Week 8 - Honesty

19 Feb - 25 Mar: The Truth Will Set You Free

I have read the advice "tell the truth" on many occasions, and struggle with the idea of sharing my deepest, darkest secrets with others (even those who don't particularly care, but just wish to be entertained by a good story).

When I read Stephen King's excellent book on writing, I had to ask myself if I could publicly reveal the low points of my own life with such frankness, and unfortunately, I admit that I couldn't.  Having said that, Stephen King's story made me realize that 'the truth' isn't necessary about me, it's simply about 'the truth.'  It's about human nature; the hopes and fears that live within us, and that niggling meanness that most of us manage to suppress in the name of good taste and decency. 

I found it fascinating to read that Stephen King had been accused of being foul-mouthed, a racist and cruel to animals, among other things, I'm sure.  The author would apparently reply to critics with the sentiment, "it isn't real, you know."  But what a compliment!

Rust Hill's, Writing in General makes the following comment: "Slick (popular fiction) partakes of the daydream; quality fiction partakes of the night dream."  This is such a simple concept, and a good one, I think, for differentiating between 'making stuff up' and 'telling the truth.'

The following exercises aim to revisit the ideas of weeks 1 and 2, that is, to suppress the inner and outer critics so that we might tell the truth.  (If the idea of first person narrative is too personal, try writing in third person).

Exercise 15.   Study your reflection in a mirror for a minute or two and then write about what you see, using whatever style you wish.

Exercise 16.  Write a short piece based on one of your fears, physical or psychological (or both).




Week 9 will return to the technical basics by looking briefly at Point of View.

Week 7 - Character Development (cont...)

12 Feb - 18 Feb - The Good, the Bad, and Everything in Between

For a story to be a story, a protagonist should undergo some sort of change (usually) through interactions with other characters, and as a result of situations that they are forced to react to. 

In Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular, Rust Hills differentiates between 'character shift,' where a character changes inexplicably to facilitate a certain action, and 'movement of character' where things happen that lead to the change in character (for better or worse).  In other words, don't force the plot onto your characters.

In Burning Down the House, Charles Baxter does insist, however, that a writer sometimes needs to nudge his or her characters toward "interesting trouble" so that they make "interesting mistakes" that are worth reading about.  Lamott's Bird by Bird also stresses that a writer should not protect characters from their own misgivings.

So, does the secret to successful character development lie in the successful portrayal of flaws and imperfections of the protagonist?  Or adversely, in the strengths and 'goodness' of an antagonist?  I have no idea, but it makes sense that such contrasts might lead to surprising, and perhaps shocking discoveries that draw a reader (and writer) into the story.


The following exercises aim to explore the idea of contrasts for developing characters within the context of a story.  (These exercises have been borrowed from a creative writing course I attended; I am not aware of the original source).



Exercise 13.  Fill in the following table with qualities relevant to a potential story, for a) a protagonist, and b) an antagonist:

Protagonist
Strengths	Weaknesses
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
Opportunities	Threats
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
Antagonist
Strengths	Weaknesses
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
Opportunities	Threats
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4

Exercise 14.  Using the following table, describe a character with a secret from a) his or her perspective, and b) from the world’s perspective.

	Character Perspective	World Perspective
Looks	1	1
	2	2
	3	3
Sounds	1	1
	2	2
	3	3
Feels	1	1
	2	2
	3	3

During Week 8, I intend to return to the idea of honesty in writing, just as a reminder, before returning to the technicalities (mundane perhaps, but this is how my methodical brain likes to learn).

Week 6 - Character Development

5 Feb - 11 Feb: The Art of People-Making

Okay, so we're thinking of our protagonist as a passionate competitor who will employ whatever trick he has in his arsenal to achieve his goal or solve his problem.  The guy might be an intellect who out-thinks his rival, or a woman of action who physically challenges her adversary.  Or he may have an assortment of psychological and physical tricks up his sleeve.

Of course, he doesn't count on the strengths of his opponent (or conflict), and he cannot control the circumstances in which he sometimes finds himself.  So how does she react when faced with obstacles?

To answer this question, it helps to know this guy or gal.  Really well.  Where was she born? What are his siblings like (if he has any)?  What do her parents do?  What is her relationship with them?  Is he in a romantic relationship?  What have his past relationships been like?  What does he do in his spare time?  What books does she have on her bookshelf?  (These types of questions can be found in many "How To Write" books that explore character development.)

The answers, of course, are not necessarily going to appear in the story, unless relevant to the plot, but greater familiarity with one's characters will undoubtedly lead to them being more believeable.

Personally, I like to have a physical picture of a character in mind, and so I cut out photos in magazines and jot down notes about people I see in public, and store these things in my notebook.  Once I can 'see' a character, I start to think of those little idiosyncrasies that might make them interesting.  I watch how real people stand, how they laugh, what they wear, and what they do with their hands.  Then, I like to think about the inner workings of a character: is he outgoing or reserved; is he flippant or serious; what is he passionate about?

In Bird by Bird, Lamott suggests infusing aspects of your own personality into those of your characters, (especially those deep, dark, secret ones that you're too ashamed to tell anyone about).

The trick, of course, is to paint the picture of the character using interesting and original language, and using tools that contribute to the flow of the story, rather than detract from it.  In 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, Roy Peter Clarke suggests avoiding 'cloudy' or abstract adjectives to describe characters, (eg. popular, scared, generous) in preference to allowing the characters to demonstrate these traits through their actions.



The following exercises aim to develop believable characters through dialogue and/or descriptive narrative without using abstract adjectives.


Exercise 11.  Observe a number of people in a public setting (supermarket, sporting event, etc) and write down cloudy adjectives that you think describe aspects of their personality (eg. rude, caring, serious etc).  Now, write down the observations that led you to each conclusion.
(This exercise is from 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark).

Exercise 12. In a public place (again), eavesdrop on a conversation and write a scene or short story based on what you hear, concentrating on the individuals involved, what they say and how they say it, and their body language.  Try to capture the 'mood' of the interaction.



Week 7 will explore character development within the context of a story.

Week 5 - Plot and Characters

29 Jan - 4 Feb

I like to think of plot and character interaction as a sport's event, any sports event.  The story may be a tactical game of darts (an intense, character-focused story) or a rigourous game of soccer (an action-packed, plot-driven story).

In my mind, then, plot and character interaction is like a slide scale where the proportion of influence of each element changes depending on the story type and author's intention.  These proportions may even change within the story (there is an errant dart that pierces the opponents leg or the football field is hushed by serious injury).

Let's look more closely at the soccer game:  the playing field is the plot outline; the rules of the game are like the basic rules of writing; and the football players trying their best to score points using the skills taught to them by a coach, are like the characters in a story, using the tools of the writer.  Like the football game, a story has players that have stiff opposition, players that stand out as exceptional, players that make mistakes, and the player that scores the winning goal and makes the crowd go crazy.  Or just one player that represents all of the above. 

Readers, of course, are the spectators that must watch to the end of the game; that are on the edge of their seats during a nail-biter finale; and that might actually pee their pants because they dare not visit the restroom during the final minutes of the game.  Thank goodness the good book can be taken with us to the bathroom!

Every spectator knows, then, that a game is nothing without its players (ie. the characters), and the players are nothing without the game (ie. plot).

The coach, of course, is nothing without both.



Exercise 9.  Choose and outline a sport or game that will represent your story and its characters.  In the outline, start with any special setting requirements (eg outdoors, indoors, ocean, air), describe the type of playing field (eg. equestrian arena, bowling alley, chessboard), chose a main competitor and opponent and mention supporting players if relevant.  Briefly describe or dotpoint the competition highlights and the final outcome.  Now, parallel a story on this scenario.  



Exercise 10.  Build an imaginary relationship tree. Start with two or three characters (for shorter stories) and add more characters as your story gets more complex.  Join the characters with lines and arrows and describe each relationship. Be as simple, serious, morbid or as ridiculous as you like. Jot down brief descriptions (looks, personality traits etc) and go on to outline a plot with chronological detail, based on your relationships.


Week 6 will look more closely at character development.

Week 4 - Plot

22 Jan - 28 Jan

In The Writing School Guide to Writing the Short Story, Roy Lomax lists Georges Polti's Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations.  I include them here as a continuation of Story Ideas from last week, noting that  they, in themselves, are not plots, but can be developed into plots by the imaginative writer.  Even if I seldom use this list for stories, I enjoy letting my imagination run wild with the possibilities...

1. Supplication                                                                
2. Deliverance                                                               
3. Crime Pursued by Vengeance                                  

4. Vengeance Taken for Kindred Upon Kindred             

5.  Pursuit                                                                     
6.  Disaster                                                                    
7.  Falling Prey to Cruelty or Misfortune                        
8.  Revolt                                                                         
9.  Daring Enterprise                                                     
10. Abduction                                                               
11. The Enigma                                                               
12. Obtaining                                                                
13. Enmity of Kinsmen                                                  
14. Rivalry of Kinsmen                                                 
15. Murderous Adultery                                               
16. Madness                                                                 
17. Fatal Imprudence                                                      
18. Involuntary Crimes of Love                                      
19.Slaying of a Kinsmen Unrecognised
20. Self-Sacrifice for an Ideal
21. Self-Sacrifice for Kindred
22. All Sacrificed for Passion
23. Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones
24. Rivalry of Superior and Inferior
25. Adultery
26. Crimes of Love
27. Discovery of Dishonour of Loved One
28. Obstacles of Love
29. An Enemy Loved
30. Ambition
31. Conflict With a God
32. Mistaken Jealousy
33. Erroneous Judgment
34. Remorse
35. Recovery of a Lost One
36. Loss of Loved Ones


The same book includes an extensive list of proverbs as possible plot ideas.  Here are some of my favourites:

1. A beggar can never be bankrupt.
2. A bully is always a coward.
3. A dwarf on giant's shoulders sees further of the two.
4. A great fortune is a great slavery.
5. A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
6. A runaway monk never praises his convent.
7. All are good lasses, but whence come the bad wives?  (What!?)

A good plot list can be found (strangely enough) in 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias.  Here are the first ten with a few of my own notes:

1. The Quest - the protagonist is changed by the experience.                                                               
2. Adventure - the protagonist needn't change (eg Indiana Jones).
3. Pursuit                                                             
4. Rescue                    
5. Escape
6. Revenge
7. Riddle - what is real and what appears to be real are presented through ambiguous clues.
8. Rivalry - two characters share a common goal (eg parental approval).
9. Underdog
10. Temptation


With a plot idea in mind, it is generally agreed that a story should have a beginning, middle and ending.  The beginning typically introduces the players and their motives within a setting, the middle builds suspense around conflict and leads to a climax, and the ending represents some sort of resolution.  (That's my simplified definition for myself anyway).

A handy formula to remember is:  ABDCE (Action, Background, Development, Climax, and Ending) as a basic guide for plotting (borrowed from Lamott's Bird by Bird).

In The Art of Fiction, John Gardner proclaims that any successful story should be like a dream, where the action flows in the reader's mind.  He suggests methods for developing an effectively paced plot:

• The traditional causal plot that flows from the beginning to a resolution, or that starts from a climax and works backward to a starting point;
• Allegorical plotting that uses emblems (eg a rose or crown) and symbols to dramatize elements that lead to the climax; and
• Picaresque plotting that sequentially reveals values to a character, usually on a quest, eg. Don Quixote.  (Okay, so I think this last one is a bit beyond me at this point in time, but I'm learning).

So with all these plot ideas, there is no excuse for not getting something down on paper, right (even if it's a crappy first draft)?

Exercise Seven.  Choose a plot idea from the lists above and write a short story using traditional causal plotting (this leads to that).  Try allegorical plotting that uses repetition of ideas through symbols.

Exercise Eight. Develop a simple plot outline based on one central character for a longer story or novel. Include: a) the main challenge or objective of the protagonist, b) the conflict, c) at least three crisis points, d) a climax, and e) a resolution. Parallel internal and external conflicts if you can.  Simple line diagrams, dot points or charts can be used to do this exercise.



Week 5 will look at the interaction between characters and plot.

Week 3 - Story Ideas

15 Jan - 21 Jan

I know that it is highly unlikely that I will be the first person ever to write a story about a particular thought or series of events.  I intend to write anyway, and no matter how unoriginal the plot or characters or sentence structure or language are, I intend to write with my unique voice.  As such, I think it is okay to search for ideas through existing media and mould stories around them.

I have found childhood memories and personal experiences - especially from travel - are great for authentic pieces of writing, probably due to the detailed images that I am able to retrieve from my memory bank and describe.  Old photos, too, can trigger great detail for stories, eg. smells.  Of course, sometimes my memories require a bit of tweaking and twisting to ensure that they become 'a story' rather than a jumble of gumph.

Writing Children's Books for Dummies offers the following ideas for stories (that needn't be confined to children's stories judging by recent television programs): fairy tales, fables, mythology, nursery rhymes and bible stories.  These generally don't have copyright, but beware of those versions that do, eg. Disney stories.

The Writing School Guide to Writing the Short Story by Roy Lomax offers a list of proverbs as story ideas.  (Week 4 will suggest some of these for developing a plot).

People-watching can also provide great material.  Try (surreptitiously) eavesdropping on strangers and writing a story that fills in the blanks of their conversation in narrative or dialogue or both.

Magazine articles (with a 'what if...?' applied) and news items are full of stories.

Word association and brain storming activities, alone or in a group, can also help with story ideas and will be used in the following exercises.  I have borrowed these from a creative writing course that I completed in 2011.


The exercises aim to continue ignoring the inner critic by opening the channels of unlikely story ideas.


Exercise Five.  Pick one (or more) word from each column and write a short story about or including these words.

Who	What	Where	When
Astronaut	Depression	Hell	In the future
Mr Micklemaker	Magic	House	Middle Ages
Dancer	Death	Farm	Now
Jane	Music	Distant galaxy	1960’s
Detective	Mushrooms	Jungle/forest	Last week
Princess	Elephant	City	1980’s

Exercise Six.   Working from left to right, use word association to fill in the blanks, and then select five words from the whole table to incorporate into a description, short story or outline of a longer story.

Night
Bees
Water
Breakfast
Paper

Week 4 will expand on story ideas by looking at plot.

Week 2 - The Inner Critic

8 Jan - 14 Jan: Taming the Monsters



 

All sorts of monsters face the beginner writer (and possibly the experienced one as well).  They may be obvious fears with beady eyes and big teeth, or they may be more subtle and lurk just below the surface, waiting to strike when the budding writer is at his most vulnerable, sitting before the computer screen doubting every word he attempts to write.

       

One of the most sinister monsters that can stop us even before we start, is that pesky voice inside our head that is the 'inner critic'; that voice that demands perfection; that voice that applies morals; that voice that wants to conform rather than tell the truth. 

I need to remind myself often that I'm not likely to produce a masterpiece first go - who is?  And although morals are important, they must be the morals of the characters, not the writer.  And as far as conforming goes, where's the fun in that?

Here are come suggestions I've read about how to deal with the restrictions we impose on ourselves:

• write quickly against a clock or to fill a set number of pages (e.g., for five minutes or for two pages);
• tell yourself that no one else in the world will read this piece, then write;
• make the conscious decision to lower your standards when beginning on a first draft.  They can be lifted again for subsequent drafts;
• Lamott refers to the Shitty First Draft, and many famous writers advocate writing a first draft with the door closed and subsequent drafts with the door open;
• for the outside critics with faces (parent, spouse, siblings, ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, therapist), one suggestion was to take the voices from your head, put them in a jar (real or imaginary), listen to all the gripes, then put a lid on the jar, push it away and get on with writing;
• First write, then worry.

The two exercises this week aim to: a) silence the inner and outer critics long enough to tell a story; and, b) tell a story.


Exercise Three. Write quickly for 5 minutes. Don't stop to think or edit. Start with one of the following openings: "The night...," "My father....," or "Who could have known....?"Go!


Exercise Four. Pick up the nearest newspaper, magazine or photograph. Choose a picture and apply a "what if...." scenario and write a short story. Concentrate on relating the tale rather than on grammar and spelling.



Week 3 will look at simple story ideas.