3. Anna’s rules of polarity are based on …
1) major laws of physics.
2) contrasts of characters.
3) audience’s preferences.
4. What does Anna NOT mention as a plus of using polarity in a story?
1) It helps reveal the inner world of characters better.
2) It creates both funny and sad moments in a story.
3) It provokes sharp conflicts between characters.
5. Why does Anna think stories have a therapeutical effect on people?
1) Reading relieves stress and tension.
2) Books make us change our behaviour.
3) You see you’re better than book heroes.
6. How does Anna describe her working space?
1) Multi-functional.
2) Fantasy-like.
3) Business-like.
7. Anna keeps medieval castles in her workspace to …
1) concentrate.
2) have a rest.
3) inspire herself.
8. What proverb is closest in meaning to the words of Francis Drake Anna cites?
1) A good beginning makes a good ending.
2) Beginning is easy, to keep going is hard.
3) He who begins too much accomplishes little.
9. What are Anna’s current plans?
1) Research Walter Scott’s novels.
2) Make Japanese manga cartoons.
3) Continue the previous project.
Listen to the audio
Audio script.
- Hello everybody, and welcome to our weekly Writers Workshop program. Today in our studio we have Anna Brown, a well-known writer and writing consultant. She has just published her new book about writing. Good afternoon, Anna.
- Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me. It's a real pleasure being here.
- In your recent book, you speak about the rules of polarity in stories. Could you please explain them to us?
- Polarity in stories seems to follow some of the rules of magnetism and electricity. Characters with opposing qualities or objectives can make entertaining stories when they are forced to work together and may even be attracted to one another as positive and negative magnetic poles are drawn to one another because each side has something the other wants. Audiences seem to enjoy watching this kind of attraction of opposites and are almost magnetically attracted to such stories.
- That's interesting.
- There is another rule of polarity. Polarized values sometimes reverse themselves. Many good stories are based on opposition. Let's say we see a tough hero and an emotional sensitive person. Under pressure, they change their behavior. Thus, the tough hero shows an emotional side and the sensitive character becomes tough. It allows the characters to understand each other better and it can also provide a lot of comedy and drama.
- You once said stories can heal us. How so?
- Stories give us metaphors that help us process and manage our life problems. They give us examples of human behavior against which we can compare our own performance. I found stories very comforting when I'm ill or stressed, giving me someplace else to go. Stories can be vehicles for expressing ideas, and sometimes these ideas give us new frames for understanding our challenges and healing our emotional wounds.
- Can you describe your working space for us?
- Over the years I've made a nice office space for myself with an L shaped desk that is like a starship control center with different areas dedicated to the current projects. For inspiration, I have many models of medieval castles and a wall of shelves covered with toy soldiers from different time periods. Outdoors, there is a golf course near my house and I walk around it to clear my head.
- Do you have any special quotes or sayings that you keep visible in your work environment to help inspire, motivate and encourage you?
- I like to pick a visual image to focus each project and I keep that within my field of vision somewhere on the desk. As for motivating quotes, my favorite is posted above the computer screen and comes from the English sailor Sir Francis Drake, who said, "There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory".
- What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
- I am continuing to develop material for future nonfiction books about story and character, but I also have some fiction projects in the works. I want to revive a book series I’ve started. A fantasy based on Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe. The first part was published as a Japanese style manga or graphic novel, and I want to continue the story in some form. I love working with artists to add a visual element to my storytelling.
- Thank you very much for talking with us today, Anna, and sharing your experience and insights.
Answer: 2311323
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