Notes

Week Four

Storytelling Tool 1: Observation

– Whom am I writing about?
– Who is my character?
– What is he/she/it like?
– What does he/she/it do?
– What happens to him/her/it in the story

Exercise: Awareness Level

– People rarely observe familiar people or things closely
– Most people pass through the day with 20% – 30% awareness

Mindless Observation versus True Observation

– Observe in a conscious way
– Develop the ability to see and record people:
o Their movements
o Their physical characteristics
o The setting/places they are in

Assignments

– Reflection
– People-Watch:
– Record (using your cell phone, digital camera, video camera, etc.) any person you don’t know)
– Record your comments on the person’s physicality, action and your opinions on it (using Garage Band, etc.)
– Put it all together on iMovie, etc.
– Videos to be posted on the blog via YouTube
– Make sure your presentation is ready to be presented next week

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Week Five

I) Observation
II) Experience
a. Many of your experiences are universal and translatable and can be used in any location
b. Makes writing more credible
c. If you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while
d. See how he relates to the world he has been thrown into
e. Plunder your own personal background
i. The things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to you make terrific story sources
f. True life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings
g. Life is unpredictable
h. In a story, we can and must control the events and sequences so that it gives the appearance of being life like

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Week Six

Storytelling Tool Three: Memory

– Your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told
– These memories are points of experience to your own past existence

Tip:

– Write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know
– There is always room for personal discovery

– What is the difference between memory and experience
– How do we use memory