Slide 1 : Welcome to the Virtual Classroom
This presentation shares some useful tips. If they are applied they will help all writers, new and established, to improve their craft
Slide 2 : When you start writing you may discover it is more difficult
than you expected.
You are not alone.
Many novice writers, and even published authors, find themselves in exactly the same predicament.
Slide 3 : One of the most difficult things is to identify: Who
What
Where
When
Why and HOW you are going to develop the work
Slide 4 : Your mental attitude, about why you are writing may be the governing factor in the success or failure of the work.
A good place to start is to ask yourself what you hope to achieve with your writing.
If you know WHY you write, then it’s like having a road map when you set out on a journey.
Knowing WHY will help you PLOT the course of the journey.
If you’re going on a road trip you don’t just get in the car and drive, without first knowing WHY you’re making the trip.
Writing is exactly the same.
PLAN the journey and you will have a better chance of arriving at the right destination. Don’t leave it to chance.
Slide 5 : Obviously, you already have an idea or thoughts on what you want to write about.
If you are a first time novelist, it is important for you to write about something you’re passionate about and have knowledge of.
Writing about something you know well, WILL reduce the chances of you becoming bored.
And trust me, if you become bored with the topic, it will be harder to write well.
Slide 6 : One of the things that directly influences how you treat the subject of your work will be the style of writing you elect to use.
Let's say you’re a police officer and you have a huge amount of knowledge about how crimes, especially murders, are solved.
Because you know so much about the topic you decide to write murder mysteries.
That’s a great start. But the next thing you need is knowledge about how to write a murder mystery.
Slide 7 : OK. You’ve got the technical knowledge, the next thing is to find out everything you can about writing murder mysteries.
So learn from the experts.
Go to your local library and find as many Murder Mysteries as you can. Make sure you select a range of different authors.
Read every book and while reading make notes about the author’s writing style.
You’ll soon begin to identify the style that feels right for you.
Slide 8 : As you are well aware there are many other aspects to effective writing. Unfortunately we don’t have the time to examine many in depth during this session.
It is essential you remember that having the right mental attitude, writing about something you know, or are extremely very passionate about, and taking the time to develop your own style, are the building blocks for a sound writing project.
You will become a skilful writer if you research, plan, prepare, analyse and seek guidance.
Slide 9 : (2)
The Vet placed the dog gently on the operating table, but he knew the chance for success was slim. (3)
The small child shivered and turned his head away. (1)
Tommy saw the fence was falling, but he was too small to stop it. Suppose you started a story with the paragraph 1 and then later in the story you included paragraph 2.
And further on you added paragraph 3.
WHO IS THE SUBJECT?
WHO, OR WHAT, IS THE FOCUS OF THE STORY?
Who does the reader feel an emotional attachment with?
If the paragraph sequence is changed,
does the focus change?
WHY?
Slide 10 : The Vet placed the dog gently on the operating table, but he knew the chance for success was slim. The small child shivered and turned his head away. Tommy saw the fence was falling, but he was too small to stop it. Is Tommy the focus?
Is the Vet the focus?
Is the dog the focus?
Or is it the operating table?
Or perhaps the falling fence?
Or the shivering child? Study the events and decide where the focus is.
Who do you feel the most empathy for?
What is the most powerful statement?
What makes it powerful?
Slide 11 : The Vet placed the dog gently on the operating table, but he knew the chance for success was slim. The small child shivered and turned his head away. Tommy saw the fence was falling, but he was too small to stop it. The Vet placed the dog gently on the operating table, but he knew the chance for success was slim. The small child shivered and turned his head away. Tommy saw the fence was falling, but he was too small to stop it. CHANGING THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS Which paragraph makes the most powerful opening statement? In what order do the paragraphs flow best?
Slide 12 : CLASS EXERCISE
Write a sentence that commences with the following statement.
The Vet placed the dog gently on the operating table, but he knew the chance for success was slim.
Now go the item 2 and add that sentence BEFORE the sentence you have just written. 2. The small child shivered and turned his head away.
Now add the sentence below at EITHER the beginning OR the end of your work.
Tommy saw the fence was falling, but he was too small to stop it.
Now think about how the different elements changed the essence of the work.
Think about your emotional responses to the first sentence
Continued in next slide.
Slide 13 : Did the introduction of the second sentence change the focus of the story?
How did you respond to the shivering child?
How did you respond to Tommy?
WHY? QUESTIONS
How could you make the reader feel more closely connected to the Vet?
Are Tommy and the shivering child the same character?
What connection does the fence have to the dog?
What connection does the falling fence have to Tommy?
Is there any connection between the fence and the Vet?
Slide 14 : QUESTIONS
Do you think you could write a separate story about each sentence?
Would they be similar or would you develop a completely different story from each sentence?
If you would like to send me your comments I’d be happy to give you some feed-back. Short writing exercises like this will help you develop your craft.
If you want some more practice just find a short story in an old magazine, then cut the text into paragraphs and rearrange them.
The results will be very interesting.