Comments on: Rethinking Your Story: The Power of “Arena”

By: NaNoWriMo #16: Consider an “Arena” Story

NaNoWriMo #16: Consider an “Arena” Story — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 02:37:05 +0000

[...] written about “arena” stories before (click HERE to go there). Today’s tip is to consider incorporating the power of a compelling [...]

By: Blueprint Series Part 4: Story World « Hunting High and Low

Blueprint Series Part 4: Story World « Hunting High and Low — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:14:43 +0000

[...] Larry Brooks has a nice article about thinking of the concept of “Arena”. It’s about how thinking of telling a story from a specific time and place, one that has [...]

By: The Thin Line Between Author and Protagonist

The Thin Line Between Author and Protagonist — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:40:36 +0000

[...] I knowingly select those careers so I could infuse a bit of arena into the story? Absolutely. In the name of writing what we know, we incline people to believe we [...]

By: Words on the craft of writing « Day By Day Writer

Words on the craft of writing « Day By Day Writer — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:43:34 +0000

[...] In his first post, he discusses empowering ways to think about your story; the second is about the power of “arena;” the third, taking the reader for the ride of their life; fourth, your favorite [...]

By: Curtis

Curtis — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:33:44 +0000

Kelly…….. A Dentist office as arena story? Think horror in the dark save for that blazing light hanging in the patient’s face. Add one hand, gloved in green rubber with an ugly grip on that spear of a silver pic. Jab once. Twice. Go ahead. Jab one more time. Start the drill.

By: Bruce H. Johnson

Bruce H. Johnson — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:31:01 +0000

Storyworld is always fascinating. It is definitely part of your design.

Check out Orson Scott Card’s How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy for lots of excellent advice about creating a storyworld.

Consistency is a key ingredient in a storyworld. Perhaps Grisham’s legal arena/storyworld would be a little, em, off if every once in a while a magician or mind reader popped up. If it isn’t used for something, don’t put it in your storyworld.

By: Monica Rodriguez

Monica Rodriguez — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:48:19 +0000

I had to post again to say thanks to Steve for his comment. You really enhanced my understanding of this arena concept with your comparison. I see I’m hanging with a high caliber of talent here at Storyfix!

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:19:55 +0000

Mundane is the building across the street where Tim works as a low level stock broker just out of college.

Arena is where the building is a battleship on a collision course with an old pirate ship, across a hundred yards of shark infested heat waves eating up the helpless, innocent cars and pedestrians below. Tim the parrot-less pirate, escaped the deadly streets and has no sympathy for those less fortunate ones. He’s got bigger fish to fry.

Ok not entirely original (inspired by a Monty Python concept), but it can be the “here and now and ordinary” but seen in a new way.

Am I right?

By the way, I could only hope to have one tenth the courage of Pat Tillman. God bless him.
(sorry for the double post)

By: Deanna Schrayer

Deanna Schrayer — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:38:14 +0000

I find it so ironic Larry that I would read this today. I just started writing fiction a little more than a year ago, (or taking it seriously I should say), and have stuck to flash and shorts since then – until about a month ago one of my all-time favorite authors read my work and practically demanded I write a novel and send her agent a synopsis and query. Yes, I was floored and freaked out, but that was all I needed to get started.
I do action and dialogue fairly well, (or so I’ve been told), but never felt I had enough room to go into description of place and time, with the shorts. Yesterday I was reading over the two chapters of the novel I’ve started, (yes, I know, I know), and realized that I had done okay describing the characters, but there was virtually nothing about the place. One scene is of a burial under an old willow tree and I didn’t even mention the fact that the chairs would be wobbling about on the ancient roots of the tree.
I believe, if I could just break myself of that habit of using little space, I could most certainly create a much better arena for these crazy characters.
Thank you so much for this wonderful post, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

By: Shane Arthur

Shane Arthur — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:36:11 +0000

Larry, I’ve noticed that through the function of time, some movies become (at least to me) arena type movies. Eighties movies like Breakfast Club, Weird Science, and Pretty In Pink all capture the aura of this time period. Am I wrong?

So:
1. Establish a story idea
2. Give it an arena
3. Put it into your Story structure model
4. Fill in the spaces with the awesome.
Right?