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Writing About Ancestors
Writing about ancestry is very emotional. Telling your family’s story makes you vulnerable because you’re exposing the family’s journey, good and challenging. The writer who takes on this task is bound by established facts, but is still engaged in the art of storytelling, walking back in time. Like a puzzle, sometimes the pieces fit neatly together as expected and at other times, the writer is surprised by what she discovers. Don’t try to change the story. Be authentic and own it.
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Can I See Him?
As I tell my story I have a picture of the character in my head. I see him move about his home or job or making a point during a conversation with a friend. I melt at his smile and feel his displeasure. But, is my reader seeing him as I do? Does the reader see his closely cut hair? His coffee-brown color? How the color of his eyes changes when he makes love? This is a huge undertaking. Huge. How can I best achieve this goal? Here are a few tools I use. (1) When I first call up a character, I name him or her. Then I begin…
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Introducing Characters
Since beginning my literary career, it has become more difficult to just sit and enjoy a book with a box of cheezits or bowl of nuts. I, now, constantly examine the techniques authors use in telling their stories: character development, time passage, plot development, scene description, etc. After reading Toni Morrison’s JAZZ for the third time, I discovered more of her brilliance. The technique she uses to capture the essence of her main character at the very beginning of the story is by having a storyteller describe, to someone, the character’s actions (story within a story). These actions reveal the character’s state of mind. When we meet Violet, described running down snow-swept Lenox…
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Have You Started?
How’s that writing project going? You remember, the one you resolved to begin: the essay, poem, song, novel, biography, picture book. Are you following your plan? Do you even have a plan? I cannot overstate the importance of planning. A plan tells the story of your goal. Each step of the plan is a chapter filled with purpose and action. A well-prepared plan lights the way to your goal, step by step. It fosters development of necessary skills and habits. Your plan must be tight, legal, ethical and comport with your belief system and societal standards. Lax planning gives you an out when times get tough. With a plan you…
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Your History (cont’d)
as continued from THIS POST As you record your family’s history, remember to tell the stories of the institutions that enriched your journey and how they affected your life. If you don’t provide the historical record of these institutions, then others may attempt to do so without complete and authentic information. For my people it was necessary for our survival to create institutions that eased our struggle for equal rights and forward movement. Tell your story of the secondary schools that prepared students for their next level, whether it was the work-world or higher education. The HBCUs, many which continue to deliver superb performance, educated the majority of the black…
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How to Start Writing
Start writing right now! All you aspiring, but hesitant writers, what’s holding you back? As soon as you leave this blog take a pad and begin making notes. Do you have a poet’s heart? Maybe the great romance lurks in your soul. A haunting mystery or a blockbuster adventure is ready to be written. Biography? Spy novel? Whatever your passion, if you desire to be an author, START NOW. MAKE A PLAN. Take one minute and then start writing. At this point, don’t worry about style or structure. Begin to tell your story. Let your words flow freely. Don’t correct anything, just write. Until you exhaust this first burst of…
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Book Clubs
Through my interaction with book clubs, I learned often clubs emphasize different types of books. Some specialize in historical, ethnic, female-only, biographies, non-fiction/fiction, political, social issues or other single-theme works. However, I believe it broadens the readers if they sometimes go outside their normal themes. For instance, for those groups who may read only books by female authors, why not read a work by a male author and discuss how women are portrayed in another cultural context. (Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden or A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini). For those groups that specialize in historical works, try reading the biography of an important person whose life impacted historical…
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Engage Your Readers with Details
1. Don’t leave your readers wondering, say what you mean e.g. ‘Under the circumstances, he hesitated.’ What are the circumstances? Try this: ‘He’d exceeded his credit limit and didn’t want to apply for a loan, therefore he hesitated.’ We’ve added details. Explaining what the circumstances are gives more information to the readers. This additional information leads them to wonder about the reasons he is in so much debt. Wondering about your character’s motives and seeking answers will keep them engaged and satisfy their curiosity. You’re drawing them deeper into the story. 2. Pump up your sentences with strong words. His voice was low. Weak, not much action. It is a comment describing action. He spoke in…
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Write Your History
If you’re thinking of creating a family history, don’t wait another day. Start where you are with what you have. You probably have more information available than you realize. Here are some resources you may already have: (1) Older relatives, (2) family friends, (3) school records, (4) birth certificates and death certificates, (5) funeral programs, (6) information on cemetery headstones, (7) old photos, (8) memories of what you think someone said to you, (9) real estate records, (10) employment documents, (11) year your family members joined the Great Migration. Discovering your family’s past is empowering. It’s like opening the door on a mystery or solving a puzzle, while giving strength…
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Writer’s Tools: Part 4
Writing Craft When you’re learning to write, especially fiction, you learn the importance of drawing the reader into the story in the first paragraph or two. One of the most thrilling beginnings I have read came in the mystery novel Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. There is no way you can put this book down once you have read the first page.This skill works in other types of literary works. Even in poetry, the poet learns to draw the reader immediately. Remember, Longfellow’s poem Paul Revere’s Ride. It told the story of the great Revolutionary War hero. The reader is drawn into the tale immediately. Also, check out The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood…
