this blog's focus or brand to be.

As you can see by the banner, I've decided to concentrate my posts on the written art of storytelling. In other words, all forms of storytelling laid down on paper or screen for reading. Occasionally I may write about other forms of storytelling, like oral, puppetry and performance storytelling.

My posts will include information on the creation of stories, crafting likable and unlikable characters, writing, editing, publishing, self-publishing and just about anything else in the storyteller's realm. So, grab on to my feed and I hope you enjoy the ride.

5 Primitive Steps To Getting Published

What are the 5 primitive steps to getting published, you ask? Let's first start with a known fact, time changes,  people don't.  When the first man living in a cave decided to take a burnt end of a piece of wood and press it against a stone tablet, writing was born.  Back then, most writing was used as a way to keep an accounting of animals, inventory, debts, and the like.

Then someone, a struggling writer, decided to write one of the first stories ever written, besides those written for the Bible's Old Testament, and carve it into clay tablets in a writing style called cuneiform. The first written language.

That story, the Epic of Gilgamesh, was probably and instant classic.  The writer most likely handed out stone tablets of the story to all his fiends and family.  In a sense he was the first true Indie published author.  He didn't send copies of his manuscript to various publishers.  He didn't charge anyone for a copy of his work. Well, maybe he bartered for some Pterodactyl eggs or dinosaur meat  for breakfast and supper.

We aren't sure if there was a sequel to his work. It may or may not have been as popular as his first published piece or it may have been lost forever still waiting to be discovered. Kind of like the why your manuscript is waiting to be discovered.

Knol...Is It Time To Buy Stock In Google

I remember President Reagan in a debate with President Carter, utter the words, "There you go again."  Well, there Google goes again. Google has just launched  a new site to rival Wikipedia. If you haven't read the story, check it out on Breitbart.com at, Google launches rival to Wikipedia.  Is it time to buy stock in Google or am I too late?

According to the article, Google's own version of a communally constructed online encyclopedia similar to Wikipedia went live late Wednesday with a free service dubbed "Knol," which indicates a unit of knowledge. Knol...hmm, I can't help but picture an ugly troll under a bridge. Eh, it's probably just me. "The key principle behind Knol is authorship," say  Google product manager Cedric Dupont and software engineer Michael McNally.

Send Your Writing to the Graveyard

My son recently pointed out an article in Behance Magazine, called Tip: Send Ideas to the Graveyard on his blog, Prairie Mod. They write about how we sometimes cling to ideas. It doesn't matter if they're good or bad ideas. There comes a time when those ideas need to be destroyed. We need to kill them, so to speak.  As writer's, don't you sometimes think you need to send your writing to the graveyard?

Behance: If idea generation is an addiction then killing ideas is the cure. After spending countless hours developing and polishing ideas, we tend to become attached to those same ideas (whether they are good or bad). The result can be a great deal of wasted energy and effort.  It's time to sever ties with (some of) our ideas and send them to the graveyard!

Sharpen Your Word Sword With A Word Puzzle

I love word puzzles.  In fact, they're a great way to shapen your word sword. Here's a cool word puzzle from Meryl.  I hate to admit it, but I couldn't figure it out either.  Here's a clue: Take your time, and run the words back and fourth through your mind individually.

The Form and Art of Storytelling

The form and art of storytelling, as you know, comes in many varieties.  Naturally, I prefer to use words to tell a story.  But often, different forms of storytelling fascinate me.  Such as, Rice Field Art in Japan, which can be seen on Cool Things In Random Places.  The rice planters plant different colored rice to create a field of images that are amazing in many cases.  Some of the art is just a single image, others create a story.  Check it out. 

Do I Write, or Do I Invent

Do I Write, or Do I Invent.  Both concepts are very similar, and not only in the sense that when you write you do invent.  You invent characters, plots, sub-plots and much more. 

In a different way, I'm sure that at some point in your life you came up with an incredible idea for an invention.  Maybe it was something simple like one of those foam holders that keep your can or bottled soft drink cold, or maybe it was more complex, like a way to vaporize hydrogen in water with electricity, which then gets sucked into your car's air intake causing a decrease in your engine's fuel consumption.  This is real... see Water Powered Car.

We've all thought of ways to improve products or even to create new and better working versions.  But the law of inverse thinking says something like: Idiot... if you wait too long to actually produce your idea, someone else will beat you to the punch.

How To Blog With Your iPhone

Believe it or not, I don't have an iPhone 3G or 2G or just plain G.  My oldest son bought the original iPhone when it first came out. so by now he's probably an expert on how to blog with your iPhone.  I've played with it and think it's about the coolest thing since Tivo was invented.  But... I still can't justify the cost.  At least I couldn't until now, with the new 3G models starting at $200.  Unfortunately, my birthday and father's day are already past. But Christmas is just around the corner.  Isn't it?

Besides, I've heard they're having some problems with the new 3G models, just like I did with the Buick Somerset Regal.  It was the first car to have a digital dash.

Mind On Fire, or Mynd on Fyre?

I've previously talked about telling stories through different forms of art.  Well now, there's a new web site called Mynd on Fyre, not Mind on Fire, which is currently being beta tested, that gives teenage bands and solo artists a place to strut their stuff and tell their own stories in music, song and video performances.  It presents the raw power and inspired imagination of teen musicians.  It's also a site where bands and solo artists can build a following.  Users sign onto the sight as musicians or fans that can download the musicians' music and videos.

The site describes their users as:

Musicians: Take control of your career! Stand out from the crowd! *Present Your Music! *Upload Performances! *Create New Fans! *Share Your Vision! *Win Money!

Fans: Mynd On Fyre lets you discover the talented, up and coming Teen Artists that other sites crowd out!!! Play a part in discovering tomorrows’ Super Stars! Listen, Download, share and Judge.