Paul Gitsham
  • Welcome!
  • News
  • Books
  • Blogs
    • Writing Tips
    • Recommended
  • Newsletter

Writing Tips Blog

#TuesdayTip
Newsletter
Picture
Breaking News!
DCI Warren Jones 9, Web Of Lies, Out Now!
​Click Here To Visit My Writing Page (opens in a new window).
​Free Download!
Papering Over The Cracks - A DCI Warren Jones short story
(Includes a sneak preview of Web Of Lies)
Picture

TuesdayTips137

28/2/2023

0 Comments

 

Block Buster
Ideas To Thwart Writer's Block

Picture

Tell Me What You Saw

Today's #TuesdayTip is another writing exercise/writers' block buster.
They say that there are always two sides to a story. If you really want to describe a scene in a book - or just fancy a fun activity - it can help if you understand what happened from all sides. Then you can pick and choose which narrative to present to the reader.

For today's activity, we are going to write an interview with a secondary character.
First choose a scene that you know well. It could be written or from a drama. You are now going to interview a witness who saw the scene, but wasn't directly involved.

For example, imagine the end of Star Wars Episode IV: The Empire Strikes Back. In this scene, Darth Vader has pushed Luke Skywalker out onto a catwalk. He is trying to persuade Luke to join him on the dark side. Whilst doing so, he cuts of Luke's hand with a lightsaber. He also makes one of the most memorable declarations in movie history. "Luke, I am your father."
We are supposed to see the scene through the eyes of one of the two main protagonists, Luke or perhaps Vader. Instead, what about a third party? A storm trooper standing just out of shot, watching transfixed. What do you think they would say if they were interviewed afterwards? Could they feel so intimidated by Vader that they decide to keep it short and sweet? Maybe they have sympathy for Luke? Would they keep that stunning revelation to themselves? What if, instead of a formal interview, they were being grilled by a fellow storm trooper back at the barracks? What emotions would they be feeling?

Sticking with the Star Wars theme, there are many who believe that the original trilogy is less about the life of the Skywalker family, rather a recounting of the adventures of a certain plucky little astromech droid. Why not tell a scene from R2D2's point of view?

How did you find the exercise? Did your story go in an unexpected direction? Did your character have a different interpretation to that of viewers of the film? As always feel free to comment here or on social media.

If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.


Until next time,
Paul.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    To increase the range of topics on this blog, I am inviting Guest Bloggers to share their writing tips.
    If you are an author and would like to be featured, please email me. 

    Author

    Paul Gitsham is the writer of the DCI Warren Jones series.

    I don't claim to be an expert, but after more than 10 books, I think I've picked up a few things along the way.

    All material copyright Paul Gitsham (c) 2020-23.

    Please feel free to share, but you must include a link back to this site and credit Paul Gitsham.

    RSS Feed

    Useful Topics
    • Reviews of Writing Books​
    • ​Writing Exercises/ Writers' Block Tips​
    • ​Interviews
    ​

    Categories

    All
    Author Interview
    Backstory
    Block Buster
    Book Review
    Character Voice
    #ConversationsWithTheirCreations
    CSI
    DCI Jones
    DCI Warren Jones
    DNA Evidence
    Editing Hacks
    Fantasy
    Forensics
    GB Williams
    Geraldine Steel
    Guest Blog
    Historical Fiction
    #JackReacher
    Jason Monaghan
    Jonathan Wilkins
    Kate Bendelow
    Kill Your Darlings
    #LeeChild
    Leigh Russell
    Mobile Phones
    Modern Technology
    MS Word
    Musings
    Police Procedure
    Poppy
    #RecommendedRead
    Research
    Scrivener
    Social Media
    Stephen King
    Stuart Field
    #TuesdayTips
    UK Policing
    Web Of Lies
    WhatsInAName
    Writer's Block
    Writing Craft
    Writing Tips


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020

    Disclosure: I am a member of both the Amazon and Bookshop.org affiliates programs, meaning that I get a small commission everytime a book is purchased using links from my site.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Welcome!
  • News
  • Books
  • Blogs
    • Writing Tips
    • Recommended
  • Newsletter