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IWW
Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: The Other Side Of the Story (v. 2)
These exercises were written
by IWW members
and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its
members.
You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that
you found
them at the Internet Writers Workshop
(http://www.internetwritingworkshop.org/).
Prepared
by: Florence Cardinal
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2003
Reposted on: Sun, 18 Jul 2004
Reposted
on: Sun, 9 Nov 2008
Reposted on: Sun, 5 Sept 2010
Reposted on: Sun, 11 Dec 2011
Reposted on: Sun, 15 Dec 2013
Reposted on: Sun, 14 Jun 2015
Reposted on: Sun, 6 Jan 2019
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Exercise: In 400 words or less, rewrite a scene from a story
familiar to most of us from the point of view ofsomeone other
than the main character. Tell us the name of the story you
have chosen and who your viewpoint character is, and then show
us what is different about the way that character sees the
action and personalities involved.
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Every character in a story, from the main character right down
to the dog, has a reason for being included, a reason for
his or her actions, a point of view. Yes, some characters are
just part of the machinery of the plot--the butler announcing
the arrival of the Duke. But once that butler gets back to his
pantry and starts gossiping with the housekeeper, he becomes
part of the story, and we get a different perspective on what's
going on in the house. The way all of the characters
interact, the way each one views the action, deepens and
enlivens the story. In the best stories, the characters,
good and bad, act for clear reasons, their interactions
providing the conflict and narrative tension that makes for a
good read.
Some examples:
How might Rhett Butler or Melanie Wilkes see Scarlet O'Hara
in Gone with the Wind?
See Stephen King's Cujo,
where we watch the thoughts
of a dog as he goes mad.
What would the wolf have to say about Little Red Riding Hood?
Some writers have already rewritten a known work from
another point of view. Tom Stoppard, in Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern Are Dead, showed us Hamlet through the eyes
of two minor characters.
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When critiquing, consider whether we gain new insight into
a familiar tale (the characters, their motivations, the
twists of plot) by experiencing it through a different
sensibility. Why does this supporting character's point
of view matter? Would this constitute a whole new telling
of the story?
Web site created by
Rhéal Nadeau and
the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Gayle Surrette.
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