Post-play writing prompt

Actually writing a play was a liberating experience for me. It is certainly NOT something that I would ordinarily do, and I'm not entirely sure if I intend to repeat the experience in the near future. But I can say that it was different, and very interesting. I actually did not find the form irritating-far from it. The way you could imply the emotion present in the scene through a simple indicator, or through common sense (angry lines naturally seem angry etc) was very liberating, freeing the story from the sometimes tedious "said character X angrily" lines that are a necessity in other writing forms. However, as I said, I'm not sure if I'll ever be over eager to repeat the experience, and I certainly am not inclined to write any of its "sister art forms" (T.V. scripts, drama plays etc).

If I were to give advice to a younger person, it would be, very simply "Keep going." That holds more relevance then many people might think at first glance-certainly no one is going to deny that growing up in today's world is very difficult. The opportunity cost of growing up successful is in fact, higher then its ever been. Given the choice between a video game and school work, most people would choose the video game-I've seen many a person fall into this trap, and I myself have done that on numerous occasions. The key is to just keep going, and keep your eyes on the goal-simple enough, right?



I think what allows a great literary work to remain is very simply word of mouth. How great a novel is becomes irrelevant if nobody ever hears anything about it. One particular series comes to mind in this regard is the Elric of Melnibone series-at the very least, I thought it was on par with some of the other so called great novels of our time (read: Harry Potter). And yet, very few people have heard about this series? If one were to ask oneself why that is, the answer would have to be "because word of mouth never happened in this instance." I also believe that a so called great novel must deal with prominent issues in the current community. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird dealt with slavery and racism, issues that always have and always will resonate with the general community. I believe that if one is able to write on such a powerful subject well, at the very least, that author will enjoy at least a temporary "time in the limelight" if you will.

Second Writing Prompt

1. Theme is unbelievably important in a novel. It gives a story direction and purpose. It hones the reader’s thoughts, guiding him or her to notice what is truly important. Indeed, it is theme itself that gives a story a reason for existing-for truly, what is a story without a theme but a random jumble of words with a convoluted message? More then that, theme allows the reader to get in touch with the book's characters. Can anyone honestly say they would (or would not have) connected as much with, say, Harry Potter, if not for the books (and his personality's) themes of optimism, friendship, and renewal? In fact, even great literary works like To Kill a Mockingbird is nothing-absolutely nothing-without a theme to drive it and make us think. The opposing viewpoint would probably claim that you could still develop characters without a theme, and that you can still have a respectable story. While I do agree with that to an extent, I would also argue that you would feel like something is missing-perhaps a character's motive, or a key plot difference.



2. One theme I might consider developing is very simple- the idea of war. What constitutes war, why do people go to war, why do people protest war? Given the current events, this is very important to me- I feel that, given the charged atmosphere we currently have in the country, a war-time play might be appropriate. War also gives characters a chance to interact in various ways that they simply would not in peace time. It has always been interesting, to me, to see how humans act in life threatening situations as opposed to peace time, and what better way to expose a character to danger then to put them in the very deadliest of conflicts.

3. War presents several conflicts intrinsically-such is the nature of the beast. Conflicts that could be developed in a play include a corrupt war, perhaps started by an equally corrupt government. It could show the nature of the populace in such times, and the attitudes of the soldiers. Alternatively, the entire play, or rather, much of it, could be set in the middle of the war itself, showing key battles and interactions. Perhaps a tragic story of two family members fighting on different sides, or a more light hearted story about a struggling drill officer that simply wants to move up in the ranks, or even a simple story about a rebelling soldier and his oppressive superior officer. Regardless, as I said, war presents several conflicts-as such their are just as many to chooses from for a war story.

Initial Writing Prompts

For alot of people, reading is just that-reading. However, for writers, they are much more then that-they are inspiration. A Book can give an idea for a character's name, a setting, or even a plot device. It may help you decide on the protagonist's goal, or help you decide on a character's personality. Books are also a form of research. For example, if you are writing a historical peice about say, the history of a religion, it is probably a good idea to read several established texts on the said religion, in addition to visiting significant sights (churches, if you were writing about Christianity, for example).

Something in this world that concerns me is politics-in fact, anyone who knows me can probably tell you that I'm very vocal about a vast majority of issues. It is interesting to note that although most people are also very vocal about specific issues, they often don't know more then the basics. It is extremely disheartening to begin what could be an enlightening, intelligent discussion, only to see it devolve into "Your wrong!" "No your wrong!" I feel very strongly that people should be vocal about politics-after all, that's how America is supposed to work. However, I also believe that a person must make every effort to fully understand both sides of an issue before they talk extensively on it...otherwise, they just continue to spread what could be skewed or downright incorrect information.


One book, or rather trilogy that has inspired me is the Riddle Master series (The Riddle-Master of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind being the titles of each individual book), by Patricia A. Mckillip. It is a fantasy novel, and it is admittedly cliche' at some points-a random farmer who knows little more then his profession awakens to a greater destiny, etc. etc. However, it is presented in such a way that evne the most cliche' parts of the story felt, to me at least, extremely well written. I felt that the world was extremely well developed, as were the characters, specifically the main character, Morgon. It was in the vein of the Lord of the Rings trilogy so much so that several connections can be drawn, and I don't feel that it is an exageration to say that it was on par with the aforementioned trilogy. This is important to me because, as you might imagine after reading this, my favorite genre is fantasy, and I can't count the number of fantasy novels that I have read that have blended together into one giant, retold story. It was extremely uplifting to see this little known series breathe new life into what many would consider a stale genre. Eventually, I hope to be able to duplicate such prowess, and produce my own fantastic series.