Room (2015) is a movie directed by Lenny Abrahamson, written by Emma Donoghue (based on her award-winning novel), and starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. It’s about a woman kept prisoner by a rapist in a backyard shed for seven years where she gives birth to a son and raises him for five years before […]
The post The Heroine’s Journey in Room appeared first on Cathrin Hagey.
By: Candy Gourlay,
on 2/24/2013
A quick thought for Monday. Many authors I know swear by screen writing books like Story by Robert McKee. There is so much to learn about narrative structure in cinema. Recently I read a piece about how Joe Wright, director of Atonement and Anna Karenina, is soon to debut as a theatre director. He was amazed to discover that his actors were totally comfortable in the language of film: "When
By: Dorothy Patent,
on 2/7/2010
Back in the 1980s, Harvard freshmen parents weekend offered me a special opportunity to see a master teacher in action. A feature of the event was the choice of attending some of the survey classes offered to students. A class taught by one of my idols, biologist Edward O. Wilson, was on the list, so I eagerly attended.
I watched as Dr. Wilson, wearing a white lab coat, told the students the story of a visit to the Costa Rican rainforest as he showed slides of the trip. I found his casual travelogue interesting, but it didn't seem like a professor's lecture for beginning students. The more I listened, the more I realized that his presentation covered several basic principles of biology as he described what he saw and did in the forest. He embedded the facts so softly into his story that the students didn't realize their learning brains were on automatic pilot as they listened.
Fiction writers and fiction lovers sometimes talk of the power of story as if only made-up stories can carry that power. But nonfiction contains many fabulous stories, and when told in that format, it can make the real world at least as compelling as any world conceived in imagination.
Armed with my love of nonfiction story-telling, I just began teaching a class for the University of Montana Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program for people 50 years old and up. My class is full of curious students, each with ideas about what they want to write. About half of them have family stories to share, and the rest have varied interests. I am not daunted about these differing ambitions, however, as I know the basic principles of writing good stories are the same, whatever the genre. Basically, there is one fundamental requirement--keep your readers turning the page!
I've found one of the best books on the subject of storytelling is "Story," by Robert McKee. His book and seminars focus on writing for the screen, but it doesn't matter. Novelists as well as screen writers attend his seminars and refer to his book. One of my new students, as a matter of fact, showed me a summary diagram in the book called "The Three Levels of Conflict" that has helped him in structuring his stories. 
Conflict and its resolution are at the core of any story worth reading. As soon as we find out the main character has a problem, a conflict, we want to know how it is going to be resolved, and as long as the main character is off balance and having to struggle through a series of challenges, readers stay engaged.
The "main character" doesn't have to be a person. In my own work, my main character is often an animal, or even a complete ecosystem. "The Right Dog for the Job: Irah's Path from Service Dog to Guide Dog," features a Golden Retriever puppy whose life undergoes some surprising twists and turns before he becomes a successful Guide Dog for the Blind. In "When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone," the main character is Yellowstone National Park, put out of balance during the 1920s when the top predator, the gray wolf, was killed off in the park. The book tells how returning wolves to Yellowstone during the 1990s has gradually led to restoring the natural balance in the park. It's a satisfying story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, just like any fiction.
That's a great strength of much of today's nonfiction for children--it combines engrossing stories with important and interesting information about the real world, a powerful combination for learning.
More busy days with my day-job, so I’m sorry these blog posts are coming slowly. But not it’s Friday night, work is over for the week, laundry is folded — almost — and I’m sitting in front of Becoming Jane, laptop on my lap and glass of wine by my side. Ahhh
Here’s number two of my posts from the North Texas SCBWI conference last weekend. Illustrator David Diaz, who won the Caldecott Medal (and he told us it is an actual medal, that’s quite heavy) for the picture book Smoky Night, talked about writer’s block and what he called, “spanking the muse.”
David’s amusing talk gave some interesting insight in the ways in which writers and illustrators deal with those times when they have trouble creating. Prior to the conference, he did a (non)scientific study on Facebook and found that many creative types use many things to bring on the muse, with alcohol rated quite high.
But from David’s advice from the study, here are a few tips:
David showed a number of quotes about the muse, and here are my two favorites:
“One reason I don’t suffer writer’s block is that I don’t wait for the muse. I summon her at need.” — Piers Anthony
“I have a wonderful muse called alimony.” — Dick Shaap
I love both of these, and I think they both have the same message: Make your own muse.
I’m going off David’s talk now, but I’m a believer making your own muse. I used to write whenever I had the time, and I got writer’s block often. But since I made the commitment to write every day, writer’s block hasn’t been as much of a problem, and my muse mostly stays close by. To me, the muse will give to you whatever you give to her (him or it). Inspiration comes when you’re living your story, writing every day and keeping the characters in your head as much as often when you’re not actively writing. Do that, and you’ll always have somewhere to go in the story, because your characters will always be taking you somewhere.
Robert McKee, author of Story, said the key to overcoming writer’s block is research. For me, whether you’re actually researching some aspect of your story or simply thinking about your story and actively writing, it’s one and the same. Both keep your muse at your side.
One of the best talks I’ve seen on creativity (as well as David’s, of course) is from Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Love, Pray. I’ve linked to it before, but I think it’s worth mentioning again. And this time I found the code so I could actually embed the video. It’s about 20 minutes, but it’s worth watching; you won’t be disappointed.
How’s your muse treating you?
Write On!
Done today: research
Revision remaining: 46,313 words (entire book)
Daily words needed to be finished by end of November: 842
I started my revision today, but only got as far as researching.
Research is a very necessary part of the writing process — guru Robert McKee says research is the key to overcoming writers block — and research is useful at all times. Anytime you’re not sure about something, research it until you’re comfortable.
But this morning, as I was researching a certain aspect of the book, I started questioning myself. Which way should I go? Should it be option a), option b)? Is it necessary at all? Does it add to the story? If so, how?
It was enough to drive me nuts.
I think the reason I’m questioning myself is because I’ve been away from the story for a few weeks. It was a good break, giving me a distance that will help me be more objective in my revision, but it also has allowed those nasty doubts to wriggle their way into my head.
Maybe I should get back into the story with some text revision then go back to the research I have to do.
Anyone else battling this right now?
Write On!
Didn’t get too much actual writing done today, in day 17 of my unofficial participation in National Novel Writing Month. Instead I researched and thought, still trying to figure out the middle that I thought was behind me. Sigh. It’s frustrating, but worth it to do this work and get it right.
Coincidentally, today my husband sent me a link to an article about writing consultant Robert McKee saying Hollywood is “dying.” That was a quote, but if you read on, I don’t think it’s actually what he meant. He meant it more as a warning, that Hollywood is losing good stories.
McKee is a screenwriter’s guru, but what he teaches applies to writers of all fiction, be they screenwriters or novelists. McKee’s book Story, which Janet Fox quoted at the Brazos Valley SCBWI conference, is a very interesting and useful book to writers of all kinds. I’ve read it and recommend it for any writer’s shelf.
Anyway, at a recent seminar McKee was giving, he talked about the state of today’s movies (screenwriters are his primary audience) — of course, there’s a reason why most good movies nowadays are based on a novel. But McKee explained that to write good stories, writers should research. The more research they do, the story will write itself, he said.
Doing a lot of research follows what Cynthia Leitich Smith said about setting and Janet Fox said about character at the Brazos Valley SCBWI conference. Research is key to truly knowing your world and your characters, and from them the story will come.
Cynthia Leitich Smith suggested visited the settings you’re writing about, while Janet Fox suggested making scrapbooks for characters (click for more).
What do you do to research your work?
Write On!
What a great piece of advice - and a fab little film :)
I've also heard Beverley Birch recommend this sort of zooming technique and found her very inspiring, as always. I have got into trouble, though, when trying to use it and keep close to my PoV character, especially in First Person.
I've found screenwriting books most helpful. Save the Cat is another. <br />Lovely film. What a talented family you are!
Thank you! I wish I'd heard this a long time ago.
I have the opposite problem of finding it hard to do close ups in third person so I always end up writing in first person
Oh thanks for that Maureen! Off to check it out.
John Truby's Anatomy of Story is my screenwriting bible. His methods gel so well with my own, and have really helped me pull some thoughtful structure into my writing.<br /><br />I have to say, I'm struggling with this close-up, wide shot perspective. I get the idea. But does it apply to first person? I can't think of any of my scenes in my current wip that are really wide shots. I
I see this problem often in critique situations. A chapter is written without a strong focus. It feels as if the spotlight is moving all over the stage and you don't know what you're supposed to feel and think because of the clutter. I see a wide shot as a scene setting, a broad brush. And I would interpret a close up an emotional sharpening.
Okay ... this has been an expensive post. I just bought the Truby book and both Save the Cat books on Kindle!
Okay, that helps, but still puzzling it over. I guess, for me, when I'm writing first person pov, my focus is always my character. But maybe that's more of a personal thing. I can certainly imagine this in, say, Dickens.<br /><br />Anyway, really hope you enjoy Truby!