The Russian Doll Exercise

The project is to write three moments or scenes from your character's life. A moment from their 'Youth' (e.g. 0-18 years of age), a moment from their 'Adulthood' (18-60 years of age) and a moment from their 'Twilight' years (60+ years of age).

Here are the three parameters for the project:

These scenes can be very simple, almost like portraits where we just see your character in a room and 'nothing really happens'. Or they can be more involved, where your character is moving, talking to other characters, etc. These scenes can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a page or two. Remember, you're trying to capture something of the aura of that person at that particular age.
Write these scenes in regular prose, like what you would see in a short story or article (see my example project).
Finally, submit these three scenes in one PDF to your project space. If you need help uploading a link to your PDF let me know.

FAQ:

I still don't understand the parameters of the project: Check out my example project, that might help you get a sense of how simple or complex the scenes can be.

But I'm a screenwriter, why can't I submit my project as a screenplay?: The focus for this class is on fleshing out your character, brainstorming in a sense, and I don't want you to get caught up in the rules of formatting. Also, by submitting your project in regular prose, it allows your fellow students who might not be familiar with screenplay formatting to read and review your project.

I've gone through all the videos, I understand the project, but I'm still stuck: No problem, I've been there before, write about your bout of writer's block on the discussion forum and I'll try to help you get started.

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