NaNoWriMo Blogging Five: Unheard Phonecall

Finally making a bit of headway on my novel. Unfortunately, nothing I’m really comfortable with sharing at the moment. Instead, I’m going to post another “writing exercise” I like to do sometimes when I’m stuck. You see, I’ve taken a writing class or two and the teachers always have an exercise or three for the class to try. Just something to get the pen moving, nothing major. I know a bunch of them, of course, and whenever I hit a road block I trot one out just to keep myself from getting too frustrated. Sometimes I use ones I’ve heard elsewhere, sometimes I just make up something on the spot (Yes, I know. Believe me, not even the weirdest thing I do from time to time), and some that I’ve come up with that I keep coming back to for a quick burst of creativity. This one’s one of the later.

Try and write a story – beginning, middle, end, plot, pathos, the whole ball of wax, and then try to make it good – in a single sentence. Or a single line of dialog. I’m not picky. I call it the unheard phonecall. Just like in the movies when they want to get some exposition or character development (There. Is. No. Plot! Only characters and reactions.) out there, they have them pick up a phone. You only get to hear one side of the conversation so it doesn’t sound anything like someone really talking on the phone, of course. But at the same time there are still a lot of gaps and assumptions a viewer has to make to follow along. This here’s the same idea. Cram a whole story’s worth of movement into a single little scrap. By creating assumptions and implications I find it’s possible, if a bit weird. But, then, people write haikus. The idea is to explore your abilities by limiting yourself and stepping away from your familiar tools. I know how I solve this little dilemma. But I don’t know how you do. I’d like to see. So, I’m not going to post an example just yet. I’ll wait. At least until someone manages to post an example all their own. Because I don’t want to spoil your process by allowing you to focus on imitation, on iteration, we’re after innovation here today. I’ll also have to, you know, actually bother to write one so someone - please - up and give me an excuse.