Monday, 5 April 2021

Notes

A hero is as strong as their antagonist.

Mentioning that something happening but delaying to say what makes things interesting.

Observation exercise: observe place/person/item/idea/act/fact through all the 5 senses and through different possible visual angles.
Ask: what impresses/interests/charms/moves me about the thing I'm observing?
Ask: What whould I want to do with it/say about it/see happening to it/learn about it?

Some of the ways to begin a story: with a setting (which would set the space and mood)/with a topic or idea / with a statement or quote (such as: "at the airport we must always show good behaviour")

First draft
- Don't censor/criticize odd-sounding things
- Ask "what would happen if". Also think of reverse outcomes.
- Can connect two things that don't match together, such as snowmen and sunbathing.
- Can empower by connecting memory and imagination (e.g. a character walks into a place that means a lot for another's past. Or describing a fact and inserting a personal memory/anecdote e.t.c.).

Sense of truth: it's enough if the writing moves the readers.
Lie, exaggerate, magnify, pretend, play, go to the edges, become heroic, decorate. Turn up the heat (but not too much)/

Sarah Vogel used to re-write by focusing on a different side of her piece each time. 
Others rewrite different editions of the same piece, e.g. each from a different person's point of view.
Delete anything that does more harm than good at the story itself. And if you cannot make a piece work well, deleting it usually solves the problem.

When two words are combined to create a new one smoke + fog = smog) it's called a portmanteau.

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