Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the live-composer-page-builder domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home1/c375526/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home1/c375526/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php:6114) in /home1/c375526/public_html/wp-includes/feed-rss2.php on line 8
Anatomy of Engaging Stories – J.E.S. Hays http://www.jeshays.com Author, Worldbuilder, Wordsmith Fri, 06 Nov 2015 03:58:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 http://www.jeshays.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-sitelogo-32x32.gif Anatomy of Engaging Stories – J.E.S. Hays http://www.jeshays.com 32 32 Hillerman Convention: Day 1 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=1279 Fri, 06 Nov 2015 03:58:14 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=1279

Thursday is the Pre-Converence Conference. Today we learned The Anatomy of Engaging Stories (Bill O’Hanlon)

WP_typing

 

Elements of an Engaging Story:

  • Characters – must engage the reader; the reader must identify with the character in some way. Create a mental image of the character with names, appearance, gestures, dialogue, and what other characters say or think.
  • Specific sensory details about people, places or actions – use the five senses!
  • Action (Plot: beginnings, middles and ends) – the character must be frustrated or threatened or face conflict somehow, must feel called to act or thwarted in his action.
  • Scene setting – props and sets; think more Little Theater than Hollywood – go for minimal props and setting (place/time/social)
  • Dialogue – bring the reader into the moment
  • Vague enough to allow for imagination (let the reader “hallucinate” much of the description)
  • Repetition of sounds/theme/elements
  • Revisiting the beginning at the end (story arc)

Elmore Leonard used the term “hoppetedoodle” (HOP-tee-doo-dle) to mean too much descriptive detail in a story.

We also had a great lecture about “The Language of Liars,” which is going to be quite useful to me with Chance! Then, it was Tony Hillerman’s 90th birthday party (with cake!), and a chance to see the new educational portal UNM is working on, to take Tony’s legacy to schools and educate young writers.

]]>