I very much enjoyed film-maker Andrew Stanton‘s TED talk, “The Clues to a Great Story.”
Storytelling is joke telling. It’s knowing your punch line, your ending. It’s knowing that everything you say, from the first sentence to the last, is leading to a singular goal.
probably the greatest story commandment: “Make me care.”
Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty.
The 100-words-a-day plan to a great story
I have been writing every morning, in spite of all that is going on in my life right now. I only aim for 100 words. Heck! Who can’t write 100 words?
This simple goal has opened the treasure chest of storytelling. Each day, I write far more than 100 words before stopping (317, 512, 877, 319, 316, 739, 619 … ), but best of all it has me sparking all day and night with ideas. I’m thinking about these scenes all the time.
And it has made me so cheerful! Writing is a type of euphoria.
If you are in writing doldrums, I highly recommend the 100-words-a-day plan. It’s magic. You’ll see.
Please let me know what you think in the comment section below. Ask me anything! I love getting comments.
Hi Francine,
Thank you! The nice thing about the 100-word goal is that it’s so easy to over-achieve. :-)
About the image, I don’t know where I originally found it, but it’s all over the net. A tin-eye search brought up 52 sites. If you email me, I could send it to you. (sgulland AT sandragulland.com)
Cheers, Sandra
Hi, Sandra!
I absolutely love your page. I love your goal of 100 words a day. I think setting easy, realistic goals like this are a great habit to form and help you feel accomplished!
Just a quick question about one of the images you used above. I was wondering where you found the image with the feather, ink, and paper. I would love to use this image for a page I am working on. Can it be purchased!