Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Baraka_Guru · 07-12-2010, 09:04 AM

Read Bible stories and then redo one.

What if Cain and Abel were actually ninjas?
What if Joseph and Potiphar's wife lived in 12th century England?

Take a story and make a variation. This will get you accustomed to the idea of taking an existing story and retelling it in a new way. It's based on the idea that there are no new stories, but simply new ways of telling them.

The sooner you come to terms with this concept, the sooner you'll get over the fact that you don't need to be completely original to be a good storyteller. Change it and make it your own.

[Note: These exercises are based on/taken from the book Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Novakovich.]

07-12-2010, 09:04 AM	#10 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Writing Exercise #1 (Sources of Fiction) Read Bible stories and then redo one. What if Cain and Abel were actually ninjas? What if Joseph and Potiphar's wife lived in 12th century England? Take a story and make a variation. This will get you accustomed to the idea of taking an existing story and retelling it in a new way. It's based on the idea that there are no new stories, but simply new ways of telling them. The sooner you come to terms with this concept, the sooner you'll get over the fact that you don't need to be completely original to be a good storyteller. Change it and make it your own. [Note: These exercises are based on/taken from the book Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Novakovich.] __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 07-12-2010 at 09:06 AM..