  Drama
This week: Pack the Punch - Drama in a few words Edited by: THANKFUL SONALI Library Class!  
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Less is sometimes more, while creating a dramatic situation! |
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Recently, I was selecting paragraphs for my students to read aloud, from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. The paragraphs had to be short, and had to give them scope to showcase their use of voice modulation. Reading through the paragraphs, it struck me - how much drama Rowling manages to create in a few short words.
Here are some examples, with my humble comments  in green.
FROM "HARRY POTTER" BY JK ROWLING
The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as un-Dursleyish as it was possible to be.
In this paragraph - Background information about the Dursleys and their relationship (or lack thereof!) with the Potters. Rowling also gives a deep sense of their fear, and this is the first time in the series that we hear the word 'Potter'. Knowing that the series is called "Harry Potter" it heightens the sense of suspense.
*********
"Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"
"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! He will be better off growing up away from all that."
In this exchange - a hint of Harry's fame and that he's very unusual in some way, the change of mood - from McGonagall's to Dumbledore's, and a huge decision about where Harry is to go.
*********
There were a hundred and forty two staircases at Hogwarts; wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. There were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending.
Drama in a description!
*********
There he was, reflected in the mirror, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder - but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible? Was he in a room full of invisible people and this mirror reflected them, invisible or not?
Suspense - what is going on?
*********
I have more - lots more! ... But I guess these give a pretty good idea of a dramatic situation encapsulated in a few short sentences!
Thanks for listening,
Sonali |
"Invalid Item" got some great entries - you sure can do a lot with just ten lines of poetry or ten sentences of prose!
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Some challenging contests!
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If you are a fan of The Amazing Race, this is the group for you! The current season has just started.
Here's someone asking you NOT to create drama!
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#561727 by Not Available. |
About rating, reviewing ...
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Feedback for the current issue:-
Thanks so much for the responses!
An apple a day.... 
I love the Harry Potter books and agree with you about the drama. Even the names she makes up hint at the character's or group's personality. I have never written fantasy and hardly ever watch it on tv. In fact, the Harry Potter movies did nothing for me, but I could hardly bear to put the books down once I started reading....go figure...Connie
Alexandra Jones 
Thanks so much for the great newsletter! People so often appreciate the Harry Potter books just for the fantasy, but it is the way J.K. Rowling built the drama that kept me up all night reading.
A big Thank-You to those who responded to "Drama Newsletter (July 1, 2009)"
esprit
Great letter, Sonali! The pause is important, and not as easy to show for book readers. Your line: What am I doing in my mind and my heart, when I'm not 'doing' something physically? This is where good descriptive skills of body language can bring a novel to life. Novelists can learn a lot about 'showing' by studying the 'Pause' as you've explained it. Thank you!
SantaBee 
Great newsletter about pauses and what they mean in script form. Two thumbsup.
Adriana Noir
Great newsletter, Sonali! Good writing should play out like a movie behind the reader's eyes and if we take the time to savor and understand the words written, there would be natural pauses just like in screen plays.  thanks for featuring "Daddy" too! |
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Drama: September 29, 2010 Issue [#3985]
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