ifbc 2015: honing the craft by jess thomson
TRANSCRIPT
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HONING THE CRAFTPersonal Narrative, Voice, and the Writing Process
with Jess Thomsonwww.jessthomson.com
T: @onfoodandlife I: @jessthomson
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GET TO WORK
While you’re waiting, write down 5 emotionally-charged memories that have no connection to food.
You’ll need them later.
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1.Voice2.Process3.Narrative4.Practice
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Voice• Definition
• Varying Voice
• The Freaky Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar
• How to Be the Anti-Alice
- Word Choice/Patterns
- Stop, Look, and Listen
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The Boiling Water Test
Write the introduction to a story for your own blog called
“How to Boil Water”
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A good blog post is the one no one but you could ever write.
-Tara Austen Weaver
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HOW?
PRACTICE
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The Writing Process• Who: Identify your voice
• When: Find your sweet spot
• Where: Location, location, location
• How: Know your patterns
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nar·ra·tive
ˈnerədiv/nounnoun: narrative; plural noun: narratives
1. a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.
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Make a Scene
ACTION
DIALOGUESETTING
CHARACTERSTIME
SENTIMENTS
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Let’s Do ThisPrevious directions:
While you’re waiting, write down 5 emotionally-charged memories that have no connection to food.
NOW:
Pick one of these memories. Then pick one moment in that memory as an entry point. Write a paragraph or three.
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Better Narrative: Be Generous to the Reader• Action: Say exactly what you see, give details
• Talking/Dialogue: Be emotionally truthful
• Setting: Place, weather, time of day, describe the room
• Characters: Don’t assume your readers know you.
• Time: Beginning/Middle/End
• Sentiments: What makes you uncomfortable?
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3Go back to your scene.
Make three changes that can bring the reader in deeper.
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We create structure out of our discomfort so other people can take shelter there.
-Lisa Jones, on memoir