Writing groups really help!

Exciting News! 
I am part of a local writing group in Tasmania. We are a diverse bunch of people of all different ages and backgrounds. Many have not been previously published, but now they can say they have! Our 2021 anthology, Ideas Are Like Rabbits is now available online through bookdepository.

click here to see it and order! 

Ideas Are Like Rabbits from Amazon

Ideas are like rabbits from Barnes and Noble

So, you may ask, why the strange title? It's a quote from Australian writer John Steinbeck, who described the process of writing as collecting rabbits which pop up, sometime at random moments: "Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."

What's in the anthology?
Lots of short stories and poems from many different writers of all ages! Including some of mine. As an author of children's and young adult books, I have some stories in this collection that have never been published before! Here is a short rundown:

Short stories/picture book texts - 
1. Mr Twigg - about a street where lots of interesting characters live. It's a true story of a real street in England in the 1940s.
2. As a Bird Sees It - a very short story about how it feels to jump out of a plane with a parachute!
3. Crystal - a story about a very unusual girl with Autism.
4. The Secret Box - a little sister falls inside four of the most dangerous fairytales in the world. Her elder sister has to find a way to follow her inside each one and rescue her against giants, witches, wolves and naughty gnomes.

Writing Groups are Fun!
You know what's so great about writing groups? We chat about writing and share information on how to write, how to get published, how to design book covers yourself or through a book designer, how to format your work correctly, how to send to a publisher. We also talk about our own work, helping each other when we get stuck or aren't sure what to do next.

Neverending Stories 
We also write stories together! They are called 'Neverending' stories, in which some of us write a chapter then send it on to the next person, round and round. Eventually we have to decide how to end it. But who knows how long that will take?

order a copy here: Ideas are like Rabbits Amazon

Ideas are like rabbits  Barnes and Noble

Brilliant Story Questions for Novel Writing

 As writers we are prone to follow behind the muse, lapping up every drop of inspiration she deigns to let fall from her slender fingers. And then she disappears. Argh! What to do? It appears she's led us up a very interesting path, full of twists and half-obscured objects we cannot resist, but where are we actually going? Thanks to writer Nicole Murphy, I have found Michael Hauge, script writer for Hollywood and awesome, awesome, awesome teacher! (that was a little pathetically worded, I know). There is so much fabulous free advice on his website. Check it out here: story questions for novels. or read below. Michael's website is packed with brilliant ideas, some of which are so simple and obvious, yet we need reminding sometimes and Michael has the experience and wisdom to put it onto digestible chunks.

Who is the hero or protagonist?

Why will we immediately empathize with the hero? In other words, why will we identify with her when she is introduced?

Where is the hero at the beginning of the story, before anything new occurs to get the plot going? What is the everyday life she’s been living, and how does the story show that?

What is the hero’s longing (deep desire he’s just paying lip service to) or emotional need (which the hero won’t admit or is unaware of -- usually this is to connect with others in some way).

What opportunity is presented to the hero at the first key turning point?

What new situation is he placed in as a result of that opportunity? Is it by choice, or is the hero forced into it? What will the hero have to figure out, or adjust to, in this new situation?

What specific, visible goal or finish line does the hero want to reach by the end of the novel – in other words, what’s the outer motivation?

What’s the outer conflict -- what makes that goal impossible to achieve?

What is the hero's greatest emotional fear?

What wound – what painful event or situation in his or her past (usually in adolescence) – led to that fear?

If the novel contains a love story, why is the romance character the hero's destiny? Why did they choose each other, out of all the other people they've been involved with?

What is the hero’s identity – what protective persona keeps the hero from facing and overcoming her emotional fear?

What is the hero’s essence or truth? Who would she be if her identity were stripped away? In other words, who does she have the potential to become, if she’s courageous enough?

What is the hero’s arc or character growth? How does she gradually make the transition from her identity to her essence? What gives her the courage to do that?

What is the story’s universal theme – how does the arc for the hero provide the reader with a prescription for living a more fulfilled life?

What deeper issues – political or social -- does the novel explore?

What are the successful antecedents for the film -- recent, successful novels similar in market demographic, genre, style, tone and/or story, that you can point to and say, "Because those made money, this one will make money."

What is the passion for this project – what do you love about it?

What are the biggest weaknesses in the story right now?

What makes this a novel – why will thousands of people want to spend their time and money to read it?

www.StoryMastery.com © 2010 Michael Hauge

Enjoy!

cheers, Dawn