Writing serial fiction can teach you some important lessons about storytelling, like flexibility in your plot when unexpected events force you to make changes.
Good writing needs conversation, whether it’s a talk with a friend, a debate with a copyeditor, or a negotiation with your own subconscious. Capture discussion.
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Also tagged Collaborative Writing, Creative Writing, Dan, Dragonlance, Dungeons & Dragons, Google Wave, King Jason's War, Prewriting, Storytelling, Taming Fire, The Poet Alexander, The Scorekeeper, Tips and Tricks, Writing Software
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So your assignment is to craft a scene showing a strong character of the opposite sex. Give us 300-900 words, and show your work. Whatever aspect of gender writing troubles you, face it head-on, and then polish it up until you get it right. Or, as close to right as you can manage, anyway. A couple hours getting into that character’s head could make worlds of difference in your writing, and help you connect with readers who wouldn’t have given you a chance before.
Julie read my whole novel, and told me the female character was flat. Five hundred pages of adventure, magic, politics, armies at war and dragons in the air, and all she wanted to talk about was the love interest. The girl barely had two dozen pages! She barely had a backstory! But that’s all Julie wanted to talk about. I rolled my eyes at my “feminist friend,” but her comments bugged me.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Anyway. Write a Character Record Sheet. If you’re working in fantasy, dig up an RPG CRS like I was talking about yesterday (and you can email me if you don’t have one handy). If you’re working mainstream, or really any other genre, you’ll have to settle for real life. Develop a Facebook profile for your character. Either way, I want physical descripti0n, relationship status, family background, core beliefs, profession, and personal interests. Give me at least a full page of information.
