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Comment by Erin Casey on April 8, 2011 at 6:53am

Tyson,

Love this question - you might want to put it in a discussion forum so you could keep all the responses in the same place. Just writing, as Henry suggests, is a great way to get it all out of your head an on paper. To me, it's helpful to think about the different key points that you want to cover and create a loose outline. For example, you might think about the milestones: the moment you realized things needed to change, crisis points along the way, moments of relief or peace, paying off the last payment, where do we go from here? Once you have those key points outlined, you can go fill in the gaps with your story and any how-tos you want to include.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Best,

Erin Casey

www.mywritersconnection.com

Comment by Henry Matlock on April 7, 2011 at 11:21pm

Hi Tyson--I am by no means an authority on the subject.  And there's likely to be a ton of ways that different writers get the work out.  But I would suggest that you just start writing.  Get everything down that you think may be important to include.

Once you have it all down on paper or saved in a file, leave it alone for a couple of weeks.  Then take a look at it with fresh eyes, and start revising.  The old adage is true - most writing is re-writing.  Know from the beginning that your best work will not happen in the first draft.

Alternatively, you can break up the write-rewrite process by sections or by chapters.  Find what method works best for you and go for it.

All the best!

Comment by Tyson Morgan on April 7, 2011 at 11:09pm

Hi everyone-

I apologize if this has been asked numerous times, but I was just looking for wisdom on how to get started.  I have a dream of writing my story to help others.  Basically, the story will be of our family, how we got trapped in the debt trap, and how we escaped and provide wisdom and encouragement for others to do the same.  I dont want this to necessarily be a step by step approach, but more of our story (hitting various subjects by chapters), how we got in, how we got out, and provide advice at the end. 

So, should I just fire up word and start writing, or is there software that will help me get started.  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  I would love to be a blessing to others by sharing my story....about lost everything, including my family.  Thanks everyone!  Tyson

Comment by Chris Gallagher on April 6, 2011 at 11:52am

Regarding Kent's suggestion for Evernote:

 

I agree it is a great resource to have. I have used it for over a year now with excellent results. I use Evernote in a variety of ways;

• Creating folders for various notes by topic
• Organizing presentations by topic
• Adding articles to be read later
• Brainstorming ideas

Using Evernote (premium version) allows me to sync these notes on different computers and even my cell phone. I am able to add to them whenever I have another idea.

 

It is a great resource.

Comment by Henry Matlock on April 6, 2011 at 9:59am

Michael--Thanks for sharing these resources.  I am sure they will help.  Amazingly enough, I have heard of all of these screenwriting experts.  But having the opinion of someone in the community helps in distinguishing what's good from what's not.

Thanks a lot!

Comment by Michael McClure on April 6, 2011 at 9:39am

For anyone who is interested in some excellent screen writing books I'd recommend a book called The Anatomy of Story by John Truby - this is one of my personal favorites. Save The Cat by Blake Snyder is fantastic and he was just such a great guy (sadly, Blake passed away suddenly in August of 09 I believe, but his books are still very popular). Story by Robert McKee is very popular as well but not one of my personal favorites.

Another excellent resource I'd highly recommend is a podcast called On The Page hosted by Pilar Alessandra. Pilar is a script consultant and teacher and also has an excellent DVD training program and a new book just released called The Coffee Break Screenwriter. I haven't read her book yet but it's on my list. If it's half as good as her other materials it will be excellent.

There's so much out there to choose from so I hope this helps anyone struggling with what to invest time and money in. I think understanding story structure is key and I've come to learn also that a lot of writers use screenwriting techniques to build the framework for their novels. So even if you're not writing for the screen this can be a very worthwhile thing to pursue.

Happy writing.

Comment by Henry Matlock on April 6, 2011 at 9:16am

Thanks for the tip, Kent.  I will check it out.

All the best!

Comment by Kent Julian on April 6, 2011 at 7:05am

Calvin, Henry and others...

 

A great way to gather ideas and write in a way that you can find what you wrote later is with a tool called Evernote.  It's "idea central" for me.  Even better, it's free.

 

Check it out:  http://www.evernote.com/

 

Hope this helps,

Kent

www.liveitforward.com

Comment by Henry Matlock on April 5, 2011 at 9:29pm

Well, Calvin, in the words of Forest Gump: stupid is as stupid does.  I'm sure you phone fulfills all that you need it to do.  All the best!

Comment by Henry Matlock on April 5, 2011 at 9:02pm

Very helpful, Keiti.  Thanks a ton!

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