writing stories - a timeless image in a dream

W r i t i n g S t o r i e s A v t a r J i

A v t a r J i w w w . I n n e r L i v i n g . i n f o

The Writer’s JourneyBy Christopher Vogler•Normal life: How do we get

to know this character?•The Call: Set the story in

motion, get the ball rolling.•Denial: The hero has doubts.•Meet the Wise One: The

hero learns the inside story.•Full Commitment: The hero

decides to take a chance.•Friends & Enemies: Conflicts•Inside the Enemy’s castle: The

battle of life and death.•Escape with the ‘Key”: Small

victory / the hero runs away.•The Climax: The Final Battle!

WRITINGS t o r i e s

WRITING A STORY

A story begins the first moment you capture the human heart. Memorable stories are about IMAGES , TIMELESS IMAGES IN A DREAM, not just words, but images that touch our heart, that touch the humanity within us. What does our heart want and feel? From what new vantage point do we view the world? How do we illuminate the everyday experience of our normal world to gain new insight into our lives? What is at the meaning of our life’s experience?

FICTION : A story exists as an imaginary world, one that we are taken into by our own mind through the vehicle of a hero. The hero is the heart of the story.

We enter this imaginary world to experience it vicariously through her, and hope that by understanding her world, which is created within our minds eye, we just might experience what that character experiences and for a while see with her eyes and discover a new world with new insights into our own.

“There is nothing in a play but the CHARACTERS, every word that is uttered is uttered by a character. A play is an arrangement of words spoken by the characters to tell a story. Therefore, a play is nothing more than a character's action.” SIMON CALLOW, English Actor

You begin with people, within them, and travel into their world behind their eyes, and within their hearts. Welcome to the world within.

A TIMELESS IMAGE IN A DREAM



THEME: The ‘theme’ of a story is the main idea which runs through the entire story and unifies it as a whole. Theme is what the story is about. Not the hero’s action, but the idea behind the story.

Theme is what the story is saying about humanity. It’s a comment on the human condition in a specific situation. The theme is definitely a strong opinion or a very specific point of view.

Say for example your content or idea is about sex. You can approach sex from several different points of view: control, love, romance, emptiness, fear, connection. All of these ways of approaching sex changes our idea about sex. We are either saying it’s a good or bad thing, or we can take a neutral stance and just lay it out there. Sex happens.

To produce a mighty book or story you must produce a mighty theme. A theme gives us an insight into life. We bring this insight to life, in our emotions, in our actions, to our senses, not just to our intellect. Do not ask what does my story teach -- but, “What does the story reveal?”

ELEMENTS THAT DEFINE: CHARACTER The Seven Elements of Character

1. Self Concept (Relationship Roles)2. Main Motivations (Needs / Wants)3. Action (actions of speech)4. Points of View (Roles)5. Attitudes6. Dramatic Changes (Inner & Outer)7. Differences

The core of the character lies in his motives, his self-concept, and his strong points of view and attitudes. By contrasting them with other character’s motives, self-concepts, and points of view, and by showing those differences in ‘action’, you create conflict. You define your character and the drama begins to unfold. Drama is conflict. Conflict makes your story interesting.

Examples:Hamlet believed he could challenge the king, while everyone else feared the king.

Othello believed in perfect love, but everyone else believed that love was flawed.

CONFLICT When the Hero’s points of view is at odds with the popular concepts of those in his environment, with those of the modern day, with authority, those in power, then you have drama. The hero is alone, facing great odds for what she believes deeply. Now that is interesting.

I. CONFLICT ORIGINATES WITHIN THE CHARACTER:

The audience roots for the character’s struggle -- for what she wants. There is a chance of her failure. We empathize with the struggle through what she ‘feels’. We want to see her succeed and get what she wants. So always keep the audience wanting more; don’t give her what she wants until the end because the audience cares about people that stand up and fight for what they want. If we give her what she wants in the beginning there would be no story. Nobody watches the village of happy nice people and the girl who gets the man of her dreams with no struggle. If character is the heart of the story, conflict is the pulse.



DEFINING CONFLICT Where does Conflict originate? • Social - Friends, relatives, lovers, coworkers etc.• Emotional - Love, hate, fear, joy, laughter, greed• Racial• Religious•Monetary• Spiritual•Moral

Problems are posed by fate, the world or society, natural disaster, life circumstance, other people, and don’t forget our own inner faults. We either find a way to succeed or we fail. Failure is tragic; success is heroic. Seek the maximum effect of conflict which is life or death stakes. Raise the stakes. Shorten the time limits to achieve goals. Basically increase the Drama.

Ask questions:

What does the hero want? (Specifically) What is she willing to fight for? Why is it vital to her happiness? Who stands in her way?

Fill in the blank: They all thought it was disgraceful and upsetting to find out that I __________________. For example: ( that I took the job with the traveling circus and married an outlaw vampire.)

One way to define a character is by opposing her to other’s negative points of view. This shows that she is independent of other’s points of view and gives her a clear and definite reason for leaving her old life behind. No one supported her -- so she left town.

While opposition may be wide spread in a large group, the major source of opposition should only be represented by just one person. One person’s opinion represents the entire organization’s opinion. So that when their point of view directly opposes the hero’s ideas, it means the entire group is opposed to the hero.

SELF CONCEPT

First, match the Hero’s self-concept with her ‘needs’ and ‘wants’. Keep these in mind when you flesh out her SELF CONCEPT. Self Concept is composed of three things:

1. Self Concept: Who we believe we are.2. Self Esteem: The judgments we pass on ourself.3. Values: What we want, and what we don’t.

1. SELF CONCEPT – Who do they believe they are, what is their self-concept? I am a man of action, I am a woman of my word, I keep my promises, I am a sensualist, I am a surrealist, I am a king, I am a loser. We constantly look for evidence to prove to ourselves that we are what we think, and if we don’t find any, we create situations and self generate this evidence.

2. Self Esteem – Are we worthy of love, are we capable to achieve our goals? Self esteem, like self image are self fulfilling prophecies. They determine whether or not we get what we want. If I feel like I will never get what I want, then I probably won’t. The judgments we pass on ourselves are the hardest.

3. Values - Our life is a non-stop pursuit of values. We seek that which we love. We avoid that which we hate. In life this is automatic, but in art we must re-create this process by identifying what it is that our hero loves most of all.

Our ‘self concept’ is defined by what we ‘value’.



SELF CONCEPT VALUES – Awareness of what is good for me, and what is not. Values are that which we move toward or away from. Core values are the source of emotions. This will determine whether the character is conservative or liberal. I value winning. I am a winner. I never lose. I never give up until I win. Value Examples:

• life / death• truth / indulgence• love / hate• freedom / slavery• lies / honesty• loyalty / betrayal• wisdom / ignorance• joy / pain• strength / weakness

These values may shift in the story over the course of events. By gaining or losing that which we value makes the character rise in joy, or fall into sorrow. Their actions lead them toward their values. The more obstacles are in the way, the more interesting.

Self-concept is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I believe I am this way so I will prove it again and again. “I am a man of action.” So when problems are presented where I can prove that this is true, I will take action. “I am a lady of quality” so I restrain myself from acting indecently and say, I am not that kind of lady.

Or “I am a man who doesn’t forgive and forget.” And to prove this I seek to take revenge on those who have done me wrong. Or “I am a man who never gives up.” So give me something impossible and I will show you that it is possible. Or a woman who stays with an abusive man because she promised she’d stay loyal, and “She’s not the

kind of woman who breaks her promises.”

Self concept resides within ones center. It is what I think and feel about myself. Not what others think about me. It is how I measure up to my expectations of myself. What do I feel about what I am doing?

How do I do this? I raise my level of consciousness within. What does this individual do that creates his self-concept? What does he feel about what he’s done? Daydream on the things he’s done “as if” you

did them, how do you feel about yourself. What determines a person’s self-concept is what one does.

How do I operate day by day, habitually, over and over again? A way of “behaving” becomes a way of “Being”. To find this Beingness, find the feeling within the center of this behavior. If the seed feeling is pride, or fear, connect that to the moment of who this person is.

Look also at the end of the play. Hamlet is not separate from his death and the death of his Uncle. No, it is his seed feeling, his self-concept, that “I have been wronged and can not trust anyone. I am misunderstood and am unsure of what I should do?” This feeling runs from start to finish, it is the feeling contained within his center.

As a noun, Betrayal, as a verb, to seek the truth. “I am a betrayed man who seeks the truth.”

FORMULA: “I am a (noun/adj) man who verb (the what).” The action is done to the what.

The Goal of the character comes out of his self-concept. How we dress, speak, walk, work, play roles, buy cars,

SEEK friends, and food, and do kind things

for others is all apart of whom we think we are

“Our primary goal is not ‘Survival’ but the Preservation of our Self-Concept.”

A way of

“Behaving” becomes a way

of “Being”.



CHARACTER MOTIVATION2. CORE MOTIVES – NEEDS – WANTS

When you ask yourself, “What do I want?” You will find that what you want differs from what others want. What would you do with fifty grand? Is that what your father would do?

What a character wants is different from any other character. The villain wants the opposite of what the hero wants. And what opposes the character gives the character a chance to show you who she is. There are different ways to react to a ship sinking, or a man cheating, etc. It all hinges on what you value.

Character is about: MOTIVE, MOTIVE, MOTIVE.

{Character = Motivation} ! {Strong Motive=Strong Character}

The hero character reveals what the story is about by what they do, by their behavior and choices.The hero's desires must be made visible. Meaning, the hero must want something the audience can see.

When you state that the hero character wants something, then the audience wonders, will she get it? It creates the question in their mind. This makes the reader root for the hero and helps them to identify with the character. By clearly stating what your hero wants at the start of your story, you are specifically telling the audience: this is what the story is about.

The question that drives the story is: will this girl achieve her goal? Goal motivation stems from what the character values. The audience must know what to worry about. How do you show this? You make her objective clear, you root down the reason imaginatively, not dryly, and you focus your character on achieving it and throwing

obstacles in her way. Then your character will react to whether or not she gets what she wants.

Making strong motives for what the character wants and doesn’t want is the first step. Now give them what they want, along with what they don’t want. You tie obstacles in with the desired goal. So you get what you want but, you also get something you don’t want.

Examples: You get a knew boyfriend, but you don’t like his dog pissing in your shoe. You get your dream job, but you hate your new boss’s breath. You get a new car, but it breaks down just when you need it most. A vacation goes bad. You get married, then the rest of the family moves in to your house. etc. So she got what she wanted, but it’s tied to some problem.

The problem is what is in the character’s way? What stops her from getting what she wants completely? Is the problem within herself?

In this way you can write an entire story. Your Character wants something specific we can see. She faces an obstacle or two, overcomes them, and gets what she wants but... That comes with another obstacle. How many obstacles will she have to face before she finally gets what she wants?

Well, once she gets what she wants, the story’s over.

Now the character is forced into action again and again. She has to fight for what she wants. Ask yourself, what motive is at stake in my character’s life at this moment in the scene? Clarity each situation.

This is a story about _______who wants_________.

The climax is in solving this sentence. Once it is solved that’s it, stories over. ! ! ! The End.



THE MAIN MOTIVATION & ACTIONMain Motive:

There are many motivations throughout a story. Each motive causes our hero to take an action. Each action always has a specific objective (an end).

Define this end. It is the overall motivation for the character. All actions lead toward one end.

This end, or overall motive, which threads through the entire story, through every action is the arrow which guides the character in every scene. It's like starting at the end with the essential idea why the story was written and working backwards. It is what the story is about. It is the reason the character does what she does.

There is always a definite reason for everything she does and it has to do with her main motivation for the entire plot.

To find the ‘Main Motivation’ ask this question:

“This is a story about a CHARACTER who, (does this action/verb) and becomes (identify the change or transformation of the main character.)

! EX. Rebel without a Cause is about James Dean who can't control his emotional frustration and learns that other

people feel the same way he does and he can help them.

In every scene ask yourself:

What is the difference between what this character wants and what this character needs?

! At the end he usually gets what he needs but not what he wants.

What is it that this character needs to overcome in order to get what he wants?

3. ACTION

A character’s action reveals who that character is.

Every action, every gesture, each word, expands our knowledge of who that character is.

A character IS what he does. A man can make a hundred promises, but it’s the ones he keeps that define who he is.

The Hero’s actions are composed of a movement in time from point A to point B.

Point A has a location and a back-story. The Hero is driven to Point B by desire to that destination which contains his OBJECT OF ATTRACTION. Her motive, her heart, is at point B.

What ACTION does she take to get where she wants to go? (Physical movement - gestures - words.) Every good action has at its heart, a strong clear motive.

VERBS: Actions are expressed by verbs. Always look for a better verb.

The birds flew away suddenly. Or the birds ‘scattered’! Express the meaning in the action. Don’t tell, Lead. Don’t be literal. Try to have the characters say the opposite of what they mean even though they mean something else. Don’t tell, show. Find the Unexpected. They get a flat tire, weird phone call, and unexpected paycheck. Don’t show them everything. The characters thoughts can stay private. Thoughts are best seen in action.

In this world of action; actions SHOW us who you are. We know intuitively. “Tell me what you do and I’ll tell you who you are.” The selection of actions in their specific sequence reveals the human being’s heart.



POINTS OF VIEW4.! POINT OF VIEW

What are your ideas and opinions about the people, places, and things you encounter? Chiefly important are your relationships. If you haven’t determined the opinions your character has about the other people in her life, you cannot write. The more points of view (P.O.V.) she has, the more real she’ll appear to the audience and the easier she will be to write.

• P.O.V. RELATIONSHIP –- The most important view point your character has is her attitude toward other characters. In love stories the entire focus of the protagonist is on her love.

• P.O.V. PLACE -- Do I like or dislike this place I’m at? What’s its mood? Is it my

first time here? What’s the weather like? Is it cold or hot? How does it make me feel? Why am I here?

• P.O.V. CIRCUMSTANCE -- You will have a specific feeling about what is happening right now. What just happened the moment before? and also

“What is about to happen?”

• P.O.V. SELF -- My sense of self creates my ability to be motivated. I am worthy of love or am I unworthy and should give up? Am I

capable to do? Can I overcome these obstacles or I am incapable and should run away? This is your hero’s Self Concept.

• P.O.V. OBJECTS -- All the physical things in your Past/Present/Future that you have a history with, that you own and have a special feeling about. Is it special to you? Why?

• P.O.V. CONVERSATION -- What’s being talked about? What are my opinions about these ideas? Do I even have an opinion about it?

• P.O.V. WORDS OTHER IS SPEAKING – What is beneath what they say? Your focus will be on their body language.

• P.O.V. PAST MEMORIES – Of people, places or things. When your character talks about the past, don’t just have them repeat the words, but go back and relive it, be there.

• P.O.V. FUTURE IDEAS – Objectives and Intentions/ Dreams or Wishes.

• P.O.V. CLOTHES OTHERS ARE WEARING – Are they appealing or not?

• P.O.V. CLOTHES I AM WEARING -- How do they affect my behavior?

Daydream about the events in your characters life as if it were you. This is how you discover your Point of View for your character through yourself. You have to make it personal to you by putting yourself there. How do you feel about the relationship, about where you live? Daydream as much as you can.

This is a discovery process. Allow the process to unfold and let it occur without pushing it, but slowly find out how you feel. Either you are in love or you are not. This is your Point of View. When it’s true, how you feel will come up naturally and you won’t try to push it or fake it or pretend. You need a point of view for every relationship your character has a meaningful relationship with. Tune into your inner dialogue around that person. How do they affect your behavior? Notice your thoughts. What do you believe about them? What are you curious about them? Are you close? What do you like dislike? How do they make you feel? What do they make you want to do? Do they get away with murder? Get personal. Get specific.



POINT OF VIEW EXERCISEPOINT OF VIEW PERSPECTIVE

This exercise is to help you look at a situation from several different points of view within the same situation.

1st. State what the problem is. Get out of your own perspective and what you feel personally, and get into the other person’s point of view.

Point of View = Role

CONFLICT is the Logging industry’s ‘BUDGET CUTS’.

There is a lack of funding in a small town to continue cutting down trees in the forest. The company lays off workers. The protesters continue to protest.

LOGGERS:

The loggers feel that because of the political issues, there is no longer any job security in logging. Their action is (To protect) Self. They go on strike.

PROTESTERS:

On the other side of the street is a group of young activists. They march day and night, even tying themselves to trees, and living in trees. They believe the issue is that logging is destroying the

habitat for wild life, so logging should be stopped. Their action is (To Protect) environment. So they protest in the small town.

THE TOWN SHOP KEEPERS: They feel the hard hitting layoff in the drop of income in their stores. Their issue is that the decline in logging creates an inability to generate revenue. So they either need to attract a new industry or support the logging industry (To Protect) their store.

THE COMPANY:

The company is dying. They can’t do anything without the workers and the protesters are

slowing down their work schedule. They are losing money fast and there’s a possibility of going bankrupt. Their action is (To Protect) the company.

THE WORLD:

For our long term survival we need to lobby for anti-foresting issues and promote new resources in order to replace the lack of natural resources and prevent the growing green house effect.

The world’s action is (To Protect) our children in generations to come. To Protect our world.

Notice, everyones ‘action’ is the same, to protect, and the ‘place’ is the same for all as well, the town.

It’s the point of view that changes based on the role they play.

By discovering your opinion you are able to have a Point of View - a ROLE. It puts you on the

table, or in the game. Now you have to take a stand for your views. “EVERY ISSUE IS GOING TO AFFECT YOU IF

YOU FOCUS ON IT LONG ENOUGH.” SEAN PENN

PLACEA SCENE isn’t just a location, it’s a SITUATION. Yes, this SITUATION takes place somewhere, but if that place has no one in it, there is no meaning. To find meaning, is to discover the character’s role & purpose in that situation.



ATTITUDE & CHANGE IN CHARACTER5. ATTITUDES

This is the how of the character sees life. Attitude is very similar to self concept except; it’s his attitude toward life in general and not his attitude toward himself.

Attitude reveals itself by how the character executes actions: What quality, (Boldness or fear) does the character have? This is shown with the character’s body, how they move, walk, gesture, their face, etc. Imagine an imaginary body for your character, until you can see your character clearly. Include how they dress, and present themselves to the world. Imagine them in different situations.

Complete these sentences:

• She is the kind of person who-• She sees herself self as –• She unselfconsciously acts like –• Her attitude at the heart of most of

her social interactions is- •When she’s with ___________

her attitude is more –• She’s acted like __________(A

jerk, A nice girl) when –• How does her attitude relate to

what she does? Her work? etc.• How does her attitude affect her

posture, her walk, her voice (Physical Traits)?•6. CHANGE IS THREATENING

Imagine a painting of what this story is about. Feel the mood.

WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE HERE? What is the conflict? What is it about? Example: Reuniting or being alone? Love or Desire?

How does my character change during the course of the story? Does she change?

A THREAT

A threat poses the question, “Will she be able to adapt?“ The audience wants to know if she will.

SELF CONCEPT

Now his self-concept is in danger, what will he do? He’s scared, threatened or at least highly concerned with this new situation or development. This becomes highly interesting material to read. What will happen next? This is the stuff of drama. We go to see the character’s grow and change, not to watch someone stay the same in their same old happy life.

CONFLICT

Start your story with conflict.

Examples:Hamlet’s father dies. Juliet must find a husband. The wife has been cheated on, left and abandoned, the couple separates. The bomb is planted, the cops have a warrant, the killer is discovered, the plan is set in motion, the curse is cast, the

potion drunk, the secret discovered, the truth is hidden, the passage way is found, A stranger arrives in town, A marriage begins, a new family moves next door. A girlfriend moves in only to discover some horrible fact about the apartment, like a death next door. Your obstacles must create a crisis in the hero. Find a problem that will threaten the self-concept of you Hero. Look at the character’s Main Objective. How is that opposed? What is the problem?

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

A Problem is a difficult situation (circumstance) with an uncertain solution, maybe seeming impossible to escape from. It is an outer obstacle which our main character has to try different tactics to over come.

OUTER CHANGE

Outer change forces the character into action. The character doesn’t like this challenging situation and must do something about it. The character is in conflict. An example is an outside crucial situation. This will be enough motive for the character to act in new ways he has never before.

Is it even possible for this character to change? Make the



CHANGEchange gradual and natural otherwise you will lose the believability.

Next make sure his inner motivation is clear. Give a sufficient reason why the character decides to change his normal pattern, to go into action and do something different, something that challenges him.

He will never grow if he never does more than what he has been doing, what he’s used to.

CHARACTER CHANGE

To change your story is to change your character; to change your character is to change your story.

1. He starts off with a simple desire.

2. But his journey to get there causes him to become a greater person.

At first he has one point of view. But because of a problem overcome, he gains a new Point of View. This change is what creates Modern Drama.

It is about Transformation; So the Complication and Conflict is really about Growth. And the rule of thumb is we only grow with action.

If we see something that makes sense to us and do nothing about it then what’s the point of being aware of it?

We become a better person by overcoming all obstacles and learning from mistakes. When we gain a new awareness that will change our course of action we must have courage. This Climax is the point

of no return. The main character must perform that dramatic action of facing the enemy and get reward of victory.

REWARD:

The Climax ends by gaining ones true love; Conquering the villain, or gaining something of priceless value. The REWARD should be great, and there should be some gain, some brilliant new understanding.



ROLES IN RELATIONSHIPS RELATIONSHIPS – Who our hero chooses to be with reflects on what their inner needs are.

Relationship – 1. Emotional Connection 2. Kinship 3. The relation or mode in which one thing stands up to another. 4. State of being mutually or reciprocally interested. 5. The role of being related.

An Emotional connection is a response that is Valued based in essence. It is the impulse to move toward or away from, the thought that this is good for me or bad for me. In a relationship it is the hidden language of feeling and attraction or repulsion. It takes the form of love or fear. Emotion is the hidden language of relationships. It makes drama absorbing.

To begin with define your hero’s relationship in terms of the ROLE they play in others lives. Mother, father, brother, sister, lover, wife, boss etc.

What are they about in those roles? What’s important to them? Your first task is to write down their key roles. They have a role as an individual. How they might introduce themselves when they are with a person is a clear indication of the role they play in another’s life.

After determining the motives and main objectives, then establish the roles each character plays in relationship to your hero. Who is the antagonist, who are your hero’s friends?

Think of your characters main objective and write down how that relates to the important roles in her or his life. This will clarify the goals in that area of their life. The important application at this point is to identify roles and long–term goals as they relate to her main objective. These are her goals, and they give you as a writer a frame work to fulfill this relationship.

The core of any family is what is changeless, what is always going to be there, ie. shared vision and

values. By clarifying your hero’s goals in this area of her life, you know what is most important and you can make choices in writing the day to day life very realistically.

Now you have to define the relationship in detail.

ROLES:Define them and discover how they relate to your super objective.

LOVE:Where is the love in this relationship?

Determine how your hero feels toward the others in the story. How your hero feels Now is imperative. How your hero felt two months ago is forgotten history unless it comes up in the dialogue or as a point of view. How does your hero feel now? Does she love him, hate him, or is she scared of him? How does your hero feel around him? Is she at odds with him? Who is more dominant? Why? Are the feelings mutual?

FACTS: What actually happened before this moment? Where did she come from? What are the facts of the history of the relationship? What knowledge do both characters share? What agreements were made? Facts are everything that actually happened before the story began. It is the character’s relationship history.



REVIEW & WRITING DIALOGUE

REVIEW

Do you have a clear picture of your character? Answer the following:

• First, STRONG Character is STRONG MOTIVE/POV:•Who is your main Character?

(SELF CONCEPT)•What job do they have? (ROLES,

CHARACTER TRAITS)•What happened the moment

before now? (FACTS) •What do they want now?

(OBJECTIVE) Strong motive is a strong character. •What are they fighting for? What

are their dreams? What do they want? What are they wishes? What do they pray for? What is the desired end result? What is the expectation for the future? I cannot want something, without being able to imagine having it.•Where are they? (PLACE) What

is the mood of the place. How do they feel about it? Is it hot, how does this place effect them?•What’s inside them, that blocks

their way? (INNER OBSTACLE) Do they believe they can overcome these obstacles? Are they overwhelmed by my situation or relaxed? Do they avoid the issue and lie to themselves?•What outer conflicts confront their

values? (OUTER OBSTACLE) What are they fighting to overcome? What is in their way? Who or what is threatening their life? This is a fight of survival to

overcome unbelievable odds. When you reach your darkest hour, then you find light.•What do they think about the

situation they’re in now/ the conversation they are in? (BELIEFS, MEANING, P.O.V.)• How do these thoughts lead to

behavior? (ACTION) Your character is revealed through his actions. You are what you do. If you look at someone’s behavior, you can know what the person is thinking.•What is their POV on their

relationships? (POINT OF VIEW) This is the most important viewpoint. In love stories, my entire focus is on my lover. Never for a moment does my attention leave her.• How can the audience get to know

this character better?• A good subplot is a relationship.• Also a good subplot involves the

roles the character plays. (student, father, employee, citizen, spiritual aspirant, seeker of wisdom, friend, avid part time fisher-man, hobbies.•What does this character do when

no one is looking?•What are some normal things this

character likes to do?•What do you want this character

to experience? Romance, theft, a good friend?

Dialogue:Write it as if you’re talking to your closest friend.

Dialogue is a function of character and has two purposes. 1. Either it moves the story forward.2. Or reveals information about the main character.

Dialogue is Action. Get at the essence of the character’s action, and find the simplest way to say it. It must be important. Their P.O.V. for that circumstance is extremely important for getting into what that character would say. Find the different points of views for all the characters and then add in what they want, where they want to go, and look at what tactics that character usually uses to get around obstacles. Don’t be afraid to go dramatic. What would raise the stakes of that situation? Make the complication realistic.

Just pretend that you’re that person and start talking like she talks and write as fast as you can. Brainstorm for a couple hours all the different possibilities and different factors, add them and subtract them, write a lot then say what if they could only say that one page of dialogue in one sentence. Have a conversation with the characters. Put them in different settings and improvise it.



ACTIONS OF SPEECHWrite like you talk. Hear

the characters voices. Let your words speak for themselves. And like Laura Henry says, “Don’t push the objective.”

Life is filled with Chitchat. Movies cost a lot of money and books take a long time to read. There is no time for let’s gets to know you talk. Every word counts. If it doesn’t delete it. Don’t be afraid to delete whole scenes after you’ve written them. A good writer knows how to edit and rewrite. Start from scratch and see if you can write the same scene in half the pages. Cut, Cut, Cut.

Craft succinct, pointed, purposeful, confrontational language that excites and moves an assembled mass of people. Let your characters argue so each line provokes the next. Try to evoke disagreement among characters. Conflict is the pulse. The point is: Get to the Point.

Movie dialogue is not real speech, but the overall effect of real speech. Say a lot with a little.

The goal of Dialogue is two fold:

1. Expand the plot.2. Move the story forward.

If not, cut it.

Most of all make your reader feel smart. There is nothing

worse than over explaining something so the audience will get it.

Make your point and move on to the next one. Don’t write all character voices using what you ‘d say, find their voice?! You’ll get tired of hearing your own voice all the time. See the words on the page. Can you say that with fewer words? Small simple details have truth.

Donʼt tell or convince but relate.

Actions of Speech:• to talk,• To Chat, • to Joke,• To Converse,• To Discuss, • TO FIGHT, • TO ARGUE

To Talk is easy. It is not serious, we don’t listen seriously. The tone of your voice is matter of fact. Straightforward, but without emotion & we interrupt.

To Chat: is similar but it is not matter of fact. It has deliberate lightness, like chitchat, it is about nothing.

We ask, “How are you?” but we don’t really care. It is polite talk, detached, and somewhat fake, fake smiles. It is a way to pass the time in polite way. Feelings are gone

the minute we walk away. Importance is not there.

To Joke: It is light, fun, playful, clever, tactful. It can be used to avoid the issue or to lighten the situation, or to get attention.

To Converse: It’s also airy and light, but it happens in more particular social circumstances. When seated at a formal dinner party your conversation may reach the level of Conversing. Less than that would be boring. Often you see women on dates bored because all attempts at conversation are too chatty, and superficial. Smooth daters converse freely and speak about ‘ideas’ with feeling.

To Discuss: This is where ideas can be in conflict but there is harmony in the speaking tone, and a slight disagreement. These ideas make you think. If two people simply agree on stage then we are finished. Discussion considers two points of view. These Issues carry different weights of importance. We must have an opinion about what we are talking about. To have true discussion you must be serious about the issue.



ACTIONS OF SPEECHDiscussion comes out of what your partners says not what you feel. You listen carefully so you can make your next statement. Find the point in there argument at which you will argue against. No one wants to know how you feel, they want to see you argue him out of the water. Make him dock his boat. You own the sea.

You use examples and back up what you say with facts or quotes. Your partner counters you and there is a definite winner at the end of the talk.

As an writer you should be able to argue both sides. This will help you understand the Universal Theme of the story. It will help you get in touch with basic truths.

This could be the greatest exercise in writing Dialogue for the writer. To take a side, have a very strong opinion on some issue, and then take the other side and argue so effectively that the listener can’t tell which side you really favor.

! First find a topic you feel strongly about and have interest in. Read more about it to develop more of an opinion. Then develop two arguments. Set up your video camera and record yourself arguing each side and responding to the argument with a rebuttal.

You don’t cut your partner off because then it makes your side look weak. Your side should be so strong that you can hear the other out and find a weak point in what he’s saying and attack it verbally without emotion but with strength behind your words and confidence. Ideas can excite you and the exchange should stimulate you.

This is a relationship in the height of dramatic conflict.

2nd: What are you trying to prove? What is the Issue you’re addressing and which side are you on? Your side of the issue needs to be argued with your CLAIM. Your claim is what you’re trying to prove about the issue. This Claim will lead to a conclusion. This is the argument of discussion.

YOUR CLAIM LEADS TO YOUR CONCLUSION.

This is the Point you’re making. Your point needs Backing.

Backing:

Examples from present day or history

Real events, invented stories, parables, analogies, it is like… What might happen is…

Reasons – Opinions for a claim from other, hard testimonials from experts, quotes.

Statistics – hard facts of surveys. Read between the lines. Connect the hard statistic to what you’re talking about.

Evidence – Past cases or related studies.

Every argument has a purpose or goal, or aim. What are you trying to prove? What is your Claim? Back it up and Cover your ass. Qualifiers cover your ass.

Qualifiers – Words like, some, not all, a few, many, sometimes occasionally, not always, not ever time.

When assuming anything cover your ass. Use a qualifier.CONNECTION: join your ideas.



ACTIONS OF SPEECH, DIFFERENCES 1. Thus, Similarly, Moreover, Also, But, Another, Factor is, On the other hand, another reason is, Another point of view is, here we have, There are many reasons. Etc. Conclude Explain why your examples support your claim. And restate your claim as fact. When you’ve done this be ready to defend what you have said by agreeing with the other side. Address the opposite side but then show how it is flawed.

You build one reason on another. You are selling your idea.

ALL SIDES OF AN IDEA HAVE AN OPPOSITE SIDE.

After to discuss is

To ARGUE:

Now emotion comes into play. You hear the other side but you are intent on having your side understood first. You blame, you point fingers, you lack evidence, and the argument can take place anywhere. If it takes place somewhere socially unacceptable that’s okay.

To FIGHT:

! It is like a violent verbal war. There is no control, it’s all emotion and zero listening, yelling screaming, pulling hair, pinching, slapping, pushing, throwing oneself down the stairs, self destructive behavior. No logic. Words don’t complete sentences; one idea is unrelated to the next. Total blame

to the point of self-protection, there is accusation. To accuse. You don’t wait, you cut the other off. And potential for blood.

7. DIFFERENCES

List the Differences

List the Differences between your character and yourself and other characters. Is your character dominated by Thinking, Feeling, or Willing? Which is predominant?

1st what is the difference between my characters thinking and my thinking. Is he more passionate? Am I more intellectual and precise? Is he a vague thinker? The more differences I find the more I will discover what this character is. What are these characters Motives, his reasons that drive him? How does he justify his wants, his Objectives? (Images)

2nd. What is the difference between my feelings and my characters. Is he cold and temperamental? How are we different? (Sensations)

3rd Look at my will and my characters will? Am I more aimless than this one pointed character? Am I more singular in purpose and he is a scatterbrain?

Basically, how is the character different from others and how do they stand out?

IMAGINARY ATMOSPHEREAn atmosphere consists of two things:



MOOD & ATMOSPHERE1. 1. A PLACE – (LOCATION,INSIDE OR OUT)2. AN EVENT - (SITUATION, CIRCUMSTANCE)

ATMOSPHERE

In order to recreate an atmosphere, you must first experience it for yourself. Imagine a circle on the ground before you encased in a bubble. Call upon that great ocean of imagination above you; imagine a beam of light connecting you to it. Send out what atmosphere you wish to call upon, a graveyard, a shopping mall, and a war field. Let this atmosphere come down to you and place it in your sphere. Then look at it, flesh it out, notice a few details, colors and people. Imagine the gestures some of these people have and what they are doing, hear their voices, notice what other sounds you hear, and strongly get the ‘Feeling’ of the place. Then step into it. Put your character in that environment.

When inside, let it in, feel it, breathe it in, and see specifically several objects. Use these specific objects to bring the rest of the atmosphere into clearer focus. By focusing on a diamond ring, you can bring a jewel store to life. Don’t try to see the entire store, just the ring. Now put your character in different atmosphere’s and notice how they change. How does a church effect your character differently than a club? Play around with this until you get the hang of it. It’s easy and fun. : )

The ATMOSPHERIC PAUSE:The atmosphere is 90% inside and only 10% outside. Use the art of the pause; use thatstillness to hold it inside. Best used upon first entering a place and feeling out the situation. It’s then that Atmosphere rushes in.

In Conclusion

All of the elements listed above are starting points to get the ball rolling. If the ball is already rolling, don’t ruminate too long over intellectual theory. It’s all about the process. These guidelines are just that. Guidelines. The most important thing is just to write.

writing stories - a timeless image in a dream

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