Thread by @BlueBirdTail

Hey, Saturday folk, good day. I've been asked on 4 occasions in the last couple of wks why I don't worry when I teach/talk storytelling. I say I love what I do so it's easy and that's true - but also I use the same 7 rules for teaching regardless of the age grp I'm working with

I call them the #SevenSignposts (markers by which to direct your writing)

1. All Time
2. Inevitable
3. Changed or challenged
4. Rules Schmules
5. Characters' Own Language
6. Everything Working
7. No perfection

I'll break them down in detail in this thread. 🧵

All Time: Before you begin to invest effort in writing out your story, think about this. All stories
begin at the beginning of time and end at the end of time; Now ask your self this question: If all stories cover all time, why must this story I
am about to tell be told?

What is unique about its impact, its perspective, its language? If you can answer that honestly and convincingly, then begin. Otherwise, you need to think some more - until you find that unique angle... then, begin

Inevitable: No matter how fantastical your story, every event and act must seem inevitable to the
reader. Your control of this sense of inevitability, what I also like to call the cause-effect loop, is what
makes the reader willingly suspend disbelief & trust your authority

Much of that control comes
through scene setting and character development. We believe Superman can fly because we know his
parents are from another planet and on that planet they can fly – he was genetically inclined before
he even knew he could.

Toni Morrison's Beloved works because the power (good or bad) of motherly love is emphasised from
the off. We believe the incredible longevity/persistence of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Melquíades, because he never denies that he dies... it is loneliness that brings him back.

If any significant event in your story appears to happen just for the sake of convenience, you will lose your reader's faith.

Changed or challenged: This is a well-known caveat. If Dorothy didn't learn anything on the yellow brick road, The Wizard of Oz would be useless, if Luke Skywalker hadn't taken the lightsaber from Ben Kenobi...

I could go on, but the idea of change or challenge links back to the first signpost (All Time). If your lead character is not going to be changed or challenged, then there is probably no reason for your story to be told.

Albert Camus's Meursault in L'Étranger is often offered as a character who doesn't change significantly in a novel, but he is certainly challenged constantly and we know he will be physically changed by decapitation at the end of the novel.

#4 (in case you're lost) Rules Schmules: Ultimately, these signposts fall into the category of writing rules or conventions.
My own position on rules is that concept trumps rules every time. All rules can be broken with the
right reasoning or concept.

If we all followed the same conventions there would be very little innovation. BUT, you have to understand what you are doing because there is always a ransom to pay. If you don't want to have a glossary, it means more work in the creation of context etc.

Characters' Own Language: Whatever you write, write in the character's own language: if they're obsessed with colour, their descriptions must have lots of colour; if they have a poor vocab, don't give them your writer-vocabulary; if they speak Efik or Tagalog, how do you show it?

If they are Mrs Malaprop, let them be Mrs Malaprop. Also, remember that means that they will not be inclined to describe their own environment because it's mundane to them, so if you want to describe their environment, think of what compensations you have to make:

change of POV, a conceit of self-introduction, a neurotic character? See, suddenly, texture! E.g., my co-lead in Tail of the Blue Bird is a hunter so his vocab is light, sound & changes in nature. Your work will gain depth if you're always true to the character's language.

Everything Working: This one's simple. If something's not working, cut it out – it doesn't matter
if it's a verb, a scene or a character, it must go. By the same logic, if something is just doing an OK job, replace it with something better... Which brings us nicely to #7

7. No perfection: There is no perfect piece of writing. Everything can be improved – every single one
of my favourite books has at least a word I would change, but that is also what I love about them.
Their flaws make me hopeful and make me less precious about my own work...

When you get to the end of a piece of writing, go back and be the worst nitpicking poker picker there ever was; trim the fat, question everything. One of the workshops I do in secondary (OK, Americans, high) schools is to get kids to edit Achebe or Shakespeare – it's hilarious.

Basically, those guys are sooooo out of date! Their language gets a bit stiff, they need some slang. It's a silly exercise, but it gives the students lots of confidence AND it makes them way less sensitive when their classmates critique them later. That's it! #SevenSignposts

The entire thing is a PDF I hand out and haven't updated for years (though I should and will soon). You'll find the link in the 8-year-old tweet I've embedded here:

https://twitter.com/BlueBirdTail/status/507954349893767168?t=B9t44J1-lV41H0BgSqz1Og&s=19

Keep writing crooked!