WRITING PROMPT #1 - The Story Onion

“A lot of meticulousness interspersed with tiny bits of story stabs through the heart.”  
Knausgaard

• We will make an onion - out of paper – and words. Each onion will be a complete story consisting of six layers. We will make layers. We will tell the same story over and over until your story becomes apparent.
  A good way to think of this exercise is that you are looking through the lens of a camera. With each step, the lens zooms in a bit and things come more into focus.

METHOD

• For this 6-step exercise, you will need 6 half-sheets of paper, one for each step. Both sides will be used, the back to make lists and the front to write. For each step, you will make a list first and then turn over your sheet and write your story on the back using that list. Lists will contain shapes, colors, names, objects, textures, people, images, etc.
  To begin, think of a story you’ve always wanted to write. It can be about a big event or a small one. Once you find your story, take a moment to consider storytelling traditions and how stories used to be told…With a lot of embelishment. Embelish!
  
  (It’s important each segment take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.)

1 - FROM A DISTANCE - You are witnessing the event/your story from a distance. Make your list as you explore the space. What do you see? What do you hear? What shapes can you make out - what colors, smells, sounds? How far away are you standing? Where are you standing? Are you on this planet? What town are you in, do you even know? How many people do you see? What time of day is it? What is the light like? What is the weather? Turn over your sheet and write a paragraph describing the atmosphere and what you think is going on.

2- FROM THE POV OF A STRANGER - Moving in a little closer now, slowly open the door to your story and move inside. Stand in the center of your story and take a good look around and make your list. Stand in the stillness and let the story happen around you. Now, turn your sheet over and write a paragraph as though you are a stranger watching the event. What tension do you feel in the story? Who’s in charge? What are the power shifts? Begin to understand the situation a little better. Begin to hear the sounds a bit louder. Think about the significance of what is happening.

3- FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A CHARACTER IN THE STORY
Describe the story from the point of view of any of the characters in the story. It can be from the point of view of a person that you know, a friend, a parent. In this segment, they will disagree with your point of view of the story and what is happening. As you make your list, try to create conflict with your words. Now turn over you sheet and write a four sentence poem about the above. The lines should rhyme.

4- YOUR POINT OF VIEW - Now see the story from your own point of view, again. Let the story happen to you once more. How is it happening? How is it coming to you? In a rush? From above? In pieces? All at once? Note the energy. Keep making your list as you move around inside the story. Note the color of the walls, the ceiling, the texture of the floor. Move around in time and space. Turn over your sheet and let one thing lead to another and feed off itself as you write this section.

5- CHILD’S POINT OF VIEW - You’re small. The world around you large. Things are not at eye-level. You don’t understand what is going on in this story. You’ve just happened on this scene and are confused. You want food, mom, sleep, a lollipop, or someone’s hand to hold. What would this child say? On the back of your sheet, write a few sentences of dialogue from this child’s point of view.

6- INTERIOR MONOLOGUE - Close your eyes. Write down words that reflect how you feel about what’s going on. What do you think of the event? Do you wish things were different, that you could do something different? Is there a conclusion? A result? Is it the one you wanted? Did you get to know a certain person or character or situation better? How does the story end? Does it stop? What happens after the ending? In five years? What if it didn’t end? Are you sad or happy about the ending? Turn over your sheet and write this monologue from the inside.

• END

  Take a few minutes to decide the order of your sheets. You may shuffle them around. Then link the 6 sheets together in a circle by laying them on a table, story side up, and stapling the matching corners together (see illustration ). Now fold each sheet in half towards the center so you don’t see the writing part. Welcome to your story onion.

• READ

  Read the story as one piece from beginning to end starting at any point you wish. You may now choose to change the order as you like. Play. You may want to come up with a linking sentence to add between them as you read the sheets out, or not. See how the story shifts when you begin with the poem or the child’s dialogue or your inner monologue.
  You will notice that you have worked your way to getting closer and closer to the core of the story that may have lay buried beneath.
  This becomes a good basis for a novel or a play. You may use each sheet as a new scene or chapter. You may go on to add dialogue, assign stage directions and action and shuffle the scenes to create dramatic structures.
  You can also apply this exercise to other stories you are working with to find the backstory. Because very often, the core of our stories get lost amidst a lot of noise. Share your onion below if you like.
  

  (Recommended Reading: Heiner Müeller’s HAMLETMACHINE)