WRITING CLASS DIARY #1
It is with some relief that I write this post. I did promise one about the writing class I’ve been taking, and so far haven’t delivered. But I’m here now ready to share.
To date the classes have been very informative. We started off discussing structure, then moved on to description and lastly to point of view.
In this post I will go through each segment, and give an opinion of how it relates to my manuscript.
STRUCTURE — This is what I’ve learnt. Every story must have a beginning, a middle and an end.
- The beginning section must include an opening scene, a set up, a inciting incident and a call to action.
- The middle section must have a choice, a raising action, a disaster, and a turning point.
- The end must include a resolve, a climax, and a resolution.
We studied the story of Cinderella as an example. As we worked through it, I could clearly see how the structure worked, but when I related the technique back to my own manuscript I felt sure I’d missed some of the main elements.
My storyline is a bit messed up. The narrative starts off in one direction then goes off in another. There is so much happening that I fear it is confusing for the reader.
DESCRIPTIONS — Now you might presume I have this one in the bag. Wrong, I do not. I struggle with it. Some people can write descriptions in seconds flat. Not me… At present I am trying to bring my manuscript alive by including the five senses, seeing, hearing, touch, smell and taste.
I’d also like to briefly touch on over-describing. In my writing classes, and others I have taken over the years, the teacher sometimes asks his/her students to read out their work. Many of these homework pieces are beautifully written, but are lengthy and boring as hell [no one wants to read about what a mountain looks like for five pages]. If there is one way to loose your reader, over describing is it. I have been careful not to do this.
Point Of View — This refers to who is telling the narrative/story.
I personally find writing in the first person easier. My manuscript however is written in the third person. When I first started penning my book I did not know anything about point of view character and accidentally head hopped all over place. I sometimes even did it in the same paragraph. Thankfully with practice I don’t do this anymore.
That sums up what I’ve learnt in the classes I’ve had thus far. But before I finish I want to share a personal story.
The reason I started the writing course to begin with was to seek guidance. That being the case I gave my manuscript to my writing teacher to read and then sat back and waited for a response. The next three weeks were torturous. I’d been writing my manuscript for ten years and needed to hear something good.
My teacher got back to me last week wanting to set up a meeting to discuss my book further. In the email she said my story needed some work in certain sections… I guess that’s better than saying it’s an absolute disaster.
Feeling a bit dejected I did a google search on writers, and discovered Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With The Wind was advised to rewrite her conclusion. So there you have it, I am not alone. Even the best authors need to edit.
I guess I have to accept that my manuscript is what it is, and even though it’s not up to scratch I’ll keep ploughing on regardless.
