Notes

3rd person/present tense

A character is “narrating” the story as it is happening. It presents a more immediate and urgent feel to the material.

Commonly used in:

-Screenplays

the story/film is unfolding as we read it.

Fosters a more urgent and immediate feel to the story.

-Thriller & Suspense Genres.

Passive vs Active voice

Passive

-Uses weak verbs

-tells what’s happening in the character’s head

-distances the reader from the story.

Active voice

-uses strong action verbs

-shows the action

-uses an immediate sentence structure

-conveys the story in a lively manner

Tips for writing:

-Everyone will not have problems coming up with a list of excuses for procrastination.

-The biggest problem is getting started.

-If you have a work in progress, Never stop for the night if you are stuck.

-Always solve the problem and keep going until you are in safer water. A good night’s sleep is important. Sleeping on problems is a myth.

If you cant get started on a project, start writing anyway. To do this, you need to have some words to type.

-It doesnt matter what you write, you’ll soon begin to think and move in your own rhythm/pace.

Exercise 1A: Openers

Wearing a grass skirt, Lun walks into the tunnel. Footsteps echoed through the cave. He wipes off the beads of cold sweat off his forehead and sighs,”What a forfeit”. Suddenly, he lets out a yell, “Ouch!” Lun knocked onto a protruding rock at the side of the cave walls. He sweeps off the stone dust on his knees, grinds his teeth, and stomps through the cave reluctantly. As Lun moves on, he sees a beam of light. He lets out a smile. His steps quicken. Before he knows it, Lun is out of the cave; into the sunshine again. However, in front of him stands a bunch of villagers staring at him. Lun manages to force out a smile. All of a sudden, a little boy who is leaning against the coconut tree points at Lun and laughs. Following the boy, the whole bunch of villagers break into laughter. Lun gasps and looks down himself. A gentle wind blows through his bare calves. The skirt is not there anymore.

Exercise 1B: Openers

write 12 opening phrases in your blogs under the Openers Page.