10 Things I Learnt From A Scriptwriting Workshop

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Ever tried scriptwriting? I’ve dabbled, but not seriously lol

Last week, writer, Linda James came to our Writing Group to do a talk/workshop on scriptwriting. But a lot of what she said would be valuable advice to all writers, regardless of their genre or medium 🙂

I made lots of notes, but here are the best 10 things I wrote down (IMO obviously) 🙂

1. Transform your story into pictures/images – i.e., when you think about a setting or a character, visualise them in your mind. Your reader needs to be able to see these things, from the words that you use.

2. Include body language – When describing what a character is doing, include body language, don’t tell your reader your character is depressed, show them.

3. Open your story in the most interesting visual way possible, introducing key characters right at the start. – You need to hook your reader from the very first page.

4. Make sure you have clues on the first page (Linda calls them seeds) – Throughout a novel the writer must drop clues for the reader. Make sure you start this on the very first page. The reader needs to have questions that they want answered.

5. Practice writing monologues, to get inside your characters head – The more you know your character, the better they will come across in your work.

6. Every scene must have a telling detail – Each scene needs to reveal something about the character or plot.

7. Use symbolism – If there is a crucifix on the wall it will tell your reader your characters religious beliefs. like wise if there is a Buddha statue on a coffee table.

8. Use local dialect sparingly – Your reader doesn’t need to know exactly how a person with a broad accent sounds, too much and they won’t understand it.

9. Use work by authors who were writing fiction at the time your story was set for research – If you’re writing historical fiction (even if it’s set in the 1950’s!) read fiction by authors who were publishing work in that era. You will get a feel for the time and be able to see what words and phrases were common.

10. Research the way film directors use “mood” to convey a scene – You wouldn’t have a severely depressed man skipping through a field of daisies would you? 😉

I’m a bit of a film addict, and sometimes I will sit with my note book as I watch a film, so a lot of what Linda said made perfect sense. Obviously, I just had to buy her books 😉

That’s 2 more to add to the collection *snigger*

Our homework for next months meeting is to turn a short story into a script, which should be interesting, I’ll stick mine up on my blog when it’s done 🙂

So have you ever tried your hand at scriptwriting?

Life’s Too Short :)

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Today’s guest/Blog Swap is Ava, who is also known as Jordanna 😉 Ava’s blog often has me laughing out loud. Go take a peek at Journey of Jordanna East 🙂

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
To be honest, I started writing my first novel because I was bored. I was unemployed, couldn’t afford cable, and had no money to do anything. I was even more depressed because I could no longer afford my college tuition. I thought about what I could do with the knowledge I did have, and how I could combine that knowledge with something that interested me. Then it hit me: I could write a crime book! That’s what I called it, “a crime book.” I majored in Biology with minors in Psychology and Criminology, so I thought I would try my hand at writing a novel. I sat on my bed and started typing. I wrote about 5 chapters by the seat of my pants. But I enjoyed it. A lot. When I started working at a restaurant, I found myself writing notes and chapter summaries on scraps of receipt paper. But I still didn’t know I wanted to be a writer (I can be rather dense). A few people read my first chapters and said they saw potential, but eventually I put my work aside. This year I picked it back up. And when I was unhappy at my most recent job, I realized that I would be so content if I could just stay home and write. So I’m trying it (I left that job for unrelated, personal reasons) and it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long while. I realize that I might not make a lot of friends by admitting I was bored and thought I would write a novel, but I will say that I’m 100% committed to learning and improving every day and I’m completely humbled by those who have succeeded before me.

What genre do you write in?
As I stated above, at first I called it “a crime book.” That eventually became the slightly more sophisticated “crime novel.” For a while I struggled with what actual genre my novel fell into; it wasn’t a mystery/suspense since the main character IS the serial killer and who’s killing people isn’t a big surprise. Then one day I read an article about how to characterize your novel and I discovered my novel falls into the Psychological Thriller genre. I do have a few other ideas for future books though, and they fall in several different genres.

Do you have a writing schedule, your normal writing day?
I do not. I sit on the couch and force myself to write throughout the day. I’ve recently begun shooting for 1000 words per day, but oftentimes I get distracted by editing. That’s right, I love to edit and I have to fight the urge to go back and perfect stuff. I’m a crazy person.

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
I write in the living room, on the couch, with the tv on in the background. I can’t do music! Music distracts me because if I know the words I absentmindedly start typing them. It also distracts me when my cats lie down on my notes, but I tolerate them because they’re so darn cute.

Who inspires you?
My oft-mentioned Hubby-pants. I’ve never seen anyone believe in someone else the way he believes in me. In fact, I’ve never seen someone believe in themselves, let alone another person, the way he believes in me. It’s the best feeling, aside from his love and affection, of course.

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
I don’t really know yet and I don’t want to be presumptious and disappoint people. I hate when I read a review that says the author is the next Stephen King or the next JRR Tolkien and then…not so much.

Tell us about your current WIP/recently published book?
It’s a crime book! Haha, no, seriously, it’s a thriller involving three characters whose lives are colliding, but not in a happy, shiny, “It’s a Small World After All” kind of way. My main character, Lyla Kyle is a beautiful artist living in Philadelphia who happens to also be a disturbed serial killer. Trying to connect a series of unexplained deaths –Lyla’s murders– is a young cop itching for a big case to make his career. Both of them are seeing the same psychologist, but neither one knows the deadly impacts she’s had on each of their lives. I have about 28K words at the moment and hope to have the project completed before the end of the year, at which point I will enjoy a much anticipated spa day in the city. (Vikki – Can’t wait to read it Ava!)

Ava’s last point, about treating herself to a Spa Day when she’s finished the novel, reminded me of Stephen Kings Misery. Where The author, Paul Sheldon, has a cigarette when he finishes a novel. This got me thinking, what would I treat myself to? Hmmmmmm, it would have to be a Mont Blanc Pen and that way, I could build up a collection *snigger*

So what will you treat yourself to when you’ve finally finished that WIP?

A Writers Holiday

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’m off to Wales for a week in July. A Writing Holiday that I’ve heard is great.

The Summer Writers Holiday at Caerleon has had some great reviews from fellow writers, so I thought I’d give it a go 🙂

Photo by The Writers Holiday
So this is where you’ll find me come the 22nd of July. Really looking forward to it! 🙂

The courses I’ve decided to do while I’m there are:

A Complete Introduction To Romance Writing with Kate Walker as I’m reading one of Kate’s books at the moment, and I’m also enrolled on the Romance course I started last week. I’d love to be able to write good quality romance 🙂

Stretching Your Writing Muscles with Elizabeth Hawksley which I thought sounded rather interesting. The course is described as:
All writers need to loosen their writing ligaments a little to explore different ways of writing and find new ways of tackling their own writing. This course aims to do just that. we’ll look at what makes for bad writing – with examples! We’ll look at how writers tackle those big emotional moments; at how not to cop out when the going gets tough; at different ways of getting under the skin of a character; what pitch and stress can do for your writing and so on. This is a taught course and as well as discussion and looking at short extracts from published writers, the class will have a go for themselves in various exercises. That sounds right up my street! Lol

There are also guest speakers and other small talks and courses….WOW 🙂

I will no doubt adopt the roving reporter cap while I’m there, boring you all senseless with my daily commentary *snigger*

Have you ever been on a “writing holiday”? If so, what did you think? if not, would you consider it? You know how nosey I am 😉

By the way….there are still places available if you want to join me 🙂

Silly Man…..

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Here’s my snippet inspired by Sundays picture of the champagne 😉

Orson sat down at the bar and ordered a drink, Vodka, neat, and drank it down in one gulp.
“Steady there fella.” The bar man laughed. “Another?”
“Yeah, keep em coming, no, give me the bottle, room 320.”
The bar man nodded and placed the bottle on the bar.
Orson poured another drink and helped himself to ice from a chrome lidded ice bucket. The tongs were so cold they almost stuck to his fingers.

It was some time before he noticed that he’d hit the almost full bottle hard. His head was beginning to swim and aware that his legs seemed to belong to someone else.
“Vodka and coke please?”
Orson turned in the direction of the voice. A woman stood next to him. She smiled and he was struck by the greenness of her eyes, which matched her dress perfectly. He pushed the bottle in her direction.
“Bad day?” She asked.
Orson looked down at his left hand and twisted the gold wedding band that was beginning to cut into his finger.

The next thing Orson knew was waking in his hotel room, flat on his back on the bed, naked. He tried to lift his head from the pillow and groaned. The pain was intense.Trying to look around the room from his horizontal position he could see nothing out of place until he noticed the bottle of champagne, turned upside down in its bucket. The 2 glasses lay on their sides on a small side table. Swinging his legs to the side of the bed he sat up slowly. He felt sick and dizzy. The pain in his temples throbbed with an intensity he’d never experienced before. He looked round for his clothes but couldn’t see them.

“Shit, my wallet!”
He staggered to the wardrobe and looked at the safe. It was open and empty. It was only then that he noticed all his clothes, even his shoes, were missing.”
The telephone rang.
“Yes!”
“Good morning Mr James, this is Reception. Just to let you know your wife has just arrived. She’s asking if she should come up, or meet you down here for breakfast……Mr James? Shall I send her up?”

*evil snigger* I do like a bit of conflict lol. Poor old Orson, what is he gunna do? Lol

Any ideas as to how he’s gunna get out of that? 😉

This Weeks Goals (18th to 24th)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Greetings from Jersey! 🙂

Yep, I’m on holiday *yay* So just imagine me with my feet up, on a sun lounger, cocktail in hand, copy of 50 Shades in the other hand (yep, I’m taking all 3 books with me so that I’m a captive audience lol).

Actually, what is probably closer to the truth is that it’s raining and we’re stuck in our hotel room lol. We’re staying at St Brelade’s Bay, the hotel is right on the beach. So no matter what the weather, I’ll be there, possibly with my brolly, but definitely with my note book 🙂

Photo from Jersey.co.uk

So no writing goals this week *yay* no, sorry, *boo hiss* 😉 It will be kind of nice to get away from the WIP for a week, try not to think about it. I will however be taking my prompts book (and still doing a prompt a day) and of course, my note book for free writing 🙂

So the goals for this week are to write something every day, that’s it, keep my toe in so to speak. I should be able to manage that 🙂

Are you going on holiday this year (or you might have been already)? Is a holiday, for you, a complete break from writing or your WIP, or do you take it with you?

Apologies if my replies to comments are sporadic….not sure about Internet access here 😦 Blood will be spilt if I cant get at least a daily fix!

Champers Darling?

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Today’s picture is one I took last year…

So who’s celebrating what?

Looking forward to hearing your ideas….will share mine on Tuesday 🙂

I Write Like…..

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Thanks to Gail at The Writer Is A Lonely Hunter I now know who I write like lol.

On my blog swap interviews I was asking my guests who they compared their writing to. Some of them knew straight away, others didn’t. And the reason I asked this question was because I’ve heard it said a few times that when submitting your manuscript to an agent/publisher it can help if you can mention who your work is similar to. This is so the agent/publishers can gauge your genre and style. Now, don’t quote me on the fact that you have to do that, it’s just something I’ve heard a few times.

Anyway, yes, back to the lovely Gail 🙂 Gail posted a link on her blog last week to a web site where you copy and paste a couple of paragraphs of your own work into a little window and the site tells you which author your work is similar to. Well, ok, I’m game, so I did……

First, I pasted in the Prologue from my WIP (But Not Forgotten) and it came back…..Gertrude Stein
Ok, I can live with that, not bad 🙂

Next, I tried pasting in a short story, Ashes, the one I did for CC’s blog a couple of weeks ago. It came back as….. Mario Puzo
Wow, really? I mean really? lol

So then I thought I’d try the first chapter of But Not Forgotten. The result…..William Gibson
Ummmm, who? *goes off to Wikipedia*
Wow, WOW! lol

Nah, come on, it’s rubbish isn’t it? I mean, do I really write like these guys? Looks like I’ll actually have to read some of their work to find out 😉

So give I Write Like a go, then, come back and tell me, as I’m dying to hear…. Who do you write like? Do you agree with the comparison?

My Favourite Steampunker

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Chris Stocking who blogs at Write to Perfect is today’s guest. Chris is into Steampunk, a genre I admit to not knowing that much about, but I’m hoping that I’m learning from reading Chris’ blog 🙂

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
It’s difficult for me to pinpoint when exactly I wanted to be a writer. Since I was young—spanning from 1st grade to the present—I had always dabbled in writing. Whether it was a short story assignment for class, or me writing fan fiction based on whatever book I was writing, I was always writing. I just never thought that I might actually have some sort of talent for it, nor that I would want to write books for the rest of my life. I guess if I had to pinpoint a time, it would be about two or three years ago when I decided I wanted to write and finish a book, which led to me writing ESTRA Corp., which is now retired.

What genre do you write in?
I write Science-Fiction/Fantasy/Steampunk.

Do you have a writing schedule, your normal writing day?
Unfortunately I do not. I wish I did, though. With work and everyday happenings of life, I write when I can. Someday, when I get a job with steady hours, or am fortunate enough to live off my writing, I’d like to develop a writing schedule.

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
I write anywhere my laptop has power. I can write in basically any environment; however, what is happening in that environment alters how much I write. I find it harder to write when there is a television on, or if there is a lot of noise around me. I’ve also recently found that I write better sitting at a desk or a table than if I’m lying down.

Who inspires you?
Other writers in the same position I’m in. Writing is a journey that is difficult, if not impossible to do alone. We need the help of other writers to get a different perspective of our work, and to give feedback. That’s why I always offer to give feedback on other writer’s work. Of course I’m not a writing expert, and my opinion may mean more to some than others, but the fact that I can influence and potentially help to better someone’s work is very gratifying.

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
This is a difficult question for me to answer. I’d like to think that I have a darker, sarcastic voice with some dry humor mixed in. To be honest, I don’t know that many authors. That is one thing I’m working on remedying. I’m trying to read more because if we don’t read, how can we know how to write?

Tell us about your current WIP/recently published book?
I’m currently awaiting edits and the cover image for my next book, London Darkness: Infernal Inventions. It’s a Steampunk book, which blends science-fiction and fantasy, and takes place in Victorian London where the technology has progressed greatly, but many things are run by steam power.

I had a ton of fun writing it. It seemed to flow really well, and I’ve received a lot of good feedback on the first chapter I posted on my blog.

Here’s the description: “Victorian London–When Ryker Mayson–an independent inventor–comes across the dead body of a Head Inventor from the League of Inventors on his birthday, his life becomes more complicated than he could ever imagine. Murder, lies, and deceit become all too familiar as Ryker searches the dark city streets to find out who is behind these deaths, and why.

With the help of Wendell, his Gnomish best friend, Celia, his prostitute lover, and some newly made friends, he scours the city in search of whomever is lurking in the city’s shadows, slaying unsuspecting inventors for taking part in a tragic injustice.”

I’m hoping to have it published in the next few weeks.

I have to confess to not knowing much about SciFi and Fantasy, but I know it’s a popular genre. I can’t quite get my head around whether it’s easier or harder to write than ‘normal’ fiction. would love to hear your opinions, especially from those who write in this genre?

Is My Writing Improving? Part 1

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Since the first of January I have been using The Writers Book Of Days by Judy Reeves to encourage me to write every day. It’s been hard at times, to the point where I’ve wanted to give up, but I haven’t, and I’m determined to see it through until the 31st of December.

As I’m kind of half way in the book (and because Judy provides a checklist), I thought I’d do the exercise How Can I Tell If My Writing Is Improving here on my blog 🙂

Soooo, after 6 months of daily prompts, let’s see shall we…..This is part 1….part 2 will follow 🙂

1. Do I easily fall into writing from the prompt and begin writing without hesitation (not stopping to think or consider & keeping the pen moving)?
Hmmmm, no, not all the time, but, that really depends on whether I find the prompt inspiring or not. Some of them I could write for hours, others, I just about manage a page. But either way, I find it easy to start now 🙂 There are very few times that I actually hesitate.

2. Do I stay with the image inspired by the prompt long enough to explore it, rather than verging off in all directions that go nowhere or jumping from one point to the next? Am I a more patient writer?
Oh definitely a resounding yes! But, I’ve often had to stop mid flow because of time constraints 😦

3. Are my verbs lively and diverse?
Hmmmmm…..i think so lol. But I’ll have to re-read the first month or so’s prompts to compare.

4. Are my images fresh?
Again, I think so, I’m definitely more aware of imagery than I was say 8 months ago. A lot of that has to do with watching films. I never really saw them as anything other than a story on the screen. But now, I’m more aware of what is actually being portrayed. The emotion on people’s faces and the atmosphere.

5. Do I write with fewer cliched words and images?
Ummmm….*blush* nope lol. I do love a cliche lol. I must get out of the habit 😦

6. Do my sentences vary in length and structure?
Yes, this is definitely something I am more aware of 🙂

7. Do I write more naturally, with less self consciousness?
OMG yes! I don’t even think about how crap something is anymore, because all practice is good. I don’t over analyse anymore 🙂

8. Adverbs have all but disappeared from my writing?
Ummmm, nope lol. I’m finding this really hard to be honest 😦

9. Is my writing truthful and honest, am I holding back?
Yes, it’s truthful and honest to a point, but, there are certain things I hold back on definitely. I don’t think that will ever change. There are events in my life that are too painful to write about, maybe one day they won’t be 😉

10. Am I including more detail?
Yes, definitely. I’m more aware of all my senses now 🙂 I love adding tiny little details to things, it makes my writing much more interesting!

Hmmmmm, so there are a couple of things I still need to work on, mainly Verbs and Adverbs. I have to admit, I keep getting the two confused lol *blush*. It’s the technical side of writing that I don’t enjoy 😦 I didn’t pay much attention in my English classes….I wish I had now lol

My husband reads all my prompts and the other day, he said he could see a definite improvement, so I’ll take his word for that lol 🙂

So how are you with Verbs and Adverbs? Or am I alone in not always being aware of them? Lol. Is it really that important in the scheme of things?

What I Learnt From 9 Hours of The Lord Of The Rings

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Recently, me and hubby have started to watch film trilogies, all in one day. We’ve done the Mission Impossible Trilogy, the Matrix trilogy, and just recently it was the turn of The Lord Of The Rings…..all 9 hours! Lol

I’ve had Tolkien’s books sitting on my shelf for years now lol. When the films came out hubby took the kids to see them at the cinema, I didn’t go, I wanted to read the books first. But, that never happened, so I decided to sod it, watch the films anyway.

Sooooo, the things I learnt:

1. Tolkien did romance! I wasn’t expecting romance, don’t ask me why lol. Although I had kind of been pre warned by reading Roger Colby’s blog post recently entitled Tolkien’s Advice About Relationships.

2. It was pretty goddam violent! Ok, so perhaps the books aren’t as bad? But I didn’t like all the poor horses being killed, and even the nasty elephants. Why do they have to put animals in eh?

3. Tolkien was a genius! Yeah, ok, I’m a bit late in coming to the party with this one, but, OMFG! What a mind, to create all that!

4. The scenes, battles, and cities were incredible! Ok, now I understand why all 3 films won Oscars for the Visual Effects lol.

5. Life can never be the same after some experiences 😉

And I guess that’s what I took away from the whole 9 hours. The fact that some adventures just impact on your life so much (well, obviously I’m not sure many of us get the opportunity to have as big an adventure as what Frodo did lol) that you will never be the same again. Sometimes, that’s how I feel about my writing “life”.

I was on a bit of a downer last week, about the whole writing and being a writer malarkey, but, if I look at it as just a big adventure, perhaps that makes it easier to cope with the insecurities? Does that make sense? Tolkien wrote about a little guy (literally) taking on the world, and actually winning. So, if Frodo can do all that (yeah yeah, I know it’s fiction lol), then surely I can achieve my goals, if I put my mind to it 🙂

Have you ever read or seen something that’s had a huge impact on the way you think? Something that’s given you hope that, actually, you could achieve your goals?