from notes given by Abigail Gonda at Wales Drama Award open
session in Cardiff
- Develop a strong personal voice in your writing - imagine this was the last thing you were going to say before you expire..
- Get the story going early, don't dwell on exposition or background. Show characters in action. Provide a focused way in.
- Coherence - know your world and your story intimately. Know your genre and tone. Don't try and do too much. Beware beguiling distractions.
- Characters - make reader/viewer want to spend time with them, even if they are not likeable. They should be compelling. See the world from their point of view. Their desires and needs should be clear. They should be on an active journey. Make them distinct, not clichéd. Archetype not stereotype (2D).
- Emotion - your story must matter on a human level. Character is bigger than concept. Physical responses are important. Make description visceral. Show vulnerability as chinks in your character's armour.
- Surprise - Archetypes vs originals. Offer a fresh and unique perspective. What is different about your version of events? Inevitability vs Predictability.
- Structure - All story is structure, driven by a need to make sense of the world (John Yorke). Story must be going somewhere. Every scene must have a beginning, an end and a purpose.
- Exposition - Good dialogue expresses character, bad dialogue just relates information. Don't overwrite - use space, silence, suggestion and subtext.
- Passion - your writing should keep you awake at night. Don't send first draft for review. Be yourself - don't 'sub-anybody'.
