Topic chosen: Describing a location

Words: 1,203

To start, I’ll set the scene. I’m in english class, biting my nails off as I frantically look around the room. There are faded posters left from old students taped haphazardly around the walls, but neither they nor the loud chatter drifting in from the half open windows helps me to relax. (In fact, the sounds of those heading out to the track for gym class might even be stressing me out all the more.) It’s times like this that I wish I didn’t sit near the window, even though I get the best blast of air conditioning this way. I just really didn’t need the extra stress right now! When we’re about to share our original fiction pieces.

I grip the stapled pages tighter, and my foot begins to tap against the green and white speckles of the tiled floor. The teacher is giving out directions, and I can see her large computer monitor losing its glow as she shuts it and the large projector screen off. That means we’re about to get started. I sweat, and the sound of many red metal chairs scooting back grates on my mind just as much as they do on the floor. I wish I could just melt into the air conditioning vent, I would fit right in next to that stupid pencil that’s been stuck there all year, wouldn’t I?

The class continues in a blur of fluorescent lighting and muffled laughter. I read the stories placed in front of me, scribble distantly on blue and orange sticky notes (though I only have a purple pen today, for some reason), and try not to think about the fact that my story is getting passed around to the others as well. I am like the random quotes from the Great Gatsby, which are still on the board from last quarter, I’m like the murder mystery cards someone stuck to a cabinet with fruit and vegetable magnets, I’m like the sound of a student racing down the hall, late to class. I don’t know if I’m quite in the right place right now.

I certainly don’t feel like I am.

But when I get my story back from the others, I am shocked! All three of my group members (though the teacher, with a detailed demonstration at her tape and paper covered desk, had asked us to vary our feedback), had all complimented my descriptions. I did not believe it. How could that be true? I just, sorta, write like that, I guess.

…

As you can see, I’m using that intro as both an example and an introduction to me! I do not believe that I can write descriptions, but according to my classmates, I can. So, as it was the first thing I could think of, that’s what I’m going to do for this workshop.

To me, at least, the key is to imagine you are there. Imagine you are in a, I dunno, old fashioned prison. Sure, saying that already draws intrigue and gets an idea in your head of what the location looks like, but can you really see it? Can you really feel the emotions of the place? Now, instead, imagine that you are in a dark cell, where metal bars block half of your sight into the miniature sliver that is your contact with the outside world. The bench you huddle on is somehow both soggy and splintery, and the rats that chase each other across the floor on scrabbly claws are your only company as you hum a terrified tune. You smell nothing but the cold chill of fear and the suffocating odor of mildew, so you curl in on yourself, but it makes no change to the awful terror and bite of the prison air.

Not only can you get a better picture of exactly what I was going for there, the emotions are also more clear. Really think of what the location looks like before writing a description, and try to describe as much of it as you can across the story. You can keep some parts mysterious, come back to specific details that add to the emotions or plot, and change things over time to show the progression of the location.

Try it for yourself! Imagine you are in a flower field. What do you think of? What does it smell like? What color is the sky? Are you inside or outside? What kind of flowers can you identify? Is there anything that sticks out about the location? Any buildings, people, animals, or anything else odd for such a place?

Of course, when describing a location, you have to also take into account who is describing it. Is the narrator you? Is the narrator a dry history textbook? Is the narrator a character who is happy to be home? Is the narrator too busy freaking out to take in more than a specific standout detail and the vague drift of fog against the cracked ground?

Use your descriptions not only to build location and emotions, but also character and plot lines. If you want to, you can use separate motifs in different areas, or use echoes to a real place to drive home a specific point. Try it for yourself! Describe two areas that parallel each other, how do they compare? How do they contrast? How much can you hint at their backstories without directly saying them?

Maybe you choose to write about two crumbled castles, once at war, with the tattered remnants of old flags still flying in their towers. Maybe you described an ocean, now full of plastic, and the shining new corporation on the river which does all it can to hide its dark secret. Maybe you chose a fictional place that was inspired by something in real life, and its counterpart in the real world! One thing to remember while describing is that, really, there are no wrong answers.

You write what you want to write the same way an artist draws what they want to draw. They draw their locations and build up a world around that, while you build up a world and set to work describing it after. You can keep things consistent, like an ancient evergreen that sends its branches high enough to poke the tattered stormy sky, or change your subject as time goes on, like a tall woman who was once smaller than a basket of fish. Layers and layers, or just flat out reality. It can be as you want it to be, or it can be how your characters would see it. It’s the world, and you’re the creator, believe it.

Be creative! Be free! Have fun! That’s the key to a good description, to write what you want to write, even if it scares you out of your skin when you really start thinking about it.

So, in closing, I ask you, write one more thing. Whatever you want to. Whatever you want it to mean, but be sure that, while writing, you keep in mind your own style and flair of description. You are the creator, you are in charge, and, uh, try not to make any location changing spelling mistakes, okay?

First, Second and Third Point of View

To write a story, you need to choose which point of view you’re using; first, second or third. Each point of view will grant something different to your story, including the feel of the story as well as the understanding of characters. First and third person are the most commonly used point of views in stories, and second person is mostly used in songwriting or poems. First person is when one of the characters is the narrator, telling their story. Second person is when the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. Third person is when the narrator is someone apart from the characters, and talks about them.

To recognize the point of view being used in a piece, people check which pronouns are used. I and we are the pronouns used in first person. In second person, you is the only pronoun used, both in singular and plural. The pronouns used in third person are: she, he, it, and they.

Now that you know the difference between the three points of views and how to identify them, I’ll tell you more about each one and which one you should use in your story.

First Point Of View
When writing in first person there are many things you should consider. The main stuff to consider is: your readers will have information limited to what the narrator knows, the narrator’s opinion and thoughts will affect how your story is told, your narrator should have their own character voice, there are many ways this could go wrong.

As you’re only writing what one character—your narrator can perceive, there will be information you can’t get hold on unless someone tells it to the narrator. This can help your story, or it can make it difficult for you to write it. Consider this when making a decision about which point of view you’re writing in. Along with this, you should also keep in mind that you’re seeing the story through your character’s eyes. Their opinion as well as other things will affect the way your story is told. If you’re not careful, you might end up POV hopping, which is when you tell the reader information the narrator does not know, such as other people’s thoughts or emotions. They can tell you what they perceive, but they can’t know.

Something very important is character voice, especially if you’re writing in first person. You need a strong and clear character voice, one that will intrigue the reader and not bore them. However you need to be cautious, as you might not notice if your character’s voice gets mixed with your own voice.

A big mistake a lot of us make is using too many filter words, such as “I saw”, “I heard” or especially “I thought”. The overuse of these words creates distance between character and reader. You want the reader to feel as if they were in the scene.

Instead of writing, “I saw her walking towards me, and I noticed she was angry”, you could write, “She came towards me, with an incomparable rage on her face.”

When overusing filter words, your scene can turn into a reporting of what happens to the character. Here is when “show, don’t tell” comes into play. This may happen with or without the use of filter words.

Now, you might be doubting whether or not you want to use first person for your story. Here are some reasons you should use it.
1. First person is a more intimate and direct point of view. This point of view will connect your reader with your character, as well as making your reader feel as if they’re on the scene.
2. Drama and intrigue increases as you have limited information. This works well on mystery pieces, where your main character is discovering clues and connecting dots.

Second Point of View
Writing in second person is recommended not to by many writers. Creating a story in this point of view can be extremely difficult and weary. Not only to the writer, but as well to those reading the piece.

A problem when writing in second person is the repetition of the pronoun “you”, which can distract the reader. For this reason, writers have made books where the pov changes, to give readers a “breather” chapter from the second point of view. If you decide to write in second person, I recommend doing it in present tense, so there isn’t distance created between the reader and the story.

Second person is a hard point of view to write and read in, but there are certain things that you can whip up in second person. Choose Your Own Adventure are short stories which are naturally written in second person. Some poems and songs are also written in second person. And you can try writing short stories in second person to experiment!

If you decide to write a longer story in second person, understand what’s the point of writing your story in this point of view. If you know what you want to do, it will be less hard to do it, but still not easy.

Third Point of View
Third person point of view might be the most used when writing stories, and while it might be normal for you to use it by now, there are still some things you need to consider when writing.

First, there are three types of third person point of view: limited, objective and omniscient. Limited point of view is somehow like writing in first person. You only know what one character knows and thinks, but you use the pronouns she, he, they. A big example for this is Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. The story revolves around Harry and that’s the character we follow in the limited point of view. Writing from this point of view is best when you have one main character.
Objective point of view is like omniscient, but without including the thoughts and feelings of characters. You just tell what everyone is doing. It’s like eavesdropping on a scene, and seeing how it unfolds.
Omniscient point of view is mostly used when you have more than one main character. Like a team entering a new world. In this point of view the narrator knows what all the characters are doing, thinking and feeling. If you’re writing from this point of view, just make sure you switch from the character's heads at the right time. You don’t want to jump from one character to another in the same scene, unless it has a purpose to your writing.

A big mistake people make when writing in third person is info dumping, especially when introducing something or someone. You don’t want to give your reader all the information as if it was a list. Show the information as the story goes on.

Something else to be careful about when writing is dialogue. You don’t want to have a thousand dialogue tags like “she said”. If you write the correct context, you won’t need to use “he asked”, as the reader will be able to understand he said it.

As last points to be said, be consistent when writing. You don’t want to get a thousand subplots if you’re writing from an omniscient point of view. And lastly, have a strong narrator. As you are writing in third person, there will be distance between the characters/setting and the reader. A strong narrative voice will help you avoid it.

Conclusion
The three points of view have different purposes as well as cons and pros. Think about your story on a large and short scale when choosing which point of view you want to write in. And well, good luck!

How to Write Morally Ambiguous Characters (514 words)

Hello and welcome to my workshop on how to write Morally Ambiguous Characters!

First of all - what is a morally ambiguous character (from this point on referred to as an MAC)? The merriam-webster definition of Morally Ambiguous is “a lack of certainty about whether something is right or wrong,” so Morally Ambiguous CHARACTERS are characters that are not “right or wrong” or not clearly a generic hero or a villain. MACs generally lean towards one or the other, but still make choices that may seem more on the side that they lean towards less. They may also be MA because of a “fatal flaw” or unpopular trait, such as vanity, selfishness, or grudge-holding.

Some famous examples of MACs include Katniss Everdeen in “the hunger games” trilogy, Boromir in “The Lord of the Rings,” Kailo Ren in the “Starwars” movie series, or Keefe Sencen in the book series “Keeper of the Lost cities.”

Katniss is the main protagonist of the hunger games, and is considered a hero. However, due to being in the games and living in a dystopian world, she does have to do some un-heroic things to survive such as breaking the law.

Keefe Sencen is one of the Main Characters of KOTLC. He is mainly good, but he does make bad choices such as betraying his friends or running away because he believes they are the best thing to do, or because he is influenced by fear.

In contrast to these two, Kailo Ren is the main Antagonist in StarWars episodes 7-9. Throughout the movies he stays as a pretty strong antagonist, but is also seen making choices that are considered good, and is redeemed by the end. Most of his choices stem from either his past, influence from other characters, or from his misguided beliefs.

All three of these characters make bad (or good) decisions based on different reasons, and their reasoning is what makes them good MACs. If you write a good character, but randomly have them do bad things or make bad choices to be Morally Ambigous, or vice versa, they won’t make a lot of sense and be rather confusing for the reader.

There are many, many ways to write MACs but these are some common ones: first, to give them a flaw that is shown consistently, such as jealousy; second, to have them have to make choices to survive that aren’t necessarily right; third, to have the events of your story cause them to make their choices; fourth, to have them influenced by other characters; or fifth, to have them influenced by their past. However you write them, make sure that you know why they do what they do. The reader doesn’t necessarily have to know, unless you’re writing in first person, in which case you should have their thought process; but in most cases their actions are eventually explained, or the cause of it (flaw, environment, past) is found out or is guessed.

And that’s my workshop! I hope that this gives you some more understanding of MACs and that it helps you in your writing.

how to introduce characters well (suggested by galaxy_awesome)

Characters are the backbone of a story; they should make the reader care about what they’re reading. It is important to ensure the reader empathizes with the character, and a big part of this is introducing them well.

Introducing a character well depends entirely on who the character is—there is no one way to do it “properly”. However, there are a couple things that all introductions should have in common.

Firstly, Their introduction should tell the reader something about who this character is, even (and maybe especially) if it’s subtle. You don’t want the character to say their name and who they are and then leave. Sure, we might have some knowledge about what they do or who they are, but not how they act uniquely. (That is, unless the point is that the character is very cold and formal, in which case, sure, introduce them like that!)

You want the shy character to be quiet and nervous and the outgoing one to fire off a bunch of questions or comments. While this seems obvious, there are more subtle ways of doing it. If a character loves books, have them be reading one (or carrying one) when they meet the narrator. If a character is a fan of sports, have them wear a jersey or cap. If a character is very blunt or straightforward, have them make a remark that shows the reader this is the case. Obviously, all this must be done in moderation, but if there is a particular trait that makes your character stand out, try to show it to the reader when they’re being introduced! This will make their introduction more memorable and ensure the reader understands the character immediately.

However, another important detail character introductions should have is the character being introduced wanting something. They need to have a reason for being there that is their own—not simply that it furthers the plot. If Thorin and the other dwarves randomly appear at Bilbo’s just to “hang out”, and Bilbo just happened to figure out that they were going to the Misty Mountain and went with them, it wouldn’t make much sense. Rather, Thorin wants something from Bilbo—he needs a thief, and he seeks to get one. Instead of just happening in the story, characters should be seeking something.

Another good example of both of these things is in Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart, particularly in the character of Dustfinger. Before Dustfinger appears in the story, we’ve only met two other characters. Meggie, the narrator, and her father, Mo.

Next, we meet Dustfinger, where things start to get interesting. Meggie sees a stranger out her window. He ignores the pouring rain and stands staring at their house. Already, we know that he probably wants something and that he’s determined.

Before he even says a word.

He stands out immediately. We can guess that Meggie doesn’t have many friends or know that many people. He’s a stranger (as the title of the chapter “A Stranger in the Night” illustrates) who wants something.

Character introductions get a little bit more complicated if the character is already known by the narrator. It can make it difficult to show the reader details about the other character without seeming awkward. (After all, you’re not going to remark about how your oldest friend is an orphan, or a straight A student—you’ve taken these things to be obvious facts.)

One thing to keep in mind is to put the emphasis on the relationship between the narrator and the other character. This can allow the reader to piece together the details as they come, but keep them from getting lost.

To return to my Inkheart example, I’ll describe how Cornelia Funke introduces us to the relationship between Meggie and Mo. Her father is introduced when Meggie recalls him teasing her about keeping books under her pillow. Their banter makes their easy-going, loving relationship clear—as well as highlighting their shared love of books. Then, she walks into his office where he does his bookbinding. Already, another detail about him.

Introducing characters is a key element of any story, and it is important to highlight the character’s unique personality, make sure they have reasons for being there, and to focus on the relationship with the protagonist.

Good luck!

Sources used: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Total words: 716

How to start your story | 782 words


Have you ever wanted to learn about how to start a story or a chapter you are writing in the best way possible? Well, here’s your chance!
Hello and welcome to my workshop on how to start your story.
The beginning of your story is one of the most crucial parts because it is the first impression, an appetizer offering a morsel of what is going to come. And in terms of getting published, they're the most important part of a story. Your beginning is where the reader (or editor) decides whether to keep reading. Your beginning also sets the reader's expectations for the story's middle and ending. You have to hook your reader’s attention, so they will get interested and want to read more, and I will teach you five easy ways to do it.

1. Start with action or dialogue.
2. Ask a question or set of questions.
3. Describe the setting so readers can imagine it.
4. Start with onomatopoeia
5. Have the main character introduce him or herself in a surprising way.


Let’s go through them one by one.

1. Begin with action or dialogue

“‘On your mark, get ready… GO!’”
I sprang forward as fast as I could, trying to catch up with the other, much older, faster racers that were already way ahead. I had to win, I had to beat her. This was my only chance. It would serve her right, for all she had done…”

Dialogue strengthens, accentuates, and substantiates the characters as they play their parts. Conversation can develop your characters and show the story setting and environment at the same time. Using dialogue to start a story can illustrate the character who is speaking. In the example above, you can tell the main character has determination and bravery to defeat the enemy.


2. Ask a question

“Did you know that a frogfish can catch and swallow another fish in only 6 milliseconds? That’s faster than you can blink! Frogfish stalk their prey by sneaking towards their target along the sea bed. They eat mostly small fish but also shrimps and crabs, with their prey sometimes being up to twice their own body size”

By asking questions, the text adds details that increase interest in the story, causing it to be more realistic while connecting the readers to the characters. Questioning helps you as the writer define the purpose, build a relationship with the characters, and enhance the description. In a nonfiction paragraph, like the one above, starting with an interesting question will make the reader want to find out more.

3. Describe the setting

“I sat cradled in the three branches atop the oak tree behind my house. This was my favorite view ever. I could see over our roof, could see for miles. Nextdoor, our neighbor's cat, Veti, yawned. Several airplanes glided in the sky, heading to the airport to land one by one. The rich and delicious smell of chocolate chip cookies wafted from my house. This was my favorite place, and soon there would be a goodbye”

The setting of a story gives readers a sense of place. Including various different elements of setting can help create a clear, vivid picture in readers' minds and can help provide a rich background to develop plot and characters. Starting your story or chapter with describing the scene and smells allows the reader to feel like they are really there, which makes the reader connect with the story.

4. Start with onomatopoeia

“Hooooooooonk! The train’s horn blared loudly as it pulled into the station. It was painted blood red and stood eight feet tall. The doors opened. I stared hesitantly when it was my turn to get on. I had to go, even if I didn’t want to. Even if I didn’t like the place it would take me. But I had to. It was for our fate. So with a deep breath, I went up the steps to the compartment and walked inside”

Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word from a sound. Using a sound to start your writing would intrigue the reader; What is making the sound? Why? Also, onomatopoeia helps heighten language beyond the literal words on the page. Onomatopoeia's sensory effect is used to create particularly vivid imagery—it is as if you are in the text itself.

5. Have the main character introduce himself or herself.

“Hello, I’m Lucianna, and I’m here to tell you a secret”

This method gets the story started right from the beginning, and it helps the reader connect with the main character.


Well, that’s all. I hope these tips help you start your writing in an exciting way. Good luck, and get writing!


Sources: https://writers.com/ and https://k12.thoughtfullearning.com/

How to write a hero/villain

Villains and heroes are the ones most important to a plot if you’re writing in specific genres. So, you should know how to create one. Creating a villain or hero character is simple, you just have to know a few simple things.

- Internal conflict. What does the character really want? Why do they want this? What is stopping them from achieving this thing? Both villains and heroes need internal conflict to really have a cause to do whatever they’re doing at all and to make the reader care about them.
- Weaknesses. There needs to be a way one defeats the other. For example, maybe the villain/hero dislikes something, or doesn’t think before they act.
- Backstory/reasoning. Sort of similar to internal conflict. Okay, we’re tired of the sob story on how the villain came to be evil. But it is important. It reveals to the reader why the villain was evil all along and can play a crucial part of the plot (villain tricking hero to help them, etc) Create a backstory, a reason why the hero/villain is doing this.

Let’s dive deeper into these three points.

Internal conflict
Internal conflict is the internal problem of the character. Different from external conflict, internal conflict is something they want, but something is stopping them from getting that thing. For example, in my story, Faith only wants karma to those who mock her, but the thing stopping her from it is her will and need to be perfect at all times. The character must have a desire, fear, and a misbelief. Faith’s desire is to give karma to others, her fear that is stopping her is that she will not have a perfect life anymore, and her misbelief is that she has to be perfect twenty-four seven. These three points are crucial to making strong internal conflict and strong connections with the reader and making them care. Otherwise, your character would have no meaning and no reason why they are doing the thing they are doing, no reason why the villain is evil and the hero is good.

Weaknesses
A Mary Sue character is something we all hate. True, a superhero character with all the abilities of the world seems extra cool, but without weaknesses, the character is just a famous, overpowered brat. Every human has weaknesses, and that means realistic characters should have to. You must give weak points to your characters in order to make internal conflict. If not, why even bother reading the book when it’s all about the hero saving the day? Weaknesses are also so essential to the making of a villain. There has to be a way they are defeated, has to have a weak spot that allows them to lose. It can also be pretty fun reading about a character figuring out the villain’s weak spots and could also be helpful to the plot.

Backstory/Reasoning
Backstories—our favorite part, of course, the villain telling about their childhood and how they seek revenge, or the hero’s brutal life as an orphan or whatever. This is pretty similar to internal conflict, and gives /reasoning/ on why they are a villain, on why they are a hero. If there’s absolutely no reason to be evil or good, why bother even writing the character? It probably has no feeling whatsoever and no internal conflict. I really enjoy writing backstories because you can really feel and understand the character.

And that wraps up most of writing a hero/villain! Thanks for reading this, you’re looking beautiful today

Converting an idea into a novel (suggested by @Lizeus10salmon)
741 words

For a fact, one of the most thrilling aspects of the writing process is the conception stage: a magical moment when you can finally imagine a great idea. Many authors though, are faced with a struggle in having to take a concept and adapting it into a new tale. Fortunately, if you think about it, starting the procedure is quite simple!

Brainstorming
Brainstorming is crucial for exploring ideas and allowing them to develop into the building part of a strong tale. The first thing you should do when you have a brilliant new idea is to write it down right away and see where it takes you. It's not even necessary for it to make sense or be well-written! Simply jot out whatever you have to say. Even less information is required for the concept you have proposed to work with. Remember, not everything you record will be used.

G.R.R Martin once stated, “Ideas are cheap. I have more ideas now than I could ever write up. To my mind, it’s the execution that is all-important”. Ideas are intuitive and pervasive. Creating art from such natural ideas; that's the foe. Don't put too much pressure on yourself; this should be a simple and enjoyable phase of the process.

Evaluations
As you brainstorm and conduct research, you'll probably find that your visualisations rapidly improve in clarity and detail. However, it's an appropriate choice to take a breath and actively rethink your primary thought(s) before moving on to the next stage after analysing all these possible routes and absorbing so much new information. Verify what is truly essential and whether it has the potential to become a wonderful tale. You might be able to develop scenarios, settings, and ideas that may serve as the basis for your storyline and tale by asking yourself hypothetical questions. Identify the elements that would need to be eliminated and those that might actually belong in a novel.

Starting to write
Using what you’ve learned throughout your brainstorming and research sessions, try to turn your idea from a vague concept into a clear premise. This means getting specific about the exact story you’re going to tell. It can help to identify what’s unique about your idea and focus on that aspect to create a detailed theory/statement. Our imaginations can make perfect sense of a bunch of random and even contradictory ideas. It’s only when we’re forced to put them together on paper, that they become truly coherent.

Settings, characters, plot, etc.
Create a few scenarios and scenes that will enable you to highlight character growth, elevate the stakes, and heighten the suspense. This might provide you with a few solid beginning ideas for the real writing process. But keep in mind that you'll have plenty of time while you write and rework to develop your characters.

To advance them from concept to narrative level, all you need is a basic understanding of the outcome they are seeking and what is preventing them from getting it. Enter the dream state completely and just let the notion float about. Investigate its offerings. Sometimes an idea will seem to have reached the limit of its potential just for a fresh concept to cling to the original and develop into something new. Spend some time getting to know your characters in-depthly and consider how to make them relatable to the reader. When you accomplish this, both you and your audience will become much more immersed in your tale. It takes time and talent to develop a concept into a whole novel. Of course, as you go along, your concept will develop and evolve, but by using the advice above, you can ensure that your idea will make a good narrative and that you don't waste any of your valuable writing time.

Developments
It might occasionally only take some time to develop a concept into a tale. Even though some ideas come to you virtually finished, others take time to marinate and develop unconsciously in the back of your mind. Follow your gut and give yourself a little more time if you don't feel ready to begin writing a certain narrative just yet. Persist in thinking about the concept and give it time to circulate in your thoughts. The puzzle pieces might just need a little bit of time to unite into a whole. However, resist the urge to let this delay your writing and force you to remain in the concept stage indefinitely.You'll

And that wraps it up <3 Thanks for reading!
(swnaksjak this is like the most professional passage I've ever written :00)

Sources : https://writerslife.org/turn-idea-story/ , https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/7-straightforward-tips-for-turning-an-idea-into-a-story/ , and some help from my older sister (an experienced writer + university student)

Writing Description
Hi there! I'm El, and I'll be guiding you through this workshop today! The workshop is all about writing description. We'll go through a couple of different ways to describe both scenes and people.

We'll begin with writing scene description.

Version One: Senses
So we all have five senses. Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch and Hearing. So when your character walks into a new setting, whether it be an underground prison or a field, they are at least going to experience (excluding blind characters) Sight. Which is, of course, the most common way of describing a scene.

Hello there! My name's Kim and in today's workshop I'll be teaching you how to write a detailed and good plot!

First of all, what is a plot?

A plot is something that happens in the story. The events of that story. It's the action of the story that drives the narrative towards.
Here's an example of a short plot: “A boy is riding his bike to school. He suddenly encounters a small kitten that he almost hit. The kitten was in the middle of a sidewalk where a lot of people ride bikes too, so the boy grabbed the little kitten and put it aside in a small bush. Suddenly, the kitten talks and thanks him. The boy is very surprised and thinks he's just imagining things. The kitten assures that he is not and after a short chat, the kitten introduces himself as the king of the cat kingdom, and he was just merely disguising himself as a kitten to test humans before a puff of smoke appeared out of nowhere, covering the kitten and now he was a large cat. He then says that he should be going now, and the boy should too. He should not be late for school. The boy says goodbye to the cat and the next day while the boy was going through the same place yesterday, the cat was nowhere to be found.”

A plot's purpose is to give a story structure. It what makes the story a story. A plot is one of the five things needed in every story:
Plot
Theme
Characters
Setting
Conflict
Let's look back at our example plot. The theme isn't immediately apparent, which is the case in a lot of stories. The characters are the boy and the cat, the setting is a sidewalk and the conflict is the kitten talking and the boy's reaction.

Before writing a plot, you obviously need to lay the basics first unlike me lol. One of the basics are the type of your plot.

The basic types of plots
You aren't limited to only using these 7, these are only the most common.

1. Tragedy
Tragedy usually tells the story focusing on great sorrow, grief, destruction, etc.

2. Comedy
Comedy is the opposite of tragedy. It's light hearted and humorous.

3. The Quest
Another name for this is ‘hero’s journey.' The hero of the story is usually on a quest to reach some sort of goal or prize far away.

4. Rebirth
Rebirth is usually a story where the main character goes from bad to good. The main character often has a tragic past that explains their behavior and after a series of events they will finally realize.

5. Monster
Also known as the ‘Good vs Evil’ plot. It focuses on the protagonist (good) fighting a antagonist (evil) and after defeating the evil force, the world turns back to perfect balance.

6. Voyage and Return
Voyage and return is similar to the quest, but with an added element of returning wherever the hero came from before taking on the journey.

7. Rags to Riches
Rags to riches tells a simple story of the protagonist who is poor, dirty, and/or struggling. But after a series of events they gain a ton of fame and money making them rich.


Now that you understand what a story plot is all about, how do you make a good plot?

First of all, we need to learn about the classic 3-act structure

The classic 3-act structure
Here's one of the things that make a great story plot. The 3-act structure.

Act 1: Act 1 is the beginning. Introduce your characters and the setting and create the sense of arising conflict.

Act 2: Act 2 is the where the conflict starts to get more intense. Tensions rise and more and more obstacles are placed in front of your main character's way, preventing them from reaching their goal in the story.

Act 3: Act 3 is the resolution. Questions are all answered, loose ends are all tied up, and everything comes to an end.

The 3 act structure is one of the things that make a plot a great plot. A good plot should also keep the reader engaged, surprising them with all sorts of twists and turns then ends with a satisfying conclusion. Conflict plays a great role in captivating readers. Whether internal or external, you need conflict to keep to plot moving. Foreshadowing is also another way to keep readers hooked, leave out clues and hints to get the reader guessing. And then create a clear resolution. Make sure it resolves conflict and there are no plot holes.
You also have to know and understand the genre you're writing, so you can write within those boundaries without getting sidetracked.

And I guess that's it! It's my first time writing a workshop so It's quite bad, I hope it helped!

sources: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/story-plot/, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-writing-plot#23mEueGftH026KA8OOjqLW, and https://literacyideas.com/how-to-write-a-great-plot/

How to start a scene/reveal different settings:

1. Engage the senses: Begin by describing the sensory details of the new setting. Consider the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures that characterize the environment. Engaging the reader's senses helps them visualize the scene more vividly.
Example: “As she stepped into the bustling café, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped her senses. The clinking of porcelain cups and the low hum of conversations filled the air, creating a cozy ambiance.”

2. Set the mood: Establish the atmosphere or mood of the scene to create the desired emotional impact. Choose words and descriptions that evoke the intended feeling, whether it's excitement, tension, serenity, or mystery.
Example: “The abandoned mansion stood tall, its dilapidated facade cloaked in an eerie silence. The overgrown vines snaked their way up the walls, casting long, twisted shadows that sent shivers down her spine.”

3. Introduce a character's perspective: Reveal the new setting through the eyes of a character. Use their observations, thoughts, and reactions to immerse the reader in the scene and provide a unique perspective.
Example: “From the top of the hill, he gazed at the sprawling cityscape below. The glittering lights transformed the night into a kaleidoscope of possibilities. He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, knowing that this was the place where dreams were born.”

4. Show movement or transition: If the new setting is a result of a transition or change, demonstrate the movement or shift between the scenes. This helps create a smooth and seamless transition for the reader.
Example: “Leaving the busy streets behind, she wandered into the tranquil park. The cacophony of traffic faded away, replaced by the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. With each step, the city's chaos gave way to a peaceful oasis.”

5. Use dialogue or interaction: Incorporate dialogue or interactions between characters to introduce a new setting. This can be a conversation about the surroundings or a reaction to the change in environment, adding depth and immediacy to the scene.
Example: “She gestured toward the towering mountains in the distance. ‘Can you believe the grandeur of this place?’ she asked, her voice filled with awe. ‘I never imagined we’d stumble upon such a breathtaking landscape.'”

6. Action: Start the scene with a moment of action that immediately engages the reader. This could be a physical action, an event, or a dialogue exchange that propels the scene forward.
Example: “The door swung open with a creak, and she burst into the room, her heart pounding in her chest. ‘I found it!’ she exclaimed, waving a crumpled piece of paper.”

Remember to balance the level of detail and avoid overwhelming the reader with excessive descriptions. Start with key elements that capture the essence of the setting and gradually add more details as the scene unfolds. Also listen to the advice I think EVERY English teacher tells you (even if it's infuriating) such as ‘show not tell.’ This advice would usually come from experience or would just be a great way to get better grades! (I also got lazy so most of the titles aren't bolded anymore ;-

Hey all, My workshop is in this project!
https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/projects/873432508/
~Ly, Contemporary, SWC July 2023

It's about 600+ words, including the planning

How to Create an Unexpectable Plot Twist
646 words

Books need a numerable amount of elements, such as characters, conflict, and a setting to make them suitable. But it's the plot twists that make them stand out. Plot twists are an unexpected turn of events in a story. Since the reader didn’t anticipate the turn of events, it enhances their engagement. Plot twists can be difficult to write, but this workshop will guide you to craft a masterful plot twist. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Types of Plot Twists

There are many different types of plot twists you could use. I won’t list them out because it would be a never-ending list. The type of plot twist you use can vary by the book’s plot and genre. Red herrings, for example, are when the protagonist is misled by clues that divert from the truth, which leads to a twist when the real truth is revealed. You can find red herrings in any type of book, but they would be good for books that include solving mysteries. Other types of twists, such as flashbacks (A scene from the past that reveals surprising information) and eucatastrophes (Tolkien invented this one - where everything unexpectedly goes from terrible to great) can be found in any genre. These are just a few of the many types of plot twists. If you have time, I encourage you to research the types of plot twists. Feel free to use your own plot twist as well.

Rules

Now that you know a few of the types of plot twists, here are the rules for writing them:

The reader needs to be surprised by the twist, not shocked (the plot twist should make sense).
It should be foreshadowed in some way. You should make the reader think they solved it, but then surprise them with a revelation that makes sense.
It still needs to be a surprise. Good plot twists keep people guessing throughout the book.

Tips for Writing Plot Twists

1. Work Backwards: Start with the grand reveal, then go back and place clues alongside red herrings. It’s crucial to hide subtle clues in the more obvious clues that are placed on purpose to deceive the reader. For example, if the chef was the murderer, have the chef do something in the background while someone else seems more guilty. No one will notice the chef during the dramatic moment. Also, let your readers come across a dead end after they think they cracked it and which will force them to retrace their steps. “The only way to keep readers guessing is to play with them”. - N J Simmonds

2. Big Reveal After Small Reveal: One fun thing to do is to build up to an expected twist, then release an epic twist right after it. This will add tension and intrigue to your story which will keep readers flipping through the pages and thinking about the story after they finished it. One example can be found in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz where Dorothy not only discovers that the Great Oz is an incompetent man, but she learns she could return home by simply clicking her heels.

3. Emotional Roller Coaster: As writers, we like to make our readers feel emotions, such as shock, upset, or anger. To play with the reader’s emotions, you have to send them on a roller coaster of dramatic twists. This leaves the readers exploding with every possible emotion until the story ends. For example, Romeo and Juliet went from teen love to despair due to being packed with gut-wrenching twists.

To sum it up, twists are supposed to be unexpected and surprising, yet still make sense. If we knew what would happen, well, that takes away from the point of a twist. That doesn’t mean that the twist shouldn’t fall in line with the rest of the story. Anyways, I hope you learned a lot from this workshop, and I can’t wait to see what you came up with!

plotting the end of a book

topic by @glorious_purpose

DISCLAIMER: Please ignore the introduction, middle, and end. I had absolutely no idea how to write this (this is my first time, can you tell?), and I have no clue how to teach people something through text (which is ironic because I want to be a teacher). This last line is not really part of the disclaimer, but if you use this workshop, I would love to see the product.

The end. The final page, the final line that all authors dream of, but they can never write its preceding pages. In school, any student struggles with the conclusion that wraps up a powerful argument. It feels like torture to the mind, like writer’s block. So what is one to do in this situation? They need to answer any remaining questions, make sure the ending has things that the reader wants, and that the theme is carried through till the end.

1. answer questions / solving remaining problems
Tying up loose ends is the assumed topic that many writers have trouble with. It would be useless just to give this tip by itself, so some instruction will be included (my humour is not the best as you can see). First off, what does it mean to “tie off loose ends” as the writing world says? It means (why am I so repetitive) that all remaining problems that were not solved are resolved by the end. This could be both in a positive or negative way for the protagonist as it is the author's choice (more on this later). When finding these pesky strands, it is important to read over the writing piece not once, not twice, but again and again and again. This circles back to proofreading and editing, which are not my area of expertise, so I will stop there. To find these ends, look for all sorts of conflict from an internal character’s to external in society. Think about the character themself and how they would solve the problem. Basically, any issue needs to be resolved except in two cases. One is if there is going to be a sequel, then problems that will carry on into that second book do not need to be resolved, and two is if the ending is left to be interpreted by the reader. The latter choice is extremely difficult to be done correctly, but The Giver by Lowis Lowry reveals a perfect choice. While this author knows how to pull of this ending, it is best to avoid it (this is just my opinion, but I guarantee there are more books with an “awful interpreted ending” than there are good). Once all the problems are solved, it is time to add some extra things to the end.

2. what does the reader want?
Please, please, please, please, please do NOT understand this the wrong way. People should not be constantly influenced by others. With that being said, despite the controversy that will arise with this topic, there is an explanation. When writing the ending of a book, is there something you think the reader will enjoy? If there is no dislike of an ending others might enjoy, perhaps include it in the book. HOWEVER, try and avoid cliches if possible. Keep ideas original, but also keep the reader in mind.

3. finish out the theme
Lastly, think of the theme in the story and make sure it is finished out thoroughly and neatly. Even if theme has been a hard concept to understand, it is still somewhere in the story. Figure out what it is, and make sure that it is a big piece in the finale.

That is all for this workshop. If there are any questions, let me know and I will be happy to answer them! (624 words)

Weekly Part 1
731 Words

How to Make Characters' Personalities Pop! By: Cookie! (Idea by Yellow_Owlet)

Introduction

Everyone has a favorite character- whether they’re books, movies, TV shows, or comics. A variety of characters with different personalities can cater to the interests of different types of members in your audience. One person may like the main character the most, while another way like the supporting best friend better. The point is, your writing needs a variety of characters- both good and bad- to keep things interesting. In this workshop, I’ll try my best to show you how to make each of your characters their own person.


Example of Characters that ‘Pop!’

One of the best ways to help improve your writing is to take inspiration from others. Since your characters are most likely going to be the main focus of your story (aside from the plot) you’re going to need to make each of them shine in their own way.
Since I’ve noticed that many people have read Keeper of the Lost Cities (KOTLC) by Shannon Messenger, I thought it would be good to use the series as an example. In my opinion, the best two characters in the series are Keefe and Tam. The two of them have many similarities (family issues, love of hair, snarkiness, and tendency to hide their emotions, etc.) But if the two of them were exactly the same, then their characters wouldn’t pop. They both need something that can make them stand out. For Keefe, it could be the fact that he’s an extrovert, and seems to have no problem interacting with others; he’s loud and cracks a lot of jokes. Tam on the other hand is an introvert; he has trouble trusting others and he’s more sarcastic. This difference in personality (among others) set the two characters apart (and in my opinion makes Tam slightly better.)


How to Make Your Characters’ Personalities Pop

Now that we’ve seen an example, let’s think about ways to help readers differentiate our characters! You need to keep in mind that no two characters should be the same. In real life, it would be really creepy if a person spoke, acted, and thought exactly the same way you did. This is true for characters too! Unless your character is trying their best to copy another character… (even then, it might be impossible to completely copy every aspect of someone.)
One way to make each character strand out is to give them some sort of quirk (No… not MHA quirks XD) This quirk could be some strange habit or way of talking. Maybe your character stutters a lot or bites their nails often. Or your character is well educated and their speech and actions help exhibit this. This character would speak in a proper manner compared to casual slang an average person might use.
I suggest writing down each of your characters’ personalities. This way, you can make sure too many attributes don’t overlap. You can’t have all your characters act sarcastic or all of them be introverted. Of course, characters can have similarities, just make sure there is some way for readers to tell the difference between them.

Tips

One tip I have is to take an excerpt of your writing and paste it in another document. Then, take out all of the names and replace them with something else like ‘person.’ Afterwards, try to see if you can tell who is saying what. If you already have people reading your work, then ask them to guess as well. If you can’t tell the difference between characters’ voices, then you might need to rethink each one of them.
Another tip I have is to examine people in the real world. I often do this at school or in crowded places. I try to see how people interact with each other- especially in groups. Usually there are a lot of different types of people you’ll come across and you can use them as inspiration for your characters. Think about your friends; what makes them unique? And similar? Why do you guys “click?” These things might help when creating characters.

I’ll end with this: if someone can’t choose a favorite out of your characters, then something might be wrong. Because we each find different personalities, characteristics, and even appearances appealing, it shouldn’t be hard to choose which of the many characters you’ve created is a favorite!

Developing Tone

Greetings, and I welcome you to my workshop on developing tone! Grab your favorite drink, sit on a comfy chair, and let’s get straight into it!

Introduction
The tone of your story has a great impact on the overall experience that the reader has, as it influences how readers understand the story and their emotional connection to it. Tone is the author’s attitude towards the story, which greatly impacts mood, the reader’s attitude towards the book.
For example, let’s have this sentence:
“The sky was part cloudy, part sunny.”
Sounds very simple, very plain, right? Let’s incorporate tone into it. Starting with a happy tone:
“The sky was bright with clouds like cotton balls and the sun shining dazzlingly.”
Moving on to a sad tone:
“The sky had many dark grey clouds looming over seemingly to rain, and the sun was dim.”
See how tone can influence how you perceive the sky? In the happy tone, it can seem like the sky was vivid and clear, but in the sad tone, the sky sounded gloomy and dull.

Different Tones
We also need to know what tone you want your piece of writing to use. In a good story, the tone will change throughout. Have a tone based on the mood of the character(s), the personality of the character(s), and important events. Some examples of common types of tone are shown below – note that these are only a few, and there are many, and I mean many, more types of tone that you can use in your writing.

1) Happy/Joyful: Happy and joyful tones will convey a lighter and a more positive feeling in your writing. It is also a core emotion for the readers, so they will connect more.

2) Sad: In a sad tone, the readers will relate more to the writing since readers have sadness as a core emotion as well.

3) Optimistic: Optimism is usually a personality, so it used more when the character is more optimistic. Although, it is also used commonly if there’s a situation where the character is optimistic for some reason.

4) Pessimistic: A pessimistic tone is the opposite of an optimistic tone. Pessimism is more usually a personality than a tone and is used more when the character is more pessimistic.

5) Curious: A curious tone will make the reader more curious towards something. This is generally used in mystery texts, making the reader curious to find the answer to the mystery.

6) Worried: Using a worried tone will make the reader uneasy about something, generally nervous towards a character or an event.

7) Nostalgic: A nostalgic tone will create a fondness for the past for the reader. This tone is normally used when the character(s) are thinking about their past or if the story is set in the past.

Crafting the Tone
There are a few ways that you can develop a good tone to influence how the readers get the information.

1) Use strong adjectives that emphasize the tone
Having good adjectives is one of, or the most important way to develop a dynamic tone. Let’s look at the word “flower”. If the tone is happy, choose an adjective that emphasizes happiness, such as “/bright/ flower”, or “/vivid/ flower”.
Not only do you need adjectives, but you also need /strong/ adjectives. Strong adjectives emphasize the theme. Suppose that we have the word ‘small’. instead of ‘small’, you can use ‘microscopic’ or ‘minute’.

2) Use strong verbs
Just like we need to pick strong adjectives, we need to pick strong verbs to help develop the tone as well. Pick more specific terms over vague ones. We need to illustrate someone going in a rush, for instance. We could say they ‘run’, but that is too vague. Choose something more specific, such as ‘dash’ or ‘sprint’.

3) Use popular motifs that relate to the theme
Using popular motifs that many readers will understand will contribute to the tone. For example, sunshine can signify happiness, rain can hint at sadness. There are many other common motifs that can be useful to create a good tone.

4) Think about how the reader will interpret your text
When writing your story, keep in mind how the reader will think about it. Avoid ambiguous words that may lead the reader think that the story is going in a different way than it actually is going. Also think about how the tone will affect the mood, and how the mood will affect the reader.

Summary
Let’s summarize what we have just gone over.
1) Tone influences the mood of the story, and it affects how the reader interprets what you are saying
2) There are many different types of tone you can use in your story, and choose the best one to fit what is happening
3) Word choice is crucial for a good tone; using strong adjectives and verbs will help a lot
4) Pick good motifs that many readers will understand
5) Think how the reader will interpret your story

Conclusion
And that’s it! It may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. Tone may be hard to use at first, but practice will help your tone get better over time. Nothing is perfect, so just try your best!
I hope this workshop helped you learn a thing or two about writing tone in your stories. If not, that’s great! If you have more that you would have said, teach me your ways xD

912 words

Setting the Stage (a workshop by Rockie)

Table of Contents
-Introduction
-3 Elements of Setting
-Questions to Ask
- Activities
-Finishing Thoughts
-Bibliography

Introduction

If you’ve ever written a story in your life, you know what setting is. It’s one of the most important elements of the story, because if there’s no setting, where do the characters exist? As a writer, setting is essential to worldbuilding and characters, as well as the plot. But how do you create a vivid fictional setting that seems real? Well, my friend, you’ve come to the right workshop! Today we’ll review the three elements of setting, questions to ask yourself while creating a setting, and helpful activities to help you flesh out your setting! So without further ado, let’s get started!

3 Elements of Setting

What are the three elements of setting? Well, they’re time, location and context! I’ll explain a little bit about each element and then why they’re an important thing to think about while establishing your setting.

Time: Time refers to the time period your story takes place! It also means the length of time your story spans. This element is important to establish, because it will help you track the changes your setting has over the course of the story, and helps you with the context element. For example, a story set in London in the 17th century would look a lot different than a story set in London in the 21st century. It might be the same place, but the time periods are vastly different, and that’s important to consider when creating a setting!

Location: Location is the geographical places your setting has. This is what most people think setting is, but it’s only one of the elements! Location can mean the overall area, or individual places. For example, Harry Potter takes place in Europe, but specific locations include Hogwarts and Privet Drive. The location is important because it dictates many elements of the story! For example, your setting could have some giant mountains that your heroes will have to traverse, or your hero could grow up in a land of stone where they’ve never even seen grass.

Context: This is perhaps the most important element of setting! The context is basically the culture of your place. It can mean the politics, the social views, the celebrations or important dates your setting has, or even the government systems! This is super important to think about, because it will really make your setting seem real and will have significant impacts on the characters. Think of a kid who grew up on a farm compared to a kid who grew up in a big city. They will have vastly different outlooks on life, just because of the setting.

Questions to Ask

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to better flesh out your setting.

Time- Does your world have the same time system as ours, or do they use something different? What is the history behind your time system? Over how many years does your story take place? What might have changed in your setting from the beginning of the story to the end?

Location- Does your story take place in one area, or do the characters travel to different places? What geographical features does your world have, and how would that impact your character’s escapades? Does your area have easy access to resources, or do they have to trade with other places to get what they need? How does that impact the setting?

Context: What is the government of your world? What is the history? Is your society biased towards certain people? How was your world created? What would someone from your world think like? How would they be different from other people? What celebrations or holidays does your world have? Is it a nice place to live?

Activities

Here are some activities you can do to help you create your setting.
-Draw a map of the locations in your story
-Make a timeline of the history in your world
-Create a personified version of your setting
-Create a travel guide/blog post about your locations

Finishing Thoughts

Well, I hope you learned something from my workshop! I had a lot of fun making it and I hope it taught you a bit about how to create a good setting for your story. Setting is such a complex thing, but creating a world is quite fun once you start, so don’t be intimidated and dive right in, since you have to start somewhere! <33

Bibliography

https://blog.reedsy.com/setting-of-a-story/
https://selfpublishing.com/setting-of-a-story/

Writing and Developing Effective Villains


Writing the good attributes of a character is often harder than writing the bad attributes of one. This is usually why writing villains can seem easier than writing heroes. However, a villain has many stages in their writing and development. It is quite easy to create a villain that is shallow and merely a weak character with a simple motivation and basic attributes. To create a good villain, it is detrimental that you put the most amount of thought into their construction as possible.

Disclaimer: Although characters are very important in a good story, so is the plot. The secret to good writing is to combine a good concept with an interesting plot, good writing, and compelling characters. Do not sacrifice any of the above for some of the tips that I give in this workshop.

This is also my first workshop so I apologise if it is terrible sobs



Motivation

Villians usually do not spontaneously decide that they want to take over the world because it would be fun. In fact, their motivation usually has something to do with their backstory (which you can read about below). Say your villain wants to kill the King. What has the king done to them? Is it a personal altercation? Or is it political? Has the King done something terrible to the Villain unknowingly?

Let us take Marvel’s character Helmut Zemo for an example. I view Zemo as a very good villain because his motivation is not only founded, [Slight spoilers for Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ahead] but it links to the Avenger’s dispute at the beginning of Civil War, which was if the Avengers are getting out of hand as a privately operated team and causing too much destruction. Zemo has firsthand experienced the effects of the Avenger’s recklessness and lost his family. He wants to get revenge for the death of his parents, wife, and son as well as prevent the Avengers from causing more damage. He is also a very clever and he encourages empathy from viewers. However, the things he had done to the Avengers, our heroes, cause confliction among the audience. When he was appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he isn’t an unlikeable character anymore (at least to me). I don’t know, I guess that watching someone eat Turkish delights and drink cherry blossom tea doesn’t make them so evil anymore. What Zemo has is humanity, which I will elaborate on below.

A thirst for power is generally a boring motivation. In fact, I don’t consider it a motivation at all, but a secondary motivation. That’s a term that I just made up as I’m typing this. It may or may not be an actual thing. Anyway, a secondary motivation lies between the primary motivation and the motivation’s effect. The primary motivation motivates a thirst for power and the thirst for power motivates the villain to conquer the world. There should always be a motivation for power.


Humanity

Humanity is defined as compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition : the quality or state of being humane. When you watch someone plan to kill someone (or actively kill someone), they lose their sense of humanity.

If you are reading this and your reaction is “Oh no, I really wanted people to like my villain.” then fear not! You can restore the villain’s humanity very simply. One way you can do this is to create redeeming qualities in a villain. You can give them likeable qualities, such as a charming sense of humour or a love of Turkish delights. Another way is by describing the villain doing very human things, such as drinking tea. You can have your villain say some very empathy-encouraging things.
In The Falcon of the Winter Soldier, Zemo bribes a little girl with Turkish delights to give him some information. “Oh no,” you think, dismayed. “The poor little girl. Zemo’s a criminal and a creepy child briber.” No, Zemo actually is really good with kids. He is very soft-spoken with the girl. And then he tells her that Turkish delights were his sons favourite.
HIS SON’S FAVOURITE.
His family as we know was killed when the Avengers battled Ultron in Sokovia. He found them two days later. His father had his arms wrapped around his wife and son. In Civil War, we see Zemo replaying old voicemails that his wife sent him. If this isn’t the most humanity-restoring action in the world I don’t know what else is. Little more information is given about his family. Zemo’s interactions with the children obviously reminded him of his dead son.
I need not say more. Zemo is the perfect example of humanity in a villain.


Madness

What degree of madness does your villain have? Is your villain completely sane, or do they most likely have some type of mental disorder? Let’s take Arthur Harrow from Marvel’s Moon Knight as an example.

[Spoilers for Moon Knight] From the very beginning scene, it is established that Harrow is kind of insane. He is shown in that scene doing some sort of ritual to shatter a glass and pours the glass in his shoes. He then proceeds to walk in them. Later we find out that he is the leader of a cult set on resurrecting the Ancient Egyptian goddess, Ammit.

Typically, if your character is mad, then you should establish that. If you wait halfway through your story to give your character signs of madness, then the readers will most likely be confused. Of course, if your character is developing into a madman throughout the novel, then this is not the case. Just be sure to show that your character is developing madness. This can range from the way they sleep, eat, light candles, and drink tea to the way they speak and move.

Think of Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. She develops a compulsive habit due to her guilt. She attempts to wash off the imagined or remembered blood that covers her hands. It speaks of contamination that can never be washed away.


Empathy

Empathy is the action of sharing another person’s feelings. Connection to the reader is the key to a good character, mostly for the protagonist. If you’re looking to create an unlikeable villain, then you do not want your readers to emphasize with the villains. However, empathetic villains often are rich, compelling characters. It isn’t a bad idea to learn how to write empathy in your villain.
The other topics that I write about in this workshop are important if you want to create an empathetic character. The combination of an empathetic backstory and interesting flaws is a sure way to gain some empathy. Sad things happening to them will help as well.


Physical and mental scarring

The effects of a traumatic event can be physically and mentally affecting for any character. If your villain survived a very bad fire, they might have burn scars as well as PTSD. If your villain was in the army, and watched their friend die in front of them from a mine field detonation, they might also have PTSD and/or some sort of injury.
Remember, if you are planning to give your characters any kind of mental health condition, do your research. Accuracy is key. Research always pays off. The same goes for anything related to medicine.
Traumatic events can be very affecting toward mental health. A person can go through many changes in the years following trauma, including changes in personality traits. Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, insomnia, and dissociation. If an event causes both physical and mental scars, one can act as a metaphor for the other and vice versa. Physical scars can act as a representation of unseen scars.

You shouldn’t give a villain a scar that isn’t elaborated on, just to show that the character is a villain. Scars as a shorthand for villainy is overused.

[Spoilers for Moon Knight] In Moon Knight, mental health and psychology is a very big theme. When Marc is abused by his mother, he develops Dissociative Identity Disorder. In the episode “Asylum,” Marc really comes to terms with his trauma and who he is. I recommend looking more into the symbolism and meanings of this episode if you are looking to write a story centred on the mental health of your character.


Backstory

A backstory, quite a common term among writers, is a series of events that have occurred before the main story. These events can either be alluded to or described (preferably not all at once and info-dumping the reader in the exposition).

The backstory is very important in a villain. Showing all of the sides of a character and what has happened in their past that might affect their future is significant in creating a round character.
There are some exceptions, of course. The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is certainly not a round character. Very little backstory is given and her motivation is undetectable. However, The Wicked Witch of the West would not be considered a “good villain” in the structure and plots of modern literature.

If you are attempting to create a villain that is unlikeable, perhaps you shouldn’t give the villain a past that encourages empathy. If you are attempting to create a character that a reader is conflicted by, then perhaps you should combine an empathetic backstory with morally dubious actions.

A villain’s backstory affects their decisions in the story. If you disconnect the villain's backstory from the plot, in a way that renders the backstory irrelevant in the plot, then you have a problem.

The way you reveal a villain’s backstory depends on your plot and villain. There is no set way to do it: my only advice is to not reveal it too early in the book and do not reveal it all at once.

Imagine a gift wrapped in layers of wrapping paper. In each layer, there is a small prize hidden. Reading a good book should be like peeling away at the wrapping paper and finding the prizes. In each layer, you discover more things about the characters and the world. You should keep your readers engaged in each layer of the story.

Logic:

Logic, or reasoning (at least the definition that I will be telling you about), is defined as “a particular mode of reasoning viewed as valid or faulty.”
Every character has their own internal logic that dictates how they do things.

The reader doesn’t need to know the specifics of how the villain’s mind works. A general idea is appreciated, but info-dumping the villain’s cognitive functions, MBTI type, etc. won’t get you any points for good writing.
When you give your protagonist a simple, logical explanation for a seemingly ridiculous decision, you ground it and make it understandable for the reader. If you show a relatively sane explanation for every morally dubious decision that a villain makes, it becomes confusing to the reader. The villain becomes, in a way, the protagonist.

Nonsensical calculation in a villain can make your story boring. However, an overly calculating villain can also be boring. Your villain is supposed to have weaknesses and these weaknesses can effect their logic. For example, an impulsive villain may rush to conclusions more than a logical villain might. A villain’s logic depends on their intelligence level. So if you have a villain that isn’t the brightest person, giving them the gift of being extraordinarily logical would be confusing, especially if you have already established that the villain is unintelligent.

That’s all! I hope you found this workshop helpful Again, don’t change your story just to fit these tips. This is my first workshop and I might not have elaborated on some subjects as I should have.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have on my profile.

Laters, gators!

On Poetry.
(prompt by @Clementine_Blue)
(1901 words, more or less)

i. prelude.

Poetry is the form of writing in which the measure of artistry lies not in the directness of the meaning, but in the eloquence of the shroud which covers it. Or, put another way, it is when more emphasis is placed on the language rather than the overall conclusion (such as plot or argumentative thesis) of the writing. Or perhaps the dictionary more suits your tastes — then, you have that poetry is “literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.”

Despite the variance of language used in the definitions of poetry, one thing is always clear: there is no exact ‘criteria’ that a literary work must meet to be classified as poetry. Although some sources may define it as ‘metrical writing; verse’ (Merriam-Webster), given the existence of other modern forms such as prose poetry and erasure poetry (more on this later), we can see that this is not a necessary condition. Thus, in the end, poetry can exist anywhere in literature: in Shakespeare’s comparisons-of-thee-to-a-summer’s-day, in the free style employed by Maya Angelou, in your favorite novel’s gruesome description of a bloody carcass, even — yes — in the angsty ramblings of a teenager’s notebook. In fact, one may even notice poetry in the first line of this workshop — the description borders on flowering, it is true; yet the emphasis on the language of the definition is poetic in a way.

Well, we have poetry, but what, then, is good poetry? Frankly, this writer cannot give a definition or criteria to that: it is commonly known that poetry, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Now, some aspiring poet out there may be thinking “Well, that’s just maddeningly unhelpful — (note the Pirates of the Caribbean reference!) — and cliché. I’ve been looking to improve my awful poetry.” Do not fret, friend — your poetry is not ‘awful,’ and please do not degrade it like that, for in insulting your own you insult the art as a whole. However, though I cannot tell you what ‘good’ poetry is as a rule, there are some techniques which are helpful for a poet to possess — so ‘without further ado,’ here they are.

ii. metaphor.

The metaphor is a very well-known term among writers — the definition being a comparison between two things for the purpose of creating dramatic effect or visualization. Now, I will spare you the mundane examples of ‘the stars were diamonds hung in the sky,’ &c., and use a poem instead. Take this stanza from Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach,’ in which he is drawing a description of the sound of turbulent ocean waves:

…

Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

…

Here, Arnold uses the sound of ocean waves as a metaphor for misery. Note that, in the words ‘the turbid ebb and flow of human misery,’ he does not execute his comparison by linking the two concepts with a simple verb, i.e. ‘the turbulence of the waves shows my misery,’ but rather interweaves the two: in his lines, he is not comparing the two, but is rather representing them as the same thing. ‘Ebb and flow’ typically describes the crashing of waves on the shore; however, in pertaining them to ‘human misery,’ he takes for granted that the two are interchangeable — creating a very powerful poetic device.

This appears also in the first stanza, in which he describes how ‘the waves draw back, and fling …, and bring the eternal note of sadness in.’ Again, he does not use any obvious linking words (‘is,’ ‘shows,’ etc.). Instead, as ‘the waves bring the eternal note of sadness in,’ the reader realizes that the sound of the waves and the note of sadness are one and the same.

From the study of ‘Dover Beach,’ we see that we can apply this literary device to our own writing: not by using metaphor as a stark ‘this-is-that,’ but rather using it to interweave two concepts in our poem so that the reader cannot tell them apart — and, indeed, will not want to.

iii. satire.

Satire is a literary device which uses humorous irony to make a point or expose fallacies in another’s argument. This may seem like a concept more useful for a politician or a comedian, but poets have in fact been using it for centuries. The well-known poem ‘Ozymandias,’ by the English poet Percy Blysshe Shelley, goes as follows:

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said— “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Shelley narrates how the statue of Ozymandias, otherwise known as the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses the Great, is found by a passing traveler, who sees on the pedestal an inscription proclaiming greatness and mighty deeds of Ramses, the ‘King of Kings,’ and beckons the onlooker to observe them. Shelley then goes on to say that ‘nothing else remains;’ the statue lies alone in the desert with nothing else in sight — i.e. there are no ‘mighty deeds’ left to observe.

This bleak contrast displays the irony in the situation: when this statue was built, Ramses II had been considered great; but in the end, all of his work had gone to dust, and only a wreck of his visage remained. Shelley uses this scathing description to not only satirize Ramses II, but also King George III, who was king of England while this was written.

Most satires are in this fashion — beginning with the description of some passionate exclamation by the opposing party, and then describing facts which prove otherwise. It is important to note that in a satire, the writer typically does not purposefully state their own argument: they let the facts do it for them, and they remain serene in their countenance, thus amplifying ridicule upon the other party.

Also, this writer personally has attempted the technique in free verse:

I will take you by the nape of the neck
(your neck is a noose used for your bottlecap head)
& grind your bones into coarse white sand
(rather irritating between the toes, of course)
my castle is a fish-stained yellow, God’s leftover bile
(bile which he vomited but the cleansing ocean refused.)
when waves tumble tousle crash on the sea they are beautiful
(look-see: these grime-thick gull droppings! I tarnish beauty.)
when i am destroyed the sea has no longer any blemish or fault
(fault? yours; these utter peasants have such weak bones…)

It’s not the best, and certainly cannot compare to the likes of Shelley, but I thought to include it here, as a sort of peer-example thing! Also, this poem, unlike ‘Ozymandias,’ does not follow any rhyme or meter; it is in free verse, and therefore another facet of poetry which I otherwise have not included. Speaking of which — you may want to take a look at ‘This Is Just To Say,’ by William Carlos Williams. Also a whole repository of irony (although it is a short poem)!

iv. using ambiguity; or, rather, being vague.

“Meaning is of the intellect, poetry is not … the intellect is not the fount of poetry … it may actually hinder its production.” A. E. Housman, The Name and Nature of Poetry.

What Housman means (‘means'! Hah, how ironic) is that frankly, poetry is not the art of creating meaning but rather the art of how to word it – and how to disguise it.

In order for a poet to speak through their poem to the reader, there must not only be meaning (which is necessary to capture interest); there must also be some device of language which acts as a shroud to that meaning. Now, this may seem counterproductive: do we not want our readers to be able to interpret a meaning from our work? Yes, we certainly do. However, too much interpretation turns into dissection, and dissection takes away from the significance of the piece as a whole. Thus the ‘shroud’ has two purposes: to hide the meaning, adding intrigue so that the reader is motivated to find it; and to add depth through the meaning through descriptive language. Now I’m just being excessive. In simple terms, the ‘shroud’ is the language of the poem; poetry is the art of creating the shroud.

Thus, in ‘shrouding’ the meaning of our poem, we add ambiguity: we hint at the meaning (which we ourselves are perhaps unsure of as we write), but do not heap on so much morality that the reader is overwhelmed. Note that in the ‘shroud’ we use not only language but also the lack of language: leaving out some descriptions can be more powerful than heaping them on.

Take, for example, the beginning of The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge:

It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
'By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?


The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
May'st hear the merry din.'

…

He holds him with his glittering eye—
The Wedding-Guest stood still,
And listens like a three years' child:
The Mariner hath his will.

…

Here the reader is meant to deduce that the ‘one of three’ is going to a wedding, and yet it is never directly said. Only in the last stanza of this excerpt (which begins with ‘He holds him with his glittering eye—”) is the word ‘wedding’ even mentioned. The message is mainly conveyed in the second stanza, which mentions the ‘Bridegroom’ and the fact that the guest is ‘next of kin.’

In fact, this lack of explanation helps to introduce the voice of the poem — the narrator does not care to explain or argue to the reader; instead, the story is told by the Mariner to the Wedding-Guest. This gives the impression that the reader is not necessary in the story — unlike in a novel in which narration is generally provided as explanation to a character’s thoughts.

v. conclusion.

There are so very many other facets of poetry which have not been considered here; this is not by any means a conclusive list. But with that said, I hope you were inspired, informed, or otherwise enlightened by this! Now — go write.