I always begin with a last sentence; then I work my way backwards, through the plot, to where the story should begin. – John Irving (source) When I first read this, I was taken aback. I’ve often started a story with the idea of one important line. Sometimes it’s somewhere in the middle and often it’s a snippet of… Continue reading Finding the Last Words First
Tag: writing exercise
NSWC Lesson #2: The Ladder of Specificity
The workshop I participated in at NSWC was about building compelling characters. The focus was on characterization in scene. We did several exercises to explore our main character. One I found especially useful, practically and conceptually, was “the ladder of specificity (or abstraction)” when deciding what details to include in scenes. First, we discussed why… Continue reading NSWC Lesson #2: The Ladder of Specificity
wrapped up in books 