Hello everyone,
Hope all is well. I'm both a new member and a new writer. I took journalism in College, but have been working in computers since age 11 (About 15 years). I've written several articles in magazines, currently writing a book on Linux and have written well over 100 technical white papers.
But the urge to write stories has been a fever raging in me since childhood. So several months ago I decided to polish my craft and began reading books left and right. Aside from novels, I also read Stephen King's On Writing, and about a dozen writing books to include the Idiot's Guide to writing Novels.
So now the test. To see if I have any skills on writing outside of the technical world I decided to write a short story. Though my interest lie mostly in fantasy and Sci-Fi I decided to write a short on horror. (I know) I may be wasting your time, and hope that I'm not as this could prove useful to others. But I wanted to walk through the entire book from concept, to development, through first and second draft, to a polished story. And to be honest with you all, I need help from those who have taken the plunge.
So, the story idea. (And it may be lame, but it's all I have at the moment).
The story will be about a family of three (Jake, Maggie, and their daughter Cara). The three take a trip to the mountains, and are involved in a serious accident where all three are banged up pretty bad. The road is deserted, it's late, and it's been raining. Jake and Maggie start hiking to the nearest town in search of a hospital. Their concern is for their daughter who is in and out of consciousness. Along their journey they run into several challenges with the wild-life, and landscape. But "Together" Jake and Maggie get their daughter to a medical facility. Once their daughter is in good care, Jake goes to check on his wife and none of the Doctors or nurses recall Jake arriving with anyone other than Cara. The story ends with a call from dispatch, where they found the wreckage and Maggie's body just outside the vehicle who died on impact.
So that's the overall spoiler, now the development of the story. And so several questions from those of you who have written several stories;
1. Does the story stand better without the twist at the end? Or is it too "Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone, etc?" It's creepy when you think about it, and could be written in such a way where it could leave you feeling like you've just experienced a Sixth Sense\Creep Show double-feature.
2. How do you typically go about setting, plot, etc? Should I break out a map, and find stretches of forests where wild-life such as bears and wolves may wonder? Which proves to be an interesting read for those who have either lived, or visited those areas.
3. I thought about starting the story the day of the trip, and entering several scenes that show the bond between Maggie and Cara. As well as to explain a child-hood injury of Jake, which supports that there is now way Jake could have gotten Cara to safety alone.
What are your thoughts and ideas? Am I going about this all wrong? Should I just shut-up and get to writing, which is what most books encourage. But they also encourage brainstorming with other writers and support groups. (Which is why I sought this forum out)
Can't wait to hear from you.
Best Regards,
Ken Wincel
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