The power of a great introduction - Carolyn Mohr Writers come in all shapes and sizes, from every country in the world, and are practically every age. Some people write about history, some write science fiction, and some write about things that are happening in this very moment. Regardless of what kind of writer you are (or want to become), you should seek the advice of those that are already doing it (and you'll probably find some that say you shouldn't be a writer). Find some resources that can help you in your journey. An introduction is the first paragraph of a written research paper, the first thing you say in an oral presentation, or the first thing people see, hear, or experience about your project or book. Here is a guideline for writing a literary analysis.
8 Steps to Great Digital Storytelling Stories bring us together, encourage us to understand and empathize, and help us to communicate. Long before paper and books were common and affordable, information passed from generation to generation through this oral tradition of storytelling. Consider Digital Storytelling as the 21st Century version of the age-old art of storytelling with a twist: digital tools now make it possible for anyone to create a story and share it with the world. WHY Digital Storytelling? Digital stories push students to become creators of content, rather than just consumers. Weaving together images, music, text, and voice, digital stories can be created in all content areas and at all grade levels while incorporating the 21st century skills of creating, communicating, and collaborating. Movies, created over a century ago, represent the beginning of digital storytelling. 8 Steps to Great Digital Stories Great digital stories: 1. All stories begin with an idea, and digital stories are no different. Resources 2.
25 Things Every Writer Should Know An alternate title for this post might be, “Things I Think About Writing,” which is to say, these are random snidbits (snippets + tidbits) of beliefs I hold about what it takes to be a writer. I hesitate to say that any of this is exactly Zen (oh how often we as a culture misuse the term “Zen” — like, “Whoa, that tapestry is so cool, it’s really Zen“), but it certainly favors a sharper, shorter style than the blathering wordsplosions I tend to rely on in my day-to-day writing posts. Anyway. Feel free to disagree with any of these; these are not immutable laws. Buckle up. 1. The Internet is 55% porn, and 45% writers. 2. A lot of writers try to skip over the basics and leap fully-formed out of their own head-wombs. 3. Some writers do what they do and are who they are because they were born with some magical storytelling gland that they can flex like their pubococcygeus, ejaculating brilliant storytelling and powerful linguistic voodoo with but a twitch of their taint. 4. 5. Luck matters.
Ten rules for writing fiction Elmore Leonard: Using adverbs is a mortal sin 1 Never open a book with weather. If it's only to create atmosphere, and not a character's reaction to the weather, you don't want to go on too long. 2 Avoid prologues: they can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. 3 Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. 4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" ... he admonished gravely. 5 Keep your exclamation points under control. 6 Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose". 7 Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. 8 Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, which Steinbeck covered. 9 Don't go into great detail describing places and things, unless you're Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language. 10 Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: if it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Diana Athill Margaret Atwood 3 Take something to write on.
Storytelling et tension narrative Dans le prolongement de la journée du 18 novembre 2011, « Du storytelling à la mise en récit des mondes sociaux : la révolution narrative a-t-elle eu lieu ? », les laboratoires I3M et LIRCES organisent le 23 novembre 2012 une journée d’études sur « Storytelling et tension narrative ». Reprenant le postulat de départ qui était que l'art de raconter des histoires (storytelling) s'étendait désormais aux domaines les plus variés et qu’aucune activité sociale ne semblait épargnée par cette mise en récit généralisée, cette seconde journée reste ouverte à toutes les disciplines. a. b. c. d. Les contributions proposées pourront s’organiser autour des deux axes suivants. 1. 2. Les propositions de contribution devront comprendre un résumé d’une page, un très bref CV (1 page) et être adressées aux deux responsables avant le 10 septembre 2012. Contacts : Marc MARTI (LIRCES) marti@unice.fr Nicolas PELLISSIER (I3M) pelissier06@gmail.com
25 Things You Should Know About Character Previous iterations of the “25 Things” series: 25 Things Every Writer Should Know 25 Things You Should Know About Storytelling And now… Here you’ll find the many things I believe — at this moment! 1. Without character, you have nothing. 2. A great character can be the line between narrative life and story death. 3. Don’t believe that all those other aspects are separate from the character. 4. The audience will do anything to spend time with a great character. 5. It is critical to know what a character wants from the start. 6. It doesn’t matter if we “like” your character, or in the parlance of junior high whether we even “like-like” your character. 7. It is critical to smack the audience in the crotchal region with an undeniable reason to give a fuck. 8. You must prove this thesis: “This character is worth the audience’s time.” 9. Don’t let the character be a dingleberry stuck to the ass of a toad as he floats downriver on a bumpy log. 10. 11. 12. 13. The law of threes. 15. 16. 17. 18.
6 Ways to Hook Your Readers Although I consider myself an avid reader, I must admit I have a short attention span when it comes to getting into books. If you fail to grab my attention in the first few lines, I start spacing out. Most readers are like me. Most people don’t want to spend the first 50 pages trying to get into a book. Here are a few things I find annoying in the first lines of a story: Dialogue. The last thing you want to do as a writer is annoy or bore people. (N.B. 1. Put a question in your readers’ minds. “Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did.” 2. By starting at an important moment in the story, your reader is more likely to want to continue so he or she can discover what will happen next. “It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she’d been told.” 3. Description is good when it encourages people to paint a picture in their minds. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 4. 5. “They had flown from England to Minneapolis to look at a toilet.” 6.
How storytelling can boost a business The business world is always looking for that great new idea, but what if the next big thing was something as old as humanity? Great storytelling has been around for eons, but prowess in that skill can propel growth in a company or brand, attract new talent and boost employee morale. Carmine Gallo tells this story in his new book, The Storyteller’s Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don’t, on the Knowledge@Wharton show on Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM channel 111. An edited transcript of the conversation appears below. Knowledge@Wharton: What was it that got you started on this path? Carmine Gallo: I’ve been studying communication for 25 years, and I was a journalist. And what I keep hearing — over the last few years especially — is this lament that many business students and business professionals cannot communicate as effectively as they should be communicating. Knowledge@Wharton: It’s not that this is really a new concept.
(More) tips for writing well (Austin Govella at Thinking and Making) Published Wed, Jul 8, 2009 by Austin Govella. Updated Wed, Jul 8, 2009. As an editor, I’ve noticed several recurring bad habits you heathens would do well to disabuse yourselves of immediately. Almost without exception, these bad habits instantiate themselves as a series of stock phrases and constructions that reflect a lack of focus, a lack of fully developed argument, or the kind of intellectual laziness that sets in as you slog through your first draft. These things happen, That’s ok. 16 things to check when you edit Be vicious when you edit. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. After you edit… The finished piece should be so tight, terse, concise, and clear that it’s boring. Boring. Then sand off the rough edges. Write like you talk. The first 16 recommendations remove fluff and force you to think and communicate.
TEN SIMPLE KEYS TO PLOT STRUCTURE Structure is something that every agent and executive in Hollywood talks about, and that all of us teachers/authors/consultants/gurus/whatever go on and on about, to the point that it can seem complicated, intricate, mysterious and hard to master. So I want present plot structure in a way that simplifies it – that will at least give you a starting point for properly structuring your screenplay without overwhelming you with rules and details and jargon. Here are what I consider ten key elements of structure – ten ways of looking at structure that will immediately improve the emotional impact – and commercial potential – of your script. THE SINGLE RULE OF STRUCTURE I once got to work with long time television writer Doug Heyes, who used to say that there is only one rule for achieving proper plot structure: What’s happening now must be inherently more interesting than what just happened.
Story Dice - a creative storytelling tool from Dave Birss Free Resources I’ve been creating and giving away web tools for years. But now that AI has made it even easier – and allows me create things that are far more complex – I’m spitting them out at a ridiculous rate. I regularly build tools for my talks and workshops (you should definitely book me for one of those). Use the buttons below to filter according to your interest. Talk 1 to 10 Talk, Tool, Workshop Transform any phone into an instant voting device with 1 to 10. Visit Creativity 5 Criteria Creativity, Innovation, Tool, Workshop Transform fuzzy goals into crystal-clear success metrics with 5 Criteria. Innovation AI Attitude Innovation, Talk, Workshop See AI through different eyes with this perspective-shifting attitude generator! Alternative Uses Creativity, Education, Innovation, Tool Take Guilford’s renowned Alternative Uses Test in this streamlined digital format. Bot Or Not Talk, Workshop Join the great AI debate with this instant polling tool! Brain Swap Need fresh thinking? Load more Sign in