Story Lab: Writers Write
Resource found here
I appreciate the comparison between wanting to become a writer and needing practice and wanting to become a doctor and going to med school, as someone who does want to go to med school. I feel like people view writing sometimes as easy and so this kind of "legitimizes" the work that writing takes because it is not easy.
Writing Secret that I particularly liked - writing to your strengths - and find your style and strength by writing
Character development - The tip I liked the best was having them fail at something. I think I relate most with characters after they fail, especially if their failure is something I have experienced. I sometimes think that the characters in the Indian epics have to many strengths and then also end up being incarnations of gods, which makes them harder to relate to.
Having characters choose an option in a major life decision can also really help develop the plot of your story, because your whole plot and/or character development can arise from the consequences of that decision.
In order to establish your character's motives (and make them seem more dimensional), give them motivations from the 7 deadly sins, and you can use more than one to further establish and make it more credible. I do think this tip would be really helpful in this class, because in the stories we read, these sins are sometimes explicitly stated as the motivation for the actions.
How to write more - keep writing, praise yourself, fight distractions, read more, look for inspiration - these were the tips I liked best.
The importance of using dialogue - you can use it showcase your character's flaws and humanize them. You should make your dialogue consistent with how you write and what kind of story you're writing. Try to use dialogue more since most new writers don't use it much. (definitely one of my many writing flaws)
That's you! And I guess, me too, even though I never think of myself as that. [Source]
I appreciate the comparison between wanting to become a writer and needing practice and wanting to become a doctor and going to med school, as someone who does want to go to med school. I feel like people view writing sometimes as easy and so this kind of "legitimizes" the work that writing takes because it is not easy.
Writing Secret that I particularly liked - writing to your strengths - and find your style and strength by writing
Character development - The tip I liked the best was having them fail at something. I think I relate most with characters after they fail, especially if their failure is something I have experienced. I sometimes think that the characters in the Indian epics have to many strengths and then also end up being incarnations of gods, which makes them harder to relate to.
Having characters choose an option in a major life decision can also really help develop the plot of your story, because your whole plot and/or character development can arise from the consequences of that decision.
In order to establish your character's motives (and make them seem more dimensional), give them motivations from the 7 deadly sins, and you can use more than one to further establish and make it more credible. I do think this tip would be really helpful in this class, because in the stories we read, these sins are sometimes explicitly stated as the motivation for the actions.
How to write more - keep writing, praise yourself, fight distractions, read more, look for inspiration - these were the tips I liked best.
The importance of using dialogue - you can use it showcase your character's flaws and humanize them. You should make your dialogue consistent with how you write and what kind of story you're writing. Try to use dialogue more since most new writers don't use it much. (definitely one of my many writing flaws)
Hi Deborah!
ReplyDeleteI am in the middle of surfing the blog stream for some extra credit commenting, and your post caught my eye. I thought your story lab post would give me some ideas for next weeks story. I like the idea of developing a character with a major life choice. It would add tension and move the story forward. Thank you for posting this. I learned some new ways to make my stories more interesting. Good luck on the rest of the semester!
Hi Deborah! As I was looking for more student’s blog post, I stumbled upon yours! What grabbed my attention from this blog post was the image you have uploaded. It looks quite unique and exceptional for the background of writers write. It was awesome to know that you wanted to become a writer and wanted to practice more from it to become a doctor in med school. Keep it up!
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