This is the powerpoint for week 1 of the U. Reddit course "Creative Writing: A Technical Approach." In this installment is an introduction to the course and a lesson on brainstorming and drafting.
1. Creative Writing: A Technical Approach A course by Marshal D. Carper with special thanks to Alan Natali
2. About Me Four books with Victory Belt Publishing. Editor-in-Chief of Lockflow.com. Over 600 articles published through Lockflow.com, Ultimate MMA Magazine, Fight! Magazine, and the Escapist. Wrote character dialogue for the Black Sigil, a Nintendo DS game. Contact: mcarper@gmail.com or Facebook. Also willing to Skype. Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
3. Class Structure Week 1: Brainstorming and Drafting Week 2: Perspective, Organization, and Missed Opportunities Week 3: Developing Scenes Week 4: Openings and Closings Week 5: Active Voice versus Passive Voice Week 6: Sentence Structure Week 7: Adjectives and Adverbs Week 8: Grammar and Usage Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
4. Big to Small The Revision Process Macro Micro Surface Errors Word Choice Sentence Structure Organization General Plot Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
5. Revision is a Philosophy The bulk of the writing process should occur in revision. Your first draft—and your second and your third—is a stepping stone, not a commitment. “I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” –Truman Capote Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
6. Creativity Creativity can be learned. Imagination is about possibilities. Immersing yourself in other people’s creativity helps. “Good writers borrow. Great writers steal.” Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
7. Brainstorming Where do ideas come from? Good writers are curious people. You could draw inspiration from books, magazines, short stories, newspapers, movies, music, personal experiences, dreams, other people’s lives, fantasies, mythology, folklore, personal interests, current events, history—the whole of human existence is fair game and then some. Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
8. Conflicts Man versus Man Watchmen In Cold Blood Man versus Nature Into Thin Air Old Man and the Sea Man versus Himself Fight Club Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
9. Training Wheels Transplant your character into a new, unfamiliar setting or situation. Example: Lost in Translation Take something away from your character and force him or her to cope. Example: The Great Gatsby Conflicts stemming from love, fear, and betrayal are good places to start. Example: Hamlet What if? Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
10. Prewriting For nonfiction, an outline based on your research notes is important. For fiction, an outline is not mandatory.* If you use an outline it does not have to be your English teacher’s outline. You do not have to use Roman numerals and bullet points. Developing an outline after you write your first draft is sometimes more useful. Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
11. Any Start is a Good Start The blank page is your greatest enemy. Do not fret over micro level concerns—sentence structure, word choice, surface errors—when you have not yet conquered the macro level. Eliminate distractions; get away from your computer. Write from start to finish without stopping or looking back. Skip to the next scene if you get stuck. Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
12. Assignments Draft a Story Handwrite from start to finish. Then type it up. Do not go back and rewrite or fix anything, including mistakes. Move forward with a free writing mindset. If you feel that you are in a corner, scribble in a dash, start a new paragraph, and skip to a new scene. Length is not important. What is important: your story must have a beginning and an end. Required Reading “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell Next week, we will be analyzing and discussing the organization and perspective used in “The Most Dangerous Game.” We will also talk about identifying and exploring missed opportunities in your story. Reading link: http://fiction.eserver.org/short/the_most_dangerous_game.html Property of Marshal D. Carper (marshaldcarper.com)
