randy obrien

Once you've decided on the question or issue you want to write about, it's time to construct a series of events that best place your diametrically opposed characters in direct and indirect conflict. The protagonist and antagonist work best when they both explore the same issue but with differing world views. For example, in Star Wars, the question is, "Is good stronger than evil." If you believe that democratic power comes from the wishes of the ordinary people, then Luke Skywalker is the protagonist. On the other hand, Darth Vader's world view is that power comes from a select, small group of people who believe control comes from a religious designation governing the people. How you portray this conflict is best described over two thousand years ago by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his work Poetics. I highly recommend you read his principles on writing. He advised playwrights of the time that a story should include fear, pity, and eventually, catharsis for a...

When planning a story, think of what form the story might take. The format can be a short story, novel, screenplay, play, graphic novel, poem, song, but remember, the way it's told is not as important as what you're trying to say. For example, you may start a story as a play and realize it would be better told as a screenplay, etc. There are expectations in all of these formats, and deciding before you start can save time. I think it's good to start with one kind of format before you begin. Now, it's time to produce characters to explore the theme of your story. I like to use Star Wars as an example of how a theme helps create characters. You can, of course, do this the other way round. The essay here is called one way, not the only way. To me, the theme of Star Wars is "Is good stronger than evil?" We've all read novels, short stories, seen movies, and television shows where this question is asked. Most times, good proves stronger, but on occasion, evil w...

It’s July 4, 1861, and the featured speaker at this year’s Independence Day celebration at Concord, MA, is high-spirited and fiercely patriotic Eloise Edwards. She rails against the South’s attack on Fort Sumter and the injustice of slavery. A newspaper article recounting the speech inspires her brother Edward to enlist. The siblings’ father, a War of Independence veteran, dies, and Edward decides he doesn’t want to join the Union army after all and runs away. Heartbroken, Eloise returns to the family telegraph office, committed to a life of boredom and servitude. The disappointment in her brother devastates Eloise. In a dramatic moment, she decides that she will take her brother’s place and fight for the honor of her family and the country. She joins the Massachusetts 20th and lives through several horrific battles, including the most devastating conflict in U.S. history, Gettysburg. General George Custer discovers her talent as a telegraph operator, and she soon rises through the ran...

What is your passion? When I was teaching creative writing, I asked the students their favorite movie or television show? The answers ranged from the best of Disney to the classics to smart-alecky attempts at humor. Your greatest strength in telling your story is your point of view. No one has ever lived the same life as you, had the same experiences at the same time as you, or expressed themselves the same way as you. Unfortunately, this is also your greatest weakness. Your point of view may seem like some other artist, but it's never going to be the same. When someone reads and evaluates your work, they're looking for something new, but not that new. They want something just a bit different than what everyone else is producing. But you must be true to your vision of your story, and if you get as close to creating the story in your mind as possible, you're a success. If anyone else likes what you've done, that is icing on the cake. Your first customer is you. If your w...

One Way to Write Your Story    1.        Anything can be a good subject for your story. What is your passion: sports, justice, love, family? 2.        Create an extraordinary character (protagonist) who shares that same passion. What will they do if they don’t presently have it or are about to lose it? Next, create a character (antagonist) who shares an equal amount of desire and goes for the same thing as the protagonist. 3.        A plot is a series of events that explores the theme. Fate vs. Free Will. Is good stronger than evil? What makes a family? What is justice? And allows the protagonist and the antagonist to battle against each other over aspects of the theme through words or actions. 4.        Choose who will tell the story, a narrator (third person) or one of the characters (first person), and use description and dialogue to engage the reader’s mi...

 The first two seasons of Ricky Gervais's After Life on Netflix focused on Tony, a widowed husband trying to find a reason to live after his beloved wife dies. There are life-out-loud funny scenes, with expressions of red-hot anger and a viewpoint of the absurdities of life. Season three picks up with Tony still pissed off and wondering why he should keep living. His maturation and eventual acceptance that life is worth living brings a tear to the eye and still slips in jokes and observations that make viewing well worth your time.