SESSION FIVE – 01 May 2020 - Wycombe Sound Writing Clinic
Topic – Story Structure and Finding a Good Opening plus a weekend writing challenge.
REFERENCED ITEMS:
The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson
which opens with a combination of flashbacks mixed with real time. It’s quite
cleverly done. The Icelandic character names are a bit of a challenge but worth
the effort.
Enduring Love by Ian
McEwan has one of the most gripping openings which sets the scene for the whole
novel.
The Sense of an Ending by
Julian Barnes. This novel doesn’t begin with future events from the story but
with images from future events – these are future for the
reader in terms of how the story unfolds but it’s the past for the main
character.
Today I set a small challenge
for the weekend. Write 250 words using this opening line: He
put the telephone down, looked hard at me, and said... Ask yourself, what
does he say and where does it lead? How do you feel about it? Is it kind or is
it threatening? Does it confirm something you already know that must now be
dealt with or make you ask a lot of questions? Reach a conclusion if you can
but don’t worry about finding an ending for this story at the moment. This
exercise is about using writing to trigger your creativity: write the first
thing that occurs to you, then the next and so on, when you get to 250 words just
stop. You may edit if you wish. Just write what comes into your head without
being concerned where it’s going. Please post your piece on this blog.
LINKS
To hear this session again or to begin listening from day
one, go to the clinic webpage at Wycombe Sound.
For Wycombe Sound Short Story Week - Short stories
created by students from the Wycombe Sound Writing Workshop go to Short Story Week.
CONTACTS:
Wycombe Sound -call the studio - 01494 449900
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