What Do You Have to Do?

Write about a character who rises very, very early one morning and gets up.  The alarm is blaring.  This character would not typically be getting up at this early hour.  Who is it?  And why does he/she have to get up today, this day in particular?  What is it he/she is doing?  Is he/she doing this thing alone?  Is he/she really looking forward to it, is it something that's been planned for a long time?  Or is it something he/she is dreading?  What preparations does he/she have to make right after getting up, and what is going through their minds?

Write your piece as an anticipation story.  What your character is doing and thinking after they get up, and end the piece as they walk out the door (or don't walk out the door) as they face what it is they have to do.

Again, maybe it's a great thing, maybe it's dreadful.  Going to the beach?  For a hike?  Court date?  Funeral?  Don't be easy on yourself with it.

The Lady Is an Inspiration

I have to say, one of my television guilty pleasures is watching Judge Judy.  Her show is real life.  Those people while seemingly crazy or obsessed show you all the real drama going on in the world all around us every single day.  They've just taken their grudges, arguments, fights, disagreements, on TV.

Watch it!  Watch many, many episodes.  Tape a case and watch that case over and over again.  Study the characters.  Study the argument, how they present it, what each of them says.  Two sides of the same argument.  Think about point of view.  Now take that case, use it as your inspiration, and choose your protagonist... it doesn't even have to be one of the two main parties, may be it's one of their mutual friends, a mother or father of one of them, a witness to what went down, a neighbor across the street from the scene of the argument who saw through a curtain, then saw them on Judge Judy, OMG that's the people from across the street!  Write the entire course of events from that person's point of view.  Then come up with the back story.  Write about what led up to it, what happened between the event and how they ended up with an actual lawsuit, how they ended up on Judge Judy.  Work on it until it's a free-standing short story.

Enjoy...

The Return of Tiny Stories

Lisa has been a cheeky little monkey and has found us some editorial help to make something of my sadistic little writing exercise.  So, we will again return to the idea of Tiny Stories as a potentially viable project.  We're still hoping to put a collection of them together as a fundraiser for CBLDF.

To remind you, the exercise is to write a complete ultra-short story that is exactly 100 words long without using the same word twice.

We'll be chatting more as a team to put this together.  For now, I would guess we will focus our theme on sci-fi/fantasy/comic/dark fantasy/horror.  After we chat more, we'll have better direction, but get ready (those of you who find my new blog here).

Practice your Tiny Stories (and big headaches).  Get your fingers typing and your brain cells smoking.

Reality

There are so many horrendous reality television shows.  Remember when we used to call them documentaries, and they actually taught you something or enlightened you?  Now reality is these crazy wackos acting stupid or competing so they don't have to ... go back to reality.  People dance, lose weight, date, make clothes, try to become models, finish a race, all survive in a house, and more.


Come up with your own idea for a reality tv show.  Is it one of the inspiring meaningful ones that changes people lives, like Intervention or Extreme Home Makeover?  Or is it one of the horrendous ones, like Jersey Shore or I Love New York.


Write up a full complete description of what the show will be about, how each episode will be formatted, where it will be set, what does the season lead up to.  Do people get eliminated; how?  Or do we just follow one person around the whole time?  Are there celebrities involved?  D-list?  Z-list? 

Slang

Slang can be some of the most creative use of language.  Having your characters use slang can be much more colorful than using cliches or over-used phrases.  Don't say it's 'as cold as ice.'  Try having a character say something more in tune with who they are. 'It's colder than a witch's titty.'  Instead of 'I gotta pee,' maybe your character would say, 'I gotta go paint the snow yellow.'


There are all sorts of slang terms for things.  Many of them bodily functions, sexual acts, parts of the body,.. dropping the kids off at the pool; having my red dollar days; choking the snake; my one-eyed trouser snake; not the brightest bulb; etc.  I heard a really good one today I"d never heard before, "Ooh, she looked like Chewbacca after a fight down there!"  Try coming up with your own completely unique slang terms.  Make them up totally from scratch.  Remember unique!  And funny is always good...


Think about a context in which some character would use it... try expanding the scene into more.

Just One Minute!

On Sunday, I'll be helping a member of my writing group with the production of a very intriguing project.  He's producing a one-minute film.  A what?  Yes, a one-minute film.  There's actually a film festival here in  New Jersey that presents them.  You'll find a few of them here and there.  Check out the one we have here in NJ at www.filmfestone.com.


I think this is an excellent writing format.  Write a one-minute screenplay!  Keep in mind all the constraints of the form.  Establishing shot, pans, cuts.  Heck, if you have someone pour a cup of tea, it could take 10-20% of your entire screen time to accomplish!  So what CAN you tell in one minute?  What could possibly happen in one minute that entertains or informs?


If you try and don't like it, try again.  And again.  The best problem you could possibly face would be having too much to tell.  Don't you think?


And of course, if you like what you've done, grab a video camera and a few friends and shoot it!

Dialogue

Here's a fun little exercise.  There are a few ways to do it.  This is to train yourself to write realistic dialogue.  First take a recording device along with you, and tape a conversation between a few people.  Maybe it's a few friends or strangers on a bench or in a food court.  Don't worry how boring it is or what they're talking about.  Try getting down at least 2 or 3 minutes of their conversation.  Bring it home and transcribe it word for word.  Put down every hem and haw, every word.


Note how people talk to each other, how they don't let each other finish before they start the next sentence. Do we always speak in proper grammar, complete sentences?


At another time, go out in public and listen in on a conversation between two or three people, but don't bring the recorder.  After you leave, sit down and try to remember the conversation by writing it up from your memory.  Fill in the blanks in your memory with your own creativity.


Now write your own short piece of fiction dialogue.  Hopefully it will be very realistic.  If you find some inspiration, make sure as you go through your days, always be listening!