Lecture 13(part 1)
Weakness of my story:
I think my protagonist does not connect with the audience. They will not be able to feel for the character and understand his emotions and pain. Over use adverbs and adjectives
The CRAFT OF WRITING
-when in doubt, think nouns and verbs
run- dart, sprint, race
hit – cuff, pummel, brutalize
speak – chat, mumble, orate
I hitched a ride to the city on a truck.
I thumbed a ride with an army convoy into Miami.
Choose action over exposition
Communicating info that the audience does not know- exposition
- Don’t describe the scene
- Tell us what people are doing in it.
Build Energy with parallel constructions
- “Speak softly and carry a big stick”
- “A chicken in every pot, a car in every garage”
- “that this government of the people, by the people. for the people shall not perish from this earth.
Notice how you build sentences and see if you can enrich them in a lyrical way.
Write Casually
- Don’t overuse fake words that confuse your reader.
- Contract: won’t, don’t, isn’t, etc
- You might even find it helpful to shorten sentences.
Singlish
- Singlish: can, but it will lower the intellectual level of the piece. Usually reserve it for dialogue.
- Try using it in one or two places in the sentence. It gives voice to your dialogue, without confusing the reader.
Short sentences build suspense.
Then she put the wand down. And waited. Nothing. Quiet.
Open with a bang! Close with emo!
- Your first paragraph should be the best in the entire piece.
- Look at the end. Does it bring emotional closure? Has you character changed? Has your audience?
Part 2
The role of conflict
1. Conflict is the central feature of the screenplay
- man against man
- man against environment
- man against self
2. It’s variations of sex, age, religion and culture which provide variety to the conflict.
Conflict=change
- change is common to everyone
- change is universal
- bodies change
- seasons change
- lives change
- relationships change
- feelings change
- locations change
- technologies change
As universal as change may be people often resist it for fear of the unknown.
People must learn to cope with change if they want to survive.
The action in drama depends on conflict
Conflict
- opposition of persons or forces
- it is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills and creates the plot.
- plot cannot be constructed without conflict.
- as your characters attempt to reach their goals, they come into conflict with each other.
- the end of the story nears when the protagonist and antagonist approach their goals and the conflict rises to generate maximum suspense and excitement.
