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eldritchtroubadour
Feb 16

So, I imagine most people who like to create stories will also like to watch movies. Or read books. Or play videogames with good narratives.

Why not make that useful on top of fun?

THis way you can improve as a writer while you enjoy yourself. To do that, all you have to do is sit down and think of 1 storytelling lesson you can take from the thing you just enjoyed. Then, you note it down for future references.

You can use notion.so or an Excel sheet to do it. Just note down the name of the work of fiction, what rating you give it, when you finished it and then note down the lesson. Here's a template that I use with the most recent movie I finished, Captain America Brave New World:

What’s it about?

Sam Wilson’s first movie as Captain America where he must uncover a conspiracy that framed Isaiah Bradley, the first Black Cap, before war breaks out.

How I watched it

Went to the cinema

What storytelling lessons did I learn?

That even if there are world-ending stakes at play, the story must have an emotional core so the audience can relate. The movies deals with the start of World War III, but at its core it’s about Ross struggling to prove he’s a better man than he once was.

Keep doing that and in time you'll have learned a lot just from enjoying what you love. Anyway, if you read it all, thanks a bunch and please check out my Fantasy series The Ascendant's Path.

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clarissapattern
Feb 17

it's cool thinking of everything we consume as inspiration and that we are constantly learning

eldritchtroubadour
Feb 17

One of the best things I heard on writing is that we can only write what we know and we can only write what we feel. As such, you either expose yourself to a vast variety of things to draw from or do a lot of research on a variety of topics. You also must experience a lot of different things to draw from emotionally, so it can better reflect on your work.

So yeah, everything we consume adds to what we know and fell. :joy:

RED-VELVET-CUPCAKE
Feb 21

I've got one writing exercise I think is fun! :writing_hand:
Imagine a short scene, and write it from one character's perspective. Then write the same scene, but from another character's perspective. You can have wildly different viewpoints!
Maybe the character is at a party. Do they love being around other people? Do they experience senses differently? (loud music, bright lights) What is their relationship to the host? Did they pick a flashy outfit to wear? etc.
If I'm struggling to write a character's actions, I throw them into a silly situation and try to think, "what would they do?" :thinking: