#WriteCBC tip and task from Heather Darwent
BY Katie Smart
6th Apr 2023
Welcome to our April 2023 #WriteCBC prompt challenge. We’re kicking off the Easter bank holiday weekend with a writing challenge. I hope you’re ready to be inspired by our latest writing tip and task! If you haven’t taken part in a #WriteCBC Twitter competition before, we’re excited to welcome you to our writing community. Get up to speed by reading this blog full of information about how to play and the prizes on offer. It’s a lot of fun, and you might just win a free place on one of our six-week online writing courses.
This month’s special guest is Heather Darwent, author of the Sunday Times bestselling thriller The Things We Do to Our Friends (Viking, Penguin). Heather worked on her debut novel when she studied on our three-month Writing Your Novel course in 2020. Read about Heather’s time studying with us and her path to publication here.
Heather’s tip:
- Anger can be a difficult emotion to evoke on the page, but I'm of the opinion that it can be a powerful tool to avoid characters who feel too passive. It can add drama to a scene as well! In a novel, it's likely that there will be a few angry characters, or moments where rage is the driving force.
The Things We Do to Our Friends is a deliciously dark thriller that portrays female rage with nuance. Heather takes her readers on a journey through the dark alleyways of Edinburgh and into the minds of cunning young women who hunger for power and metamorphosis.
In this extract from Chapter 12, the protagonist Clare describes an instance of a man following her home at night and making unwanted advances. This is one of the early examples of rage in the novel and in many ways this scene foreshadows the darker events yet to come.
‘I felt anger swell in my chest and I sped up, but he met my pace. He came closer, swerved without subtlety into me, and he touch my am. It was too much.
I pulled away.
It did not deter him.
[…]
Now, I could ignore it and smile, let the rage grow then recede, like a wave that rises and falls, before the water turn still. Back then, that kind of control wasn’t possible.’
Heather layers this account of anger, fear, and rage with foreshadowing. The passage also brilliantly utilises imagery of the water swelling, rising and falling as a metaphor for rage. You get the sense that the protagonist’s frustration is a still ocean lying in wait for the next wave to crest. The short staccato sentences also expertly communicate the clipped and fed-up tone of the protagonist.
Heather’s task:
- Write a scene showing an angry protagonist. Maybe it's a sudden burst of uncontrollable emotion, or perhaps it's a slow building anger but try and make sure the reader feels the rage! Good luck.
We’d love you to write a tweet-length response prompted by this task. Here is some more advice from Heather to inspire you…
- How does anger change how the character speaks? Are they overcome and go silent, or do they shout and scream?
- Is anger infectious? If one character becomes angry about something, perhaps this encourages the whole cast to become irate?
- How does anger change your character's thought process? Perhaps they were set on something and when they become angry this flips entirely.
Ask yourself these questions from Heather before starting your scene. Keep in mind that anger can burn hot and bright or seethe quietly under the surface. Be sure to pick the right direction for your character and the situation. Concentrate on the motivations of your character and the underlying reason that they are angry. What does your protagonist want? What do they need? Perhaps something has happened that contradicts their core objectives or belief system. Remember that rage is often born out of passion and caring deeply about something or someone.
Quick disclaimer, please don’t use hateful language in your #WriteCBC entries. Our Twitter community is a safe space for writers.
We can’t wait to read your anger-filled tweet-length scenes. Tweet @cbcreative with your tweet-length scene and you might win a free six-week online writing course place. Competition closes Fri 7 Apr, 10am (winner announced at 11am). Find the rules here.
Prizes
Congratulations to this month’s winner, Hannah Drennan @H_Drennan...
- "What's for dinner?" was all he thought he'd said. Meaning, what was in the fridge? Or the cupboard if Ocado wasn't due until tomorrow. Look for me, he'd meant, shop for me, cook for me. Think for me. Lose yourself for me. "Nothing." He hadn't understood. "I'm done."
Hannah portrays the breakdown of a relationship in this heartbreakingly mundane and domestic scene. The protagonist lists chores once done out of love, too long left unappreciated, in a way that is almost bored. The anger here is quiet, the reader senses past scenes unwritten – this is not the first time he has assumed the protagonist will shop for and cook dinner. We can feel that louder, more passionate arguments have led up to this moment. The frustration of the lack of understanding from the partner and this breakdown of communication is palpable. Finally, all that tension ends with two simple words.
Well done, Hannah – you've won free place on a £220 online course.
And this month’s runners-up – each getting a £50 course discount – are @penningstories and @tasha_mcshannon. Congratulations, both!
To redeem your prizes please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk
We hope you all enjoyed this prompt challenge, see you next month. #WriteCBC will be back on Thursday 4 May.
Get your hands on a copy of The Things We Do to Our Friends.
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