Proper Writing Format
-present tense
-3rd person
-visual voice
The “3RD PERSON/PRESENT TENSE”
-A character is “narrating” the story as it is happening
Example: Mark picks up the gun and holds it in his hand.It begins to tremble,as if alive.
-It presents a more immediate and urgent feel to the material.
-commonly used in:
-Thriller & suspense genres
-screenplays
–The story/film is unfolding as we read it.
–Fosters a more urgent and immediate feel to the story.
PASSIVE VOICE VS. ACTIVE VOICE
Passive voice:
-uses weak verbs
-tell what is happening in the character’s head.
-Distances the reader from the story
Active voice:
-uses strong action verbs
-shows the action
-uses an immediate sentence structure
-conveys the story in a lively manner
Example(Passive voice):The sky was blue with a lot of fluffy white clouds.
Example(Active voice): Fluffy white clouds drift like cotton in the ocean blue sky.
Example(Passive voice): Mark was angry with Jane for tricking into helping her
Example(Active voice): Mark slams the door and stalks across the chamber.He shouts, “B*tch!”
TIPS FOR WRITING:
-Everyone will not have problems coming up with a list of excuses for procrastination.
-The biggest problem is getting started.
-If you have a work in progress, NEVER stop for the night if you are stuck.
-Always solve the problem and keep going until you are in safer water.A good night’s sleep is important.Sleeping on problems is a myth.
-If you can’t get started on a project,start writing anyway.To do this,you need to have some words to type.
-It doesn’t matter what you write,you’ll soon begin to think and move in your own rhythm/pace.
EXERCISE 1A:OPENERS
-NOTE DOWN QUESTIONS YOU WERE ASKING YOURSELF AS YOU WROTE IT.
–Whose story am I telling?
–What is the point of this story?
–How do I engage the attention of the audience?
Examples:
-Sally keeps glancing at her watch..
-Joe opens the bottle and takes a whiff…
-May closes her eyes and jumps off…
-James paces around the empty hallway…
-Mel opens the envelope.Her hand shakes…
Work Example:
Wearing a banana suit,Johnson walk towards the Botanic Gardens.people walking pass him starts to wonder, “Who is that?”
As they watch,more and more people in banana suits emerge from the bush behind a nearby bench,startling the audiences.
Johnson’s limbs suddenly moves and all the people in banana suits shouts “Its peanut Butter Jelly Time!”
“Johnson…”A whisper from nowhere reaches johnson’s ears.
“Johnson!” his mother shouts as Johnson open his eyes with a banana in his mouth.
EXERCISE 1B:OPENERS
-Write 12 opening phrases in your blogs under the Openers Page
-Write a story based on an opener and post it in blog.
Author of the OPENER to comment on the NEW interpretion
DECIDE who is the AUTHOR of the FINAL PIECE
ELEMENTS OF DIALOGUE
-Dialogue reveals character
-A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him.
-Dialogue establishes relationship between characters
-Once you have established your main character’s POV,you can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes,creating opposite/alternative POVs.
-This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters.
-Good effective dialogue will move the story forward.
-Dialogue communicates faces and information to the audience.
-It conveys essential exposition.
-Characters will talk about what happened,establishing the storyline.
-Dialogue comments on the action.
DIALOGUE TIES THE SCRIPT TOGETHER
-It is one of the devices that you as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters.
-Dialogue should be used sparingly
-NEVER TELL THE AUDIENCE WHAT THEY CAN SEE FOR THEMSELVES
<<Dialogue is no substitute for action>>
-COMMON MISTAKE
-Students sometimes never achieve a level of competence as they tend to reproduce conventional spoken language,long statements of “REAL TALKING”, and defend their decision by telling us that:
“It’s how the character speaks.”
-GOOD DIALOGUE is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life.
-If that was all there is to it, you can just push a button on the tape recorder and then go collect your Oscar.
-GOOD DIALOGUE is the illusion of reality.
-You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.
-COMMON MISTAKE
-Students tends to create radio shows with images.
<<FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM>>
EXERCISE:WRITING DIALOGUE
-THE SCENARIO:
-A middle-aged man returns home from work.
-He had stopped for a few drinks with his friends and forgot to phone his wife to tell her he’ll be late.
-The dinner is ruined.
-Write a short scene composed of dialogue between husband and wife:
Wife:Honey, where have you been?Its already past midnight!
Husband:urghh I err just took a few drinks with some of mah friends,urghh
Wife:WHAT?!didn’t you promise me not to drink during weekdays?!
Husband:urgghh ITS JUST AvDRINKKK!!!urghh how bad can it get??
Purpose of Exercise:WE WRITE WHAT WE KNOW WELL
STORYTELLING TOOL 1:OBSERVATION
-Adopt a KEEN EYE
-Develop a natural SENSE OF CURIOUSITY
-An observed event,when subject to simple questions,can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling.
-Who am I writing about?
-Who is my character?
-What is he/she/it like?
-What does he/she/it/ do?
-What happens to him/her/it in the story?
-MINDLESS OBSERVATION vs TRUE OBSERVATION
-Observe in a conscious way
-Develop the ability to SEE and RECORD people:
–Their Movements/physical characteristics
–The setting/places they’re in
EXERCISE:PEOPLE-WATCH
1.Walk into the canteen/library,etc. and watch people pass by.
2.Eventually one will catch your attention.
3.Write down as many details as possible through observation.
4.Repeat steps 1- 3 for a second character.
5.Transcribe all these details into the “PEOPLE-WATCH” page that you will create on your blog.
CHARACTERIZATION:DEFINING THE CHARACTER
-A story starts with a character
-A character is the heart and soul and nervous system of your screenplay
-It is through your chracters that viewers experience emotions.It is through your characters that they are touched.
<without a character,there is no action>
<without action,you have no conflict>
<without conflict,you have no story>
<without story,you have no screenplay>
DEVELOPING CHARACTERS
-When developing a character,ask yourself:
–>Who is your character?
–>What dos he want?
–>What is his quest?
–> What drives him to the resolution of the story?
1.Establish your main character.
Characters should have a 3D structure.
(a)Physiology
-Sex/age/Height,Weight/Color of hair,eyes,skin/Posture/appearance/Defects,abnormalities,deformities,birth marks,diseases/Heredity
(b)Sociology
-Class (lower,middle,upper)/Occupation/Education/Religion/Race,Nationality/Place in the Community (leader among friends,club,sports)/Political Affiliations/Amusements (Hobbies,books,magazines he/she read)
(c)Psychology
-Sex life,Moral standards/Personal Premise,Ambition/Frustrations,Chief Disappointments/Temperament/Attitude towards life/Complexes/Personality/Abilities (language talents)/Qualities/IQ
-What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect or hide?
1.Separate the components of his life into 2 basic categories:
(a) Interior
The interior life takes place from birth until the moment your story begins.It is a process that forms character.
-How old is he when the story begins?
-Where does he live?
-Does he have siblings?
-What kind of childhood did he have?
-What was his relationship to his parents?
-What kind of child was he?
-Is he married,single,widowed,separated or divorced?
(b) Exterior
It is a process that reveals character.
-Who are they and what do they do?
-Are they sad or happy with their life?
-Do they wish their life was different?Another job,another wife?
REVIEW EXERCISE 3:50 WORD STORIES
>>PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE
-Breaks down the myth of handlig only 1 idea at a time
-Encourages precise and concise writing
-Teaches basic script editing skills,to focus and reveal the essential elements
DYNAMIC ACTION
<<STORY IS ACTION>>
-Action encompasses any kind of movement,activity and interaction between the characters and also between the characters and their surroundings.
-Talking about how one feels is not as powerful as illustrating why one feels the way theydo through action.
<<FILM IS BEHAVIOUR>>
-Action is the manifestation of behaviour.
-The complexity of the human psyche and interaction is better understood when it is possible to watch the actions,nuances and reactions of the characters.
-It has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the stakes and increasing the tension.
MOVING PICTURES
-THE POWER OF ANY STORY LIES IN THE NARRATOR’S ABILITY TO PROTECT A MENTAL PICTURE FOR THE AUDIENCE.
>>PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE
-Addresses the problem many newbies have to screenwriting:
-How to convey visually any sense of inner conflict of emotion.
INTERACTIVE LOCATION
-LOCATION IS:
-A physical location
-A place in which events occur and characters interact
INTERACTIVE LOCATION IS:
-A physical setting and surrounding that INTERACTS with the characters of the film by positively heightening their action.
-It can enhance the impact of the action heighten stakes.
-Example,a high rise building invokes more suspense than a low rise building if a character is afraid of heights and has to leap between two buildings.
STORYTELLING TOOL 2:MEMORY
-Your 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.
-Write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know.
-THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR PERSONAL DISCOVERY!
EXERCISE:LETTER TO SOMEONE FROM THE PAST
-This might be a person to whom you can no longer speak to
-could be someone you completely lost touch with even someone who is dead
You should describe yourself exactly as you are in present time and then try and contrast
-Entries to be posted on your blogs under the page “Letter to the past”.
-You can pasword-protect your page – just remember to let me know the password so I can grade you!
>>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.
STORYTELLING TOOL 3: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.
TIP:If you don’t know what to do with a character,put yourself in the character’s shoe.
-See how this character relates to the world he has been thrown into.
>>>PLUNDER YOUR OWN PERSONAL BACKGROUND
-The things that happen to you grow up and the things that are currently happening to make terrific story sources.
EXERCISE 5:TRUE & FALSE STORIES
-Write 2 short stories
-One is completely TRUE
-One is completely FALSE
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