OUT ON FRATERNITY ROW 2 Brotherhood Revealed       Explore these resources to assist in your writing process.     Remember that these resources are meant as guides, not as steadfast rules.         Six Basic Writing Tips     Interview Yourself     Online Writing Articles     Resources         Six Basic Writing Tips         TIP #1: Let it Flow         Writing your first draft should be all about you. Do not spend time editing your draft as you write, just let it flow. The first draft should allow you to put your words on paper without judgment. Such a process will help you develop a shell to expand and refine. You will need to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite...but let that first draft flow out and be a guide for what you want to share with the reader.         TIP #2: The Message         The reason for telling a story, your passion and your desire must be evident in your words. Your message may not come out in your first draft; however, it is important that a reader be able to understand your reason for telling the story. Concentrate on your message when you rewrite. Your passion and desire will make your story come alive.         TIP #3: Setting the Scene         The first paragraph should communicate the setting. Some stories will go through the time span of the pledging process. Other stories will focus on a certain act or experience. Still other stories may cover from the time of joining the fraternity until today. It is important that your first paragraph set the mood, the time and the place. You should do this in a creative way to catch the reader's attention for the rest of your story. An example of this is in Robert L. York Jr. story "My Fraternity Closet" from Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity, as follows:   Sean's story made the front page of the newspaper. The headline read college student commits suicide on playground. Sean knew he had lost everything. Sean did not want the fraternity to be plagued with the reputation of allowing homosexuals into the brotherhood of the chapter. Like so many young gay people, Sean became another number and statistic. Why did he have to die? By the time I graduated from high school, I knew I was gay. I was terrified! How could a God-fearing, Assembly of God church boy from Oklahoma possibly fall into the devil's hands? The homosexual lifestyle was against the Bible's teachings. As Pentecostal holy rollers, we were taught that this lifestyle was not to be accepted. How could a man possibly love another man? I was always taught as a kid that I would spend eternity in hell for living and accepting the homosexual lifestyle. "Homosexuals choose to live this way. They are living a lie, and they will perish in the fires of hell with all the other Sodoms and Gomorrahs," said the local pastor. As I struggled for acceptance of who I was, it was an excerpt from his preaching that forever would be ingrained into my memory.       Download a copy of Robert L. York Jr. story "My Fraternity Closet" from Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity.             TIP #4: Cyclical Organization         A way to effectively tie your story together is to create a sandwich. Cyclical organization brings a reader full circle by presenting an idea, an experience, a remark and then sandwiching the idea, experience, remark at the end of the story. It also helps to get across your message, the reason for telling your story. An example of cyclical organization can be found in L.E. Wilson's story "In Flux" from Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity. Download now.         TIP #5: Descriptive Scenarios         Think like a writer. Observation is a key task of any quality writer. Your story, the people, the scene must come alive on the page. When writing, think about the little things like facial expressions, gestures, body language and clothing style; listen for voice inflections. All of these details brings writing to life and takes your story to another level. An example of this is in L.E. Wilson's story "In Flux" from Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity, as follows:   When he was drunk, Derek used to kiss me on the cheek, just there. And Ray had eyes like silky blue opals and a smile to melt a virgin's vow. Reeve was tall, dark, deep voiced, the descendent of deposed European royalty, and he smoked a huge meerschaum pipe like Sherlock Holmes. And Gerry and I ran together, talked together until 3 a.m. of love and loss and family and our shadowy hopes for our changeable futures. Download a copy of "In Flux" by L.E. Wilson from the book Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity.       TIP #6: Active Voice         Your story should reflect an active voice for your characters. You want the story to be non-fiction, real; however, that does not mean it has to be static. We encourage all writers to incorporate active voice and quotes into their story-telling. Such a practice keeps the story from becoming monotonous and dry. An example of this is in Patricio's story "Then there was Ben..." from the Lambda 10 Project, as follows:   I turned to thank him for walking me home. "Well thank you for your interest in my well being and our educational process" I smiled at him and looked down at the carpet. "Well the interest isn't really about the education." "Yeah?" He had this deep voice that could make Marvin Gay sound soprano. I am very naive when it comes to people hitting on me. You could be buck-naked in my room and I would think nothing of it. "Yeah, can I call you tomorrow?" "Sure you have my number" "Oh" with a disappointed look "Well goodnight." holding out my hand. Out of nowhere three little voices piped in: "His number is 555-1727 Ext. 902. Hey! Are you guys going to kiss?"   View the story "Then There was Ben..." on the Lambda 10 Project.       Getting Started....     Interview Yourself         Pretend you're the interviewer...     Make up some questions to ask yourself...     Keep in mind your audience     Tell them your story....     Use your responses to start writing!         :Sample Questions         These are just a few of many questions. You should develop questions that reflect your experience, your purpose, your message.         1. What were your primary reasons for deciding to join a fraternity? Did you rush openly gay? 2. Looking back, what were the most important and lasting benefits you actually received from your fraternity experience? In what ways did your sexual orientation add to your fraternity experience? 3. What was your process of "coming out" to yourself and others? What were the experiences of being "closeted"? Did you have any sexual experiences with other fraternity men? Were you a hazed in a homophobic manner? Did you have negative thoughts of suicide, depression and abuse alcohol as a way to stifle your emotions? 4. Did you encounter any homophobic or heterosexist attitudes and behavior within your fraternity? Please explain. If the fraternity was supportive, then talk about the reasons why your brotherhood might feel this way. 5. If you were an advisor/consultant of a fraternity, what were your experiences working with brothers who were gay or bisexual? How did homophobia impact the brotherhood? 6. If you were a straight brother, what did it feel like having a brother tell you he was gay? How did you react? In what ways were you supportive or not supportive? Talk about your feelings with having a gay or bisexual brother in the chapter and how that impacted the brotherhood.         Friendly Reminder         Remember to give some thought to the format of the story. How are you going to tell it? Some people choose a simple narrative form, others a more chronological diary format, or even possibly a story in the form of a letter. Remember to be honest and tell what comes from the heart.         Online Writing Articles         Overcoming writer's block: five writing exercises, click here.     Non-fiction writing, click here.     Writing short stories that work, click here.     Writing narrative personal essays, click here.     How to submit a short story manuscript to an editor, click here.