Writing Lessons
WRITING LESSON 09:
WRITING TECHNIQUES
MOST PEOPLE CONFUSE STRUCTURE AND TECHNIQUE
* PARAGRAPHS ARE STRUCTURE* PLOT IS STRUCTURE* SCENES AND DIALOGUE ARE STRUCTUREI know your saying, if those are structure what is technique/s. We'll get to that. Structure is something one must have for the story to work, a frame, the bones of fiction stories. Now techniques are things added on to the structure to give it that "aww" or that feeling of unnatural dreamy world that is fiction. Once structure is known well, you can concentrate energy on your fiction techniques. Don't worry writing is a craft, so you'll may find yourself developing them at the same time.
BASIC FICTION TECHNIQUES
I'm presenting these in no particular order.
* BEGIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORY OR NEAR IT'S END
1) Begin in the middle or near the end of the most important event in your story.
2) Start in the middle when things are happening most and are most important for your main character.
3) Tell the reader, who, what, when, where, what situation, who is the storyteller and what kind of story will it be romance, mystery, adventure; do set the style and tone here. You don't need to know everything at once, a few selected strokes will relay things that are important for the reader to picture immediately what's going on!
4) Some say start your story a) just BEFORE the change/irreversible problem surfaces; b) Just AS the change/irreversible problem surfaces; c) Just AFTER the change/irreversible problem surfaces.
* ENDING STORIES
Five types of endings:
1) Reverse (Main character reverses an initial attitude);
2) Summary (tying up all lose ends on what happened);
3) Promissory (leaves a promise of something more to follow. Leaving the reader with a philosophical issue to ponder, while all the main issues in the story have been cleared up/answered);
4) Twist (Surprise endings answers the initial question, but not in the way the reader anticipated. O Henry stories);
5) Controversial (an exception to the ending rule).
* WRITING IS MORE CRAFT THAN ART
1) Give up the illusion writing is an art. Writing is craft. That means you have to work at writing, improve your writing everyday as best you can.
2) Accept the fact, you will get better with writing the more you write.
3) Accept the use of good structure and good techniques every time you write.
4) Accept that you will develop faster and slower than other writers.
5) Accept the fact, inspiration may come, but until then, you must use every structure and technique you know to create excellent, exciting fiction every single day, every time you write.
6) Try to write just one "great" story, novel or poem. Tell yourself this every time you start a new story, novel or poem.
7) Never give up. Revise, yes. Change your plot sequence of events, yes. Maybe even postpone a novel, until you can come to grips with its essence but don't give up!
8) When you're all done, you may realize you've created a great work of art!
* DEVELOP A HABIT OF WRITING
1) Write every day at the same time, in the same place if possible.
2) Begin work right away.
3) Tell yourself, "I've nothing else to do. I might as well write this story."
4) You can write five days a week, three days a week, only on weekends. You decide, but stick to whatever schedule you select.
5) You can choose a particular day to revise and edit your stories.
6) Begin with modeling or writing whatever comes to your mind for five minutes to warm up.
* SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION VS STORY EVENTS
1) Extra flavor and texture is added by giving details and backgrounds to your story events, but these details must not bring the story reading to a stop or slow it down so much that the reader tires of reading the story events. Proportion must be maintained. Supplemental information must be relevant to the advancement of the story. Story events carry your plot along and reveal your character/s meeting and overcoming obstacles.
2) Be selective in your details. Always include enough select details so the reader can grasp your story and know where characters are moving about in the story. Use only the character traits necessary to make each character's actions believable. Dwell on significant actions to create meaningful incidents or cruicial situations that advance the story line. Important scenes should have the most space; less important scenes use less space. Use words efficiently.
By considering your word choices and detail choices ahead of time, before you write, you are using selectivity. Selectivity is not about revising or cutting out words after they are on the page. All information and facts the reader needs to grasp the plausibility of the story is what you want to write in your story in the first draft. Keep the reader aware of time frame in your story. Shorter time spans generally make for shorter stories.
3) Be conscious and deliberate in leaving out everything that doesn't advance the story plot.
* PREPARING THE READER AHEAD OF TIME
Reader's look for clues, plants, events and objects to help them figure out the story before the writer has finished it. This participation helps the reader find enjoyment reading fiction. Several ways exist to prepare the reader for future events and increase their involvement.
1) SUSPENSE. What will happen next? Reader's always asks this, when they begin to care about the character. Of course the writer, you, have put the character in peril. You, the writer, will provide sufficient clues to foreshadow the pivotal actions and eventual plot twist outcome.
Your successfully planted clues are not obvious, but rather casual. They take on more tension and importance when the reader remembers the earlier planted clues.
Sometimes you are drafting and find a great new plot twist to write but you have to go back and plant the clues for the reader.
Small revelations reward the reader along the way. She figured out ahead of time, how things might go and feels good. This gives the feeling the story is logical. If it is too obvious to figure out, she feels the story too predictable and not original enough.
2) FORESHADOW.
Have characters state the event before it happens and indicate why it's important.
Have characters think about events or think about their fears.
Demonstrate a character's obvious lack of talent or skill or knowledge. Then show them fumbling with that talent, skill or knowledge later on.
Use narrative to tell about a characters past and how they haven't been able to handle certain events; or how they've always been able to handle certain events, even though they disregard this ability.
Mary determined tomorrow to catch the Giraffe during her moon walk. This builds reader anticipation through foreshadowing.
3) TENSION. Build tension by giving your character a goal. Then providing setbacks or obstacles to her reaching that goal. She's experiences some successes but mostly distractions and failures because of new events blocking progress.
Keep conflicts between the main characters serious and believable.
Characters must be reluctant, even prevented from walking away from the irreversible story goal and minor irreversible goals.
Characters must be motivated enough to get themselves out of trouble, eventually. Solutions to problems come from who and what the characters are.
Any secrets discovered by your characters must be central to the plot. Secrets should be seen as worth finding out by both characters and readers.
Whether is an internal (mental) conflict or external (outside event) conflict must be for high stakes.
Full scenes portray tension best.
Settings can create dangerous moods and atmosphere. Mary knew chasing the Giraffe at night in the Potter's Graveyard was dangerous. She knew going into the hunted Potter Castle was dangerous of all. Mary lifted up her chin and stomped onward past the hundred year old tombstones!
Irreversible Problems come from 1) Main Character's effort to solve the problem or 2) From events over which she has no control, fighting against time, limited money for example.
For any tension to remain high, harmony and permanent solutions must be withheld for a time. Example 1: Girl meets Boy, Girl likes Boy. Girl asks Boy out. Boy says, "Yes!" No tension here.
Example 2: Girl meet Boy, Girl likes Boy, Girl asks Boy out. Boy says, "His family is taking a trip to China, in two weeks, for the Olympics. I'll let you know when I come back?" Some tension here. Will the Girl pursue the Boy in those two weeks? How much can she get done in two weeks?
Tension can be positive. These are the successes.
Tension can be negative. These are the failures.
Overheard conversation can create tension if the conversation is important and relevant to the original irreversible problem or character's issues.
If you don't want your character's to struggle, don't write fiction. If you don't mind your character's struggling, then give them irreversible problems to solve.
Waiting for long periods produces tension. Mary would have to wait until sunrise to begin chasing the Giraffe again.
Short delays produce tension. Mary drove her blue corvette after the speeding, galloping Giraffe, but after a mile she had to refuel. She watch the Giraffe fading fast on the horizon. "Come on, man. Fill up my car fast. The Giraffe is getting away.
4) ANTICIPATION. Create situations where the reader feels helpless with the character; feels the sudden danger or symbols of danger approaching or occurring. Where readers are pissed off because the answers are unknown. Where sudden new decisions are made and the reader must adjust their views on the future outcome. Hope is a great anticipation.
But do tell your readers everything your character's know! Make sure your readers know suspects and what your character suspects eventually. You're tasks is to reveal facts in a tantalizing, even secret or very subtle fashion. Misdirect the reader's attention elsewhere.
Don't tell too much too soon; keep some mystery about some characters and sustain suspense by delaying events. Let plants, foreshadowing simmer in the story.
Movement plus dialogue make it easier for readers to participate.
* FLASHBACKS
1) Flashbacks are sensitive to timing. Don't use one before your audience is sympathetic towards your characters. When the audience finally cares about your character enough to asks, Gee, how'd they get that scar on their face? Why do they limp? Why do they hate children so much? Then--you use the flashback.
2) Use Flashbacks sparingly.
3) Use all the qualities of good structure and techniques when writing Flashbacks.
* SURREALISM
If you've ever had a dream, and recorded the dream on paper or tape recorder word for word, you be writing surrealism. Dream like flow to events is surrealism.
* STREAM OF CONSCIOUISNESS
1) A run on series of sentences for more than seven lines.
2) Revealing the continuous thought process of a character as they recant emotions, memories, beliefs, potential actions and values. Not necessarily in that order, and maybe all jumbled up.
* USE SYMBOLS
The Great Gatsby has great symbolism in it. Symbols are simply objects that take on a deeper and deeper meaning relevant to your story as the story unfolds.
* MODELING
1) Find a writer you admire, someone really great, published preferred. Then for five minutes type, like a secretary, passages from their story or novel.
2) Then after the five minutes ends, do a free write (just muse) on the passage, you just modeled. See if you have not adjusted your style of writing.
3) Realize these little adjustments in style. Realize you can adjust your style by understanding how words are put down on the page and the pacing of words and sentences.
* WRITING CYCLE
There is a writing cycle. It's just like a female fertility cycle. Sometimes it varies in how long parts of the cycle last, but it's almost always the same phases of events.
1) Overview -- Yes, writing has a cycle. Once you know that cycle you'll be more comfortable with the writing-fiction process! Your WRITER and EDITOR handles this phase.
2) Percolating -- This is the phase when everyone around you says, "She said she was writing, but she's just sitting there at the computer staring into space!" You spend time thinking about a story, maybe while you are playing a video game, surfing the internet looking a nature pictures, mindmapping or while you are exercising, but you're head is really on your story and characters. To the writer this is the "Aha! Phase when that great idea suddenly leaps forward into consciousness.
Sometimes you find yourself back in this phase, if you don't know what plot event comes next. You might find yourself here during the revising process as you decide to change a plot event. Your WRITER handles this phase.
3) Drafting -- Most love this phase. The writing begins, the brainstorming, mindmapping is over. You just write. Don't edit your work while drafting. You can edit your work while revising. This is the high point of the cycle. During this phase, you might go back into the Percolating phase, if you need to make more plot events or strengthened your plot events or characterization. Your WRITER handles this phase.
4) Revising -- Most people hate this phase. You've a good draft of story of novel, but someone's got to look closely and see that you didn't say airplanes fly underwater or hawks walk to mountain tops! Take it in steps. Focus one one thing, maybe characterization, then plot, tone, then suspense, then believability, then pacing, then read for using good verbs, then read both the beginning and ending. There are any number of ways to revise. Your WRITER handles this phase.
5) Editing -- Most people hate this phase too. You have to look closely at punctuation, spelling, sentence structure. The story's all there in good content form but must be cleaned up like an editor. Realize you have two sides of yourself, the writer and editor. The editor wants to criticize things. The writer just wants the fun of painting with words. The editor should not be doing the writer's job. The writer should not be doing the editor's job. Your EDITOR handles this phase.
6) Publishing -- Most find this exciting and disheartening. They send off stories and they come back rejected. Or for one reason or another your story just isn't right for that publication. Or you're slowly but surely publishing small things. Just keep at it. Keep writing and sending stuff out. Maybe make a certain day to send out writings to publishers. Your WRITER and EDITOR handles this phase.
* TRADITIONAL LENGTH OF STORIES
1) Short-Short (Flash/Micro) Stories story: 500 to 2,000 words
2) Short Stories:2,000 to 10,000 words
3) Novellas: 10,000 to 30,000 words
4) Novels: 30,000 words or more.
* SHORT STORY GOALS
1) Story fits the category chosen above. Don't try to put a novel in a short story, it won't work.
2) Short stories have one simple idea. Why? So it can be told clearly in this brief form.
3) From beginning to end there must be a direct line confining the characters, setting, irreversible problem, descriptions, dialogue and action bring a single outcome in the end.
4) Might want to asks yourself, "Does Situation, Setting, Character, or Plot" dominate my story? Or "Does the Mileu (times), Idea (Plot), Event (Situation) or Character dominate my story?
5) It creates one mood in the reader and provides one emotional effect.
6) It feels strangely like real life, but it's fiction.
7) Is the story worth writing?
8) Is the story worth reading?
9) Any surprises in your story?
* MAKE GOOD STRONG FIRST SENTENCE, FIRST PARAGRAPH, FIRST PAGE
You have only one time to make a good first impression in person and this applies to fiction as well. Make your first sentence the best you can, a real shocker or mind grabber. Do the same make your first paragraph. Make it something to remember. Follow this up, making sure your first page is a page turner!
* GENRE/MAIN STREAM VS LITERARY FICTION
MAINSTREAM FICTION sells best, appeals to the widest audience and includes people from every walk of life. These readers want well-written stories with sound ideals, morals, presented in a concise, entertaining style. They want to see problems they can recognize brought to a satisfactory resolution. They want to lose themselves, to escape for awhile into a world that is different than their own. Romances, SF, Westerns, Thrillers, Juvenile Fiction for Children and Young Adults, Mysteries and Porn novels.
LITERARY FICTION doesn't sell as well; it is mainly accepted in colleges and universities because it moves deeply inside the minds of characters. It's character driven fiction. It concerns the struggles people face, the fears they don't understand, the loneliness they cannot overcome, the sudden discoveries and insights that change their behavior. It deals with the subtle subject material -- and sometimes the stark realism -- that mainstream fiction avoids. Some stories and novels reflect "a slice of life" because they take the seamy or sordid side of human existence as a theme, refusing to soften or sweeten the facts for the reader. No precise rules in literary fiction except the character is Queen or King in importance.
* FRESHEN UP CLICHES OR REVISE THEM
Dead as a doorknob. How about dead as a wooden door.
* KNOW GRAMMAR OR READ PAINLESS GRAMMAR
Create images, paint pictures with your words! By knowing
grammar, you can concentrate on the structure and
techniques in your story.
* STRIVE FOR SENTENCE VARIETY
Painless Grammar helps with this too! Subject and verb
makes a complete sentence. What if, what if you decided
to change the order of the subject and verb? What if, what
if you decided to change the order of the subject, verb,
direct object and preposition, adverb, prepositional phrase,
adverb clause! That's variety. In short hand, your options
look like this below:
Verb-subject. Sit Jane
Subject-verb. Jane sat.
Subject-verb-direct object. Jane threw the soccer ball.
Preposition-subject-verb
Preposition-verb-subject
Adverb-subject-verb
Adverb-subject-verb
Adverb clause-subject-verb
Preposition phrase-subject-verb
Verb phrase-subject-verb
Direct Object-subject-verb
* THREE BASIC SENTENCES:
1. Simple. Jane yelled! Subject and verb. All sentences are built off the simple sentence.
2. Add on. Jane yelled, because the soccer ball hit her in the head when she wasn’t ready. Add on as much as you want after the verb.
3. Sandwich. Jane, winced and closed her eyes, yelling Ouch! Sandwich as much as you want between the subject and verb.
The "just right word" can make all the difference!
ONLY the teacher told me to watch this DVD.
The ONLY teacher told me to watch this DVD.
The teacher ONLY told me to watch this DVD.
The teacher told ONLY me to watch this DVD.
The teacher told me ONLY to watch this DVD.
The teacher told me to ONLY watch this DVD.
The teacher told me to watch ONLY this DVD.
The teacher told me to watch this ONLY DVD.
The teacher told me to watch this DVD ONLY.
GO START USING THESE TECHNIQUES IN YOUR STORY!
This page was last updated: August 31, 2009
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