  Drama
This week: Edited by: StephBee  
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3. Letter from the Editor
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DRAMA IS:
#1 - The Greek word for "action."
#2 - A real life situation or succession of events having the dramatic progression of a play.
In my last newsletter, I talked about how to get your drama moving with a little action in the beginning. In this newsletter, I'll talk about how to sustain the drama to the end.
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MIDDLES
What's the rule of thumb for the middle of your story? It must hold. It's not as easy as it looks.
It's easy to get off track in your middle. Your characters may do something different than you expected or a member of the supporting cast may become as prominent as the main characters. To get through the middle, you must focus on the crux of the plot.
Focus? How?
Remember your plot. Write a blurb and keep it nearby when you write. Refer to it when you feel you're getting a little off course. Outlines, scene cards, and spreadsheets also help. You can refer to these when you find yourself going off track.
BIG TIP: A "signpost" scene might help you cement your middle.
A signpost scene generally contains the major confrontation or complication of your story. Once you're done with your beginning, gear your scenes to reach the signpost scene. Once you reach it, then you can move downward toward your ending.
ENDINGS
The end of your story should tie up loose threads. Ultimately, the ending must satisify the story.
Keep in mind there are 5 different types of endings:
#1 - The main character reaches his objective. (the happy ending)
#2 - The main character loses his objective. (an unhappy ending)
#3 - The main character reaches his objective, but loses something more valuable. (this is known as the classic tragedic ending. Romeo and Juliet and Antigone come to mind here)
#4 - The main character sacrifices his objective for the greater good. (Star Trek II?)
#5 - The ending is bittersweet and a bit ambigous. (usually mainstream/literary pieces are like this)
Remember Resonance
You want your story to linger in the reader's mind after they put it down. This leaves the reader with something beyond the end. Resonance is tricky. It's found in dialogue, narration, description, or anything that feels appropriate.
Reference for this newsletter: Revision and Self Editing James Scott Bell, F&W Publications, 2008.
NEXT:
In plays and scripts, the backbone of the ACT are the individual scenes. I'll take a look at scenes, their intent, tension, and patterns.
THE EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL
A film festival is an extended presentation of films in a single locality. Most film festivals offer awards for the movies presented at them. A lot of movies are featured or premiered at film festivals. The Edinburgh Film Festival is the oldest continually running FF. It was established in 1947. This year it ran from 17-28 June, but it usually runs in August.
Honorary patrons of the Edinburgh Film Festival include Sir Sean Connery, Tilda Swinton, and Robert Carlyle. It has a strong investiment in the UK/Scottish film industry. "Knocked Up," and "A Mighty Heart," were screened at the 2007 Festival.
Is there a film festival you want me to feature? Write in and let me know.
THE HOT DRAMA POLL
August's Question: Where do you find inspiration for your muse?
#1 - Listening to a CD.
#2 - Reading your favorite author.
#3 - Watching a DVD.
Here's some feedback on the HOT DRAMA POLL:
Kristina 
I am happy to see that I am one of many who have found solace in writing based off inspiration from music. I love creating soundtracks for each chapter, book, character, etc. It's great to see that music is still at the forefront of dvds and movies when it comes to inspiration also!
Music is stirring. It's easy to understand how muse stirs the muse.
percy goodfellow 
StephB
My muse comes to me while I'm driving, taking long walks or waking up in the morning after a kinda fitful night's sleep. Of the choices in the poll I think reading is the genesis although what percolates into a "muse" flash has generally been cooking off for a long time.
I think any time alone with your thoughts can summon the muse. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
September's Question: What's the weakest element in your writing?
Characterization
Dialogue
Description
Point of View
Tense
Beginnings
Middles
Ends
Pop on Over to the poll and let us know.
FEATURED PRODUCT REVIEW
I chose a DVD as movies are the ultimate product of a script/play.
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Here are some drama picks from around the site. I've got a mix of scripts/plays plus stories that are character driven.
A nice vignette. Good format.
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#1584208 by Not Available. |
Presents an issue many young people face.
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#1572087 by Not Available. |
A nice folder with several drama items to explore.
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#1575389 by Not Available. |
Great format. A topic that young people face.
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#1585857 by Not Available. |
A good character driven story.
A story that revolves around choices.
An emotional vignette.
SOME DRAMA ACTIVITIES
|  | Drama Forum (13+)
For those of us drama queens and kings, a forum to swap writing ideas and post questions
#1394242 by Joy  |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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esprit
Thanks for the kind welcome, Steph.  Good topic tips this week; openings aren't as easy as some writers make them appear.
You're welcome! I agree - they aren't as easy as some writers make them out to be.
Adriana Noir
Good stuff, Steph!  You have a great point about prologues. Thanks for the warm welcome too. I'm looking forward to it!
You're welcome. Drama rocks. It's nice to have you both on board.
Mara ♣ McBain 
Terrific newsletter! I love the tips on openings. I always strive to reach out and hook the reader and these pointers will help! 
Thanks, Sweetie. I love your stories. They're always dynamic.
What can I say?
Drama Rocks.
StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Her book, "The Hungarian," will be published with Desert Breeze Publishing in the spring of 2010.
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Drama: August 19, 2009 Issue [#3209]
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