Novella Books Make the Best Movies

Novellas are special in that they give the reader a good book to read that is a little longer than the normal short story.  I love it because if I want to carry out the story a little more, I have time to finish the extra bit at the end because it is shorter than a novel.  It is exciting to see this carried out into a movie.  Some popular movies that have been based on novellas are A Christmas Carol based on the book by Charles Dickens, The Invisible Man based on the book by H.G. Wells, and The Mist based on the book by Stephen King.  Some of my favorites are I Am Legend based on the book by Richard Matheson, The Time Machine based on the book written by H.G. Wells, and Apocalypse Now based on the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  These books make a great break to sit down and enjoy.    

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Short Stories

How do we know whether we are going to write a short story, novella, or a novel?  As writers I think we get a feeling.  Something inspires us.  I like to write short stories.  What inspires me to write them are situations that I could put myself in for a moment.  Kind of like a short break.  Maybe a moment to drink a cup of coffee, or a walk in the park.  A story that centers on something like this that gives the reader a break is my idea of a short story.  I also get inspired when I think of situations that center on emotion.  I focus on a specific emotion of anger, sadness, happiness, or fear.  These are situations that I can put myself in as well.  Writing about a happy situation would be a kid that lost a tooth, or  winning a sports game.  I would use a sick person and a dying pet for a sad situation.  No matter what genre the story, I like to think of these things to start with.  That is what works for me!

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Short Stories Continued...

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My Favorite Settings In Mystery Books

I love to solve mysteries!  My favorite settings for these types of unsuspecting books are settings that are fast paced, like in a busy city.  Anything can happen in these places.  There are a lot of clues to look for.  Now to be more specific, I find a setting like in a bar, or in an apartment, where there a lot of people around to be most interesting.  There you will definitely find a lot of potential suspects and clues.  Anything that keeps me in the unknown for as long as possible makes a good mystery book to me.  I think it is fun when I read a mystery book to see how the character can solve a mystery in a setting like this, and yet stay sharp and focused.  

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Have you ever tried using symbols in your story?  Whether you choose to or not, it can be fun thinking about it.  If you are having a slow day, thinking of one thing to symbolize another idea, emotion, meaning, person, etc. can help you define your piece a little more and point you in the direction that you need to be taking when you begin writing for the day.  Among the many possible examples, here's one:  Say someone remembers a lost loved one by her favorite color, they wake to an early morning sky with that color all around them.  (further meaning)  They feel like that person has spoken to them, painting the sky to say hello.  If you don't use the piece, it's still an uplifting thinking process to put you into the writing mode when needed.

The Power To Write- Get Inspired

     The writer's experience is a novel in itself!  We go through so many adventures and trials both in our books and in real life.  Every author's experience is different!  How fun is that?  Our readers only get to go through half the fun that we do.  It's like some of those movies where people leave on a quest, go through and learn so much, and actually have a great, unforgettable time.  But once they're back home - they never want to do it again - they don't want to leave.  If people who don't write could go through what we do, without the hassle of writing, I'm sure they wouldn't forget it either.  It's fun, self-fulfilling, and it makes you full - as if to say, " the cake was the best cake I've ever had and my stomach's so full there isn't room for any more." -  Ha, ha - it's kind of like kids when they're worn out.  Give them time and they'll go at it again.

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Sometimes writing a poem for your story can help bring out the details you must focus on.  What I call a "writer's block" poem takes apart what you know of your novel and the keys that your character holds to it all.  Find the most important set back that a character experiences and his/her adoration and link the two together.  Basically, tell the characters story in summary, focusing on key details, and let it be in their psychological world, if you will.  For example, a problem should be symbolized  by something, or by the setting (dark, gloomy, etc.).  The long term goal or happiness that the character experiences everyday can be symbolized by many things; usually it's best to have it go along with the setting and other symbols.

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Religious Genres

Whether you have a religion or not, religious books always will show you a message of right and wrong.  Many other genres can be found within this genre.  The great thing about this is that you can relate it to any part of life if you choose to.  Whether it is action, romance, or drama, you can relate to the message.  All books have a message.  I'm inspired to write a Religious book when I think about things to learn in life.  I also think about things that people need to stand up for.  Some common examples are the right and wrong choices to be made, and good and evil.  Just by thinking of these choices I have an infinite amount of material to use for my book.   There are a lot of right and wrong choices to be made.  There a lot of variations of good and evil.  This changes even more with each individual.