September/October 2013 Issue of The Scribblers Newsletter
Welcome to the September/October issue of the Scribblers. September and October are combined this month because I was unable to write the September issue due to surgery.This month we have writing prompts, a look at Joe Hill, Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling, 10 Techniques for more precise writing, writing contests, grants and awards, and the 10th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival . I hope you enjoy it.
Writing Prompts
Each month we try to come up with a couple of prompts for you to use. Pick one or more and write 750 to 1,000 words
using the prompt/s as the basis of your story. Most of all, have fun with it.
1. His feet were already numb. He should have listened.
2. She woke, shivering, in the dark of the night.
3. They came back every year to lay flowers at the spot.
using the prompt/s as the basis of your story. Most of all, have fun with it.
1. His feet were already numb. He should have listened.
2. She woke, shivering, in the dark of the night.
3. They came back every year to lay flowers at the spot.
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling as Image Macros
from Twisted Sifter
To see these rules as images, which are very entertaining in themselves, click here
These 22 rules, in plain text follow:
#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
A Look at Joe Hill
Joe Hillstrom King or Joe Hill is an American writer born on June 4, 1972 in Hermon, Maine. He is the son of writers, Stephen King and Tabitha King.
Joe published his first book, a collection of horror stories called '20th Century Ghosts', in 2005. It won the Bram Stoker Award and the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection. He has since published the best selling novels 'Heart Shaped Box' (2008) and 'Horns' (2010). He is also the author of the comic book series Locke & Key. He collaborated with his father for the novella, 'Throttle', for the Richard Matheson tribute anthology 'He Is Legend'.
'Horns', and Indie production starring former Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, is due out sometime in 2014.
Joe appeared in the Stephen King - George A. Romero - and - Tom Savini cult classic film Creepshow (1982), in which he played Billy, the son of
overbearing father Tom Atkins, in the film's wraparound segment.
To learn more aobut Joe Hill's work, click here
Joe published his first book, a collection of horror stories called '20th Century Ghosts', in 2005. It won the Bram Stoker Award and the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection. He has since published the best selling novels 'Heart Shaped Box' (2008) and 'Horns' (2010). He is also the author of the comic book series Locke & Key. He collaborated with his father for the novella, 'Throttle', for the Richard Matheson tribute anthology 'He Is Legend'.
'Horns', and Indie production starring former Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, is due out sometime in 2014.
Joe appeared in the Stephen King - George A. Romero - and - Tom Savini cult classic film Creepshow (1982), in which he played Billy, the son of
overbearing father Tom Atkins, in the film's wraparound segment.
To learn more aobut Joe Hill's work, click here
The Husband's Secret by Laine Moriarty
a Kirkus Book Review
The Husband's Secret, written by Austrailian author Laine Moriarty, tracks the intertwining relationship between three women, their families and their
connection to one Catholic school.
There are more than enough secrets to go around in the intertwining lives of three women connected to a Catholic elementary school in Sidney.
Australian Moriarty (The Hypnotist’s Love Story, 2012, etc.) experiments with the intersection of comedy and tragedy in her slyly ambitious
consideration of secrecy, temptation, guilt and human beings’ general imperfection.
Superorganized, always-on-the-go Cecilia is a devoted mother who constantly volunteers at her daughters’ school while running a thriving Tupperware
business. Not quite as perkily perfect as she seems, 40-year-old Cecilia yearns for some drama in her life. Then, she finds a sealed envelope from her
husband that is to be opened only in the event of his death. John-Paul is very much alive, but the temptation to read the contents is understandably
strong. Once she does, she can’t erase the secrets revealed.
Meanwhile, in Melbourne, 30-something Tess’ husband breaks the news that he’s fallen in love with Tess’ first cousin/best friend/business partner.
Furious, Tess moves to her mother’s house in Sydney. Enrolling her 6-year-old son at St. Angela's, Tess runs into former lover Connor, and sparks re-
ignite.
Formerly an accountant, Connor is now the school’s hunky gym coach and is crushed on by students, teachers and parents like Cecilia. One holdout from
the general adoration is widowed school secretary Rachel. Connor was the last person to see her 17-year-old daughter Janie before Janie was strangled in
1984. Still grief-stricken and haunted by a belief that she could have prevented Janie’s death if she hadn’t been 15 minutes late to pick her up, Rachel
is increasingly convinced Connor is the murderer. As the women confront the past and make hard decisions about their futures (the novel’s men are pale
and passive), their fates collide in unexpected ways.
There is real darkness here, but it is offset by the author’s natural wit—she weaves in the Pandora myth and a history of the Berlin Wall—and
irrepressible goodwill toward her characters.
connection to one Catholic school.
There are more than enough secrets to go around in the intertwining lives of three women connected to a Catholic elementary school in Sidney.
Australian Moriarty (The Hypnotist’s Love Story, 2012, etc.) experiments with the intersection of comedy and tragedy in her slyly ambitious
consideration of secrecy, temptation, guilt and human beings’ general imperfection.
Superorganized, always-on-the-go Cecilia is a devoted mother who constantly volunteers at her daughters’ school while running a thriving Tupperware
business. Not quite as perkily perfect as she seems, 40-year-old Cecilia yearns for some drama in her life. Then, she finds a sealed envelope from her
husband that is to be opened only in the event of his death. John-Paul is very much alive, but the temptation to read the contents is understandably
strong. Once she does, she can’t erase the secrets revealed.
Meanwhile, in Melbourne, 30-something Tess’ husband breaks the news that he’s fallen in love with Tess’ first cousin/best friend/business partner.
Furious, Tess moves to her mother’s house in Sydney. Enrolling her 6-year-old son at St. Angela's, Tess runs into former lover Connor, and sparks re-
ignite.
Formerly an accountant, Connor is now the school’s hunky gym coach and is crushed on by students, teachers and parents like Cecilia. One holdout from
the general adoration is widowed school secretary Rachel. Connor was the last person to see her 17-year-old daughter Janie before Janie was strangled in
1984. Still grief-stricken and haunted by a belief that she could have prevented Janie’s death if she hadn’t been 15 minutes late to pick her up, Rachel
is increasingly convinced Connor is the murderer. As the women confront the past and make hard decisions about their futures (the novel’s men are pale
and passive), their fates collide in unexpected ways.
There is real darkness here, but it is offset by the author’s natural wit—she weaves in the Pandora myth and a history of the Berlin Wall—and
irrepressible goodwill toward her characters.
Poets & Writers
Writing Contests, Grants and Awards and the 10th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival
We're all interested in contests and Poets & Writers has a nice database with all the info you need about current contests, grants and awards. You can find it here
10th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival
January 20-25, 2014, Delray Beach, Florida. Faculty: Nick Flynn, Carolyn Forché, Linda Gregg, Thomas Lux, Campbell McGrath, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Mary
Ruefle, Tim Seibles. Special guest, Natasha Trethewey. A full week of events celebrating poetry and our tenth anniversary in Delray Beach. Workshops,
readings, craft talks, interviews, one-on-one conferences, annual gala celebration, late night coffee house, and more. Deadline: November 11, 2013.
January 20-25, 2014, Delray Beach, Florida. Faculty: Nick Flynn, Carolyn Forché, Linda Gregg, Thomas Lux, Campbell McGrath, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Mary
Ruefle, Tim Seibles. Special guest, Natasha Trethewey. A full week of events celebrating poetry and our tenth anniversary in Delray Beach. Workshops,
readings, craft talks, interviews, one-on-one conferences, annual gala celebration, late night coffee house, and more. Deadline: November 11, 2013.
To apply online, click here
Gotham Writers Classes in New York or Online
Gotham’s Fall term is underway, and we have a whole bunch of classes beginning in early October, both in New York and Online.
For online information, click here
For information on New York classes, click here
10 Techniques for more precise writing from 'Daily Writing Tips'
Daily Writing Tips sends daily writing info each day to your inbox. The other day they sent the 10 techniques and I thought I'd share. You can see this article by clicking here
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