Sunday, July 5, 2015

Write Yourself Out of a Corner and Winners Announced!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July. We spent ours in the comfort of the movie theater with friends watching Jurassic World.

I had just finished reading the article: Creative Under Pressure (How to Write yourself Out of a Corner) by Steven James in the July/August 2015 Writer's Digest magazine.  I was watching for the corners the screen writer's wrote themselves in and out of.

Steven says to take advantage of those times when you have written yourself in a corner. That no matter how experienced you are it can be a daunting task. You want your story to be memorable and the only to do that is to put your protagonist in a situation they can't get out of and then to brainstorm until you find a way for them to get out.

Many times in Jurassic World the characters found themselves backed up against a wall with nowhere to go.
This increased my heart rate not to mention theirs.
But time and again the author did find a way to get them out of trouble.

I don't want to give too much away, but I will just say this about Jurassic World: Not everyone survived. Not even the animals.
So how do you write out of a corner?

The first step is limiting yourself. He gives the example of using an empty cardboard paper towel tube. Hold it up to your eye. You begin to notice things in more detail, then the next step is to brainstorm.

So write your self into a corner and have fun mapping out the possibilities.

Now on to the winners of June's book giveaways!

The winner of Where do You Get Your Ideas? by Fred White is drum roll please; dum, dum, dum, dum:
Courtney Rene!


The winner of Clementine ad the Spring Trip by Sara Pennypacker is : E. Arroyo
Please send me the addresses you would like these mailed to Sheila_renfro@cox.net
Next week I will announce the books given away for the month of July. But don't wait! Leave a comment and you will entered for a chance to win.
See ya next week!
Sheila






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6 comments:

Genetta said...

Great advice! I always have trouble figuring out how to write my characters out of the corners I've written them into!

Catch My Words said...

I donated blood on Friday and got a free movie pass. I was leaning toward seeing Jurassic World, and now my lean is even stronger. Thanks!

Leigh Anne Eck said...

Anxious to look around your blog. Thanks for the Twitter follow.

BJ Schneider said...

A corner is just at the edge of my neighbor's lawn. It's a different world over there: people who never come out of their house, other people I've known since we moved in 40+ years ago who are on their third dog. There's another corner at the edge of my driveway, and seven, soon to be nine, children under age five! You better believe that's another world. So here I am between the corners. Help! I have to write my way out of here!

Sheila Renfro said...

BJ You sound like your in a mob! But what great writing material to draw from to your self in a corner.

Adam French said...

Great reeading your blog post