Interesting, believable characters, drive a story. Characterization has to coincide with the story line. In other words, developing characters that fit in to your story is important. That is why I tell my students, before a good story is written, spend some time with the character(s).
One suggestion is to build a brief biography of each character. Supplying all pertinent details, name, age, gender, physical descriptions, mannerisms, background info, etc. I have heard of writers starting with a character and learn as they go. I usually start out with a character in mind, after a few words, I have a pretty good idea of who he/she is. Bad traits, good traits, habits. etc., Knowing your character is important as the story itself. In order to understand a character, you need to know something about their heredity and the environment in which they were raised.
With luck, imagination and a bit of dreaming, you will develop convincing fictional characters with a good story to tell.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 11, 2008
Plotting
Plotting
Plotting is one of the most misunderstood element of creative writing. Exactly what is a plot and how, it is the base of any story writing is a debatable subject among professional writing instructors and writers.
So I am going to take my shot at describing what I understand plotting to be and how to keep my stories tight and crisp.
What is plotting? First, you must understand, a story, in short or novel form, is built of significant events. A significant event, situation or happening that has a significant cause and effect. How a particular character deals with the circumstances of that situation and chooses to act or not act moves the story forward into plot.
Plotting is a way of looking at things. One way to do that is to consider, what is at stake? For a reader to care about your story, it has to be something at stake; something of value to gain, something of value to be lost. Two strong forces meet, one of them will triumph over the other, for better or for worse.
Convincing the reader that something is happening; what’s happening matters intensely, not just to the writer, but to the characters involved.
A writer understands exactly what is at stake; love, money, dark secret; motivated by internal or external struggled; fear, hate, love, injury; played out in actions, through scenes.
Once you understand how to hold and interest, a reader, how to build a sound plot, you will build good stories. There are quidelines, and there are guidelines, but a good story triumphs them all.
Until The Next Time...
Keep On Keeping On....
BetterDase Books
Plotting is one of the most misunderstood element of creative writing. Exactly what is a plot and how, it is the base of any story writing is a debatable subject among professional writing instructors and writers.
So I am going to take my shot at describing what I understand plotting to be and how to keep my stories tight and crisp.
What is plotting? First, you must understand, a story, in short or novel form, is built of significant events. A significant event, situation or happening that has a significant cause and effect. How a particular character deals with the circumstances of that situation and chooses to act or not act moves the story forward into plot.
Plotting is a way of looking at things. One way to do that is to consider, what is at stake? For a reader to care about your story, it has to be something at stake; something of value to gain, something of value to be lost. Two strong forces meet, one of them will triumph over the other, for better or for worse.
Convincing the reader that something is happening; what’s happening matters intensely, not just to the writer, but to the characters involved.
A writer understands exactly what is at stake; love, money, dark secret; motivated by internal or external struggled; fear, hate, love, injury; played out in actions, through scenes.
Once you understand how to hold and interest, a reader, how to build a sound plot, you will build good stories. There are quidelines, and there are guidelines, but a good story triumphs them all.
Until The Next Time...
Keep On Keeping On....
BetterDase Books
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Creative Writing
As a writing instructor, creative writing is the most popular form of writing. What is creative writing, it is using your imagination to create a story. Painting a picture with words is how I describe it to my students.
There are various forms of creative writing, poetry, short stories, novels, and creative non fiction is on the rise. Everybody has a story, the problem is transporting this creative idea onto paper. That is where study, discipline, patience, reading and reading comes into play. Developing your creative ideas into exciting, thought provoking, attention grabber - writing.
What are the keys to creativity:
- Curiosity
- Passion
- Determination
- Awareness
- Stick-to-it-iveness
- listening Ear
- Observant Eye
- Openness
Out of the ten years, that I have mentored creative writers, I have had the pleasure of assisting many talented writers into the fray of becoming a published authors. There are two creative writers, that visited by writer's class, one wrote a regional book on the flooding of Missouri, along the Mississippi River of the 1990 and the other wrote a beautiful romance. The romance writer didn't take my advice and her work was stolen by the publisher. That's another story for another day. My point, it takes a lot of work, discipline, passion to become a published writer. Writing is not just writing, it is learning the business of writing.
Want to learn more on the subject of writing, take a look at my bookstore. There are a lot of books on writing, but you don't know what you need to complete your writing project, until you actually sit down and start writing. It could be character development, plotting, finding a publisher, etc., I could go on and on.
What you need to write well; time, inspiration, motivation, and a positive attitude. By allowing your writing self the time to bloom and grow, anything could happen. In my next conversation,
I will discuss "Drafting", get something on the page. In the meantime, keep on keeping on writing.
For my Baden Library and other students of writing. Here is your weekly writing exercise. Instead of driving or walking your usual route, follow a new path, take a walk or drive through the neighborhood, fantasize, play, 'what if'. What if a criminal is living in that house, who is the mysterious lady that you see everyday and you wonder what is in all the bags she carries, day dream. Until the next time, Keep on writing.....
Monday, June 30, 2008
To Be Or Not To Be
Can you really teach people how to write?, is a question that is debated over and over in the writing world. My personal response would be, "yes".
It can be done, if the person realizes 'learned creative writing' is breaking down writing into small components and understanding the writing process. You may not become a best selling writer but, you can experience the joy of saying what you want to say in writing.
What are the two most important elements a person must have to become a good writer? Writing like a writer and thinking like a writer.
Writing like a writer is to have absolute control over your material and tools. Knowing when to use dialogue and when to summarize, learning the value of adjectives and adverbs as well as how to use them. Able to delvelope and name characters and anchor them in real time and space.
Thinking like a writers is more complex for some than others. You must exploit your curiosity, imagination and capacity for skepticisim. Look beneath the obvious to get the true "meaning" of smille, burst of anger, or a loud robust laugh.
There are people, who are marvelous storytellers, then there are poeple who know how to form marvelous sentences, paragraphs, weaving words into a beautiful tapestry of creative writing.
Practice and persistence are crucial to a writer. If the writer's engine is persistence, than the fuel of imagination will stir an endless supply of stories waiting to be released.
To stir the creative writers imagination, turn on your TV, mute the sound and watch the characters. Pay attention to their mannerism, their facial expressions. Picture in your mind what is being said and how it is being said. In otherwords, to stimulate the mind by exercising your imagination.
It can be done, if the person realizes 'learned creative writing' is breaking down writing into small components and understanding the writing process. You may not become a best selling writer but, you can experience the joy of saying what you want to say in writing.
What are the two most important elements a person must have to become a good writer? Writing like a writer and thinking like a writer.
Writing like a writer is to have absolute control over your material and tools. Knowing when to use dialogue and when to summarize, learning the value of adjectives and adverbs as well as how to use them. Able to delvelope and name characters and anchor them in real time and space.
Thinking like a writers is more complex for some than others. You must exploit your curiosity, imagination and capacity for skepticisim. Look beneath the obvious to get the true "meaning" of smille, burst of anger, or a loud robust laugh.
There are people, who are marvelous storytellers, then there are poeple who know how to form marvelous sentences, paragraphs, weaving words into a beautiful tapestry of creative writing.
Practice and persistence are crucial to a writer. If the writer's engine is persistence, than the fuel of imagination will stir an endless supply of stories waiting to be released.
To stir the creative writers imagination, turn on your TV, mute the sound and watch the characters. Pay attention to their mannerism, their facial expressions. Picture in your mind what is being said and how it is being said. In otherwords, to stimulate the mind by exercising your imagination.
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