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IDEAS Lesson 1. Nine for the Price of One.
This is a powerful workshop technique that teaches you to change one basic idea into nine.
What Is an Idea?
Real World Ideas.
Story Ideas.
Nine for the Price of One.
How to Begin.
Steps 1 – 5
Finally
IDEAS Lesson 2. Jigsaw Writing Ideas.
In this lesson, you will learn how to find hundreds of original ideas. Jigsaw sheets are provided.
Different Jigsaw Sets
Making a Story from a Jigsaw Idea.
IDEAS Lesson 3. Dreams and Nightmares.
In this lesson, you learn how to adapt ideas from your subconscious.
Dreams
Harnessing Dreams
A Character acting out of Character
Nightmares
Help From the Subconscious
Using Your Assets
Daydreams
IDEAS Lesson 4. Cupboards and Other Odd Things.
In this lesson, you'll find out out to use ordinary items for endless ideas.
More About Ideas.
Matching Ideas to Genres
Newspapers
Magazines
Electronic anti-theft devices.
Missing Person Reports.
What If?
Cupboards and Things
Everyday Item 1
Everyday Item 2
Everyday Item 3
Conclusion
PLOT Lesson 1. Plotting by the Situation Method.
What Is a Plot?
Character Ideas
Observed Characters
Known Characters
Putting Characters in Situations
Two-Tiered Questions
How Does it End
The Situation
More Situation Plots
Summing Up
Final Word
PLOT Lesson 2: Plotting by the Roadmap Method
Story Shaping.
The Cinderella Graph
Graphs for Romance Novels
Important Differences Between Cinderella and Modern Romance.
Graphs for Other Genres
Multi-Protagonist Novels.
ROADMAP PLOTTING.
Finding the Beginning.
Raising the Stakes.
Caution about Raising the Stakes.
Destination.
PLOT Lesson 3: Building the Forest.
Steps 1 – 5
Building the Forest Continued and Expanded
Conclusion
Other Settings
Silver Shoes Exercise
Steps 1-7
Silver Shoes Plus
Identifying Your Writing Type.
PLOT Lesson 4: Connections.
What Is a Connection?
Connections Between Two or More Objects or Characters.
Simple Connections
More Connections
More Complex Connections
Connections Between an Author’s Life and His/her Fiction.
Slighter Connections
Connections Between Backgrounds and Characters.
Connections Between Genre and Stories.
Finally
CHARACTER Lesson 1: Human Characters.
What Is a Character?
How Many Characters?
Single Character Stories.
Two-Character Stories.
The Jolly Fat Man.
The Mad Scientist.
The Helpless Heroine.
Stereotypes and Genre Givens
Positive Discrimination
My Mother Is an Astronaut!
CHARACTER Lesson 2: More Human Characters.
How Characters Grow.
Personal Experience.
Second-hand Experience.
Education.
Culture.
Associations.
Genetic Inheritance.
Luck.
How Characters Change with Age.
How Characters Interact.
Antagonists vs Enemies.
CHARACTER Lesson 3: Human Characters Beyond the Mould.
No Cloning Allowed.
You are not your Hero and your Hero isn’t You.
Problems with using your own Personality.
Colour Your Characters
Jobs and Hobbies and Habits.
Attitude to Work.Family Context.
Imperfections.
Character Capabilities.
People of Their Times.
Religion and Knowledge.
Characters of the Future.
Food, Clothes and Choices.
Names, Names, Names.
CHARACTER Lesson 4: Fantasy Characters, Animals and Others.
Avoiding Stereotypes in Fantasy Characters.
Humans from our world
Wizards, Witches and Enchanters
Mages, sorcerers, and magicians
Seers
Elves
Dwarves
Fairies, (or faeries), imps, pixies
Nymphs and Dryads
Ghosts
Aliens
Vampires and Werewolves
Mermaids
Dragons and Unicorns
Royals
Immortals
Centaurs
Science Fiction Characters.
Naming Fantasy or Science Fiction Characters.
Animal Characters.
Realistic Animals
Realistic +
Talking Animals
Humanised Animals
Odds and Ends
Parrots etc.
Animal Characters in General
Invented Animals
STYLE Lesson 1: Style and Viewpoint.
What is Style?
Simple Styles
Elaborate Styles
VIEWPOINT
Third Person Limited
First person
Third Person Omniscient.
Third Person Written Narrative.
First Person Spoken Narrative
First Person Written Narrative.
Omniscient Viewpoint
Multi First Person
Multi Third Person
First Person Peculiarities.
Present Tense
Transitions
STYLE Lesson 2: Beginnings, Endings, Sentences and Paragraphs.
BEGINNINGS
The Shock Beginning.
The Incongruous Beginning.
The Character Beginning.
Dramatic Beginnings and Writers’ Obligations.
The Scene Setting Beginning
The Dialogue Beginning.
ENDINGS.
The Resolution Ending
Open Ending
The Shock Ending
The Resigned Ending
Active Endings
PROBLEM ENDINGS
The Lickety-Split Ending
The Forced Ending
The Deus ex Machina Ending
The Ending that Won’t End.
Structure.
Using Conjunctions to Extend Sentences.
Using Punctuation to Extend Sentences.
Bad Constructions – run on sentences.
Non-Sentences.
Odd Constructions Occasionally Acceptable.
Other Technical Problems.
PARAGRAPHS.
STYLE LESSON THREE Adjectives and Adverbs, Synonyms, Similes and Metaphors and Clichés.
A Digression on Nouns.
Adjectives.
Weak Adjectives.
Some “ly” Adverbs.
Similes and Style.
INTEGRATING INFORMATION.
STYLE LESSON FOUR Pace and Tension, Formats and Punctuation, Stylistic Odds and Ends, Style Parade.
PACE AND TENSION.
Pace in a Specific Novel.
Action Scenes.
Tension
Formats and Punctuation.
Paragraphing.
Justification.
Spacing.
Page set up.
Font
? Question Mark, Interrogation Mark.
! Exclamation Mark.
‘ “ Quotation marks.
Style Odds and Ends.
Celebrities, Movies, Songs.
Contractions.
Using Contractions.
Avoiding Contractions.
Formal Version.
Style Parade.
Fantasy Romance – suits the American Market.
Humorous Children’s Fantasy – suits Australian market.
Junior Teen Realism.
Historical Romance.
Adventure for Under Tens.
Historical Novel – not romance.
Modern Comedy Romance.
Children’s Comedy
YA Fantasy
Children’s realism.
DIALOGUE WORKSHOP.Lesson 1: Dialogue and its many functions.
What is Dialogue?
Different Kinds of Dialogue
Direct Speech
Thought Tags.
Speech Tags.
Tags in Action.
Dialogue and Tag Patterns.
Tag at the Beginning.
Tag at the End.
Tag Set Within Dialogue.
Functions of Dialogue.
Function 1. To Convey Information.
Caution
Function 3. To Reveal Character
Function 4. To Entertain
DIALOGUE Lesson 2: Natural dialogue, yes or no? Setting out and punctuating dialogue. Conversation Characters.
Natural Dialogue?
Casual Talk Between Strangers.
Casual Talk Between New Acquaintances.
Casual Talk Between New Companions.
Casual Talk Between Intimates, Close Friends or Family Members.
Territorial Matters
Exclusions.
Impressing
Small Talk Conclusion
Other Problematical Natural Dialogue
How Do You Write Good Natural Dialogue?
Circular Arguments.
Contractions.
PASSAGE WITH CONTRACTIONS.
PASSAGE WITHOUT CONTRACTIONS.
PASSAGE WITHOUT CONTRACTIONS, AND WITH MORE FORMALITY.
Setting out and Punctuating Dialogue.
Setting Out
Punctuation
Quotation Marks
Ellipses and Dashes
Conversation Characters etc.
Novels With Very Few Characters.
Conversation Characters.
Animals as CCs
Supernatural CCs.
Inanimate CCs.
DIALOGUE
Lesson 3: Dialogue from Now, Then and Beyond.
Problems with Realism in Dialogue.
Dialogue of its Time - Now.
Family Dialogue
Social Class Dialogue
Superior – Inferior Dialogue.
Public Dialogue.
Fictitious Dialogue.
Up-to-Date Contemporary Dialogue.
Different forms of English.
Foreign Languages or Characters using English as a Second Language.
Dialogue of its Time - Then.
Three Approaches to Historical Dialogue.
The Fourth Approach
Models for Realistic Historical Speech.
Changing Times.
A Word on Pronouns.
Modern Use
Problem Words
Dialogue of its Time - Beyond.
DIALOGUE Lesson 4: Fantasy Dialogue and Odds and Ends.
Fantasy Dialogue
Magic Realism
Specific Challenges in Fantasy Character Dialogue.
Non-Earth fantasy humans
The ordinary person
Powerful magic-wielder, mighty warrior or royal.
Fantasy world, dialogue between two characters native to that world. 1
Fantasy world, dialogue between two characters native to that world.2
Fantasy world, dialogue between one ch. native to that world, and one from our world.
Example 1 in Contemporary Dress.
Example 2 in Contemporary Dress.
Example 3 in Contemporary Dress.
Powerful Magicians and Others.
Talking Animal Character
Animals that Do Occur in Our Reality
Dgs
Cats
Horses
Cows
Parrots and Dolphins
Dragons, Unicorns, Griffons.
Fantasy Creatures that are Neither Human nor Animal.
Centaurs, Mermaids
Inventing New Languages
Time-Travellers and Immortals
Near Immortals and Long-Lived Humans
Ghosts.
Vengeful Ghosts
Guilty Ghosts
Traditional Headless or White-Sheeted Ghosts
Permanent Residence Ghosts
Ghosts Who Don’t Know They’re Ghosts
Robots and Aliens
Robots
Androids
Cyborgs
Humanoid aliens
Trees, Rocks and other Unlikely Speakers.
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