By now, writing the Morning Pages should be helping to free your mind and create space for new ideas. Let’s assume you’ve done the pages for today and you’re ready to start.

Mini sagas
Recently at the writers’ group we did a fun exercise called “mini sagas”, where the idea was to write a complete story in 50 words. A good way to start is by retelling a famous fairytale, myth or legend. Have a go and afterwards try to write a story of your own in 50 words. If you’re successful you might consider writing another slightly longer piece of 150 words and submit it to the Flash Fiction section of Mslexia magazine (if you’re a woman, that is!).

Plotting
Previously in this column we worked on developing character pen portraits. To do this next exercise, you’ll need two characters, as we’re going to write a short story. Every story needs a plot. A simple plot has a central idea, a turning point and an end. The idea is explained through characters, narrative, dialogue and description.

This week’s task is to put two characters into conflict. One wants something: love, money, power, freedom, revenge, etc, and the other has the power to thwart him/her. The plot will develop out of the struggle between these two people. To increase the potential for conflict, the characters should have different beliefs and aspirations.

Use the power of suggestion to indicate what has happened before your story begins. The key word here is “suggestion”. Show, don’t tell. Try to be subtle. Allow the characters to develop through the use of dialogue. Remember that it doesn’t have to be real, in fact real dialogue can often be boring.

Decide who is telling the story – first/second/third person and aim to write between 1000 and 2500 words. When you have finished the first draft, take out the first paragraph and see if the story has lost anything; if not leave it out. Sometimes writing the first paragraph is just a way of getting into the story and frequently isn’t necessary to the plot. Use the questions below as a framework for getting into your plot.

1. Who are the central characters?
2. When is the action taking place?
3. Where is the action taking place?
4. What kicks the action off?
5. What happens to keep the story going? What obstacles?
6. Where does it lead?
7. How does this change things?
8. What effect does this change have?
9. What is the conclusion?

These basic plot questions were formulated by Laura Hird, whose website is a good source of help [www.laurahird.com].
Finally if the action loses momentum, introduce something else. One author, when faced with a plot that was slowing down, opened a door and behind it there was always a man with a gun!
Good luck with the first draft of your story.

Useful words and phrases
When you’re on a bus or train or out shopping, you may hear a word or phrase that catches your attention: note it down. I have a folder on my desktop to store useful words and phrases. I recently heard someone describe their town as “chubby”. I thought it was an odd but apt way of describing the town and used the word later to describe snow flakes in my story called The Belt.

Group success
It’s been so cold recently that during our last session we wore our hats and coats, draped ourselves over the oil-filled radiator and fought for space beside the fan heater. I’d like to say that we didn’t mind suffering for our art, but I think we did. If this weather continues we’ll have to relocate to somewhere warmer until spring. Despite the weather we’ve had some successes – one member has had three articles accepted for publication in a magazine and another has had an article published on the front page of a newspaper – not bad. I hope you’re having some successes of your own.

The Mini Saga idea is credited to Ms J Cooper (Edinburgh).

Mslexia magazine
“Flash Fiction”
PO Box 656
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 1BR
[www.mslexia.co.uk]

The VT Writers’ Group
This group meets weekly in the Veliko Arts Centre, 36 Ivan Vazov Str, Veliko Turnovo. For more information call Eileen Sutherland on 089/ 989 64 42 [www.hotnitsa.com].