Our most creative and original writing is often spontaneous and intuitive. Responding to writing prompts within a limited time frame can help you to write without over-thinking. This is why I offer fifteen minute writing prompts in workshops and classes.
writing dialogue
there’s something I have to tell you
Break up with someone - deliver the news through this intercom device: Till Krech Write persuasive dialogue. Every word counts.
hello? are you there?
Think about how much of what we say and hear is channeled through electronic devices. Our relationships exist as vibrations and visuals, often without physical contact or presence. The electronic mediums we use have become story channels, often defining our relationships. We've grown so accustomed to relating through vibrations and visuals that we frequently lose awareness of … Continue reading hello? are you there?
choreographing the Aleutian cackling goose
Exposition is risky - and necessary. At it's best exposition provides critical back story, or foreshadowing, it can enhance character development and help to convey place, time, and atmospheric subtleties that are not appropriate for dialogue. Used with patience, pacing and economy, exposition feels 'invisible' to the reader, it enhances story without intruding. A good way … Continue reading choreographing the Aleutian cackling goose
choreographing a troupe
Making a scene requires artful choreography – animating your characters interactions so vividly and seamlessly that your reader forgets they are reading. This often means tracking a troupe of characters as they make their disparate and interconnecting way from the beginning to the end of the scene. To do this, you must know each character … Continue reading choreographing a troupe
getting your backstory straight
Backstory is history that helps your reader to better understand the motivations and inner lives of your characters, it can help them to care about and identify with your characters. Unlike a history lesson, backstory should be brief, giving enough information to enlighten, without disrupting the forward motion of the story. When deciding where to … Continue reading getting your backstory straight
subtxt: omg srsly wym
Subtext – the key to powerful dialogue When people talk, they don’t always say what they mean, they don’t say everything they know, and they don’t know everything they feel. That’s why god created subtext. Often we empathize with a character more when she fights what she feels than when she expresses it. Strive to … Continue reading subtxt: omg srsly wym
Tag Lines – look who’s talking
Effective dialogue gives the illusion of real speech. Dialogue is edited speech, organized and directed, while retaining the style of real-life speech. It should be lean and brief. When writing dialogue, it is important to be clear about who is talking, so we use tag lines such as the she said/he said device to distinguish … Continue reading Tag Lines – look who’s talking
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