Some stories seem to lend themselves to lots of clones, others not so much. These are the clones examples I've noticed in the books I've read lately. 1. James Patterson's Hope to DieIn Hope to Die, where protagonist Alex Cross is trying to rescue his kidnapped family, Patterson uses clones for stakes purposes. Every person … Continue reading Clones: How the Masters Use Them
Tag: premise
Clones: Variations on Theme Through Character
One way of showing theme and thematic premise is through comparing and contrasting the main character’s thematic traits with those of supporting characters. Characters who serve this function are often referred to as foils, mirror characters, reflection characters, symbols, or even clones. And they often drive a subplot (which we may look at in more … Continue reading Clones: Variations on Theme Through Character
Premise: Let’s see what you’ve got!
So, last week we sussed out possible themes of our working one-liners and concepts. Let's see if we can expand those themes into rough, working premises... 1. Our human-rights-attorney story: When the money runs out before the case against his transgender partner is over, a human rights lawyer joins a prestigious and wealthy law firm not knowing that the … Continue reading Premise: Let’s see what you’ve got!
Premise: How the masters do it
So, we're filling out the Master Premise Tool we developed on Monday: [Vice] leads to [defeat] but [Virtue] leads to [success] Again, I'll add more examples as I read more books with an eye for theme, but this will get us started... 1. James Patterson's Hope to Die As we looked at last week, the … Continue reading Premise: How the masters do it
Thematic Premise: What is it?
Theme. Theme Statement. Moral Premise. Controlling Idea. Armature. There are lots of names for the tool we’re looking at today. And you should probably brace yourselves because the masters have a lot to say about it. What is a thematic premise? Christopher Vogler says, "a premise is a more developed articulation of ... theme, turning … Continue reading Thematic Premise: What is it?
The One-Line Synopsis: What is it and how do you write one?
Time to expand the concept into a one-line synopsis. Some people call this tool the logline or the one-liner, and lots of people also call it the premise. I was one of the premise people until I started digging into the tool and saw that a lot of people also use premise synonymously with theme … Continue reading The One-Line Synopsis: What is it and how do you write one?
Writes With Tools 