Melva Gifford

These are notes I took from a wonderful writing symposium called Life, the Universe, and Everything. We have a lot of talented people in Utah and visitors with a great deal of knowledge. Any Misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

– Produces magazine called story hack
– Why read fiction? live vicariously, escape or understanding of life.
– In fiction, the reader has the right to expect entertainments.
– The plot is the story> the story is the thing we are after

Method: Culpepper Chunn.
– 1. Start collecting plot germs. Anything you can think of, see that is parked inside your head. Music, other stories, news headlines.
– Headline: Catholics dark world battle…
– Start: Ralph saw your message. It came too late. We must forget.
– Start: My first house was totally haunted.
– It’s good to have a whole bunch of ideas ready when you are ready to write.
– 2. Pick one and then start to ask that germ that question. That kind of person would show up in the story.
– 3. Build an overall plan. Write out the metadata for your story (genre, the time period set in, setting where characters atmosphere you want in the story. Mood and emotions where you want the reader to land on or feel at the end of the story.
– With your conclusions is a single impression.
– Use that paper as a reference.

Plot:
– Ask plot questions. The plot is the action that happens. Don’t be afraid to try different directions in the story.
– Outline the story. A general plotline.
– A. incident of the plot developed today called the inciting incident. The thing that starts the story. Many authors spend 6 pages into the story and don’t know what the idea of the story is yet.
The first moment of suspense. If doing a detective story, have a murder or a bad guy doing something menacing in the background. Moment of suspense that usually crafted by the antagonist.
B. cause of the crisis. A protectionist does something active. Want the good guys to try something that fails. The crisis is the result of their failure.
C: crisis a great rise is there going to be a success than a big drop to the bottom.
The second moment of suspense. Where the antagonist makes it works. Also knowns as the pinch point.
D. crucial situation. A protectionist doesn’t know how to fix the problem.
E. the second moment of suspense. To fix the situation. There is a direct conflict between antagonist and protectionist.
F. cause of climax
G. climax> get the answer. And get out of the story.
Nelsons s bonds design for brick lay a story. Article it all about timing real name. > ar5ticle
– 1 1K words establish who is about, where, what their problem and how they expect to solve it. Cab be mapped to any genre
– 2 K words protagonist acts and might complete the goal
– 3 K all goes to crap protectionist knocked flat.
– 4 Protectionist fights hard to get out
– 5 k Protagonist overcomes the problem and other half enjoys benefits or uses thereof.
Lester dent pulp paper master fiction plot:
– TV tropes.com shows
– Website storyhack.com
– Sales 2-4 K easier to sell for new authors.
– Rejection: 5 pgs in and don’t know what the conflict is about.
– One editor will read the first three sentences. If she likes the three sentences, she’ll read three paragraphs. And put in maybe> Kathleen Rushs’ way of reading.
– General editing> bunch of typos shows it not ready to go.

Want any suggestions to add to the list? Please do so in the comment section of this blog.

These are notes I took from a wonderful writing symposium called Life, the Universe, and Everything. We have a lot of talented people in Utah and visitors with a great deal of knowledge. Any Misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

– Middle grade> finding their place in (family) their world. YA is finding out who you are.
– Check out the book, boy. About a kid who has a lot around him. The man bought him and the man is stealing real religious artifacts. Boy needs to do what he has to do.
– The middle grade faced something that is hard. What is the right thing to do?
– Want to read books about people the child wanted to be.
– Some like character stories. Kids are learning to combat hard emotions.
– Who is your target audience: go beyond age such as the type of kid or interests. When you view a target audience> some books will also have a target audience would be librarians.
– Once you sell> pay attention to what the fans want the book to be.
– Some write books that they want to read, the horses don’t get killed.
– There is a shortage between chapter books to teen. There is not a lot of in between these two ages of books.
– The first audience should be you.
– Write for a group of kids who want to do things that are bold, but they’re too good to do it.
– Middle-Grade books are about actions that the kids would want to do. Book: searching for superheroes. Kidd tries to become a superhero by exposing with bad spider and other things superheroes became heroes.
– Middle Grade will accept they want to happen or imaging but not beyond like a moral issue of needing to kill someone.
– Melva’s book title: it seemed like a good idea at the time.
– A child Thief using a wad of chewing gum on a string to get things.
– Age reader wants to read up. 9 yrs. told will read up to 11 yr. old. Want to be cooler than you.
– Don’t have too powerful of a character. You don’t want someone who can do everything, has a bunch of powers and is a genius. He needs to have a flaw. Like a can fly but scared and throw up because they are scared of heights.
– Keep in a kids imagination suitable for their age group. They are not thinking of death but grounding or getting caught. Breaking a leg.
– In middle grade, one of the big places to be is in the library> how to make exciting and still pass the librarian check.
– Different publishers have their own taste. Other publishers are grittier.
– Was told by adhering scholastic book orders. They have very restriction
– Books can be dark as long as they win in the end.
– Violence on monsters is fine; but not a person on person. Fantasy violence is acceptable.
– Things that make an MG grey area (YA kill each other in Hunger Games) mg kill monsters. Or family.
– YA: speak imprint does YA of stronger themes.
– How balances: Want to be a responsible writer without being preachy?
– Have characters honestly trying to be good people.
– Apply consequences. The consequences should happen

Want any suggestions to add to the list? Please do so in the comment section of this blog.