TELEVISION

Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques

Series: Great Courses
4.6
(299)
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Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2014
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Writing great fiction isn't a gift reserved for a talented few - the craft of storytelling can be learned. Even if you don't dream of penning the next Moby-Dick, you'll enjoy exploring the elements of fiction. A wealth of exercises will get you writing so that you can practice the many techniques you learn. From evoking a scene to charting a plot, get a master class in storytelling.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. Starting The Writing Process

30m

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Nothing strikes fear in the heart of a writer like facing the blank page. Start your course in fiction writing with some strategies for beginnings. You'll examine several ways to ease into a story, including the "5W's" of journalism, outlines, and opening in medias res ("in the midst of things"). The good news, as you'll see, is that there are no hard and fast rules.

2. Building Fictional Worlds Through Evocation

30m

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Show, don't tell is the mantra of many writing workshops. But what does this mean? Find out how to choose just the right detail to evoke a scene, develop a character, and advance your story. After arming yourself with several strategies for "showing," you'll consider when it's OK to "tell."

3. How Characters Are Different From People

30m

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Characters are illusions, and the illusion often hinges on how much access a writer gives us to a character's thoughts. Begin this unit on character with an examination of how writers choose which moments in a character's life to dramatize, and then consider how knowledge of a character's thoughts affects the story.

4. Fictional Characters, Imagined And Observed

30m

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Continue your study of character with a look at several approaches for building a character. Some writers draw from life, whereas others draw from the imagination. Some build characters "inside out," others from the "outside in." Some develop characters by psychology, others by circumstances. Professor Hynes shows you a range of options.

5. Call Me Ishmael - Introducing A Character

30m

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Now that you now have a wealth of strategies for developing character, how do you get your character into your story? In this lecture, you'll run through five different ways authors introduce characters. You'll also see two methods for building a story: the exploratory method and the "iceberg theory" of character creation.

6. Characters - Round And Flat, Major And Minor

30m

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Books come in all forms and sizes, and so do characters. Learn the hallmarks of different character types, like round vs. flat and major vs. minor. See what purpose each type of character serves, and discover the relationship between a character and his or her desires.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

James Hyneswriter
The Great Coursesproducer
James Hynesactor

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