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In This Episode
- Fictionette news
- A new series! “The Writing Process”
- Our first topic? Brainstorming.
- Exercise of the week!
Our new series on the writing process begins at the beginning – with the brainstorming!
A bit of brainstorming now can save you tons of rewriting and revision work in the future.
There are two main parts to brainstorming – the meta part (thinking about how you’re going to write or what you need in order to get started), and the story part (just like it says on the tin).
The meta part – A list of things you need to research (if applicable), materials or resources you need to gather, what publication/audience the piece is intended for, and whether you have enough coffee to get you through. Stuff like that.
The story part – A character reference list (maybe including some notes about the character arc), scene descriptions, notes on the mental and physical landscapes involved, and the deeper themes or elements you’re trying to treat. Stuff like that.
Brainstorming is NOT designed to lock you into one particular story or iteration thereof. It’s merely a jumping off point – kind of like a mental reference marker. A starting place.
You’ll probably do some pre-writing or brainstorming for every piece – more for longer pieces, less for shorter ones. Don’t neglect it, though. It really makes your life easier down the road.
Links
Scrivener – Writing software for Mac (I use this!)
Liquid Story Binder – Writing software for Windows (I’ve heard this is really good.)
Idea Spaces – A previous post on idea incubation.
Charlie’s video – Where he mentions the way soldiers remember in brief flashes.
Exercise of the Week
This time, it’s a Choose Your Own Adventure!
Adventure 1- Brainstorm.
Begin the brainstorming process for a new piece. Follow the steps outlined in the ‘cast to create your meta-list, character reference list, and scene cards.
Adventure 2- Engage the Senses
Engage all 5 senses in describing an important moment in time.
Spend as little story time as possible on the backstory or why the scene is important. Instead, spend most of your time describing the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures in the scene. For example, if a boy is at his grandfather’s funeral, try describing the sniffles of the women as they try not to cry, the waxy, ashen face of the corpse as the boy looks into the coffin, the smell of embalming liquid and the grandfather’s musty old best suit, etc.
This exercise is one in sensory engagement and description.
300-400 words.
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What a wonderful exercise, Charlotte! And thanks for the link.
What I’d like to add is that a lot of writers I know start their stories with just this type of exercise. A scene pops up for them, and as they describe the scene, the world of the story unfolds.
Yes, they’re pansters rather than plotters, but how much more fun and effective is it to have a story rather than an outline?
I have Scrivener, too – but Writeboard is where a lot of magic happens for me. And TextMate. And sometimes OmniOutliner, too. Sheesh, I need to post about this.
Thanks, Charlie! Much appreciated.
Please do make a post on the software you use! I’m always fascinated to see how others manage the software part of their writing.
Wow I like your site, Charlotte. I will be returning for learning.
Thanks so much for the kind comment, Teresa. Glad you’re enjoying the site!