Welcome to session three! This is the place to learn about characters’ perspectives and how they speak.
Part 1: Point of View
Lorna and Adrian explore different perspectives from which a story can be told, including first, second, and third person.
Resources
EXERCISE: Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes (10 minutes)
Choose a public figure and change one major quality about them. This public figure could be an actor, politician, YouTuber…
From their perspective, free write one of the following:
- An acceptance speech
- An apology video
- A letter to a fan
Pay attention to things like word choice, tone, and how they see the world around them.
Part 2: What to Say…
Lorna and Adrian take you through how characters’ speech patterns should work and explore how character motivations impact dialogue.
Resources
- The Hunger Games – clip
Part 3: Breaking Down the Layers
Lorna and Adrian examine how subtext worked in The Hunger Games example.
EXERCISE: A Confrontational Conversation (10 minutes)
Write a conversation between one of the following sets of two characters:
- A mean boss and their assistant
- Feuding/estranged relatives at a family dinner
- Strangers trapped in an elevator
- Rivals trapped in an elevator
- Two significant others breaking up
- OR any two characters of your own devising! Feel free to use your protagonist and antagonist from last session’s exercises.
WRAP UP
Congratulations on completing session three! Remember that what a character says isn’t always what they mean. In session four, you’ll learn about sensory details and revising your work. Get ready to break out your red pen!
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