Weekly write 2: The story of ...
This is an exercise that was devised by Jeni Smith and which I first experienced in a group in November 2017 at the British Library symposium.
Now, take 3 minutes to write down quickly as many titles or headlines as you can, possibly in a format such as: 'The story of ...', 'The tale of ... , 'The time when ... ' (This can be useful if you are writing with others in a classroom or group, and you want to enjoy hearing other people's intriguing story titles later - and to gauge whether your own title makes listeners sigh, wince or laugh.)
Have a look at what you've written. Some will be well-shaped titles, others may only allow you to retrieve the story, some may have grown into whole sentences. Do you notice anything else - any patterns, people, themes, constructions? Which titles hook you? Which ones do you want to say more - or less - about?
Here are some recent examples from different NWP writing groups:
(Some may sound like stories you'd want to hear, some may not. What's the difference?)
Now choose one of the titles you have written and give yourself a solid amount of time, say 15 - 20 minutes, to write out the story in full. Write quickly without editing, almost as if you can hear yourself telling the story to someone else. In that way, you can more easily sustain a unifying 'voice' and tone - such as mystery or tragedy, humour or suspense.
Re-read what you have written. Read it aloud and see from your own reactions - or those of others - what works, and whether you want to make any changes.
Now you may want to think about an alternative title - or even retell the story from another perspective (but that's another story!).
Simon Wrigley
5.2.2017
- Think of anecdotes and stories of people and places.
- Think of stories often retold within the family.
- Think of mysteries of folks and houses in your neighbourhood.
- Think of accidents, lies, gaffes, journeys, crimes - 'the story of .... ' the time when ...'
- Think of incidents at work or at school.
- Think of memorable events that happened on holiday, which it only takes the place-name to recall.
Now, take 3 minutes to write down quickly as many titles or headlines as you can, possibly in a format such as: 'The story of ...', 'The tale of ... , 'The time when ... ' (This can be useful if you are writing with others in a classroom or group, and you want to enjoy hearing other people's intriguing story titles later - and to gauge whether your own title makes listeners sigh, wince or laugh.)
Have a look at what you've written. Some will be well-shaped titles, others may only allow you to retrieve the story, some may have grown into whole sentences. Do you notice anything else - any patterns, people, themes, constructions? Which titles hook you? Which ones do you want to say more - or less - about?
Here are some recent examples from different NWP writing groups:
- The story of the box jellyfish -
- The story of throwing my bag over the fence and running home to mum to say the bullies did it -
- The story of Bob and the green axe handle -
- The story granny tells about becoming a doctor -
- The story of uncle Fred and the pears -
- The story of why Terry got the sack -
- The story of the overnight journey from Iran -
- The story of golfing John -
- The story of when dad let the dogs out -
- The stories that we tell about Monica when she's not there -
- The story of the lie told at interview -
- The story of aunty Gladys and the glove -
- The story of the cactus and the towel -
- The story of the Marmite sandwich -
(Some may sound like stories you'd want to hear, some may not. What's the difference?)
Now choose one of the titles you have written and give yourself a solid amount of time, say 15 - 20 minutes, to write out the story in full. Write quickly without editing, almost as if you can hear yourself telling the story to someone else. In that way, you can more easily sustain a unifying 'voice' and tone - such as mystery or tragedy, humour or suspense.
Re-read what you have written. Read it aloud and see from your own reactions - or those of others - what works, and whether you want to make any changes.
Now you may want to think about an alternative title - or even retell the story from another perspective (but that's another story!).
Simon Wrigley
5.2.2017