Desmond’s Drops: April Edition
By Desmond Hall | April 10, 2021 |
Welcome to our third edition of Desmond’s Drops! This month, enjoy three drops about:
- Your story’s midpoint
- The inciting incident
- Establishing an image system
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Look for more of Desmond’s Drops in May. Have your own bit of wisdom to share? Drop it in comments.
Desmond Hall, author of YOUR CORNER DARK, was born in Jamaica, West Indies and then moved to Jamaica, Queens. His second novel, BETTER MUST COME, a fiercely evocative, action-packed YA thriller that examines that darker side of light-filled Jamaica, released in May, 2024. He’s worked as both a high school biology teacher and English teacher, counseled at-risk teens, and served as Spike Lee’s creative director at SpikeDDB. He’s also written and directed the HBO movie, A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE, which was nominated for the Gordon Parks Award. He’s written and directed the theater play, STOCKHOLM, BROOKLYN, which won the audience award at the Downtown Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane Theater. He’s also served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, and was a judge for the Addys, and the Downtown Urban Arts Film Festival. Named one of Variety Magazine’s 50 creatives to watch.
Really enjoyed watching these prompts, I’ve got a middle grade book that’s falling short atm and think I have to clarify the protagonists starting point…there are a few avenues I could take, but I think a few decisions are needed. Anyhow thank you so much for this!
I agree. Clarifying the protagonist’s starting point is key. In my next Drops I’m going to share a new thought on that.
Thanks!
This series has been great. I really like getting the lessons in short bites so I can focus on one or two things instead of trying to remember what was said in a longer writing workshop. I hadn’t thought about images for the mystery book I’m working on, but I can see now – pun intended – that it would be good to add that layer to my story. Thanks!
Great. As a Dad I love puns:)
Excellent tips and the decks are short and to the point! It would be super helpful to download a PDF of those decks. I love your image deck. Fun that used a bucket of water. I use a river. A peaceful river before the inciting incident. Then, I rushing turbulent river in the middle. A talking river (metaphorically speaking) in the last section of the “hero’s journey.” I have hero leaving home, then again forced to leave in the inciting incident. In the midsection he learns many things in a literal and metaphorical climb in the Andes to Machu Picchu. I am so glad I have covered the bases of your tips. These video clips are a real treat! Thanks again!
Wow! Love what you’ve done. Just through your description I felt like I’d gone on the trip.
Desmond, you made my day, as I have already followed these prompts. Now I will reread and make sure I have used them to their fullest power. Thanks.
Yay!!!!
I love these! You give us a drop of writerly wisdom with each video. These videos make the technique easy to understand and therefore implement. Thank you so much!
So glad you like them!
Love the exercise for creating an image system. Thank you!
Desmond:
Your Drops are valuable additions to the WU playbook. It seems I can apply at least one of them to one of my currents WIPs. Thanks.
Great to hear!
Hi Desmond:
Image systems is one of those things I think novelists tend to overlook, but the more you break down films the more you see it everywhere. For example, in Chinatown, the theme of the great land theft through water manipulation is amplified by the repeated use of water and fish (e.g., albacore, Curly the fisherman) symbolism — even a fire hydrant geysering in the background from a car accident. The theme of seeing (and failing to see, à la Oedipus) is constantly enhanced through use of eyes and glass/eyeglasses as symbols–Evenlyn Mulwray’s “flawed iris” (foreshadowing her wound at the film’s end), Jake’s pretending to have left his reading glasses behind at the County Recorder, Noah Cross’s bifocals being the crucial clue. It doesn’t have to be and shouldn’t be heavy-handed. But once you see this methodology used well it becomes an invaluable tool. Your short video did a great job of showing how to put this concept into action. Thanks so much.
“It’s Chinatown, Jake.”
Great example. I’m going to rewatch that movie!
Excellent insights for all three issues. Love that these are so short but cut straight to the point. The image systems in particular are invaluable and yet very easy to overlook. Thanks so much for the reminder – time to rewrite!
Great!
Desmond, I look forward to your “Drops” and save them. This is a great format. Thank you.
So glad you like them!