tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19392713088703336692024-03-10T23:16:38.609-07:00Karen WoodwardA blog about writingKaren Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.comBlogger1421125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-61514554254229694912021-06-03T08:32:00.002-07:002021-06-03T08:32:50.281-07:00The Structure of a Horror: The SettingSetting and HorrorCertain things are true for all settings. If you want a sense of claustrophobic threat then small enclosed dark spaces are the way to go: caves, basements, dungeons. I talk more about setting in How to Write a Genre Story: Setting and Character (Part 3). Here I want to concentrate on settings specific to a horror, so let's talk about isolation. Setting and IsolationIn Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-70058150617814154142021-06-01T18:38:00.004-07:002021-06-01T19:37:51.054-07:00The Structure of a Horror: The ProtagonistI’ve been thinking about horror stories, about what elements are common to the genre. I had intended to do this all in one post, but it has grown quite long so I’ve divided the material into a few parts. Today I’m going over how the protagonist in a horror story is different from, say, a protagonist in an action-adventure. In future posts I will write about the antagonist/monster, the setting, Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-20753560830403064362021-05-15T19:01:00.001-07:002021-05-16T11:02:17.190-07:00The Structure of Genre: Analyzing story structure by genreI’ve been on a journey of sorts over the past decade. I wanted to understand--intellectually, but also on a blood and bone level--the elements of a good story. Why am I unable to put one book down while another is a cure for insomnia? I've talked quite a lot about the structure of Story write large, but in this article I muse about the structure of genre stories.To read more about this, hereKaren Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-22040759389884834152021-05-08T09:57:00.002-07:002021-05-15T08:58:01.473-07:00Lester Dent's Short Story Structure: 3 Elements of a Great Story OpeningLet’s talk about strong story openings. I’ve been writing a series of blog posts on Lester Dent’s Short Story Structure and realized that I had more to say about story openings than would fit in there. So!Lester Dent on Strong Story OpeningsHere’s what Dent wrote about what made a story opening strong:“1--First line, or as near thereto as possible, introduce the hero and swat him with aKaren Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-31041076706966558442021-04-27T12:26:00.002-07:002021-04-30T11:51:28.732-07:00Lester Dent's Short Story Fiction Formula: The PlanThis post is part of a series on Lester Dent’s method for writing a short story. You might think: Why should I care? Well, all the short stories Dent wrote using this method sold! Now, I suspect that his sales might have had more to do with his skill as a writer than it had to do with any formula, but still!In the next few posts I will use Lester Dent’s method to write a short story, or at least Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-48837872956780686212021-04-22T10:12:00.006-07:002021-04-28T08:00:22.686-07:00Lester Dent's Short Story Fiction Formula: IntroductionIn previous posts I’ve written about Lester Dent’s short story formula.Lester Dent was perhaps the best of the pulp-fiction writers of the 1930s and 1940s. He created the hugely popular character of Doc Savage--a scientist and adventurer--and featured him in 159 novels over the span of only 16 years, averaging about 10 novels per year! Wow.I don’t know anyone who has matched that output. It Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-39956633056542971122021-04-18T21:07:00.001-07:002021-04-18T21:08:16.574-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Character Introduction: EmpathyThe end goal of character creation, the Holy Grail, is for your reader to feel empathy for your character. Jim Butcher writes:“...if you can make people love who you want them to love and hate who you want them to hate, you’re going to have readers coming back to you over and over again.” (Characters, Jim Butcher)Creating empathy for your character Empathy, like happiness, can be Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-71078517972415961502021-04-12T18:47:00.001-07:002021-04-12T18:58:50.721-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Character Introduction: VerisimilitudeThis post continues my mini-series about how to introduce a character. I’ve already written about Exaggeration, Unusual Position and introducing characters in Action. Today I’m covering Verisimilitude and later this week--I’m aiming for Thursday--I’ll close the series off by writing about Empathy. Here are links to my previous posts in this mini-series:How to Write a Genre Story: Character Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-80792895233090438052021-04-10T06:19:00.001-07:002021-04-10T06:19:14.489-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Character Introduction: Characteristic Entry ActionIntroductions are important. Do you remember the first time you introduced your Significant Other to a parent? There are few things in life you need to get right the first time but that’s one of them! Another one is introducing your protagonist to your reader.Character IntroductionsWhat makes a character introduction work? What needs to be communicated?Jim Butcher writes:“...it is critical Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-33320392061428372242021-04-06T10:42:00.003-07:002021-04-08T13:07:41.024-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Character Introduction: Unusual PositionToday I continue my series on how to create a memorable character. In my last post (How to Write a Genre Story: Character Introduction: Exaggeration) I went over Exaggeration. In this post I would like to chat with you about what Jim Butcher refers to as “Exotic Position,” but I’m going to call, “Unusual Position.” a. Put an exceptional character in an exceptional situation.Jim Butcher Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-65645983522443248532021-04-02T10:13:00.000-07:002021-04-02T10:13:13.326-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Character Introduction: ExaggerationStory Openings: Introducing a Main CharacterYou never get a second chance to make a first impression. Today I want to talk about character introductions. First, an acknowledgement. This post is inspired by Jim Butcher’s post, Characters, where he goes into all this in great and glorious detail.Second, when I write, “a character,” what do I mean? I like what Jim Butcher has to say about Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-887520704033510122021-03-29T06:50:00.000-07:002021-03-29T06:50:22.413-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Make Your Character Memorable & Unique: TagsIn a previous post, How to Write a Genre Story: Characters: An Introduction to Character Tags, I talked about why tags are important for characterization (essentially, it is because they help describe someone in a memorable way). For example, when Hercule Poirot’s green eyes glow--like a cat’s!--we know his little grey cells are working overtime, we know he has either solved the mystery or is Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-2227479958666953752021-03-25T09:21:00.002-07:002021-03-26T07:40:02.384-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: A Character's Dominant AttitudeI’ve already gone over Swain’s idea of a character’s dominant impression, now let’s talk about their dominant attitude.A character’s attitude“Attitude is a matter of behavior patterns—a character’s habitual way of reacting to a particular kind of situation. Mary Poppins’s eternal cheeriness reflects an attitude, and so does Rambo’s macho stance.” (Creating Characters: How to Build Story People, Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-85528265104516801462021-03-22T12:59:00.002-07:002021-03-29T06:57:51.555-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Dwight V. Swain and the Dominant Impression "A tag is a label, but a limited, specialized label. It identifies a character and helps your readers distinguish one story person from another." (Dwight V. Swain, Creating Characters: How To Build Story People) Tags or labels are important because they are a practical, concrete way of making a character memorable. In my last post I introduced the idea of a character Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-17324036546796881422021-03-18T20:42:00.003-07:002021-03-29T06:58:35.378-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Characters: An Introduction to Character TagsLet’s talk about character tags. In a later post I’ll talk more about how Dwight V. Swain and others thought of tags and traits. In this post I'll provide an overview. Hopefully this post will give you an idea what I mean by “character tag” and why it can be the single most powerful tool in your writer’s tool box.A character tag is something visible--a favorite ugly neon pink scarf, an odd Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-22452622039901776812021-03-14T13:14:00.007-07:002021-03-29T06:58:59.895-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Making a Character Memorable: Strengths and FlawsWhat makes a character memorable?Deborah Chester writes in her article, Bonding with Your Characters:"We want readers to either love or hate our characters. What we don’t want is a 'meh' reaction. Or even worse, 'Who? I don’t remember her.'"The question: What qualities do vivid, well crafted, memorable characters have? 1. Memorable characters are exceptional. Novel.I want my readers to Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-62319807758294413062021-03-10T11:40:00.003-08:002021-03-29T06:59:23.600-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Characters: How to Show Not Tell Supporting Characters versus Main CharactersWe want some characters to be one-dimensional, characters such as the impatient pizza delivery person or the chatty cabby. They walk on and off the page and are barely noticed. They briefly interact with one of our main characters and then fade from memory. As E.M. Forster writes in Aspects of the Novel:"We may divide characters into flat and Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-71369324593460685392021-03-08T08:27:00.001-08:002021-03-29T06:59:46.153-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Characters: Homo FictusCharacters--Homo Fictus--are the raw material from which stories are created, but who are these entities who populate our stories and how do they differ from flesh-and-blood people?Homo FictusCharacters can be viewed as a pseudo-species of humans that differ from their flesh-and-blood counterparts in at least three respects.1. Characters are fathomable, understandable. Humans aren't.I'm not Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-72514819256282049862021-03-05T14:18:00.004-08:002021-03-29T07:00:04.236-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Characterization and Character Description(Note: I'm starting a series of interviews with other writers. If you would like to discuss being interviewed, please contact me on Twitter (@WoodwardKaren) or via email: karenwoodwardemail@gmail.com. I would like to talk with you!)The Importance, and Unimportance, of Character DescriptionI realize that opinions differ about this, but when I first started writing I thought that I needed to Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-76840088583566194292021-02-27T09:39:00.003-08:002021-04-02T08:26:21.702-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Setting: How to Show Not Tell (Part 2)Summary: Setting is an essential part of good writing because a well developed setting helps a writer show rather than tell. Each object in a story has a function, a purpose, a goal. This implies that if we were to get a peek into the hero's--or villain's--lair, that simply by looking at the objects that are most important to him would allow us to, in a sense, read the character's mind. We would Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-32136248144218072021-02-11T09:21:00.001-08:002021-03-29T07:00:47.181-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Setting and the Hero's Journey (Part 1)In the last few posts I’ve discussed a story’s setting. Today I want to discuss a story’s setting and how it changes in the context of the hero's journey.Setting Reflects ChangesThe setting of a story changes as the story progresses. Often, the setting for each scene mirrors the hero’s arc. (If you’re unfamiliar with the notion of the hero’s journey, I’ve written about it here.) Just in caseKaren Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-71797245845010594572021-02-07T06:31:00.002-08:002021-03-29T07:01:55.181-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Setting and Character (Part 3)This post is a continuation of yesterday's post BUT in what follows I don't talk about horror stories. Alas. Horror stories are very fun to talk about--or even to write about. Here I go on about the various wonderful ways in which your setting can affect your story.2. Setting And CharacterI've already written about the importance of the social environment of the story for character development (Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-65650030213304250542021-02-06T09:22:00.002-08:002021-03-29T07:02:21.255-07:00Writing a Horror Story: Or, how to scare the pants off someone! (Part 2)(FYI, this post is part of my How to Write a Genre Story series. By rights I should have titled it How to Write a Genre Story: Setting and Mood (Part 2), but I couldn't resist the more evocative title: "How to scare the pants off someone!" There are links, below, to other articles in this series, but you don't need to have read any of them to understand what follows.)Setting does many things in aKaren Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-1339578449422103322021-02-03T06:32:00.002-08:002021-03-29T07:04:48.424-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: Setting (Part 1)There are many stories that don't fit the hero’s journey. For example, the movies Psycho and The Princess Bride. And that's great! There are as many ways to write a story as there are writers. I mention this to emphasize that what I am going to talk about is only one way of doing things. If it doesn’t work for you, or you have developed your own way, great! However, if you are looking for anKaren Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1939271308870333669.post-13346713565279037692021-01-28T10:17:00.003-08:002021-03-29T07:06:19.087-07:00How to Write a Genre Story: ConflictHow to Generate ConflictConflict results from the clash of two things: a character's goal and the opposition to that goal. It follows that every scene needs two opposing forces, in genre fiction these are usually a viewpoint character who wants something desperately and a force that prevents her from getting it. Specific GoalsThe protagonist should have a goal so specific you could take a Karen Woodwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.com0