Writing Tips for
Story Structure & Storytelling
by Melanie Anne Phillips
Creator StoryWeaver,
Co-Creator Dramatica
Genre First Impressions
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Your story's genre is its overall personality. As
with the people that you meet, first impressions are very important. In
act one, you introduce your story to your reader/audience. The selection
of elements you choose to initially employ will set the mood for all
that follows. They can also be misleading, and you can use this to your
advantage.
You may be working with a standard genre, or trying something new. But
it often helps involve your reader/audience if you start with the
familiar. In this way, those experiencing your story are eased out of
the real world and into the one you have constructed. So, in the first
act, you many want to establish a few touch points the reader/audience
can hang its hat on.
As we get to know people a little better, our initial impression of the
"type" of person they are begins to slowly alter, making them
a little more of an individual and a little less of a stereotype. To
this end, as the first act progresses, you may want to hint at a few
attributes or elements of your story's personality that begin to drift
from the norm.
By the end of the first act, you should have dropped enough elements to
give your story a general personality type and also to indicate that a
deeper personality waits to be revealed.
As a side note, this deeper personality may in fact be the true
personality of your story, hidden behind the first impressions.
Copyright Melanie Anne Phillips
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