Creative Writing Examples

In teaching I give creative writing examples, and I refer to books, music, film and television. 

I’ve been watching the HBO series, Girls.  http://www.hbo.com/girls/index.html.  It was a surprise to me, because it didn’t seem like my kind of show, but I have learned to give most HBO shows a shot.  I’m glad I gave this one a whirl, because now I'm interested in tuning in.  

When I first watched the show I thought it was a reflection and study of today’s youth culture. The more I watched the more I saw that some things don’t change. The characters are in their early 20’s—all grown-up, recently out of college and independent, yet naïve in the ways of life and what to expect from it.  Sometimes it makes me happy to witness the adventures of them finding out who they are. The joy in being with friends and planning a party, reminds me of the freshness of being young, when so much is ahead of you. Other times I am sad to watch their trials and tribulations such as when they have unsatisfying or awkward sex, and experience an undercurrent of disillusionment and shattered dreams.  And there’s often humor in desperation and disappointment.  There is no glamour in the show and the dialogue and interactions are simplistic— as an accurate reflection of today’s youth.

But what impressed me about the show are the characters. The writer/creator/actor Lena Dunham is super-talented and has done a marvelous job of crafting characters with inherent conflict at a variety of thematic levels, so there’s always somewhere to take them in the story.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it’s set in Brooklyn. There are four archetype characters:

Idealist- The wacky and intelligent, Hannah Horvath. The protagonist who wants to be a writer and has just been financially cut off from her parents, lost her internship, and is struggling to make ends meet. Comfortable with her Rubenesque body (I admire her for that) mentally she is self-absorbed and prone to irrational thoughts—which is comical.  But despite her smarts Hannah goes for bad boys and uses poor judgment when it comes to men.  

Realist- The up-tight and lovely, Marnie Michaels.  Marnie is Hannah’s best friend. Highly responsible and well put together, Marnie is often dressed like she’s going to a job interview.  She works at an Art Gallery and is in a long-term relationship.  She doesn’t really like either her job or her boyfriend but can’t cut them lose.  Both the job and the boyfriend leave her. She finds new ways to cope and is starting to loosen up as she comes to terms with her new reality.

Bohemian- The free-spirit and artist, Jessa Johansson.  A beautiful Brit and a flake, she hops from man to man, and works as a nanny.  She just married a man she knew for two weeks stumbling through marriage and is trying to find her way in this new and chaotic world, and still is too naïve about it to realize its dangers.

Romantic- The spoiled and sweet, Shoshanna Shapiro. Jessa’s cousin is still a student at NYU and is considered naïve by the other three girls. Her high-pitched voice often goes on tirades explaining everything from her lack of confidence. Her favorite television show is called Baggage, a dating show where contestants have suitcases representing their secrets.  Hers is that she is a virgin.

Analyzing archetypes before you write can be useful skeletons to provide your characters with a solid backbone.   They can work on a thematic level, and an emotional one. They can help you pinpoint and clarify the growth arcs you want, and allow you to show aspects of the road not taken or the price paid if that growth isn't made (or the victories if the growth is embraced).

Archetypes offer a useful blueprint for how a character lives their life.

HBO’s Girls resonates with everyone who remembers their early 20’s. It’s refreshing and funny.  So which one of the girls are you?