Have you ever gathered all kinds of information for a life story and sat wondering how to start? Thinking a way through can be a great help. With any kind of writing, I keep in mind the mnemonic devise, CORE. It can help writing either a short story or a longer piece of fiction like a novel.
Three years ago, I completed a historical novel. It is much like writing a biography as far as organizing one’s ideas and then writing and editing the text. In some past blogs about story writing, I’ve given tips on how to collect useful resources but not on how to get on with the job. For me, the CORE of writing is essentially this: each time I find that I follow FOUR steps in producing a story. I tend to feel more confident when I have evidence to back up a historical fiction novel.
You can
- Collect resources – books, photos, pictures, internet resources and any useful discussions noted. It is useful to find books that give you more background information. I wanted to know about Tecumseh and read two books about his life. I found one picture that verified where my heroine was! It came as a result of talking to another teacher I knew who happened to have a picture of my Catharine at 18, in Indian dress because she was living with the Shawnee for 4 years.
- Organise what you find for a life story chronologically or by events. I found a journal by another relative who imagined what happened to Catharine as she had quite an adventure travelling with her family and being captured at a time when there were many conflicts. This exciting find spurred me on and it also gave me ideas for the plot.
- Write your story, using your resources and your own imagination. If your grandparent is still alive get them to talk about times long ago and imagine what life was like for them. Keep on writing and only Revise when you have finished it all.
- Edit any writing begins with re-reading the story you have produced. Then you can edit it for any slight plot changes that enhance it, Afterwards edit it for correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. This proofreading is essential to improve the quality of your writing. You can also use a professional editor.
Collecting information can involve recording interesting information of an interview with the person you admire or of a good talk you heard about the subject (if it is to be a true story). I have spent a year reading books and collecting useful resources and making cards, I can refer to. This also helps if one wants to list references in a book. You might find useful photos in your own albums but also some interesting world events on the internet. Old pictures are now more available there to give a feel for the time. I needed a Delaware man and found the right picture on a First Nations website.
Once you’ve collected information, start to organise how you will use it in your writing. One old family group photo prompted me to write about a person’s early life. With one professional musician, I used his ‘bio’ in a program to introduce the man and lead to the person behind it. I saw it as a way to hook my readers. A family history about someone being captured in 1780 was a wonderful way to start a novel for young adults.
Having an idea how to organize the life story or plot will help you write more fluently. When I have written my first chapter, I read it over to see if it grabs me. When I write for younger students, I try to get right into the action. Once I introduce other characters, the story develops. I try to put myself in my reader’s place and give him or her the most interesting view of my subject or character. If I am retelling someone’s story, I make sure that I use words, he may have used. Using conversation brings a lifestory or a novel alive too.
When I have most of my book, I ask a friend to look at it, as it is good to have another opinion. One friend told me she wished she knew more about a secondary character as she went along. We discussed it and I valued her opinion. That was a way to sort details that affected how I ended that story.
Another friend did a copy-editing job for me. I needed to improve my own writing using more appropriate punctuation even after my friend and I had revised the text. I applied my CORE method to this bit of writing. Some of the best editing can be done when you read your story OUT LOUD, especially if it a short story with a punch line. See how it comes across. I always do this writing a picture book for the youngest children.
Using certain steps like CORE makes one much more confident and produces a better result. After producing 16 books, I am still learning! Now I have to learn to make an ebook to put up on my website!
When it comes to printing your story, the CORE method still helps. You have to choose the best layout; printers often do adult books in size 6 inches by 9 inches. then you have to choose where to put relevant pictures (using insert in MS Word documents and formatting the size.)
Doing this, you are organizing your pages in the layout. You also need to plan for a dedication page and acknowledgements to those who helped you by reading the book etc. Part of your organization is listing any references at the end of a book If you recorded those at first, it is no problem.
Be prepared to revise anything to improve the final product. When your rough print copy comes there is still room to revise it. Most printers allow for a few errors.
Bring your efforts to an end only when you are satisfied with the cover; it helps to sell your book or, if it is a gift just in the family, it is preferable to finish it well. I had several people read my book, edit mistakes and suggest improvements. It took me 10 months to produce one doctor’s life story and two years to finish a historical novel Two at the Crossroads about two women Catharine Malott Girty and Tecumapese, Tecumseh’s sister. But it was worth it to see how much people enjoyed the story told through the eyes of two strong women who lived about 2oo years ago, during the War of 1812-14.
I hope you can use CORE to help you produce a life story or a novel you’ll always wanted to write. I wish you well with your own work.May you be glad you wrote it.
The Joy of Writing about Life 