Writing guidelines from an 8 year-old
A few years back when my son Luke was about 8 years old, we created a writer’s group. The name of it has drifted from my mind along with our attendance at the group’s sessions. It had the initials “WWW” and I remember it went something like “The Wacky [something W] Writers.”
Anyhow recently I was going through some files on another computer and found the WWW charter as created by Luke and myself. I post it here out of sheer whimsy.
THE WWW CHARTER
1. A story must always have a beginning, middle and end.
2. The beginning introduces the main character.
3. In the middle the main character faces complications.
4. In the end the character returns home.
5. A writer’s best friends are curiosity, imagination, persistence, and determination.
6. Everything that happens in a writer’s life is something they can use in their stories.
7. Don’t always have the story completely serious. Make some of the story fun and games!
8. Make your characters interesting and distinct.
9. In most stories there is a trickster character, a wise character and a funny character and a bad guy.
10. A writer should go into the story and find the animals.
11. Don’t forget: T-h-e P-l-o-t T-h-i-c-k-e-n-s.
12. And don’t put the em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LA-ble.
Whimsical, yes. But some good advice as well.
For those of you who don’t know how this blog got its name, the anecdote is posted on the right side. But here’s that copy in case you’ve missed it:
Awhile back the night before I started writing my next screenplay, on a whim I asked my three-year-old son if he had any advice. He looked at me with his huge blue eyes and without hesitation said, “Go into the story, and find the animals.” I laughed — pretty funny. Over time, however, I’ve discovered wisdom in my son’s words. As writers, we do, indeed, go into the stories we create. And the animals? How about characters, plot, theme, dialogue, subtext, and all those other mysterious, magical creatures prowling in the jungle of our imaginations?
I’ve been an online instructor through UCLA Extension Writer’s Program since 2002. This blog is largely in response to students who wanted to continue our conversations about the creative process. I offer it as a resource to them and any other aspiring writer, especially those interested in screenwriting and the magic of movies.
So let’s go into the story… and find the animals!
Scott
May 16, 2008
And now you know where Go Into The Story came from!
Comment Archive