Posted by Barry on Nov 8, 2008 in
Writing Lessons Way back on April 1st, I posted my first Writing Lesson. In it, I encouraged you to do a bungee jump. Okay, so it wasn’t the most conventional of writing lessons, but it had a point. If you haven’t read it and you’re an aspiring writer, I encourage you to go check it out. We’ll all wait here until you get back.
If you have already read it, then you’ve probably been eagerly awaiting lesson 2 for some months. Well, here, at last, it is. Sit back, read, and contemplate the wisdom of …
Barry’s Writing Lesson #2: Use Public Transport
There are many reasons for the aspiring writer to use public transport. It’s cheaper than running a car, for one. It’s environmentally friendly, for another.
More important than your finances or the future of Planet Earth, though, is the fact that using public transport can dramatically improve your writing.
“But how?” I hear you say (because I have a Wordpress plugin which lets me hear through your computer’s microphone). Well settle down, I’m about to explain all.
Virtually all of life’s rich tapestry can be found on public transport. I have overheard conversations on buses which have inspired entire novels. The second screenplay I ever wrote - MAKING A KILLING - featured two characters who were based on a couple of lads I was unfortunate enough to sit behind on a train from Inverness to Aberdeen.
Even if the bus or train you’re on is completely silent, take a look at the people on board - don’t stare, though, they’ll think you’re a nutter. Ask yourself questions about them. Why is the guy in the suit holding onto a tatty old rucksack? How did the woman across the aisle end up with her arm in a sling? Why is the little boy at the next table crying?
Make up your own answers based on what you see. Flesh the more interesting ideas out. Team two or more passengers together and figure out what kind of scenario could bring them together in the world outside the bus or train.
The more you embellish the details, the more your characters will stray away from the probable reality of the people on board. That’s fine. You’re not trying to accurately figure out who these people are, you’re just using them as a springboard to creating characters.
So that’s it. Writing Lesson #2. It was short, but hopefully it’ll help some of you come up with new characters, and from those will spring new stories to dazzle and enthrall us all.
Posted by Barry on Apr 1, 2008 in
Writing Lessons First of all, a disclaimer: I don’t claim to be an expert on the creative writing process. Yes, I’ve had screenplays optioned, books published, magazine articles printed, and all that jazz, but I still consider myself very much a beginner, with a whole lot to learn.
That said, I’ve been wracking my brains since starting this blog, trying to come up with useful writing advice to share. Now, many other writing bloggers - not least of all me old mucker, Tommy - already give advice, and by and large they’re a lot better at it than me.
Rather than just repeat any of the great advice which is already out there, I’m going to give you some writing tips I doubt you’ll find anywhere else. Every one of these mini-lessons will cover something which I think has helped contribute to my past and current writing successes. If you get something useful from any of them, then that’s great. If you think I’m an idiot and my tips are worthless, then that’s okay too. I won’t mind, really.
Anyway, let’s get on with it.
Barry’s Writing Lesson #1: Do a Bungee Jump
Wait, don’t stop reading yet! This is a serious tip, and possibly the single most important piece of advice I’ll give you (which gives you some idea of the standard of the lessons still to come).
Good stories involve conflict, right? I’m telling you nothing new, you’ve heard that a hundred times. The series I’ve been developing with Egmont - OUT OF YOUR MIND - is of the horror genre. In horror stories, people get scared. Really scared. Scared almost to death, in fact.
How do you describe that fear? Do you talk about hands shaking, eyes going wide, and hair standing on end? Or do you talk about the feeling of nausea which grips your protagonist’s stomach? The crashing roar of their own heart, beating in their ears? The headspinning, blood-chilling, sensations of terror which almost overwhelm them as they struggle to face their worst fears?
I know which I’d find more interesting to read. And how do you get a real, honest insight into that terror? How do you experience it so vividly that you can accurately recreate it on the page? You bungee jump. Or you sing karaoke. Or you let a spider crawl up your arm. You pick something which frightens you, and you do it. Just don’t forget to make a mental note of everything you feel while you are, or you’ll have terrified yourself for nothing!
This doesn’t just apply to horror, either. Jeopardy of some kind or another plays a major part in most stories, so whether your protagonist is scared of leaping out of a plane, asking a girl out on a date, or opening their school exam results, go live out your own fear and you’ll do a much better job of writing about theirs.
Check back soon for Barry’s Writing Lesson #2: Use Public Transport
Tags: Writing Lessons
