How editing can transform your poem #ArtisticJourney #Editing | Heather 'Byrd' Roberts posted on the topic | LinkedIn (2024)

What makes a story “sticky”? 🤔Details!“I went to the store and bought a gallon of milk”Is stickier when it turns into:“My windshield wipers slashed through the rain as I fought for a spot in the Harris Teeter parking lot. Slamming the door, my sneakers immediately soaked through with murky rainwater. I dashed through the sliding doors, my steps squeaking towards the milk isle.”Details make stories more memorable, more interesting, and more fun to read. This is why I’m often asking clients weird questions like,“Do you remember what it smelled like in that room?”“What was the weather like that day?”“How did his voice sound?”If a client doesn’t remember exact details and they don’t impact the story, it’s usually okay to take some creative license and add them in. It’s worth it for a better reader experience. What makes stories stickier in your readers’ mind? #ghostwriting #memoir #publishing #manuscript

13

6 Comments

Is your imagination crowded with characters but they are only half developed? Perhaps you have a story to write but you don’t quite know who should tell it? The latest blog post from our Creative Writing Academy can show you how to bring those characters to life. Whether you're writing a novel, scripting a movie, or building the next popular video game, the same rules apply! Your characters must be believable. Check out our blog post: https://ow.ly/fEol50QOO3F#BACW #CreativeWriting #CharacterDevelopment #WritingCommunity #WritersLife #Storytelling #FictionWriting #WritingTips #CreativeProcess

As I embark on the thrilling journey of crafting compelling screenplays, I more than often keep reminding myself this - "Don't let your heart fall too deeply in love with your scenes." 💔🤔 Because, in the intricate tapestry of storytelling, not every scene can find its forever home. Sometimes, those beautifully crafted moments might just be fleeting flings, serving no greater purpose to the grand narrative. And guess what? That's okay! Here's a valuable lesson I've learned in the trenches of scriptwriting: Embrace the art of letting go. Recognize when a scene, no matter how enchanting, doesn't contribute to the larger-than-life story you're weaving. Deleting scenes can be painful, but it's also liberating, making space for the true stars of your screenplay to shine.Your story is a living, breathing entity, and as its creator, you wield the power to shape its destiny. Be ruthless in your pursuit of narrative brilliance, and trust the process of refinement. Every cut brings your screenplay one step closer to perfection.Tell me in the comments below how often you find it difficult to let go a scene you so much loved writing? #Scriptwriting #StorytellingMagic #IndianFilmIndustry #ScreenplayCrafting #DreamCreateInspire

2

Well after months of on again off again work of trying to figure out the pieces of a problem of my own creation, yesterday I finally updated the story order for The Merc Series 2.0 and made a print out copy. I think it's 90% to 95% there as I'm sure there's still a couple issues/stories that might need movement or adjustments in the timeline but as of now I'm happy with the new order and direction. My plan is to use this as a new guide to make sure everything is streamlined and consistent within The Merc Series Universe as I go about the next wave of editing. Story titles could still change as well but for the most part I think the order of the 100+ stories is finally correct. ✍️📕📓#scottswriting #writingupdates #writingprocess #worldbuilding #TheMercSeries #fictionseries#fictionwriter #mainewriter

🙋♀️ 🎬 Question for my filmmaker friends: I want to know about your best practices for world building and character building in guides. Like, if you're scriptwriting on behalf of a character that someone else created, what information does the writer get to fully understand that character before they write? And if you have a team of writers, how do they come to be on the same page on what would motivate / drive the characters behaviors and emotions?Please comment below with your insights! I appreciate you!

2

2 Comments

Feeling stuck in the perfection trap when it comes to writing? Author Ann Handley's perspective on first drafts is a refreshing breath of fresh air.As she puts it, your first draft doesn't need to be perfect - in fact, it shouldn't be! It's a raw, unfiltered expression of your ideas, a canvas waiting to be painted. Embracing its imperfections is where the true magic of creativity happens.Watch this video to learn more about why it's okay to let your first draft be... well, ugly. Watch now: https://erdt.us/6p1#WritingTips #AnnHandley #ContentCreation #EmeritusVideos

8

What do you want to know about story development?Come hang out tomorrow as I'm testing out a live scriptwriting session.Will first do Q&A, then I'll set a timer and we'll develop an idea. Then Q&A again. Show up with an idea you want to develop to get the most out of it. Now what do you want to know about story development or scriptwriting?

4

✂️ When it comes to editing, less is definitely more! Turns out 85% of editing is just… making it shorter. 📝😂Whether you're trimming down wordy sentences or cutting to the chase, our editors know how to get to the point. Need help with your next masterpiece? We've got you covered!#MorganPierceMedia #EditingLife #LessIsMore #WritingTips #KeepItConcise

1

Is your imagination crowded with characters but they are only half developed? Perhaps you have a story to write but you don’t quite know who should tell it? The latest blog post from our Creative Writing Academy can show you how to bring those characters to life. Whether you're writing a novel, scripting a movie, or building the next popular video game, the same rules apply! Your characters must be believable. Check out our blog post: https://ow.ly/Azcw50QReWH#AACW #CreativeWriting #CharacterDevelopment #WritingCommunity #WritersLife #Storytelling #FictionWriting #WritingTips #CreativeProcess

The narrative point of view (POV) is through whom we experience a story, scene, or moment. We get information as they do, and often, as a result, that is who we empathize with. The POV dictates what information we receive and when we receive it, dictating our experience. What an audience is rooting for and how they emotionally react are products of POV. It's a big decision. Most of us who like telling stories tend to pick up the concept of POV naturally, but not always the execution of it. HOW TO APPROACH POV: 1) The first POV to focus on is your own. This is your editorial perspective of the scene itself. What is the scene really about? What needs to change? How do YOU feel about it? Is it hilarious? Is it tragic? Why? You must have your own distinct feelings about these events because you want the audience to feel the same way. Screenwriting is about emotion and this will give you a much-needed guide for your troubles. 2) Next, you will choose the POV from which the audience will experience the scene. Often, the story will already decide that. But if you've had two POV's through the story and now they're in the same scene? Whose POV do you tell this from? That’s where your first choice of how YOU feel about the scene and what the scene is about comes in. Because that is your objective. To make the audience feel the same way. You use that first choice to make the second choice. YOU'VE GOT MAIL has a scene where the two leads, Joe and Kathleen, meet for the first time after one of them knows they're pen pals. Because we share information with Joe that Kathleen doesn't have, we see the scene through his POV; as a result, it's his scene. A scene in FURIOSA has a significant event that we don't see because George Miller chose to experience the moment from Dementus's POV instead of Furiosa's. It is a BOLD choice. Through POV, Millers chooses surprise over the pain and tension of seeing how Furiosa escapes. HOW TO DICTATE POV IN THE WRITING It’s easy. It’s who we follow in and out of a room. It’s observing actions through a character’s eyes, like, “She sees the stain on the ground.” “John turns. Sees the car barreling in.” It’s whose emotional reaction we focus on and who has the emotional shift in the scene. Whose face do we linger on? The close-up is something TV and film can do that no other form of storytelling can match. You can evoke it quite easily in a screenplay. What matters is making the choice at all. Be decisive about story, plot, characters, and moments. And about POV. Be specific and confident. Then, follow through with that choice in the action lines. It's the non-choices that drag your screenwriting down.--Interested in #screenwriting? Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

25

2 Comments