 Drama: October 03, 2018 Issue [#9151] |
This week: Are you ready to write? Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Drama Newsletter by Dawn
Some people just write stories, but others, well they need to do some work before getting started. These people like to be prepared and many different options exist. What will you do? It depends on your process and your story. |
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It is that time of year when some of the writing realm gears up in preparation for a particularly known writing sessions, aka national novel writing month. And for some of us here on WDC that means October is time to prep. This includes a month long challenge with different activities focused on helping develop an idea into something one can write a novel, or at least 50,000 words of during novel writing month in November. Preparing ahead of time can be quite helpful whether it's for NaNoWriMo or even for a novel at all or even if it's for something else.
I'm not much planner, I will admit. I am more write by the seat of the pants type of style even though it can mean having to write a couple more drafts along with maybe an extra editing pass or two. However, I have taken part in October Prep Challenge in the past and found it very helpful. So, while I don't prepare my stories all of the time, there is some use for doing such even if it's not a preferred method. Let's look a little at some things you can do to prepare to write a story of any length.
First is the idea.
The easiest and probably most common form of preparation is to simply come up with the idea. Sure, it is almost obvious to the point of seeming not like preparation at all. However, it is possible to wing it entirely and just start writing. Might work better in shorter forms when coming up with rewrite/editable results but one might be able to get a very long story out of not starting with anything. However, it's much easier to at the very least come up with some type of idea first. How far you develop said idea, whether it requires sheets of notes or any other factors, that is up to your process. For contests on here, this might even be done for you in the form of a prompt, which you can than develop.
Past that there are a number of options involved. Do you build the world? What about an outline? Then there are character development sheets or descriptions of setting. You can go very simplistic with bare bones approach to details or write enough to fill a book in just prep work. There is a point where it can become too much, however, and instead of helping the preparation can instead distract from the work of writing. And some may not consider the fact that one doesn't need to do all of the prep work ahead of the first draft. Since most stories need rewrites and edits, there are chances to prepare during the various steps along the way of creating a finished product.
Is there any particular way to prepare to write a dramatic story in particular?
Not that I'm aware of but someone probably has a method. Perhaps you can hold a plastic skull and recite lines from Shakespeare to get into the right mental space (which is another aspect of getting ready since it's not just about the aspects needed to tell the story but being ready to physically/mentally do the work as well). Or maybe you need to find the right music to fit the mood you are trying to create.
Get a document open. Create a new item here on WDC. Find a notebook and pen that works. Whatever method you use for writing, make sure you have that available. Then do what comes next: Write.
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Are you ready to write a story or novel?
A few weeks ago I wrote for the Drama newsletter about self-focused characters. Here are the comments sent in over the topic:
Comment by Elfin Dragon-finally published 
I have one character who is just that. My antagonist is an egomaniac with ideas of grandeur. The world revolves around him and he believes no one can stop him. It doesn't hurt he knows how to use magic where very few around him do. And yep, he's a bit on the looney side.
- That probably makes for an interesting character.
Comment by sdv413
What about third person omniscient? That means the reader is seeing the world from the narrator's POV, and that one sees everything - at least in the context of the story. It seems to me that this was understood half a century ago when I took English classes in high school and college, but it seems to have been forgotten now - or rejected as invalid. I still like it, and I still often write that way. I recently read Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, and it definitely jumped around from one character's view to another's. Is it really so important that the reader identify with just one of the characters? Thanks for whatever guidance you can give, Dawn Embers.
Steve (sdv413)
- To be honest, I don't know much about omniscient as it's a little more difficult to write at least without some practice. I've mostly stuck to limited third person. Still around but not near as common much like second person pov. However, they don't have to identify with a single character. Epic fantasy has a number of well known stories that jump to different characters, such as Game of Thrones. The hard part in writing it, in particular for newer writers, is to not jump at random so the reader doesn't get lost.
Comment by Warped Sanity 
I believe I understood you from the beginning. Life, in general, is perception. How one accesses a situation, will differ from another's perceptions, even if they are in the same room. As writers, getting into the shoes of another, thinking about how they might perceive things can be a challenge, but having diverse characters and well-rounded characters are important if you want to keep your readers interest.
- Very true. It is all about perspective. The antagonist is the hero in their own point of view and not everyone views the situation in the same way. Part of the fun in writing is showing the different characters, sharing their stories to the reader.
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