Creativity Time

Core Elements and Existential Foundations of Fiction

  • Required Components of Quality Storytelling:

    • Personal experience combined with imagination

    • Passion

    • Creativity

    • Character

    • Dialogue

    • Themes

    • Settings

    • Plot

    • Conflict (trouble)

    • Humor

    • Character Development

    • Scene

  • Fundamental Existential Purposes of Storytelling:

    • To establish human connection (linking writer to reader to existing in the shared world together)

    • To entertain, teach, and fulfill additional educational functions

    • To fulfill a basic requirement of human existence by generating empathy

    • To carry and preserve legacy

  • Popular Genres and Preferred Narrative Elements:

    • Valiant character development

    • Historical Fiction

    • Relatability

    • Epic mythologies and mystery

    • Fantasies

    • Plot-driven stories featuring lots of moving parts

    • Romance

    • The classics

  • Literary Case Study — Lin Rigs:

    • Student at the University of Oklahoma (OU) from 1920–19231920\text{--}1923 (did not graduate)

    • Author of Green grow the Lilacs

    • The thematic basis of the musical OKLAHOMA originates from a play written by Lin Rigs

  • Pedagogical Principle:

    • Active participation is key in creative writing

Character Construction, Conflict, and Creative Space

  • Creative Process and Writing Development:

    • Methods for accessing personal creative space

    • Addressing the central goal: "What can I do to make myself a better writer?"

  • Character Development Tactics ("Writing Moves"):

    • Establishing an interesting backstory

    • Integrating character trauma

    • Utilizing characters that appear seemingly dull

    • Developing character complexity, which directly informs and shapes relationships

    • Employing unlikeable characters

    • Establishing and shifting the Balance of Power between characters

  • Conflict Engineering:

    • Conflict must be believable and reasonable

    • Defining the specific role and placement of conflict

    • Connecting conflict to theme to drive narrative evolution and development

  • Analysis of Flawed Character Archetypes:

    • Cliché characters: Can serve a useful purpose if integrated properly into the overall plot

    • Boring characters: Lack engagement

    • Well-liked characters: Require high stakes to remain compelling (something must be at risk)

    • Controlling characters: Motivated predominantly by self-preservation

  • Character Conflict Sample Narrative — "Person You Cannot Stand":

    • "It was a calm afternoon, 2:00 pm2:00\text{ pm} on the dot. I’m on the road to go see the Big City Ballers play the reigning champs in the CSA, the Townsend Terrors. I picked up my phone at a stop light and was greeted with a message from my Nephew, George. I open the message and what popped up was a photo of a cow taking, quite literally a holy sh**. Not even kidding. The sun was beaming down on said cow as it was laying manure out on the grass. Mind you, this is not even 2 weeks2\text{ weeks} after I last saw him and TRIED to sympathize with him, since I know that his parents aren't really the greatest on earth, but I swear this 10-year-old10\text{-year-old} is just so immature at the worst times for no reason."

Narrative Structure, Contextual Frameworks, and Personal Essays

  • Plot Structure Mechanics:

    • In the standard Plot Pyramid, Denouement is defined as the "Falling action"

  • Contextual Dimensions of Character Background:

    • Social Contexts: Family, work, recreation, friendship, and community structures

    • Historical Contexts: Specific eras, generational dynamics, and ethnic communities

    • Geographical Contexts: Regional identity, specific towns, and national settings

    • Political and Economic Contexts: Conveyed through subtle background indicators including food, clothing choices, extracurricular activities, housing, shopping habits, hygiene practices, and daily routines

    • Function: These contexts collectively build the essential background and authenticity of a character

  • Personal Narrative Prose Sample — "Least Favorite Birthday":

    • "When it comes to having birthdays, I’ve had my fair share of small sized celebrations. From trips to Chuck-E-Cheese’s or celebrating at my uncle's house since he had the most space over there, my birthdays weren’t always too spectacular, and that’s not to say that I was disappointed or anything. As long as I got something to eat, preferably ice cream cake, I was satisfied. So when it comes to having a favorite birthday, the bar isn’t set pretty high. Though if I had to choose, my least favorite birthday would have to be my 19th19\text{th} birthday. I was a freshman here at OU with a relatively solid group of friends around me, and a roommate who was incredibly noise sensitive. My birthday comes around and I wasn’t really planning on celebrating it since it was on a school day. So what did I do? Absolutely nothing. I literally went to class, made subtle hints that it was my birthday, and then carried on with my day. I actually remember specifically being in my room on my phone for most of the day while also finishing some assignments. I also recall making a post with a collage of pictures though, so I guess that’s how I celebrated. And to top it all off, I never reminded my friends of it being my birthday until AFTER it passed, because they checked my story the next day asking why I didn’t tell them about it. My response? “I dunno, I forgot.”"

Scene Construction, Avoidance of Predictability, and Creative Habits

  • Domestic Constants and Food Representation:

    • Household Constants: Laundry and dishes

    • Standard Everyday Food Tropes:

      • Burgers and Fries →\rightarrow McDonald’s

      • Pasta →\rightarrow Butter/Cheese

      • Sweet Potato / Ground beef

      • Sushi

      • Spaghetti

      • Pizza →\rightarrow Stuffed Crust, Chicken bacon ranch, Mushrooms, Pepperoni

      • Breakfast Tacos

      • Cajun gumbo

      • Homemade BBQ Ribs

    • Hospitality / Guest Food Tropes ("Someone's over"):

      • Steak

      • Chicken pasta

      • Rice + Cheese/Velveeta

      • Tamales →\rightarrow Red Sauce + Pork

      • Salmon Picatta

    • Stylistic Rule: Avoid predictability in storytelling details and tropes

  • Techniques for "Causing Scene" (Creating a Scene):

    • Engaging the 55 physical senses alongside a clear sense of time, place, perspective/empathy, direction, and vibe

    • Maintaining an idea of the intended story resolution without making it overly direct

    • Core Purpose: The central objective of creative writing is discovery, active creation, and providing readers an escape to both learn about life and detach from reality

    • Artistic Preservation: Maintaining an active sense of wonder is critical

  • Methods to Refresh Creative Energy:

    • Reading and watching more media

    • Bouncing ideas off other active projects

    • Playing piano

    • Physical exercise

    • Building curated music playlists that capture specific vibes

    • Sleeping on narrative problems

  • Scene Completion Exercise — "Late Night, Date Night":

    • Required Setup: Establish specific character names and detailed physical descriptions

    • Exemplar Prose Segment:         "It’s Friday night, the lights are dimmed at the Tree Ball’s Diner just down the street from Walmart, A little jazz music was playing in the background. All the while, I’m sat at a booth by the large glass window, constantly checking my phone to see if I can finally see the message pop up on my phone. “I’m outside - seen at 7:25 PM7:25\text{ PM}". I’d been fiddling with my hair, buttoning and unbuttoning my black and white suit and tie, and tapping my shoes in eager anticipation for the moment she walks through the red doors at the front of the diner. I’d been planning this date for about a week straight, constantly overthinking about what I’m going to do when she finally shows up. The words I’d say, the tone of voice I’d say them in, responses to her questions, sick poses I could strike to really draw her in, the usual stuff you’d do on a date. As I looked out the window, I noticed that the sun was slowly starting to set. I began to get a little worried about her whereabouts, but as I was going to pick up my phone to text her, the waiter walks to my table. “Hey there, Mr. Plebbing! I uh, I believe this is your third time coming here this month, no?” Said the waiter"

Poetics, Energy, and Tonal Range

  • Core Requirements of Poetry:

    • Finding energy

    • Finding passion

    • Ensuring the writer has a clear message or something meaningful to say

  • Tonal Versatility in Poetic Composition:

    • Poetry should be funny

    • Poetic works do not have to be exclusively serious