Kathleen Spracklen - 5th Monday Bonus Week - Tuesday Map
The video emphasizes the importance of asking 'what if' questions to develop scenes and characters in writing. Victoria suggests that writers, especially discovery writers, should not be constrained by rigid plotting rules but instead explore their stories by posing questions. For example, if a character needs to move from a cafe to a meeting, writers can explore different scenarios such as a walk that reveals internal thoughts or a jump cut to the meeting. This approach allows writers to explore various possibilities and choose the most compelling path for their story. Kathleen adds to this by discussing dialogue development, suggesting writers create dialogues between characters with contrasting traits to reveal deeper insights into their personalities. She provides an example of a parent and teenager with differing values, encouraging writers to explore how these differences manifest in conversation. This exercise helps writers understand character traits and how they influence dialogue.
Key Points:
- Use 'what if' questions to explore different scenarios and character actions.
- Allow characters to reveal the story through their actions and thoughts.
- Develop dialogues by contrasting character traits to highlight differences.
- Save unused ideas for future use by jotting them down on note cards.
- Encourage playful exploration in writing to discover new story paths.
Details:
1. 🎉 Introduction to Fusion Writing and Map Day
- Tuesday is designated as Map Day during the Fusion Writing sessions, emphasizing the importance of structure in writing.
- The session marks the fifth week of December, indicating a period of lighter, more relaxed activities while preparing for the new year.
- Victoria hints at a surprise, suggesting the introduction of new strategies or insights for the upcoming year within the Fusion Writing framework.
- Fusion Writing involves combining creativity with structured techniques to enhance writing skills among participants.
2. 💡 Exploring 'What If' Scenarios in Writing
- Start by thinking about your story as a series of questions rather than a strict sequence of events. This can help both experienced and new writers break free from feeling constrained by traditional storytelling rules.
- Encourage writers to ask questions about their story, such as "how do I get my character from point A to point B?" This approach can open up new narrative possibilities.
- Use transitions creatively, such as having a character walk from one location to another while internally processing a problem. This technique can reveal more about the character and the story without needing explicit exposition.
- For example, a character leaving a café and walking two blocks to a meeting can use the journey to reflect internally, adding depth to the narrative. This method was used by the speaker in their own novel.
- Focus on the journey and the internal ruminations of your character to enrich your storytelling, rather than just moving them from scene to scene.
3. 📝 Techniques for Dialogue and Character Development
3.1. Developing Character and Plot Through 'What If' Scenarios
3.2. Examples and Techniques for 'What If' Scenarios
4. 🗣️ Using Character Traits and Dialogue for Storytelling
- Dialogue between characters with contrasting profiles can effectively reveal their values and emotions.
- Example: A conversation between a parent and a teenage child, where the child is nearing independence while the parent tries to impart key values.
- Character traits are positioned differently, such as 'wing' for the child's lack of awareness and 'anchor' for the parent's deeply held beliefs.
- By crafting dialogue where a parent communicates an anchor trait to the child, writers can highlight differences in perception and understanding.
- Writers are encouraged to trigger dialogues through specific events, like a teenager's request or trouble, to explore character dynamics.
- The exercise is designed to enhance writers' grasp of character traits and the interaction of diverse character voices.
- Experimentation with dialogue is encouraged to deepen character exploration.
- Writers are invited to join a community (Lily Pub) for further discussion and workshopping.