Preface

The
BOOK DOCTOR
Series

104 Articles on
Creative Writing
first created and published on the Internet between
September 24, 2004 and September 29, 2006
(Edited December 2006)
by
Stephen P. Byers
in association with
Banyon Publishing
Tampa, Florida

Go to Index

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen P. Byers
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system without permission in
writing from the author.

Illustrations by the author.
Logo by Greg Mack (2001).
Taylor Mack Advertising

BOOKS BY BYERS
December 31, 2006

INTRODUCTION

The Book Doctor Series is dedicated to

MR. JAY JOHNSON

Here's why!

On September 3, 2004 I received an unsolicited e-mail from an unknown source, inquiring about my interest in selling a book for which I had written a testimonial several years ago. I construed the message as another in the never-ending appeals of aggressive marketers. I was wrong. I soon discovered my path had crossed an earnest provider of goodwill. After some discussion, I agreed to write a weekly article on creative writing titled the Book Doctor for Banyon Network to publish on the Internet.
My first article appeared on September 24, 2004. One hundred and five weeks later—I missed Thanksgiving week in 2004—I filed my last article in the series. I enjoyed a wonderful two-year learning experience from which nobody benefited more than I did. Complimentary emails regularly flowed into Banyon. Before long the Book Doctor attracted some attention. The tributes surprised and delighted me, but one in particular hit the bull's-eye. It identified the fact that Banyon delivered their services for the benefit of self-publishers for no remuneration. The e-mail that drew my attention read as follows:

"Congratulations, you seem to be growing. I heard about you from some musicians who found your site to be an inspiration to any artist. I hear you do it all for free? What a great contribution in this self-absorbed get-the-dollar-at-all-costs society.

Thank you,
Doug — Detroit, MI."

     During the summer of 2005, my wife, Elspeth, and I planned a trip to take our youngest two grandchildren and their parents to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. When we finally set our travel dates, I realized we had an opportunity to meet the man behind Banyon, suggesting perhaps we might celebrate with a booksigning. He responded with enthusiasm. Before I could catch my breath he had several local authors enlisted and the event organized.
     Elspeth and I arrived to an empty parking lot in Tampa about nine o'clock in the morning of November 5, 2005. We wondered if we had made a mistake, but soon various authors straggled in and we found ourselves in pleasant, but subdued, company. A few minutes before ten, a large car arrived, maneuvered around the parking lot and finally came to rest. A tall, husky man unfolded himself from the front seat and strode towards us with hand outstretched.
     "Hello," he said, "I'm Jay Johnson."
     The parking area came alive with hugs and greetings. The compliments and congeniality was beyond anything I expected. Despite the poor attendance at the booksigning—for which Jay profusely apologized although it certainly wasn't his fault—Elspeth and I had a wonderful time. The highlight was Jay's personal magnetism that brought the gathering to life and never let it wither. As an expression of my great admiration, and my sincere appreciation for inviting and encouraging me to write The Book Doctor Series, I dedicate this publication to its founder and inspirer, the man whose attitude in response to all challenges is forever positive, Jay Johnson of Tampa, Florida.

Stephen P. Byers
Lowell, Arkansas
December, 2006

INDEX
	NO.	TITLE	LINK
	1	Introductory Remarks	1
	2	Use Action-oriented Verbs	2
	3	There's More Than One Way To Show	3
	4	About Sentence Construction	4
	5	Defining Restrictive & Non-restrictive	5
	6	Appositives	6
	7	Setting The Scene	7
	8	Teaching Students To Write A Story	8
	9	Character Roles — Part 1	9
	10	Character Roles — Part 2	10
	11	Character Roles — Part 3	11
	12	Character Roles — Part 4	12
	13	Dreaming The Story — Part 1	13
	14	Dreaming The Story — Part 2	14
	15	Character Attributes — Part 1	15
	16	Character Attributes — Part 2	16
	17	Subjectivity, Objectivity & Perspective	17
	18	Freewriting — Part 1	18
	19	Freewriting — Part 2	19
	20	Freewriting — Part 3	20
	21	How To Create A Story — Part 1	21
	22	How To Create A Story — Part 2	22
	23	How To Create A Story — Part 3	23
	24	How To Create A Story — Part 4	24
	25	How To Create A Story — Part 5	25
	26	Defining Creative Writing	26
	27	Introducing The Four Writing Formats	27
	28	Internalization	28
	29	Writing Dialogue	29
	30	The Writing Formula	30
	31	Authorial Comment & Internalization	31
	32	Adverbs — Part 1	32
	33	Adverbs — Part 2	33
	34	Adverbs — Part 3	34
	35	An Exercise In Freewriting	35
	36	How I Came To Write — Part 1	36
	37	How I Came To Write — Part 2	37
	38	How I Came To Write — Part 3	38
	39	Suspense — Part1	39
	40	Suspense — Part2	40
	41	Suspense — Part3	41
	42	Test Your Editing Skills — Part 1	42
	43	Test Your Editing Skills — Part 2	43
	44	Test Your Editing Skills — Part 3	44
	45	Parenthetical Interjections	45
	46	Self-publishing Discipline	46
	47	Writing Style	47
	48	Character Interactions	48
	49	Story Structure — Part 1	49
	50	Story Structure — Part 2	50
	51	Controversy & Risk	51
	52	Checking The Verb "To Be"	52
	53	On Concise Writing — Part 1	53
	54	On Concise Writing — Part 2	54
	55	On Concise Writing — Part 3	55
	56	On Concise Writing — Part 4	56
	57	Assumptions In Fiction	57
	58	Critiques & Sensitvity	58
	59	Story Preparation — Part 1	59
	60	Story Preparation — Part 2	60
	61	Story Preparation — Part 3	61
	62	Story Preparation — Part 4	62
	Flt	Flight 2798 To Phoenix	Flt
	63	Story Analysis — Part 1	63
	64	Story Analysis — Part 2	64
	65	Story Analysis — Part 3	65
	66	Story Analysis — Part 4	66
	67	Story Analysis — Part 5	67
	68	Story Analysis — Part 6	68
	69	Story Analysis — Part 7	69
	70	Pacing	70
	71	Thinking About Punctuation	71
	72	More Thoughts About Punctuation	72
	73	Peeking At Pronouns — Part 1	73
	74	Peeking At Pronouns — Part 2	74
	75	Peeking At Pronouns — Part 3	75
	76	Peeking At Pronouns — Part 4	76
	77	Grammar Is Important	77
	78	Introducing The Power Of Four	78
	79	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 1	79
	80	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 2	80
	81	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 3	81
	82	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 4	82
	83	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 5	83
	84	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 6	84
	85	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 7	85
	86	The Art Of Story Planning — Part 8	86
	87	Exploring Critiques	87
	88	Evaluating Writing	88
	89	Infusing Emotion — Part 1	89
	90	Infusing Emotion — Part 2	90
	91	Infusing Emotion — Part 3	91
	92	Infusing Emotion — Part 4	92
	93	Infusing Emotion — Part 5	93
	94	Infusing Emotion — Part 6	94
	95	Infusing Emotion — Part 7	95
	96	Story Forms — Part 1	96
	97	Story Forms — Part 2	97
	98	Story Forms — Part 3	98
	99	Story Forms — Part 4	99
	100	Story Forms — Part 5	100
	101	Perspective Revisited	101
	102	Ronald B. Tobias On Plot	102
	103	Action & Character	103
	104	Above All Else	104

NOVELS & OTHER WORKS BY STEPHEN P. BYERS

The Naked Jaybird (1999)
Bent Coin(1999)
Lost River Bridge (2001)
Goad of Honor(2005)

Creative Writing for Seniors (2003)
Creative Writing Workshop — Second Edition (2004)