Welcome to the Ben Kesp Writers Hub,
Established in 2016, as a space for writers, it is regularly updated with, exercises, links for submissions, worldbuilding, conventions, along with other great resources.
For more on writing guides/tips and everything fantasy/fiction related, connect on the following newsletters:
Ben Kesp Writers Hub on LinkedIn (Bi-Weekly)
Ben Kesp Fiction & Fantasy on Substack (Bi-Weekly)
Starter Guide for Developing the Craft of Writing
NO. 1 Create a Scene
Choose any one of the settings below
Create a character that normally would not belong to the chosen setting
Write a scene for that character in the setting
Settings
A theme park
A forty bedroom manor house in the countryside
An uninhabited alien world
The White House, Washington
A small inner city apartment
NO. 2 Become a Character
For this exercise you will choose a scenario from the list below and “get inside the character’s head” to write a scene that describes what this character might be thinking.
Scenarios
One of Napoleon's war elephants refuses to move while crossing the Alps
A husband finds out his wife has been cheating on him
The King of England feels ill at a state dinner
A boy gets caught stealing a teacher's car
A person steps through a portal to another world for the first time
A lost cat finds shelter in a warm home
NO. 3 Adding Detail to a Character
For this exercise, you will be assigned a character from the list below or you can make up your own and you will be tasked to provide detail for that character.
Characters
A chef
An elderly primary school teacher
A ninety five year old grandfather
An Ancient Pharaoh
A famous movie actor/actress
NO. 4 Unreliable Narrator
In this exercise, you will practice writing as an unreliable narrator by choosing a scene from the list below or create your own, in which there is reason to doubt the reliability of the narrator. Try and hint at the character’s unreliability during the narration of the scene from their point of view. Additionally, take note that often unreliable characters are:
Knowing they are not telling the truth
Hide facts intentionally
Have a distorted truth following a black out or is diagnosed with a brain condition
Scenes
An elderly woman is reporting a crime to the local police
A school boy is brought in front of the school head for stealing books from the library
A man arrives at the wedding of his ex-wife
NO. 5 Creating More Visible & Descriptive Writing
Show, Don't Tell! Something we hear so much about. Practice making your writing more visual and descriptive by showing for example:
"Sad" could be described as:
Head held in your hands
Slow, dragging feet
Head hanging low
Shaky or quiet voice
Practice the following:
Afraid
Shy
Proud
Nervous
Worried
Max was an old dog
The house is a ruin
How did you get on? Repeat if necessary or practice further with your own writing.
NO. 6 Creating Character Interviews
How well do you truly know your characters? You spend time in their heads so this exercise is really about ensuring that you are developing strong, fully fleshed out characters. You can carry out an interview with your favourite characters at any stage, however at the beginning of the writing process might prove more effective.
Questions can be asked on their backgrounds, physical appearance, lifestyle, interests, thoughts and even emotions.
For this exercise, select one of your characters - can be any! Sit down with them and ask the following questions. Remember to answer in their voice. You can add more questions.
Where were you born?
What is your favourite colour?
What do you do for fun?
Who do you share your secrets with? and why?
Would you consider yourself an introvert, extrovert or ambivert?
What would you say is your greatest achievement?
How do you think others see you?
What is the biggest challenge you are facing right now?
What have you learned from your recent experiences?
If you could change one thing, what would it be?
NO. 7 Condensing Your Story
This can be a very challenging task, however it will support your overall understanding of the story in getting it down to a concise few sentences to pitch the story, in addition to helping with writing blurbs which are needed for publication.
Check that the paragraph contains the three parts of the story and then test it to see if it has the elements of a good story. (See info graphic under Writing Guides)
Activity:
Take the story you are working on or have just completed and condense the point of the story into one paragraph.
Alternatively, for practice, use a book that you have just read and carry out the same exercise on it.
Check out the following workshops that run through out the year
Back Story
Used when the author feels it is important for the reader to know something that has happened prior to the current situation described in the narrative. Readers very often do not experience the event, so the narrator informs of the back story.
Characters
Protagonist - This is the central character of a story with some novels having more than one main protagonist.
Antagonist - This is the character that is opposite the protagonist – the rival character to the protagonist and is the reason for character conflict.
Narrator - The Point of View is a term refers to the narration of your novel. Who is telling the story?
Cardboard Character - This is a typical or stereotyped character. These characters can often be a representation of certain stereotypes that we see in society.
Round Character - This is a complex character that takes time to understand and to discuss their thoughts, views, and actions. This character can often be portrayed as conflicted or contradictory.
Developing Character (Dynamic) - The protagonist of the story is often a developing character. The change brought on by an event in the story which alters the outlook of the character.
Confidant Character - This is a trusted character and allows the writer to question the actions/views of the protagonist.
Static Character - This is a character that does not change over the course of the story.
Minor Character - These characters support the main characters and help with the plot development to move the story forward.
Editing
Delves deeper than proofreading, into the manuscript and looks at how the information is presented and its focus is to ensure that the content presented is easily understood by the reader and helps to ensure it is organised and more structured. There are various types of editing as follows:
Substantive Editing - This is also referred to as development editing and looks at the overall structure, organising and logical consistency of the manuscript.
Copy Editing - This is where grammar, style, repetition, and jargon are looked at.
Proofreading - Minor errors like grammar, style, punctuation, spelling, etc are corrected.
Formatting - The formatting will be looked at and this is more important for academic work to be produced for a specific journal.
References/Literature Cited - This checks that the bibliography is structured correctly following a specific style and again more for academic work for specific publications or journals.
Fantasy
A subgenre of fiction that delves into the fantastical and unbelievable that has three typical subgenres for fantasy literature:
High Fantasy or Epic Fantasy, now very much influenced by stories, like “Lord of the Rings”, with former examples including the writings from William Morris, H.P. Lovecroft or Lord Dunsany, which differ in style and form. Settings for High Fantasy are in worlds other than our own, with magic, epic scale, morality of good versus evil – Black and White Morality.
Low Fantasy – It is not high or Heroic, but can fall somewhere in between. Settings for Low Fantasy are usually in the world we are familiar with, dominated by humans. Magic may or may not exist and heroes are normal people that take up the cause.
Heroic Fantasy – sits somewhere between high and low fantasy, and its focus is on the heroes of the stories and their impact on the worlds/kingdoms/societies around them. It can be adventured themed and can be seen in the writing of Lord Dunsany’s “The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth” (1908) or by Robert E. Howard, who would influence the writing in this genre with his “Conan the Barbarian” tales.
Fantasy Subsets
Urban Fantasy or Modern Fantasy which throws fantasy elements into modern settings. This subset can be more relatable globally to readers. Setting for Urban Fantasy is mostly on Earth, or a place that is similar.
Dark Fantasy is a darker relation of standard fantasy, where there are no heroes, and Black and Grey Morality exists, where morals of characters range between good and evil irrespective if protagonist or antagonist. It is a mix of horror and fantasy, showcasing the darker sides of humanity.
Grimdark Fantasy is more of a dystopian setting which is amoral, violent and bleak, an example being the strategy game, Warhammer.
Flashback
Used when the narrator or the main character takes the story back in time, and the events go back and forth between the past and the present.
Flash-forward
Seen when the author brings the reader into the future. This might be something experienced by the character or it could be future event in the story itself.
Foreshadowing
An indication of events that are to come.
Hyperbole
When something is over exaggerated to make a point. The exaggeration is not meant in the literal sense but is meant to help the reader understand the reality of the moment.
Imagery
Creates visuals for the reader that appeals to the senses and can often include figurative language.
Plot
Plot structures how the elements of the story are arranged. Edward Morgan Forrester, (EM Forester) English novelist, short story writer and essayist in his Aspects of a Novel (1927) defines that “stories are events that happen in chronological order and the plot is the casual and logical structure which connects these events together”.
Plot Twists in Screenwriting
The Routine Killer – It is the scene that kicks off the action. It should be unexpected/sudden and will change the status quo.
Plot Thickeners - New plot twists are called plot thickeners. They do not change the course of the original plot but they make it more suspenseful.
Proofreading
More than often takes place at the end, prior to the manuscript being sent for publication. It refers to the process of correcting superficial errors, like those of spelling, grammar, syntax (Sequence of words/phrases), punctuation and formatting.
Set Up
A setup implies further action. Make sure every setup has a payoff.
Subplot
Secondary storyline that supports the main storyline.
Stakes
How high are the stakes? A reader can also ask - so what is the big deal? The stakes in your story should be high to create tension and tension leads to suspense.
Trope
Originated from Greek for the concept of “rhetoric”, for the art of successful communication, it has evolved much over time. Today it is used to describe a very much over used cliché, common themes or characters in books, TV shows or film, like a “Motif”, a repeated pattern, sound, theme that is repeated with every story.
WORLD BUILDING TOOLS
World Anvil – Create, organise, maintain and share your world and manage RPG (Role Playing Games) campaigns
Vulgar Lang – Automatically creates unique languages for fictional races of people or characters
Donjon – generators for fantasy names, characters, items, shops, dungeons and more
Inkarnate – build and manage, custom fantasy maps in great details
Pantheon (Encyclopedia Mythica) – encyclopaedia on folklore, legends and myths
Azgaar (Fantasy Map Generator) – map generator tool for fantasy worlds
World Machine – create realistic terrain and maps
Orkn – population generation tool for fantasy worlds
Inkscape - offers a rich set of features and is widely used for both artistic and technical illustrations such as cartoons, clip art, logos, typography, diagramming and flowcharting.
GIMP – An image manipulation programme, for tasks like photo retouching, image composition, rendering, converter, authoring along with much more. Good for map building.
MAGAZINES & PUBLICATIONS (Options for Submissions)
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine
Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
Author's Publish - Historical Fiction
Fiction River - An Original Anthology Magazine
Sundial Magazine - Historical Fiction
The Common - A Modern Sense of Place
CONVENTIONS
Ireland, Britain & Global Fantasy Conventions (fancons)
Ireland - Comic Cons, Conventions & Events (Rostercon)
Ireland - Conventions & Event Listings (Cons)
UK Metaphysical Fantasy (Metaphysical)
European Fantasy Conventions (fantasycons)
World Sci-Fi Conventions (SciFiCons)
Comic-Con International (Comic-Con)
WEBSITES - Writer Information
Podcasts/Live Streaming & Youtube
BLOGGING PLATFORMS - Start a Blog
WRITING PLATFORMS - Share your work for free
(Penguin Random House )
WRITING PLATFORMS - Get Paid
The Screenwriter's Workbook: Exercises and Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating a Successful Screenplay by Syd Field
Writers Rehab: A 12-Step Program For Writers Who Can't Get Their Acts Together by D.B. Gilles
50 Screenwriting Tips for $5 by D.B. Gilles
Developing Characters for Script Writing by Rib Davis
Save the Cat! The last book on screenwriting you will need by Blake Snyder
The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers 3rd Edition by Christopher Vogler
Story: Substance, Style, and Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
Practice Work: Using Imagery in Writing
