Internet Writing Workshop's Practice for 9/5/10

The Other Side of the Story


Prepared by: Florence Cardinal
Reposted on: Sun, 5 Sept 2010

Exercise: In 400 words or less, rewrite a scene from a story familiar to most of us from the point of view of someone other than the main character. Tell us the name of the story you have chosen and who your viewpoint character is, and then show us what is different about the way that character sees the action and personalities involved.
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Every character in a story, from the main character right down to the dog, has a reason for being included, a reason for his or her actions, a point of view. Yes, some characters are just part of the machinery of the plot--the butler announcing the arrival of the Duke. But once that butler gets back to his pantry and starts gossiping with the housekeeper, he becomes part of the story, and we get a different perspective on what's going on in the house. The way all of the characters interact, the way each one views the action, deepens and enlivens the story. In the best stories, the characters, good and bad, act for clear reasons, their interactions providing the conflict and narrative tension that makes for a good read.

Some examples:

-How might Rhett Butler or Melanie Wilkes see Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind?

-See Stephen King's Cujo, where we watch the thoughts of a dog as he goes mad.

-What would the wolf have to say about Little Red Riding Hood?

-Some writers have already rewritten a known work from another point of view. Tom Stoppard, in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, showed us Hamlet through the eyes of two minor characters.

...brought to you by The Internet Writing Workshop

The Internet Writing Workshop: this week's exercise

I didn't get the Internet Writing Workshop's exercise up last week. But here is today's!

I will not be posting the next two weeks' exercises from the website, either, as I will be on vacation. And in a place where I am totally disconnected from all things internet and telephone related (I'll be rafting the Colorado River in the bottom of the Grand Canyon).


Idiom Insight

Prepared by: Charles Hightower
Reposted on: Sunday, June 20, 2010
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Exercise: In 400 words or less, create a story that might explain the origin of an idiom.

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An idiom is a phrase that does not make literal sense. Idioms may be among the most difficult concepts in English for foreigners to understand...For example, the phrase "kick the bucket" is interpreted as the act of dying. Taken literally, though, neither the kick nor the bucket has any apparent relationship to the meaning of the phrase.

Select an idiom. Then make up a story that could explain the idiom's origin, or show how it came to be. Use your imagination--the tale need not be true. Show, don't tell. Be sure to identify the idiom at start or finish.

If you need ideas, you might refer to http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/id-list.html

or http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idioms_proverbs.html

 
I like this: a story about how an idiom came to be. Hmmmm.

Internet Writing Workshop 5/30/10

Animal World

Prepared by: Alice Folkart
Posted on: Sunday, May 30, 2010
at The Internet Writing Workshop

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In 400 words or less write a scene from an animal's point of view, have the animal want something from either a human or another animal.
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Is a dog waiting and waiting for his walk? Is a cat plotting to catch and eat the canary? Is a deer being hunted? That does the fish, swimming back and forth in his little aquarium, think of what he sees? The hamster--where does he think is he going in his running wheel? Perhaps the thoughts of a pet in a carrier on the way to the vet or going on a trip . Is this the voice of an old animal, tired, ready to die? What about the pampered 'accessory' dog who goes everywhere in his mistress's purse? Tame or wild, your choice.

Internet Writing Workshop prompt 5/23

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Thank you productive members of The Internet Writing Workshop for this week's prompt:

It's a deal.

Prepared by: Alice Folkart
Posted on:
Sunday, May 23, 2010
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In 400 words or
less give us a scene where two characters make a deal. Show us what the stakes are for each, what he or she stands to gain or lose.
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Parents make deals with kids. Kids make deals with each other. Husbands and wives, friends, make deals. Bosses make deals with employees. In other cultures fathers strike bargains over the worth of their daughters as wives--how many goats is she worth? The colorful ways to drive bargains and make deals are endless. Have fun.

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weekly feature: Internet Writing Workshop prompt

I've been missing the daily poetry prompts.

"So, write some more," I say to Myself.

"Good idea," Myself says to I.

And a day goes by. Two days. Three. Then it's a week later. Plus a day or two.

Sigh.

The time allotted to creating daily poetry prompts has passed and there was no more time to create and post. I've been struggling to keep up with my weekly prompts, Razor's Edge, on Fridays at The Writing Vein. But it was such a good idea and I loved having them ready.

I will build some time into my schedule to post prompts ahead, like I did for NaPoWriMo. But, for now, I have another solution.

In my blog reader today was another installment from The Internet Writing Workshop. I've seen them before, read most of them. One of their features is a weekly writing practice. The title of today's is "Wake Up".

And I thought, "ah ha! This is my temporary answer."

Myself replied, "Yes, why re-invent the wheel when you're still driving the old one? Let those who've been doing this for many years help out a bit."

I said, "Deal!"

So here is the first of their weekly prompts here. Well - not THEIR first, but my first posting of their prompt! With a space to add your stories in the comments below. One prompt a week. And make sure to click on over to their website to check out previous posts. Good stuff there, including some interesting historical information.

Thank you productive members of The Internet Writing Workshop.

Without further ado, here is this week's prompt:

Wake up
Prepared by: Charles Hightower
Posted on: May 16, 2010
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Exercise: In 400 words or less, your character awakes in an unexpected location and you must show how the character reacts.
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Your character comes to consciousness and is surprised by the surroundings. Show your readers what the character experiences, how he/she behaves.

The tale should begin the moment the character wakes up. Remember, this is not to be a story about a dream, but about a real event in your character's life.
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Return here to post your story in the comments!
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