Please start at page 1.
Choice of material
part one
Fiction is that which does not expect to be
taken as the literal truth. As obvious as this seems, not
everybody
quite gets it. For some, fiction means colorful characters,
dramatic
situations, exotic settings, and above all complicated plots. The
flow of everyday life, some believe, is too tame and uneventful for
fiction.
Consequently a good deal of valuable time is wasted trying to write
what
ought not have been written in the first place. For this
reason, we begin with simple autobiographical material.
1. An object that was found.
How to do it. You may use an object that was found recently, or long ago. It can be an object found by yourself, or by someone you know. You will probably be writing this in the first person. Example. "Last summer I found a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk. I almost walked right by it, but when I saw what it was, I stopped, picked it up, and continued on my way as if nothing at all had happened."
The coaching prompts. In Chicago workshop a telling was always coached by the director. Here you will have to imagine that I am coaching you. Typical coaching prompts might be, "See it," meaning see the twenty dollar bill, is it crisp and new, crumpled and old, did you at first mistake it for something else? "See it" also applies to the place, the time of day, the surroundings. It certainly applies to any other people who might be present.
Other coaching prompts. Another
common coaching
prompt might be "hear it," not the twenty dollar bill, of
course but the sounds around you at the moment, Smell
it, taste it, and touch it, not all of which are always
applicable--although you never know!
With coaching we might discover the twenty was found outside the subway station on a rainy day, that people were hurrying by with their heads covered by newspapers, that a small boy saw you pick up the bill but was hastened along by his mother, that you stuffed the wet bill into your pocket and did not look at it again until you were safely out of sight of that small boy.
With coaching the image becomes a vignette.
The complete sequence. Each prompt that follows is to be done as an individual image, unrelated to the one that preceded it, unrelated to the one that follows is. The images should all be coached. Each should be written separately. They may be titled if you wish.
An object that was lost. (by you or
someone
you know, recently or long ago.
An object that was burned. (same as above)
The oldest object in your home.
An object you are planning to get rid of.
An object that belonged to your mother.
An object that belonged to your father.
(If you have no mother or father, make the appropriate substitutions)
What to avoid. Do not try to
establish a "plot." Do not "lead up to" your object.
Identify your object as soon as possible.
"Last summer I lost a library book." "My mother owned a pearl
necklace
. . ." Be sure you let us "see" the library book, or the
necklace. Do not get so involved with the circumstances that you
forget to describe the original object.
Subject first is the best policy!
What to expect. If you do the above as I hope you will, writing complete paragraphs instead of "answers," coaching yourself as you go along, you will discover that the writing techniques you will be required to use may vary according to the opening prompts. Don't be alarmed. The prompts are designed to do this.
example of
completed exercise by Stacey A. Wolfe
example
of completed exercise by Ashley Cox
example of
completed exercise by Hedda Waldenstrom
example of
completed exercise by Susan
All above examples are copyrighted and may not be
republished without
permission of the authors.
Optional. Take one of the image/vignettes you have written and expand it into several pages. Allow yourself to wander as much as you wish.
How to submit. Type each exercise
separately into your word processor (Ms Word, Word Perfect, etc.)
Save as plain generic text. (asci. check the pull down menu of your
word processer). Cut and paste into an email message addressed
to Storyarts.
