#storytelling – Jean's Writing

What you can do with old stories?

Published on November 15, 2018November 26, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

Submit that story, even if published elsewhere.

Now you can dust off those great stories and send them to a new home. Again and again.

And I’ve got just the list for you!

That’s right, there are publishers that accept reprints. So, if you’ve got a story you would like to see published again.

Check out this article…

25 Literary Journals that Accept Reprints by Emily Harstone

Do you have a great story stuck in no-mans land?

Have you tried resubmitting a published story before?

Are you going to try to go for a reprint?

Or do you think every story should be one and done?

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

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Need another idea to help you complete that novel?

Published on March 5, 2018April 5, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

Think like a Resource Manager.

Get organized!

Writer, Blogger, Salesperson, Artist, and Publisher are just a few hats we wear. And juggling all of them can be a challenge. I mean where do we find the time to have a life?

We juggle and multi-task every day. Kids and dogs need feeding, bills must be paid (if you want the lights to stay on), and laundry, let’s not forget clean clothes. Wearing the same sweats all week gets nasty. And this list doesn’t even cover the stuff you juggle at the office.

Whew! I’m tired and ready for a nap after typing all this. Didn’t realize how much I did in a day.

Maybe it’s time to consider applying those same management skills to storytelling.

Organizing helps, but maybe the missing key is in resource management.

Chuck Wendig, explains how storytelling needs management just as much as everything else you juggle.

For instance,

We get kids to school and ourselves to work, making sure everyone is where they should be and for the most part, on time. Our imaginary characters need the same thing.
Chapters, characters, and events need to be in the right order, in the right place and at the right time.

However, Chuck does point out, getting everything in perfect order isn’t what makes a story great. No, the life you breathe into a story is what makes it great.

Fingers crossed, I’ll write faster and better thinking of my story as just one more project that needs good management.

Head over and read his entire post. Maybe you’ll get inspired to corral any wayward characters running amok.

SOMETIMES STORYTELLING IS JUST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT By Chuck Wendig

Have you ever thought of writing as another project to manage?

Do you think that changing your mindset might improve your writing?

Are you one of those super organized people with everything but writing?

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Have you questioned their desire?

Published on October 7, 2016October 6, 2016 by Jean M. CogdellLeave a comment

A few days ago I talked about finding a misbelief for my protagonist, well seems that’s only part of the picture.

Guess I need to dig deeper.

dynamite-animal-1298947_640 — Image Source

Okay, now that I’ve figured out her misbelief, what other questions do I need to ask?

What is her deepest desire?
We’ve all heard to ask what does the protagonist want but take it a step further.
What does her misbelief have to do with her deepest desire?
Is my protagonist loveable?
Can the reader relate to her misbelief and her desire?

And before I can go any further, do I know how this story ends?

Will her desires be fulfilled or will she fail and plummet into despair?

Now that I’ve answered these questions, I’m ready to write to the middle.

I’m learning so much from Steven James in Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules, which won a won a Storytelling World Award. Unlike some bloggers who write “how to” books, Mr. James is an award-winning novelist of suspense including two Christy Awards for best suspense, The Suspense Zone’s Reviewers Choice award, Suspense Magazine‘s Book of the Year award. Mr. James also crosses genres, which gives me hope.

Hope you don’t get tired of me sharing on my blog as I learn. But I love, love this book!

What questions do you ask your protagonist?

Anything special that breathes life into your characters?

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell,Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

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Want to read a little bit of Story Trumps Structure? Then click on the link for a sample.

Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules by [James, Steven] — Image Souce

PS:

On a personal note, I’m getting closer to finishing my next children’s book. Just received six more images from illustrator. Fingers crossed!

jean_king-and-cape300 — A Reluctant Prince

How to write a good story

Published on April 26, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Or tell a good story–

What’s the difference?

One makes you a writer the other is…

My letter for the A-Z Challenge

S= Storytelling

To me telling a story is easier than writing one. And because I enjoyed telling stories I thought writing stories would be a cinch.

Well, I’ve learned the joke was on me.

Yep, after reading the many great writers and bloggers floating around on the web, I realized how little I knew about writing.

I wasn’t even sure I understood the English language. Somewhere I evidently missed a class or a dozen.

At least, Y’all weren’t into shaming and finger-pointing. Instead, you stepped up, taught and encouraged me as well as any other writer who asked for help.

So what did I learn about storytelling?

Telling a story is easier than writing a story. Telling a ghost story as you sit around a campfire is different that writing a ghost story on paper. For one thing, it’s harder to scare the pee out of a group of third graders without a flashlight.
I gotta have a theme. But leave the preaching the Reverend at First Baptist. If my readers want a sermon, they’ll attend church not read my book.
A good plot equals good action. However, that doesn’t mean I need to blow the hell out of everybody that doesn’t get shot. Just means a story needs to move forward and wrap up satisfactorily .
Know my characters – intimately. So much so, that by the time my book is ready for publication I’m sick of them. Why? Because if I don’t know and understand my characters, how can I expect the readers to understand them?
I better know what the hell I’m writing about, and where the story is going, especially if I want to explain these things to my reader.

One last thing.

If you enjoy listening to books on tape check out these online Storytelling blogs as a way to get back in touch with the art of storytelling.

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

Below are links to read more tips on better reading your way to better writing.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.