Author Stephen Graham Jones has said that many of his story ideas stem from misheard conversations. This session will explore the process of building an entire story from practically nothing, with special consideration given to dismantling the sham known as writer’s block.

1. Planting a Story
How to Grow a Story from a
Single Seed
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2. What Makes a Seed?
• Write What You Know. Write What Interests
You.
• The Story Web – Reverse Engineering to build
a story
1. Visceral Images
2. Meshing Concepts
3. Recognizing your story breadcrumbs
• Writer’s Block
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3. Write What…
“Write what you know” is a compelling
statement, but is often misinterpreted.
Write
• what interests you
• what confuses you
• what you are excited about
• your hobbies
• your own expertise
• your passions
No matter how small your interests may be, they are
worth exploring for the sake of story. 3

4. The Story Web
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5. The Story Web
A story, before it’s a
story, begins with a visceral
reaction. This is the Story
Seed.
Story •
•
an interesting image
a clever sentence
Seed •
•
a misheard quote
a twist of phrase
Then Ask Questions
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6. What
• What is the relevancy of the
seed?
What • What is the history of the
seed?
• What is the seed made of?
Why Who • What power does the seed
have?
Story • What would happen should
the seed disappear?
Seed
• What color is the seed?
• What draw does the seed
How Where have to the people around it?
When
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7. Who
• Who has interacted with the
seed?
What • Who created the seed?
• Who wants the seed?
• Who has the most to loose
Why Who should something happen to
the seed?
Story • Who cares about the seed?
Seed • Who sees the seed?
• Who distrusts the seed?
How Where
When
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8. Where
• Was the seed born/seen/did
it originate?
What • Where is the seed now?
• Where will the seed end up?
• Where are the people who
Why Who created the seed?
• Where are the people who
Story care about the seed?
Seed • Where is everyone else in
context to the seed?
How Where
When
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9. When
• When did the seed come into
play?
What • When did people begin
caring about the seed?
• When will people stop caring
Why Who about the seed?
• When is the seed most
Story vulnerable?
• When is the seed important?
Seed
• When will the seed end?
How Where
When
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10. How
• How did the seed
happen/come into existence?
What • How does the seed affect
those around it/those who
participated?
Why Who • How does the seed appear to
everyone else?
Story • How will the characters in
the story continue should the
Seed seed cease to be?
How Where
When
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11. Why
What
Why Who Why is the seed
important?
Story
Seed
How Where
When
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12. Meshing
Concepts
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13. Meshing Concepts
Start with Two Story Seeds
Story
• Force these elements to
Seed co-exist
• Inherent tension when
objects are forced to
share a story
• “The Lottery” by Shirley
Jackson
• “The Blue Bouquet” by
Octavio Paz
Story
Seed
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14. Breadcrumbs
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15. Recognizing Breadcrumbs
Approach every word you put down as its own Story Seed. Each line
provides guidance for the next. You simply have to recognize it.
Besides the neutral expression that she wore when she was alone, Mrs. Freeman
had two others, forward and reverse, that she used for all her human dealings.
Who is Mrs. Freeman? What history does she have to warrant such
apparent distain? What other expressions does she have?
Her forward expression was steady and driving like the advance of a heavy truck.
Her eyes never swerved to left or right but turned as the story turned as if they
followed a yellow line down the center of it.
How often does she use these expressions?
She seldom used the other expression because it was not often
necessary for her to retract a statement, but when she did, her face
came to a complete stop
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16. Good Country
People
Applying the concepts
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17. How “Good Country People” could have been conceived
• Seed: The Wooden Leg
• What happens to the leg: it gets What
stolen
• Who has the leg: an attractive Why Who
and intelligent young woman
(tension)
• Where does the leg come into
play: barn, country setting. How Where
• When is the leg important:
when it becomes the central
When
interest of a thieving bible
salesman
• How is the leg perceived by the
characters: a point of
confusion/tension 17

18. Writers Block
Broken Stories
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19. Writers Block is Just and Excuse for Broken Storytelling
1. Accept that
Why What something is
broken.
Story Who
Seed 2. Hunt for what’s
broken.
How Where
3. Fix what’s broken
When
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20. Writers Block is Just and Excuse for Broken Storytelling
Analyze your story so far.
• Be meticulous.
• Explore character motivations, especially via dialog.
• What are your characters really saying?
Examine the story so far objectively.
• If you were a reader, what would you want to see
happen next?
cjrlit.com/brokenstorytelling
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21. Breadcrumbs to Fix a Story
“Jill swallowed another pill from the collection
of unmarked bottles in her freezer.”
Deliver of a contract with the reader
– Who is Jill?
– What kind of pills is she swallowing?
– Whose pills are they?
– Why are the bottles unmarked?
– Why are the pills in her freezer?
– Why does she have so many pills?
When these questions don’t get addressed, the story tends to veer off-
course, eventually leading to that feared block.
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22. Summary
• Write What Interests You.
• The Story Web
• Breadcrumbs
• Writer’s Block
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