A Pen In Each Hand 2001
Setting Exercise #1
By The Bellman
Describe the same setting through the eyes of three different characters. Pick characters with different personalities and life experiences. For example, you might use a young child, a business man, and a dog.
Setting Exercise #2
By Beaver
Read the opening paragraphs of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (below). Look at this excerpt as an editor would: Does the writer use active verbs? Count the number of times he uses was/were, is/are, has/have/had. How many adjective-noun combinations do you see? List them. How many adjective-adjective-noun combos? How many times does the main character's name appear in this passage? Count the number of adverbs used in this excerpt. What nouns/verbs/adjectives/adverbs does the writer use more than once? Does this add to or detract from the story? Based on your analysis, what is your opinion of the selection? Rewrite this passage in your own words, correcting any flaws you found in the piece and giving it your own voice and style.
"Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There was no garret at all, and no cellar—except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.
When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions. The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. Even the grass was not green, for the sun had burned the tops of the long blades until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere. Once the house had been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and the rains washed it away, and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else."
Character Development: Time Threads
By Boots
So, you've developed a great background story for your character. He or she is ready to enter the world you've created, and face the impossible situations you've got ready. But how "real" does it feel? Let's try looking at character background from a different angle. Instead of a historical biography worthy of an Encyclopedia, let's look at it from the character's point of view. Let's travel back and forth through time with them, and find out HOW those events shaped them. I'm talking about using a Time Thread. That thread of time weaving through a character's past and linking them to the present. A single line of reasoning that explains those mysterious behaviors and choices your character will make throughout your story.
Let's say your character had an ordinary childhood, middle class and free from trauma. But for some reason, you've decided they have a fear of failure. Every time your character is forced to choose between success and failure, they choose failure. But you can't figure out why. A time thread can help explain it to you, and to your readers.
When this character was three, they began potty training. But it took them until they were six to master this simple procedure. Your character was the laughingstock of kindergarten because they still wore diapers or other protective measures. Maybe the teacher had to walk them to the bathroom. But that's not where it ends. When your character was six, they tried to learn to ride a bike. They never did master that, and couldn't follow their pre-teen-age friends on those freedom rides. And when your character tried to learn to drive, they found they were incapable of mastering the stick shift. Because of all of these events, the character automatically assumes they will fail before they even begin. Perhaps they have hidden this fear under bravado or lies (I can do it, I choose not to), or perhaps they refuse to try anything new (I just don't want to do that) or maybe they have agoraphobia and can't leave the house. The time thread shows you how they became this way.
If you look down just ONE time thread, as I did above, you'll find your character has major flaws. And you'll completely understand how, why, and when everything started to come together for your character. You'll make them human.
Try it yourself: Write down one of your character's flaws. Create a time thread for that flaw. Write down one of your character's strengths. Create a time thread for that strength. Be sure to include the age of your character during the flow of time. The "real" year isn't necessary, but specific details will help flush out the story and tell you even more about the character. Age 14, learned to dance, "Hustle"—Two left feet VS Age 14, learned to dance, "Minuet"—Two left feet.
Break the Rules!
By Barrister
Knowing grammar rules and style suggestions is important—especially so you can break the rules when it's necessary. The key to breaking the rules is knowing why they work and why breaking them might be necessary. For example, as pointed out in this month's Absolute Blank article, passive sentences are a no-no because they utilize weak verbs and they mask the subject of the sentence. But, what if you want to shroud the subject in mystery for the moment? A passive sentence might be the right tool in that case. You can check out Absolute Blank for an example of this technique and for one involving sentence length. The Exercise: Write a short scene in which you break one or more style suggestions or grammar rules in order to enhance the story. You can use a carefully placed passive sentence or a series of short sentences, as above, or you might consider testing the waters with sentence fragments, one-word paragraphs, or run-on sentences. It's up to you. After your scene, point out what style points you have ignored or grammar rules you have broken and why. You can post your exercise to the TC board where you feel most comfortable.
Handling Critique
By Butcher
Using a NPC critique that you've received in the past, write two responses to it. With the first, be negative and vent. Act defensive. Argue all the statements as if they are either unwarranted or inaccurate. With the second, be positive and gracious. Thank your critiquer. Ask questions for clarification. Form a dignified response. Study the two and ask yourself, as a writer, which you would rather receive as a critiquer. If you haven't already thanked this person for their critique, perhaps take the opportunity now to do so.
Giving Critique
By Baker
Head over to the Toasted Cheese forums and feedback a story. Note: Please refrain from offering stark feedback or nit-picky critiques on speed stories / 15-minute exercises, as these are rough first drafts. General feedback is, of course, always welcome.
Observations
By Boots
Share how you put an observation into a story. Share the story itself, and then tell us what inspired you to write it, and where you found that inspiration.
What's In A Name?
By Beaver
Imagine four couples who all live in the same city. Each woman has the given name Elizabeth and each man has the given name William. One couple uses their full names, Elizabeth and William. Another prefers Liz and Will. The third goes by Beth and Liam. The last are called Betsy and Billy. Describe each couple. Now imagine that all four couples show up at the same party. What happens?
A Rose By Any Other Name...
By Beaver
On the TV show "Sex and the City", there's a character known as Mr. Big, or simply Big. (If you haven't seen the show, he's the on-again off-again forty-ish boyfriend of Carrie, the 35-ish narrator. They live in Manhattan; she's a writer, he's… hmm. Well, it's all very mysterious, but he has a car & driver and he's usually seen wearing a suit. We think he owns a company.) Choose a first, middle and last name for this character. Explain how and why you chose the names.
Look Who's Talking
By Baker
Write a scene using only dialogue. No description. No speech tags.
Look Who's Talking 2
By Baker
Watch "Politically Incorrect" (weeknights on ABC) or any similar debate roundtable show to eavesdrop safely on real conversations. How is the group drawn off topic? How do they come back on topic? Are they really listening to each other or are they making different points? Are there people who fight each other (or agree) on every topic? What kinds of words do they use?
A Private Moment
By Boots
Take fifteen minutes (or more) and write in your personal journal. Remember that the only person who is going to see it is you. When you finish, put it somewhere secure and private.
Make a Collage
By Boots
Look around online for pictures and headlines that express how you feel. Make a collage of those pictures, and paste it to your home page or email it to your friends, or add it to your journal. The bonus for both of these is to share these with the Toasted Cheese community on your favorite board. This is completely voluntary, as are all the Toasted Cheese exercises.
Find Your Writing Style
By Beaver
What fires you up? What stops you cold? List three strengths and three weaknesses. Then, read "Mirror, Mirror" at Absolute Blank and find out what writing style (or styles) most closely matches your own. Once you've pinpointed your style, give the advice a try. Hey, it can't hurt! While you're at it, share your findings at Chasms & Crags—you never know, you could receive a fabulous tip from a fellow writer who's "been there". Maybe you'll even find a kindred spirit!
Freewriting
By Billiard
Clear your writing space, clear your mind, and sit down and write whatever comes into your head for ten minutes. Don't worry about grammar, spelling or punctuation. Don't worry about what's coming out…just write. At the end of ten minutes, go back and read what you've written. Find something on the page that's worth keeping, one line or paragraph, and write a scene or story based on it.
Restaurant Review
By Collage
Take your writing skills out to dinner—go to a new restaurant. Bring your notepad—you're on a newspaper assignment writing a restaurant review. Let your review go beyond the meat and potatoes, or tofu and eggplant; engage the reader with all the senses. Expand the five senses and include time and space. Show the totality of your dining experience. Post your review on What I Tell You Three Times Is True.