I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel by Mary Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The story, set in 1940s England, has a lightweight tone that seems a bit forced at times, but the book has a certain appeal. The structure presents a challenge. Because the story is a collection of letters written by the characters, all the action is narrated (described after the fact), rather than happening on the page. As a result, the story sometimes isn’t as dramatic as it could be.
Category: Writing Tips
Screenplay, stageplay formats
Calling all screenplay and stageplay writers
For free, downloadable software that automatically formats your writing according to industry standards, go to http://celtx.com.
The flashlight technique
When working on a long piece of writing (say more than five double-spaced pages), it can be difficult to see the whole project at one time. In such situations, it may seem like your brain is a box that is overflowing. It can only hold so much.
One solution is to apply what I’ve come to call the “flashlight technique.”
It’s based on the idea that, in some ways, writing is like walking down a dark road at night while carrying a flashlight. You can see only so far ahead. Now that may seem like a problem, if you think you should be able to see the whole project clearly before proceeding. But, often, writing isn’t like that. It’s written bit by bit. Write as far as you can see — over and over again.
How do you work on long pieces? By outlining the whole thing ahead of time? Breaking it into sections, scenes or chapters? Or maybe you’re one of those fortunate individuals who can envision the entire project in your head.
Ten rules for writing fiction
Click on the link below to read a Guardian article in which several authors offer writing advice. As you’ll see, not all the writers think alike.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one
Fiction writing: The reluctant hero
Recently, one of my students brought to class an excerpt from a novel he was working on. At more than one point in the story, the main character stands up against the bad guys, members of an outlaw gang.
“Why does he do that?” I asked, to help the writer uncover his character’s deeper motivations. “As we learned earlier in the manuscript, all the main character really wants to do is live on his farm in peace and quiet. Why would he risk confronting outlaws?”
“He doesn’t. Not at first,” the student said. “Not until the romantic interest, the woman he cares about, is threatened.”
“Ah,” I said. “Your protagonist is an example of what’s called the ‘reluctant hero,’ a character who, more than once, refuses the call to adventure before standing up for what is right.
Armed with that additional information about his character, the writer could now create a story with more depth. The concept of the reluctant hero is described in detail in The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler.
Nancy Woods 