Eric Praschan
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The Story Behind The Story

9/23/2012

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Last week, ML posted a question about how story ideas develop for me, so I thought it might be interesting to take a look at this process.  

Every writer has a different approach to forming ideas which turn into scenes and serve as the nuts and bolts of a story.  The ingredients of stories exist everywhere and it is the joyful responsibility of the writer to be a careful observer of life's ongoing events in order to ferret out these creative nuggets.  Over the years, I've developed a habit of jotting ideas onto Post-It notes.  I may write down a word, a phrase, or a mental image.  The story idea in that moment may be in its infancy or it may appear spontaneously full grown, but in either case, I add that day's Post-It story note(s) to the ever-growing pile on my desk at home.  Later, I use these Post-Its when I sit down to type out a scene.  The pile of Post-Its gives me a continuous source of inspiration, because I don't have to start from scratch every time I plop down on my desk chair.  There's an idea already waiting on a Post-It which I can expand from the moment my fingers land on the keyboard.

In terms of how story ideas actually arrive, I work with two overriding principles: 1) "What if?", and 2) "Yes, and."  I make an effort to take life observations and continually ask “what if” about them, creating hypothetical character/plot situations out of everyday situations I see, hear about, or imagine.  The “yes, and” rule which is often used in improvisational comedy (meaning whatever situation is presented must be accepted and added to without negating it's plausibility) takes it a step further.  By using "yes, and,"  nothing is stifled, squelched, or stopped in the ideation process, because brainstorming implies that whatever kernel of an idea you are working with receives affirmation and creative extension.  

Let's look at a real life example: 
-I found myself experiencing a health episode which left me on a hospital bed, temporarily paralyzed and mute, trapped in my own thoughts.  Then, while I was still in that situation, I asked myself...
-“What if” a character in a story was temporarily paralyzed and mute?  How would that person react, what would that person be thinking?
-“Yes, and” “what if” that person had to undergo therapy because of the bizarre health episodes?  
-“Yes, and” “what if” that person (let’s make her a female) was a therapist herself (wouldn’t that add layers of conflict and turmoil?)?  
-“Yes, and” “what if” it is discovered that the episodes are occurring because of resurfacing memories of a childhood she has forgotten?  
-And so on and so forth.  

By using these “what if” and “yes, and” principles, we have the basic premise for Therapy for Ghosts.  This is how some of the initial ideas for the book actually originated.


So, what about you?  Do you have a writing process that works for you?  Even if it's not writing-related, how do creative ideas come to you and how do you develop them?  When you read a book that impacts you, how does it inspire you to be creative?  
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Here we go!  

9/15/2012

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Picture
This is my first journey into the blogosphere.  I'm writing this first blog post as part of the kick-off for the release of my suspense fiction novel, Therapy for Ghosts.  The book has been a two-year process of writing, rewriting, editing, and persevering.  
I'm very excited to share the book and dive into the writing community.  Feel free to check out a teaser about the book on the Therapy for Ghosts page of the website, and, if you're interested, click on the link to purchase the book through Amazon.  I'd love to hear what you think about the book if you get a chance to read it.  Feel free to write a review on Amazon; any comments are appreciated!

I should probably introduce myself.  I love writing and reading at ridiculous levels.  I'm a huge movie fan, and I enjoy everything from drama to action to comedy.  I love creature features, so give me aliens, sharks, and all the predators you can find!  My favorite T.V. shows are N.C.I.S. and Lost (dear Lost, I miss you!).   On Saturdays in the Fall, you can find me watching college football; on Saturdays in the Spring, you can find me watching college basketball.  I'm a die-hard University of Michigan fan, as well as a die-hard University of Missouri fan.  Music runs like blood in my veins, especially hard-rock music.  Long live rock!

I hope to write on this blog once a week to discuss writing and books.  Some posts will be a review of a book I've read recently, some posts will talk about the writing process, some posts will cover miscellaneous topics and random musings from an author, and some will just be crazy posts for fun.  Regardless of the topic, I encourage you to join the conversation and express your thoughts, opinions, and experiences.  Books fuel our imaginations, so all of us perceive books in a unique way, and I want this blog to be a place where we can share our love for books and have an ongoing conversation that builds community.  So, let me ask you, what are some topics about books or writing that interest you, or what things do you want to be discussed in future blog posts?  

Thanks for visiting and I hope to hear from you!  Here we go!


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