 |
||||||||||
|
Writer's Boot Camp Get
your idea on PAPER Today! by Shon Bacon
I belong to a group of WONDERFUL women and writers called SOMSistahs (Speaking of My Sistahs). Through the group, we are working to develop collaborative and individual writing projects. Many of us have decided to participate in NanoWrimo this year; it's actually going on NOW, so if you're feeling like a risk-taker, head over to NW now, join up, and write your freaking fingers off!
Well, for the last two years, I have participated and succeeded in creating a novel during NanoWrimo. Typically, I need to at least have my idea and a general notion of some scenes and what I'd like to happen in the course of the story. If the story is good - and I always hope it is - my characters will come alive and tell the story they need to tell.
This year, I decided to be a bit more structured in the development of my NanoWrimo story and because my fellow sisters were working on stories, too, I decided to create a four-week BOOT CAMP that would enable us to develop the story idea, looking at description, plot, beginning and ending scenes, and other scenes within the story. We worked on this BOOT CAMP during the month of October; however, I have given the boot camp to friends who have done all four assignments in a weekend.
Below are descriptions of the assignments we did for our four-week boot camp. If you're interested in learning more about the boot camp, e-mail me because I will be offering one-on-one and group online and offline classes on this boot camp in the NEAR FUTURE - with additional assignments!
Week One: What's Your Story About? For the first week of BOOT CAMP, we want to know some of the basics about your book: what it’s about, who the characters are, where the story’s set, and what POV you plan to write in.
Week Two: What's Your Story's Plot? For the second week of BOOT CAMP, we’re looking at your story’s PLOT, its CONFLICT. The assignment asks you to think about the main conflict and subsequent sub-conflicts or sub-plots that will create the tension and drive the story.
Week Three: What's Your Story's Beginning, Middle, and End? For the third week of BOOT CAMP, we’re looking to do more VISUALIZING of our story. Three of the biggest moments in a story are the beginning, the point of conflict, and the ending. The assignment asks you to think about these three moments within the story you’d like to develop and flesh out the scenes that might coincide with each.
Week Four: Developing Additional Scenes for Your Story For the fourth week of BOOT CAMP, we will be looking at developing more scenes of your story, trying to give you as much visual ammunition to develop the story as possible.
Remember, if you'd like to learn more about the BOOT CAMP, e-mail me and let me know; in the NEAR future, I plan to hold one-on-one and group classes online and offline.
|
|||||||||
