The 'Art of Story Telling'

'Art of Story Telling'

The art of story telling is a very creative and a very very challenging one. Beginning from the stone engravings to the present day eBooks people made many writing works. I believe that there are no really new stories. You accept it or not, all the stories, consciously or subconsciously are the products of finely tailored pieces of stories you read, heard, seen and experienced. If that's true then we wouldn't be writing any new books anymore. Of-course what I said is true but the space for new writings is created by the day-by-day evolving literature in one hand and the 'Innovative Story Telling' in the other hand. Yes, the really boring story can be made interesting and the nail biting page turner can be made lacklustre by your story telling.

Story telling is an art. No two persons say the same thing same. So, it's your style of story telling that gives the unique identity to your story. There may be textbooks, courses and crash courses that say they'll teach you the interesting ways to tell the stories. But believe me, formal education sucks. Learn by yourself, learn from practice. Because that's the best way to learn.

But there's one thing you should know about before you begin to practice the art of story telling. The most anticipated mistake we all do trying to over convey our story to the reader is that we show the details what's happening in the scene and at the same time we directly say what's happening. 

The famous book cover page designer 'Chip Kidd' once said in his speech at 'Ted Talks':

"Chi Kidd"

"Now, the first day of my graphic design training at Penn State University, the teacher, Lanny Sommese, came into the room and he drew a picture of an apple on the blackboard, and wrote the word "Apple" underneath, and he said, "OK. Lesson one. Listen up." And he covered up the picture and he said, "You either say this," and then he covered up the word, "or you show this. But you don't do this." Because this is treating your audience like a moron. (Laughter) And they deserve better."

You either describe the scenario to help reader build it virtually in his mind and grasp what's happening or else if you feel it isn't that important to visualize it to the reader you better tell him directly what's happening. 

Do this:

He is tapping his finger repeatedly on the table,his heart beat raged, his eyebrows are pulled down together and his face turned red.

(Or this)

He's angry.

But don't do this:

He is tapping his finger repeatedly on the table,his heart beat raged, his eyebrows are pulled down together and his face turned red. He's angry.

It's so pointless in putting your verbal efforts to strain in showing the reader what's happening when you are also simply telling him with direct names.You either visualize it to the reader or tell it to him directly but don't do both at once. It kills the flow and dulls the narration. 

So friends keep  this in your mind when you are writing. We mostly do this mistake in the fear that our reader may not get the exact picture of the scene we are trying to make. He may not get the exact picture you made in your mind while you are writing it but believe me friend, he might get slightly a different picture than yours but he definitely get the same emotion you are trying to convey. So keep this fact in mind while you are writing your drafts of first book. Because once you practiced it in your first book, you will automatically do it in the later ones. 

Here are some of my tips to become an interesting and involving story teller.(they may sound a little difficult and inappropriate at first but as you do them regularly you will get to feel their power in building up your skills. They work in background, from your subconscious mind they'll build up your skill of story telling.All the best :) )

1. Observe the speakers around you.

You'll find an infinite number of story tellers in your daily life. Vegetable vendor, neighbor's child, co-passenger, and many other people to whom you meet in daily do have many stories and each of them have their unique story telling. Listen to them without interrupting them, if it felt boring to you, find the reasons why it is boring. If it felt interesting to you, observe the person to find out how he presented it interestingly. These guys are the human institutes who teach you more than any university can ever do.

2.Read Books.

Read all kinds of books and find your taste. explore, examine and extract the author's narrative styles.

3.Watch Movies.

Watch a different kind of movie, at-least one movie per week. Don't just watch it while eating popcorn, observe how the director portrayed the situation. I think it is the easiest way to study the art of narration.

4.Listen to speeches.

Speeches are so much powerful that they changed histories, ruled out administrations, conquered kingdoms.The best speeches are the easiest ways to learn the art of story telling. No, I am not saying you to write your story like a speech. But by studying the speeches and the way they convey them, you will understand the elements that make a subject interesting and powerful. Incorporate those elements in your narrative style and you will see miracles in every paragraph. ;)

5.Write the rough.

Simply write different situations and different plots. no, not for publishing, not for showing people or not even for re-reading it by yourself. Just experiment with words and narrative styles. Write rough, write crap. It refines your skills and increases your flow. It helps to discover and rediscover your own styles of writing.

As the legend says, 'there are no shortcuts to success', don't search for a ready made step wise points to learn anything. Go jump into the ocean of whatever art you want to practice, do mistakes, do crap and learn from them. Keep practicing till you evolve into the finest form in that art. I believe in this process, It brings that unique style of yours out of you.  

_MCD.

(pic credits: bnp paribas mix city website, wikipedia, Laughter Online University)

Top 5 Traits that made 'Hugh Glass' from movie 'The Revenant', a special one.

Special Character Chronicles: Lead Role:Hugh Glass (from The Revenant)

(Under '#Special_Character_Chronicles' I will be discussing the strains of the characters that made them super. I will discuss the top 5 reasons why the special character is special and may add some more if it necessary. Here we can learn what makes a character special and how to deviate it from other such characters. It's all is my own personal view and is not out from any surveys or statistics. Everything I mentioned here are completely my own ideas and don't have to fit with anyone's opinions.)

Top 5 Traits that made 'Hugh Glass' from movie 'The Revenant' Special.

A character becomes highlighted and unforgettable because of some special traits they possess. These qualities give them them a unique identity that is printed in the audience/reader's heart forever. Yesterday I have seen the movie 'The Revenant' and the lead character, Hugh Glass made me spell bound through out the movie and even after. There are many special traits he has that makes him the most lovable character. Here I am listing the 'Top5' traits of his character that made him special. 

Here we can learn how to build a solid strong character of a lead role and which aspects of him will effect the reader and how?? Hope it will help in designing your characters. Thank you :)

And by the way many many many CONGRATULATIONS to Leonardo DiCaprio for winning an Oscar for his best acting in 'The Revenant'. He's always a best actor. 

1.He is a Revenant!!! (His Endurance.) 

No audience/readers expect an easy adventure. They always want to see lead character suffocate struggling. You trouble your character and make him crawl out of that crap then he becomes interesting to the spectators.

In the movies Glass' was left in an impossible survival quest in wild and he literally crawls all his way out of it. He comes back from grave!!! that's just so awesome man, it is making him so great and invincible in the audience hearts .

2.He has an Untold Past.

An untold or unclear past makes the character more interesting and involving. The mystery about his present behavior or the unanswered questions we raise about the character's origin keep the audience/reader engaged in story more enthusiastically. 

In the movie, 'Hugh Glass' has a painful past with a murder that is misinterpreted by people. In fact the story begins with an ambiguous introduction of his past shown as his dreams. It gives many questions to the viewer who will start searching for answers in every inch of the story they go through. 

Glass remains silent when captain ask him that did he really killed an officer. Raising this unanswered question and showing the montage shots of the Glass' past makes audience bewilder about the true nature of character and keep them busy in interpreting it.

So Having a past that is either completely untold or told in a unclear way or in a parallel narration with main story keeps the reader in thrill and makes the Character special. So according to me, having a troubled past and its parallel revelation is the first magnificent trait that made the 'Hugh Glass' character a special one.

3.He is an Oppressed soul.

Rather than those pro-active characters, it's the introvert or the less-social behavior of the character that drags the audience/reader's attention. Due to their abnormal or deviant behavior they get highlighted very easily in the eyes of the spectators. 

During scene, Fitzgerald blames Glass and comments on his past and his son,Hawk. When hawk tries to protest the comment Glass shouts at him.It goes like this:

Glass: 'I told you to be invisible, son'

Hawk: 'At least..'

Glass: 'If you want to survive keep  your mouth shut'

Hawk: 'At least he heard me...'

Glass: 'They don't hear your voice! They just see the color of your face you. Understand? Do you understand?'

Hawk: Yes.

From these dialogues anyone can understand that Glass is oppressed by society and that he is afraid of losing his son. It also reveals that his son is half white which is why he said '...they just see the color of your face.' It is understandable that his child is someone that his society dis-approves. Glass is a victim of the society he lives in. 

A lead character who's been beaten by society and yet lives it is the most unpredictable one. I mean anything can happen, he may rebel, he may escape or he may turn evil.... I mean an oppressed soul is prone to many possible transformations. So This trait of being oppressed by society makes 'Glass' Special.

4.His Intelligence.

Audience/Readers admire the 'brilliance'. Beginning from Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' to Chethan Bhagath's adult romance fiction the intelligence of the lead role is winning the reader's heart. Adding a pinch of Intelligent traits to your character, no matter what kinda one it is makes it cool.

It is clearly visible that Glass is an intelligent guy from the beginning scene when he was hunting in wild. he will take quick decisions, he is good at knowing the routes and evading the dangers. That's the reason why Captain relies on his decision when it comes to the safety of his crew. We can see his intelligence during his survival in the wild and his tactics to catch the 'Fitzgerald in the climax' 

So Intelligence is one of the trait that made him special.

5.He's a beautiful heart.

Kindness, sympathy in the character melts the reader's heart right away. sometimes it may annoy the reader but in long term effects, it only leaves a great impression of the role in the reader's mind. And when the character is badly beaten by fate and still sustains his tender heart, it just grabs the reader's heart straight away to the character. 

In the movie, Glass, while stealing a horse from a camp, will help a lady,pawaqa who's being raped by a white guy. Glass can hardly stand on his legs when he helped her to escape. It shows how good soul he is. Even when at the edge of the death, seeing his son die, he revives to life and hunts down the killer and do the justice to his son's death. It's not about his hatred for the killer that made him revive, it's his love for his son that gave him the strength to fight his fate. 

A beautiful heart is what no one can deny to admire. His loving heart is the special trait that made him so special. 

Some More pics here:

_MCD.
(PicCredits: official website of the movie 'The Revenant')

Why is'BATMAN' so special???!!!

Special Character Chronicles: Superheroes: Batman

(Under '#Special_Character_Chronicles' I will be discussing the strains of the characters that made them super. I will discuss the top 5 reasons why the special character is special and may add some more if it necessary. Here we can learn what makes a character special and how to deviate it from other such characters. It's all is my own personal view and is not out from any surveys or statistics. Everything I mentioned here are completely my own ideas and don't have to fit with anyone's opinions.)

Why is'BATMAN' so special???!!!

Batman is the most special superhero of all time. There are many reasons why so many people take him for special. As a writer myself I have some personal considerations that makes Batman special for me. Here are the countdown of the 'Top 5' Reasons why Batman is special (to me).

1.He is a Superhero without any Super Powers.

The most fascinating thing about batman is that he's just a man like all of us. He's not bitten by insects or drop from the sky or  got mutated. He's a normal guy who fought his fate and fear, in that process he evolved into something more than just a man, a symbol.

He's just like us but he choose to stand when we all fall. That's why he is my special Super Hero.

2.His villains are metaphors of the hidden dark desires inside us.

 All his villains are the representations of our dark desires or the society's dark sides. His fight is not just fist to fist or with ultramodern weapons. His real fights are with his sense of conscience. he never takes the law into hands, he never kills anyone (without a strong reason forcing him to do so). He never misuses his strengths.

For example, 'Joker' is that madness in us that we all keep trying to conceal. A famous quote of the joker says:

'Madness is like Gravity, all  you need is a little push' 

That joker is the insane face of us we hide in dark and never reveal unless we have the opportunity. 

Not just joker every villain of his have a very special character and I will be discussing it in my future posts.

His fight is not merely with the physical villains but with the emotional demons. That's why he is my special super hero.

3.He Never kills his villains, he treats them in his asylum.

Batman Never kills his enemies no matter how bad they are(except under some unavoidable situations). He admits them in his Asylum for treating them out of their crippled evil minds. Of course no one ever got cured forever. :( But he is the only superhero who cares for his villains. That makes him special.

4. His power is his fear. 

he's not bitten by stupid insects or a product of crazy science experiment. He sculptured himself. He fought all his life with his fears and evolved into stronger. 

Bats frightened him when he is child but when he grew up, he made his fear his super power and became a 'Batman' 

It has a lot to teach us.:

'When we face our impossible fears, we become an invincible power.'  He proved that and That's why he is a special Superhero.

5. He is a Good Son.

After his father's death, he didn't just forget or got into his family business because he couldn't. He loved his father so much that he cannot bear the fact that he is the reason for his father's death even thought it's not completely true. 

But his love for his dad made him to travel his city. In his journey he evolved into a stronger and better version of himself and is mended by 'Ninja' training into a fine human being. Even after that he didn't forgot his father or his father's city 'Gotham'

He can have a very luxurious and celebrity life if he wants to but he didn't choose it. Just like 'Gautama Buddha' He left all his luxuries and became enlightened in the pain of his father's death. But after becoming such a refined soul, he came back to the filth in Gotham to clean and purify it. 

He came back to protect his father's city and to reconstruct the broken justice in Gotham. He did it all just because he loves his father and so the Gotham.

That's my best reason to say that, 'Batman is Special'

(extra...)

6.He owns Gotham. 

Never I have seen a superhero owning a very big city with its own Administration. 'A multimillionaire philanthropist who owns a city is a secret super hero', doesn't that sound cool???!!! :D ;D

That's why he is SPECIAL.

7. Because, He's BATMAN. ;)

Hell yeah, its true. You can't offend this. He is special because he's BatMan. ;)

_MCD.

(PicCredits: Random 'Batman' search from pinterest.)

Welcome note :)

Hi friends, I am Majety Chakradhar or better call me by my pen name MCD. I am an enthusiastic reader and a troubled writer. When I am not writing I will read, when I am not reading I will write and When I am not doing both, I may be doing my graduation or may be some unmentionable things... :P 

This blog is completely dedicated to my ideas, my views and my words. Here I discuss books, plots, characters and my way of learning 'how to write' and 'how to build the stories'. 

You can find discussion about the character or plot or a book as whole and you can find my methods of making a story and bringing out the writer in you. 

Simply, its a blog that is completely my own and has nothing to do with anyone's approval. Everything I say here is by my own rules and do not bind to any set standards of writing principles. To enter into a world of writing where the only rules is to not obey any rules come here, fallow this blog. Enter into my world of 'mumbo jumbo writing'. :)

Love you, dear haters and dear lovers, love you more. <3




















_MCD.