Stern’s Story Starters
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Part I Page 3-57 STERN’S STORY STARTERS
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Stern’s Story Starters. Part I Page 3-57. Facade . “Tell an anecdote in the voice of a character who is not you. But as the character tells his story have him unknowingly undercut or discredit his explanation.”. Page 5-7. juggling. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Stern’s Story Starters
Part I Page 3-57
STERN’S STORY STARTERS
“Tell an anecdote in the voice of a character who is not you. But as the character tells his story have him unknowingly undercut or discredit his explanation.”
FACADE
Page 5-7
“When you have your character do one thing and think about something else not only do you create tension, you create character. Juggling- back and forth between action and thought.”
• “A paragraph of thoughts ranging over decades can occur while a shoelace is being tied…”
• Aim for action. A person laying in bed thinking is passive, and does not work very well here.
JUGGLING
Page 8-11
“Write an argument in which the characters’ real feelings are not fully expressed…What your characters don’t say can be most important.”
ICEBERG
Page 12-14
At the start of your story place your character close to the climax of a series of events.
Shift from present to past to build tensionAction must involve movement and effort!
LAST LAP
Page 15-17
Start with a traumatic event. A storm, a death, an accident. The reader will be intrigued and the characters are forced to react, revealing themselves and…developing!
TRAUMA
Page 18-20
“Write a story telling one anecdote about a memorable character.”Choose or create a single event that is revealing.
Dramatize the event and character.“The story will focus on a single main action that will
provide tension, immediacy, and feeling.”
SPECIMEN
Page 21-24
“Put a main character in a situation that draws people together—a party, a competition, a meeting, a holiday, festival.”
Choose a narrator that is close to the action or a foreigner who is a newcomer or stranger.
GATHERING
Page 25-26
Created by the unit of time involvedThis shape needs to be wound tight!Trap them somewhereExplain behind the scenesInclude routine and non-routine incidents.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Page 27-29
“Situations take place inside situations that are within larger situations.”
Your characters are caught in a complex problem.
This shape brings characters together by entanglement, complication, and resolution (or lack thereof).
ONION
Page 30-32
“The Journey is the oldest, truest, most inescapable shape for a story…someone is always setting out from home.”
Does not have to be a literal journey. Can be physical/mental, deliberate/accidental, voluntary/forced, quest/flight.
*Ordinary life is left behind
JOURNEY
Page 33-36
“Visitation may be the second oldest. It’s the shape that starts with an unexpected boat pulling up on the shore, the loud knock at the door, the ringing of the phone.”
Ordinary life is disruptedCan be pleasant/unpleasant, comic/terrifying,
annoying/promising.
VISITATION
Page 37-39
“A character comes to a realization. This is the shape of discovery, of disillusionment, and of revelation.”
This is a natural shape in lifeThe Aha! should be persuasive.
AHA!
Page 40-44
Character has a significant problem that is both pressing and immediate. Grab the reader’s attention. The conflict within the character intensifies the tension of the situation. Reactions must be in character.
BEAR AT THE DOOR
Page 45-47
“Single moments—crises, revealing incidents, or epiphanies—make crisp, focused short stories.”
It is difficult to have an intensified story if you span years…keep it contained.
SNAPSHOT
Page 48-50
“Blue Moon stories appeal to our deepest selves. We enter the world of magic, myth, and dream—fabulous characters, unfathomable mysteries, or chimerical creatures.”
Use your imagination, but make sure the reader can imagine it. Ground the fantastical in the realistic.
BLUE MOON
Page 51-54
