Tag: character development

• The Difference between a Skit and a Play

  One might think that the main difference between a skit and a play is its length – skits being short and plays being long. But I contend that is not the distinction at all. I write short plays all the time, and they can be quite short, even just a few minutes in length. I […]

  sassevn

  September 15, 2015

  drama

  character development, difference between a skit and a play, playwrighting, short plays, skits vs. plays

• Writing an Ensemble Piece

  I find it to be a valuable exercise in determination and frustration to try and write a limited length ensemble piece. I do drama writing so that’s where my piece fits in. And yes, it’s causing me fits. Here’s the situation: I’m writing a less than 15 minute piece that has 12 characters. Talk about […]

  sassevn

  July 30, 2015

  Writing Process

  character development, drama writing, ensemble writing, struggling with writing, writing succinctly

• Integrity: Can it be lost and then re-found? (Philosophical musings of my next novel.)

  He is a man of integrity. Have you ever heard someone referred to as such? What does that really mean? A man of perfection? A man of excellent decision making abilities? A man who is trustworthy and honest? Isn’t that actually quite a heavy anchor to put on someone’s shoulders? I remember a former pastor […]

  sassevn

  January 26, 2015

  Indie Author, Writing Process

  character development, integrity, King David, losing your integrity, morality, novel writing, philosophy

• Some of the Vietnamese characters of my new novel THE REACH OF THE BANYAN TREE

  I’d like to highlight a few of the characters whom I have come to know very well inside the world of my new story. Year 2000: Thuy – She is a pretty, yet simple Vietnamese young woman twenty-two years old. She has a degree from the local agricultural and forestry university, but her real skills […]

  sassevn

  June 27, 2014

  Indie Author

  book new releases July, character development, characterization, july new releases, new book

• A(nother) Parallel Between Acting & Writing

  Acting coach Larry Moss said: “Acting represents all that human beings experience, and if you want to be “nice” you will never be a serious communicator of the human experience.” Let’s see if we can substitute “writing” for “acting” and still have it make sense. Writing represents all that human beings experience, and if you […]

  sassevn

  April 24, 2014

  Indie Author, Writing Process

  authentic writing, character development, drama and writing, larry moss, writing criticism

• Characterization: A thought from Sir Lawrence Olivier

  Lawrence Olivier said the following about acting: “If I play a beggar, I look for the king, and when I play a king, I find the beggar.” This is wonderfully simple expression of how to approach an acting role that you’ve been awarded. In real life, there are no regal people or destitute people. There […]

  sassevn

  February 24, 2014

  Uncategorized, Writing Process

  acting, character development, characterization, characters, creating a character, drama, drama and writing, sir Lawrence olivier, three-dimensional characters, writing

• Writing and the Human Condition

  There really is nothing new under the sun. I think Solomon was correct. Perhaps, writers know this more than most people. Each time they string together a sentence, they are stepping on the toes of someone who has come before them. Each time they craft a character, they are describing countless other people who at […]

  sassevn

  January 13, 2014

  Indie Author, Writing Process

  character development, human drama, spine, story development, superobjective, writing and the human condition

• A Thinking Stop

  I was writing early today, and the story flowed well. It wasn’t long until I had rattled off a thousand words without much difficulty at all. It felt good. I was accomplishing something. And then I stopped. Not because I couldn’t have written more; I was completely prepared and able to do so, but I […]

  sassevn

  December 30, 2013

  Indie Author, Writing Process

  approaches to writing, character development, fiction writing, plot, writer’s block, writing process

• Can we identify a real person’s ‘superobjective’ by how they actually behave in real life?

  As I think about writing and character development and human behavior and a ton of other things, I keep going back to the fascinating world of the superobjective. A superobjective is what acting coach Larry Moss calls the overarching goal or desire of a character’s existence.  Whether acting or writing, keeping the superobjective in mind […]

  sassevn

  June 4, 2013

  Writing Process

  character development, indie author, spine, superobjective, writing, writing brainstorming, writing process

• Villains: An exercise in drama & writing

  In my Intro to Theater Arts class, we did an exercise on villains. Everyone had to choose an especially wicked villain from a movie or book. I told them to chose someone who would be particularly unpleasant to be with in real life. Then, they had to pretend that they had to act the part […]

  sassevn

  April 10, 2013

  Writing Process

  character development, drama, drama exercise, theater arts, villain characters, writing