Gabriel’s Comments (group member since Sep 27, 2017)

Gabriel’s comments from the Creative & Collaborative Writing group.

Hi all,

here is another set of general tips about writing, or how to start a story

I deserve no credit for this article, as I am not the author, I just found it, I was thinking it could be useful to some aspirant writers still in the developing phase, so I just did a copy from the source and paste it here for those of you interested to see it and make the best use of it...

source: grammarly blog
author: KAREN HERTZBERG

Want to Write a Story? Here’s How to Get Started.

Knowing how to write a good story is a powerful skill. The human mind is drawn to stories. Recite a laundry list of events from your day at work and our eyes glaze over. But tell us how the copier jammed and you heroically saved the day with some duct tape and a paper clip? We’re riveted.

Where to Find Story Writing Ideas

Every novelist or short story writer has heard the question many times: “Where do you get your ideas?” The answer is always the same: from everywhere. Many aspiring writers believe they need to wait for a sudden flash of inspiration, but generating ideas is more of a process than an epiphany.

Pay attention.

Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Those snippets of conversation you overheard at dinner, the car you witnessed going the wrong way down the freeway during rush hour, the elderly man trudging down a dark alley calling the name Maryanne repeatedly, all could spark a story. Although some of the events you describe may be extraordinary, they don’t have to be. They just have to be interesting.

Jot things down.

Make a habit of noticing what’s going on around you, from the exciting to the mundane, by writing things down as they catch your attention. Use your phone’s note-taking app to capture moments. If you’re old school, keep a small notebook or some index cards. The act of writing things down will remind you to focus and be in the moment. The best writers are keen observers.

Ask “What if?”

Events aren’t stories. But events can germinate stories when the writer plants the seeds by asking questions. One of the primary questions to get a story started is “what if?” What if the car you witnessed heading the wrong way down the freeway at rush hour was driven by a pregnant woman in labor who needed the fastest route to the hospital? What if the man calling out in the dark alley was a widower whose deceased wife was named Maryanne?

Creating a Story Framework

Stories are not just sequences of events—they have to go somewhere. Any good story begins with a character who wants something. The story describes the character’s journey toward getting what he or she wants . . . or not. (Stories don’t have to have happy endings, only satisfying ones.)

Keep your character’s struggle to get something he desperately wants in mind as you build your story framework by answering these questions.

Who is my main character?
What is he like in his ordinary life?
What does he want?
Is there an extraordinary event that calls him to action?
What is he willing to do to get what he wants?
How do the character’s flaws prevent him from achieving his goal?
What obstacles, internal or external, thwart him?
Does he finally overcome the obstacles or is he unable to succeed?
How is the character changed as a result of the struggle?

The Fundamentals of Plot

You may have learned the basics of story structure in beginning composition class, but here’s a refresher.

The story must have a beginning, middle, and end.

The character follows a path called the story arc. It begins with an event that sets the wheels in motion. That’s followed by rising action, which means that every step in the story’s progression raises the stakes just a bit, increasing the conflict and tension. Then, the story reaches a climactic turning point. For better or worse, from here forward your character will be changed as a result of his journey through the events. The final piece is the end, or denouement, which wraps the story up in a satisfying way and solidifies both its outcome and its theme.

Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats compiled some excellent advice about storytelling in a series of tweets. She advises that you should dig into the process of plotting the character’s story with this simple template:

Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

You can keep repeating “Because of that, ____” for as long as necessary to get to “Until finally ____.” But keep in mind that a plot should have rising action. If it helps, think “Because of that, ____, which made things more complicated.”

How to Write a Story: Four Valuable Tips
Now that you understand the framework for writing a story, these tips will help you make it great.

1. Where is your story taking place?

The details may be just for atmosphere (a bookstore where two people meet and begin a whirlwind romance), or they can play a major role (a mountaintop from which a volcanologist is trying to escape because the volcano he’s been studying has suddenly roared to life).

2. Your character can’t be perfect.

Perfect people don’t exist, and if they did, they’d be interminably dull. Give your character flaws that will both help us relate to her as a human being and increase the story’s tension as the conflict builds.

3. Your character has to feel some discomfort.

His struggles are what make him relatable. Whatever he’s competent at, throw the opposite at him. If he’s a cocky rock guitarist with a skyrocketing career trajectory, make his arrogance the cause of an accident that injures his hand, causing permanent damage. How will he react? How will he change? The answer is your story.

4. Whatever you’re working on, finish it.

Get a first draft on paper. Only when you’ve written from beginning to end can you begin the work of rewriting and editing.

credits go to
source: grammarly blog
author: KAREN HERTZBERG

no infringement is intended, posted here for reference purpose only

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Writing Tips

You stare at a blank piece of paper - or a computer screen if you're using a digital word processor piece of software.

Your mind is whirling, searching, flipping through the database in your brain of creative phrases, enlightening statements and “hooks” that will catch a reader’s interest. Sometimes the light bulb blinks on in that puffy balloon caption over your head, just like in comic books, but often as not, you have a block.

Best advice for a writing block is time. Stop thinking so hard. Move on to something else, like thinking up character names or titles. They are hard too, but a little more fun, and can take the mind in a different direction. Writers should always have a pen and paper handy wherever they are, for when a juicy idea strikes. Once you have a title, some thoughts are written out, character names if you are writing fiction; or a clear topic if writing an article; then let the creative juices flow. Keep writing until your brain slows down

Some writers have fancy college degrees and perfect language arts skills and know how to avoid dangling participles and incomplete sentences naturally.
Other writers go by “gut feelings” and need all the help they can get with spell-check, grammar software and proofreading tools. It doesn’t matter. Writing is a creative expression of your thoughts and hopefully words that people will enjoy reading.

Here are some basic helpful tips:

* Don’t confuse the reader. It is the kiss of death. Most people will stop reading at the first sign of confusion.

* Meet your reader’s needs. If you are writing an informative article, then get to the point quickly; if you have written a fiction piece, then pique their interest immediately.

* Keep words short. Long words make reading difficult and often not necessary. Make your document easy to read quickly.

* Use spellcheck often. Misspelled words turn people off as well as take the IQ of the writer down a notch. Same with correct grammar and structure. Use software to help.

* Always read your work out loud, to yourself, children or pets. This is the best way to put you in the reader’s shoes. Rewrite anything that you stumble on.

* When that feeling of accomplishment for a short article, or pride from a chapter you just finished hits you, stop.
Chances are it is good writing, and your mind knows it.
Complete your work, send it to the requestor, store it in your files and feel good about it, because tomorrow is another day and another story.

Source:
Literary devices - Writing Tips

If any of you have other tips and bits of advice, post it here...

Euphemism

Definition:
The term ‘euphemism’ is used to refer to the literary practice of using a comparatively milder or less abrasive form of a negative description instead of its original, unsympathetic form. This device is used when writing about matters such as sex, violence, death, crimes, and things "embarrassing". The purpose of euphemisms is to substitute unpleasant and severe words with more genteel ones in order to mask the harshness... The use of euphemisms is sometimes manipulated to lend a touch of exaggeration or irony in satirical writing.

Example:
Using “to put out to pasture” when one implies retiring a person because they are too old to be effective.

Below are some more examples of Euphemisms

Downsizing - This is used when a company fires or lays off a larger number of employees

Friendly fire - This is used by the military when soldiers are accidentally killed by other soldiers on the same side.

Tipsy - This is a soft way to say that someone has had too much to drink.

Golden years - This is used to describe the later period of life when someone is of old age.

Gone to heaven - This is a polite way to say that someone is dead.

Enhanced interrogation - This is a modern euphemism to minimize what by many people would be viewed as torture.

Litotes

Definition:
Litotes are figures of rhetoric speech that use an understated statement of an affirmative by using a negative description. Rarely talked about, but commonly used in modern day conversations, litotes are a discreet way of saying something unpleasant without directly using negativity. Sometimes called an ironical understatement and/or an avoidance of a truth which can be either positive or negative. Common examples: “I'm not feeling bad,” or “he's definitely not a rocket scientist.” The actual meanings are: “I am feeling well,” and “he is not smart.” Litotes were used frequently in Old English Poetry and Literature and can be found in the English, Russian, German, Dutch and French languages.

Example:
In everyday conversations in the 21st century, one may hear expressions like:

“not the brightest bulb”
“not a beauty”
“not bad”
“not unfamiliar”

These are all examples of negative litotes that mean the opposite: “a dim bulb, or dumb,” “plain in appearance,” “good,” and “knows very well.” Perhaps our society is not trying to be humorous or sarcastic, but kinder?

Sometimes double negatives in literature, music, and films create a litote that was not intended; for instance in the Rolling Stones hit “I Can't Get No Satisfaction,” actually means “I CAN receive satisfaction.”

Perhaps some best description litotes are found in the bible: take, for instance, Jeremiah 30:19:

“I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.” Correctly interpreted, he is saying “there will be many and they will be great or large.”

Imagery

Definition:
In literature, one of the strongest devices is imagery wherein the author uses words and phrases to create “mental images” for the reader. Imagery helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author’s writings. The usage of metaphors, allusions, descriptive words and similes amongst other literary forms in order to “tickle” and awaken the readers’ sensory perceptions is referred to as imagery. Imagery is not limited to only visual sensations, but also refers to igniting kinesthetic, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, thermal and auditory sensations as well.

Example:
The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, dotted with tiny flowers in a riot of colors and trees coming alive with gaily chirping birds.

Onomatopoeia

Definition:
The term ‘onomatopoeia’ refers to words whose very sound is very close to the sound they are meant to depict. In other words, it refers to sound words whose pronunciation to the actual sound they represent.

Example:
Words such as grunt, huff, buzz, and snap are words whose pronunciation sounds very similar to the actual sounds these words represent. In literature, such words are used in creating a stronger mental image.

For instance, sentences such as “the whispering of the forest trees” or “the hum of a thousand bees” or “the click of the door in the nighttime” create vivid mental images.

Foreshadowing

Definition:
The literary device foreshadowing refers to the use of indicative word or phrases and hints that set the stage for a story to unfold and give the reader a hint of something that is going to happen without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense. Foreshadowing is used to suggest an upcoming outcome to the story.

Example:
“He had no idea of the disastrous chain of events to follow”. In this sentence, while the protagonist is clueless of further developments, the reader learns that something disastrous and problematic is about to happen to/for him.

Flashback

Definition:
Flashback is a literary device wherein the author depicts the occurrence of specific events to the reader, which have taken place before the present time the narration is following, or events that have happened before the events that are currently unfolding in the story. Flashback devices that are commonly used are past narratives by characters, depictions, and references to dreams and memories and a sub-device known as authorial sovereignty wherein the author directly choose to refer to a past occurrence by bringing it up in a straightforward manner. Flashback is used to create a background to the present situation, place or person.

Example:
Back in the day when Sarah was a young girl…

You can see flashbacks used very often in movies as such is often used in screenplay writing.
For example, it is common in movies for there to be a flashback that gives the viewer a look into the characters life when they were younger, or when they have done something previously. This is done to help the viewer better understand the present situation.

Metaphor

Definition:
Metaphors are one of the most extensively used literary devices. A metaphor refers to a meaning or identity ascribed to one subject by way of another. In a metaphor, one subject is implied to be another so as to draw a comparison between their similarities and shared traits. The first subject, which is the focus of the sentences is usually compared to the second subject, which is used to convey a degree of meaning that is used to characterize the first. The purpose of using a metaphor is to take an identity or concept that we understand clearly (second subject) and use it to better understand the lesser known element (the first subject).

Example:
“Henry was a lion on the battlefield”. This sentence suggests that Henry fought so valiantly and bravely that he embodied all the personality traits we attribute to the ferocious animal. This sentence implies immediately that Henry was courageous and fearless, much like the King of the Jungle.

Analogy

Definition:
An analogy is a literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas. By using an analogy we can convey a new idea by using the blueprint of an old one as a basis for understanding. With a mental linkage between the two, one can create understanding regarding the new concept in a simple and succinct manner.

Example:
In the same way, as one cannot have the rainbow without the rain, one cannot achieve success and riches without hard work.

Anecdote

Definition:
The word anecdote, an·ec·dote, phonetically pronouncedˈanəkˌdōt, means a short verbal accounting of a funny, amusing, interesting event or incident.
The story is usually a reminiscence from the teller's life but at best is a related story of fact, as opposed to a contrived work of fiction.
The origin of the word anecdote comes from the Greek Byzantine period, A.D. 527 to 565 during the reign of emperor Justinian. In his court, Justinian had a historian named Procopius who was a gifted writer who wrote many witty, amusing and somewhat bawdy accounts of court life. Never intending for his stories to become public he entitled his writings as “Anecdota” which was Greek for unpublished and kept secret. After his secret writings did indeed become public and published, the term anecdote became commonly used for similar accounts.

Example:
Amusing anecdotes many times find their way into wedding receptions, family reunions and any other gathering of people who know each other well. Teachers and educators often tell classrooms of pupils anecdotes about famous people. The anecdotes are not always flattering but are usually revealing of character and invariably amusing. Here is an example of an anecdote about Winston Churchill:

Winston Churchill was very fond of his pet dog Rufus. He ate in the dining room with the family on a special cloth and was treated with utmost respect. When enjoying movies, Rufus had the best seat in the house; on Winston Churchill's lap. While watching “Oliver Twist,” Churchill put his hands over Rufus' eyes during the scene where Bill Sike's intends to drown his dog. Churchill is believed to have said to Rufus: “don't look now, dear. I'll tell you about it later.”

Characterization

Definition:
Characterization in literature refers the step by step process wherein an author introduces and then describes a character. The character can be described directly by the author or indirectly through the actions, thoughts, and speech of the character.

Example:
Michael Corleone was not just' a mafioso, but a family man. A man who walked the knife's edge to preserve his sanity.

Source
Literary devices website

What are literary devices?

Literary devices or literary techniques are specific structures that writers often use to add meaning or create more compelling stories for the reader. Some common examples are metaphor, alliteration, hyperbole, and imagery. These techniques can give the reader a greater understanding and meaning of the writers intent.

Character creation and design
creating your character, basic principles on how to do it

Physical appearance:
Describe your character's hair, eye, skin color, clothing fashion-style, and whatever else is most important to you.
This will help your readers-audience to visualize your character.

Personality:
What is your character like, and how do they act around other characters?
You should also think about your character's goals, motives, and desires.

Do not make it super-powerful, and almost perfect, as no one likes a character with no flaws.

Likes and dislikes:
What sorts of things does your character like and dislike/fear?
It could be as simple as a love for chocolate and a fear of spiders.
It could be as complex as having a hobby (ie: painting) and having a fear (ie: being abandoned).

Skills and talents:
Everyone is good at something, and your character should too!
Same way, everyone is not so good at something else, as such your character should too!
It might be a good idea to include something your character is bad at in order to make them more believable and vulnerable, to keep them more realistic and authentic.

Once again, do not make it perfect and super-powerful, usually, such characters are not very liked and not very popular, even as heroes, still they shouldn't be with no flaws.

Backstory:
This will root your character in the fictional world of your setting.
It will give it a history, a time frame, an existence, an upbringing from something that was before he became what it is now when you're introducing your character to the plot.
You will need to consider your character's history, family life, occupation, and so forth.

Relationships with other characters
Relatives if any, friendlies versus hostiles, enemies versus allies, friends, and acquaintances, the levels of interactions, how often, how in style, heated versus apathetic, cooperative and collaborative versus argumentative and counterproductive, anyway will fit best for your storytelling goals, but take it into consideration and plan accordingly.

Realism and authenticity:
Make your character believable and realistic.
In any fictional or non-fictional world, flawless characters, usually have a notoriously bad reputation and are extremely frowned upon.

Positive vs. Negative traits:
Always create your character with both positive and negative traits.
If you choose 3 positive traits, make sure you have at least one negative trait.
If you choose 5 positive traits, make sure you have 2 negative traits.

For example, your character is smart but too shy to speak up and show off its intelligence.

You could add a fun quirk or two!
Characters that have unusual approaches to solving problems, odd habits, or strange mannerisms can make your character compelling and interesting to your readers-audience.

Make it distinct, stand out
Add something unique and special to your character, either a piece of clothing, a hat, some sunglasses, or a way of dressing, or a special unique custom weapon, or car, or whatever else you choose to make it unique to your character.

Regardless if your character is a protagonist in your story, the hero or the villain, or a supporting character, or just a passing by in a short scene character, take some time to create and design your character as you envision it best in your world in your setting.

If you are creating a character for your world setting, try to blend it into your world as much as possible, build-up your character, as you see will fit best with your world where the action, the plot is taking place.

Source:
- creative writing various courses basic rules compiled
- role-play writing exercises in building characters

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Hello everyone

This group of ours is and can be a great home for writers of every stage in their respective careers, regardless if they are just starting out, aspiring writers, maybe still in school or university as a student or already published and well renowned and acclaimed, we all can benefit from sharing tips and advice from experience.

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Here are some tips for screenplay writers on building suspense as a storytelling device, from Rob Bowman

build up suspense using gradually
1. Expectations
2. Anticipation
3. Possibility
4. Probability

by this point, your readers/audience should be on the edge feeling something really bad and/or thrilling is going to happen, so this should keep them engaged and interested.

5. Villain will act
- the next step would be for the villain to act, to either eat something, or kill something, or do some kind of massive damage in a show of force, to sell the villain character

Tension, suspense, and action is created by the distance between the two opponents, the villain vs hero, confronting each other.

The closer they are in their upcoming clash, the more concern your readers/audience will be.

Those are just basic tips from the filmmaker Rob Bowman (director), the director of X files series while shooting in Ireland, a scary, monster action fantasy movie released in 2002, about human race living in a post-apocalyptic world and fighting dragons who are, in this particular scenario, a superior ancient race awaken and trying not only to survive but to dominate the world.
The movie in question is Reign of Fire with the screenplay written by Matt Greenberg
Matt Greenberg, Gregg Chabot, and Kevin Peterka.

Please note that often screenplay writing is a collaborative team effort.

Thus, our group here, maybe a good start for collaborative writing as well.

here is the place to share tips and advice, techniques, what works well, what is not working so well, based on own experience or study and research from different courses

share with us if you have something of value to share with your fellow writers

This is the place for old and defunct discussions and debates that are no longer of great interest

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here is the place to share tips and advice, techniques, what works well, what is not working so well, based on own experience or study and research from different courses

share with us if you have something of value to share with your fellow writers

here is the place to share tips and advice, techniques, what works well, what is not working so well, based on own experience or study and research from different courses

share with us if you have something of value to share with your fellow writers

Most of who we are and how we view the world was shaped during our years in high school. In most cases, a person is able to pinpoint singular experiences, classes, and teachers that helped mold who they are today.

For me, that class was creative writing and that teacher was Mr. Carboni. Not only was I taught how to write, but I was taught how to live, how to be.

Every year, Mr. Carboni introduces the "5 Rules for Creative Writing." Of course I would silently argue that there shouldn't be any rules because writing is an inherently personal craft, but they were taught for a reason: to make you better, to make your writing stronger, to make your critiques more focused, and to make you more aware of the kinds of things that will affect your readers. And so I came to embrace the rules, utilizing them in my writing during high school and now in college, as well as editing and grading with them echoing in the back of my mind.

Not only did these rules serve to show me the basic foundations of writing, but they became a framework for how I live my life.

1. Great First Sentence

In Writing: If your work doesn't have a great first sentence, the reader isn't going to want to continue. There are exceptions to this rule, obviously. Sometimes a "great" work doesn't have a great first sentence, and sometimes really bad books lure you in with nice ones. And of course, there is debate surrounding what constitutes "great" but it's a "I know it when I see it" kind of thing. The point of this rule is to, essentially, save your work from being put down. You want the reader to feel invested from the very first word, and not like their time is being wasted.

In Life: I've always been an opinionated (and one could say "confrontational") person. My problem is that I either blurt out my opinion because my anger has bubbled up inside of me, or I take a while to actually get to my point. I'm learning the art of being direct, concise, and calm, and I believe this starts with how you open in your discussion/conversation/debate/etc. Make it known that you are confident, educated, and passionate. The "great first sentence" is meant to keep people engaged, to make them want to continue. No one is going to want to continue a conversation if you're either brash or bashful right off the bat.

2. Write with Style

In Writing: Again, this goes back to keeping your reader invested and engaged. You have to make what you write matter. And you have to say it in a way that nobody else has before. No one wants to read the same old generic "Mary Sue fell in love with a vampire" crap anymore. But if that's what you want to write, find a way to separate your story from every one that has come before it.

In Life: It's hard to be original and unique in this world, and everything we do is influenced by something, however minute. But we can still have a distinct style, a distinct way of making people feel. You could have been the push someone needed to pursue an education, you could have been the difference between life and death for a friend on the edge, you could have been the catalyst for bringing two people together, you could have done and influenced a million and three different things because of the distinct way you've chosen to live your life, and that's what living with style means.

3. Tell the Truth

In Writing: This rule doesn't mean that everything has to be realistic fiction and boring, but it does mean that it should be believable. When you place the reader in the middle of a story, in the middle of a world they don't belong in, you have to make it real and whole and abide by the logic dictated by that fictional world. Sometimes this doesn't fit the idea you had when you started out, but stories truly do take on a life of their own, and it is your duty to tell it and to tell it truthfully.

In Life: There's a difference between fact and opinion, but just because something isn't a fact doesn't mean that it isn't true. Everybody has their own "truth," their own set of beliefs that define their perspective on the world. Tell your truth, commit to your convictions, live your life. Live in your truth every single day and don't attempt to imitate a truth that isn't yours. Your truth can change and evolve, but make sure it's still yours, and keep yourself rooted in whatever you choose.

4 The Bigger the Issue, the Smaller You Write

In Writing: The example used to teach this rule is typically death. You don't want to spiral into some philosophical mania about the meaning of life and death and what our purpose is and how to leave a mark on this world. The purpose of writing is to connect with people, to make them feel something. Write about the first time you experienced death, whether it was a grandparent or a pet or a squirrel in the middle of the street that your mom ran over. The goal is to make the writing relatable, even for someone who has never experienced what you're writing about. Writing in circular, superfluous prose does nothing for your reader. Keep the writing grounded; write small.

In Life: Don't try to be an expert in everything just because you took one philosophy class. Solving the world's problems isn't as easy as you might think. Keep things in perspective. Start with yourself. Then your family and friends. Your school, your community. Keep expanding outwards but don't neglect your inner circle and especially don't neglect yourself. Root yourself in your reality and instead of talking a big game, do something within your power and then you'll be able to expand your power. You can't affect change on a large scale until you start with the small scale stuff.

5. Show Don't Tell

In Writing: This is perhaps the hardest rule to learn, and the hardest to teach. To me, showing has always been a facet of inserting the reader more wholly into the story. It's about making the world and the people and the experiences real for them, to take a piece of your soul and nestle it between the pages for the reader to find, and for the reader to in turn leave a piece of their soul next to yours, because they went on an adventure with the characters you conjured up from the depths of your brain that didn't exist until you made them real. Telling is boring; telling is when you list actions and reactions, where each sentence could be given its own line because it's not a story, it's a to-do list, a how to. We're told things all day long, how to dress, how to act, what to eat, when to show up. We want to be shown a world of magic, a world of adventure. Sell me on your writing, on the reality that's only real because you made it so. Don't tell me, "He swung his sword." Show me how the sword glints in the sunlight as he wields it in an arc above his head. Don't tell me "She loved him." Show me how her stomach was in knots but her head was finally clear when he spoke to her. Telling is a summary; showing is an experience.

In Life: This one distills into an "actions speak louder than words" lesson. Don't tell me you're kind and loving and caring, show me. Live your life as an example. It does no good to preach to me if you don't take your own words to heart and live your life by them. I don't want empty promises and half-baked proposals; I want to be shown what you and the world have to offer. And I will show the world what kind of person I am by living up to what I claim to be, instead of begging you to take my word for it. Take me on an adventure, don't just tell me that they exist.

I've written and lived by these rules for six years, since I was a tiny, quiet freshman in high school, unsure about her talent or what she stood for. Now, I know I'm not the best but I know I'm good, and I'm talking about myself both as a writer and a person. Through these rules, my writing became stronger, as did my heart. I grew into a leader, a teacher, and was no longer the shy freshman but eventually the knowledgeable senior, and now a sophomore in college bent on learning and teaching as much as I can. And when I teach my students the Five Rules, I hope they take as much away from them as I did.

by Nicole DiIorio from Arcadia University, on April 18, 2016

I am just posting those basic rules to get started, I didn't write them, it's just a start-up point