Character Running Out of Steam?

I had the pleasure of working with dramaturg Michelle Temperley, who helped me with script development. One of the characters in the piece I was working on was stuck somehow and a bit two dimensional. She suggested, in order to bring the character to life, I imagined what they were doing during the half hour before the scene they were in. That was it for me. The character filled out, got busy again and was off.

Not only did that exercise help with what I was doing then, it has helped since.

Any time you're stuck with your writing, think of what was going on before, in a character's life. I use the idea in classes too. The newspapers are full of reported local and national incidents. Imagine some of the people whose faces end up looking at you from a page, the houses, the bombed areas, the charity functions and winning goals. Try placing the key people in these scenes in the private and unreported parts of their lives, in the half hour before the events they were involved in,  to better understand their character and motivation.

Have a go. Just jot down a few notes at first and see what you get.

Thanks Michelle. Lovely memories of Oldham Coliseum play-writing workshops.


What do you do when you're writing and you run out of ideas?

womagwriter's blog: Good blogs

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Good blogs: A few links for you today - firstly a couple of blogs whose owners have been kind enough to host me while I wibble on about Ghost Stories an...

Inspiring Short Stories - Once, in Golders Green... Rohan Kriwaczek.

Introductions can be difficult for people. When I begin a creative writing course with new learners I ask them to give their name and a few details about what they're reading. This keeps the introduction session brief but informative and doesn't leave anyone feeling exposed. It also gives me an idea of who reads and who doesn't. Most of the people I come into contact with are reading at least one book; some have a stack by their bed. Any non readers get an instant book recommendation list, and sometimes generous group members loan or give books.

I don't believe good and regular writing can happen without good and regular reading and I'm ready for anyone who laments that they don't have time. Time is precious. This is where the short story comes in. An anthology should have a variety of styles and perspectives, possibly around one subject. A single author collection might have a range of stuff from one marvelous mind. And a short story can be read in a lunch break, on public transport, in a coffee shop...

My reading is done in bed. I'm usually tired and nodding and it's not unusual to wake up with my face squashed into a book but the point is that a short story is a manageable chunk of reading. Do as I do and go to the library and try a few collections. On line you can get hold of three story collections by established and brand new writers. Pocket novels give you a good read with less commitment than a novel.

My latest bed-buster collection was Once, in Golders Green... short stories by Rohan Kriwaczek. A series of stories, some linked, that give an insight into the lives of modern Jewish individuals. Funny, insightful, informative...just a few words to be going on with. It did what books do and let me into a world I have no connection with and people I wouldn't have otherwise met. I stayed awake for all of them!

Do you know of any other collections of stories set in one area?

Booktrust

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For up to date information on writing competitions and lots of useful writerly information have a look at the book trust site.


There are practical writing tips, links to blogs and a large list of magazines whose editors buy or use short stories. A fantastic resource.

Writing Short Stories by Ailsa Cox.

I always borrow books from the library partly because I've run out of space to store them and mainly because I don't want to spend money on a book if I don't like it or it's not what I need. When I've had a book out three times I reckon it's good enough to buy.
The Oldham Library copy of Writing Short Stories by Ailsa Cox has three dates stamps from when I loaned it. It's a great read for writers. Full of ideas, tips and sources. I've bought a copy for my kindle where it takes up hardly any space and doesn't need dusting.
If you're looking for books that help with writing, have a look at this one. Written by a story writer and teacher who has been generous with her knowledge, it is a good read as well as being one of those books you can dip into when you need ideas.  

Well worth the overdue fees.

First published by Routledge in 2005.
ISBN  0-203-96262-1

French Field

This photograph of a field in Brittany, France, was taken at 7.45am on a late August morning. Mist had gathered in the air and no one other than me was there to see it. Beyond the trees there is a hamlet with fewer than thirty residents, living in old style houses. At this time they would all be up and ready for the day ahead.

Write several sentences about this photo.
Imagine the dwellings that are nearby, just out of vision. Write about who lives there.
Write about how this picture makes you feel.
Write about the imagined owner of the field?
What is the field used for?
Imagine the identity of the person viewing the filed. Is it you or an imaginary person?
Write about the purpose of their journey.

Use your notes and musings to create a poem. You could try something small and disciplined such as a haiku which contains 17 syllables divided over three lines. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables and the third line has 5 syllables. Punctuation can be placed where you think it's needed.

You could also write free verse. Use half rhymes, poetic language and metaphors to transform your notes into something poetic. Get rid of superfluous words. Write as many lines as you need.

Put the first draft of your work away for a couple of weeks before revising it. That way you get the chance to see the work as though for the first time and have a good chance of seeing flaws that can be erased.


How far do you need to travel to see a field like this? Write about the journey to that field.

Quaint Quilt

Look at this quilt top. This is just a small section of a huge cover that would fit a double bed. It's also something of a conundrum. I don't know who made it or when it was made. Or why. Some of the hexagons included in the design are made from worn material, others from clothing and others from soft furnishings such as cushions and curtains. A few materials have been repeated but on the whole almost all of the 700 hexagons are made from different pieces of fabric which appear to be from the 1950's and 1960's. Some pieces are older. I can't imagine where the fabrics came from, who donated them or how the maker or makers of this quilt got their hands on them.
Whoever started this cover didn't get to finish it and one of the things on my 'to do' list is to add a wadding and backing to it, get someone to quilt and bind it and make it usable.

People in my groups have used this quilt to write stories, usually from the point of view of a person who once owned one of the fabrics. Some have written poems. Some have loved the cover with its vintage quirkiness. Others have not liked it, saying it's odd, a lot of work for an indifferent result.

There might be hundreds of stories, real and imagined, connected to this quilt.

Find one.

It could be a mystery, a romance, a comedy.

It could be the story of the maker or makers.

It could be the story of one of the people who donated a bit of fabric.

Maybe the pieces of fabric represent events or incidents. Write about them.

Quilts can sometimes evoke work based on memory or historical events. Try to keep the work fresh and relevant. If you choose to write in the past, avoid whimsy or over use of nostalgia. Instead, if going into the past, create a world as real and vibrant as the world is now.

Do you have a quilt with a story attached to it?