Writing Exercises: In Times of Difficulty
Writing Advice Wednesday
Here’s a writing exercises to use if you’re keen to either get some practice, or need some motivation to start a new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked for other people.
This week, it’s time to see what kind of person you are in a time of crisis…
Crisis Moments
Look in a thesaurus for synonyms of the word “crisis.” Here is what I found:
Disaster, Catastrophe, Devastation, Cataclysm, Misfortune, Fiasco, Risky, Dangerous, Extreme Emergency, Flop, Accident, Extremity, Calamity, Setback, Debacle, Threat. Mishap, Failure, Tough Trial, Test, Hazard, Challenge, Stumbling Block, Pickle, Misfortune, Impasse, Obstruction, Obstacle, Turning point, Watershed Moment, Tragedy, Ruin, Destruction, Impending Doom
What kind of personal situation does each one of those words bring to mind?
List a personal life experience that matches each one of these words.
Quickly write how you got yourself into each difficulty defined by the list of the words. What did you do to bring about each situation?
How did each situation plague or torment you? How did it engage your fear or make you afraid? How did you get yourself out of each situation or circumstance?
Now make a list of the story events in your film that would fit each one of those descriptions. List a situation in your story that matches each word.
Could you create new story events to match one or more of these words?
What does your character do to get him or her self into each crisis situation?
How does each situation plague or torment your character?
How does your character get him or her self out of each situation?
How does each situation reverse or change your character’s expectations or assumptions?
Use this list to spark new ideas leading up to your climax.
Remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
Create a visual map for a character’s emotional journey. Pull stories from character rather from rote story structure beats. Some of the largest international media companies, use this in story and character development.
A clear concise guide for writers and producers to have by their side as they embark on a project. It gives a really vital reminder of what is key for story success.
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