Writing Exercise: Archetypes
This fall we'll begin a four-part exploration of archetypes in literature. Our journey will begin with a look at the various character archetypes that have carved themselves into our collective consciousness over the millennia. Hero, mother figure, the great teacher, the innocent (or child), underdog, scapegoat/victim, villain, trickster/joker, evil figure are just a few of the many archetypes we'll start with. Lots of rich material here to explore!
Try the following warm up exercise: Take a moment to think about what being a hero means to you. Jot down some words that capture the spirit of your thoughts. Use these words to create a short story, poem, essay or screenplay in which a hero of your creation shines.
Writing Exercise: Archetypes II
At our last meeting, we started our exploration of archetypes, beginning with character images from our collective consciousness. While our overview included the many strong character archetypes that are sprinkled throughout time and tales, the written focus was centered on the hero. As we discovered, heros can take many forms, from the extraordinary to the seemingly mundane, but what they all have in common is the ability to go beyond their limitations for the greater good of their community and to inspire others with their courage. Powerful stuff. Continuing with the theme of archetypes in writing, we look at archetypal settings: forest, garden, mountains, sea, caves, rivers, and islands all convey deeper meaning when looked at from a symbolic point of view.
With settings in mind, and since we've had such fun with random word exercises in the past, the writing exercise includes the words burglar, envelope, forest, and desk lamp. Use these words to create a short story, poem, play or written piece of your choice. As a small prompt, remember that the forest is unpredictable and therefore potentially dangerous. It's a place where the normal rules of society do not apply. Creatures, people and magic run wild.
Writing Exercise: Essays
Whoever said that essays have to be boring? A well-written essay or an editorial full of personal style and choice words can make a lot of impact. We'll explore mastering a voice which is authoritative yet approachable, as well as different ways to tackle the system of writing one from the standard outline to a more flowing structure. Essay writing provides an excellent chance to flex your writing muscles and try on different stances. It ties in with past writing group topics such as opinion, voice and emotion.
With all this rich material for expressionism, I offer the following (optional) essay topic: Should people have to get a license to have children? Simply begin by writing this topic at the top of the page, organizing your thoughts and let it flow.
Writing Exercise: Theme and Premise
Theme is the underlying idea to your story such as love, rebirth, success; a premise is a statement of belief about the theme.
Example:
theme= lovepremise=love is eternal (think of the movie Love Story)
The premise of your story is your chance as an author to hit home your message about any particular theme. How do you feel about love, rebirth, success? The premise is what makes your story unique. With this in mind, I suggest the following (optional) exercise. Write about nature (the theme). Include the following words in your story, poem or screenplay: hard drive, stapler, phone, car, billboard. The premise is up to you!
Writing Exercise: Dialogue
What does takes to make your dialogue believable and realistic without weighing it down with too much information?
The Wrong Lie: A husband catches his wife in a lie and suspects she is cheating on him. She isn't cheating, but she has a new job that she doesn't want him to know about. (Suggestion: As preparation, write character profiles for both the husband and wife so that you have a clear idea of who they both are.) The husband confronts the wife about her lie. Write the dialogue.
Writing Exercise: Persuasive Dialogue
Dialogue needs some form of tension or suspense to hold readers' interest. Sometimes suspense is created intrinsically, as when readers know more than the characters, and sometimes it is created extrinsically through character conflict. Imagine two characters: One wants something the other has. Write a dialogue that creates extrinsic tension between the two characters, where one character is determined not to give in to the other.
A few pointers: We speak in short bursts—usually no more than 12 words at a time. Try to avoid long monologues. Use contractions (don't, shouldn't, etc.) and let characters break off sentences and interrupt each other.
