Story Institute Imagine, Enhance, & Grow Your Stories

A multitude of ideas and suggestions for short stories, poems, and writing tips.

So, you have decided to sign-up for Twitter…you don’t know why, but you do know that it is all that…or, at least that is what your younger sister told you. You have gone to the main page, signed up, waited…nothing. That’s right, nothing. You check the screen for days wondering when the “news” will be flooding in. Once, after signing in, you see a large whale on the screen and then a funky bird. After refreshing your browser a few times, you see a blank spot under your update box. You can’t take it any more. So, you decide to have a conversation with yourself using Twitter.

How will you do this? Who is this other personality? Do you create another account? Or, do you just change voices within the tweet itself? Decide if you followed anyone. Decide if you talked to anyone? Decide on what response you got if any from other out there in the random electronic world. Do you find that people are adding you as a friend? What topics do you cover in the conversation with yourself? What impact does this dialogue have on your more physical life?

OK, while this may be a little too close to reality for some, it aligns well with what is possible in today’s society. The storyline doesn’t have to be about Twitter. You could change the timeline and set it earlier where you are writing letters back and forth to yourself. Same idea, different method…Choose your path and choose your storyline, but write and enjoy.

Parents always push their children to achieve greatness in everything they do, especially in sports. Whether they are five and just beginning their venture of kicking a small, checkered ball around a grassy field, or they are fifteen and riding the bench of high school sports team wondering whatever happened to the fun days of just being a part of a team, children are encouraged to play the game.

Choose your age and choose your point of view. Are you the child? Or, are you the parent? Are you the coach, or the cheerleader? Your point of view and the age of the child determines the path of your story. If the child is little, focus on the wonders of playing a game and running up and down the field. If the child is older, focus on the aspects of teamwork or the ups and downs that go along with winning or coming in second. Choose your path and choose your storyline, but write and enjoy.

Your stories are part of your life…we can ramble on for pages on how to make them better and with whom to share them, but what happens if they are deleted, shredded, or lost in an accident…There are many options out there for backup, one that will help sync your files between computers and let you access it on the web is Dropbox…You get 2GB free…if you invite other friends to use the service, your free space goes up as well. There are options to purchase space as well.

Take a look at Dropbox today and restore, access, and save your stories across the clouds…

So, you think that you have that perfect topic for your short story or novel…you think that you have a good idea of what your storyline will be. You’ve written down some character names…You’ve chosen your location, your setting, and such…You’ve even started writing the first chapter…As you near the middle of the seventh page, you pause and look at the rest of the blank page…Wait a minute, what happened there?

You page backwards and re-read what you just scribbled…this wasn’t the character you wrote down…and, wait, where is this taking place again…that is not the same either…So, whose story is this anyway?

Yes, even within the first seven pages, your story can take on a life of its own. While you should be prepared to correct the path your story takes if it goes too far away from your thoughts, be open to allowing it to grow itself. Stories are part of us. Just like us, they can be complicated and change their direction when needed. They need guidance. However, they do not like to be told what to do, where to stop, and how to grow. You and your story will learn together…if you allow it.

What does your story tell you? Are you sticking to your storyline? Or, are you letting it grow as you listen to the story your inner writer is sharing with you?

When was the last time you were at a carnival? You know, one of those signs of summer…the crowded, dark, and sometimes littered parking lots with the Tilt-A-Whirls, the Ferris wheels, the bumper cars, and those all tempting carnival games…Cotton candy, all sticky and sugary…Snow comes, so icy and and drippy…Corndogs so, well, so corn doggy…Each of these images rise to the top when thinking of a carnival. Use each line to share one sense of excitement, of wonder, of worry with your readers, your new friends, your connections to other carnivals that you have not visited…

If you are struggling, take some pictures of the one down the street. Hurry, because it is only there for the week. Are there differences between the carnival and the circus? Are there different attractions? Different people? Different reflections on your childhood? Create the images as you see them. Decide on feeling you wish to evolve and post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Life is like a rollercoaster. A common analogy used to explain the ups and
downs of life. When thinking of this rollercoaster though, depending on
your experience you may picture a stand alone coaster. One in the middle of
a park, perhaps sitting next to a carousel or some other ride. Each are
enjoyable experiences as you enter the rides, but once the ride is over…well
its over.

Or perhaps you think about a slightly different experience. One where there
is a theme woven throughout the park experience and the coaster itself isn’t
just stand alone tracks, but maybe a mountain or a space center. There is a
preshow and a story. A feeling of being on a wild train or venturing
through a snowy mountain that is embedded in your mind upon entering and an
experience that continues even after the ride is over.

So, you are thinking of writing that great novel…the intense short story…or, that inspirational poem…You have your setting, your subject, your time…Have you remembered to read other writing like yours? Reading stories, poems, and sentences like you wish to write brings you closer to the words and audience with which you are trying to connect. Visit your local book stores, check out Amazon.comvisit your local library, or dust off one of those old volumes on your shelves. Don’t just read the news paper or the catchy headline magazines. These items will just give you words not necessarily the right words for your characters or for your readers.
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If you were throwing a party, where would you hold it? Would it be at your house? In the living room? Or, backyard? Would your party be at the small, family restaurant down the street? Or, would you host it at the convention center? Oh, what were you saying, you are more of a party-goer, rather than a party-thrower…well, that will not make a difference…you still need a place to go and enjoy the celebration. This is true for the setting of your story. You need a location from which to center your characters. You need a place in which to make the rain or snow fall. You need a setting in which to place your chairs, buildings, or rivers. Choose wisely as the setting can cause you more anxiety as a writer than the characters…imagine a story about a space cadet without going into outer space. Imagine people being trapped without food in the middle of a snow-capped mountain without the snow or treacherous valley. Here are a few quick suggestions for settings…
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Whether you share short stories, knit novels, or compose poetry, you are constantly in search of a subject. Where do you find your inspiration? Where do you search for the sanity that is the focus of your piece? The challenge usually is finding something, someone, or some essence worthy enough to place on paper so that the goodness spills out over the page and into the minds and sometimes hearts of your readers. Here are a few quick suggestions for subjects…
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You know what your day looks like. You know when you have time to write. You also know when you don’t have time to write. There are really two challenges though…Finding the time when you are not asleep and finding your particular muse somewhere along the way. They are both elusive creatures. Neither seem to be on your side. Neither want to cooperate with each other. You may be inspired, but you don’t have the time. You may have the time, but are not inspired. Here are a few quick tips on bringing these writing necessities together…
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Coffee is a great stimulator. It provides that get up and go when the get up has just about gone, or perhaps hasn’t even shown up for the day. Tammy drinks three cups of this magical brew each morning before she even gets into work…one before her shower, one after the gym, and one on her way to the office. The rest of the day’s menu is very similar. She needs the caffeine, and nothing else seems to work. It has to be coffee or nothing. Somehow, she forgets to buy her usual coffee during her recent trip to the grocery store and runs out late that night to pick up a blend for the morning. Her usual stores are closed and the grocery store seems to be out. Feeling somewhat defeated, she heads back home. On her way, she passes a recently constructed strip mall. One of the stores is a coffee shop and it is open. The moment she walks through the door and the wonderful wafting aroma hits her, she feels a sense of calm, a sense of belonging, a sense of being at home. A clerk greets her and asks, “What is your taste of choice? Wait a minute, let me guess…”

Who is Tammy’s taste? Does the clerk know and guess the right flavor? Where is this store? What kind of coffee doe they sell? What does Tammy think of this place? What caused the feelings when she walked in? How long does she stay? Think about all of these questions and interactions and write until you have fulfilled each unanswered question. Decide on your direction. Decide on the story and write. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Flying above the clouds can be uplifting, but rather dull if you do it often. Such is the case with Bill. He looks forward to being in a different place at the end of the trip, but the path itself is less than exciting. On one trip between Chicago and Orlando, the plane had to fly a little lower and was actually flying through the clouds. Bill looked out of his usual window seat and observed a different world. He stared and saw things within the clouds that he recognized on the ground.

Share what Bill saw. Make sure you keep your story to the plane ride itself. Share how Bill felt. Does he interact with the things he sees? Does he tell anyone on the plane? A suggestion would be to allow others to see the what Bill sees once he share it with them. There are enough stories out there about one passenger going insane and seeing things outside a plane. Keep this one focused on possibilities. Keep this one grounded in an alternative reality that is similar, but in on a higher level than what your reality reflects. Decide on your direction. Decide on the story and write. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Unid was a shaman for an ancient tribe. Unfortunately, the tribe had recently vanished. Right before the disappearance, the skies grew dark and Unid lay napping under a poonta tree. When he woke and strolled back to the village, he noticed very little. However, when he got within sight of the moving city, he did notice that no one was moving…He looked around, still a bit groggy from his respite. He searched many of his neighbors’ houses and found no one.

What happened to the village? What happened to Unid? Where did everyone go? Or, was it Unid that disappeared? Why is he still a bit of a sleepy-head? What does Unid do next? Does he just accept the situation and go about his daily routine? Does he try to concoct something to find out the true story? Do we hear any back stories about the village before the vanishing? Decide on your direction. Decide on the story and write. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

The online community is full of friends we may never meet. However, it is also filled with those who have other intentions…Choose a person, male or female. Choose an age, teenager or younger, senior citizen or younger. Choose a reason that individual was online. Allow them to venture into a forum. Describe the messages. Describe the context of the site. Describe the dialogue that occurs within a topic. Delve into the steps the person takes within the forum and outside the group.

Does the character tell her in-person friends about the group online? Does the character interact with the online group? Or, does he just log on and read? Is there a get together that causes concern? Is this group a pleasant place to share ideas? Or, is a place where predators lurk? Use your online experiences to drive the story. The cloud can be full or darkness and rain, but it can also be a bright place as well. It is where we choose to travel that makes the difference. Where does your character choose? Decide on your direction. Decide on the story and write. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

Time stands still when you do not carry a watch. Time also stands still when you do not know what time is…We can hide from reality and even be put in places to help us pretend more. However, we can not dismiss reality when the lights around us signify changes. Tessa went into the home when she was 12 and has not seen others since then. Her room provides all she needs. It is a small, three-sectioned room that changes with Tessa’s imagination. When she needs to go outside, she exits through one section and ends up in another, viewing trees and feeling the breeze. She interacts with the creations she has drawn or described out loud. The main computer provides the rest. On one particular day, an actual visitor somehow crept into the room…

Who was this visitor? How did Tessa get here in the first place? What is this place? How long has it lasted in this location? Who runs the place? Where did this computer come from? How does it recreate the creatures of Tessa’s imagination? Decide on the path. Decide on the storyline. Decide on the imaginary creatures that enter and exit the space. Decide on your direction. Decide on the story and write. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…