The Importance of Punctuation II

There's more than one "right answer", but here are two versions. The love letter: Dear John, I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we are apart. I can be forever happy - will you let me be yours? Gloria The ending it letter: Dear John, I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people who are not like you. Admit being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men I yearn. For you I have no feelings whatsoever. When we are apart I can be forever happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Gloria

The Importance of Punctuation I

I came across this from Anna Reynolds, a fellow RLF Fellow and thought it might be a fun exercise for the weekend.

Put punctuation into the following to make it first a love letter, then an ending it letter.

Dear John I want a man who knows what love is all about you are generous kind thoughtful people who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior you have ruined me for other men I yearn for you I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart I can be forever happy will you let me be yours Gloria

Why Exercise?

At a workshop the other day one of the participants didn't want join in, on the grounds that they "couldn't relate" to the exercise. I'd not come across that before - people who find an exercise hard, people who don't want to read out, yes, but not people who wouldn't even try an exercise because they couldn't relate to it.

The exercise in question was about developing plot lines. I gave three lines of plot, and the workshoppers had to join them up with plot events. A bit like being given C G J, and having to fill in a-b-C-d-e-f-G-h-i-J-k-l.

The point of the exercise was not in the wonders or originality of the plot, but whether you could get from a to l, taking in CG and J in a coherent manner. I've set the exercise lots of times, and in my experience everybody can. Hopefully they gain confidence that they can plot, and can do it for their own novel.

Because that's all plotting is really. Moving the story forwards one step at a time in a coherent manner, a to b to c. Learning that is the purpose of the exercise. It's not about how well written or what genre the exercise is, the exercise has one function: a tool to practice what's being taught. No one is born knowing how to write, it comes with practice. Exercises are part of that practice, just as much as writing is.

And surely that's something that anyone who wants to write can relate to.

Bank Holiday Writing

An exercise for the Bank Holiday, on the grounds that it's bound to rain. Try and do this one without reading ahead.

Write a sentence, any sentence.

Choose two words out of the sentence and ring them.

Write two new sentences, incorporating the two chosen words.

Choose four words you like from the two new sentences.

Write four new sentences, incorporating the four chosen words.

Choose eight new words you like from the four new sentences.

Write eight sentences, incorporating the eight chosen words.

Then carry on writing and see where it leads.

It's easy to get into ruts with our writing. This adds a random element and gently pushes you to new places.

Flavouring Speech

Last week I was doing something very silly (pointless, you could say) on television with my mate Caroline. Or was it with my friend Caroline? When I'm with my mother with other adults around I usually call her by her given name, but alone she's still my mummy. In other words, my vocabulary shifts depending on who I'm talking to and the circumstances, and I bet yours does too.

Each character you write will have their own way of speaking and their own vocabularies which will change subtly depending on their circumstances. As a writer we need to be aware of this and not write one universal vocal pattern for all our characters. It should be clear from the way the language is spoken - the rhythm of speech, the vocabulary used - which character is talking without the need for dialogue attributions.

Try this... Write a short bit of dialogue as two dukes meet and discuss the weather. Now write another bit of dialogue with two dustbin men meeting up and discussing the weather. Now write some more dialogue, but this time it's with a duke and a dustbin man meeting and discussing the weather. Each time, hear their voices in your head before writing. The dukes don't have to be upper class twits, not the dustbin men Gorblimey Alfred Doolittle types, but try to make it clear from the way they're speaking who is speaking. Capture the flavour of their speech.

In case any one is interested, I'm running a class in Bath on Friday afternoons for 8 weeks over the summer, a mix of exercises and workshopping. Contact me for more details on sarah@sarahduncan.co.uk

Revenge of the Killer Rabbit

An exercise for the weekend...

Think of a small but memorable incident that has happened to you, perhaps in your childhood. If I was doing this exercise I'd write about the rabbit that ran into our garage when I was about eight, and how we ended up adopting it, but it bullied everyone - the cat ran away, the hamster died, and it wouldn't let us watch television - so my father decided The Rabbit Had To Go...

Now tear up some pieces of paper - A4 to four pieces perhaps - or you could use index cards or sheets from a notebook. You want to end up with about 16 or bits. Write out the story using one, perhaps two sentences per bit. So my story would go something like...

Piece 1 - My brother said there was a rabbit in our garage

Piece 2 - My mother caught it

Piece 3 - No one knew whose it was, so we adopted the rabbit

If you need more bits of paper it doesn't matter, if it fits onto only 8 pieces, then that's fine too. When you've done that, go back and add some details, some descriptions of people or places. If you run out of room, re-write on a new bit of paper Try to add some details that fix it in time and space so...

I was on the sofa watching Crackerjack when my little brother came in and said there was a rabbit in our garage.

Crackerjack sets it in the 60s/70s (and for those who remember, specifically: it's Friday, it's Five to Five and it's......Crackerjack!).

Done that? Now, look for places where you can add some direct speech.

'Quick, quick, come quickly!' my little brother said, rushing into the room. I looked up from the sofa where I'd been curled up watching Crackerjack to see him hopping from one knobbly knee'd leg to the other. 'There's a rabbit in our garage!'

When you've done all that, write it out as a continuous piece of prose.

When we write we normally think of the details and let the story take care of itself. This exercise pushes you to making the story move forward, because the initial stage is about nothing but the essential story line. So we start with the forward movement of the story, and the details get added as required, and then finally the dialogue comes. What you should end up with is a great little story with some sparkling detail, lively dialogue and a cracking pace.

Saturday Exercise

Start by going for a walk (the exercise is good for writers bottom as well as writers imagination). On your walk collect natural objects - right now it might be teasel heads and dried seed pods, snowdrops and old man's beard, glossy ivy leaves and a pheasant tail feather. As you walk and collect, think about how these items feel in your hands - light or heavy, rough or smooth, fragile or sturdy. Think about how they smell and the sounds they make as you handle them...

Back home, write either a list of adjectives describing these found objects, or put it into a piece of descriptive prose. Now, using your list or the description, imagine a character and describe them in the same language as the natural object. For example, if you had found a conker, you could compare the prickly outer shell to a prickly personality perhaps concealing glossy depths or you could imagine a child, whose potential is only just beginning to peep out from a shell of parental protection. Or, 'she had spiky hair, but the brownest eyes you ever saw...'.

Then having invented a couple of characters, put them in a scene and see how they play off each other, trying to keep some of the descriptive language you started with.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 12

Finally, with a nod to the season, here are four words: Partridge, Pear, Ring, Drum.

You can use them as adjectives, nouns or verbs, but write an opening that includes all four words. And having started, then carry on and see where your imagination takes you.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 11

Think about the techniques we use to win arguments. This isn't an exhaustive list, but they include:

Deal making - If you do this, I'll do that

Pulling rank - I'm paying or I know more

Violence/bullying - My way or else...

Persistence - aka nagging

Deviousness - withholding information, white lies, flattery

A and B are planning to decorate a room, and have to choose the colours and style of furnishings. The trouble is, they both have very different tastes...

Write the scene, with each one trying to win the other over to their way of thinking, using as many techniques as they can. You'll get more out of the exercise if you make a few decisions about their relationship first, and remember, they are both determined to win.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 10

For this exercise you need a candle...

Light your candle, turn any other lights off and close the curtains. Once, long ago, this was how people used to write. In your head, go back in time, back to a time when there was only candlelight, it could be 100 years ago, it could be 1000 years ago, just go back into the past.

Still in your head, with the candlelight flickering, imagine the place you are in. What is it like? What are the walls made of? Wood, stone or brick? What textures are there - rugs, carpets, curtains, tapestries, furs...? Is the light from the candle reflecting off anything? Take a few minutes to really see the place you are in.

Now imagine what you are wearing. How do the fabrics feel on your skin? Are they heavy or light, rough or smooth? Are they cumbersome or streamlined? Restrictive or loose? How does it feel to wear your clothes? And now, move on from your clothes to your background - are you rich or poor? Do you have a job? How do you feel about what you do?

Try and fix this past version of yourself in your head then, when you feel confident, begin to write a letter to someone in the past.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 9

I did this one with my Bristol students about a year ago and the writing was fabulous.

Write the following scene. Two characters, A and B are talking to each other. They can be any place, and discuss anything. The only rule is, A and B are items of clothing.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 8

New Year's Day, and perhaps some people have decided to make a resolution to write 500 or 1000 or 2000 words a day. That works for some people, but not everyone, and it can mean writing (or rather, not writing) gets to be yet another source of guilt when it should be enjoyable. Hope you enjoy today's exercise.

A is quietly browsing in a bookshop when they observe B take a book and hide it under their coat. Quickly list 10 - yes, 10! - possible things for A to do next, leaving a space between each one. Now write alongside each of the list why someone might behave like in that way, listing as many reasons as you can. For example, if you've written A tells the bookshop manager, then what sort of person reports a shoplifter? They could be ultra law abiding, or like stirring trouble, or bored with their lives and want to see some action.

You should have a piece of paper covered with actions, and possible reasons. Choose one reason that you like the look of. Write down how you think A looks - clothes, hair style, what they've got with them. Finally, write down what A was doing in the bookshop in the first place.

What you've done is work backwards through the usual process. We often start writing with a character and then have to think of a scenario for them to take part in. But if you think about it, in real life we learn about people's characters through their actions. So, if you start with your character taking action, you get to know them much more quickly and descriptions like their clothes etc fall into place more easily.

Enough of the explanations - write this scene and see where it leads you, and if you get bored, try giving A a different action.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 7

I've eaten far too much over Christmas, so today I'm thinking about food. Food writers use all sorts of wonderful descriptions of food, and so should we - but writers can use their descriptions in more useful ways. Here's some dialogue from two characters in a restaurant...

A: Have you been here before?

B: No, never. Have you?

A: Once, a couple of years ago. It's changed hands since.

And here are some scenarios...

1. First date

2. Couple on the verge of breaking up

3. Young journalist interviewing mega rich businessman.

Write this scene out. You're only allowed to use the dialogue above, so you need to use the food and description to give the attitudes of your characters. So, the first date couple might be eating fresh, juicy strawberries and drinking fizzy champagne, the couple breaking up are stuck with limp lettuce and over-cooked pasta, and the mega rich business man is ripping apart his steak so the blood runs...Get the idea? Have fun!

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 5

Choose a character - this could be someone from a WIP or a completely new character. Write down a few basic details eg name, age, sex and some background info such as where they live.

Now, write a scene where your character is getting dressed to go for a job interview, but before you start, think through a few questions...

what is the job?

are they currently employed?

are they qualified for this job?

how do they feel about this job?

are they likely to get this job?

what clothes do they wear normally?

are they choosing different things for this job interview?

When you've thought through the questions, write the scene. Your task is to convey as much information as you can through their choice of clothing and their manner when getting dressed.

It's said that people make up their minds about strangers within three seconds of seeing them. This exercise should make you think about how you present your characters to the reader.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 4

Anna and Ben have gone for supper at Clare and David's house. They are all old friends and the evening has been filled with talk and laughter, delicious food and quite a bit of wine. They are now at the coffee stage. Anna, Ben and Clare are discussing their summer holiday plans - maybe they'll take a cottage together - but David is quiet.

Suddenly David pushes his chair back and stands up. 'I'm sorry,' he says as the others stare at him. 'I can't do this any more. Anna and I - we're in love. We want to be together.'

Re-write this scene in your own words, and from Anna, Ben, Clare and David's point of view in turn.

Think about the difference changing the POV makes to each piece of writing. For example, David might sit through supper feeling guilty, or obsessively watching Anna. Ben might have guessed something is going on with Anna, but not known with whom.

Another thing to think about is the best place to start the scene. For example, if Clare suspects nothing, then there's not much subtext from her POV to play with if you start very early on. But once David reveals the situation, there's much more going on.

Finally, how would it change if you use 1st rather than 3rd person? Or had an omniscient narrator?

There isn't a right or wrong answer here, but the choice of POV changes the way the scene works. Are you making effective choices?

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 3

Here are the beginnings of ten opening lines to ten stories. Continue with the stories, writing at least a paragraph.

I had started to...

He walked down the...

After yesterday I...

The invitation said...

She polished the...

Tomorrow we will...

As the train passed...

In the morning they...

He was stopped by a...

The party was...

I find that if you're given an opening to play with it stimulates lots of story ideas - I hope it works for you.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 2

Gather together twenty bits of paper - index cards are perfect for this. Ideally they'd be divided between two different colours, ten of each, but not to worry if you can't manage this.

On each card of the first set write an abstract noun. (Abstract nouns are things you can't touch eg love, happiness, life.)

On each card of the second set write a concrete noun. (Concrete nouns are things you can touch eg chair, table, pen.)

Don't fret too much about choosing 'good' words, it's supposed to be fun. Shuffle each set of cards.

Select a card from the first set and one from the second so you end up with one abstract noun and one concrete noun. Now, put them together as a proverb - you can play around with the words if you like.

Let's suppose you got 'Life' and 'Chair'. Put together you might have....Life is like a rocking chair, if you stop rocking, everything stops. Or...Life is like a chair, it's easier if you have a cushion.

Work through the sets, shuffling every time you get bored. This is a good exercise to get you away from cliches.

The Twelve Exercises of Christmas: 1

As some people may have next week off and fancy a bit of writing, I thought I'd suggest some writing exercises...

Choose a character - it may be someone from a WIP or a completely new invention. List some of their character traits eg shy, fearless, wild, scary, timid, angry, happy, egotistical, witty....

Now, write a quick scene where the character displays that characteristic. The only rule is you're not allowed to mention the trait (or synonyms), you can only show it.

Happy Christmas, every one!