I’ll find a picture of a person who looks similar to how I imagined the character, I download that image and using an image editing software I size the image to fit on a 3′ x 5′ index card.

I print out the image and attach to the blank side of the index card. On the line ruled side I write the name and general description and characteristics of that character.

This helps me make the character seem more real. Once I have the major characters for a story on index cards, it helps me visualize the story in my mind and to write the story more clearly.

This is what I like about it:

• Provides worksheets
• Worksheets help me set goals
• Helps me build a story by focusing on the overview and progressing towards the finer details
• The Website KarenWiesner.com provides supplemental materials to the book

I am still working on writing a novel but I have used the knowledge gained from this book to write some short stories. I did this to become familiar with the guidance of the book.

Anyway, I have found this book useful and I wanted to put in a good word for it for any wannabe writers, like myself, that need some help on putting a good story together.

I am not particularly gifted at writing. I am gifted with an overactive imagination. It is because of my imagination that I like to write. I can easily create stories in my mind. Transferring those stories to writing is difficult. Editing my writing to improve grammar, spelling, and vocabulary is even more difficult.

Fortunately, for aspiring writers like myself there is an old technology called the Library and a new technology called the Internet.

Let’s discuss the Library first. The Library is a writer’s friend. If you have money, a book store can be a writer’s friend too. I like the Library. It’s free.

The Tulsa City-County Library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification System, which I assume most Libraries do. To learn more about the Dewey Decimal System review the Wikipedia article located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes.

Language is in the 400 Class. The 428 section has books about standard English usage. These books are a great refresher for what was learned in grade school and what I have forgot since grade school.

If you ever need to know what  gerunds, participles, and infinitives are, section 428 in the local Library is a great place to start. Do not be afraid to look at section 428 in the Children and Juvenile books either. Those books are usually easier to understand and also have fewer pages so it takes less time to look up what you need to know.

On the Internet search for “grammar help,” which provides a wonder list of great websites to review for standard English usage. I particularly like http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ because it has drop down lists where I can select what I want to learn. Take interjections, for example. Wow! There I can use the drop down list and select, “Interjections” and learn all about them.

Writer’s use words and I only know a few. But that will change. I have found http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/vocabulary.htm, which is a great place to begin developing a vocabulary. This web page provides helpful information on increasing vocabulary and also provides links to other great websites to review for building a vocabulary.

So there it is. A way for a writer to become an even better writer. Go to section 428 at your local Library, search online for grammar help, and build your vocabulary.

I previously wrote a flash fiction story titled, “The Ghost Beyond the Attic Door,” which deals with the overactive imagination of an eight year-old boy. That story neither confirms nor denies the existence of a real ghost in the story, just that the boy believes there is a ghost.

The concept of a ghost story without a ghost is an odd concept, I realize, but it is not an original idea. Both Sherlock Holmes and Scooby-Doo use the formula of a supernatural mystery, which results in a natural resolution. While I must admit that I have neither read nor watched many Sherlock Holmes stories I have watched a lot of Scooby-Doo episodes.

Scooby-Doo Ghost-Less Mysteries

Most Scooby-Doo episodes portray a mystery about a ghost, goblin, or monster which rarely turns out to be a real ghost, goblin, or monster. It is usually a couple of crooks trying to trick local town folks for personal gain.

The crooks masquerade as a ghost, goblin, or monster to scare people away from a location that the crooks plan to rob. In some episodes the crooks have stolen loot hidden in a location they want to keep secret.

The idea of writing a ghost story without the ghost may seem like a peanut butter sandwich without the peanut butter but it is more like having a peanut butter sandwich with wheat bread. White bread is tastier to most people. Using wheat bread makes it more challenging to have a tasty peanut butter sandwich.

The Challenge of Writing a Ghost-Less Story is Fun

The fun in writing a ghost-less story is the challenge of making the story interesting. Scooby-Doo episodes manage to be entertaining without supernatural foes.

The challenge is to persuade the reader to believe that the ghost is possibly real. Then near the end, reveal the truth of there being no ghost to the reader. It was all just a hoax played by the villain in the story.

A Haunted House Story Without a Haunted House

Even more challenging would be to write a story about a haunted house without a haunted house. Again the fun in writing the story will be the challenge of making the story interesting. A story with a real haunted house, dare I say, would be easier writing than writing about a supposedly haunted house that is later revealed to not be haunted.

While someone may argue that it defies the expectation of the reader to start a story about something supernatural then near the end of the story reveal that there was nothing supernatural. I would have to answer with, “so what?”

Most ghost stories are mysteries. What does the ghost want? Why is the house haunted? The ghost-less mystery is about determining what the villain will gain by generating a ghost hoax?

Therefore, the ghost-less story is a mystery about the living. There are living good guys and there are living bad guys. Yet in this mystery the bad guys are generating a ghost story to gain something of value. The good guys have to solve the mystery and stop the bad guys.

It has been said before and I shall say it again, “That is an excellent question.”

Since the dawn of the Internet with millions of people taking advantage of the freedom to broadcast their writings online, it is true that originality is lacking.

When I write, I know that my ideas are not original. Almost every story has been written before.

So why write?

I write because it is perspective that makes a story original. Each person has a unique personality that adds uniqueness to a story.

The phrase “We see the world as we are, not as it is” is a great human truth.

The fuel for writing is out there but the fuel has been used several times. The fire, however, is the individual personality of the writer that adds the spark of originality to the fuel.

What does that mean?

Right now, as I type this rough draft for a blog, I am sitting outside typing ideas into my laptop. I am drinking my morning cup of coffee with a splash of Splenda for sweetness, when I notice the young blonde lady across the street coming outside. She walks towards her car. Evidently, she is going to work.

She notices me staring and gives a friendly wave. I wave back. Then I refocus my attention to my notes on the laptop, realizing that she will probably tell her husband later that the weird guy across the street was staring at her again.

Anyway, that was the event. That was the fuel for a story. I think about “what if”. What if this lady and her husband are serial killers who have changed their identities to escape the authorities.

And no I don’t think about “what if” in a pornographic sense because I don’t write pornographic material. I only watch it. Sometimes. Not a lot. Accidently, I have seen pornos. Moving on.

I decide that the hero of my story just happens to be outside surfing the Internet on his laptop when he comes across a story posted on Google News about a Serial Killer Couple still at large. The pictures of the female and male look similar to the people that live across the street. As the hero looks at the picture of the female in the news photo, the female across the street steps outside, waves, gets in car, and drives off to work.

My imagination generates a scenario that is similar to the scenario in dozens of movies, stories, and television shows, which is, “An innocent person recognizes a criminal from a news photo.” That story element is not original.

So why write it again?

I write it again because my version of that story element will be different from all of the other scenarios before it. I will have my unique perspective of that scenario.

I add my personality to the scenario by having the event take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma because that is what I know. The hero is either a Web Developer that works from home because that is what I know or he is a recently laid off employee because that is also what I know. There will also be other unique elements to my story because of who I am and what I have experienced.

Therefore, the incident of a person recognizing criminals from a news photo is not an original idea. But the details I add to that incident make my story original. No one else is going to write about that incident the same way I would. My sense of humor, my hopes, my fears, and my life experiences blended together create a unique perspective of the world.

My final note is to acknowledge that the theme I discussed in this blog post are not original. I have advocated the primary principle every instructor in every creative writing class advocates: Write what you know.

She is an accomplished author who has written over sixty books and has won several writing awards. My goal is to write my first novel within the next few years. I have been writing flash fiction and short stories for a couple of years now. I write flash fiction and short stories to improve my skills in preparation for writing the novel.

Some good news for me is that I have been asked by a local newspaper for an interview regarding my recent short story A Creature in Keetonville. The interview will not be for another week but it is exciting that my short story has caught some attention.

Anyway, what I wish to discuss in this post is my process of story planning. The process I go through begins before the planning stage. Before I plan a story I like to get know my characters and the basic events of the story. I call this stage the Brainstorm Stage, which is really a pre-planning stage.

I use 3×5 index cards. I start with the protagonist and write his or her name and a brief description on a card. Then I decide on an antagonist and write his or her name and a brief description on a card. I write down the catalyst, which is the event that sets the protagonist on a collision course with the antagonist.

Then I just brainstorm and start writing events down on the cards. I usually put a title of the event, description of the event, and the date. For example a murder mystery story I am working on I have a card labeled as: (title) Mr. Hogan Found Dead, (description) Personal Assistant Ms. Jenkins finds body of her boss at his home in the den, and  (date) 2/10/2009.

The date is for my own tracking purpose, which is a habit I developed as a Web Developer of placing dates on CD backups of Websites. The date has nothing to do with the date of that an event occurs just the date I wrote on the card. Anyway, I write events on the index cards and I do not worry about transition events or the story making any kind of sense. I just write stuff down.

My planning stage was different than what Karen S. Wiesner describes in her article but I will probably start using the method she describes. I do outline my stories after I have written on several index cards.

The index card process helps me get a clear picture of the characters, the events and the overall story. I often end up trashing several index cards when I start reviewing the cards and I often add new cards with new events to start the process of molding the story together in a logical flow of events.

So there is my advice for what it is worth. Think of a story. Write down events of the story on index cards and then use the Story Plan Checklist.

It is great to read encouraging words that inspire and provide strategies for being creative and productive. In fact this blog, The Rothline Blog, is inspired by the work of Leo Babauta. I do not want to emulate Zen Habits nor do I want to be a carbon copy. It simply inspired me to start blogging about what I am interested in, which is writing. Zen Habits has also inspired me to want to help others who have a similar passion as mine.

Therefore, I intend to use a portion of The Rothline Blog to provide advice, information, and strategies on writing. Since I have started back into writing I have been reading books, magazines, blogs and websites about writing. I want to improve my writing skills. I like writing mystery fiction so I read about how to write fiction.

Anyway, one of my great finds, which some may already know about, is the website Writer’s Digest. The slogan for Writer’s Digest is, “Write Better. Get Published.” I think that describes the site very well. It is also describes my goal of writing better and getting published.

I have found some great articles under the category of “Write Better.” There are, of course, many great articles and advice in various categories on that website. I have not yet subscribed to the magazine, which Writer’s Digest publishes but I do intend to do so. Also, of note, is their list of writing competitions which can found at http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/.

So far my impression of Writer’s Digest is that it is an amazing website of advice for beginning and experienced writers. And I must also note before I conclude that Zen Habits is an amazing website of advice for living skills, creativity, and productivity. Both sites are worthy of review.

This President, being a busy person, was on the phone when I entered the office. He saw me and gestured for me to sit down. I could tell he was trying to get off of the phone so he could talk to me but the person on the other end evidently had some things to either ask or discuss before letting the President go.

The few minutes gave me time to admire the large and luxurious office complete with bookshelves, pictures, tables, a couch and a large window with a view of a well manicured landscape.

The situation got my mind to working. I was a member of the I.T. Department for this company and the President had a new project that he would assign to me. I had a daydream about a guy like myself who works in an I.T. Department getting an assignment from the President of the company.

The assignment was to install a home control security system in the mansion that the President owned. My real assignment was something different but that was the daydream I had while sitting in the office of the President.

Installing a home control security system would not be much fun for a story but I liked the direction the story was headed. So I started writing the first part of the story when I had a chance.

I was not the I.T. Director at this company. I was actually the newest employee on the I.T. team but my story was not about my reality but my imagination. So I made the hero of the story, Logan Sharp, the I.T. Director.

A problem with the story was that installing home security systems is not entertaining. My story needed a surprise, a conflict, and a mystery.

Then it dawned on me. During 1999 there was the Y2K fear on the minds of many people. I remembered reading an article about how some people where burying weapons and food in their basement to prepare for the end of the world. That was the solution to my story.

I decided to have the hero of my story, Logan Sharp, work with some other I.T. guys installing a home security system in a mansion who discover a large underground basement where people have been living since 1999. A little farfetched perhaps but the story was fun to invent and fun to write. I titled that story A Nation Below.

So for story writing ideas use your daydreams. If you are a person already interested in writing fiction stories you are probably a person who already has an active imagination. Many times it is more difficult to put the words on the paper explaining a story then it is to daydream a story. So relax and let your daydreams lead the way.

The story is about a Bigfoot sighting in Keetonville, Oklahoma. There are two elements in that story which have fascinated me for several years: Bigfoot and the Keetonville Bridge.

My interest in Bigfoot started at an early age. I saw a picture from the Patterson-Gimlin film of a Bigfoot on a tabloid cover. I later saw a few episodes on the Six-Million Dollar Man television show which had a Bigfoot character. I also saw the movies The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972) and Harry and the Hendersons (1987) which were about Bigfoot. Over the years I have viewed some other low budget films about Bigfoot.

After The Georgia Bigfoot Body Hoax in 2008 I was ready to put a story together about a Bigfoot mystery. The other element which is a critical piece to my story is the Keetonville Bridge.

Keetonville is a small town in Oklahoma between Tulsa, Owasso, Catoosa, and Claremore. There is a road called Keetonville road which is the main street in Keetonville. That road curves up, down and through the hills of Keetonville. It is the old truss bridge on this road that has fascinated me since high school.

The first time I saw this bridge was when a friend of mine had told me an urban legend about Cry Baby Bridge. I know now that almost every town throughout the United States has a story about a Cry Baby Bridge. The Keetonville Bridge was the topic of the Cry Baby Bridge urban legend in the Tulsa area. The area around the Keetonville Bridge and the Keetonville road is beautiful and peaceful. It is a country area with a few homes, a few farms and a lot of fields, trees and space. It is a perfect place for something to hide which makes a great place for a mystery.

A few years ago I had thought of a story about some campers in Keetonville encountering a Bigfoot but I could not get the story to work right. I started doing research about Bigfoot sightings in Oklahoma. I discovered Oklahoma has had only a few sightings and most of those sightings were around the Kiamichi Mountains. I, of course, wanted to write a story that took place in Keetonville which is near my home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Perhaps if I make bundles of money in the future I can afford a lengthy visit to the Kiamichi Mountains and write another Bigfoot story. Interestingly (and I hope to attend someday) Honobia, Oklahoma, which is in the Kiamichi area nicknamed ‘Bigfoot Country’, has a Bigfoot Festival each October.

So despite the fact that Keetonville has probably never had an actual Bigfoot sighting that is where my story takes place. The good news for my story, though, is that there really is a Boggy Creek that flows through Keetonville.

I will admit that Boggy is a common name for creeks and there are several Boggy Creeks throughout the United States. The most famous of all the Boggy Creeks is in Fouke, Arkansas. To learn more about Bigfoot online, read the information provided by Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot.

For example I used to have a job where I had to drive a lot. And no daydreaming was not dangerous to my driving. I would simple think of some wild adventure in my mind and think about that adventure during my long drives. Each drive had a different adventure.

There has been times when I have had to stand in long lines for an hour or more. The stress of just standing for such a long time would be unbearable if I was not daydreaming.

Daydreaming can take me on adventures to places I have never been or that have never existed. Many people keep a pen and paper on their nightstand to write down dreams that they have had. The author of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, reported in an interview that she got the idea for Twilight from a dream.

My wife suggested that I start writing down some of my daydreams. Perhaps some of those daydreams are worthy of being mention in a blog or in developing a story. So I have decided that she may have point.

I will set forth as a mission to write about daydreams, movies, books and other items of interest.