In place of this week’s Wednesday Writing Challenge, Typescript is now offering Writing Challenge Roundups, a compilation posted the last week of each month. Check out the challenges that were offered during the month of August and feel free to share your work or talk about the challenges in the comments section below.

August Roundup
Norman Rockwell
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what words will these illustrations spark in you?

Movie Quotes
Put your own spin on character and plot starting with your favorite quote.

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Soap operas may be known as your grandmother’s afternoon indulgence, but there’s more than meets the eye when considering its longevity. The first television soap opera aired in the early 1950s after evolving from its origins as a radio series. Since then, the industry has sustained itself by fresh settings, an ever-growing cast of characters, and evolving plots. In short: it’s a work of fiction that has lasted for decades.

Soap operas understand the basics of storytelling: setting (distinct places), characters (well-developed characters to whom viewers can relate) and driving plot (A, B, and C storylines) are all interconnected to create a cohesive, sustainable whole that has the viewer returning time and again. In fiction, it’s important to operate with the same basics in order for the reader to become invested in your story.

Setting

Setting is an important piece of a story because it can be viewed as an extension of those already-crafted characters who might inhabit it. In soap operas, this especially rings true, as not only does plot unfold in the setting, but it helps us understand the characters who frequent the location.

Take, for example, General Hospital, wherein the hospital is, quite obviously, one of the main settings. Not only do emergencies take place there (plot), but it sets the scene for those who might naturally belong — namely doctors, nurses, and patients (characters) — while they also experience love, family, and friendship (secondary plot).

In fiction, setting is just as important as your plot and characters, and it’s often said that setting can become a character itself. What does it mean for your story to take place on a ranch, on an island, in a diner? What does that say about the characters who work, vacation, or frequent that specific location? What do these details mean for your plot?

Setting matters, as it helps us further understand the characters while moving the plot forward.

Characters

The vixen. The villain. The all-American guy or the girl-next-door. The lawyer. The cop. The bartender or the rebel teenager. The rich family and the suburbanites; the small business owners, the fashion designers, the doctors.

These stereotypes and simple labels are the basis of most soap opera characters before they are spun and woven into something more complex and three-dimensional. Soap opera characters are successful because they have layers, and those layers are the reasons why viewers feel some sense of connection and sympathy towards them, why we keep returning to find out what they’re up to. Characters have a rich history that comes from day-after-day of storytelling; flaws and mistakes make them relatable, while their experiences offer depth.

In fiction, you unfortunately don’t have the luxury of years to create your compelling characters; what you do have, however, are paragraphs and pages. As viewers, you get to see the transformation. As readers, we can have that same development and progression throughout the course of the novel or story as we get to know them. What are your characters’ likes, dislikes? What flaws do they have and what are their strengths? Where do they come from and why do they act the way they do? How does your protagonist change and grow?

We may not be able to see your characters on a screen, but they should come alive on the page.

Plot

Soap operas typically air five days a week throughout the year, offering time for the viewer to become invested in the characters and familiar with the settings. However, in order to keep the attention of the viewers, plot has to be heavily considered. Whether the action is driving the plot with some catastrophe, disaster, or emergency (such as in a sweeps period) or the characters are having a simple exchange, each day — each conversation, action — is planned out with the primary goal of moving the plot forward.

While soap operas generally have no set time-frame, in fiction, the goal is to keep the plot moving in order to reach some sort of final conclusion with the close of a book. Just like soap opera writers have to plan out their storyline, so must you “plot your plot” — or, at the very least, understand it — to create a tight, whole story.

But just what is the plot? Soaps take the very basic themes of good vs. bad, love, family, friendship, betrayal, etc. and create something deeper and original by inserting conflict. Soap operas are known for their elaborate storylines, and often the conflict is heightened for increased suspense and dramatic effect.

While you don’t have to go to those extremes with your story, think about the conflict in your plot: is their tension? Cliffhangers? Is there motivation for the reader to keep turning the page? Are you working towards some type of climax and resolution?

Have you discovered your plot?

Conclusion

So, remind me, you say. How does a soap opera where an evil twin turns up and schemes to steal their sibling’s spouse who is already having an affair with the previously presumed-deceased neighbor relate to fiction again?*

It’s about the story. Soap operas, like fiction, weave the basic elements of plot, character, and setting to create a story that is rich and dynamic. It’s a culmination of (semi) realistic, three-dimensional characters in a purposeful, believable setting that assist in character development and carries the plot forward.

Will your story be the one readers return to time and again?

* If this storyline never occurred on a soap opera, though doubtful, I’m hereby claiming full-rights.

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Typescript posts a new challenge each Wednesday to encourage creativity and inspire conversation. Feel free to talk about the challenge or share your writing results in the comments section below by leaving an excerpt and/or a link to your own site or blog.

The spark of inspiration can be found anywhere you choose to look. From a title of a song to a sketch found on a napkin to quotes of a movie, these stories are waiting to be discovered and told.

Some of the best movies are similar to a favorite book in that they’re the ones you consistently reach for on the shelf, the ones that stand out in your memory as something special. Maybe this was the first movie you ever saw in a theater. Maybe this movie was one you remember watching over and over as a kid until you could recite every piece of dialogue along with the actors (i.e. Annie, The Karate Kid — I and II). Maybe this movie was one that tugged on heartstrings or had you talking about it the entire ride home. However it became that movie for you, these are the characters you remember as friends, the scenes you recall in vivid detail, and the lines of dialogue that remain with you long after the credits roll.

Movie Quotes
Films have long been a favorite medium for the entertainment industry because they, like books, are a form of escapism that range in genres to suit a variety of tastes and preferences. From psychological thrillers to dramas, from romances to comedies, movies offer something for everyone. However, take away the special effects, the melodic score, and the visual artistry and you still have the essential components of storytelling: There are protagonists and antagonists, places wherein the action takes place, and themes of good vs. evil, life, death, family, and love. Characters, setting, plot.

Pieces of dialogue can not only tell you a bit about the plot of the movie, but also the characters themselves, and so I opened up this challenge to the Twitter community to ask about their favorite movie quotes. The responses were varied and pretty remarkable, and I want to thank everyone who participated.

Just like books — it’s all in the story.

Challenge: Begin with dialogue and see where it takes you. Already know the movie? Put your own spin on the plot with the quote as the starting point. Using one of the movie quotes offered below, create a new short story or poem.

“Get busy living, or get busy dying”
- The Shawshank Redemption (submitted by Sean)

Andrew Largeman: You’ll see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it’s gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It’s like you feel homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist. Maybe it’s like this rite of passage, you know. You won’t ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it’s like a cycle or something. I don’t know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that’s all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place.
– Garden State (submitted by Allison)

Sam: If you can’t laugh at yourself, life is going to seem a whole lot longer than you’d like.
– Garden State (submitted by Allison)

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
- One Week (submitted by Tom )

“They say stars are billions of tons of hot gas. But I think they’re just God’s salt. And He’s just waiting to eat us…”
– Can’t Hardly Wait (submitted by Akirah)

“You’re not going to lose me. You’ve given me a taste for life. I wanna be happy. Sleep in a bed, have roots.”
- Leon/The Professional (submitted by Mike )

Clementine: This is it, Joel. It’s going to be gone soon.
Joel: I know.
Clementine: What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy it.
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (submitted by Carlos)

“Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast. ”
- King Kong, 1933 (submitted by Bryan)

“Yo, ya no soy yo. Por lo menos no soy el mismo yo interior.”
– Diarios de motocicleta (submitted by Ryan)
I am no longer me. At least I am not the same inside.
- The Motorcycle Diaries

Have a favorite movie quote you think will spark inspiration? Feel free to add it to the comments below!

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Every month, Typescript posts a new giveaway, with recipients chosen at random on the 15th of each month. Submit your name and email in the comments below and you’ll be automatically placed in the drawing. Please only submit once; if you’re chosen, you’ll be contacted for your shipping address.

If you have a book or product you’d like to see featured in a future giveaway, feel free to contact me.

Get Known Before the Book Deal
by Christina Katz

“What if you’re not an author yet? What if you don’t even know what your platform is? Isn’t that what you need help figuring out first? Where is the book that tells you, ‘To cultivate a successful writing career, you need to start from wherever you are today and develop self-promotion skills that are not only fun but that will ensure the success of your first and future books.’”
- Christina Katz, “Get Known Before the Book Deal”

That book was there, waiting on the shelves as I scanned the writing section of the bookstore one day last month, looking for something new, something substantial, something that would peak my interest and relate. Flipping briefly through the pages I knew I had found a book that I hadn’t even realized I’d been waiting for — a book that would affirm what I already believed to be true and offer the motivation I needed to keep up with a passion and a dream. I have no doubt that it will offer the same inspiration for you.

Christina Katz’s Get Known Before the Book Deal details the importance of growing a platform as a writer and what it means for your business as an author. From developing your niche out of a passion to growing your platform through social media, this book answers all of your questions — even those you didn’t realize you had — while providing practical advice and encouragement for writers at every stage of the process.

Up for grabs is a signed copy of Get Known Before the Book Deal. To learn more about both Christina Katz and her book, check out her website and be sure to follow her on Twitter.

Note: This giveaway will close and the recipient will be chosen on August 25.

UPDATE: Be sure to check out The Writer Mama’s Back to School Giveaway! Christina is giving away 30 books in 30 days during the month of September. Check out her site to win and “fall in love with books again!”

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Nicole, recipient of Typescript’s August giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered and spread the word about the giveaway! Be sure to check out Christina’s Back to School Giveaway for more chances to win!

Check back soon: giveaways will be back in early September with a new selection.

(Note: recipients are chosen based on a random drawing.)

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Typescript posts a new challenge each Wednesday to encourage creativity and inspire conversation. Feel free to talk about the challenge or share your writing results in the comments section below by leaving an excerpt and/or a link to your own site or blog.

The spark of inspiration can be found anywhere you choose to look. From a title of a song to a sketch found on a napkin, from an overheard conversation to a series of picture prints, these stories are waiting to be discovered and told.

One of the reasons why I love creative expression is that it’s incredibly individualistic. It evokes inspiration and an appreciation of beauty, it stirs emotions and sparks conversations; however, each song, piece of writing, or work of art affects people in significantly different ways.

I love these challenges because I’m fascinated by what interpretations writers — word-artists — can come up with. What you bring with you when considering a challenge is just as important as the inspiration that it serves, for the moment’s emotions, thoughts, feelings, and your experiences may play a part in that interpretation. A painting may spark an original idea for one person, while another individual will look at the same painting and go in an entirely different direction, making the possibilities seem endless. One single idea branches off into original stories full of characters, plot, and your own original voice.

Visual art has always sparked the imagination in a way that few other mediums can. Every painting, photograph, sculpture is open to interpretation and tells a story of either the artist, the subject, or the viewer.

What story will you find?

Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was a 20th-century painter whose illustrations graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post for over forty years. These illustrations depicted the life of the modern American, often providing a glimpse into the average, everyday world of family, friends, and lovers and sparking a sense of both sentimentality and familiarity. However, there’s something deeper behind the scenes that Rockwell paints, a story full of depth marked by just one painted moment in time. Who is the girl sitting outside the Principal’s office and what kind of trouble did she get into? What does that little girl see when she looks in the mirror and why is she so eager to grow up? Who is that man standing up, surrounded by people, and what does he have to say?

The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. What words and stories do these illustrations spark for you?

Challenge: Use one or more of the Norman Rockwell paintings, depicted in the images below, to create a new short story or poem:

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