1. Sources for fiction. Jot down a few memories for each of the following:
 

A. Think of a moment in your childhood when you were made aware of a different side of life, a family secret, or in which you felt extremely uncomfortable.

B. Think about part of a conversation you might have overheard between strangers that intrigued you at the time.

C. Think about a time when you were frightened or in danger, either physical or psychological.

D. Think about a time when an older person, a family member or friend, disappointed you, or when you had a conflict with this person, or when two older people had a conflict that you witnessed.

E. Think about a time when you were mean to somebody, when you made a bad choice, when you acted irrationally.

F. Think about a time when you were exposed to an illness, a deformity, or imminent death.

2. Free writing: Take ONE of these memories, one that has stayed with you, and write for about 10 minutes about why this moment feels important to you, how this event may have felt to those around you, or what might have been taking place behind the scenes that could be interesting. Write without stopping, putting down whatever comes into your head.

3. Collapsing events.:
 

A. List three or four scenes or conversations surrounding this event that might help illustrate the history of the relationships involved. For example, if you chose an argument with a parent or step-parent, list a couple of moments that show the history of your relationship with this person before the event, and maybe one that shows how your relationship changed afterward. (If you can't remember conversations, imagine them; feel free to borrow from other parts of your life).

B. Now, see if you can think of a way to collapse these events, so they seem to take place over a very short time (1-2 hours, 1 day).
 

A. Then, think about whose POINT OF VIEW you want to use to tell this story. (Minot's story was told from the boy's point of view). Example: if you witnessed a fight between parents, you could make the story be told from the point of view of your father, so that your place in the story becomes secondary or implied.

B. How can you change the characters so as to give you more distance from the story? (Example, Minot changed the mother to the father, and he made the father lean and distant, and the uncle fat and saggy). How could you change the characters' description to emphasize the emotion (fear, for example)? Jot down a few ideas about how you could alter the characters, borrowing from random memories, television, wishes, etc. )

C. Remember where the events happened. Does the SETTING in which the events take place evoke the feelings you had? If so, try to describe the setting here. If not, borrow a setting from another memory, one that fits the feeling you are trying to evoke. Describe that setting here. (Example: Minot used the hospital setting to emphasize the feeling of unfamiliarity and even despair. If you wanted to evoke a sense of panic, you might choose a busy mall at Christmas. For calm, you might pick a hiding place, or the school bus bringing you home).
 

Try to sketch out events as you will write about them, including a description of conversations you want your characters to have. Remember that you don't need many actual conversations; some can be summarized. Save real conversations to emphasize especially emotional or important moments, or to show character (example: Minot uses conversation to illustrate the uncle's madness, to highlight the child's discomfort, and to bring home the theme at the end in the bar.)

6. Think about beginnings and EXPOSITION. Notice how Minot starts his story in the car on the way to the hospital, and then fills in what happened that lead up to that moment. That way, the story is already happening, and the reader is instantly engaged. List one or two places in your outline you could start the story to engage us more quickly. Now list one or two ways you could bring in the exposition (back story).