Alida shares 6 personal writing tips she’s learned that will get you over the hurdles that make it hard to write your story on today’s Story Works Round Table.
SWRT 300 | Finding Penrose – Paula Sheridan’s book-to-film journey
Author Paula Sheridan turns a fascinating real life story to a novel & then to film while holding onto creative control of Finding Penrose. This week, Alida and Kathryn welcome Paula Sheridan back to the Round Table to discuss her new project, Finding Penrose.
Paula’s novel has already captured the hearts of celebrities, plus the media, with 100’s of articles already published. And with two renowned film producers adapting Penrose’s story for the big screen, they’re now in talks with a Hollywood director and actors.
This heart-warming and captivating tale is based on the real-life story of Penrose Matsile, a young boy in 1922 Colonial Africa who was stolen from his village and forced into a life of slavery. Despite the unimaginable odds, Penrose spent his entire life courageously fighting to reclaim his identity and freedom.
SWRT 154 | Maintaining our Passion
Do we love all of the aspects of writing? Or do we get stuck in certain processes? How can we break out of our stuck state? And how do we keep the whole project in mind when working on one piece? We talk about how to maintain your passion even in the parts that are less exciting, and how that helps you craft stories that readers will be passionate about too.
SWRT 153 | Q&A With Alida
How do you know if you’ve picked the right POV? Where is the balance between narrative and dialogue? And how do you handle POV switches in a multiple POV story? Alida answers all these and more in this Q&A session.
SWRT 152 | Inventing Characters
Where do your characters come from? What if you get stuck? How do you create a character when you don’t know what to write about? What about innovating characters? We discuss thinking about what your story needs, working backwards, and thinking who, what, and why in order to invent the best characters for your story.
SWRT 151 | Unicorns & Fairies
What is a scene stealing adorable character? And how do we create them? Are they deliberate or accidental? And what do you do with those who don’t speak English? Are these characters three dimensional? And when have they earned their own spin-off?
SWRT 150 | Art in the Time of Corona
How soon is too soon to talk about something like the Coronavirus in our fiction? And how is the emotional impact of everything that is going on affecting everyone? How can we use this situation to benefit our craft? And what is the role of fiction in times like these?
SWRT 149 | Dark Endings part 2
How does it affect the reader? We explore all sorts of dark endings, including twists, gut punches, and those that leave no hope remaining. The ultimate question you have to ask yourself is how it affects the reader. Because ultimately, if your reader is satisfied, the ending can be as dark as you want it to be!
SWRT 148 | Dark Endings part 1
What makes an ending dark? And what is the difference between a dark and a negative ending? How do you craft it so that your readers find it satisfying? We explore how some genres rely more heavily on dark endings, and what the difference is between a dark twist and a truly dark ending.
SWRT 147 | Narrative
What is narrative? And why should we care about it? How should you approach your narrative, narrator, and narrative exposition? How does narrative help with mood? And how does voice fit into this conversation? We discuss how the depth of your narrative and voice changes your reader’s experience, no matter the genre!
SWRT 146 | Dressing Your Character
Why should you think about clothing and fashion in your story? Is it just part of your world building and setting? How can you use it to illustrate your characters arc? Or your characters flaws and insecurities? What about when everyone is dressed in a uniform? We dig deep into the choices you can make about fashion and how it can affect every aspect of your story!