VOCAL x ETC: The ABCs of Fiction Writing workshop | By Ng Zhao Shian
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| Official poster for the event. Source: Taylor's Speaker's Corner. |
This quote by renowned author George R. R. Martin illustrates how amazing fiction is in its ability to sucks us into a myriad of different environments and experiences at the comfort of our own home. As the social distancing laws are still in its steady place, what better time to try our hands on creating such wonderful worlds ourselves? Hence, on August 27th 2021, VOCAL teamed up with Etc. Magazine Club to bring forward a fiction writing workshop.
To start off, our first speaker Yumitra Kannan, a Psychology student and founder of The Eclectic Post gave guidelines on how to enter the world of creative writing. Her tips are:
- Understanding why you write. There are many reasons why someone chooses to write and what it is will affect what you create and a sense of purpose and satisfaction for creating it.
- Write. As with any artform, practice is the foundation and an absolutely necessary step to start. Pick up a pen and paper and write! If you don’t know where to start, Yumitra advises to look into your personal experiences as reference. According to Canadian writer Charles de Lint, “No one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.”
- Spare the judgement. It’s impossible to become the next Shakespeare overnight, so have a realistic expectation for yourself. Be kind to yourself! As American novelist Anne Lamott said, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.”
- Consistency is key. American author Tony Robbins once said, “For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent.” If you want to get into the habit of writing consistently, allocate and dedicate an hour on any day of the week to focus solely on writing. During this hour, don’t worry about the quality of your writing—just write! This is all about building a habit, so have fun and let those words flow from you.
Following that, Emoata, an Accounting and Finance student gave a run down on one of the most important aspects of any fictional works, characters. She started her speech with a quote from American author Sol Stein:
“Characters make your story. If the people come alive, what they do becomes the story.”
So how do you go about making an ‘alive’ character ? Well, there are two main components that make up a character.
- External elements which include name, physical traits and fashion that correlates to the environment of the character.
- Internal element which includes the personality type and the core needs of the character that affects the way they act within the story.
Finding a good balance between the internal and external elements of a character will not only make them believable, but also memorable.
Next, Jodi Yip, a Public Relations and Creative Media Design student, gave a presentation on story structure. Story structure is how the story is organised and told by the author to convey the progression of the plot. A frequently used model is the 3-act structure which divides a story into three acts, namely the setup, confrontation and resolution.
- Act 1: Setup. Introduce the main characters, setting and the main plot of the story.
- Act 2: Confrontation. Introduce side characters, subplots, obstacles, stakes, strong pivotal moments and character developments.
- Act 3: Resolution. Tie up loose ends and provide satisfying closures to the plot.
Other commonly used story structures are Freytag’s pyramid, the hero’s journey and the snowflake method. If you love books and films, check out Arcadian Archives, a podcast by Jodi and her friends!
Finally, Tiffany Chan, a PR and Marketing student, gave a comprehensive speech on worldbuilding. World building allows the readers to better immerse themselves into the setting the author has painted. Some aspects of world building to think about are:
- Landscape: The geography of the world.
- Culture: The food, language, names, clothes, etc.
- Political system: The power dynamics of the society.
- Time period: The technological development and societal norms specific to that time.
And most importantly, the aspects of the world must correspond with one another appropriately. For example, the jobs or fashion of the people are to correlate with the environment they’re living in.
Throughout the talk, our speakers provided much advice that they’ve found useful in their writing to share with us! Here are just some of the advice given:
- Have a clear genre. Do research on what is normally expected of a genre and how to use it to its fullest potential.
- Reveal information selectively. Avoid info dumps and remember the golden rule of writing: show, don’t tell.
- Don’t break the rules you’ve set in world building. Avoid the use of a deus ex machina as it makes an unmemorable resolution.
- Learn more about the aspects of writing like pacing, story structure, character tropes, etc.
We would like to express gratitude for our emcees from VOCAL, Brandon Teng and Diamond Yap, our brave speakers and everyone who showed up to grace the conversation with positive vibes and an abundance of jokes.
It was also amazing to see the variety of wonderful works shared with us during the open mic session and the afterparty! Ranging from the touching “Invisible Love in Vinegar Rice” to the beautifully written “Sungai Air”, all the works presented didn’t fail to leave me in awe.
If you wish to watch the entire session, you may find the recording here. It was truly a magical night and definitely one to be remembered by everyone present.
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