Braid a Book

Braiding hair takes practice. My poor daughter, (not pictured,) sat through countless "hair-styling" sessions with me. Don't laugh, I know you've done that too. My wonderful attempts usually fell apart before the day began. But with persistence and a patient daughter, the braided tresses became wound tight with no loose or flyaway strands. Almost.

Time after time my stories seem to stop, fall apart with nowhere to go. Heather Sellers in an article in the Writer's Digest magazine, recommends weaving or braiding your story lines. She advises book writers to have at least 3 story lines. In her example, she numbers the plots, 1-2-3, then weaves them in that order, like a braid, in and out. This keeps the story active.

Heather says, "Art relies on surprise." Braiding makes the writer experience "happy accidents" even if he does not yet know the ending. For practice, another example is to use 3 different pictures and try to weave a story line for each, in and out. Listen to conversations among 3 or more people, it's flow is like a braid of conversation.

So if your story stops, try adding another braid and see where that strand takes you. You might find yourself in a happy place.

Practice makes perfect, almost.

Karen

Photos-istockphoto