Roll the Dice or Create your own Story Generator

If you are looking for story ideas or some exercises to warm up your mind before starting on that big project then use this simple method of selecting characters, locations and themes that you can then use to start a short story.

For each of these headings list six possible results numbered one to six, if you prefer you could set this up as a table. If you would like more options you could use two or more die and therefore list twelve or more possible results.

Character

Situation

Location.

Below are some examples:
Character

1 – Teacher, female, 40 years

2 – Doctor, male, 32 years

3 – Doctor, female, 45 years

4 – Shop assistant, male, 62 years

5 – Child, female, 7 years

6 – Hiker, male, 22 years

Situation

1 – Minor car accident

2 – Taking an exam

3 – Planning a holiday

4 – Applying for a new job

5 – Cooking a meal

6 – Taking a gym class

Location

1 – Busy street

2 – In a bank

3 – On a beach

4 – In a forest

5 – At the swimming pool

6 – In a restaurant.

Roll the dice to select a character, roll again to select a second character, it’s OK if they are the same. Roll again to select the situation and again for the location. You now have two characters, a situation and location. Write your story using these elements. Remember this is to help you generate story ideas or to warm up your writing muscles so do not feel constrained whilst writing; if you decide you want your doctor to become a café owner then do it – it’s your story.

You can add to or change your lists to suit your needs or interests, you may also decide to add additional headings such as theme, gender, age, conflict or barrier. Over time you could develop quite a large number of possible story ideas.

Happy writing.

Free book available this weekend - Sell it!

Sell it!: The complete guide to marketing, promoting and selling your book, is the latest in the Write it! Publish it! Sell it! series. It is available as a free download today and over the weekend.

Product description

It is never too soon to start marketing your book. If you have published a book or are in the planning stages of writing your book you can start building a relationship with your readers.

Whether you are self-published or traditionally published developing a marketing plan and actively promoting your book will help you reach your potential readers and make those sales.

Marketing and promotion need not be expensive, in fact the majority of the ideas in this book have no cost attached or have free alternatives.

Follow the suggestions in this book and you will discover how to:
- Develop a marketing plan that results in sales
- Maximise results from your budget and time
- Identify who your readers are – even if they don’t know it yet
- Create “curb appeal” with your cover and title
- Ensure readers can find your book when searching online
- Write a description that leaves the reading thinking “I must read this now”
- Engage with your readers online
- Create a book trailer on YouTube
- Meet your readers offline
- Get interviewed on local radio
- Hold a launch party
- Make changes to your book to attract even more readers
- Make use of online publisher and retailer promotional tools
- Monitor and review your activity to ensure your efforts bring you the greatest returns
- Add value with online content and freebies
- Develop effective time management skills
- Create a brand
- And finally! Have fun.

From the writer of Write it! and Publish it! comes the latest book in the Write it! Publish it! Sell it! Series. This complete guide to marketing, promoting and selling your book will ensure you make best use of all the tools available to you. Read through the ideas, plan your strategy and start marketing your book today. 

Happy writing.

Free book available for Kindle - The Productive Writer

The Productive Writer: A collection of blog posts, articles and extracts on writing, publishing and selling your book is currently available to download from Amazon for free.

Description

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Happy writing

Show don't tell

Show don’t tell is advice you’ll often hear or read. Showing your readers what is happening and how your characters are feeling will engage your readers with the story enabling them to become part of it; when your characters feel scared, jubilant, or jealous your readers will feel it too.

It is important to say that when you write your first draft do not worry about whether you are showing or telling – just get your story written using the techniques that suit you best – polishing your writing, including converting any telling into showing, comes with the rewrite (or rewrites).

So what is showing and telling?

Jason was upset, is telling.

Jason felt that familiar lump rise in his throat, as he swallowed hard he felt the tears form in the corners of his eyes, is showing. Note how use of the word familiar also shows something – Jason has been upset before, probably on several occasions.

It was raining, is telling.

George opened his umbrella, is a move towards showing however this could be improved e.g. George stood in the relative shelter of the doorway as he fumbled with the catch of his umbrella.

In essence telling is you, as the author, talking to the reader – telling them what is happening, the readers focus is on what you have to say next. Showing is allowing the reader to see and experience what is happening and make judgements about the characters as a result – the reader engages with the story, cares about the characters, feels the emotion and will keep turning the pages until they reach the end of the book; you, as the author, are not part of the story.

There are occasions when you have to tell the reader, or narrate, some vital information; this might be setting the scene or providing some factual information, e.g. the year was 2027 and the young men who had survived the war were beginning to return or 10 years later. Consider what the readers need to know that is not a direct part of the story however has an impact on it. In the first example the reader needs to know there has been a war, only young men fought in this war, not all survived and the war was now over. The story starts at the end of the war when the men are returning, the war itself is not part of the story although the impact of the war is very much part of the story. The second example tells the passage of time, you could show this by ending one chapter with the birth of a baby and starting the next chapter with their tenth birthday party – you have to decide which is most effective for your story.

As an exercise take a piece of your own writing or that from a novel you have enjoyed. Identify where there is showing and where there is telling. Try rewriting a paragraph or two converting any telling into showing.

Happy writing.

New book published - Sell it!

The next book in the Write it! Publish it! Sell it! series is now available in both printed and Kindle format. Sell it! The complete guide to marketing, promoting and selling your book by Adam Jackson covers developing a relationship with your readers to ensure they want your book now.

Description

It is never too soon to start marketing your book. If you have published a book or are in the planning stages of writing your book you can start building a relationship with your readers.

Whether you are self-published or traditionally published developing a marketing plan and actively promoting your book will help you reach your potential readers and make those sales.

Marketing and promotion need not be expensive, in fact the majority of the ideas in this book have no cost attached or have free alternatives.

Follow the suggestions in this book to discover how to:

 - Develop a marketing plan that results in sales

 - Maximise results from your budget and time

 - Identify who your readers are – even if they don’t know it yet

 - Create “curb appeal” with your cover and title

 - Ensure readers can find your book when searching online

 - Write a description that leaves the reading thinking “I must read this now”

 - Create a book trailer on YouTube

 - Get interviewed on local radio

 - Hold a launch party

 - Make use of online publisher and retailer promotional tools

 - Monitor and review your activity to ensure your efforts bring you the greatest returns

 - Add value with online content and freebies

 - Create a brand

 - And finally! Have fun.

This complete guide to marketing, promoting and selling your book will ensure you make best use of all the tools available to you. Read through the ideas, plan your strategy and start marketing your book today.

Link to Amazon

Happy marketing