  Drama
This week: Online Drama Edited by: Kit of House Lannister  
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The Internet is an excellent source of inspiration for Drama stories and poetry. This week's Drama Newsletter explores why...
kittiara |
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How much time do you spend online? As a member of Writing.Com, the answer obviously won't be “none”. I remember the days when I wouldn't step near a computer. I was worried that if I were to touch but a single key, the thing would crash, break down, do something scary... That changed when I visited a friend, and he was online, and left the room to grab something from the kitchen whilst his ICQ was left open. Someone messaged him. When my friend returned, I asked him about it and he explained to me that the Internet allows a person to communicate with people from all around the world. Amazing.
That was back in the early 90s. Since then, I have made friends with people from around the planet. Some of them, I have met in person. I study online. I've found work online. I've found partners online, and whilst most of those relationships ended up in disaster, it has been an experience.
The Internet, then, influences the way many people spend their days and live their lives. For better or worse. That means that it can be incorporated in our writing. Which sounds simple, but I, at least, have found it a bit of a struggle.
How do you add online interactions to your writing? How, for example, do you add an exchange through a messaging program? Make it too long, and it can become tedious to read. Make it too short, and you might not be able to convey all the information you want to. I would break up any online conversation into pieces, and add a character's thoughts and feelings about the conversation. That does mean that the conversation will take up a lot of room, and you don't want it to go on for page after page.
You can add an email exchange. Theoratically, you could write an entire novel in the form of emails, just as some novels are written in the form of a diary, or letters. It's a brave approach, but a valid one. If that is not what you are setting out to do, however, again there is the question of how much is too much, and how little is too little.
The Internet can be a background feature. It adds a modern touch, and can be an explanation of why your main character is setting out to meet a stranger, or be an alternative means to receive happy/unhappy news. Not a few people have found out their partner was cheating because of messages found online. A broken-hearted person might find it difficult to let go, and feel inclined to check if the other person looks like they're moving on. Old friends or loved ones might reunite. A search for one's family tree might throw up surprises.
I don't own a smartphone, but many people do. Having the Internet in one's pocket adds further options for a writer. You can use all the features of the Internet itself, or the pressure of constantly being available (for work, for friends, for family), or the alienation people might feel, being surrounded by people constantly looking at their phones rather than others – or possibly doing so themselves.
That reminds me of something someone told me recently. They were in a restaurant with their daughter, and both of them were on their phones. The mother overheard someone at another table whisper, “Do you think that they ever speak?” The embarrassing realisation sat in that the people were discussing her and her daughter. There they were, at a restaurant, enjoying a nice meal... but they'd forgotten to enjoy each other's company.
I see that all the time – people attending a concert through their screens, or having a night out with their friends and detailing every aspect on social media to such an extent that I wonder when they have the time to actually have the fun they're describing. I am sure that there is a story somewhere in there.
And then there is online abuse. The Internet has opened up a lot of ways and means for people to be unpleasant to the other. I have experienced some of it myself on other websites. For some people, such abuse has led to extremely tragic results.
As said, I have yet to succeed in incorporating the Internet in my stories, but I am certain that if you wanted to, you would manage it. Perhaps you already have. If so, feel free to send in your stories and poems, and I will feature some of them in my next newsletter. 
kittiara
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Here are some of the latest additions to the Drama genre:
| |  | "Ghost Car" (E)
Shakespearean Sonnet, iambic pentameter. Bonnie and Clyde theme.
#2062232 by Casey  |
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#2062049 by Not Available. |
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#2062046 by Not Available. |
| | | Anibong (ASR)
A story of people in an urban slum whose lives changed after a devastating storm, Chap 1
#2062009 by emiljust |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2061890 by Not Available. |
And a couple of contests that might inspire you:
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The Drama Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in!
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Drama Newsletter Team
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Drama: October 21, 2015 Issue [#7281]
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