Week 6
Tragedy:
Flaws Result
-jealousy -death threat
-rage -violence
-impulsiveness -misunderstood
-too kind -being taken advantage of
-trustworthy -being tricked
Review of shawshank redemption:
What lessons did he learn from his mistakes?
-Not to be trustworthy
How did he change and how did it change others?
-He was quiet at first, but then at the end he socialize more with the people
-He taught them bout hope, which can be dangerous and good at the same time
Letter to the Past:
-sparked off by an event/person
-reflect on emotions then/now
-most important thing you wanted to know/say (mostly due to fear of confrontation)
-confrontation leads to having to deal with the situation
-revisit the past
Purpose of the exercise:
-the letter is a practical, personal example of how a character-YOU-undergo an inevitable process of change.
-this process of change is an essential ingredient of any effective story.
-in dramatic writing, the very essence is character change
-learn from:
-observation
-experience
-memory
Storytelling Tool 2:
Experience
-a storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience
-everything about you-where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead- your experiences are unique and irreplaceable
-many of your experiences are universal and translatable and can be used in any location
translatable ideas
-visit to hospital
-fear of going to dentist
-falling in love
-ghost stories
-death
TIP:
-if you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while.
-see how he relates to the world he has been thrown into.
-plunder your own personal background.
-the things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to you make terrific story sources.
-record experiences
-diary
-blog
-reflect your past (colourful past)
-recall how you felt then/now
-all people have fragments of stories
-these potential ideas prompt your desire to know more
-respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard
-we always respond emotionally first then intellectually
-good stories are born in the heart, not the head
-because initial ideas are sparked by emotions, memories (heart)
-development stage (in your head)
-remember the role of an audience
-after all, you ARE the audience
things to think about when writing a story:
1) take them on a ride of discovery
2) feed new info
Storytelling Tool 3: Memory
- memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told
- these memories are points of reference to your own past existence
TIP:
-write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does now
-research
-imagination
-interviews
-there is always room for personal discovery
-what is the difference between memory and experience?
-experience is what you really go through
-memory is manufactured (what you remember), may not be real
Assignment 1:
write 2 short stories
-one is completely TRUE
-one is completely FALSE
only author know which is which
-post on blog by wed, 3 Nov, 10am
