WRITERS’ CIRCLES
W
riting can be a visual
experience, and
writers often have
vivid imaginations,
immersing themselves in the made-up
worlds of their characters, settings and
situations they have created. Some
writers talk to their characters and for
the duration of the creation of the
piece they are writing, their characters
become real to them and can often
take over scenes.
It’s the greatest feeling when the
writing is going well, the characters are
behaving and the words are flowing,
but what happens when there’s a
sudden spoke in the wheel of your
writing chariot? Your character has got
to a certain stage in proceedings but
they become stuck, unable to move
forward and unsure of what happens
next. It’s one of the most frustrating
aspects of the writing process and
something your writing group can
help you with.
Ask the group, before the next
scheduled meeting, to bring in
examples of writing they are struggling
with – something where their character
or characters find themselves backed
into a corner and their creator cannot
move them on. Then, at the meeting,
ask the group to read out a couple
of the scenes they’re struggling with,
alongside a synopsis of what they are
writing about and what the character’s
problem/conflict is.
Next, ask the group to close their
eyes and ask the writer to read out
the troublesome scene again. Ask the
group to play through the scene in
their mind, taking note of what they
see in their mind’s eye and what their
Think in a cinematic way to resolve writing that has got stuck in this group exercise from Julie Phillips
other senses are telling them. Then,
ask them to think about what could
have happened in the scenes prior to
this, playing the scene causing the
issues backwards in their mind.
After this ask them to replay the
scene in their head and try to play
it forward going beyond the current
sticking point – rather like you can
on pay to view channels or a dvd.
Ask the group to write down any
possible solutions they come up with
and discuss them within the group.
They can ask questions of the writer
to gain a better understanding of the
characters and their goals and to push
the writer to think more about what
it is they are writing and what they
hope to achieve. Sometimes it’s the
questioning that will nudge them out
of their writing hole and make them
rethink what they are writing – an ‘oh
yes!’ moment.
Very often, actors are interviewed
and asked about the characters they
play and how they got into the role.
Why not interview the writer and
probe them about their character and
what the writer is trying to portray?
Just as the actor becomes the character
on screen, the writer can become the
character they are writing. By ‘hot
seating’ the writer in the same way,
you can unlock the barrier that is
stopping the writing from progressing
onto the next scene.
Make the writer think about their
writing and ask questions such as, are
the characters in the right setting for
that scene? Could moving the scene
from a lounge to a café make the
difference? Does something else need
to happen after the scene where thecharacter loses his job and before they
end up in a car chase? What will bridge
the gap to get them from point A to
point B? This will stretch them and
come at the problem from different
angles in order to find a solution.
By closing your eyes and playing
the scenes backwards and forwards,
pausing at troublesome points
and thinking about alternatives
you can really focus on the scenes,
without distraction, taking in finer
detail and paying attention to your
characters. The answers are in the
writing somewhere.
Sometimes visualising the writing in
a cinematic way can help to bring the
words to life on the page. You ‘see’ the
colours, ‘feel’ the textures, ‘smell’ the
aromas, ‘hear’ your characters’ voices
and ‘taste’ the coffee they’re drinking
in the cafe, for example. Imagine your
writing as a film, and it will help you
to see the bigger picture.
If the writer is able to, ask them to
go to the setting or a similar setting to
that in which their scene takes place,
for example, a café, a busy street, a
secluded wood, a beach, or an office
block. By immersing themselves
in that environment, walking their
character’s shoes, and ‘seeing’ their
characters there, it can help bump
the scene on to the next one, give the
characters a direction to move in.
Unable to figure out what happens
next in your story? Get your imaginary
camera out and rewind or fast forward
to the next scene – can you see a way
you get from the scene you’re stuck on
and the following scene? Thinking like
a film maker, it will soon be lights,
camera action for your writing too.Lights,
camera,
action!
44 NOVEMBER 2019 http://www.writers-online.co.ukWRITERS’ CIRCLES