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writercises Original Posting Jan. 11, 2019
All right. One more warming up piece, before we dive into the structure. See, James points out that many people seem to think using a structure is going to suck the emotion right out of the writing, and... that’s wrong. As James sees it, first you get the emotions in the writer, then in the characters (and writing). So, how do we get the emotion with the structure?
Well, he suggests a paradigm from golf. See it, feel it, trust it!
See it? Visualize it first, in your head.
Feel it? Let yourself do it.
Trust it? That’s the part where you pull back the internal editor and trust that you are doing it right. Later, afterwards (or should that be afterwords?) you can check for mistakes and mechanics, and fix things up. But right now, write!
So. See it. In your head, on the stage (movie screen, tv screen, 3d virtual reality... whatever your internal stage looks like), set it up and let it unfold. Can you feel what the characters are going through?
Feel it! James suggests that music may help you to get the beat and feel it. A playlist? Sure...
Trust it. Write! Let the feeling fill you and roll out in the words. If you need to, stop for five minutes and brainstorm the emotions and thoughts of your POV character. Then let those emotions rip! Overwrite, if anything.
Now go back and fix it up. Revision is when you check the emotional structure and tighten it up, if you need to.
Ask yourself James’s five questions about the emotions in the scene:
1. Does it feel right?
2. Is it consistent with the character?
3. Does it reveal a new side of the character?
4. Does it enhance the scene?
5. Does it contribute to the overall plot?
You may want to consider the various ways to render emotion.
1. You can name it. This is usually best used sparingly, and in low-intensity parts.
2. Show it in action.
3. Show it in physical reaction.
4. Show it in internal thoughts.
5. Show it in dialogue.
Mix and match to suit your writing, your style, your characters, your scenes...
Whoosh! So, with death, brainstorming, keeping creativity going while you write, scenes, and emotional backlighting, we are ready to dive into the structure, and... write!
And away we go! 14 signposts of Super Structure next!
All right. One more warming up piece, before we dive into the structure. See, James points out that many people seem to think using a structure is going to suck the emotion right out of the writing, and... that’s wrong. As James sees it, first you get the emotions in the writer, then in the characters (and writing). So, how do we get the emotion with the structure?
Well, he suggests a paradigm from golf. See it, feel it, trust it!
See it? Visualize it first, in your head.
Feel it? Let yourself do it.
Trust it? That’s the part where you pull back the internal editor and trust that you are doing it right. Later, afterwards (or should that be afterwords?) you can check for mistakes and mechanics, and fix things up. But right now, write!
So. See it. In your head, on the stage (movie screen, tv screen, 3d virtual reality... whatever your internal stage looks like), set it up and let it unfold. Can you feel what the characters are going through?
Feel it! James suggests that music may help you to get the beat and feel it. A playlist? Sure...
Trust it. Write! Let the feeling fill you and roll out in the words. If you need to, stop for five minutes and brainstorm the emotions and thoughts of your POV character. Then let those emotions rip! Overwrite, if anything.
Now go back and fix it up. Revision is when you check the emotional structure and tighten it up, if you need to.
Ask yourself James’s five questions about the emotions in the scene:
1. Does it feel right?
2. Is it consistent with the character?
3. Does it reveal a new side of the character?
4. Does it enhance the scene?
5. Does it contribute to the overall plot?
You may want to consider the various ways to render emotion.
1. You can name it. This is usually best used sparingly, and in low-intensity parts.
2. Show it in action.
3. Show it in physical reaction.
4. Show it in internal thoughts.
5. Show it in dialogue.
Mix and match to suit your writing, your style, your characters, your scenes...
Whoosh! So, with death, brainstorming, keeping creativity going while you write, scenes, and emotional backlighting, we are ready to dive into the structure, and... write!
And away we go! 14 signposts of Super Structure next!