Tag: scenes

Categories
History in the Making

Christmas Wishes: A Peek at the Sears Christmas Catalog

History in the making

Alice’s feet drag to the mailbox. She had waited until the mailman travelled a few houses beyond theirs. She can’t face chatting with the kind man, but overdue notices would be arriving soon, and her mood reflects it. The rusted gate latch on the white picket gate resists her effort to open it. Though its stubbornness keeps her children from wandering out of the grassy yard, today it simply raises her level of irritation. She lifts the lid of the metal box and pulls out the lone item.

A catalog. But not an everyday promotional.

The Sears Christmas catalog quivers in her hand.

Mailboxes across the nation began receiving the Sears Christmas catalog in 1933. Enticing children’s gifts such as dolls and trains, or grown-up gifts like Mickey mouse watches or chocolates appealed to consumers.

Convenient options made it easy to order: (1) By phone; (2) Through the post office; (3) At a Sears authorized merchant; or (4) Inside the local Sears retail store…if one had been built in the area.

The catalog’s launch date, in the middle of a nationwide depression, might be considered risky timing to some. Expand business during an extreme economic crisis? Yet despite the pall of poorness hovering over most homes, the Sears Christmas catalog was a hit. And for the next 78 years, it was delivered in late August/early September to enthusiastic households.

As with many businesses, the Sears Christmas catalog encountered both opportunities and challenges. In the 1950s, the country enjoyed a period of affluence. Thus, the Christmas catalog offered more expensive items such as Kenmore sewing machines and Roy Rogers costumes. On the other hand, in the 1960s, Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target entered the marketplace. To combat the competition, Sears offered incentives to purchase—payment plans and the Discover credit card.

Celebratory highlights may also be of interest in the life of the Sears Christmas catalog:

Bow with solid fillThe Christmas Wish Book was unveiled in 1968—a new name to express its dreamy character. Amidst several hundred pages of gifts for all ages, eight dream gifts were introduced. Imagine a color TV, player piano or carousel horse hiding behind one’s first artificial Christmas tree. A beautifully wrapped mink coat or diamond pendant might be tucked under those fake branches. The log-cabin-like playhouse might wait in the backyard unless the one-horse open sleigh was the pick for that year. Hmmm, how to wrap the suit of armor…

Bow with solid fill In 1982 the Christmas Wish Book celebrated its 50th year of bringing wishes and hopes to American families.

Bow with solid fillAdvanced technology opened the door to on-line ordering in 1998. As the use of on-line ordering increased, the size of the paper catalog shrank, and eventually led to the last Sears Christmas catalog in 2011.

Writers might ask, “What does this matter to me?”

The Sears Christmas catalog offers a creative opportunity for writers to develop plots, reveal characters’ traits, or add some merry little details to a story.

Consider the scene depicted above. Alice, whether a major, minor, or notable character, is weary and glum. She’s been affected by the arrival of the Sears Christmas catalog. Does her hand quiver because she sinks lower into a pit of depression? Or does it shake with excitement as she envisions an escape to dreamland.

The Sears Christmas catalog could also reveal family dynamics. Picture Alice, hubby and kiddos hovered over the table, eager eyes—or maybe greedy eyes—perusing the colorful array of gifts.

What if Alice interacts with the mail carrier? Walking the route, he could express joy delivering the Wish Books or complain about the extra weight.  

Perhaps Alice lives in a different era. No problem. It’s an easy change from that 1933 house dress to a pair of sweats for a contemporary story. The white fence might be replaced with black wrought iron or the grass with a cement patio. The mailbox might be a slot in the door or a rack at the entrance to a subdivision.

Friends, merchants, town folks… the possible uses of this seasonal catalog are as many as the characters in the story.  

As for you, Alice—Happy dreaming! We hope the Sears Christmas catalog brightens your spirits and brings a cheerful ending to your day.

Jeannine

Jeannine Brummett lives in South Carolina with her husband of nineteen years, Don, who shares his three adult sons and three grandchildren with her. Reading is big on her list of things to do, but she also thrives on TV crime dramas, NBA basketball, and marvels at the critters and fowl life that live at the pond behind their house. She loves to sing praise songs, attend Bible Study, and help at a local food pantry. 

Categories
Screenwriting

Pumping the Brakes

This month I want to continue talking about the importance of pacing and screenwriting. I want to emphasize that pacing a story isn’t just necessary for action movies which tend to move quickly on the screen.

All genres of stories need to have an appropriate rhythm and flow of information at just the right time to help the audience understand and the narrative flow smoothly. There are a few devices writers employ to help regulate the pace of the narrative. Below are three common tools writers use:

  • Pauses
  • Breaks
  • Beats (not story beats)

I want to clarify that “beat” isn’t the same as a section of a story, but a brief pause in dialogue or action. These tools aren’t meant to stop or hinder the narrative, but to make it stronger by adding another layer.

If you’ve ever studied a produced professional screenplay, you’ve seen that there is a balance of “whitespace” with text. When reading a screenplay, large blocks of dialogue or descriptions can slow the reader down, the whitespace helps the eyes follow the story without becoming lost or overwhelmed by the text.

Seasoned writers have learned how to “break” their stories to help set specific acts, dialogue, or actions apart from others. Imagine yourself driving and wanting to slow down so you don’t miss your turn or the place of interest you want to see, seasoned drivers understand how to pump the brakes.

Pumping the Brakes

In life, momentum can work against or for us. Sometimes we get so focused on pursuing one thing, we miss out on the small things in life and sometimes that’s what we should have been paying attention to in the first place.

The same principle works in music, sometimes we get so caught up in the rhythm of the song, we neglect listening to the words. If you’ve ever sung or read music, you know songs aren’t made up of just a bunch of notes, there are time signatures and “rests” strategically placed within the song that gives it its unique sound.

Furthermore, not all notes are held for the same length of time, same goes for rests. Musicians know there is no music in a “rest”, but there is the making of music in it. Musical rests help emphasize the notes to come or the preceding notes.

Think about some of your favorite love songs and if you remember those rests, listen to Whitney or Celine. This brings me to the whole purpose of this post, pacing isn’t just important for action movies, pumping the brakes is even more important for dramas, sci-fi, and fantasy films. Romantic movies build tension by slowing the story instead of rushing into love. Fantasies build ministry and suspense by making the audience wait for the unexpected. Below are some scenes from some of my favorite movies where the writers pump the brakes to make the scenes and stories more powerful.

  1. Jerry McGuire
  2. Star Wars
  3. Labyrinth
  4. Forest Gump

As you can see and hear how powerful pauses in dialogue and action help build intensity into a scene or even just a beat of it. Pumping the brakes also allows the audience to participate in the story by letting them use their own imaginations.

Remember, pacing controls the flow of information on the screen and even their subtext. We don’t want to give away too much information before the narrative comes to a satisfying end.

Endings

To go back to our driving-a-car analogy, sometimes it’s the journey to the destination that makes the final stop worthwhile. Drivers need to know where they are going and how much gas they have in the tank to make sure they get there without running out of fuel.

In the same way, writers can use their momentum to get from plot point to plot point without running out of gas or overshooting the destination. As I end this post on pacing, I want to clarify how exactly writers “write” pauses into their screenplays. Never write the term “beat” because there is more than one use for the term and screenwriting. Below are three common approaches to adding pauses to a screenplay

  • (Pause)
  • Ellipses (…)
  • A brief action line to break up the dialogue or thought

Just like there are different ways to indicate a pause in a screenplay, writers approach pacing differently, some pause on the fly during their writing process; while others don’t finalize a script’s pacing until they work on the final draft by adding the aforementioned elements into the story after it’s been plotted.  Once you know where your story is going, it can be easier to know when to pump the brakes!

Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
History in the Making

The School Bus, Early Rides and Development

History in the making

Most folks are very familiar with big yellow buses boasting black-stenciled letters:

SCHOOL BUS

We can’t miss them.

We’re not supposed to.

But when did this this helpful, if not crucial, mode of transporting precious children show up on American roads?

For starters, the concept of carrying groups of children to school emerged as American educators became concerned that instruction offered in rural classrooms lacked quality. Their solution was to close those schoolhouses and build one large facility in a nearby city. That decision sparked the need to provide a way for children to travel the increased distance to the new learning sites.

If walking was not an option, farm wagons or sledges (a vehicle on runners pulled by horses) were engaged. Another mode was horse drawn school wagons built to allow the children to enter from the rear so as not to spook the horses. In the 1880s, though not widely used, a “kids hack” (re-purposed or specially built wagons with bench seats on the perimeter) provided rides.

The invention of the engine transformed the world of toting children.

By the 1920s, wood-slatted wagons were powered by a motor instead of horses. The benches were still built on the exterior of each side of the wagon bed, no weather protection was provided (just an overhead tarp), and entry remained through a back door. The “wagon” look disappeared in the 1930s when an all-steel body was adopted, and the entry door was moved to the front.

Though the engine brought about significant change, the defining moment in the life of a school bus likely came at an April 1939 conference organized by Dr. Frank Cyr. Representatives from forty-eight states, along with educators and bus manufacturers, met in Pennsylvania to hash out what resulted in forty-four uniform standards for school buses.

Detailed requirements as to construction of the buses incorporated sketches and measurements. A lengthy, itemized vehicle inspection report was developed for use by those maintaining the buses. An application for the bus driver was created. Qualifications for employment were established, including, in part, good character, reliability, familiarity with students and parents, and knowledge of first aid. And, of course, passing a test.

The color of the bus was also addressed at this conference. Communities had been picking random colors—from blood-orange to blue to green to white to a patriotic display of red, white, and blue—and continuity seemed in the best interest of the children’s safety. After comparing a variety of colors, “National School Bus Chrome”, the bright yellow we’ve come to know so well, along with stenciled black lettering “School Bus”, were approved. This color seemed to register faster to the human eye, including peripheral vision, and had greater visibility in early morning and early evening light.

Writers might ask, “Why should school buses matter to me?”

They are rich in ideas for plots, settings, scenes, and character development.

Envision a school bus packed with children. Perhaps the hero bus driver has developed an eye for spotting abuse or hunger. Maybe one of the children is haunted by a secret—the twist that shifts the story. Or a minor character is a mechanic for the school district, allowing for an occasional scene at the maintenance yard.

The Corner Bus Stop might add interest to a plot. Picture the heroine as a neighborhood watch mother collecting tidbits as she waits for the bus to drop off her daughter. Or maybe the tomboy would rather be tossing a ball with the boys instead of giggling with the girls while waiting for that big yellow bus to haul her off to school.

Write thrillers? Search the internet for “Chowchilla, California School Bus Kidnapping.” Ignite the imagination with that high profile story—parents, children, police and bad guys!

Perhaps the school bus begs to keep a low profile.

A flashback to the friendship forged riding to and from school. Or something simple and sweet. Like that darling tyke whose inquisitive mind wants to know:

“Mommy, why is the school bus yellow?”

Jeannine

Jeannine Brummett lives in South Carolina with her husband of nineteen years, Don, who shares his three adult sons and three grandchildren with her. Reading is big on her list of things to do, but she also thrives on TV crime dramas, NBA basketball, and marvels at the critters and fowl life that live at the pond behind their house. She loves to sing praise songs, attend Bible Study, and help at a local food pantry. 

Categories
Becoming an Author

Acting Techniques to Deepen Your Writing – Part 2

As I mentioned in the previous post, there is much we can learn on the writing craft by studying acting techniques. Last week, we discussed characterization, so check that out here if you missed it!

Today I want to share with you the tips writers can learn from actors on the breakdown of plot/scene and the conveying of emotion.

On Scene/Plot Breakdown…

1. Characters do not leave a scene the same way they entered it. There is always a moment that brings about transformation—externally, internally, or both. Allow this progression to take place naturally within the character rather than being forced upon for the sake of the story.

2. Understand how the previous scene influences the current scene. Did it result in the development of a new minor goal for the POV character? What are the character’s expectations? What decisions did they make in the previous scene that resulted in their current state of circumstances?

3. Identify the scenes in the overall plot that result in a major shift internally within the character.

4. In a scene, an actor never simply stands around. They are always doing something: listening, thinking, fidgeting, etc. Allow the pause moments of your character to serve as a reflection of who they are.

5. What is the subtext of a scene? In real life, we don’t always say what we mean—however, we show what we mean by our tone of voice, our actions, expressions, etc. What is the story beneath the dialogue at hand, and how can you show that to your readers? How do your characters reflect their true intentions?

6. Allow the internal desires and external goals of your character to guide the story and scenes. In each scene, an actor must be in touch with the goal(s) and desire(s) that guide the character through both the scene and the overall plot journey. Doing this accomplishes the following: it allows the actor to create natural responses to the given circumstances, provides motivation for the journey, and creates tension when those desires/goals go unmet.

7. Identify the tension in every scene. Conflict adds a spark of interest and keeps the audience (readers) engaged.

On Emotion…

1. The acting technique of substitution allows actors to tap into intended emotions and reactions in a given scene. They do this by recalling a time when they experienced a similar emotion in their own life. As writers, we, too, can allow our own memories to help us recreate emotions on a page. These authentic emotions will bring readers deeper into the story, allowing them to connect on a heart level with the character.

2. The acting instructor, Uta Hagen, advised actors to use sense memory to connect with emotions. This involves recalling a specific memory and the senses attached. For example, think about a specific time when you felt appreciated. What did you see, feel, taste, smell, and hear? When you can specifically recall those details, the memory will strengthen, as well as the emotion attached. As writers, when we struggle to portray a specific emotion, let’s return to a time when we experienced a similar emotion. We can allow the sensory details of that memory to help us convey that in our writing.

3. Don’t force tears. People often think crying on cue is equivalent to good acting, but that’s not the case. Forcing tears comes across as unauthentic to the audience and does not connect with them. If an actor truly wants to convey the emotion, they must experience it. So, if a script calls for tears in an actor but s/he isn’t feeling it, then the actor must not fake it.

We can use the same principle in our writing by only portraying emotion that make sense for the character, given who they are and their state of circumstances. In acting, even more important than the manifestation of tears is the emotional depth the actor can bring. In fact, it’s often more powerful to watch a character trying to resist the urge of tears. Let’s remember this when we write emotional scenes. Forced tears are not equivalent to powerful emotion; in fact, it comes across as melodramatic and unrealistic. The acting instructor, Uta Hagen, once said, “Emotion takes us; we can’t take it.”

Don’t forget to check out the list of recommended reads included in the previous post!

Next time, we will discuss the tips actors teach us on the craft of writing and the overall career and process of writing.

Which of these tips most resonates with you? Let me know in the comments!

Tessa Emily Hall is an award-winning author who writes inspirational yet authentic books for teens to remind them they’re not alone. She writes both fiction and devotionals for teens, including her upcoming release, LOVE YOUR SELFIE (October 2020, Ellie Claire). Her latest devotional, COFFEE SHOP DEVOS, encourages teens to pursue a personal relationship with Christ. Tessa’s passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as a Literary Agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net. She’s guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 128 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating art journals, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is through connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: tessaemilyhall.com.

Categories
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Elements of Suspense: The Cliffhanger

mystery suspense thriller

Once upon a time writers actually left their characters hanging from cliffs. In the early days of movies, when theaters ran serialized episodes of a story, a cliffhanger ending was a good way to ensure viewers would make the effort to come back next week. The same was true for serialized novels run in newspapers and magazines. Writers intentionally left characters hanging (not necessarily from a cliff) to entice readers to purchase the next installment.

Today’s readers and moviegoers may roll their eyes at Pauline hanging by her fingertips from a cliff, but the cliffhanger technique is still very much in use. If we change the definition of cliffhanger from:

a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of an episode of a serialized film

to the broader concept of:

a moment of unresolved danger or conflict

then a cliffhanger can happen anywhere a writer needs to crank up the tension. The key here is unresolved. Something is left hanging.

Consider the commercial breaks in a typical detective show. When do the breaks happen? Just after some new evidence is discovered that threatens to take the investigation in a whole new direction. Viewers are left hanging during the commercial, wondering what the hero will do with the new information.

In a similar vein, writers use the cliffhanger technique at the end of a chapter, scene, or beat to keep readers turning pages.

How to use the unresolved tension of a cliffhanger to increase suspense in your manuscript

  1. End a scene in the middle of danger. The tried and true cliffhanger ending—a bad thing has happened and the character is left some kind of danger at the end of a scene. You might switch to a different set of characters in the next scene and leave the poor hero hanging for a scene or two, or you might continue the action in the next scene. Either way, the reader must keep reading to find out how the situation is resolved.
  2. End a scene by hinting that a bad thing is about to happen. The doorknob turns… A shadowy figure appears in the window… The heroine hears the voice she’s been dreading for pages… This is similar to number one, except the danger is only implied, leaving the reader to imagine all sorts of horrible things that are about to ensue.
  3. End a scene by hinting that a bad thing might be about to happen. A subtler variation of number two. Instead of the heroine hearing a voice she recognizes and dreads, what if she hears a voice she doesn’t recognize? Is it a friend or a foe? The reader doesn’t know until they read on.
  4. End a scene on an ambiguous note. Instead of making it clear exactly what happened and how that affects the main character, try leaving things a little less clear. Sometimes a writer can accomplish this simply by backing up a few sentences. Instead of ending the scene with the sleuth deciding she needs to question the shop clerk, back up a few sentences and end with the information that could be interpreted to mean the clerk was guilty.

The cliffhanger technique isn’t just for the end of chapters or episodes, however. You can use subtle touches of cliffhanger anywhere in your story.

  1. End a conversation with a tantalizing bit of information. Imagine the sleuth is talking with an informant who tells him about a new clue that’s come to light. But instead of giving all the details right away, the informant says, “I found something in the wall of the garage. You’d better come take a look.” The sleuth will naturally ask for details, but the if informant refuses to give them, both sleuth and reader will be dying to find out what’s been unearthed. Ratchet up the tension further by forcing the sleuth to finish his current task before he can go take a look.
  2. Leave a character in a high emotional state. Tension is not only created by external danger. Sometimes the conflict is within a character.  Examples: The hero gets word his wife has cancer while in the middle of a meeting, or the heroine has an argument with her fiancé but has to break it off to interview a key suspect. These bits of unresolved life issues can add tension even when they have nothing to do with the main plot.

Bottom line: Look for places in your story where you can leave a situation unresolved, however briefly. Closure is important at the end of story, but unresolved tension is what keeps the reader turning page after page to get there.

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz

Categories
The Writer's PenCase

Putting Fire in Your Fiction – Part I

The Writer's PenCase

Most fiction starts out hot, then bogs down. How can you keep the fire in your fiction so that readers will continually turn the pages of our novel? Scenes and dialogue can be our greatest friends or our worst enemies. In this next series of posts, we’ll ramp it up by putting the fire in your fiction.

Continue reading “Putting Fire in Your Fiction – Part I”