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Week 15 Storylab: Writer's Write

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GIF from Whisper of the Heart , 1995 The Theme What is a theme? 1. The central idea of a story. 2. A full statement of the story. 3. Summarizes the human condition within the story. Why is a theme necessary? 1. Can be used to check if every scene fits the story. 2. Keeps the plot in check. 3. Drives the story forward. 3 Steps To Help You Find Your Story’s Theme What is the story about? What is the meaning behind the story? What is the lesson? These allow the writer to plot their story, write the actions and reactions within the story, and to make a statement on the human condition within the story. Bonus: The Lajos Egri Theme Cheat Sheet Lajos Egri was the author of The Art of Dramatic Writing and The Art of Creative Writing, which has been referenced for playwriting, short stories, novels, and screenplays. Egri uses a formula to find the theme in his writing: (blank) leads to (blank). For example, a woman making a new life with her partner in a foreign country leads to her reali
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Week 15 Reading Notes: Silly Jura, Part B

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Illustration from "Silly Jura" Link to story. Title: Silly Jura Publication: Czech Folk Tales, 1917 (English: The Key of Gold, 1922) Author: Beneš Metod Kulda Translator: Josef Baudiš Notes: Beneš Metod Kulda (1820-1903) was a Czech priest, ethnographer and writer who retold many Czech folk tales, including Silly Jura. Josef Baudiš (1883-1933) was a Czech Celticist who translated various Czech stories into English, including the works of Kulda. Characters: Two brothers Jura  (pronounced “yoo-ra”) Burgomaster (mayor) The cat The lady Places: Czech Republic Events: Two brothers go out to steal items for a feast The brothers bully their youngest brother before leaving Jura goes to pick nuts at the burgomaster's place Jura cracks the nuts in the charnel-house (grave vault) The burgomaster and his servant go to investigate the cracking sound Jura accidentally scares off the two of them, indirectly curing the burgomaster’s illness The burgomaster rewards Jura the next d
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Week 15 Reading Notes: The Three Roses, Part A

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The Basilisk Link to story. Title: The Three Roses Publication: Czech Folk Tales, 1917 (English:  The Key of Gold, 1922) Author: Josef Štefan Kubín Translator: Josef Baudiš Notes: Josef Štefan Kubín (1864-1965) was a Czech folklorist who published The Three Roses in 1917. Josef Baudiš (1883-1933) was a Czech Celticist who translated various Czech stories into English, including the works of Kubín. Characters: Mother Daughter 1 Daughter 2 Daughter 3, Mary Basilisk Places: Town market Forest Castle Palace garden Events: Mother asks her daughters if they want souvenirs Mother goes to the town market Mother gets lost in the forest during nightfall Mother finds palace garden and takes three roses The Basilisk demands for her daughter in exchange for the roses Mother returns home and tells Mary what happened Mary goes to the castle Mary nurses the Basilisk for three hours a day The Basilisk demands Mary to cut his head off on the third day The Basilisk turns into a beautiful youth
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Week 14 Storylab: Writer's Write

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Image Source 4 Top Tips To Get You Through the Middle of Your Book Writing Fear The middle of a story shows us how successful our plot and characters will be, which may deter us from the writing process. Some ways to overcome this fear are listed below. 1. Build in windows of opportunity  -Move information from the beginning of the story to the middle -Helps to expand the plot and avoid dead-ends 2. Build a bridge -Understand the defining events of the beginning, middle and end of a story -Similar to a plot pyramid (see Freytag’s analysis) , the bridge helps us recognize the middle of our story 3. Exploit your theme -Use your theme as a guide for writing the middle section -Build a sub-plot or main-plot based on the central idea of your story 4. Dig a little deeper -Use research to help write your story -Some information can be used later as a major plot point
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Week 14 Reading Notes: How the Dragon was Tricked (cont.), Part B

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Illustrated by H. J.  Ford Link to story. Title: How the Dragon was Tricked (cont.) Publication: The Pink Fairy Book, 1897 Author: Andrew Lang Illustrator: H. J. Ford Notes: Andrew Lang (March 31, 1844—July 20, 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and anthropologist who wrote a multitude of folk and fairy tales. In his series of Lang’s Color/Rainbow Fairy Books (a collection of 25 books overall), the ninth installment known as The Pink Fairy Book was published in 1897. Henry Justice Ford (1860—1941), a successful English artist and illustrator, did numerous illustrations for Lang’s books. Characters: Dragon Dragoness Trickster King King’s daughter Places: Europe (based on a Greek tale) Events: As the dragoness is about to kill the trickster, he slays her instead The trickster steals the bedding and returns to the king The king orders the trickster to capture the dragon The trickster waits for two years to grow his beard as a disguise Dressed as a beggar, the trickster visits t
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Week 14 Reading Notes: How the Dragon was Tricked, Part A

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Illustration by H. J. Ford Link to story. Title: How the Dragon was Tricked Publication: The Pink Fairy Book, 1897 Author: Andrew Lang Illustrator: H. J. Ford Notes: Andrew Lang (March 31, 1844—July 20, 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and anthropologist who wrote a multitude of folk and fairy tales. In his series of Lang’s Color/Rainbow Fairy Books (a collection of 25 books overall), the ninth installment known as The Pink Fairy Book was published in 1897. Henry Justice Ford (1860—1941), a successful English artist and illustrator, did numerous illustrations for Lang’s books. Characters: Father Oldest brother Youngest brother/Trickster Shepherd King Flying horse Dragon Dragoness Places: Europe (based on a Greek tale) Events: A man has two sons that do not get along Out of jealousy, the eldest son ties the youngest son to a tree The boy tricks a shepherd into freeing him, driving away his sheep The trickster becomes popular for his mischief The king hires the trickster to st
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Week 13 Story: The Traveler and the Afanc

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Lake of the Green Well It was a gray, cloudy day when a wanderer passed through the mountains of Cwym Dyli. After walking for miles, the traveler was tired and decided to take a break. Looking around they happened to find a lake that was a deep shade of evergreen, and resolved to rest by the water bank for the afternoon. It was then that they spotted something quite odd swimming around in the water. Peering closer, they saw the scaly hide of something large and gliding about. Before they could utter a sound, a large creature rose up from the water and hissed, sneering down at them. “What are you?” said the stunned traveler. “I am the Afanc,” said the serpent, writhing about. “Have you come here to make a mockery of me?” “Why would I do that?” “Because that is what your people do,” the Afanc hissed. “They come to Llyn y Ffynnon Las to see if they can catch a glimpse of me. They like to taunt and tease the beast you see before you.” The Afanc swished its tail and gave the traveler a
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Week 13 Reading Notes: Why the Red Dragon is the Emblem of Wales, Part B

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Illustration by Willy Pogány Link to story. Title: Why the Red Dragon is the Emblem of Wales Publication: The Welsh Fairy Book, 1908 Author: W. Jenkyn Thomas Notes: William Jenkyn Thomas (July 5, 1870—March 14, 1959) was a Welsh author, lecturer and teacher best known for The Welsh Fairy Book, published in 1908. The illustrations were made by William Andrew Pogány, or Willy Pogány (August 24, 1882—July 30, 1955), a Hungarian illustrator known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. Characters: King Vortigern 12 wise men The Saxons Myrddin Emrys (Merlin) Aurelius Ambrosius Places: Eryni Mountains, Gwynedd (Wales) Dinas Emrys Summit (previously Dinas Ffaraon Summit) Events: King Vortigern calls for his wise men The wise men suggest fortifying a new city Though the city is supposed to be built in Dinas Ffaraon Summit, materials go missing The wise men advise the king to find a fatherless child and use his blood on the citadel A boy from Bassaleg named Myrddin Emrys is b
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Week 13 Reading Notes: Hu Gadarn, Part A

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The Afanc, by Willy Pogány Link to story. Title: Hu Gadarn Publication: The Welsh Fairy Book, 1908 Author: W. Jenkyn Thomas Notes: William Jenkyn Thomas (July 5, 1870—March 14, 1959) was a Welsh author, lecturer and teacher best known for The Welsh Fairy Book , published in 1908. The illustrations were made by William Andrew Pogány, or Willy Pogány (August 24, 1882—July 30, 1955), a Hungarian illustrator known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. Characters: Hu Gadarn (Hu the Mighty) Cymry people (Welsh) The Afanc, a variety of dragon Places: Honey Island (Britain) Deffrobani (Summer Country, Wales) Llyn Llion (Lake of Waves), the Afanc’s home Llyn y Ffynnon Las (Lake of the Green Well), the Afanc’s prison Events: Hu Gadarn rules over the Cymry people Hu Gadarn and the Cymry move from Deffrobani to Honey Island The Cymry are troubled by the Afanc, a monster flooding their homeland Hu Gadarn uses a girl as bait to lure the Afanc elsewhere While the girl distracts
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Week 12 Storylab: Writer's Write

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Image Source 5 Must-Try Time Management Methods For Writers 1. Beat The Clock Set a timer for one hour Write for a full hour and stop when the timer goes off Push yourself to write 10% more next time Aim to write 500 words an hour Use this method if you like a challenge or compete with yourself 2. Bask In The Task Try the Pomodoro technique (the Italian word for “tomato”, taken from a tomato-shaped timer and coined by Francesco Cirillo) Type in 25 minute intervals with 5-10 minute breaks in between After 4 cycles, take a long break Use this method to break your day into smaller tasks 3. Make A Meal Of It Just as we have set meals and snacks throughout the day, have set times for writing Write 500 words at breakfast Write 1000 words at lunch Write 2000 words at dinner Write 250 words during snack intervals Use this method if you like routines or writing while you eat 4. Midnight To Morning Set your alarm for midnight Write between midnight to sunrise for 4-5 hours Drink somet
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