writing exercise – The Field & Midnight House

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Harcourt Brace, 1999.
Dancyger, Ken & Jeff Rush. Alternative Scriptwriting. Focal Press, 2007.
Edson, Eric. The Story Solution. Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.
Egri, Lajos. The Art of Dramatic Writing. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
McKee, Robert. Story. Harper Collins, 1997.
Truby, John. The Anatomy of Story. Faber and Faber, 2007.
Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.

I hope you enjoyed this adventure into antagonists as much as I did. Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in June!

Antagonist April: Week #4 – Antagonist Writing Exercises, Part Two

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Ian Dawson

It’s Antagonist April, and all this month, I’ll be doing a deep dive into those characters that give our heroes and main characters opposition to their goals. This week, I’ll provide three days of writing exercises to explore antagonists further.

Let’s continue!

Exercise #4 – Elevating Your Antagonist

What makes your antagonist unique?
Do they have any hobbies?
Do they collect anything interesting?
Do they like music? What kind?
Do they have any quirks that make them more relatable to an audience?
What do they do for fun?
When they’re not being antagonistic, what do they do in their private time alone from the world?

Humanizing your antagonist is a great way to make them relatable and real to your audience. While we explored some of these items in the previous post’s exercises, here’s your opportunity to examine and find aspects of this important character that bring them out of the realm of cliché and sculpt them into a flesh-and-blood individual.

While you may not utilize everything you think of, these elements can be dropped in from time to time in your story to give the audience a little insight into who this person is when they’re not being oppositional.

Exercise #5 – Your Antagonist’s Opposition

Who is your antagonist opposing?
Why are they trying to prevent them from achieving their goal?
What is their relationship to the antagonist?
Why does the hero feel compelled to fight against the antagonist and win?
What would happen if the antagonist won?

While the protagonist of your story is the most important character, the antagonist must be a formidable foe there to try and stop them from reaching their goals. As you develop your main character, think about ways your antagonist can make their lives miserable throughout the story.

Too many times, new writers are afraid to make their main characters suffer, go through trials and tribulations, and have to work to get what they want. I used to have this mindset, but it changed when I realized something important about fictional characters: THEY AREN’T REAL! So go for it! Make them suffer. Make them fight back, dig in their heels, face horrible moments of doubt and pain, wanting to quit when things seem to be at their worst.

And who can dish out and inflict all those things on your main character? Your friend, the antagonist.

These two characters need each other. The story can lose its impact, conflict, and dramatic effect if no one is present, throwing opposition in their way.

Depending on the type of story, these oppositional forces can be literal or figurative. Still, they need to exist on some level for your hero to have something to fight against and through to get to the end.

And it’s your job to give them an antagonist that enhances the story and helps drive the action forward as events unfold and your hero battles through to the end.

Week #4 Wrap-Up

We’ve covered a lot over the past month, all culminating in this final week of exercises you can use to create a strong, effective, and interesting antagonist for your story.

As you take the time to create and craft the Opposition, never forget to have fun and enjoy the experience. If you have fun, your audience will as well.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next week!

Antagonist April: Week #4 – Antagonist Writing Exercises, Part One

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Ian Dawson

Let’s continue!

Exercise #1 – Your Antagonist’s Backstory

Who is your antagonist?
What were they doing before your story began?
What major life events led them to the point where they enter your story as the primary Opposition to your protagonist?

Write a short biography or autobiography that gives you an idea of who this person is and what caused them to be antagonistic to those they encounter. You can write it in paragraph form or bullet points, and it is for you to reference and have in mind as you write your story.

It’s important to have an idea of who this character is so they have a past, are dimensional, and feel real within the story’s context. You don’t want to create a one-dimensional by-the-number villain. You want them to have successes, failures, fears, likes, dislikes, etc., as they enter your story’s world.

Exercise #2 – What’s Their Motivation?

What drives your antagonist?
What makes them want to win?
What has motivated them in the past?
What do they fear most when it comes to losing against your protagonist in the present?
If they do win against your protagonist, what is their next move in life?

What could motivate your character to oppose what your hero has set out to accomplish? Remember, the antagonist doesn’t have to be a Bond-level villain. It could be a parent, a friend, or the main character’s boss. Their motivation to prevent the hero from achieving their goal could be selfless and positive in their eyes.

Having a strong motivation for your antagonist can help the reader or viewer connect, empathize, sympathize, and relate to your antagonist on some level. Even if they don’t 100% agree with their tactics to stop the protagonist, having the audience understand the adversary’s POV is important.

Exercise #3 – The Arc of Your Antagonist

Last week, we looked in detail at the arcs of three antagonists in different films. We explored how these characters entered the story and their final fate by the story’s end.

This exercise is much more intensive than the previous two since you will explore your antagonist’s role as the opposing force to your hero throughout your story.

If you are developing an outline for your manuscript or screenplay, take some time to jot down a basic arc for your villain. Or, if you are just in the early phases of creating a story, you can brainstorm these concepts as well:

How does the antagonist enter the storyline?
What is their initial relationship to the main character and their goal?
At what points does the antagonist pop up to cause trouble or create roadblocks for the hero?
What is their overall motivation for doing this? Are there moments when they appear to have won?
How does the antagonist’s arc conclude?
What happens during the final showdown between protagonist and antagonist?
Is the antagonist defeated?
Do they come to an understanding?

As your story evolves, these aspects of your antagonist and their role will also evolve. It’s important, however, to have the basics down to reference when needed so you at least have a strong starting point once you dive into the drafting phase.

There’s more to come! Antagonist April continues on Friday. See you then!

Writing Exercise of the Week: Let’s Talk About Sports!

Posted on March 31, 2023 by Ian Dawson

Hello, sports fans and non-sports fans! This week, I thought we’d dive into more description exercises using sports as our topic. Baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, badminton, horse racing, the list goes on and on. No matter who you are, you can find some sport or game that piques your interest, and that is what this week’s exercise is all about.

Let’s get started!

Exercise #1

Pick a sport. Go on YouTube and find a short clip of that sport being played with the sound off. It can be a greatest moment highlight or a blooper, doesn’t matter.

As you watch, jot down notes on the following:

What’s the sport? Is the clip professional or amateur?
What happens in the clip? Jot down the beginning, middle, and end of the clip. Does it have a narrative arc?
What’s the general tone of the clip? Are fans and players excited? Disappointed? Angry?
What sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations are related to the game and clip?
How would you describe the location where the game is being played?
How would you describe the uniforms?
Are there any fans that stand out in the crowd? Why?

Write a detailed descriptive narrative (500 words) about the clip. You can have it on hand for reference. Paint a picture with words and describe the scene as it unfolds. Make readers feel like they are at the game, taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells around them.

Exercise #2

In the same clip, choose a player. Any player.

Describe their uniform, the colors, the team they play for, and if they have a name and jersey number.
What are they doing?
What’s their body language telling you?
What do you think they are thinking during this moment?
Where do they start the clip, and where do they end it?

Write a first-person narrative and have this player tell us what’s going on from their perspective. Give us their emotions, actions, and reactions to the events unfolding during the game.

Exercise #3

Find a clip of a sport or game you know little about. Don’t look up anything about the sport or game; just watch a few times without sound and answer these questions:

Write down your first impressions.
What do you think the basic rules are?
How do you think the game is played?
What are the players wearing?
What are the fans doing during the game?
What is the general mood at the game during the clip?

You’re a reporter who has to fake their way through writing about this game, but you have to do all you can to make yourself seem like you know what you’re talking about. Can you write about this sport or game, then hand what you wrote to someone else and be confident they’ll know what you’re talking about?

Why Am I Doing This?

Often when we write, we like to write about things familiar to us. But sometimes, we have to step outside the box and write about something new and different that we may not understand but need to describe in a way that makes us seem knowledgeable.

This is especially true regarding locations we write about but have never traveled to or objects we’ve seen in pictures but never encountered. It’s our job as writers to paint a picture with words that place the reader in that location, even if we’ve never been there ourselves.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Exercise of the Week: Examining Your Subplots

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Ian Dawson

This week, we explored the characteristics of subplots and how they can be character- or story-driven. If you are working on a writing project or outlining one, you probably have ideas for subplots bouncing around in your head.

As you develop or revise, take some time to ask yourself some questions that can help you make them stronger and more effective.

Does each subplot tie into the main story through related characters or events?
Do the subplots serve a purpose?
Do the subplots enhance the main story?
Does each subplot have its own story arc?
Does each subplot have a clear ending?
Which characters are central to each subplot? Does one of the characters have some relationship to the main character or primary storyline?
Is each subplot vital? Would it impact the main story if you removed one or two of them?
Is one or more of the subplots overtaking the main story in terms of being more interesting or compelling? Could this subplot be its own story?

These are just a few questions to mull over as you delve into creating subplots for your story. Making sure each subplot matters and helps move the main story along. I also think it’s important that at least one subplot helps give us further insight into the main character’s development and growth as a person throughout the story.

I hope you enjoyed this look into subplots.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Exercise of the Week: What’s Going On Here?

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Ian Dawson

Is it a picnic, and no one brought food? Or are they concerned the bird is headed for their clean cars?

As the old cliché states, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” For some reason, this statement popped into my head today and gave me an idea for today’s writing exercise.

Let’s get started!

Search the Classics

Use Google or Bing and search for “classic paintings.” Feel free to add descriptors like “classic African American paintings” or “classic Latin American paintings.” You’re looking for paintings that present a scene with people in a location doing things.

What Do You See?

Once you’ve found a painting to use, scrutinize it, asking yourself questions as you do:

• What happened before this scene took place? What led to these events?

• Who are these people? What are their relationships with each other?

• Where are they? Why are these people gathered in this location?

• What is each person thinking about during the events depicted in the scene?

• What is the significance of the events or actions displayed in the scene?

• How do you think the scene ends based on what is shown in the painting?

• Why are these events in the painting taking place? Why are these people present?

All of the answers – and any responses to questions you come up with on your own – should be from your imagination. Don’t research the painting or the artist or go down the rabbit hole of art historian interpretations. This should be from your creative mindset and viewpoint.

Tell the Tale

Using your imaginative answers, write a 1,000-word story about the scene portrayed in the painting. Utilize the visuals to describe clothing, characters, location, and other details. You want to flesh out all the different story elements from your creativity.

You can make the tone funny, tragic, heroic, terrifying, mysterious, erotic, etc. Whatever you decide, it’s all based on your personal creative interpretation of the painting.

Repeat the Process

Find another painting and do the exercise again.

You could also use the same painting and create a completely different story. How might you interpret the images in a way that’s the opposite of what you initially came up with?

Why Am I Doing This?

Much like an artist uses paint to create vivid images and scenes, as authors, it’s our job to create them through words. By utilizing the power of words to interpret a painting, we can elevate it further by adding a new creative context and additional meaning based on our own imagination and creativity.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Exercise of the Week: A Matter of Perspective

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Ian Dawson

A while back, I wrote a post about the different points of view that can be used in a story. First-person. Second-person. Third-person. Third-person limited. Omniscient. All have been used by writers for millennia. Using one over another can alter how readers perceive the events presented in your narrative.

It’s easy to get comfortable using one POV, so I thought we’d have fun and mix things up a bit today.

Let’s get started!

The Scenario

Write a short story that takes place in one location and involves three characters:

Character One doesn’t like Character Three and wants to leave. Character Two is trying to get Characters One and Three to resolve their differences, but also has to get somewhere in the next twenty minutes. Character Three believes they are turning into some mythical creature and needs Characters One and Two to be present as long as possible for the transformation to stick.

The Assignment

Using the above scenario, outline a short story between 1000 to 1500 words. You can place them anywhere; give them names and any additional characteristics you like. Make sure the story has a beginning, middle, and end.

Now the fun part…

Exercise #1

Write one version from the first-person POV of Character Two. Why don’t they want to be there? What’s their issue with Character Three? How are they kept from leaving as soon as they arrive? Do they resolve their issues with Character Three with the help of Character Two? What happens if they don’t? Give us their side of things and how they view the circumstances they find themselves in.

Exercise #2

Write this version from the third-person POV of Character Two. What led them to attempt a resolution between Characters One and Three? Are they hopeful their plan will work? What other ideas or tactics have they tried in the past? What is their relationship to the other two characters that has sparked this mediation? And where do they need to be in twenty minutes, and what happens if they don’t arrive on time? How can you show this urgency to the reader without telling them?

Exercise #3

Write this version from the second-person POV of Character Three. Just like the classic Choose Your Own Adventure books, put the reader in the driver’s seat. Make the reader the person who believes they are turning into a mythical creature. What are they feeling? What do they believe must happen for the full transformation to occur? Why do they feel this way? What was their relationship with Character One, and what caused the fallout? What mythical creature do they believe they’re turning into?

Exercise #4

It’s time to go Omniscient. Give us the perspectives of all three characters as they traverse this conflict to its resolution. Feel free to change things; there’s no need to stick with what you wrote in the previous versions.

Bonus Exercise #5

Once you’ve picked a location, choose an inanimate object in the space and write the story from that object’s POV. What does it see? What does it think is going on? What are its thoughts on the characters and their conversations?

Wrap-Up

Which POV did you enjoy writing in the most? The least? Was there a POV you feel you could become better in with practice? Experimenting with POV within the same scenario is a fun way to see how a story’s trajectory changes when a different character controls what the reader is witnessing.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Exercise of the Week: Describe the Weather

Posted on February 24, 2023February 25, 2023 by Ian Dawson

Weather. It’s around us 24/7, and it can impact our lives positively and negatively. It can also be a great topic to explore in creative writing. What the weather is in your story can show us how your characters react to external forces interfering with their lives and give the reader insight into who they are.

Let’s get started!

Exercise #1

What’s the weather like where you are right now? If you looked out the window or stepped outside, how would your five senses react to what you are witnessing?

Write a paragraph describing your current weather using your five senses. Remember to show and not tell.

Exercise #2

As I said in the intro paragraph, the weather is an external force that can impact a character. Think back to when a weather event impacted you positively or negatively, and write a 500-word short story about it.

What led up to your encounter with this weather event? Did your response to the weather make things better or worse? How did you resolve any problems related to the weather event? If it was a positive event – like perfect sunny weather while on vacation – how did the weather make for a perfect getaway?

Exercise #3

Take one of the fictional characters you’ve created and plunk them into a crazy weather event. How will they react? How will they describe the weather? What conflict-driven issues could they have as they work to get out of the weather event you’ve placed them in?

Write 500 words about it and have some fun with the weather and this particular character. Did you learn more about your character by putting them through something like this?

Final Thoughts

The weather in a story is as important as the story’s location. It’s important to not neglect the weather in your narrative and to find creative ways to show and not tell your reader what the weather is.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Exercise of the Week: Describe an Object

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Ian Dawson

Description. When it comes to a story, it can immerse a reader, giving them the sights, sounds, and smells of the world you’ve created. From modern cityscapes to medieval villages, describing what you want the reader to see can have a significant impact.

But let’s start smaller than a city or village. Let’s start with something simple: an object.

The Assignment

Pick an object, any object. It can be something on your desk or table, something in the room; pick something out.

Examine it. Really get to know this object. If you can hold it, like a coffee mug, feel the weight and texture of the item.

Take notes about the object. Jot down the basics using your five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and feel (you may skip taste if you didn’t choose a food or beverage as your object). How does it look from different angles?

Once you have your notes, write a descriptive paragraph about the object. How detailed can you get and still craft a compelling paragraph about this random item?

Bonus Assignment #1

Describe the same object in a few words or a single sentence, but give the reader enough detail to know the exact object.

Bonus Assignment #2

Get technical. Research precisely what materials were used to make the object and give the reader an in-depth profile of its components. Plastics, metals, rubber, and wire. Get into the nuts and bolts that make the object what it is.

Final Thoughts

While not all objects and items mentioned in a story have meaning, there are times when you’ll want the reader to focus on something particular for a specific reason. Practicing descriptions of basic objects can help you strengthen your writing skills and give you another creative tool to work with.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Update: NaNoWriMo 2022 – Week #1

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Ian Dawson

Hello! I know it technically hasn’t been a week since NaNoWriMo began. Still, I wanted to update you on my progress and give you insights into some things I’ve also learned so far.

As of this posting, I have written 15,064 words. I’ve been doing my best to write daily for a few hours. Sometimes I can squeeze in an hour; other times, I can do three or more, depending on when I plan to write.

Week One Takeaways

• It’s amazing how much extra time you have to write when you aren’t glued to your phone or tablet, binge-watching a TV show, or doing other unproductive activities. By eliminating these distractions, I could easily find more time each day to write.

• I found writing at night a very productive way to write over multiple days. For example, if I started writing at 11pm on Tuesday and wrote until 1am on Wednesday. I now have written for two hours, but also for two days. This helped keep the daily writing consistent and kept the words flowing.

• Unlike a marathon, it’s okay to leap out of the gate with your writing at full force. If you can write more a day in the first week than the 1,667 words needed to hit 50,000 by the end, do it and keep going. Don’t pull back, and don’t stop once you hit that goal. Eventually, you might hit a creative wall, and those extra words will help you when you do.

• I’m using an outline for my third novel, and I’ve found that what I initially had for the opening once I fleshed it out wasn’t working like I thought it would. No worries. Since your goal is word count, this is a great time to play around and experiment if needed. You can write scenes for your characters that might not end up in the final project but are helping you explore your story and character and increase your word count.

• Even if you write something you don’t like, keep it in for now. Again, while you may be working on a project during NaNoWriMo, your main goal is to hit the magic 50,000-word goal. You can always cut, change, or move things later, but keep writing.

• I have been leaving myself notes in brackets [like these] at the start of each writing session to remind myself of any changes I wish to make to the previous sections I’ve written. That way, I can go back later and fix things.

The main goal is to keep writing and moving forward in your progress. Get through the story from start to finish and edit and change things later.

Keep on writing, and I’ll be back with more updates and maybe an article or two in the next week.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!