A lot of people who enjoy different types of literature are also writers.
If you're a writer, too - you've probably wondered a lot about how to make your writing better. Maybe you're not sure how to start a story or what to do with a story once you get to a certain stage.
Here's a little practice activity that might help you with your writing - and it's particularly good for 'starts' and 'beginnings' - just because it will jump start your creative thinking.
All you need to do this practice are:
* a magazine
* a way to time yourself (watch, clock)
* paper (a small or journal so you can save your work)
* pen or pencil
Now here's what you do:
What you're looking for is a person - so make sure you're using a magazine that has people in it - not just landscapes or something.
Just flip through the magazine for 15 seconds. ONLY 15!! The point here is not to be choosy. (If you select things very carefully, you will have selected a picture 'with something in mind' and half the point of the practice is wasted!).
Now on the page, after 15 seconds of flipping, if there is a picture on the page with a person in it - even a drawing of a person - then look at the person for 30 seconds - then put the picture away. This is the person you're going to 'sketch' details about with your words.
(If you stopped on a page without a person - flip pages again for 15 seconds until you find a person...if you found a page with many people on it - select the person closest to the middle of the page - this turns out really interesting results if the picture is small, believe it or not, and you can barely see the person in a 'crowd picture' or 'group picture').
Now that you've 'viewed' the picture for half a minute or so...
START WRITING!
Just for 5 minutes.
Who is the person? What are they thinking, what are they doing, what are they about to do - what did they just finish doing? What colour was their hair - was it natural or did they dye it to look that way? Does the person have children? If the person you found was a child - does he or she have brothers and sisters?
See what you come up with - but STOP WRITING after only 5 minutes.
Then take a look at what you came up with. And find the magazine picture of the person again and do a comparison.
Did you physically describe the person as the person really looked - did you forget some of the physical details and manage to make up some reasonable details of your own? Did you focus more on the person's activities, the person's thoughts, the scenarios that the person was set into?
Let me know how this pratice works out for you.
If you still have trouble generating ideas for writing, just post some comments on the blog and I will find you some other information.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Flash Fiction
I just got turned on to Flash Fiction again a few weeks ago. An instructor of mine lent me his favourite Flash Fiction book .....and now - I dunno - I'm gonna have to find a copy of it to buy before he gets this book back haha.
Flash Fiction is the Short SHORT Story. Some Flash Fiction pieces are two or three paragraphs - some 3 pages. Generally, up to 2 pages is about right, and reading Flash Fiction can give you something of a scare!
Due to the extremely short 'entries' or works, many Flash Fiction pieces are kind of strange. Often, they look quite like 'EXCERPTS' of other things (some probably are) but in any case - whatever happens in a Flash Fiction unit happens FAST or not at all. Sometimes it's the 'not at all' that is very interesting...
Flash Fiction will drop the reader off in 'nothingland' so that the reader has to imagine what the heck they just read - or the ending to the story - or the beginning or what have you...
For example,
I just read a one and a half page piece that starts with a dinnertime scenario. It just starts in the middle of something. There are about 5 characters present, one of which is a couple who were invited to supper at an old Colonial Missionary man's place. He's a little loopy but you don't read this in from the start. Dinner conversation is going well - Mr. Nutty Missionary is just fine and the mood if somewhat formal around the table with everyone displaying some high-brow manners.
When dinner is over, after some points of conversation about 'the colonies,' Mr. Nutso starts ranting. His wife and son don't even blink an eye, they're just silent, so the guest couple don't know what the heck is going on.....
Anyhow - can't give you all of the story 'cos I don't have the piece right in front of me to cite properly...
Suffice it to say - a few more bizarre actions take place and the main character goes quite whacko...and the piece ends with him, in the blink of an eye, returning to normal, formal and mannerly voice and behavior...
Then the story is pretty much over!
Weird stuff, eh?
One has to assume a lot of things as a reader...
Such as:
Colony life made the main character insane!
But he's not really insane - just has some daily triggers.
He's scary, that's for sure, but within his ranting and violent actions, the family and dinner guests are perfectly safe. As mentioned, his wife and son don't even blink an eye.
The reader has to conclude that this is an everyday occurence, this ranting (and the tossing of preserved ears onto the table everyone has been eating food at), and strict English formality at mealtimes. Yes, I did say 'ears'.
There is a LOT to the one and a half-page tale - but not a lot written down. Most of the story details occur in the reader's head - as per imagination allows - and if you have a good imagination and a somewhat morbid one - this dang story will definitely give you a NIGHTMARE! Or - if you're 'historically' inclined, you'll understand about the Missionary guy's condition and feel a certain empathy for him - not too much 'cos he does conduct himself in an otherwise proud, robust way (except for when he's caught up in an emotional whirlwind, ranting - immediatly following the evening meal). If you're 'psychologically' inclined, youre imagination will probably diagnose this sick puppy and figure out an anti-psychotic medication for him to take. Or if you're like me - with a chaotic imagination jumping all over the place, you'll just keep wondering about all those people that the severed ears came from, shiver a little - and keep your light on 'til the last minute before sleeping for a few nights.
Flash Fiction is the Short SHORT Story. Some Flash Fiction pieces are two or three paragraphs - some 3 pages. Generally, up to 2 pages is about right, and reading Flash Fiction can give you something of a scare!
Due to the extremely short 'entries' or works, many Flash Fiction pieces are kind of strange. Often, they look quite like 'EXCERPTS' of other things (some probably are) but in any case - whatever happens in a Flash Fiction unit happens FAST or not at all. Sometimes it's the 'not at all' that is very interesting...
Flash Fiction will drop the reader off in 'nothingland' so that the reader has to imagine what the heck they just read - or the ending to the story - or the beginning or what have you...
For example,
I just read a one and a half page piece that starts with a dinnertime scenario. It just starts in the middle of something. There are about 5 characters present, one of which is a couple who were invited to supper at an old Colonial Missionary man's place. He's a little loopy but you don't read this in from the start. Dinner conversation is going well - Mr. Nutty Missionary is just fine and the mood if somewhat formal around the table with everyone displaying some high-brow manners.
When dinner is over, after some points of conversation about 'the colonies,' Mr. Nutso starts ranting. His wife and son don't even blink an eye, they're just silent, so the guest couple don't know what the heck is going on.....
Anyhow - can't give you all of the story 'cos I don't have the piece right in front of me to cite properly...
Suffice it to say - a few more bizarre actions take place and the main character goes quite whacko...and the piece ends with him, in the blink of an eye, returning to normal, formal and mannerly voice and behavior...
Then the story is pretty much over!
Weird stuff, eh?
One has to assume a lot of things as a reader...
Such as:
Colony life made the main character insane!
But he's not really insane - just has some daily triggers.
He's scary, that's for sure, but within his ranting and violent actions, the family and dinner guests are perfectly safe. As mentioned, his wife and son don't even blink an eye.
The reader has to conclude that this is an everyday occurence, this ranting (and the tossing of preserved ears onto the table everyone has been eating food at), and strict English formality at mealtimes. Yes, I did say 'ears'.
There is a LOT to the one and a half-page tale - but not a lot written down. Most of the story details occur in the reader's head - as per imagination allows - and if you have a good imagination and a somewhat morbid one - this dang story will definitely give you a NIGHTMARE! Or - if you're 'historically' inclined, you'll understand about the Missionary guy's condition and feel a certain empathy for him - not too much 'cos he does conduct himself in an otherwise proud, robust way (except for when he's caught up in an emotional whirlwind, ranting - immediatly following the evening meal). If you're 'psychologically' inclined, youre imagination will probably diagnose this sick puppy and figure out an anti-psychotic medication for him to take. Or if you're like me - with a chaotic imagination jumping all over the place, you'll just keep wondering about all those people that the severed ears came from, shiver a little - and keep your light on 'til the last minute before sleeping for a few nights.
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