Again I would like to thank everyone for your responses to the QUILL n' PEN feature. I hadn't expected it to be quite this popular. My editor's box was and is still overflowing. The consensus of the e-mail is that you want to know more about the craft of storytelling. I did research the library for books that would give me more lengthy discussions on plot and themes but it seems that there is a serious lack of them. The librarians tell me that generally 'Creative Writing' students check them out and forget to return them! That puts me into the position of trying to scour my memory, from my own college days in creative writing classes, and winging it.

Over the two previous features, we discussed the rawest forms of our human emotions of vengeance, betrayal, the polar obsessions of love and hate, the soul-gripping passions of grief and loss and the catastrophes that befall us. But that is only six of the thirteen proven categories that experts agree make spellbinding story plots. In this segment we can briefly cover two more.

Many of your e-mails expressed a high interest in Persecution. Three of you cited tragic incidents of your own wondering how you could turn these experiences into a plot. First you have to define what Persecution denotes to you and the world in general. The best that I can come up with is that the word itself describes the deep fundamental differences between us. It's an agony of opposition raised to a vicious, uncompromising harassment. It's carries deep-seated conflict and tension between it victims. It's contentious and it allows little mercy, understanding or approval towards one another. Well, your theme is there and all you have to do is to play the 'what if' game in your head to get a decent plot that will make at least one story out of all those emotions. Throw in a few spicer uppers, like 'deception', 'misplaced authority', 'honor and/or dishonor' and I'll bet that you will come out with one heck of a story.

Self-sacrifice is another one of those disturbing themes. It involves a sacrifice based on the highest of ideals even if that means a loss of resources, assets or life. The Greek tragedy plots run rampant using this theme. It has worked for thousands of years, it worked as recently as yesterday, it works today and it will continue to work tomorrow. Use it to pull a story out of your head.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Again your overwhelming responses to this segment have floored me. As I can't answer all of your e-mails, I can address them generally within the segment. I hope these articles help you as much as they have helped me in refreshing my memory on why I write. Contact us on site; http://www.4pointspress.com or direct your email to the Editor.