As all writers (and chefs) know, the exposition is critical to any good story (or soup). The exposition, or the beginning, of a text gives details and background on what the rest of the story is going to be like. It sets the scene for whatever great ideas you have next. For this weekly, you'll be writing your own narrative- but first, we must plan it all out. Before you get started on the hero's journey ahead, think about how it's going to start. Provide background information so your reader knows what's going on! Better yet, add dialogue to introduce the characters. Take inspiration from your favorite tales! Whether the character must travel to a foreign land or achieve a seemingly impossible feat, the exposition of this story should provide your readers with everything they need to know as well as guide you for the rest of the narrative. To start off the journey ahead and earn your points for this part of the weekly, write at least xxx words.

rocksalmon800 wrote:

heyo! for my guide to effective outlining, would it work to briefly explain a couple of different outline methods, or did you have something else in mind?

snuggles0426 wrote:

can someone give me context for jim flabsdz? I tried to do research but all I could find was references to the name lol-

yumetopia wrote:

hello <3 just wondering, for the editing part, are they required to write an extra amount of words to complete the part, or just plain polishing? thank you ^^

yumetopia wrote:

hello <3 just wondering, for the editing part, are they required to write an extra amount of words to complete the part, or just plain polishing? thank you ^^

superdidi2012 wrote:

weekly 4, exposition part:

As all writers (and chefs) know, the exposition is critical to any good story. The exposition, or the beginning, of a text gives details and background on what the rest of the story is going to be like. It sets the scene for whatever great ideas you have next. For this weekly, you'll be writing your own narrative- but first, we must plan it all out. Before you get started on the hero's journey ahead, think about how it's going to start. Provide background information so your reader knows what's going on! Better yet, add dialogue to introduce the characters. Take inspiration from your favorite tales! Whether the character must travel to a foreign land or achieve a seemingly impossible feat, the exposition of this story should provide your readers with everything they need to know as well as guide you for the rest of the narrative. To start off the journey ahead and earn your points for this part of the weekly, write at least xxx words.

please let me know if i need to change anything; i was a bit unsure how to format this part

Stariqe wrote:

components 7 and 8: @forestpanther
component 7: frying pans, introduce a symbol
component 8: computer screen, break the fourth wall

After you’ve chosen all of your components, it’ll be time to start stirring things up ; ). Add them into your narrative where they feel appropriate, then start writing your story. Try to follow the order of the recipe/outline in the exact order. Good luck! We can’t wait to see what you brew up <3.

component 5

Ah, fire… I yearn for more chaos to engulf the world, to fuel my hunger switch it up a bit, and change the POV of your story to something different. Feel free to go as crazy as you want with this one, how about a pebble on the road is suddenly able to narrate the events happening around it? Or how about the family dog who has their own opinions on the situation?

component 6

Hey, do you see something in the reflection of the pen? Wait, are those the results of the session? Just like how some people can guess the results as the session passes by drop some hints that foreshadow an event in your story. Whether through dialogue or actions find some ways for readers to guess the end of your story.

Now, chefs, it’s time to outline our recipe!
Outlining is a way to get all of your ideas down on the page before writing, and it gives yourself a foundation to build from when crafting your story stew. Think of it as the writing version of “mise en place”- having all of your ingredients and tools in their place before you actually start cooking. Once you have an effective outline, writing is a breeze, but how do you make one?

A great outline is specific: it doesn’t include every single detail, but it’s still in-depth enough that you can build from it when writing. Additionally, it’s flexible. It’s a given that your story will change a bit as you delve deeper into the plot and characters, so your outline should accommodate that.

There are four main ways to formulate a story outline: the plot-based method, the theme-based approach, the scene-by-scene strategy, and the Freytag’s Pyramid technique. I’ll quickly summarize these different outline types, but keep in mind that an outline should be something that works for you, so if you have a different method that works better for your writing, feel free to utilize it!
The plot-based method is the most common: simply bullet-point or number your plot points with a short description. You can fill it in with details later if you’d like, or leave it simple! For example:

• Harry Potter receives a letter of acceptance from a magical school

• His aunt and uncle try to stop the letter from reaching him, and the letters build up until the uncle eventually takes them to a shack in the middle of the ocean, away from the mail

The scene-based approach is similar, but focuses more on world-building and setting than specific plot points. This strategy works best for short stories with complex world-building, but it works for other things too! For example:

• The story is set in an alternate version of our world, primarily in Europe, where magical humans live secret lives as wizards, away from prying “Muggle” eyes

• Within this alternate Europe, there are magical schools, the most famous of which is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
  

Next up is the theme-based approach. This is sort of a zoomed-out way of outlining, where you examine how your plot points will advance your primary theme or idea. For example:

• The story explores themes of good versus evil and the triumph of love, family and friendship through a magical lens

• The characters learn how to cope with loss, fear and despair through their battle against the dark side
  

Finally, there’s Freytag’s Pyramid, which is the simplest method. For this approach, you simply summarize the five main elements of your story (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution). For example:

• Exposition: We learn about Harry’s upbringing and we are slowly introduced to the magical world.

• Rising Action: Harry arrives at Hogwarts and begins to get used to his new life, all while witnessing strange events around the school that might point to the return of Voldemort
  

• And so on.
  

Now that you know how to make a good outline, it’s your turn! For this activity, write xxx words of outline for your story stew. You can use any of the methods listed above, a combination, or your own personal approach. Whichever you choose, make sure to have fun! <3

yume’s guide to editing

- read your story aloud. yes, we know, it can be slightly awkward to listen to yourself as you go through each and every word, but trust me, it works. while reading, you might notice a few small mistakes or strangely worded sentences, which might not be obvious by just looking it over.

- keep it simple. if you find a certain part hard, long, or kind of slow a read, your readers are most likely going to feel the same way. avoid long or difficult words, but do watch out for abstract and vague words like ‘stuff’ and ‘things’, which can usually be replaced with a more descriptive alternative.

- make sure your dialogue flows naturally. this can prove to be hard to many writers, myself included. while reading through your piece, look out for lines of dialogue that might need some fixing, and make sure to keep your characters’ voices and perspectives consistent throughout the story, as well as their motivations.

- don’t be afraid to press that backspace button. you’ve written something great, but now that you’ve read the story over, it feels a little extra. the truth is, we’ve all been there! if the part needs to be cut out, do it. what i like to do is to keep a copy of the original piece while editing on a copy, just so you can have a reference at hand- you might even find a way to make use of those scrapped details later on.

- show, not tell - a classic writer’s tip to give more depth to your writing. instead of simply telling the readers everything, give descriptions and let readers experience the action themselves. the most important part of this tip is to know when to and not to use it, since too much description can make your piece wordy and hard to read.

- make use of literary devices! another thing that you can’t have too much of, but the right ones used in the right places can help bring out the theme of your story. weaving figurative language, cliches, tropes, and symbolism to your story can be quite difficult at times, so don’t feel like you have to include them, as every piece of writing is unique and should be treated accordingly ^^

- just relax! to many writers, editing their novel is considered a very healing process, and probably one of the most important as well. take breaks between your editing, there’s no need to rush. sometimes, overstressing can result in not being able to regconize parts that need to be fixed, which are usually made pretty clear after a short break. after all, writing is supposed to be fun, so let’s keep it that way <3

yumetopia wrote:

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