Twenty Historical Plot Starters

Are you a history buff that lacks inspiration?  The past is full of stories waiting to be told.  We frequently share story prompts on our Pinterest, Facebook, and Google+ pages, but right here is your gold mine for inspiration.

As a gecko on Noah's ark, he saw everything that went on, including the scandal between the elephants and the tigers.

Most know her as Queen Esther, but she's best known to me as Aunt Essie.  We did everything together, from housework to playing practical jokes on my father.  Everything was flowers and rainbows, and I couldn't have been happier.  Until they came and took her away.

It started as a quiet rumble, then grew, and the giant wall began to crumble.  The people living inside the wall screamed, and I shuddered, selfishly glad that though I lived inside Jericho's previously-impenetrable wall, my home stood safely in the center of the city.

The castle lay silent in the vast forest. It seemed enchantingly beautiful...so why did history have a different story to tell?

Sleeping beauty. That's the fairy tale that was so often associated with the mystery of the missing princess. But who would have guessed that instead of playing Beauty, the princess more closely resembled the wicked queen?

The rough wood under his hand threatened to leave splinters, but he didn't care. Gripping the hull of the ship until his knuckles turned white, He watched as the rouge ship sailed closer. The Dragon at the head told him all he needed to know. Vikings.

The ship listed to one side, and she caught hold of the rail to keep from being washed overboard.  The New World had better be worth this misery or she may as well swim back to England.

The plow broke the sod in satisfying furrows, following obediently behind the horse.  He'd never enjoyed plowing, but today was different.  His father would be home from war any day, and the field would look better than it ever had before.

A horse.  That's all this animal was—a horse.  So why did her knees quiver beneath her buckskin riding skirt?  Why did this beast haunt her nightmares?

I, Napoleon Bonaparte, met Benjamin Franklin on the street during one of his many trips to France during the Revolutionary War.  We had a delightful time discussing politics.

Backs aching, they planted row after row.  The endless task stretched on in the form of southern soil, their skin nearly the color of the dirt in which they worked.

The Lewis & Clark expedition was a huge success for everyone.  All the folks in town celebrated and packed up, ready to move.  Except for one family that locked their doors and primed their muskets.

Nobody bothered to tell him that attempting to assassinate President Andrew Jackson would earn him more than he bargained for. 

The ground quaked beneath her feet.  It started as a low tremor, growing in magnitude until she fought to remain standing.  A fracture in the pavement appeared with a low groan and widened, then raced down the street, seemingly intent on swallowing her whole.  Screams echoed up and down the street, and a single thought crossed through her mind: it was 1906, and the world was coming to an end.

She used to like the color red.  But as the crimson flag rippled in the breeze, she felt as if she were drowning in a sea of pure evil.  Evil every bit as ugly as the black swastika that sat proudly in the center of the fabric.

Peace and love—the very words that had inspired the bell bottoms and tie-dyed shirt that were the most-loved part of my wardrobe—became hated to my own ears.

The old man stood erect and silent on the porch as the sight of his uniformed grandson faded away. Then, a silent tear slipped past his defenses and made its way down the wrinkled cheek. He knew the truth so many denied; no one would be the same after Vietnam.

From the deck of the passenger vessel, the immigrants could see the lighthouse shining in the distance. But the welcome light was overshadowed by the ominous shadows that lay between their vessels and the shore.

Rain mixed with the tears he could no longer hold back. Looking toward the sky, he wished the rain could wash away the aching hurt that pounded inside his chest. Would this war take everything he held dear?

The haunting notes of a violin swirled through the crisp leaves of the forest, carried by the Autumn breeze. Where did it come from, and why would such a gifted person play where there was no one to hear?

Writing a Snynopsis

There are several things that hook a potential reader.  We've talked about cover design and interior formatting, but another obvious factor to make someone pick up your book is the synopsis.

One of the hardest things—for some—about publishing is that dreaded back-cover synopsis.  Some love writing it.  Everyone's different.  But I think everyone can agree on one thing: the synopsis needs to show the heart of the story, yet leave the readers with questions.  Not too many questions, but enough that they want to pick up your book and read it.  You could hire someone to write it, but that's just an added expense to the money you're already doling out for editors, formatters, designers, etc. So now let's explore some methods to make writing your blurb easier, and more interesting.

The potential reader is looking for clues—not too many, not too little—to decide whether or not the book would be right for he/she.  And those clues come from that information on the cover.  So, in order to give those clues thoroughly, let's explore the well-known five W's: who, what, when, where, and why.  The how is the unanswered question that causes the reader to pick the book up in the first place: how will the whole plot be resolved?

Who:
Who is the main protagonist?  Who is the antagonist?  Who is important to the book's plot?

What:
What is the protagonist trying to accomplish?  What is the antagonist doing to prevent this?  What main events take place that won't give away the entire plot?

When:
When is the book set?  Past, present or future?

Where:
What location is the story set in?  Is it in a magic or fantasy world like The Chronicles of Narnia, or in a real part of the world like Oliver Twist?

Why:
Why is the protagonist doing what he/she does?  Why does the antagonist try so hard to stop him/her?  This may or may not be answered, depending on how much information you're wanting to give away.

As an example, I'll use the age-old story of Cinderella.

Who:
Cinderella (protagonist), evil stepmother and stepsisters (antagonists).

What:
Cinderella wants desperately to go to the ball.  Her stepmother/sisters are determined not to let her succeed.

When:
It's a fairytale.  It doesn't really have a time frame except that it's a story full of horses and palaces and... well... medieval, I guess you'd call it.  But this element will be mostly taken care of with the cover.

Where:
Again, there's that little detail about it being a fairytale.  It's fantasy.  You could really place it anywhere you like.

Why:
Cinderella simply wants to be someone special, if only for a night.  The antagonists just have a cruel sense of malicious power and are jealous of Cinderella's natural beauty.

So, on to writing the synopsis!  All you're doing is condensing the book into a mini, unresolved story.

Cinderella has one dream: attend the prince's ball.  However, her stepmother, along with her stepsisters, have decided against her.
When her cruel family strikes again, Cinerella's last hopes of being someone other than who she is—a scullery maid in her own house.

Okay, there's the bare bones of the story.  Time to beautify it a bit.
At the end of the blurb, there's one of two important things you can add (or both, if you're especially creative).  Firstly, you can add one or two carefully crafted questions to raise the suspense.  Or, secondly, for the same effect, present a specific problem for the protagonist to overcome.  Perhaps a discovery to be made, a deadline to meet—the possibilities are endless.

Cinderella has one dream: attend the prince's ball.  The beautiful gowns, the dashing and debonair gentlemen, the grandeur of the palace she's laid eyes on only from a distance, fill her every thought.
Her stepmother, however, along with her stepsisters, have decided against her.  It seems that her fate is sealed, and that the world is out to get her, to rip her dreams apart piece by piece.
When her last hopes of wearing a beautiful gown and dancing with the prince, of being someone other than who she is—a scullery maid in her own house—are dashed by her cruel family, Cinderella is left with a question she desperately wants answered: do dreams ever come true?

More description, more imagery—this is what we're going for.  We want the reader to have a picture in their minds of what they will discover in the pages of the book. 

Notice the question at the end: it gives a hint at Cinderella's internal struggle.  Let's try this again, only with the problem-to-be-solved ending rather than a question.

Cinderella has one dream: attend the prince's ball.  The beautiful gowns, the dashing and debonair gentlemen, the grandeur of the palace she's laid eyes on only from a distance, fill her every thought.
Her stepmother, however, along with her stepsisters, have decided against her.  It seems that her fate is sealed, and that the world is out to get her, to rip her dreams apart piece by piece.
When her last hopes of wearing a beautiful gown and dancing with the prince, of being someone other than who she is—a scullery maid in her own house—are dashed by her cruel family, Cinderella must learn that sometimes, dreams really do come true.

Problem presented?  Yes.  Problem solved?  Not by a long shot.  Whether you use the question method or the problem method, they both leave readers with unanswered questions.  Which one you choose is up to you.

I hope this helps you when you're stuck with a synopsis to write!  Let us know; we'd love to hear about it!

How to Fall in Love with your Story Again

I'm sure we've all got that one story (or several) sitting buried in our docs.  Or maybe it's the one we've been forcing ourselves through.  But there's one thing that these both have in common: they've lost our interest.

It's sad, really; you were so excited to start this story.  You wrote nearly the whole thing in your head before finally doing a bit of plotting.  Then came the exciting part—that new doc was created, that beautiful spread of blank white, seeming to call you, to challenge you to place your fingers on that keyboard and begin to fill it with your magic.

But then... at some stage in the story, an imperceptible change took place.  So slight and gradual that you suddenly realized that you lost interest in the story, and you don't even know how.  Maybe it was somewhere in the first thousand words.  Maybe in the middle of the story, when you begin to think that maybe this story is all that your mind hyped it up to be.  Maybe it's during the editing stage, when you're nearly ready to trash the thing.  Or perhaps it was before you even started, when you opened that fresh doc and the sight of the empty white sheet intimidated you, freezing your train of creativity.  And you realize that... no matter how much you want this story to continue, it just can't.  Because the unthinkable has happened.

You no longer love the story.

Sure, somewhere deep inside, you really want to get this story out of your system.  You want to share it with the world someday.

But today is not the day.

Or the next day, or the next.
And now you're at a loss of what to do—you've started a new story, but a part of you still wants to finish this abandoned piece of art because, somehow, you still believe that it might be worth something.  So how do you accomplish that?  Here's some ideas to help you fall in love with that story once again.

1. Storyboards
Sometimes you just need a little nudge in the right direction.  A simple photo, an inspiring quote: if you need some inspiration, Pinterest is the way to go.  You can find hundreds of ever-popular storyboards to give you ideas, and then comes the best part—creating your own!  Storyboards contain everything from photos of actors & actresses for characters, to aesthetic pictures that describe the story's setting.  Or perhaps a word from the urban dictionary that your character likes to say repeatedly.  There's no end to the possibilities!

2. Community
Having someone(s) to talk through plot bunnies with is invaluable.  Whether it be a single partner, or a whole group of trusted people, brainstorming every rabbit trail that pops into your head.  Not to mention that the encouragement and excitement from your colleagues is contagious, which, in turn, makes you eager to open that laptop and pour out your creativity.  Plus, this encouragement is a bottomless well that never dries, so whenever the momentum slacks and you need a pick-me-up, your friends are there to lend fresh inspiration and perspective.

3. Music Playlist
It's common knowledge that a movie's soundtrack is a key point to a movie's impact.  When the music climaxes, viewers are drawn into the suspense and inch to the edge of their seats.  When the music is soft, it hints at a relaxing point in the movie.  Simply listening to a movie's soundtrack gives a hint at what the feel of the movie is like.

It's much the same with a writing playlist.  The more songs you have that describe the feel of your book, the more likely you are to sing along.  Whether it's simple instrumentals, or a song that you hear on the radio, creating a playlist of these songs and listening to it, singing or humming along, will cause you to envision scenes that fit the songs, and make you excited to rush back you your doc and get your ideas down on paper.

4. Reread

When you're convinced that the story is trash and that it's not even worth your time, start from the beginning and just start reading.  Write your favorite quotes on index cards or stationary and put them in strategic places around your workplace.  Get a physical copy of your book to showcase in your personal library.  Change fonts in your doc for a fresh outlook.  But above all—read.  Read it like a new book that just came in the mail and you can't wait to find out what happens next.  And once you find yourself back at the place where you quit, you might find that you really do need to know what happens next, and (hopefully!) the words will come.

I can't guarantee that any of these methods will work, but hopefully this will give you some new and exciting ideas to get you back in love with that story of yours.  Let us know if this helps you—we'd love to hear about it!

Why Good Formatting is Crucial to Authors

Hey Y’all! Last week, Kate talked about the elements of a good cover design, and why it’s important in getting your book out there. Today I’m here to talk about interior formatting, and why it’s so important in the whole publishing process. ;) So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Interior formatting. It’s not really what will catch the reader's eye to begin with, and at times we don’t really even pay attention to it. So why is it something we Indie authors should be concerned about?

1. It gives the book a professional look. Sure, anyone can write a book, paste it onto a word doc, and publish it. But as someone who has read both good and poorly formatted books, I’ll tell you right off that a non-professional interior really detracts from my enjoyment of the book. Text that isn’t justified, text breaks that aren’t obvious, and chapters beginnings that don’t line up correctly all make me cringe. And I’m sure other readers will agree with me. The words and story may be amazing, but it’s hard to enjoy them when the formatting keeps getting in the way. Formatting should complement the book in such a way that it adds to the work.
2. It helps people take you seriously. When a reader opens a book and realizes it’s properly formatted, they’re a lot more prone to think of you as a professional author. And for Indie authors, this is huge. Our books are having to compete with a host of others, including a lot of traditionally published books. And you can be sure that they made sure their formatting is well done. Putting forth the extra effort to get our books formatted in a clear, professional way puts out an image that we’re serious about this.
3. It’s easier to read. A bit less important than the previous two points, but important. ;) I know I just love it when I open and indie published book and realize it’s been formatted neatly. Because I can enjoy the book and not constantly be distracted by little issues that bug me. Readers don’t just notice the words; they also notice the backdrop.
4. It’s pretty.  Come on, admit it. I can’t be the only one who does this. (Or… maybe I am...xD) But yes, I’ve picked up a book solely because the interior formatting is so gorgeous. And when it ties in with the cover and story… yeah, that’s a book I’ll most likely really enjoy. And pet. Because I mean, everyone pets their books… right?

So yes, four reasons interior formatting is so important. Do you agree with me? What are some other reasons you think it’s important?