December 7, 2021 – Winter
It’s been a long few months! I’m glad to see some snow on the ground. Lately, I’ve been trying to take better care of myself by getting enough sleep, having bubble baths, and, importantly, saying no. Work sure can be difficult when you try all the time to please everyone. I’ve been exhibiting that behaviour for a very long time, and I’ve made the important decision to prioritize my own life. So, I quit my position with the education company I’ve been with for nearly five years. It is time. I gave them a month’s notice to find a new teacher, and I’m still putting in as much care and attention as I always have, but sometimes, it’s important to move on. I don’t know what I’ll be doing next year. Maybe I’ll be devoting more time to my website; maybe I’ll find a writing position; maybe I’ll finish writing my second book! The important thing is that I recognized when the time had come that I’d exhausted what I was going to learn from the position and chose to see what else I’m made of. I’m excited to learn something new.
September 5, 2021 – Fall
Well, the summer is over, which is a great thing for me, as it’s been too darn hot! Also, I worked too hard. I taught so many classes that I was sitting at my computer anywhere from 10-16 hours every day, and I’m tired. It feels like time for a rest, and it’s like what I always tell my students: you’ve got to take care of yourself, first. If you burn the candle at both ends – especially for an extended period of time – you’re going to burn out, and no one, including yourself, will get the full benefit of your work, character, or love. REST.
May 4, 2021 – Character
It’s been a while!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the study of character. See, over many years, I’ve studied how to write well-rounded, dynamic characters, and over the past few years, especially, I’ve taught others how to do the same.
The thing about character is that there are oodles of angles to consider: background, motivation, goals, temperament, personality, humour, ideology, education, contradictions, fears, idiosyncrasies, insecurities, desires, dreams, pressures, and many more. When analyzing or writing a character, it’s imperative that the author be sure to consider most – if not all – of these.
Well, it seems to me that the same can be said regarding our fellow human beings. By considering these facets of the human condition in people in our lives and communities, our schools and our places of business or worship, we become closer to understanding them. The result? Empathy.
The even better news? Character study is a transferable skill!
I like to use this practice in teaching and consulting. Each student and client is different, so by asking question after question and really listening to the answers, I get to see the world through another’s eyes. For a writer, this simple action is gold. More than that, however, this methodology makes me a stronger communicator and, if you ask me, a nicer, more patient human. But, because there’s certain tailoring of methods that ensues; so, importantly, this practice naturally leads me down the path of helping others reach their goals. It makes me better at my job.
I wholeheartedly believe that through practice and study of character, people – all people – can get closer to the old adage of walking in another’s shoes.
March 29, 2021 – Chekov’s Gun
Hi, everyone!
So, I’ve had several people ask me about my post on Chekov’s gun. This development is exciting, as it’s probably my favourite topic.
The following information is incredibly helpful for anyone who wants to write their own story – whether it be fictional or not – as it perfectly encapsulates the importance of recognizing superfluous details when writing, well, pretty much anything.
First, a little background – Anton Chekov was a Russian playwright and author in the late 1800s, who was living in a time in which EVERYONE (and I mean everyone) expected either Greek tragedy or Shakespeare when they went to the theatre. Chekov was like, no way! So, he started writing plays that were contemporary, and people freaked out over how awesome it was to see people who looked like themselves on stage.
Okay, so he then came up with this perfect analogy to explain how he writes his own stories, and it still is the most effective means of storytelling education, by far. The said analogy is what I tell my kids every time they have to write a short story, and man-oh-man does it make all of the difference.
So, imagine you are at the theatre, and behind the proscenium arch, there’s maybe a door, upstage; a table and rug to centre; a window upstage; and then, there is a prominent double-barrel shotgun hung on the wall for all to see as all patrons observe the performance.
Now, imagine that the first act of the play comes and goes. The curtain goes down. The house lights come on. BUT, there hasn’t been any mention at all about the elephant in the room: the gun.
Fine, you say. You shake it off. However, the second act comes and goes; the curtains draw, yet there’s still no mention of the gun.
How are you feeling now? Annoyed? Anxious? Irritated?
Hold that sensation and imagine the third act. Are you thinking about the gun all the time at this point? It’s right there, staring at you from upstage. How would you feel if the play came to a close – the curtain call including several standing ovations – yet here you sit, disgruntled.
WHAT WAS UP WITH THE GUN?!?!?!?!?!
The underlying idea about writing is that one should only include descriptions and details that pertain to the benefit of the story. There should never be superfluous detail when telling a story, as your reader may feel deceived, or worse, angry. The gun never mattered, and you’re feeling cheated.
It isn’t easy to edit one’s own work, but if a writer is aware of this phenomenon, the likeliness of him/her/them creating a Chekov’s Gun is far fewer than before.
Happy writing!
March 24, 2021 – creative writing
Well, it’s been almost a year since I launched this site, so I felt it about time I started speaking directly to all of you. Welcome!
To say it has been an interesting year would clearly not cut it; we’ve all been through the wringer – no one more so than kids. But, I’m not wanting to talk about that. We’ve had enough of it, haven’t we?
So, instead, I thought I’d tell you about the interesting week I’ve just completed. My week was full of creative writing.
I taught a five-day seminar on how to write a short story. The class was for students at an intermediate level who wanted to explore the possibilities of writing narratives. It’s my favourite class, as I’m a storyteller, myself. Well, let me tell you, it was an up roaring success.
Not only did all of my kids finish their stories, but also, they were fantastic, and all delivered!
So, here’s how I helped:
First, I make sure that all of the students understand that they can write about ANYthiNG! If they want their characters on the moon – so be it; if they want to write in the past or present tense, it’s up to them; if they decide their story will be 100% fantasy…awesome! There are no bounds when it comes to creativity. However, I set some stringent ground rules from the start for their journeys:
You see, short stories are self-contained units, meaning that whatever they decide to write about is fine but there can’t be any loose ends; they’re not writing novels. As such, I always recommend finding a simple narrative – one in which they can actually focus on for a week!
So, I told a lie.
I said that they had to have their stories between three and six pages. There was no such rule, but by giving them definitive boundaries, I found they respected them. Not only that but when everyone had to edit and rewrite, there wasn’t as much material to overwhelm them. I had a professor once describe writing short scripts as writing a joke: you have your set-up, your body, and your punchline. I feel the same about short stories.
The next issue was the theme. You see, all of my kids were to write a story based on the theme of “The Power of Words”. So, one must remind them (all the time) of the message they want to convey. This sounds easy, but I will say again – you must remind them of the theme! Kids get swept away, understandably, so reminders are key.
More than anything, my focus for these students (I had five) was to have them embrace the philosophy of R.L. Stein: he always says, “What if?!”. I also had them focus on how they could make their stories more visual, so the rule of ” Show, Don’t Tell” was always involved. I have to say, however, that my most effective technique was the use of Google Docs. By using said program in my classroom, I could easily leave real-time messages and edit while they were doing the same. I’m not sure if any of you teachers out there aren’t adept at this program but believe me – you should be. It’s a lifesaver!
I have several other tips and techniques to go into later on but remember that the main thing is to allow imaginations to flourish while reining them in. One doesn’t want to write a short story that is twelve pages before one even begins to edit.
That’s all for now! I’ll be speaking with all of you soon. 🙂