Purpose if Letter To The Past exercise:
- the letter is a practical, personal example of how a character – you – undergo an inevitable process of change
- the process of change is an essential ingredient of any effective story
- in dramatic writing, the very essence is character change
- we use observation, experience and memory
- a storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience
- everything about you – where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead – your experiences are unique and irreplaceable
- many of your experiences are universal and translatable and can be used in any location
- all people have fragments of stories
- these potential ideas prompt your desire to know more
- respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard
- good stories are born in your heart not your head
- after all, you are the audience
- take them on a ride of discovery
- your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told
- these memories are points of reference to your own past existence
- write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know
- there is always room for personal discovery
- with emotions we can translate our feelings
Translatable ideas:
- visit to hospital
- fear of going to the dentist in primary school
- falling in <3
- ghost stories, fear
- death
Tips:
- if you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while
- see how he relates to the world he has been thrown into
- plunder your own personal background! (the things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to you make terrific story sources)
- record experiences (eg, diary, blog, etc)
- reflect your past (boring? colourful?)
- recall how you felt
Memory:
- what is the difference between memory and experience?
- how do we use memory to build creative content?
