Here we are! Day one of HOW TO WRITE. I hope you are ready for this how to write series! I have drafted a very rough sketch of the characters, and where they are going to “play” in this story. I still do not know what is going to happen throughout, but that is okay, as I like to “discover” write some of my stories. It’s fun for me to learn things as I go. If you are more of a plotter, hang in there. I will likely have to stop the story at some point to do some plotting or else we will never get to the end.

Just a side note, for you menfolk following, this is going to be women’s fiction. Sorry. It’s what my silly muse came up with. WF is a sort of journey story. Tells the tale of the women’s lives and how they overcome something and become better people. You guys may learn something, so stick around. I promise there will be little to NO romance – so no shades of gray here. There are men in it, too…

I have already done the preliminary stuff, and if you are going to write with me, you need to do this, too.

The first thing I do is to write a blurb to anchor my idea. Then, I come up with the main characters, and give them something to do. Then, I add a sort of ending, and viola! I have my Amazon book info page when I am done.

I will say right now, the story can and USUALLY does change from this, and oh my goodness, the characters will change on the first page. They NEVER stay the same. I have already felt them straining against the leash I have them on.

HOW TO WRITE: the blurb

When the owner of Soup’s On, a swanky food service company, encourages employees to join a weekly exercise program, three of the newest employees sign up for it, and—unexpectedly—discover more than just fitness.

HOW TO WRITE: the characters:

Susan Whiting is a bored housewife. With no children, she has money, and more time than she knows what to do with. For her, going through the temporary service to work at Soup’s On is sort of a lark. She’s never cared too much for exercise, mainly because the women she has met at gyms are all after one thing. Her husband.

Cindy Mason is a food blogger in her spare time. She is excited to get the job at Soup’s On to keep her bills paid until she hits it big with money from her blog. She thinks that working for Soup’s On will teach her insider info about the food service industry that she can use on the blog. But trying out all her recipes has packed on a few pounds and she is glad to be able to work out at her new job.

Brenda Houston is a single mother trying to raise two kids on a duel income. She works two jobs, and has very little time for herself. Her plan is to climb the ladder in the corporate world of Soup’s On and quit her night job. At least exercising while at work will keep her from falling asleep at her desk.

This unlikely trio, and Thomas Davis, the owner who is overseeing the exercise program, will discover things about themselves and each other that will surprise and unite, throughout the blood, sweat, and tears of their commitments.

HOW TO WRITE: FIRST DRAFTS

Writing a book is not the big deal everyone makes it out to be. I know I have been a major horn-tooter about it too, but really? How to write a book is NOT open-heart surgery. Your life will not end if you write crap. As you will see, my first drafts are pretty crappy. It’s okay. That’s what edits are for. Go on and allow yourself to write words and sentences and paragraphs that are utter drivel. It’s fine.

TODAY’S HOW TO WRITE HOMEWORK:
Get the first line written. It’s gotta be hooky. It’s gotta be intriguing. I have to send one of these characters out into story world, and they are only armed with their fingernail file. As in the lyrics to a Meatloaf song, What’s it gonna be, boy? What’s it gonna be?

Susan Whiting’s dream wedding began when she was a child playing dress-up in her mother’s sequined evening dress. Her dream never took her farther than the end of the rose-petal strewn aisle.

Whew. That one took about two weeks. But there you have it. The first line in my HOW TO WRITE book. This blog post is over 800 words, so I am done writing for today. That’s over three typed pages, you guys!

Now get your butt in the chair and come up with a sort of story line, and some characters, and join in this thing. I’m counting on you!

Tomorrow: The first paragraph