When someone tells me it was an action-packed movie I know there were lots of explosions, gunfire, high-speed chases, fast cars and planes. Action is important in a movie, but your story doesn’t all have to have the subtlety of a tank.
Your story might feature a grandmother in a rocking chair gazing down at her [...]
Archive for the ‘Brighten the story’ Category
Right-Sized Action
Posted in Brighten the story, Uncategorized on February 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Gotcha!
Posted in Brighten the story, tagged five senses, language, vivid on November 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I always seem to be preaching about using vivid words and keeping in mind the five senses when you are preparing a speech or writing a story. I got my come-uppance last week when I did a speech – which was, in effect, a complete story – and asked an experienced speaker to evaluate it. [...]
“Yeah, but…”
Posted in Brighten the story, tagged but, obstacle, problem, yeah on November 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
When you are writing a story “Yeah, but…” is almost as magical a phrase as “What if…?”
Sometimes, as I’m writing a story I realize that everything is going just too well. Whether it is fiction or a personal story the protagonist is moving along too smoothly through life. Any obstacles fail to slow him down [...]
What if?
Posted in Brighten the story, tagged building story, what if on November 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
“What if?” is the magic phrase for story tellers. It’s a combination of ‘Abracadabra’ and ‘Open sesame!’ It turns an ordinary, everyday incident into a real story.
It works like this. You experienced or watched an incident that was kind of interesting. Kind of. Not truly interesting or intriguing, but there was something about it that [...]
Sharpen the plot
Posted in Brighten the story, tagged edit, Plot, sharpen on October 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
My dad was always careful with his tools. When he finished using them he would clean them, oil them if necessary and store them carefully until next time. If I used a tool I’d just chuck it back on the bench somewhere and he would come along later and clean it ready for use. When [...]
Choose your Words
Posted in Brighten the story, Uncategorized, tagged dictionary, meaning, select, story, thesaurus, words on August 26, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Each day I walk past a new housing development and each day there is something new to see. Today I watched a master mason laying stones to form an elegant entrance to the project. The work he had already done spoke of an eye for detail and an instinct for which piece of stone would [...]
The dreaded ‘Studies have shown…’
Posted in Brighten the story, tagged anecdote, example, issues, statistic, story, studies on August 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Want to see the eyes of your audience glaze over? Try saying “Studies have shown…”
Leaving aside issues of who paid for the survey, size of sample and other inconvenient details, studies are just plain boring. Serious researchers have other means of finding them; your audience or reader just doesn’t care – it isn’t the time [...]
