The Exploratory Writing Workshop - Files

The Exploratory Writing Workshop - Files  (13+) Main folder for The Exploratory Writing Course pages #1826490 by percy goodfellow

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> All pages for the workshop are kept in this folder.
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> In the military, there are two steps to the planning process. The first is figuring out
> what is best. The second is planning how you intend to do it. This workshop embodies the
> first of those two principles. You can't just start writing about the first
> possibility that comes to mind. It might be sort of half baked and fall far short of the
> character and story potential. A little development goes a long way.
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> For example, when you start out to write a story, you might think you know who the central
> character is. It is almost a guarantee, if you act solely on first impulse, that you will
> get just past the point of no return and realize the story you're writing is not going
> where you want. Your central character is something less than central. In the workshop, I
> hope the possibilities begin to open up that are much more intriguing, and characters
> emerge who can upstage the CC you started out with.
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> In phase one of this workshop, you need to begin with an attitude that the developmental
> part is going to be an audition of sorts to find out who the CC is going to be and the
> direction the story is headed. Then in phase two, after you settle on these answers, you
> are ready to firm up an outline and follow the story line that is now much more clearly
> defined. Finally, you will know how it ends. That is huge before you start pushing the
> pencil or pounding the keys.
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> Once you have written the six vignettes and developed three characters (or more), you have
> a pretty good idea where your story is going—much better than you did as you looked
> out the window and lamented, “Woe is me,” over your writer's cramp. These
> little exploratory essays will help you see who is worthy of the role of CC in this story,
> ad undertaking that is going to entail a whole lot of pain and developmental effort. All
> this is leading towards coming up with the thread of a tale that has some complexity and
> elegance rather than the first thing that comes to mind.
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