How to Use Flashbacks Effectively

March 12, 2015| Lynn| 0 Comments|

Flashbacks are writing tools that allow the writer to give the reader a window into their past. They allow the writer to bring the past into the present. Family history writers often misuse flashbacks in conveying their story. They tend to use flashbacks as the story. However, flashbacks are not the story but a tool to help add another layer to their story. Flashbacks should not compete with the current story, or become the current story but enhance it. Flashbacks are also not back story but similar in that they allow writers to interrupt the current story to add explanation or answer a question. Let’s look at a few elements we can incorporate to effectively use flashbacks in our family history stories.

1. Find a trigger to ignite the flashback– Don’t jump into a flashback without a trigger. Your character must encounter something in their current story that triggers the memory, an external motivation that pushes your character into a past memory. The trigger signals to the reader that we are no longer in the present story. It also indicates to the reader that its content is important to the story.

2. Does it advance the story? Make sure the flashback adds value to the story. The flashback should be relevant and bring meaning to the story. It is not filler, don’t use it to fit in all that research you know about your ancestor. A flashback should always serve to advance the story, give perspective or answer a question within the present story.

3. Keep it Brief – Get to the key moment you want to convey to the reader. Don’t drag your readers through a long flashback scene when the important point is only a small fraction of the scene. If you find the flashback scene too extensive, maybe it’s time to consider whether it belongs within the greater frame of your story and not as a flashback.

4. Use in Moderation – Don’t use flashbacks unless you feel there is no other way to get an important piece of information conveyed. For new writer’s jumping back and forth in time is difficult to do effectively and can often leave your readers confused. It also can be a lazy way to write. If you’re continually looking to flashbacks to tell your story than it’s time to re-access your story line.

5. Find a trigger to bring the character back to the present. Make sure there is a trigger in the present that pulls the character out of the flashback and back into the present, cueing the reader that the story has returned to present. Without the cue, the reader may be left behind in the flashback. You want to make sure when you bring your story back to the present you are bringing the reader with you as well.

How to Write a SceneHow to Write a Scene

March 8, 2015| Lynn| 0 Comment| 3:17 am

We think in scenes all the time.

Take a moment, remember a childhood memory or last week’s business meeting or playing with your children last night, or the family dinner on Sunday evening. These scenes play out like little movies in your head. There are characters, and in a place, a time, and something is happening, conversations are had. As the writer, you are the director re-creating the moments of your ancestor’s life in words, like a movie, vivid, colourful, playing out for the reader on the page.

All scenes contain various elements that contribute to making the scene alive and vibrant for the reader. Let’s break a scene down to see what makes it so special.

The Elements of a Good Scene

Time – The reader should be thrust into a specific time and day, so the reader is immediately oriented with the time frame of the scene. If you don’t your reader is quickly confused and lost.

Setting – Again, much like time you also want to familiarize your reader quickly into the place of your scene. In order for the reader to see the scene play out they need to understand the surroundings and be able to place your ancestor within their surroundings.

Action – Something happens in the scene that propels the plotline forward. Your scenes must have action; they must bring about conflict.

Dialogue – Someone speaks. Dialogue can reveal plot, the conflicts but also helps us understand our ancestor’s character.

Vivid Description- In order for your reader, to see the scene play out like a movie it must have very specific and detailed description.

Imagery – To bring the scene to life, the writer must use all their senses, touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. However, don’t overload your scene. As the writer, you must decide what you want to bring through in your writing. Don’t pile up your writing with description and imagery and let the reader try to figure it out.

POV- The reader needs to have a clear understanding of who is speaking.

Figurative Language- Similes and metaphors are often used to help create visual images for the reader. It helps to create images for the reader, to make your writing more memorable.

Beginning, Middle and End – Just like our story each scene needs a beginning, middle and end. The end needs to propel us on in the story to the next scene. The beginning draws us in, the middle gives us the guts of the scene, the conflict, the end offers a resolution or not but offers up tension that propels the reader on to the next scene.

Purpose – A scene must serve the story. It must somehow be relevant to the goal of your ancestor. If it does not serve the goal of your ancestor, it has no reason to be in the story.

You want your scenes to be entertaining. This is another one of those moments when you will have to tap into the creative side of your brain. You have to breathe some spirit into a scene. How do we do that? Again this comes from practice and time and by reading the works of other great authors and learning from them, recognize how they craft scenes and practice writing scenes of your own.

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Tips and Tools for a Rocking First DraftTips and Tools for a Rocking First Draft

January 13, 2016| Lynn| 0 Comment| 7:10 pm

Rocking out a good first draft doesn’t just happen it isn’t a matter of chance but rather a result of careful planning prior to writing. We constantly hear about writers who take one month to produce a draft for a book or story, who sit down and crank out a first draft in a month all the time. Of course, it is messy and will result in many rewrites and revisions. Writing a first draft in a month is certainly doable, but maybe we want a good first draft, not a mess. The only way to accomplish this is with a plan that addresses every aspect of writing a first draft, from mapping out your story to creating a scene guide, to gathering the details of your ancestor’s life, to surrounding yourself with an environment conducive to writing. Without a strategy most likely your attempt at writing your family history story will end badly.

Take some time before you begin to write your first draft and enlist the five tips and tools below. Together they will help you to pre-plan your first family history story draft.

Set a daily goal

Tip: Writing a first draft in one month is about the numbers. The best way to do that is to do the math in advance and decide how many words you plan to write daily. By writing daily and with a word count goal, you’ll keep yourself on track to complete your mission, whether it’s a 20,000-word short story for your legacy family history book or an 80,000-word epic family history novel. Identify in advance your project and the word count. Do the math.
Tool: Download our free word count tools.

Take some time to outline your plot and scenes

Tip: The best way to write every day is to have a plan. It will be difficult to hit your word count and write a good first draft if you don’t have a plan of what you intend to write each day. Take some time upfront to plan your story map and outline your scenes. This way, each day when you sit down to write, you’ll know exactly what you plan to write.
Tool: Consider our 1-hour webinar One Month to a Draft. We walk you through the pre-plan process of mapping our your story and outlining your scenes prior to writing.

Choose one ancestor, one story

Tip: Don’t try to write four hundred years of history in one month. Break your family history into small manageable chunks; consider one ancestor, one story at a time. Choose your ancestor and complete a character profile. Character profiles help you understand your ancestor intimately and provide you with important details and that will be necessary in bringing your ancestor to life on the page.
Tool: Complete the Authentic Ancestor Profile in Authentic Ancestors, Workbook Number 2.

Develop a daily writing habit

Tip: A daily writing routine is essential to completing a first draft and making writing a part of your life. By finding the environment, tools, and time of day that work best for you, you can turn writing into a part of your everyday life. Habits will help you to centre yourself in the writing process quickly and maintain your focus pushing away distractions.
Tool: Getting Ready to Write Workbook 1, offers many tips and advice for clearing your schedule, creating writing habits and declaring yourself a writer.

Don’t work towards perfection

Tip: While we may not want a messy first draft it is important not to work towards perfection. We have to move through the writing process and the first couple times may not be pretty but it is still an important part of the writing process. There is no stepping over or around the process. One cannot learn and develop their writing skills and flesh out their story without working through all the stages of planning and writing a first draft usually a less than gleaming first draft. We learn from creating that first story and moving through the process. The perfection happens in the rewrites and editing process. Every stage in writing a family history story is important in the process. Don’t try to shorten your path there is so much to learn from the process.
Tool: Enjoy every part of the writing process from finding the story to mapping and outlining your scenes with our scene guide in Finding the Story, Workbook No. 3