Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "creative-writing-exercise"
When You’re Writing, Don’t Be Afraid to Act It Out
To the casual observer, writing can appear to be a low-energy, even passive activity. But we as writers know that this is not the case. While our fingers may be the only thing moving externally, our minds are alive and active with ideas, thoughts, dialogue, and description that help bring our story to life on paper.
But sometimes, even in that state of inner active creativity, we can get a little stuck. Maybe a sequence isn’t coming together as effectively on the page as you want, or there’s an element missing from the dialogue or action.
When this happens, get out of that chair and work through the scene. As a writer, you are the creator, director, actor, and stunt coordinator of everything in your story. It is your job to do whatever you can to get the story right. And if you have to workshop it in your living room like a play, that’s 100% acceptable.
Here are some ways to do it.
Get On Your Feet and Move
Clip from I Love Lucy
As Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) demonstrates in this clip from I Love Lucy, working through the emotion, the conflict, and the drama of a scene as you write can help you create more realistic dialogue and scenes.
Reading your dialogue aloud can also be a great benefit to ensure that the characters speak like human beings and not as literary characters on a page (unless that’s the style you are aiming for).
If you have someone to assist you, you can improvise a scene you’re having issues with and work out what problems you may be having. Often as writers, we internalize too often. Getting your story’s words and situations into an external space can help you see them from a better perspective and make more substantial story choices.
Make a Model
Perhaps your story has a big fight sequence or chase that involves several characters and would be complicated to stage at home. Legos, action figures, water bottles, or even cups can be used to create a mock version of your characters (I suggest labeling the characters so they don’t get mixed up while your working). You can use boxes or other objects to create the setting, then position your characters accordingly during the sequence.
In doing so, you can now visually see how things would work, where the character would be positioned throughout the sequence, and how best to end the sequence given your parameters.
Seeing clear visuals can also help you see any problems, so you fix them before writing out the entire sequence.
Hollywood does this all the time with big sequences using animatics. While their aim is to save money on costly reshoots, your aim is to save time on headache-inducing rewrites.
Use Name Cards and Drawings
Another method can be used for even bigger sequences like a giant battle or even a murder mystery with a dinner party. In this exercise, you write the names of all the characters on separate index cards, then use poster board or another large piece of paper to map out what the room or battlefield will look like. Then you can move the “characters” around and see where they are in relation to other characters and locations.
In doing so, you can see if there is logic in who is conversing with who, helping who, and fighting who depending on where they are in the diagram.
This exercise was done by the writers of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End for the final battle involving three pirate ships, three crews of pirates, and the main cast. As they were writing, they used the diagrams to see where characters started when the sequence began and how to effectively move them from ship to ship throughout the battle.
As you can see from the movement of characters in the clip below, this would have been very useful in the writer's room!
Pirates 3 Clip
With all three, I recommend filming and talking through each exercise so you don’t forget any details that may change or pop into your head while you’re working. Once it’s done, and on the page, you can delete the footage, and no one has to know what great lengths you went through to make that big sequence work.
Happy Acting, and Happy Writing!
But sometimes, even in that state of inner active creativity, we can get a little stuck. Maybe a sequence isn’t coming together as effectively on the page as you want, or there’s an element missing from the dialogue or action.
When this happens, get out of that chair and work through the scene. As a writer, you are the creator, director, actor, and stunt coordinator of everything in your story. It is your job to do whatever you can to get the story right. And if you have to workshop it in your living room like a play, that’s 100% acceptable.
Here are some ways to do it.
Get On Your Feet and Move
Clip from I Love Lucy
As Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) demonstrates in this clip from I Love Lucy, working through the emotion, the conflict, and the drama of a scene as you write can help you create more realistic dialogue and scenes.
Reading your dialogue aloud can also be a great benefit to ensure that the characters speak like human beings and not as literary characters on a page (unless that’s the style you are aiming for).
If you have someone to assist you, you can improvise a scene you’re having issues with and work out what problems you may be having. Often as writers, we internalize too often. Getting your story’s words and situations into an external space can help you see them from a better perspective and make more substantial story choices.
Make a Model
Perhaps your story has a big fight sequence or chase that involves several characters and would be complicated to stage at home. Legos, action figures, water bottles, or even cups can be used to create a mock version of your characters (I suggest labeling the characters so they don’t get mixed up while your working). You can use boxes or other objects to create the setting, then position your characters accordingly during the sequence.
In doing so, you can now visually see how things would work, where the character would be positioned throughout the sequence, and how best to end the sequence given your parameters.
Seeing clear visuals can also help you see any problems, so you fix them before writing out the entire sequence.
Hollywood does this all the time with big sequences using animatics. While their aim is to save money on costly reshoots, your aim is to save time on headache-inducing rewrites.
Use Name Cards and Drawings
Another method can be used for even bigger sequences like a giant battle or even a murder mystery with a dinner party. In this exercise, you write the names of all the characters on separate index cards, then use poster board or another large piece of paper to map out what the room or battlefield will look like. Then you can move the “characters” around and see where they are in relation to other characters and locations.
In doing so, you can see if there is logic in who is conversing with who, helping who, and fighting who depending on where they are in the diagram.
This exercise was done by the writers of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End for the final battle involving three pirate ships, three crews of pirates, and the main cast. As they were writing, they used the diagrams to see where characters started when the sequence began and how to effectively move them from ship to ship throughout the battle.
As you can see from the movement of characters in the clip below, this would have been very useful in the writer's room!
Pirates 3 Clip
With all three, I recommend filming and talking through each exercise so you don’t forget any details that may change or pop into your head while you’re working. Once it’s done, and on the page, you can delete the footage, and no one has to know what great lengths you went through to make that big sequence work.
Happy Acting, and Happy Writing!
Writing Tip of the Week: A Cinematic Writing Assignment
What’s your favorite movie? What makes that particular film stand out from the rest of the millions that exist? What is it about that story, its characters, or its themes that left an impression on you?
Time to do a little homework.
I know, I know. Homework. Booooooring! I get it. But, this is creative homework. This is your chance to do a deep dive into your favorite film and get to the heart of why it affects you and why you enjoy it. In turn, this exercise will help you as a writer by giving insight into how they create a compelling story, how they utilize storytelling structure, and how they create compelling characters.
What You Need
- Grab a notepad or legal pad and a pen or pencil.
- A copy of your favorite movie.
- Your Analytical Cap.
- Good Pause Button skills (you’ll be using this a lot).
Think of yourself as a story archaeologist. Your mission is to unearth the storytelling secrets hidden beneath the surface of the film you chose.
Viewing #1
I know it’s your favorite, but as you go through this first time, write down your favorite moments and note at what time or on what page number they occur. Was it a plot point that intrigued you? A clever line of dialogue? A character moment? Write it down and write down why you reacted the way you did to that element.
Do this for the whole movie, then read back through what you observed.
Viewing #2
This round is all about the story. In one or two sentences, write down what happens in each scene that moves the story forward. What’s the main conflict in each scene? You can number the scenes or write a general location of where the scene takes place.
If scenes are revolving around a sub-plot, see how that smaller story is resolved or if it dovetails into the main story.
By the end, you should be able to go back through your notes and see the primary story arc evolve throughout the film. Does each scene feed into the next? Do you notice a pattern as to when the story has significant changes?
All screenplays have a basic story structure. There are dozens of ways to break down that structure, but for the purposes of this exercise, I’ll refer you to The Syd Field Paradigm.
If the screenwriter did their job correctly, these elements should be crystal clear and easy to identify as you review your notes. Highlight or underline what you feel these moments are.
Viewing #3
This final round is all about character. Your job is to watch how the main character changes over the course of the story. What traits do they have at the start of the story? Do they become a better person or a worse person by the end?
This is another scene-by-scene breakdown. Write down in a couple sentences what the main character is doing, how they’re acting, what you feel their motivation or conflict is in the scene. As you go through, you should be able to see their discernable character arc as they navigate their way through the ups and downs of the plot. How does the story impact who they are as a character? How do they impact the events of the story?
Read back through and see if you can clearly identify when the writer began to make changes in the character and how those changes altered the main character by the end of the story.
So, What Did We Learn?
So, now you’ve watched your favorite film three more times and have done some digging into its inner workings. By breaking the movie into its basic components, you have a clearer picture of how this screenwriter crafted a compelling story with an interesting main character. You can see where the story beats are, where the direction of the story changes, and how those elements either impact the main character’s arc or how their arc impacts the story.
Keep this exercise in mind when you finish a draft of your screenplay, play, or novel. If you were to sit down and do this exercise with your work, could you summarize what’s happening in each scene in a sentence or two? Would those sentences be enough to show the main story’s arc throughout the narrative? Does your main character evolve over the course of the story? What happens to cause the change from start to finish?
Consider doing this exercise with your own work to help you strengthen your story and main character in your different drafts.
Extra Credit
Now, if you enjoyed that exercise, why not try it with a movie you strongly dislike? I know it can be hard to stomach a film you can’t stand, but take the emotion out and look at it from an analytical perspective.
The first time through, write down all the elements you dislike and why. If anything does work for you, write it down.
The second and third viewings should be done similar to the ones stated above. You may find that the story arc and/or main character arc are weak and lacking in a lot of ways.
How would you, as this film’s screenwriter, fix these weaknesses? When you read back through, brainstorm what you would have done to make the story and character elements stronger and more effective.
You can learn a lot from both good and bad films by breaking their stories down into their component parts. I highly recommend reading screenplays for films as well. Screenplays give you the nuts and bolts of story and character without the distraction and spectacle so you can analyze things even more in-depth. I recommend checking out the link below to find screenplays to break down and analyze.
Happy writing and analyzing. I’ll see you next week!
Time to do a little homework.
I know, I know. Homework. Booooooring! I get it. But, this is creative homework. This is your chance to do a deep dive into your favorite film and get to the heart of why it affects you and why you enjoy it. In turn, this exercise will help you as a writer by giving insight into how they create a compelling story, how they utilize storytelling structure, and how they create compelling characters.
What You Need
- Grab a notepad or legal pad and a pen or pencil.
- A copy of your favorite movie.
- Your Analytical Cap.
- Good Pause Button skills (you’ll be using this a lot).
Think of yourself as a story archaeologist. Your mission is to unearth the storytelling secrets hidden beneath the surface of the film you chose.
Viewing #1
I know it’s your favorite, but as you go through this first time, write down your favorite moments and note at what time or on what page number they occur. Was it a plot point that intrigued you? A clever line of dialogue? A character moment? Write it down and write down why you reacted the way you did to that element.
Do this for the whole movie, then read back through what you observed.
Viewing #2
This round is all about the story. In one or two sentences, write down what happens in each scene that moves the story forward. What’s the main conflict in each scene? You can number the scenes or write a general location of where the scene takes place.
If scenes are revolving around a sub-plot, see how that smaller story is resolved or if it dovetails into the main story.
By the end, you should be able to go back through your notes and see the primary story arc evolve throughout the film. Does each scene feed into the next? Do you notice a pattern as to when the story has significant changes?
All screenplays have a basic story structure. There are dozens of ways to break down that structure, but for the purposes of this exercise, I’ll refer you to The Syd Field Paradigm.
If the screenwriter did their job correctly, these elements should be crystal clear and easy to identify as you review your notes. Highlight or underline what you feel these moments are.
Viewing #3
This final round is all about character. Your job is to watch how the main character changes over the course of the story. What traits do they have at the start of the story? Do they become a better person or a worse person by the end?
This is another scene-by-scene breakdown. Write down in a couple sentences what the main character is doing, how they’re acting, what you feel their motivation or conflict is in the scene. As you go through, you should be able to see their discernable character arc as they navigate their way through the ups and downs of the plot. How does the story impact who they are as a character? How do they impact the events of the story?
Read back through and see if you can clearly identify when the writer began to make changes in the character and how those changes altered the main character by the end of the story.
So, What Did We Learn?
So, now you’ve watched your favorite film three more times and have done some digging into its inner workings. By breaking the movie into its basic components, you have a clearer picture of how this screenwriter crafted a compelling story with an interesting main character. You can see where the story beats are, where the direction of the story changes, and how those elements either impact the main character’s arc or how their arc impacts the story.
Keep this exercise in mind when you finish a draft of your screenplay, play, or novel. If you were to sit down and do this exercise with your work, could you summarize what’s happening in each scene in a sentence or two? Would those sentences be enough to show the main story’s arc throughout the narrative? Does your main character evolve over the course of the story? What happens to cause the change from start to finish?
Consider doing this exercise with your own work to help you strengthen your story and main character in your different drafts.
Extra Credit
Now, if you enjoyed that exercise, why not try it with a movie you strongly dislike? I know it can be hard to stomach a film you can’t stand, but take the emotion out and look at it from an analytical perspective.
The first time through, write down all the elements you dislike and why. If anything does work for you, write it down.
The second and third viewings should be done similar to the ones stated above. You may find that the story arc and/or main character arc are weak and lacking in a lot of ways.
How would you, as this film’s screenwriter, fix these weaknesses? When you read back through, brainstorm what you would have done to make the story and character elements stronger and more effective.
You can learn a lot from both good and bad films by breaking their stories down into their component parts. I highly recommend reading screenplays for films as well. Screenplays give you the nuts and bolts of story and character without the distraction and spectacle so you can analyze things even more in-depth. I recommend checking out the link below to find screenplays to break down and analyze.
Happy writing and analyzing. I’ll see you next week!
Writing Challenge: Creating a Character
People. We see them every day in some form. Whether it’s in person, on TV, in a movie, or in a photograph, each person is unique and has their own unique look, traits, and personality.
Either through observation out in the real world or via your TV, computer screen, a new story, etc., find a photo of a person (they can be anyone), and write a detailed description of them. If they are a celebrity or politician, give them a new name and profession.
• Describe what they look like.
• What do they do?
• What are they doing that day?
• Who are they with?
• How do they interact with others?
• What thoughts do they have?
• What do they think others think about them?
In this exercise, details matter, so take your time to create a three-dimensional look at this individual. Don’t be afraid to get silly, or dark, or outlandish, this is your opportunity to flex your creative muscles and create a whole new life for an existing person.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Either through observation out in the real world or via your TV, computer screen, a new story, etc., find a photo of a person (they can be anyone), and write a detailed description of them. If they are a celebrity or politician, give them a new name and profession.
• Describe what they look like.
• What do they do?
• What are they doing that day?
• Who are they with?
• How do they interact with others?
• What thoughts do they have?
• What do they think others think about them?
In this exercise, details matter, so take your time to create a three-dimensional look at this individual. Don’t be afraid to get silly, or dark, or outlandish, this is your opportunity to flex your creative muscles and create a whole new life for an existing person.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Writing Exercise: Using the Story Formula
Last time, we looked at the template needed to create a basic story formula:
HERO + GOAL + OPPOSITION = CONFLICT = STORY
For this exercise, use this template and brainstorm five to ten original ideas that utilize this framework.
• What types of HEROES can you create that are unique and interesting?
• What variety of GOALS can you come up with that would motivate a hero to actively pursue them?
• What types of OPPOSITION would throw the hero off-balance and cause them to lose sight of their goal?
• Do any of your ideas stand out as potential concepts for a larger story?
Maybe they all work, perhaps only a couple, but this is a great way to flesh out in its most basic form how a story and its conflict might work on a larger scale.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
HERO + GOAL + OPPOSITION = CONFLICT = STORY
For this exercise, use this template and brainstorm five to ten original ideas that utilize this framework.
• What types of HEROES can you create that are unique and interesting?
• What variety of GOALS can you come up with that would motivate a hero to actively pursue them?
• What types of OPPOSITION would throw the hero off-balance and cause them to lose sight of their goal?
• Do any of your ideas stand out as potential concepts for a larger story?
Maybe they all work, perhaps only a couple, but this is a great way to flesh out in its most basic form how a story and its conflict might work on a larger scale.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Writing Exercise: What’s for Dinner?
Food. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks. We love to eat, and as writers, we need to know how to describe food so our readers can enjoy the meal we serve them through the written word.
The Exercise
Describe a meal in as much detail as possible using the five senses. Whether it’s coffee and toast or a three-course meal, give the reader a true sense of being there and experiencing the meal with you.
You can also describe the room's location, temperature, weather outside, or whatever helps convey the meal to the reader.
Bonus
Have some fun with it and…
• Describe in detail all your meals during the day.
• Describe all your lunches for a week.
• Go out to eat at a new place and describe the meal you get there.
• Go to a familiar restaurant, order something new, and write about it.
Happy Writing and Eating, and I’ll see you next time!
The Exercise
Describe a meal in as much detail as possible using the five senses. Whether it’s coffee and toast or a three-course meal, give the reader a true sense of being there and experiencing the meal with you.
You can also describe the room's location, temperature, weather outside, or whatever helps convey the meal to the reader.
Bonus
Have some fun with it and…
• Describe in detail all your meals during the day.
• Describe all your lunches for a week.
• Go out to eat at a new place and describe the meal you get there.
• Go to a familiar restaurant, order something new, and write about it.
Happy Writing and Eating, and I’ll see you next time!
Writing Exercise of the Week: Fun in the Public Domain
In my last post, I discussed media in the public domain and how it can inspire new ideas without the fear of dealing with copyright-protected media. Today, I present three writing exercises you can do as you explore public domain properties.
While you can easily do these with other media, if you use public domain works and are inspired to take your creative journey further, you won’t have to deal with any legal headaches in the future.
You can use this public domain site as a launching point:
https://publicdomainreview.org/
Let’s jump in!
Exercise #1 – A Free Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Find a public domain photo, painting, or sign and write a 1,000-word story about it. You can either write a fictional story based on what’s in the photo, painting, or sign or write about why the piece grabbed your attention and what you might be able to use it for in a future project.
Exercise #2 – For the Love of Reading
Find a book in the public domain and read through it, noting any ideas, plot points, character moments, or story concepts that interest you. Jot down what you find and list what types of future stories these elements could be used in.
Take a few of the ideas and brainstorm a short story (let’s stick with the 1,000-word model). How can you enhance or transform these ideas into something unique but inspired by the original text?
Hundreds of public domain fiction and nonfiction books are worth a look and are excellent resources for mining ideas!
Exercise #3 – A World of Audio Awaits!
Explore public domain audio and find a song, speech, poem, or other audio clip that grabs your attention. Is there a quote you heard that you liked? Maybe it was the speaker’s cadence or personality that grabbed you.
Use that element as a springboard to write a 1,000-word short story.
Final Thoughts
The possibilities of what public domain media will inspire one of your future writing projects are endless. Explore and find photos, books, audio, and more that might give you your next big idea!
Happy Writing and Exploring, and I’ll see you next time!
While you can easily do these with other media, if you use public domain works and are inspired to take your creative journey further, you won’t have to deal with any legal headaches in the future.
You can use this public domain site as a launching point:
https://publicdomainreview.org/
Let’s jump in!
Exercise #1 – A Free Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Find a public domain photo, painting, or sign and write a 1,000-word story about it. You can either write a fictional story based on what’s in the photo, painting, or sign or write about why the piece grabbed your attention and what you might be able to use it for in a future project.
Exercise #2 – For the Love of Reading
Find a book in the public domain and read through it, noting any ideas, plot points, character moments, or story concepts that interest you. Jot down what you find and list what types of future stories these elements could be used in.
Take a few of the ideas and brainstorm a short story (let’s stick with the 1,000-word model). How can you enhance or transform these ideas into something unique but inspired by the original text?
Hundreds of public domain fiction and nonfiction books are worth a look and are excellent resources for mining ideas!
Exercise #3 – A World of Audio Awaits!
Explore public domain audio and find a song, speech, poem, or other audio clip that grabs your attention. Is there a quote you heard that you liked? Maybe it was the speaker’s cadence or personality that grabbed you.
Use that element as a springboard to write a 1,000-word short story.
Final Thoughts
The possibilities of what public domain media will inspire one of your future writing projects are endless. Explore and find photos, books, audio, and more that might give you your next big idea!
Happy Writing and Exploring, and I’ll see you next time!
