  Drama
This week: Edited by: StephBee  
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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.
Welcome to the first Drama NL for 2010. It's my honor to ring in the New Year with you all. Believe it or not, I have just completed 3 years as an editor here on the Drama Newsletter. It's been a heck of a three years and I hope I've helped to give you a good sense of what drama is all about. We'll see what 2010 has in store for me. I might try to move on to another NL if something I like comes open.
This month I thought I'd take a look at military drama, as a belated tribute to Veteran's Day. Since the start of the Iraq war, we've all been dealing with the effects of war. For some of us, we've been touched personally. I'll be taking a look themes in military writing and those elements which give military drama a feeling of authenticity.
Oh...and I thought I'd take a look at New Years Resolutions as well. |
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The plot of a military drama involves being in the field of armed combat or in a domestic setting, ie, the homefront where the characters are engaged in preparations for war or are recovering from war. The plot is serious with realistic characters in a realistic setting.
In order to write a military story in a realistic way, a writer must consider the following elements: research the military and the place.
Research the Military:
Get to know the branch of service you are writing about. There are the Marines, Army, the Navy, and Air Force. Get to know the branches if you aren't already familiar with them. Little things mean a lot here. For example, the enlisted in the Navy are "sailors" not "soldiers." If you understand the differences, then you can bring to your drama a sense of authencity it might not have had otherwise.
Research the Place:
Whatever war you choose, The American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq/Afganistan conflicts, make sure you've researched the setting where the war occurs. By acurately describing the setting and the culture, you pepper in authencity without even realizing it.
Military Themes
Connect with readers through your characters. Soldiers from the Civil War through Iraq/Afganistan have had to face the same issues/themes. They've had to tap into an inner strength and face fear. They've known loathing of the enemy, death; they've had to deal with how death smells. They've had to be brave in the face of danger. They've had to find courage to tackle their fears. These are all military themes that your characters can experience which will make them connect to the reader.
Remember research the branch of service, the setting, and connect to readers by using those themes which are unique to the military and it will help you craft a military drama that will have resonance with your readers.
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Welcome to 2010!! Hope your New Year is off to a good start. I didn't want to miss out so I thought I'd take a look at New Year's Resolutions. Most of us make them. But why? Believe it or not the tradition of making resolutions can be traced back to the ancient Babylonians and Romans. Janus, was a mythical king of ancient Rome and had two faces. With these two faces he could look toward the future and back at the past. Romans would look toward the past to ask forgiveness from their enemies while exchanging gifts for the New Year. A popular anicient Babylonian resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. Today, the most popular resolutions are to quit smoking, tobacco products, lose weight and stop drinking alcohol excessively. I guess resolutions change with the times. 
Why make them? Because even a single resolution can positively change your life and the start of a New Year is a perfect time to do so, when we put the past behind us and look forward to the future, just like Janus.
FEEDBACK: Write in and let me know what your New Years Resolution is. Do you have a story about New Year's Resolutions? Submit it to the Drama NL and I'll add it in my next Newsletter.
HOT DRAMA POLL
Last month's poll question: What is your FAVORITE holiday story?
#1 - A Christmas Carol
#2 - A Christmas Story
#3 - It's a Wonderful Life
This month's Question: It's that time of the year when the film industry hosts it's awards shows. What's your favorite show? The Oscars? The SAG awards? The Golden Globes? BAFTRA? The Tonys? Take the poll and tell us!
FEATURED PRODUCT REVIEW
Do you have a suggestion you'd like me to tackle in the Drama Newsletter? Write in and tellme. NEXT: I'll be getting back to script basics when I take a look at scripts and plays. I'll be tackling movie/play subgenres, and I'll be reviewing the different lengths of scripts/plays to help you detemine which best suits your writing needs. |
Here's some military drama picks from around the site:
|  | George (13+)
Let us not ever forget.1st Place - New Story - Co-winner Oak Cliff Review 3/3/04
#809426 by Rasputin  |
SOME DRAMA ACTIVITES
|  | 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
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
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Here's some feedback from my 09 DEC 09 Newsletter:
bronxbishop
Great newsletter, Steph! I read the Drama newsletter because I always struggle with what genre I write in. I think some of my writing (short stories) can be construed as drama but have never catagorized them as such. How does one know for sure?
It is great to see your pic again after so much time! It always makes me smile.
Some genres are easy to define like romance or horror. Some aren't. Drama, at it's roots is a script or play. The script or the play could be anything. Think of Shakespeare - he was famous for his histories, tragedies, and comedies and at the heart of it, the Drama Masks are comedy and tragedy, aren't they?
Secondly, Drama is always realistic characters in realistic settings. Modern dramatists like Arthur Miller embody this in "Death of a Salesman." If your shorts are realistically based, there's no reason they can't be drama. I hope that helps.
Joy
Great newsletter, Steph. Everyday life is drama. Thanks for pointing that out. The themes and effect of the holidays on them is a brilliant take, too.
The holidays are real life, Joy, and thus, drama. You nailed it! Hope you and everyone who hangs out with the Drama Newsletter had a great holiday season!
StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Her book, "The Wolf's Torment," is a supernatural coming of age story that takes place in Romania in the 1860's. It is published with IUniverse. |
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Drama: January 06, 2010 Issue [#3477]
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