A supermoon. An eclipse. Tornadoes, sand storms, tidal waves.
These amazing natural events can spice up a story. They increase the tension, the action, and can allow the story to change.
I like to think about what my characters would do in the face of a natural event. How would they react?
A storm can reveal the bravery of a character, or fear. A full moon can draw out powers. Shooting stars allow for wishes to be revealed. 

At Story Club, a young writer Jess came up with water power, heightened when the moon eclipses the sun. At that point the character could call a storm that quieted down the sand storm, a card her mother had chosen. It was so lovely to see mother and daughter working together.

Coco's character gained powers when the moon shone on trees. I loved the connection, it made me think of tree nymphs, or dryads.

What natural event would you like to ponder? How would your characters react? 

Yesterday at Story Club, held at the fun and friendly Thrive cafe, we explored voices. 

Pick a character. What sorts of things do they say?

A character’s voice can make them more real, standing out from other characters. The way they speak, what they say. The voice reflects the personality and shows the character’s unique perspective on the world.

For example, our pastry chef in the photo tends to comment about the latest flavour he’s tried. Or how a building looks like a wedding cake. Or how he’s ill after tasting 100 pastries at a competition he was judging.

And Jade, our forest friend, leans out from the trees with a message. She wants us to treat the forest better. She is strong, confident, a little angry, and speaks for all her brothers and sisters.

We can look at each character in our stories, and come up with a unique voice. This will reflect what’s important to the character, and how they perceive the world.

And if you have a cat in your story, they might just comment on how doors should be left open just in case they want to walk through. Or back. It’s important to have the option.
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Happy Writing!

The other day, I hosted a young writer’s workshop at the wonderful Thrive cafe. All food and drink plant-based, woohoo! We focused on world building, with questions like what is the weather like in our world? Does magic exist? If so, what are the rules of magic?

The more we know our story world, whether it be a real place or fantasy, the stronger our story will be.

​In this exercise, Beatrice (A Tale of Journeys) already shows a good knowledge of her story world(s)! The questions helped her find out what story research to do next — ie what plants, if any, were in the Sahara during the time of ancient Egypt?