The failure of the act of story writing is mostly due to the lack of sufficient intellectual and fictional experience on the subject. If we define life as a collection of stories; We realize that it is not at all difficult to put on paper our experiences and observations that we have absorbed in any part of life – with the help of certain clues and criteria.
The following tips and assumptions addressed from different angles can guide the prospective ghost writer who is just starting to write a story. It is also important to note that professional story writers continue to follow all or more of these presentations.
1. Reading
Writing in all branches of literature is directly proportional to reading continuity. The more you read, the more chances you have to write.
The young story writer has to be selective in his reading act. The harm in starting the reading with the “story type” is more than beneficial. Because; Each story whose subject, fiction, integrity and style is based mostly leads the author candidate to the judgment that “I cannot do this job”. However, this process works exactly the opposite in reading “novel”: The novel, which contains many stories in terms of its structure, leaves a semantic integrity in the reader’s memory as if reading a single story. This integrity, extracted from pages of articles, seems easy to make the writer candidate say “I will do this job”. If our writer takes a pen in his hand and starts to rewrite the novel he read, adding the connotations in his imagination; will have started the first story trials. Although these essays are mostly the summary of the novel, they will help to accelerate the imagination of the writer candidate.
After reading and summarizing the novel, one can switch to the “poetry type”. Each line woven with melodic images in the poem stimulates the author’s imagination. Explaining each line of the poem he read as a story paragraph in 5-6 lines, the writer candidate expands the form that he narrowed down with the novel with poetry. So now he can control his imagination and intellectual ability. Well, it’s time to read stories.
Read stories! .. Read lots of stories from short to short, from right to left, from socialist and individual. Not just stories; Read also their writers, namely the storytellers in your readings… Did you think of a subject, “How would Sait Faik have written this?” set it up in your mind. If your fiction did not satisfy you, open Sait Faik, read it again …
2. Writing
You have a nice subject in your head, paper and pen in front of you and your thought is completely set to write… But, you cannot write because you cannot find enough strength to start. “Inspiration!” don’t say, it only knocks your door when you master it. You lack the habit of writing. Because; We only gave you the habit of reading when we say novels, poems and stories; It is up to you to get the habit of writing …
Forget the subject in your mind and start to convey your day’s events, observations, and feelings on a blank page. Do not worry about “My sentence organizations sucks”, “what if someone reads them”, “how simple words I chose” because when the page is full, you will tear it and throw it away …
Is the page full? Then open a new page and transfer yesterday’s ones. Then the next day, then the next… I think your hand is tired. Tea-coffee break and music… When you think you have had enough rest, open a blank page again and try to rewrite the events from the beginning to the end (including your writing essays). When the page is full, fold it well and lift it up to a corner for reading after your writing attempt tomorrow.
3. Taking Notes
Not all people have a superior memory. Many events that take place during the day and the emotions within these events often disappear from our minds in a short time. A strong memory for the writer is associated with his ability to take notes.
Even if you’re walking around in shorts and shirts, get a notebook that is big enough to carry around. Take your notebook and jump on the passenger ferry that takes the Eminönü-Kadıköy voyage if you are in Istanbul, the Konak-Karşıyaka ferry if you are in Izmir, the Gar-Sincan train if you are in Ankara (other cities in other cities) … Let there be two ladies; one of them is traditionally covered and the other has a light make-up. Try to write all conversations as fast as your hand. Don’t forget to leave enough space at the end of each conversation to write at least two sentences:
“- The last Leylas came with their children… Not children, but monsters are blessed! .. One goes on the kiosk, the other plays with the television… Especially the girl… a cell phone in hand; He sends a chattering message and flirting. “
“- Yeah, yeah… Now all of us have this shit. We see the boy’s face from table to table. He takes his mobile phone, he enters his lair in the evenings … “
Oh yes! While writing these conversations, occasionally filter your subjects with the corner of your eye. Because you will then fit the descriptions and descriptions that you have in your dreams during the speeches into the spaces you left between …
“While Elif Hanım’s fingers with brown skin were hovering on the keys of an imaginary mobile phone, the rheumatic clutches coming out of her knuckles gave the effect of a keystroke.”
Isn’t it? Why don’t you think it happened? Because, since the dialogue that we have designed in our minds is far from reality, my mental description that complements it has also become a patch on this fiction. Remember; real dialogues are always clearer and more fluid than imagined. At the same time, there is too heavy clause in the description above that the story genre cannot handle. The farther away the story moves from the phrases (being close to them is the work of the novel), the more transferential it becomes. It is best to observe the real dialogues and describe what you see in short descriptions in your notebook.
One sentence in the line while watching the movie, a word in the lyrics while listening to the music, the mother Makbule going straight to Memed, his son playing with muddy water; yes all of them, why not be the subject of a future story? Take note!…
4. Dealing with the Reality of Life
Life is not when you get up from your bed, wash your face, sit down to breakfast; It starts when you jump from the threshold and open the street door. If you don’t try to catch life, let alone try to write its story; You can’t even be a side character in the story written. Quick, tidy yourselves up and go out! ..
Walk your streets first: Walk with all your organs… How many times have your feet exhausted this stone on this sidewalk, remember. Did the geranium on the balcony of Fatma sister bloom (nor does it have a fragrant smell that burns the throat now …), did Grocery Hasan change the glasses frames (I wonder if money came from Germany, from her son?), Rukiye and Hüseyin were again struck in the tea garden (hayta boy ! Why did you quit your job in the factory. Does Uncle Mustafa give his daughter to the unemployed…), hear, see and feel in your steps.
Many young writers hope that he will retreat to his room and write stories before he has yet to have conscious maturity and vital experience. Although there are very elaborate and original works in between; Unfortunately, most products are only concerned with intrinsic blur and lack narrative fiction. The essence of life is too dynamic and even chaotic to be shaped by this static generation. A story cannot be written by ignoring the economic, socio-cultural and spatial problems, local value and cumulative consciousness of the geography inhabited. When you take a look at the life stories of the storytellers (even other writers) whose works we read with pleasure; You will see that life has been frayed in the streets, fields and squares, not in the mansions, palaces or interior rooms. These streets are yours: Walk …
5. To be tolerant
As a writer, if you don’t adopt a tolerant line, the characters in your stories will also exhibit monotonous personality. A story writer is never in “judgment.” The characters can be intolerant, judgmental, aggressive, impatient, of course… Moreover, the more different characters he can analyze and reflect, the more “tolerant” he can describe in his works for that author. However, in some cases (such as moral depression, social depression, economic extinction), highlighting the negativities may reduce the limits of tolerance in their characters in order to be a window to the good / good / society. This is his most natural right because it comes from his leaning on an “outward-looking” life as defined in the previous heading.
Above, we have summarized the actions and abilities that the beginning story writer has to take over a long period of time before sitting at his desk. If you believe you have acquired enough of these habits; Let’s take a look at the criteria for writing a quality story explained below with examples.
Choice of Story Subject
When the young story writer decides to write, he has the most trouble finding a story subject. Because, according to him, there are no very interesting, extraordinary or surprising subjects around him. Since he thinks that no one will read an ordinary subject, he inevitably moves towards fictionalizing far from reality.
However, literally “story” is used for situations that are likely to happen. Subjects that take their source from real life and deal with events that may or may have happened are ideal for the young story writer, as they will contain fewer errors than fictional stories.
Those who are new to story writing can use the following tips for topic selection.
You can address an interesting / painful / sad / funny event that you have experienced and that you think others would like to read,
You can use any situation that your family, friends or circle has experienced,
You can describe your feelings that you dreamed of and that you think others feel,
By observing any person from your family or around you throughout the day, you can convey what they do, how they do them, the methods and tools they use, their feelings and weaknesses,
If you have a special interest (painting, theater, social events, etc.), you can explain your observations in those places by integrating your area of interest with the technical / aesthetic features.
Fiction
Today compared to the past, in addition to the chronological development of events; Fictional features such as rupture / slip / jump / remember are used more. These fictional changes strengthen the vital dynamism, network of relationships, and mystical, ironic structure of the narrative.
If the young story writer handles the development process in the story chronologically, he may create less erroneous fiction. In general, time-lapse / shifting / feedback stories can create problems enough to jeopardize the integrity of the subject if they are not out of a master pen.
To explain the editing techniques used in the narration of the plot in a more catchy way for the novice story writer:
Stories that follow the plot from beginning to end:
It follows a chronological time, fictional error rate is low. Usually, case stories are written in this style and predominantly past tense is used.
Narrative stories that start at the middle or end of the plot and return to the top with reminiscences:
It is a type of fiction that tells about how the plot came to the end with flashbacks. It is a very frequently used technique and is often found in subject-based stories. There may be fictional errors that conflict with the latter situation (such as not using an important object at the end of the story for past recall)
Stories in which the plot is cut in one time period and tied to another time / space period:
It is a editing technique often used for stories that lead to surprise endings. The subject begins with the case story and ends with the narrative story. The consistency between the two stories is the most defining feature of the fiction.
Stories with parallel lives, skips, feedback times in the plot:
It is a difficult story fiction. Temporal jumps are conveyed through dialogues or associations. In addition to the formal order, the integrity of the subject should also be meticulously provided. It is usually open to surprise ends.
Stories in which the plot is told with associations, repetitions, and temporal gaps:
It is one of the most difficult story fictions. It aims to make the reader watch / live the event. Time flows are schizophrenic and hysterical. It relies on very strong associations or specific topics. The conclusion can take place anywhere or in the whole story.
