Journaling and Blogging DT:1

DT#1: Journal or Diary

I keep what I would term a journal. I have a collection or writing prompts that I have off-site where I write things that interest me, things that I may turn into stories or collections in the future. I usually start my fiction writing with either a prompt or an idea. Many times I just write a small piece of an idea that comes to me and ask myself, “So what?” That way, I can start with even a seemingly boring event and turn it into something. For instance, the novel I am rewriting now started out with “A girl who is a restaurant manager moves to another town and runs another restaurant for the same corporation.” Then I asked, “so what?” and I just wrote and wrote, keeping my fingers busy on the keyboard until I came up with, “One of the regulars from her old restaurant, 300 miles away, is found dead in the dumpster of her new restaurant.” Then I had a story… or at least the basis of one. From there I asked the basic, who, why questions, and moved on with the story line.

Usually, when I write, I begin with a small idea and keep asking myself questions about the idea. Once I come up with a workable scenario, I determine the ending, and then start really writing. Now, that does not mean that I don’t start the beginning without an ending. In my first drafts of longer works, often times my characters tell the story, and I just follow them to the end. In this particular novel, I found the ending as I was doing character sketches. A person emerged that I did not even realize was part of the story in the beginning.

I also have a couple blogs. One of them is dedicated to work and human nature, and the other is dedicated to anything else I may feel the need to rant about. I enjoy blogging because, although I know people are reading me, I feel freer to say exactly what is on my mind without thinking anyone is going to criticize my thoughts.