tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5978660391072984252024-03-13T08:01:42.078-04:00Inspire Create WriteHere I'll discuss and suggest writing exercises, fiction, storytelling. Topics can include inspiration, creative writing, getting published, self-publishing, editing, revising, genres, finding a literary agent, writing groups, and morePohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-16341229258497740282013-12-04T11:01:00.003-05:002013-12-04T11:02:56.215-05:00Inspiration for SF writing<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good science fiction draws inspiration from real-world what-ifs. The greatest science fiction writers were real-life science buffs and some even world-class science thinkers. Movements in science fiction tend to follow the cultural dreams and visions of the future that exist in any given period. In the mid-twentieth century we were focused on space exploration, and back on the planet, we envisioned flying cars and massive multi-level cities and, of course, robots (actually robots date way back to the early twentieth century, even a little in the nineteenth). In the dawn of the nuclear age, there were brilliant forms of post-apocalyptic science fiction. There has been great medical/biotech writing in the millenial period as bird flus and epidemics became newsworthy. And of course, the technology boom has brought us back down to earth (literally) for science fiction based on technology, networking, nanotechnology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's face it. We're pretty obsessed these days with the Internet and the capabilities of global social networking. But what is next? Here are a few ideas from reality. Expand them out. Either negatively or positively, try to envision what the future could look like. Good science fiction writes the world and its rules first before jumping into the story of the novel. So what will Earth look like in 20, 50, 100 years based on these current innovations/ideas:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Amazon hopes that drones could be used for product delivery. How would you sign for your package? Would the drone have access to your house? Where would the drone leave your items? If it's a Staples desk, will the drone put it together for you? What would the black market be like for drones that were shot out of the sky? Would we ever leave our houses again? Maybe even merge this with 3-D printing, and you can have anything you want at any time, delivered to your home. No warehouses, no stores. What would society do with all that commercial real estate?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1.a. I'm tacking this on as 1a. It can be its own thought experiment, or you could merge it with the one above. The U.S. Postal Service is in dire straights. It's a quasi-governmental institution with a long history of important service. But if it is insolvent, and the government won't subsidize it any more, what is to become of it? What if Amazon were to agree to 'acquire' it? Crazy idea, but still, what if?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Terms & Conditions. No one reads these documents. We just immediately agree to them without thinking about the consequences. Recently a woman posted a negative review about an online retailer who screwed up her order. She was surprised to receive a $3,500 penalty imposed on her, because the terms and conditions of using their website included an agreement not to disparage them. What else could be lurking in those contracts that no one reads? This is definitely a thought that could lead to humorously scary science fiction ideas, but it could also be amazingly scary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, I'll try to come up with some other ones, but there's enough to think about for now. Draw out how we got there, what the world is like in your future, and then and only then, start thinking about a character to live in that world. Enjoy.</span></div>
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Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-83311195121550278922013-09-02T08:56:00.002-04:002013-09-02T08:56:35.336-04:00Weird Situations<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Quick writing prompt for you. Pick one of these and come up with the characters, the dialogue, and delve into their reasons for being in the situation...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For me I can't understand the kinds of people who stand outside windows in Times Square for the morning shows; the tourists who should up at the Today Show holding signs about birthdays or obscure little Midwestern cities; anniversaries and marriage proposals. There's a lot of behaviors like these I don't understand, like sleeping overnight online for something like Black Friday or giveaways; or worse, people who call in to radio shows for prizes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pick one of these:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. Two people are camped out overnight for something that will happen in the morning (concert tickets or giveaway or store opening, etc), one is the first in line, one is the second in line. But each is there for a very different reason. Who are each of these people; why are they in line -- both what is the thing that will happen in the morning, and why is each of them there for it? Remember, make them very different reasons. Come up with the whole story, then write about what happens between the two of them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. This one is more dialogue, maybe even dialogue only. Someone calls into a radio station. What is the reason for calling? Sometimes there are giveaways (cash, concert tickets, etc); maybe it's just trivia; or maybe it's a morning show with a dilemma/discussion asking for people who want to share their opinions, or maybe it's an advice show. Or maybe this is someone who called in without an impetus. Write the dialogue between the caller and the DJ. Keep in mind all the details: why the caller is calling or why the DJ put out a request for callers. And it's probably important to think about what time of day it is. What happens -- which did each person expect or want out of the call, and how did the outcome differ and surprise the parties?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy. As always if you enjoyed this, please comment. If you write something you like or would like feedback on, email me at SMHIOF@gmail.com.</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-49933321767404773042013-05-19T09:41:00.005-04:002013-05-19T09:42:28.404-04:00Writing Prompt --- Fix it<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nothing was ever more stressful with my father than when something was broken that he was trying to fix. The screaming, the frustration. Have you ever tried to fix something with someone else when neither of you knows how to do it? Makes for a great dilemma, doesn't it?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Write a scene between two people while they try to fix something or get something to work.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who are the two people? What is their relationship to each other?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What is the thing that is broken? What would it accomplish if it were working properly?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Which of the two people will benefit from the fixed thing, or will it be both of them?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Does one of them get more stressed than the other? Does one know how to fix it, but the other won't listen? Do they need help but don't have it available?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How do they treat each other in the middle of the stress?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Does it get fixed? Has their relationship changed in any way from this? Don't be cliche.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Are you going to go for comedy or serious?</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-40129966879168785672013-04-30T11:24:00.002-04:002013-04-30T11:25:01.331-04:00Writing Prompt for a Two Person SceneTake this wherever you want. Don't be stereotypical or obvious. Be creative about setting, who these people are, what their relationship is to one another, the reasons they find themselves where they are, where they need to get to or what they need to accomplish. Write this as a short story or maybe even as a short scripted scene. Maybe it would make a great one-minute screenplay or stage dialogue. Whatever you do with this, I think it's a great prompt. Are you ready? OK, here you go. Just take this statement and build a complete setting and situation around it. I'm not going to give you too much to go on, but there is real opportunity for conflict from this very short description. Get your pens out, and write a scene with this as your only starting block:<br />
<br /><i>He is drunk, but she is not.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Immediate questions to ask yourself:<br />Who are these two, what is their relationship to each other (if you say husband/wife, you're being lazy)<br />Where are they? Where are they coming from? Where are they going?<br />What day of the week is it? What time of day? Are they inside or outside? What's the weather?<br />Why is he drunk -- where did he get drunk? Why isn't she?<br />Is she helping him, or is she trying to get away from him?<br />
Is he being irresponsible by being drunk, or is she being a stick in the mud?<br />What does she think of the fact that he is drunk? What does he think of the fact that she isn't?<br />Does anyone else enter this scene during the action, or is it just the two of them from beginning to end?<br />So, are you going to be comical or serious with this?<br />
<br />GO!Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-76264165827527497642013-01-12T10:16:00.001-05:002013-01-12T10:17:14.321-05:00More Writing Advice<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love quotes about writing. This page has TWENTY of them! From everyone from Dorothy Parker to Stephen King...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.flavorwire.com/361311/20-great-writers-on-the-art-of-revision/view-all</span></span><br />
<br />Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-41031989828378572352013-01-06T18:19:00.002-05:002013-01-06T18:19:58.848-05:00The Most Brilliant Writing Tip Ever<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I can't even expound on this. It's just the perfect singular writing tip I've ever read. Of course it would come from the incomparable Neil Gaiman. Are you ready for it? It's the only rule of writing there is.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"There are no rules. Do whatever you have to do to get the end of the thing you’re writing."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> --- Neil Gaiman</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-66491183975984804762012-12-29T10:03:00.001-05:002012-12-29T10:03:10.378-05:00Insight on Getting Published<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know you thought it was going to be my truly inspired insight on getting published, but I thought I'd post this link to a great article by Jane Friedman on how long you should keep trying to get published by a traditional publisher.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">She comments on a lot of details, including what you're trying to get published and whether it is commerically viable on a national level or if it's regional or niche. And to me, the most important question of all: what your goals are.</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-924838936985482182012-12-08T10:09:00.002-05:002012-12-08T10:09:33.730-05:00Writing Exercise: Waiting for a Stranger<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your character walks into a restaurant and has a conversation with the hostess (or host). He (or she) says he has a reservation, for two people. Hostess says he is the first to arrive, would he like to sit down or wait in the front. Your character has never met the person he is dining with (is it breakfast, lunch, dinner?), and he doesn't know what they look like, so he's not sure what to do, since he won't recognize them when they come in. How does the conversation go with the host/ess? Who is your character? Who is the person he (or she) is meeting? Why are they meeting? Finish the scene when the person comes in (or doesn') and they recognize each other (or don't). Try to be a little bit more creative than 'a blind date.'</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-61407500882908202482012-12-01T10:54:00.000-05:002012-12-01T10:54:00.684-05:00Writing Exercise: After the Storm<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Remember that person you wrote about in the last exercise and how they were preparing for an imminent storm? When the wind dies down and the rain stops, and they come out of their hibernation, and step out into the world for the first time, what happened? What are they faced with, damage, flooding, calm? How did their preparations help, hinder, or have nothing to do with the the outcome of the storm? And more importantly, how do they react to the situation?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Is there a tree down that crushed their car?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do they have any shingles left on the roof?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Is the electricity out, and all that food in the refrigerator they bought is going to go bad anyway?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And more importantly, how do they feel about what they see? And what do they do first?</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-6157071363983078492012-10-26T23:54:00.001-04:002012-10-26T23:54:53.491-04:00Writing Prompt: Before the Storm<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are two courses of action I've heard the most from these days before the impending hurricane here in the northeast. One school is all about water, milk, eggs, rice, prepared foods. The other is wine, beer, cheese, baguette, DVDs, tortilla chips. There's also me on a 24' ladder cleaning out the gutters that I haven't cleared in like two years, now that we might get ten inches of rain in one day.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So think about different types of people and what might be the most important things for them to take care of days before a possible hurricane. Come up with something that is really uncommon or a person who's need is really unique. Write up a description of their preparations through a day about two days before the hurricane "might" hit the area. If you want to take this further, write about the day of the hurricane -- did it actually hit locally, or maybe it was a big bust and never came. How did the preparations and the desperate need play into the results.</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-40904665213396819982012-10-14T09:17:00.003-04:002012-10-14T09:17:51.110-04:00Writing Prompt -- Real Life<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's time for another writing prompt. If you're one of those people who just can't get inspired to start a project, writing prompts are great. But even if you are currently working on an ongoing project, writing prompts are great side exercises to take you away from that constant focus on your project to be free to go have fun with your writing for ten minutes, then get back to your novel, memoir, screenplay, etc. So let's do a short little exercise.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mine your own life, real situations, real people, real settings to draw out writing prompts. Rather than take everything about an occurrence, take a few key details and launch into fiction. Write into that situation for ten minutes, then read back to yourself where you took it. If you can't come up with one of your own, here, use this one from my life right now.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am 46 years old and found myself needing to learn a new, very complicated piece of design software. Not having any design experience and having never used a software package like this one, it became obvious I should take a class. So there I find myself in a classroom in the computer lab at Fashion Institute of Technology. I've never wanted to be 'that old guy' who doesn't know about computers or technology, isn't up with the times. But here I find myself in a classroom with 18-20 year olds. They all get it immediately. In fact they're opening their Facebook pages and gmail on their computers while the teacher is re-explaining steps for a few of the slower learners, which sadly includes me. To get into this classroom, I had to walk through the very large room full of dozens of computer terminals filled with young, hip, trendy design students. Write a short dialogue between me and the hip young girl at the next terminal to me during class. Or write a quick interaction between me and a student or group of students during a ten minute break in the two-and-a-half hour evening class. How's that for a fish-out-of-water story?</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-85960190678587134752012-07-07T09:13:00.001-04:002012-07-07T09:13:16.768-04:00How About a New Writing Prompt<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Three friends meet up regularly on Saturday mornings in one of their backyards with their dogs for a 'puppy playdate.' As the dogs run around and romp, the three friends stand and chat and catch up. This week, a fourth person shows up, unexpected. Why did they come? Did they bring a dog? There is some reason, issue, argument, secret, need, interest, desire that led them to show up. Are the friends all women, men, mixed? What's the gender of the new person? Did any of the three know this person would be showing up?</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is really open ended for you. Maybe one of the dogs bit this person. Maybe this person is coming to ask out or propose to the host? I'll stop giving you suggestions. What happens?</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-80011245636558387812012-06-02T09:12:00.003-04:002012-06-02T09:12:56.735-04:00It's the End of the World as We Know It<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Let's have some fun. The Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! To come up with a totally new and different spin on a genre theme that has been done 1,000 times before, let's start at the beginning. Answer these couple of questions, then write a short story that could be the start of a bigger story.</div>
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Where did the ZA start?</div>
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Get creative, get specific. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the lab accident has been done to death. Think about something else more interesting. It might help to think on some of these questions as a whole, not one by one. The characteristics of your zombies can be effected by your choice on where and how it started.</div>
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What caused it?</div>
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Virus, bacteria, inadequate burial practices, contaminated food, sexual contact, whatever your cause, even if it doesn't come out in the actual telling of your story, you as the writer should know.</div>
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How does it spread?</div>
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Do you have to get bitten by a zombie to get infected? How do you get to that rule after the first victim? Because I'm assuming the first victim wasn't bitten by a zombie, because there weren't any. Can anyone now be infected the way the first person was? Do you have to die first in order to become a zombie? Are some people immune?</div>
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How fast does it spread?</div>
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I always wonder about just how fast the zombie infection will spread. In order to get to full on Zombie Apocalypse it obviously has to spread pretty quickly, no? Or maybe it spreads invisibly at first? Or maybe on like Walking Dead, we're all infected </div>
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How do you become a zombie after the initial exposure?</div>
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The stories that make it about a bite or scratch typically have you get violently sick, flu-style, then die, then wake back up as a zombie. Older stories would have people buried, then have to dig out of the ground. Remember those great old pictures of the hands clawing out of the cemetery ground? How about your story? The cause will explain your first victim of the infection, so how does he or she spread it around?</div>
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What are the qualities and characteristics of zombies?</div>
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Of course eating people is always the top quality. And most zombies don't talk. They can't run, just walk. They don't know how to turn door knobs. And they have no compassion at all. They don't eat each other, cuz frankly, wouldn't that take care of it? Why do they crave human flesh? Is it just human flesh they crave, or anything alive? How can you avoid them? Is it smell that drives them, or sight, or hearing? The whole loud sounds thing getting their attention will make firearms dangerous to use. Your survivors will need silent killing implements.</div>
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So... who is your main character?</div>
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Certainly the most important detail in any story, not just zombie.</div>
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Where is your main character?</div>
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Especially important in relation to where it started and how it spread. Was your main character involved in the outbreak somehow?</div>
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More on the where, where is your main character going to ride out the ZA? Or, where do they get stuck? How are they able to survive? Who is with the main character? A group? One loved one? No one?</div>
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What will become your main characters strategy on how to survive and where to get to?</div>
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This the fun question of what is the quest for your character. And I'll add, what is driving your main character? Trying to save someone in particular, or trying to track down the cause or an antidote? Or getting somewhere safe to live the rest of his/her life out? This is where I hope you don't pick a shopping mall or the local high school. I'm rather tired of stories of one hero desperately trying to find out about his/her one true love. The entire world is crashing down around them. Should we really care if he gets back and saves his ex-wife and the kids he doesn't have custody of anymore?</div>
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Add your own questions to the mix. Be creative. There are sorts of thngs you can try. Maybe your main character is a zombie instead of a survivor? Maybe zombies can talk? Maybe they can fly? Maybe the dig into the earth and they're like moles and can come up anywhere? Come up with something entirely new and write a short synopsis or a short story or just an outline of the answers to all your questions.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe I should come up with a framework and have people write stories inside the world of the Zombie Apocalypse as I created it. Who would be in?</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-23638229788154067212012-05-23T10:27:00.001-04:002012-05-23T10:27:16.209-04:00Fiction Writing Myth #1: Write What You Know<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">You hear it all the time in creative writing classes, particularly at the college level. "Write what you know." Biggest piece of hogwash you'll ever hear. If it were true, we'd all be writing just memoirs. And no one would be writing vampire fiction or fantasy or erotica (well, most erotica would be astoundingly boring). And I don't want to think about who would be the only people qualified to write serial killer stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So why do they always say this to you in beginning creative writing classes? 'Write what you know.' Does that mean I can only write stories set in the late 20th or early 21st century set in New Jersey, New York City, or San Francisco, about rather-boring men who commute to work every day on the train?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Let me give you advice that leads to what I think is intended by this stupid old rule. Flip it on its head. Rather than 'write what you know,' think about it as 'Know What You Write.' You can set your story in another time, another place, even a place you've never been, about a character nothing like yourself. But you have to get it right. If you're setting your story in 19th century Paris, know everything you possibly can about 19th century Paris. What did people wear? You can't have someone put their cellphone in their jeans pocket, or say, '23 Skidoo, I'm gonna be late!' Yes, yes, of course there is lee-way, and I'm being drastic with referring to a cellphone in the 19th century. But you should know what style of clothing people wore and what Paris looked like back then. I mean, do you really want your character walking into a building that couldn't have been there? There's no pyramid attached to the front of the Louvre, you know. You better know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Yes, even if you're world-building, you have to know your world. If it takes Bilbo a full days' ride to get from Hobbiton to Bree in one book, you can't have Frodo make the same journey on foot and arrive by noon a few books later. Everything about your world and your characters has to ring true. It's all about continuity and not confusing or distracting your readers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Just like in the movies. You know it takes them many, many takes to get each scene right. And someone is there to make sure that if there is a magazine on a coffee table that is spread out and open, it needs to be set that way for every take. And if no one has come by, and the next scene rolls right in from that one, the magazine can't suddenly be closed. Unless it's a horror movie, then well, other rules.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For me, Frodo's Nipple is very jarring. What? What did I say? Yes, Frodo's Nipple. You remember the scene in Rivendell after Frodo wakes up from having been poisoned by the Nazgul blade. He's lying in bed, and his friends are around him. There is a super quick cut from one shot to the next as he is bounced upon by his hobbit friends. In a split second, his shirt goes from being pulled wide open exposing his chest and nipple, and a split second later, as the other hobbit reaches down to hug him, the shirt is pulled closed tightly up to his neck. That's what it's like when you put jeans on a character in 19th century Paris. Suddenly I as the reader don't believe you anymore. OK, silly example. Here's one that's way more important, because it made me think something else entirely about a scene.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Anyone else remember the movie Jumping Jack Flash, starring Whoopi Goldberg? Well, if you haven't seen it, and you like slapstick comedy you are missing out, because it is great. Anyway, in one scene Whoopi's character, Terry Dolittle, returns to her apartment to find it ransacked by the bad guys. As Terry enters and walks across the living room, behind her is the open bathroom door, and there is clearly something draped over the bathtub. She turns around, and in the very next shot, it's not there. Well, I noticed it, because my first thought was that it was a body (arm). I screamed, 'Someone's in the bathroom!' I watched the rest of the scene waiting for the person hiding in the bathroom to come out and jump her. Never happened. It was just a continuity error. That's what happens when you get your facts wrong as a writer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you set up the rule that the spirits of all the people killed by a magic wand will come out of it in the order in which they were killed, if you screw up the order when the spirits come out, then all your readers will think something is wrong in the story as you told it. Their minds will stick on the error, and you risk having them meander off your intended storytelling arc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Yes, you can make things up. Entire train lines or highways, towns and characters. You can make someone the mayor of New York City even though we can look back in history and realize that they never existed. But take care in its doing. Make sure when your rewrite history, that you do it completely and explain how your reality works and is different from real reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We can continue with this whole idea of 'write what you know' in terms of plot, too. But I think that's a post for another day. But yes, I usually want to smack people who say, 'How can you write about heartbreak if you've never been in love?' The same way I can write about stabbing you in your writing hand without having actually done it. I just can't have you die in three seconds from the wound.</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-88313143563898017502012-05-20T09:28:00.001-04:002012-05-20T09:28:04.214-04:00How much is too much? Or even worse...<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
As an editor, I've heard several authors who were writing erotica or erotic romance or just straight up romance ask me the all-important question, 'Do you think there's too many sex scenes in my book?' While I will say there is definitely a point at which some reader somewhere might be making her way through your book and think, 'Wow, enough is enough already,' I just wish I would hear just one author one time ask me the way more important question of, 'Do you think I need to add more sex?'</div>
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The only fatal problem I've ever found in the areas of erotica or erotic romance with regard to how much sex is in the book is 'not enough.' I slogged my way through one terribly written cliche after cliche novel recently that was supposed to be erotic suspense, and at the end I realized that in about 250 pages there were 2 sexual situations, and one of them was a blowjob.</div>
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I've heard so many people try to explain it a certain way. Answers I've heard range from 'every other chapter' to 'every character at least one' to 'every X number of pages.' I actually like using that last one just as a writer's check in revising, but I do not profess it as an overarching rule. Yes, I will suggest to a writer, go back and read through your entire book and mark the frequency of sexual situations, but overall, I hope no one approaches the telling of a story with a strict measuring stick for the juicy parts. Sometimes one sexual scene will actually lead straight into another one, whether by effect of the plotline or placement of characters or whatever the reason. Other times you will need to further your story along a little bit in order to get it told. I mean, if you have your heroine lost in the woods all alone, not knowing if she'll ever get out or get found, you can't really throw in a sex scene. Unless you're going to go with masturbation, dream, or flashback, but those are really really hocky constructs if there's no plot reason for them.</div>
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So I hope that's enough contradiction for you today. Ever notice how writing advice never gives you a clear answer and tends to contradict itself? Don't plan your sex in a per-page way, but when you finish writing your manuscript, go through and see for yourself how often the sex happens. I know, I"m not very much help. So let me just leave you with an old adage and a new one.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You've heard the old adage, 'Less is more.' Right? Well fuck that, here's your new adage, 'More is more.' Geez, did I really juse use the word adage? What an old fart.</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-43320549656703384472012-05-18T08:41:00.001-04:002012-05-18T08:41:03.026-04:00Who Just Got Published!?!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Yes, it's true! My novelette, THE TALE OF THE FARMER'S SECOND SON, is now up and available for sale on Amazon. (coming soon on other retailer sites and device stores). It's available for your Kindle now. Or if you have a smart phone (iPhone, iPad, etc), you can download the free Kindle app and buy and read it through the app.</div>
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My fun little fairy tale of two brothers and a farm in a quiet little valley village by the forest. I wanted to harken back to the language and feeling of old traditional fairy tales. Not exactly for children, this tale isn't full of Prince Charming and Happily Ever After. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I think that's why I call it, 'Delightfully Evil.' Click on the link below to buy it for your Kindle or for your Kindle app on your smart phone:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=inspir015-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B008450MV0" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></span><br />
<br />Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-1183220538498299072012-03-31T11:06:00.000-04:002012-03-31T11:06:43.314-04:00Get Your Facts Straight About Facts<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, I don't think you need me to tell you that when you're building your world, and even more importantly when you're setting your story in a real world setting, you should really pay attention to the details.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remember that Will Smith movie where it starts out he's chasing an alien through the streets of New York, was it Men in Black? And he jumps off the overpass that rings around Grand Central Station. And two blocks later they're running passed the Gugenheim. That's like 40 blocks! I know, I know, it could be they were going for time-lapse, but it still bothered me.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, it's the same in your novel. Even if you invented the fictional town your story is set in. It can't take someone twenty minutes to bike across town at one point in your story, then later they run over quickly to warn someone about something. A lake has to be where a lake is, for the whole story.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of my favorite books from the last year or so is The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffendough. The story is amazing, but what is so impressive is the perfection with which she paints San Francisco. There is a community garden on a corner where she says it is. I can even picture exactly where her character walks in a public park and finds flowers and trees and bushes specifically placed. Now, yeah, if you don't know San Francisco, it doesn't matter. But since I do, the book is that much more magical.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So even if you're creating a completely fictional town, I strongly urge you to draw it out in detail in your mind. Know where every house, every store is.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, let's talk about what your characters know, and what they don't know. If Mary wasn't there for a conversation between John and Sue, Mary can't know what they talked about. She can't know what was divulged to whom by whom. And once they know something, they know it. I just read a book where something was explained to a character in the beginning. Then later in the book, he doesn't know it again and he's told the same thing again. Now he could have forgotten, but no, it's obvious the author forgot the character had been told something earlier. It's just not clean writing. If you're telling a story, keep your facts straight! And actually, you have to keep everyone's facts straight! What all your characters know, what they're aware of, what they think, how they feel about someone or something. Particularly if you're writing a mystery!!!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">OK, time to head to the beach, more later...</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-86322801356975511222012-03-19T14:02:00.002-04:002012-03-19T14:05:59.666-04:00May the Road Rise Up to Meet You, by Peter Troy<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> It's been a while since I posted, so let me say first, I've started a new job. I'm now, well, since August, it's been that long since I've posted much on here, I'm now, as I was saying, senior acquisitions editor for AudioGO. We publish unabridged audiobooks, as linked to below, but also I am launching into original publishing, looking for new and established authors. We are looking forward into the new digital world and have a unique publishing program that will focus on eBook and audio publishing for the books that we publish. I don't want to be one of those folks that screams that 'print is dead,' but this new digital world creates opportunity to get new exciting authors and innovative, edgier books published. We hope to expand out of the common and into the innovative, challenging, and experimental. More to come, always.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&keywords=may%20the%20road%20rise%20up%20to%20meet%20you&tag=inspir015-20&linkCode=ur2&qid=1332179891&rnid=618072011&camp=1789&creative=390957&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Amay%20the%20road%20rise%20up%20to%20meet%20you%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A2682077011" target="_blank"><script charset="utf-8" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=ss_mfw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822/US/inspir015-20/8001/787cfff5-1cda-4309-a176-e5318548de6f" type="text/javascript">
</script> <noscript><A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=ss_mfw&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Finspir015-20%2F8001%2F787cfff5-1cda-4309-a176-e5318548de6f&amp;Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com Widgets</A></noscript></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-44307281536114627122011-11-23T09:08:00.000-05:002011-11-23T09:08:35.420-05:00TG -- but not yet!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Write a five-minute scene. Set up: an office worker desperately trying to leave the office early on the day before Thanksgiving. An email goes around from the big boss telling everyone they can leave early. But our hero's manager has asked him/her to get one thing done urgently before they leave. As everyone else piles out of the office, what's going on in the life of our hero? Does he/she get it done; stay late; does bedlam ensue, maybe nothing seems to be going right; or does he/she bag it in dramatic fashion? Have fun. Maybe try a little farcical scene...</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As always let me know what you think of the exercise.</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-70494131964946948032011-11-20T09:39:00.000-05:002011-11-20T09:39:59.374-05:00Writing Exercise: The Message<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's an exercise in dialogue/monologue/rambling... you've all heard of it. Perhaps you've done it. Drunk-dialing an ex in the middle of the night. Maybe you ran into them in a bar. Maybe it's a recent break-up. Maybe something reminded you of them. Who broke up with whom?</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's a writing exercise. Your character drunk-dials an ex in the middle of the night after being out. But it goes straight to voicemail. Write the message that he/she leaves on the voicemail. Have fun with this one. Think about what they would say to an ex. Think about when it ended, how it ended, why this character is driven to dial, why the phone wasn't picked up on the other end, and most importantly, your character is drunk.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As always, comment on here and let me know what you think of the exercise. Email me if you enjoyed it or want to show me your homework. I'll read and review it. </span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-33673788643941630022011-09-24T18:03:00.000-04:002011-09-24T18:03:05.982-04:00Write a crazy story<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">OK, ready for your prompt?</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A family of four (mother, father, son, daughter). Living room. And one of them comes into the house with the new puppy. And something crazy happens. Write the scene. Don't lose any of the five characters (you didn't forget the puppy, did you!). All of them have a part. They all have something to say, something to do, they're all a part of whatever it is that happens. Pay special attention to your writing of dialogue and actions.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plan out your story first, doesn't have to be long, but think about a lot of questions first. Or I don't care, dive right in.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Did everyone know it was new puppy day? Who brings it home? How do each of the family members feel about new puppy day? Are they all excited about this? What's the puppy like? What does it do? Feel free to improvise the story. Maybe there are other pets in the house already. Do whatever you like with the prompt. Just ... go ... WRITE!</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-3730111197279421262011-04-26T14:15:00.000-04:002011-04-26T14:15:20.685-04:00Books on WritingPeople ask all the time about book on writing. Nobody can teach you how to come up with a good story, but like I try to do here with writing prompts and exercises, you can be nudged to start writing. You can be given a launchpad for a specific project, or you can be inspired to sit down and get to work. Where your story goes is up to you! But if I had to name one book that is a must, I would have to recommend WRITING DOWN THE BONES, by Natalie Goldberg. It'll inspire you. Give it a look:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=inspir015-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1590302613" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-84829899760516913692011-04-19T14:02:00.000-04:002011-04-19T14:02:06.395-04:00MemoirsWhat makes a good memoir? Not just a good story, but you have to remember in the case of memoir, the reader needs to be able to relate to your story. Ironically enough, my first rule of memoir is, actually it is NOT all about you! It's about the reader. When you think about putting out your experience or your life to the world, think about not just what happened to you, but think about what your story can mean to your reader. What will the reader get out of the experience of hearing your story? It's that age-old question, why you? Feel free to post on the comments here and we can open up a discussion on memoir writing...<br />
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My friend Kim does it perfectly with her memoir, just out from Random House. It's an amazing combination of personal story with reflections on self-esteem, self-respect, and as she puts it, 'learning to love yourself.' Read it!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=inspir015-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0307464385" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-1392312167795370342011-03-17T18:45:00.000-04:002011-03-17T18:45:17.588-04:00Again, it's Been Way too Long!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wow, I did it again, disappeared from here. So sorry about that. Sometimes, I just get too waylaid by life as we know it. I've been working on a novel, though, so that's a good thing.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's a writing exercise dedicated to my disappearance. Think about somewhere you used to go all the time, whether it's your old school or a neighborhood you used to live in or a town you came from, maybe even an apartment or house you used to live in. Fictionalize you as a character and write a story about what it would be like to return there now. Who is still there; would you be recognized, or would you be a stranger? I recently walked through a neighborhood I used to live in, it used to be home to me. I don't know what's more striking: the things that have changed or the things that haven't. The dentist's office on the corner, who catered to welfare recipients, is now a very chic trendy bar, but the nasty little dirty pizza place across the street is still there.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Think first about where it is you would be returning to. How long ago were you there regularly? So, the bottom line is, what would happen to you if you went back now? And how would you feel about the place?</span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597866039107298425.post-71967539352430575722010-11-20T10:24:00.000-05:002010-11-20T10:24:37.858-05:00Writing Exercise<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">OK, bad joke. Here's a writing prompt for you. Dialogue between two characters can be the perfect launching pad into a good piece of writing. So here's a scene for you...</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two women are in the group fitness room at their gym, laying out their mats and starting to stretch in preparation for a yoga class. They are the only ones there, and after a few minutes, they find that odd, because the class is usually packed. The instructor is no where to be found either. Turns out they're the only ones who don't know the class was canceled. Write the scene and their dialogue as they first wonder what's going on, are confused, then figure it out, and then does their conversation move on to something else? What are they each going to do instead of the class? Did they realize they know each other in some way? Do they become friends? Do they end up fighting? Do they share their thoughts about the instructor, other people in the class? Do something with the set-up. Anything you want.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you love your results, let me know or post a comment here.</span></span>Pohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597630410144807672noreply@blogger.com1