How I Give Life To My Stories.

All my stories start with a thought or a feeling that's to say I'm a daydream I may be looking out the window or riding in a car or just walking and in doing so I will see something that will stir my imagination it, could be almost anything when I see that something my mind goes into full gear. After seeing that something I will make up a character it may be a person or an animal then I will place that character in an event and time, the time can be any time in history it all depends on what my imagination see in that something. Now that I have a character and an event and a place in history I will start forming my story.


Most all my stories start from that first thought after I have formed a image of an event I will place the character within it, Now the event will all depend on how my imagination sees in that something, what I'm trying to say is that If I see a old house or a strange one I will let my imagination run wild, after I have formed an image of the event I will take my character and run him or them through many actions and events till I see the one I like, then I will write a short paragraph this will be the start of my story. I shouldn't say the start of my story for hardly ever do I start a story from that first paragraph it may be the ending of the story or in the middle or some where in between, but no matter where I fit this paragraph it's the heart of the story and with out it there would be no story, after writing the paragraph I will read it over and over and all the will I will be forming my story there are three things I need to know. What placed my character in the event, what caused the action and what happen to the character after the event and action is over, If I can't answer any of this questions there will be no story.

I know a lot writes will say this is no way to start a story, they will say you need a character first then an event then some kind of action. I say why spend so much time in forming a image of a character then after you have that image you have to place him or them in some kind of an event then action to form a story. I like my way better for in that short paragraph I have it all, I may not know at the time what my character looks like or even what the event is but by reading the acting over and over again it will not take long for me to form a image of my character or characters and the event will soon follow, I have listed below four short paragraphs that could be the bases for a good story.


Note. This first short paragraph or out line, allowed me to write four pages before I stopped. I found I didn't know where I was going to take my character so I set it a side for now.

1. Her face looked pale in the moon light and as the clouds covered the moon; her face became a mask of death. The eyes of her mask were hollow and the gun in her hand told of death. She stood there with no life as a statue wrapped in black lace, as the moon came out of hiding I could see tears coming from the hollows of the mask. I waited for her to speak but no sound came, just the sounds of the night. We stood there facing each other; there was no need for words, as the gun said it all. I waited for her to move but the only movement came from the trees as the wind passed through them. I looked into her face and wondered how it came to this? As I moved closer the statue came to life, her arm raised higher, as I moved I saw the orange glow from her hand, the sound of the reports were deafening in the still of the night. I stood there looking down on the lifeless form, I bent down and pulled the veil from the mask of death and looked upon it knowing the beauty it once held.

Note. In this second paragraph the character could be placed in the old west or a war and even being a spy, this paragraph could place him in any time in history; it's all up to your imagination.

2. Blood was pouring out of the wound; Jim was beyond feeling pain as he took his index finger and lodge it into the wound. The flow soon became a trickle. He took in his surroundings, he didn't recognize anything it was all foreign to him. Jim staggered over to a large rock and slumped into its shadow, as he laid in the coolness of the shade he looked out to the horizon as his eyes begin to flutter then darkness took over him.

Note. In this third paragraph the character could be placed in the old west or a modern day mystery.

3. He lay as low to the window far as he could for it seemed to be the safest place in the room, as the room was riddled with bullet holes. He laid there trying to remember how it came to this, but it was so long ago he couldn't. The gun fire began again; all he could do was roll into a tight ball and hope for the best.

Note. In fourth paragraph the character could be in the old west or a modern day mystery.

4. The days had been long and hot three days had gone by sense his last drink, as he stumbled closer to the water hole he could see the carcasses of the dead cows but he came on, as he slumped before the water the smell of death reached him. The coolness was still in him as he laid back on the sand and his face too the sky. The black spots that been following him all this time were still there, as he closed his eyes for the last time he knew that tomorrow they would be bigger.


I hope reading these paragraphs one will give you a idea for a story.