andy s: how did you load/post your flash fiction? can’t open it. i want an end to these bb...

Andy S: how did you load/post your flash fiction? Cant open it. I want an end to these Bb glitches!

Next Week All semester cyber work to date must be ready for a check by class time. If you want to revise anything, or post a late assignment, you have until March 4 th. After that we begin a new check period. Ill do two or three checks over the semester.

Remember each week to check the Weekly Cyber Class Instructions forum, as well as the online schedule and any new and/or updated Power Point presentations.

Also for Next Week Read Sebold stories: Alice Fulton, A Shadow Table and Alex Rose, Ostracon. Workshop. Project #2 due March 11 (Ill get some draft feedback to you within a few days)

Interested in Writing Fiction? A Crash Course in Creating Characters, Plot and Setting

What is the difference between an essay or a work of expository prose and a story? Essays generally have a thesis, are primarily factual and reflective (not dramatic), are narrated by the actual author, and are usually structured as traditional, a-temporal arguments. Stories dont have a thesis, are primarily dramatic and fictional, are narrated by an invented character, and have temporal structures. First, a quick review of a couple important points

Dont confuse a first- person narrator of a story with the author of the story! They are not (necessarily) the same person!

What is it? How do you make one? Ok. Plot How do you make a GOOD one? Note that experimenting with plot is one of your options for Fiction Project #2

Plotting a Story What's a plot? o The sequence or pattern of events in a story. First this happens, then that happens, then this What sets a story in motion? o A QUESTION is posed, explicitly or implicitly. o So why do you continue reading? What keeps you turning pages? You want to know the answer! When this question linked is to CHARACTER, you have a stronger, richer story!

Thinking about The Narrative Question A guy is climbing a mountain. Whats the narrative question? Right: will he make it to the top? What are the possible answers? Yes or No

Nothing wrong with a story like that; it can be quite good. But you can do a lot more with plot. Suspense and interest can get REALLY intense when ADDITIONAL questions are introduced in the course of the plot.

Two guys are climbing a mountain. Whats the narrative question(s)? Will they make it to the top? Will one make it and the other fail? Will one find out that the other is having the affair? What will happen when he finds out? More questions and/or more possible answers = more suspense! One is having an affair with the other guys wife.

There are other ways of thinking about what sets a plot in motion and keeps it moving. A balanced situation becomes unbalanced! Some sort of equilibrium is disturbed. An obstacle is presented. The more obstacles, the more potential suspense. Usually :)

What else is important to plot? PACE What slows the pace? Exposition. Interior monologue. Description. Dialogue. Sub-plots or parallel plot (more on this is just a sec) False clues, misdirection, or otherwise withholding answers to the narrative question. Another way to think of PACE, in fact, is the RATE OF REVELATION. What speeds the pace? ACTION! Revelation of ANSWERS to the narrative questions

Helpful Plot Devices Framing (well talk about this more in a sec) Flashbacks Foreshadowing Parallel or intersecting plots or sub-plots (more in a sec) False clues Hooks (these are not so much devices but integral elements; sometimes theyre referred to as complicating actions, triggers, or twists) Delay (withholding answers to the narrative questions) See class notes (material on board) for details

Plot Structure Whats the shape of your plot? How do its parts fit together?

Scene-setting (exposition) X X X X X Hook X X X X Crisis Resolution What SPEEDS pace? What SLOWS Pace? Introduction of minor parallel plot Hook Flashback X X Partial answer Hook = triggering action or complicating action or narrative question or twist. Different sources will call these by different names. False clue Increasing tension TRADITIONAL PLOT STRUCTURE: standard rising and falling action ACTION! ANSWERS! Dialogue. Internal monologue. Description.

And did you know: each carries with it its own ideological assumptions about the nature of time, desire, purpose, even human existence itself? Nothing wrong with a traditional plot structure.

Alternate Plot Structures Framed narrative. (Or this is actually a plot device.) Have you seen Titanic? Montage or collage. OBrien story? Multiple and intersecting plots. Continental Drift. Chronologically backwards plot. (Yesbackwards. See Lorrie Moores How to Talk to Your Mother.) Static plots. (See experimental stories by Robbe Grille.) All flashbacks, or footnotes, or exposition. Nicholson Bakers, The Mezzanine. Different plots can express alternative ways of experiencing TIME and REALITY! See Gabriel Garcia Marquezs One Hundred Years of Solitude. Authors and titles mentioned here are class assignments or material you can easily look up.

Tim OBriens, How to Tell a True War Story What do you make of PLOT in this story?

Plot Thingys to Avoid The it was all a dream ending. (Besides the fact that it already happened to Dorothy, its just a cheap solution to the difficulties raised in the story.) Suicide endings. (Sorryyour characters will have to find some other way out of their problems. Avoid this kind of ending at least for now.) OHenry twist endings. (Clever, but get old fast. The twist becomes the whole point of the story, and ultimately has limited interest.) Tidy, comprehensive endings in which everything comes out well, all loose ends are neatly tied up, and the universe is pretty much explained to one and all. Let your stories end inconclusively now and then. Let them end with questions rather than answers.

Something to Think About Does a story have to be plot-centered? NO! NO! A piece can be character-driven, image-driven, image-driven, idea-driven, idea-driven, even setting-driven. setting-driven. (Look at selected scenes from Robert Altmans, The Player.)

So, a little sum-up: PlotDont Plod! oBe aware of your narrative question. Introduce additional narrative questions. Create multiple obstacles, physical or emotional. oControl the rate of revelation. Slow pace = interior monologue, description, dialogue, exposition. Fast pace = action, jump cuts, answers to narrative question. oProvide false clues, misdirection. oDevelop sub- or parallel-plots which delay revelation in the main plot, add interest and complexity. oConsider creating your backstory gradually. Don't give main characters full story immediately. Let it evolve. oProvide powerful IMAGERY which heightens tensions. Students almost NEVER use imagery with feeling.

What else is important to plot? Scene Development o A unit of time and place in which (usually) important action takes place. o Can be like mini-stories within the larger story. Scene transitions o Provide a simple extra space on the page. This is common these days. o Transitional phrases. o Jump cuts. Leaping from one scene to another abruptly. Done well, reader intuits the transition. Student stories often have needless exposition and crud between scenes. Note: many students are not aware of where their scenes stop and start, and their transitional passages are consequently muddy: over- elaborated, bogging the whole story down.

How long should a scene be? Depends on length of story. Depends on pacing: do you want to speed things up or slow things down? Short scenes obviously go faster than longer ones. Student scenes are often neglected. Too long, too short, non-existent

What do you make of the dinner scene in Cathedral?

Characters How do you make them? How do you make them INTERESTING?

Types Flat (or Simple, Secondary, Static) Round (or Complex, Primary, Dynamic) Need to Be Believable, Real Consistent Distinctive Worst beginner faults: characters who are all alike (cant tell one from the other), or are generic. Try starting with a CHARACTER idea, not a plot idea! TIP!

Starting with a Character Imagine-up a distinct, rounded, believable person. What is that persons main faults? Greatest fears? Worst neuroses? What makes this person nervous, edgy, confused, repulsed? What do they NOT KNOW about themselves? NOW: put that character in a setting and situation which will MAXIMAZE his/her fears, faults, neuroses; a situation which may force them to confront their what they do not know about themselves or what they dont want to know.

EXAMPLE: Who is the protagonist? Whats he like? What does he value, fear, desire? What would make an interesting situation in which to position such a guy? CATHEDRAL

Well Hes not a genius. Hes not very worldly. Limited experience. Hes put off by what is different. Narrow- minded. Kind of a xenophobe. Hes not especially ambitious. Hes a bigot. Hes left-brain oriented. Hes not really a bad guy, just a dope? So what plot situation would make him extra nervous? What would maximize his weaknesses, especially in ways we cant predict? Even ways in which the author cant predict?

How does Carver handle those questions, and what is the outcome?

applied to CHACTERIZATION

Let only the tip of the iceberg showthe right details will evoke the great complex mass of what lies beneath. In other words: showdont tell. Provide fewer, but better, details. (Less is more.) Dont explain your protagonists feelings or issues away; reveal their character dramatically: oHoHoHoHave the person do something which reveals interesting nuances of their personality. oHoHoHoHave your character react to what someone else does or says. oSoSoSoShow other characters reacting to, or speaking about, your protagonist.

Silences arent silent. Silences arent nothing. Being good with words means knowing when to shut up.

Try a verbal character sketch I.e., invent someone a person who will be with you the rest of the semester. You can explain many things, but try to describe more than explain. At least 3 paragraphs. Can be notational. Sometimes it helps to LITERALLY sketch or draw the character! My characters name is X and she is an X. Shes from X and first Xed when she Xed

Now look again at your character sketch. What were you doing? Your character is FLAT! BORING! GENERIC! 2-dimensional! Look at questions in Harmonious Confusion and TRY AGAIN bonehead!Harmonious Confusion www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/cinichol/CreativeWriting/323/HarmoniousWhole.htm

Dont feel you have to know everything there is to know about your protagonist! In fact, if your protagonist is any good, you WONT know everything there is to know about the person.

SETTING and IMAGERY What do SPECIFIC ITEMS in the setting say about the main character? What is in your invented characters bedroom? What is in YOUR bedroom? What is in the jungle in How to Tell a True War Story? What is in the home of the protagonist of The Cures for Love? What mood is created by the setting and by the storys imagery? How do the setting and the imagery contribute to theme? In what ways might a story actually be ABOUT setting? (setting that is almost a character)

Settings which tell us very GENERAL kinds of things about the characters (socio-economic class, general historical time and location), though some are at least evocative)

These tell us more about the specific individuals living in them

And now

Fiction: Again, Some #1 Things to Look Out For Before handing in workshop material, ask yourself at least a few of these questions:

1.Does the story rely entirely on plot? Are other story elementscharacter, setting, perspective, language, imageignored? 2.Does the plot in turn rely entirely on an "O'Henry twist" or trick ending? This is fun maybe once or twice, but it gets old really fast. You should only be doing this sparingly. The outcome is a foregone conclusion for the writer and so no discoveries have been made. One of the central pleasures in writingfor the writerhas been missed. 3.A related problem is the plot based heavily on a clever, "ooh-aah" or "oh wow" premise. Such a premise or basic concept is fine if the story is otherwise fully developed, but too often the premise becomes the only point, a gimmick of interest for about 3 seconds. Try founding your story on some interesting and unresolved, possibly unresolvable problem of character rather than plot. The premise may seem less snappy or clever at first, but ultimately the story will be richer and take the reader (and you, the writer) into more interesting territory. 4.Is the plot "front-heavy"? That is, does it have page after page of initial scene-setting and exposition, followed by screaming slide to a conclusion? 5.Is there a suicide ending? Come on. 6.Are there plenty of specific, concrete, sensory DETAILS so that the reader can really see and feel the setting and characters? Or is most of the language general and abstract?

7.Are the characters in the story distinctive? Can you tell one apart from the other, or are they all basically the same person? 8.Are the characters developed? Do you really know the central people in the storytheir desires, physical quirks, beliefs, contradictions? Does the main character leave an impression? Do you know everything there is to know about the main character? (you shouldn't!). 9.Are scenes* in the story distinctive and delineated? If they all kind of run together, chances are there's a lot of inconsequential action which is diluting the best stuff so we can't see it or experience it vividly. Go through and mark where scenes in the story begin and end, and consider cleaner transitions from one scene to another. 10.Look at the scenes you've marked. Is each one sufficiently developed? Notice where some good scene opportunities are being brushed over. These are places where you probably SUMMARIZED or used EXPOSITION rather than developed the moment with sensory detail. 11.Are the scenes well-modulated? You want to alternate action, reflection, dialogue, and expositionnot action scene followed by action scene followed by action scene. If there's no modulation, the high points just run together with the low points and the story will feel monotonous. 12.Is the point of view modulated? You want "distant shots" as well as detailed "close-ups." 13.Is there real engagement with language? Or, oops, is the prose style pretty much a soggy paper towel?

14.Look out for dull, hackneyed language; clich words and expressions: a."sly smile" b."evil smirk" c."deep into his eyes" d."heart leaped to his throat" e."face etched with concern" f."blacker than night" g."bitter tears" h.majestic sunset," etc. 15.Try some interesting figurative language! Look at Lorrie Moore and Annie Proulx for evocative, surprising, moving, vivid, juicy metaphors and similes.Lorrie Moore and Annie Proulx 16.Watch out for monotonous sentence length and style; no rhythmic, modulated, or otherwise engaging sentences. 17.Listen for voicedoes your narrator, whether she's wholly omniscient, limited omniscient, or first-personhave a distinctive way of talking? * Scene = an unbroken stretch of time and action, usually in one place. Unlike a summary or exposition, which may overview a broad period of time, a scene generally covers a brief, detailed, circumscribed period. Scenes are almost like small stories in themselves.

Copyright A VERY Brief Look at a TINY Number of Issues Idea-Expression Dichotomy You cant own an idea but you can own the original expression of an idea. [T]he ideas that are the fruit of an author's labors go into the public domain, while only the author's particular expression remains the author's to control (http://www.edwardsamuels.com/copyright/beyond/articles/ideapt1-20.htm).

Given the difficulty of defining the terms of the doctrine, some courts and commentators have developed an abstractions test[FN6] or a patterns analysis,[FN7] which purports to place a given work along a continuum between idea and expression. Although it is impossible to state precisely when a particular work has crossed the threshold from one end to the other, the courts are nonetheless supposed to struggle to apply the terms. Ibid.[FN6] [FN7]

Other Considerations Substantial Use Fair Use Sufficient originality

Screenwriting Commercial

Movies vs. Plays vs. Novels Novel: author has control of nearly all of the main product Novel: author has control of nearly all of the main product Plays: playwright has total control of script Plays: playwright has total control of script Movies: screenwriter usually has little control of anything Movies: screenwriter usually has little control of anything Novel: can get directly into characters thoughts and also provide exposition easily Novel: can get directly into characters thoughts and also provide exposition easily Movies: primarily visual Movies: primarily visual Plays: primarily verbal (dialogue) Plays: primarily verbal (dialogue) Novels: a solitary art Novels: a solitary art Plays and especially movies: highly collaborative arts Plays and especially movies: highly collaborative arts

Basics BASICS BASICS Shooting or Production Script: Shooting or Production Script: Formatted for actual use on set. Formatted for actual use on set. Spec or Writers Script: Spec or Writers Script: For shopping your script around. For shopping your script around. 100-120 pages. Period. 100-120 pages. Period. And theres the: Pitch Outline Treatment Synopsis

In MANY commercial films, CONCEPT is key. A successful concept: Can be understood by an 8 th grader Can be understood by an 8 th grader Can be summed up in one or two sentences Can be summed up in one or two sentences Is provocative Is provocative Provides a compelling mental picture Provides a compelling mental picture Has a main character who experiences a conflict which leads to an initial HOOK Has a main character who experiences a conflict which leads to an initial HOOK Has sequel potential Has sequel potential Has legs (could work even without big stars) Has legs (could work even without big stars) Will nonetheless attract a big star Will nonetheless attract a big star Stands out Stands out Is original but also has familiar elements (Being John Malkovich) Is original but also has familiar elements (Being John Malkovich) You can see the whole movie in it You can see the whole movie in it Has broad appeal Has broad appeal Is marketable; the exec knows immediately that the idea has potential Is marketable; the exec knows immediately that the idea has potential

Formulating the concept (the one-line or logline): Pose as question: Pose as question: What if Dorothy had a sister? What if Dorothy had a sister? What if Titanic were a spaceship instead of a boat? What if Titanic were a spaceship instead of a boat? What if one of the ghostbusters were himself a ghost? What if one of the ghostbusters were himself a ghost? Pose as a logline: TV Guide or newspaper movie section one-sentence summary Pose as a logline: TV Guide or newspaper movie section one-sentence summary Pose as a hook: Pose as a hook: The Graduate: Part II The Graduate: Part II Out of Africa meets Pretty Lady Out of Africa meets Pretty Lady Braveheart comes to America (The Patriot) Braveheart comes to America (The Patriot) Night of the Living Dead meets Star Wars (The Imposter) Night of the Living Dead meets Star Wars (The Imposter) Night of the Living Dead meets Outbreak (The Invasion) Night of the Living Dead meets Outbreak (The Invasion) Animal House meets The Good Girl (The Tao of Steve) Animal House meets The Good Girl (The Tao of Steve)

Logline should have an implied structureon hearing the concept, an exec would sense a beginning, middle, and end, or the beats: 1. Opening Image 2. Theme Statement 3. Set-up 4. Catalyst 5. Debate 6. B Story (usually the love story, page 30) 7. Fun and Games 8. Midpoint 9. Bad Guys Close In 10. All is Lost 11. Dark Night of the Soul 12. Finale 13. Final Image Every handbook you consult will break these parts down a little differently or with different headers

The killer TITLE + the CONCEPT + the CONCEPT = a one-two = a one-two

Know Your Genres Thriller Thriller Love Story Love Story Action/Adventure Action/Adventure Sci-Fi Sci-Fi Horror Horror Detective mystery Detective mystery Comedy Comedy

including ones not mentioned in your local video store: The Fish Out of Water The Fish Out of Water Dances with Wolves, Dangerous Minds, Miss Congeniality, Legally Blonde, Benjamin Button, The Reader Dances with Wolves, Dangerous Minds, Miss Congeniality, Legally Blonde, Benjamin Button, The Reader The Pet Who Heals The Pet Who Heals Winn-Dixie, Seabiscuit, As Good as It Gets (sub-theme), Marley and Me Winn-Dixie, Seabiscuit, As Good as It Gets (sub-theme), Marley and Me The Buddy Story (Sensitive Male Bonding Flick) The Buddy Story (Sensitive Male Bonding Flick) Ill-Fated Lovers (Casablanca, Romeo and Juliet, Ill-Fated Lovers (Casablanca, Romeo and Juliet, Plain Jane Transformed Plain Jane Transformed The Devil Wears Prada, Pretty Lady, My Fair Lady, Cinderella (of course) The Devil Wears Prada, Pretty Lady, My Fair Lady, Cinderella (of course) Beloved Mentor Beloved Mentor Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds, Good Will Hunting Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds, Good Will Hunting Rites of Passage (A Few Good Men, Rocky, Titanic, The Reader) Rites of Passage (A Few Good Men, Rocky, Titanic, The Reader) The Quest (Titanic, Troy, Indiana Jones, My Best Friends Wedding The Quest (Titanic, Troy, Indiana Jones, My Best Friends Wedding Monster in the House (The Exorcist, Tremors, Panic Room, Alien) Monster in the House (The Exorcist, Tremors, Panic Room, Alien) The Brilliant Dope (Forrest Gump, Dave, I Am Sam) The Brilliant Dope (Forrest Gump, Dave, I Am Sam)

There is much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much more to this discipline. Ive given you a wee taste, a feel for the commercial foundations.

Finding resources is EASY To read actual film scripts, try out: www.isriptdb.com (Internet Movie Script Database) www.isriptdb.com (Internet Movie Script Database) www.isriptdb.com www.dailyscript.com www.dailyscript.com www.dailyscript.com www.newmarketpress.com/category.asp?id=10www.scriptcrawler.com (New Market Presss film and television scripts for sale) www.newmarketpress.com/category.asp?id=10www.scriptcrawler.com (New Market Presss film and television scripts for sale) www.newmarketpress.com/category.asp?id=10www.scriptcrawler.com www.script-o-rama.com www.script-o-rama.com www.script-o-rama.com www.simplyscripts.com www.simplyscripts.com www.simplyscripts.com TV and movie script writing site: www.cybercollege.com/index.htm www.cybercollege.com/index.htm www.cybercollege.com/index.htm Quicky on film script format: www.cybercollege.com/dram_flm.htm www.cybercollege.com/dram_flm.htm www.cybercollege.com/dram_flm.htm Longer thingy on script writing format: http://www.screenwriting.info/ http://www.screenwriting.info/ http://www.screenwriting.info/ These sites havent been thoroughly examined; they are suggested starting places only.

BTW, how do you know when a website is junk? No contact info or verifiable background No contact info or verifiable background No affiliations, stated or linked No affiliations, stated or linked Claims made without supporting evidence Claims made without supporting evidence The site is problematically .com or other The site is problematically .com or other .orgs are getting easier to fudge, apparently .orgs are getting easier to fudge, apparently No documentation of sources No documentation of sources No documentation of little-known or debatable info No documentation of little-known or debatable info Conspicuous ill-will, bias, disregard for opposing views Conspicuous ill-will, bias, disregard for opposing views Unedited and unproofread Unedited and unproofread Links take you to advertisements or porn Links take you to advertisements or porn Comes from Wikipedia :) Wickedpedia Comes from Wikipedia :) Wickedpedia

But, man, do you really want to write formula stuff? E.g., visit the Fargo Theater! Theres a whole world of non-formula film- making and screenwriting out there; you just might have to look a little further than franchise theaters or screaming TV trailers.

The Snow-Munching Exercise: Whats the Story? Where to?

Possible pts. of view: You Teacher Onlookers Classmates Point of entry Instructor giving assignment You on your way Teacher waiting Snow in the mouth Someone reflecting back (frame) Narrative question: What will it feel like? (action story about people in conflict, danger) What will happen to me when I do this weird thing? Can I make myself do it? (character-based story about personal growth; tiny coming-of-age piece) Why is instructor doing this? (story about education; maybe mentor-piece; battle-of- wills piece) What will students think of this assignment? (the burned-out teacher; the evil teacher; the heroic teacher) Triggers, hooks, complicating actions, mounting tension Dialogue with other students on the way New thoughts on the way Diversions; delays; false leads Setting: how do things LOOK when one is stepping directly into the unknown? Climax Dangers of this story Pat theme

andy s: how did you load/post your flash fiction? can’t open it. i want an end to these bb...

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