Cups to Chapters

I'm a habitual writer.  Vary my environment for brainstorming?  Sure.  How else will I fill my writer's notebook with the variety of seed ideas necessary for a strong story?  Vary my environment for writing, though?  Not unless I have to.

When I made the decision in Summer '08 to put fingers to keyboard in pursuit of bringing CROSS to life, I needed a stable environment to concentrate.  I chose a Starbucks only one mile away from my home as my writing haven.  It provided the seclusion and liquid invigoration I needed to spend hours each day toiling over the manuscript.

Over the course of many months, I exchanged drained cups of java for filled chapters of dialogue.  At various points, Drew, Jackson, Kim, Troy, Mr. Cross, and even Joe sat across the table.  Their characters spoke to me.  Drew and Jackson talked about the bonds of friendship between them and what it felt like for those bonds to be pierced, then re-mended.  Joe spewed his contempt for Drew in a way that exposed pent up rage from a troubled past.  Kim cooed over Drew but also held Troy's hand as he confessed the difficulties of growing up with a name like Tinkle Troy.  Finally, Mr. Cross shared his knowledge of his classroom critters while he petted Prometheus draped around his neck.

Okay...so maybe the coffee went to my head.  In all seriousness, though, writers must engage in dialogue with their characters.  A comfortable, reliable place to write allows those characters to visit frequently and chat over a warm cup of coffee.  Who will you sit down with today?

~Scott

"Live, Learn, Teach"

Tator Tots, Technique, and Inspiration

As a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writer's Group (GLVWG for short), I have the opportunity to gather with writing colleagues on a monthly basis for workshops.  On February 23, 2008, I attended a workshop entitled "Tator Tots, Technique, and Inspiration" presented by Ann Russek.  

"If you made it through elementary, middle, and high school, you have enough stories to last you a lifetime," Ann told us.  

Below are a few exercises conducted that day.  Each one played an integral part in the development of CROSS.  Sit down with your Writer's Notebook and try them out for yourself!

Exercise #1:  Going from Known to Unknown

1.  Create a brainstorming web with a grade from your school years in the center.  

2.  Extend the web with details you remember from that year.

3.  Continue extending the initial "sprouts" by delving deeper into that memory.

Here's an example of a chain of though extending from a web I created for "fifth-grade."

5th grade--Rope--Gym class--220 yd. dash--Rich P.

4.  To transition from known to unknown, take one of the items or names from the end of a sprout to begin a whole new web where you will delve deeper into that subject.  In my example, I took Rich P. and placed that name in the center of another web.

This allows you to dig into the unknown to find possible characters for stories you may initially have overlooked.  I used this method in CROSS to create the characters of Joe Riaz and Kim Etter.

Exercise #2:  Studying setting

1.  Imagine a setting from your school days.  Cafeteria is often a popular choice.  Instead of discussing trivial elements like the tables, chairs, lines, etc., try to dig deep to memories from your time in that setting.  Free write for five or ten minutes about that setting and your place in it.  

This exercise created the lunchroom scene in CROSS when Drew self-destructs from paranoia, fearing his best friend Jackson will crush his beloved chocolate-glazed miniature donuts.

Exercise #3:  Place your characters in extraordinary situations

1.  Brainstorm a list of 10-20 people (living or dead) you don't know but would like to know.

2.  Brainstorm a list of 5-10 names from your childhood.

3.  Circle one name on each list.

4.  Free write a scene in which these two people meet in a mini-mart.

This exercise allows you to discover qualities in real people you can transfer into your own characters.  It also aids in dialogue development for character interaction.

I really needed to play around with this kind exercise to develop Ryan's character in the novel.

What stories from school are hiding in your mind?  If you're brave and willing enough, feel free to post some of your results here.  Have fun!

~Scott

"Live, Learn, Teach"

Will the Real Mr. Cross Please Stand Up?

CROSS is a novel sixteen years in the making.  Percolating.  Ripening.  Until now.

Sixteen years ago I sat behind a student desk rather than standing in front of one.  My sixth-grade teacher, Glenn Crossley, dreamed of one day working in the San Diego Zoo's Reptile House.  Our classroom included reptiles tame and wild.  From Ozzie the tempermental Nile Monitor to Prometheus, the 13-foot Burmese python, our growth as young adults came not only from the careful tutelage of our teacher, but from the raw realities of the natural world. Feeding a cowering white rat to a starving snake or cleaning up the droppings of a lazy lizard is not something you learn in a textbook.

Sure, I remember the classroom fondly, but I remember the man behind the magic more.  Mr. Crossley is the reason I avidly read aloud to my students each day.  He's the reason I believe strongly in a male influence for young adults in elementary school.  He's a big reason I pursue my passions with such devotion.  Because, do you know where he is now?  In California.  Living near San Diego.  I'm not certain if his childhood dream became reality, but in my mind, it did.  

This fictional account of a year in the life of Drew Harrington, his best friend Jackson Harris, and the legend of Bridgeton Elementary, Mr. Cross, is an homage to the teacher I had and strive to emulate.  The greatest day for me will be placing a published copy of CROSS in his hands and saying, "Thank you."

~Scott Heydt

"Live, Learn, Teach"