Hi ho, MMMLogerinos!

On one of the writers' lists I belong to, someone asked about what a writer has to know about their story people before writing the story . . .

This writer starts with the main characters' names. I have to know their names and what they mean as that allows me to sort of tap into to their psyche (type) and what could drive them, make them do what they do. I could say this is part of my pre-writing rev-up as once I have their names, I get excited and get right into the story as I can see and hear them at that point. I have a stretchy idea of what kind of story I'm going to write, the fiction elements of story action or plot, the setting and what kinds or types of characters I'd like to work with in the story. For me, plotting isn't detailed, set in stone and telling the story so fully that I lose interest and don't want to write it. I want my story's plot to be elastic enough to accommodate the characters' development. I like challenging the characters in a "spandex" plot or story action environment that brings out the worst and best in them so that characters can reveal some real surprises by the end. That's the fun bit.

Mmmmmmmmmmmelinda