Larry Brooks's Blog, page 14
October 24, 2015
Tips to Create Emotional Connection with Your Readers
Take a moment to think about the best book you have ever read. Why were you so hooked on it? You couldn’t leave it for days… you sympathized with every emotion the main characters went through. You laughed, cried, and suffered with them. That’s what distinguishes a brilliant author from a mediocre one – that author builds an emotional connection with the readers.
Don’t you want to achieve the same influence over your readers? You want to hypnotize them and make them beg for more. There are certain aspects you can pay attention to.
Develop strong characters
You may think of great situations and dialogues, but if the characters are not well-developed, you won’t leave a powerful impression. Let’s take Guillaume Musso as an example. He is a popular novelist, who mainly attracts people that want a quick read. Yes, he has some intriguing ideas, but do you remember his characters a year after reading the book? Hardly. They are sympathetic, but they don’t make you emotional.
Let’s learn from this example: your characters have to be empathetic. The reader needs to understand them. Real life can be your greatest inspiration. Dostoevsky, for example, got inspired by suicides and criminal cases. He analyzed the background and the reasons that brought people to such act. As a result, you can understand why the characters in his books did what they did. Nabokov was another masterful writer, who somehow managed to evoke compassion for a person we would usually judge.
A sympathetic character, on the other hand, is someone we like, but we don’t get emotionally involved with. For example, Pablo from Hesse’s Steppenwolf is a sympathetic character, but Harry Haller and Hermine engage the reader on a deeper level. The conclusion is: you need both types of characters in your story.
The story is important too!
You developed really powerful characters with burdening emotional background? You need to put them in an unusual situation that will hook the reader. Clearly, you understand the importance of the plot. The last thing you would like to do is describe people’s family history and leave the reader disappointed when he realizes that nothing important happens in your book.
When you arrange the characters in a particular situation, make sure their reactions are adequate to the personalities you developed. Make the reader wonder: “What made her choose x over y? Did she make the right choice?” When the readers start asking questions, you’ll have them hooked.
Make it real
Let’s take Guillaume Musso as an example again. In The Girl on Paper, he brings a character from a writer’s novels to life. In the moment when she appears naked in his house and you realize that she is an imaginary personality, you realize: “okay, this is a book that won’t teach me a valuable lesson.” In fact, you can learn something from it: you should always, always make your characters realistic, even when you are writing a fantasy novel!
Even when people want to escape their daily lives, they still thrive off of reality. We want to recognize pieces of ourselves in the literature we read. When we can imagine a certain character as a part of our lives, he/she starts evoking rage, joy, happiness and despair. Do you remember Andrei Bolkonsky from War and Peace? Enough said.
You Found Your Calling? Now Discover the Purpose!
The real purpose of a writer is to make readers feel. You want to make them angry, ecstatic, disappointed and hopeful with a single book. You want them to reconsider their values and get out of the comfort zone. A reader can achieve catharsis if he develops an emotional connection with the characters and plot you serve.
Linda Craig has a master’s degree in literature. She is currently working at assignment writing service Assignmentmasters as a freelance blogger.
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Larry is currently away on an anniversary vacation with his wife. Until then Storyfix.com will feature several much appreciated guest posts, and a couple of surprise pre-scheduled visits by Larry, as well.
Larry’s new writing book, “Story Fix: Transform Your Novel From Broken To Brilliant,” has just been released and is available on all online venues, as well as most bookstores. If they don’t have it in stock yet, ask them to reserve a copy for you.
The post Tips to Create Emotional Connection with Your Readers appeared first on Storyfix.com.
October 19, 2015
How to Plan Your Story in Six Weeks
When I first learned about story structure and story planning, I was inspired to no end. I knew I’d found the missing link, the information I was lacking that would now help me write stories worth publishing.
The idea of planning a story before you write it is total genius (ignore this advice at your own risk), and the principles of storytelling are a true guidance system for any serious writer.
The problem is, all these principles and story planning information is very high-level. And despite knowing what I had to do, I still wasn’t able to take the information and apply it to my own stories.
I needed a process. A timeline. Something more action-oriented.
For planners, like me, who want a process or timeframe for doing the story planning, I offer up the following:
The 6-Week Story Planning and Development Process
This is the process I use for developing and planning my stories (and the one I teach to all my clients). I created this process based on the information I’ve learned from StoryFix.com and Larry’s bestselling writing book, Story Engineering.
Week 1: Idea, Concept and Premise
This is the foundational week. Get this wrong and the rest of the weeks will have nothing concrete to stand on.
You need to take the story idea you have and turn it into a Concept and Premise.
What’s Conceptual about the story you want to tell? And what Premise will you introduce in context to that Concept?
If you’re having trouble figuring out your Concept and Premise—or if you’re still not totally clear on what a Concept and Premise are—be sure to listen to this 90-minute recording from the live call I did with Larry recently.
You have to get this right, before you move on to the next week. (And Larry even has a great little Quick Hit Concept Analysis you can sign up for, just to make sure you’ve nailed it.)
Week 2: Characters
Next you’ll want to work on your characters, but most importantly, your Protagonist and Antagonist. (Larry has a great character questionnaire in his book, Story Engineering.)
You’ll need to create the three dimensions of both of these major characters, and design your Protagonist’s character arc.
The reason this is important is because you have to know who your Protagonist is, how he will change from beginning to end, and what he wants in the story. You’ll also need an answer for who or what (the Antagonist) will oppose the Protagonist getting what he wants.
This information will help inform your structure and scene choices.
It’s also during this week that you’ll want to solidify your Premise. Now that you know your Protagonist and Antagonist better, you can weave them into your core story.
Weeks 3 and 4: Story Structure
You’ll want to give yourself at least two weeks for story structure, because the first time you attempt it on your story, you probably won’t hit the mark. So you’ll need the second week to tweak it and make changes.
Your story structure is the core of your novel and is the thread that will guide the reader through from beginning to end.
You can learn more about story structure by reading this series of posts:
Story Structure: Just Possibly the Holy Grail of Storytelling
Story Structure, part 1: Introducing the 4 Parts of Story
Story Structure, part 2: Milestones Along the 4-Part Storytelling Road
Story Structure, part 3: 5 Missions for the Setup of Your Story
Story Structure, part 4: The Most Important Moment in Your Story (the First Plot Point)
Hook vs. First Plot Point—Don’t Get Fooled
Story Structure, part 5: Part 2 of Your Story—The Response
Story Structure, part 6: Wrapping Your Head Around the Mid-Point Milestone
Story Structure, part 7: Part 3—The Attack
Story Structure, part 8: The Second Plot Point
Story Structure, part 9: Pinch Points
Story Structure, part 10: Part 4—The Final Act
Story Structure, part 11: Epilogue—The Fine Print
Once you know your story’s structure, then, and only then, can you can go deeper.
Weeks 5 and 6: Scene Building and Story Roadmap
The final phase in the process is figuring out your story scenes and then building a scene roadmap. And like all the steps before it, you add layers as you go. That’s why two weeks are, again, dedicated to this part of the process.
During the first of the two weeks (aka: week 5), you’ll want to develop a beat sheet. A beat sheet is simply a list of scenes in your story, starting with one sentence for each scene, and growing from there.
Once you have a beat sheet, then you can turn those single sentences into a story roadmap. A story roadmap is simply an expansion of the beat sheet that goes deeper on each scene to include things like, the mission of the scene, when it takes place, where it takes place and any notes on story exposition or information that needs to be included in the scene. (You can see a sample story roadmap by going here.)
When you’re finished with your story roadmap, I highly recommend taking a break from it for at least a few weeks, so you can come back with fresh eyes and give it a final revision, before you jump into the writing phase.
What does your story planning and development process like?
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About the Author: Jennifer Blanchard is the author of the novel, SoundCheck, and a Story Coach who helps serious emerging novelists save time, be more effective storytellers and cut years off their learning curves, so they can write kick-ass books and get published faster. Grab her free eGuide— Find Your Story: the 6-Week Story Planning Process to see an example of the process in action.
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Larry is currently away on an anniversary vacation with his wife. Until then Storyfix.com will feature several much appreciated guest posts, and a couple of surprise pre-scheduled visits by Larry, as well.
Larry’s new writing book, “Story Fix: Transform Your Novel From Broken To Brilliant,” has just been released and is available on all online venues, as well as most bookstores. If they don’t have it in stock yet, ask them to reserve a copy for you.
The post How to Plan Your Story in Six Weeks appeared first on Storyfix.com.
October 14, 2015
Oops! Your Exposition is Showing
Does your dialog writing sound natural or off-kilter? Does it read like real people talk, or like grade school children stumbling over their parts in a play? If you have patches of dialog in your novel that just don’t ring true, it may be because your exposition is showing.
Exposition is the insertion of backstory. Backstory is background information—incidents that happened in the past that readers need to know about to understand what’s happening in the present. For exposition to work, it has to be subtle.
One way to insert backstory is to put it into the mouths of your characters. If this is done artfully, it works. If it forces the character to say things he or she would not naturally say, it backfires.
Here’s an example of exposition dialog that backfires—intentionally exaggerated to make a point:
A husband comes into the kitchen for breakfast and says to his wife, “Good morning, my wife of twenty-five years, who has borne me three children. I hope you are standing there at the stove making pancakes for breakfast, because that is what I like best to eat in the morning.”
This sounds unnatural—to the extent that it’s laughable—because, of course, the wife already knows she’s been married for twenty-five years, has three children, and that her partner likes pancakes. In real life, a husband would never say those things to his wife. No author would write something this ludicrous unless it was intended as satire, but amateur authors—in less exaggerated ways—do this all the time. They spoil their characters’ dialog, weighing it down with forced exposition. Afterwards, they know something is wrong, but can’t quite put a finger on what it is.
Here is a real-life example, from a real-life aspiring author. The context: Jonathan has invited Jenny, his girlfriend, over for a home-cooked meal. This is part of their dinner conversation …
“So when is your interview coming up for your promotion?” Jenny asked.
“It is scheduled for the end of January, but I don’t have the date yet,” Jonathan replied.
“What is your prospect of getting promoted?” she asked again.
“I think I told you that this woman who is the manager in another branch is trying hard for this position. Her academic credentials are better than mine. And I heard that she will stop short at nothing to get what she wants. But I am much more experienced in management. The statistics in my branch have improved monumentally since I took over three years ago. Business accounts have almost doubled, and personal checking and savings accounts have gone up 150%. She is very aggressive, but I will be damned if I am going to let that broad take this away from me,” he said.
One problem with the conversation is that real people don’t normally speak to each other in long speeches like this. Natural conversation goes back and forth, usually in small snippets. It’s full of broken sentences and interruptions.
Let’s revise that dialog, to make the exposition less obvious while allowing the characters to talk as they would if they were real people.
For starters, let’s put some of Jonathan’s words in Jenny’s mouth. (I’m presuming if she’s his girlfriend, she already knows a lot of what Jonathan is saying.) Let’s have her interrupt with comments that more naturally bring out the backstory.
Let’s also add in some gestures (actions) to make the discussion more interesting and to convey the emotion I’m guessing the characters are feeling. And let’s allow them to speak in the casual style boyfriends and girlfriends typically use with one another, rather in formal “grammar-speak.” (Dialog writing is one place where grammar should not be a consideration. Real-life speech is not very grammatical!)
Here is how I would edit that conversation:
“So when’s the job interview?” Jenny asked.
“End of the month.” Jonathan rubbed his hands across his knees.
“I’ll bet you get it.”
“Another manager’s trying to beat me out. She’s got her MBA.”
“Book smarts aren’t everything.”
“Exactly.” He thumped the table. “I’m way more experienced. Business accounts doubled when I took over. Personal accounts tripled, for god’s sake.”
“And all in less than three years.” Jenny said admiringly.
“She’s ruthless. She’ll walk over anybody.”
He pushed his plate away and leaned back from the table.
“I can tell you this much. Damned if I’ll let that broad take this away from me.”
The dialog can be polished further, but if you compare the original version with the revised one, it’s easy to see the improvement. No more forced backstory.
To develop your ear for natural dialog and to learn to write it convincingly…
… I recommend studying Rib Davis’ Writing Dialog for Scripts. His advice is addressed to screenwriters, but authors can learn volumes from this little book. Screenwriters must be masters of dialog, because the only tools they have with which to tell their story are dialog, actions, and images. So screenwriting tips about dialog can be surprisingly helpful for novelists.
If you’re reading a patch of dialog that somehow doesn’t ring true, look to see if you’re making the characters tell each other things they already know. If so, find another way to convey the information to the reader.
You wouldn’t have much respect for a dramatic performance where the backdrop curtains stand open, revealing the stage manager and prop techs running around behind the scenes while the play is going on. And readers don’t respect a novel where they can see the author’s machinations, distracting their attention from the story itself. Naturalness of speech is the first rule of dialog writing. If you interfere with that, it’s not only cheating, but cheating you will get caught at.
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Jessi Rita Hoffman is a book editor, optioned screenwriter, and former publishing house editor in chief. She helps accomplished authors polish their manuscripts, and helps new authors elevate their books from good to great. For her unique insights on writing and publishing, visit her blog at www.JessiRitaHoffman.com/blog . For information on her book-editing services, go to www.JessiRitaHoffman.com .
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Larry is currently away on a three week anniversary vacation with his wife. Until then Storyfix.com will feature several much appreciated guest posts, and a couple of surprise pre-scheduled visits by Larry, as well.
Larry’s new writing book, “Story Fix: Transform Your Novel From Broken To Brilliant,” has just been released and is available on all online venues, as well as most bookstores. If they don’t have it in stock yet, ask them to reserve a copy for you.
The post Oops! Your Exposition is Showing appeared first on Storyfix.com.
October 7, 2015
The Unspoken Pinch Point: Your Climax
The climax of your novel should leave readers with some combination of emotional and intellectual satisfaction, as well as any intended sense of unease – often creepy. Or if it’s a part of a series, a compelling bridge into the next installment. Either way, you want your final act to resonate, to be memorable.
Nailing it should inspire five-star reviews, positive word of mouth or future book sales. On the other hand, a weak apex may foster criticism or worse, indifference and silence.
You’re a storyteller so there’s no doubt you want to create a lasting impression. This article will explain how to deliver the crescendo your audience deserves.
CLIMAX CLARITY
Just about any dictionary defines a climax as the turning point of a story where all the conflict, drama, and rising action finally meet. While all of that may be true, the word climax actually comes from the Greek word klimax, which means “staircase” or “ladder.” So it makes sense when you see images like this.
Except definitions and images like that don’t tell you how the climax fits into the story structure we’ve all explored here at Storyfix. Or exactly when the climax should occur along a plotline. And honestly, I’m surprised it’s not highlighted more often.
Because your climax is more than the turning point in your story. It ’ s the turning point between you and your audience.
This key milestone is where you reward audiences in dramatic fashion for sticking around. It’s where your audience decides whether or not they’ll commit to your next story, too.
Have you ever finished a story and immediately sought out everything else put out by its creator? Or been blown away by a story that prompted you to tell a friend they had to read or watch it now.
Maybe The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins? Or The Dark Knight by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan?
Remarkable stories have well-designed climaxes that reward audiences. In fact, well-orchestrated climaxes brought those storytellers so much goodwill that people will continue to tune into anything they put out for years. For good reason, too. They honored their audiences with a turning point that fulfilled the conflict and drama established in previous scenes.
That’s what you must do when crafting your climax.
CLIMAX APPLICATION
Now let’s break down the critical elements of a climax, and illustrate when it should occur along a plotline.
We’ll start with the good news. You already know how to write a climax.
This is not some positive thinking proposition. Nope, it’s the position that you’re a student of story structure, and you’re already aware of pinch points.
I propose your climax serves as a 3 rd and final pinch point. It ’ s the unspoken pinch point.
Crash course: Pinch points generate two well-timed milestones that showcase your antagonist in all its monstrous glory. The 1st and 2nd Pinch Points occur, respectively, at the 37.5% and 62.5% markers in a story. They’re not always spot on and they don’t have to be. They just need to be in the approximate area and generate a properly timed spark to your story.
These sparks promote your antagonist while communicating much more:
First, they provide a clear view of the antagonistic force that opposes your Protagonist’s story goal.
Second, they give your Protagonist additional motivation to accomplish the story goal at hand.
Last, they connect your audience with the protagonist and antagonist by uniting everyone in quality conflict (emotional or physical).
Your climax should occur around the 90% mark, serve as the brightest spark in your story, and complement the previous two pinch points.
Take the same pinch point format you implemented twice before, use the previously established conflict between your protagonist and antagonist, and conclude with an epic confrontation.
And only one can win. Your audience wants a resolution. That doesn’t mean one of them has to die. It simply means only one should be victorious by the end of your story (emotionally or physically).
Keep in mind that delivering your climax too soon may prematurely break the tension. Too late and it may not allow your audience to absorb its full effects. So this 90% mark area primes your audience with just the right amount of built up tension, preparing them to accept their special reward.
The 90% mark opens the door for the remaining storyline to reveal the aftermath including post-climax shockwaves that impact the remaining characters. And your audience wants to know the aftermath so leave plenty of room to tell the rest of the story!
PINCH POINT & CLIMAX ANALYSIS
Let’s take a look at the aforementioned bestselling novel and blockbuster film to see how those master storytellers did it.
The Hunger Games, novel by Suzanne Collins
Protagonist: Katniss Everdeen
Antagonist: The 74th Hunger Games run by The Capitol
1st Pinch (39% mark of story):
Katniss enters the Cornucopia, faces the other 23 tributes and finally meets the horror of the 74th Hunger Games.
She witnesses the first deaths of the Games, and experiences paralyzing fear despite watching no one die that she’s personally invested in.
2nd Pinch (62% mark of story):
Katniss again faces the terror of the Games as she arrives just in time to watch a tribute kill Rue.
Rue was a new ally that Katniss became attached to, and an eerie reminder of her sister Primrose.
Katniss shoots an arrow into the tribute who murdered Rue, representing her first official, intentional kill.
Climax (91% mark of story):
Katniss and Peeta overcome and kill the deadliest tribute (Cato) and wolf-like mutants.
Except The Capitol revokes their previous announcement of two winners, compelling Katniss to choose to either kill the person she cares about most in the Games (Peeta) or die herself.
Katniss and Peeta decide they’ll both eat toxic berries which forces the Capitol to end the Games with two winners.
Post-Climax (92-100% mark of story):
Katniss learns her suicide-attempt rebellion upset the The Capitol.
Katniss must continue to convince the world that she and Peeta are in love, except Peeta is truly in love.
The Dark Knight, screenplay by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan
Protagonist: Batman
Antagonist: The Joker
1st Pinch (36% of story):
Batman fights The Joker at Harvey Dent’s fundraiser where The Joker captures Rachel Dawes.
The Joker throws Rachel out a window, threatening the life of Batman’s true love and desired future.
2nd Pinch (62% of story):
Batman faces The Joker in the police interrogation room where The Joker reveals he’s captured Batman’s only two hopes in the world (Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent).
The Joker forces Batman to choose one to go save, threatening the life of his personal love (Rachel Dawes, his desired future) and professional hope (Harvey Dent, Gotham’s White Knight)
Climax (92% of story):
Batman defeats The Joker in hand-to-hand combat after subduing a building full of good and bad guys.
Except The Joker reveals that despite his capture, he’ll still be victorious because he pushed Harvey Dent over the edge, threatening the hope, life and soul of Gotham itself.
Post-Climax (93-100% mark of story):
Batman deals with The Joker’s revelation as Harvey Dent attempts to kill him and Lieutenant Gordon (Dent already killed five people).
Batman stops Dent and decides to accept responsibility for everything Dent did, all to prevent Gotham from imploding.
CLIMAX LUCIDITY
Your audience craves a rewarding apex. You can use story structure to give them what they deserve.
Get started by acknowledging your climax is the unspoken pinch point.
Next, design an epic confrontation between your protagonist and antagonist to conclude the conflict established during the 1st and 2nd pinch points.
Last, place your climax around the 90% mark, and use the remaining story to resolve the aftermath.
Get at it.
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David Villalva helps aspiring novelists craft stories that connect with readers. His free visual guide, The Storytelling Blueprint, illustrates the plot structure used in best-selling novels. Get it free at his website: http://storyandcraft.net.
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Larry is currently away on a three week anniversary vacation with his wife. Until then Storyfix.com will feature several much appreciated guest posts, and a couple of surprise pre-scheduled visits by Larry, as well.
Larry’s new writing book, “Story Fix: Transform Your Novel From Broken To Brilliant,” has just been released and is available on all online venues, as well as most bookstores. If they don’t have it in stock yet, ask them to reserve a copy for you.
The post The Unspoken Pinch Point: Your Climax appeared first on Storyfix.com.
September 29, 2015
Published! My New Writing Book is Now Available!
At least, for ordering online in trade paperback and as Kindle and Nook editions. Bookstores are usually a little late to the party, but they may have it by now, as well. I’m guessing, though, it will be a bit down the road for them, a few days or a week or so.
Which new book? “Story Fix: Transform Your Novel from Broken to Brilliant“
Published by Writers Digest Books.
My goal with this book was, from the beginning, to write a fresh and immediately useful text on how to write and rewrite a novel, and make it unlike any book on the subject ever written. The craft and its glorious moving parts are presented in a completely different context, one that challenges as it illuminates, and there are specific exercises, definitions, checklists and examples to help you navigate these tricky waters.
Mostly, though, the book is about you, the author. About why we do what the do, in the vastly differing ways we do them, and why that may or may not serve you or even work at all. It’s not a book that sells outlining over pantsing, it’s a book about how to make any writing process more effective, and have that happen sooner rather than later, with fewer drafts and better drafts.
A Reviewer’s Perspective
Rather than pitch this any further to you myself, I’ve included one of the early Amazon.com reviews, which says it better than I’d dare attempt. She captured my intentions fully, and translates them for you from the reader/writer’s perspective.
A Craft Book Unlike Any Other
By Sue Coletta on September 27, 2015
Format: Paperback
Five stars for Story Fix! I absolutely loved this author’s previous craft books. Actually, they are the reason I got published. Bold statement, I know, but it’s true. So when I heard he had a new craft book out, I could hardly wait to read it. In this little book of heaven, Larry Brooks walks you through possible reasons why your story failed. And then, he helps you to revise it in order to make it publishable. The really cool thing about this book is that it’s set up like a private workshop, where he asks you to evaluate your own work using a grading system. Later, he has you go back to your initial grades and re-evaluate, knowing he’s given you the golden ticket on how to revise. Amazing! I’ve never read a craft book quite like this before. If you’ve received rejection letter after rejection letter, you owe to yourself to find out why. Don’t you? This incredible craft book will show you where you went wrong IF you’re honest with yourself. I’m so pumped up after reading this book I can’t wait to dive back into the story I’m working on. Buy. This. Book. Make your dreams come true. Story Fix will show you how. This book isn’t only for the unpublished, by the way. The day we stop studying the craft is the day we should stop writing. One of the truly great things about this industry is that there’s always more to learn. Story Fix will also enhance your skills.
The post Published! My New Writing Book is Now Available! appeared first on Storyfix.com.
September 25, 2015
First Page Jitters… and a Model of Excellence
On Day One of any writing class you’re likely to be reminded how important your first page is.
I once participated in a panel discussion with an agent who claimed he could tell if he wanted to represent a book after reading only the first page. For the record, I heartily disagreed with the veracity of that claim (as did Terry Brooks, also on the panel), because about the only thing one can tell for sure from a first page is the level and appeal of the writer’s voice, leaving at least eleven other major categories of story criteria that absolutely cannot be discerned from a first page, by anyone.
That said, the first page has one primary mission: to motivate the reader to keep reading.
It’s a form of hook — more accurately, a hook for the hook — but that’s not even a fully accurate description. The highest function and goal of a first page… again… is to make the reader keep reading.
To see this in action, click HERE.
It’s from another blog called The Kill Zone, where I post every other week. I also do an occasional “First Page Critique” for them, and this is just that, an author’s first page subjected to the harsh light of analysis.
I’d like you to see this for two reasons.
First… it’s stellar. Instead of modeling mistakes and weakness, this page is a shining example of a killer first page that met the goal.
And then, even so, there were ways to strengthen it.
In addition to my short analysis, also read the comments (especially the one by James Scott Bell) that add further feedback. Every single commenter shared the same conclusion… this one is a winner.
Enjoy.
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Travel Update: beginning next Wednesday, I’ll be away for three weeks, returning the week of October 26. I will have a few new posts appearing during that span of time, including a few guest posts, so please tune in.
Re: All things Story Coaching…
… if you are on the cusp of pulling the trigger on a new story coaching project with me, know that I cannot respond until the week of October 26. Feel free to opt in (only for the Kick Start Concept/Premise Review; other levels will need to wait until I get back). To help you get a jump start on that, you can get your Questionnaire right here — Quick-Hit QUESTIONNAIRE — and the Welcome Letter here: Quick-Hit WELCOME LETTER.
Upon my return I’ll pair up notice of your payment with your submitted Questionnaire answers, and get back to you shortly. Or, you can wait until my return to submit your answers… or to sign up in the first place.
If you aren’t sure, this is a chance to preview the Questionnaire and the Welcome Letter, which itself is a massive source of content via a dozen or so links to key tutorials.
I’m going to France to celebrate our 20th anniversary with my wife, Laura, visiting Burgundy, the Loire Valley and then Paris!
Bon Voyage!
The post First Page Jitters… and a Model of Excellence appeared first on Storyfix.com.
September 21, 2015
Bradley Cooper on Concept. Really. Sort of.
This is interesting – and germane to the above headline – because the series is based on a 2011 movie of the same name, in which Cooper was the star. The concept was this: what if there was a pill that allowed you to access the full power and potential of your brain, but there were side effects and unpredictable consequences from suddenly becoming the smartest and most competent person on the planet, although burdened with the suddenly enhanced foibles and obsessions of that same brain.
Hijinks would certainly ensue.
Notice there is no story yet, no characters, either. Just an idea, a notion, a proposition with serious dramatic potential.
Cordon asked Cooper how this happened, and more surprisingly, how Cooper came to be associated with the TV show, when this just doesn’t happen in Hollywood (movie stars producing and appearing in TV spin-offs of their films). His answer says volumes about the power of a compelling concept, and in doing so becomes a sparkling example of one of the primary criteria and benchmarks for just that.
You can see and hear that answer here, via Youtube.
In essence, without using the word “concept,” he said this: when a core idea is this deep and strong and compelling, it can be spun into any number of stories… because it is not the story itself, but rather, the conceptual framework or notion for any number of stories.
This, folks, is the essence of concept.
That 2011 movie was just one story – one premise – arising from that singular killer concept. The first season of the TV series will bring us 13 more unique premises, each different than the last (26 if it lasts the whole season), all derived from the very same concept.
That’s what we’re trying to achieve when we create a concept for a novel.
Not necessarily the achievement of a TV series (though I think we can all agree, that would be so cool), but rather, an idea so conceptually strong that is compels and draws interest even before you throw in a premise that introduces a specific hero with a specific quest.
Concept is the driving dramatic framework of every dramatic television series, as well as the likely explanation behind a new bestselling novel (Hunger Games, anyone?). Castle, Scorpion, Veep, Ray Donovan, Orphan Black… The Help, Girl on a Train, Broken, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, The Martian, All the Light We Cannot See, Twilight… name your favorite show or novel, this same phenomena is happening: one concept, birthing any number of specific story premises.
In the case of novels, though, the author runs with just one premise (until the book becomes a series, in which case they apply a new premise to the same concept)… the very best premise they can come up with that is driven by the core concept driving it.
This is one of several key criteria for either concept or premise.
Click HERE to listen in to a FREE 90-minute TeleClass on this subject…
… with me and story coach Jennifer Blanchard.
*****
Important Story Coaching Notice — as of today I will be putting a temporary hold on new/incoming story coaching projects, as I head off to France for three weeks with my lovely wife (Laura) to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I will return to work on October 26.
If you were/are on the cusp of submitting a new project for coaching, you have two options:
You can go ahead and use the Paypal links to opt-in to the coaching level of your choice, and you’ll be first in line to receive your program materials (including the appropriate Questionnaire) upon my return (a few days prior to October 26th).
Or, you can wait until then and contact me at that time, or when you’re ready
If you’re ready now and can contact me this week, I’ll send you the Questionnaire so you can begin working, and we can catch up on the paperwork (a polite term for fee) when I get back.
Thanks for your patience, I look forward to working with you when I return, newly-hatched French accent and all.
****
Read my new post on The Kill Zone, put up this morning, “On Fishing For A Story.”
The post Bradley Cooper on Concept. Really. Sort of. appeared first on Storyfix.com.
September 15, 2015
The Non-Structural Language of Story
Or maybe… Stop Worrying and Just String Some Pearls Together.
Wherein I borrow cutting edge content from frequent Storyfix contributor Art Holcomb (visit his website, as well as the article linked later in this post). He and I agree there is a gap in the understanding of how and where structure fits into the creative process, even among experienced professionals, and today’s post offers a fresh point of view on the subject.
Art trains both professional and amateur screenwriters, and has been doing so for the past 25 years, teaching and lecturing all over the world (in fact, just this week he just returned from lecturing in Italy). His goal relative to structure – something he and I share a passion for – is to smooth and empower the transition from what writers see in their mind onto paper, and do it quickly and with brilliance. This is one of the fundamentals of his teaching method, and it is massively relevant to what we do as novelists.
Or, perhaps more aptly stated… how we do what we do as novelists.
Contrary to recent popular rumor, story does not trump structure. That’s like saying food trumps water. But structure isn’t obvious to some, even when it should be, and it isn’t important to others, absolutely when it should be.
This was a dangerous headline, because unless you read the sub-heads as well (somewhere out there is a study that says X percent of readers never see the subhead) you might think I’m implying that structure is not necessary to the development of a story.
That implication could not be further from the truth.
But another truth is this: some writers simply don’t like the word “structure” and what it implies and means. They find it less than artful, antithetical to being creative, even downright offensive. Some don’t understand it. Others view it as formulaic, and thus, they reject it…
… until they don’t. And even then, they may hesitate to admit using it.
It is tempting to say that structure is always part of the writing process…
… which some writers (those same “some” writers from that prior paragraph) might construe as an intention to say that structure IS the process.
We could bat that one around all day, but here is what is unassailably true: structure is always a part of the result of the story planning and writing process… when that process works.
Which, in turn, means that it doesn’t always have to be the driving context of story development.
Every successful pantsing drafter on the planet can attest to this: they don’t give structure much thought (if any) as they begin to write, preferring to go with the flow and lose themselves in a sequence of random and unburdened imaginings that seem to be driving the whole show… they like to believe that all they’re doing is just writing it down.
That’s not true, by the way, but that’s another debate altogether.
Thing is, when that process works for a pantser – including authors who are famous and love to talk about their process in interviews, of which there are many – there is a hidden truth behind it, a sort of dirty little secret about structure that never seems to make it into the interview.
And that is… they already understand structure. They already think structurally. And not only that, they actually believe in structure, just not as part of their initial story development process.
For them, it’s simply there from square one. Like a hockey player who learned skate in grade school, they don’t spend a second thinking about skating — the essential fundamental of their game — once the puck drops. The story pours from their head onto the page in close alignment with the principles of structure, quietly and unacknowledged to their pantsing peers, which in their heart of hearts (if not their interviews) they know are required before the story will work.
All writers, no matter how they claim to develop a story, share a common goal.
They must first search for and find their best story, before they can actually engage with developing it to any degree. This includes knowing how your story will end, and how the dramatic arc plays out across several key story turns toward that ending (in essence, setting it up), and how all of it (including structure) drives character development and arc.
Again, some folks conduct this story-search using drafts – often, by necessity with this process, many of them), others through some form of fluid sequencing (flowcharts, three-by-five cards, yellow sticky notes, etc.), that leads to an outline, or at least to post-search draft that is fully informed. The process doesn’t really matter, because…
… (this being important enough to warrant its own paragraph, and these italics) the criteria for an effective story are the same no matter how you go about writing it.
That said… even when a writer reluctantly accepts that structure is a criteria for their story, if not the focus of their process, they may struggle with how to go about finding it.
Which is, by any other name, their process.
The search for story is not the same as the search for structure.
Every story is unique and different, and thus the search process has no users manual. But structure… that’s a different thing altogether, because structure is not different for every story. In fact, when viewed as a generic model, it is nearly identical in every modern successful commercial story, and it goes like this:
Hook… setup… story ignition from that setup… response and envelopment… a midpoint twist or reveal… the hero proactively engages and confronts as the antagonist ups its game… another reveal… the hero becomes a primary catalyst in the resolution of it all… the end.
So let’s put the word STRUCTURE aside for a moment…
… and ask how we might develop a story without that nasty three-act/four-part monster sucking all the air out of the writing room.
There’s another thought-model – the one that Art has put to words – that appeals to writers who prefer to address structure later in the process, allowing their unfettered creativity to go wild in the early story development phase… which is also the story search phase.
There are many types of first sparks of energy when a story initially announces itself to a writger. It can be a character, a notion or concept, a place, a thematic passion, a real-life event… none are better than another. From there, the astute writer (don’t take this one for granted) understands that one should not latch onto that first spark and simply begin writing … because – that astute writer understands – you don’t have a story yet.
In other words… an idea is not a story. Yet.
Right here is where the crowd divides, become some writers – too many writers with honorable intentions – don’t really understand what a story is, what those criteria will be that ultimately will measure its effectiveness. And so they begin writing armed with nothing more than that initial idea… which is like trying to hike Everest with a back pack and a bottle of Perrier.
So what is better than an idea? Art Holcomb has the answer.
A story process can begin with a single scene.
One of the more common and rich starting points, from whatever spark might land in your imagination, is the visualization of a scene. Very quickly you can see this whole scene in your head, you have a place for it, a player within it (often your first inspiration for your protagonist), and some notion of what happens.
You might even write this scene, fully and with the intention of using it, before you know anything else about the story. Which is fine, provided you know where you are – and aren’t – in the process… and ultimately, within the structure.
But again, set that last one aside for now, criteria-wise.
This is cause for celebration, because this initial scene might be the beginning of something big. Something that doesn’t care what or where your first plot point is, or how you are going to pull the rug out at the midpoint, or even where the scene goes, period.
All that stuff comes later… for now, you have a scene that you’d pay big money to see on the silver screen, after it appears in the bestselling novel that features it and your name on the cover.
So now what?
When you ask that question in the context of your writing process, doors fly wide open before you.
Intuitively, two questions await your attention.
First, ask yourself what happens right before this initial scene that has you salivating for more? And then, what happens after it?
In both cases you can expand quickly and intuitively expand the scope of those questions, from what happens right before/after your scene, to what happens at some point before/after your scene.
Because your beloved cornerstone scene, the one that ignites from that first spark of story inspiration, probably is not the opening scene in your story.
From this simple model, now begin imagining other scenes.
Go crazy, don’t worry about anything that smacks of structure (at least for now, that awaits down the road, and when it does it won’t be an imposition, but rather, it will be the glow-in-the-dark finishing catalyst that will take you to Hollywood). For now just come up with more scenes, doing it organically. Sting a story together. Go for stuff you’d like to see, and need to see, somewhere next to that opening scene that rocked your world.
Yes, this is story planning, but if you leave the notion of structure out of it, some pantsers put down their weapons and join the fun.
Before long an amazing thing will happen. You will begin to thirst for, if not engage with, a sense of context for the scenes you have. A purpose for them. And not long after that, you will sense where in the story any of these scenes might – should – reside.
And here’s a little secret… don’t tell your structure-loathing friends: context is good. It is always necessary. And context is… wait for it… nothing other than structure itself.
Think of these random scenes as pearls of inspiration.
When you are designing a necklace, you don’t give much thought as to which pearls go where. But with storytelling, you can’t help but address that issue, which is preceded by having a bunch of pearls waiting on the table. And yet, at the end of the day, your story is nothing if not the stringing together of a bunch of scenes, and the more sense that sequence makes, the better.
Your innate story sensibility – even if you are new at this – may begin to put those scenes into some kind of order.
And dare I say, if you become unsure, or stuck, there is a tool waiting to help out… and that is the accepted and proven story structure (three-act/four-part) paradigm itself. Not as your starting place, but as either a get-past-the-sticking-point assist, or even the golden finishing touch.
My buddy Art Holcomb, who is a Hollywood screenwriting heavyweight, wrote about this much better than I just have, in an article for Creativescreenwriting.com. Check it out, see if this appeals to your sense of whimsy, or merely your structure-phobic self.
Let’s be clear… structure is inevitable, and it’s not something you can simply make up as you go. Structure, the kind that renders stories effective and powerful, awaits. But it doesn’t care how you come to it, and it is forgiving in its willingness to take your story where it needs to be to find success when you finally do realize you need it.
It’s like a full can of gas waiting in the trunk, in case you find yourself lost with no lights on the horizon.
Until then, let the sparks fly and the pearls appear.
Sting them together, have fun with no borders or rules – really go for it, give us something we’ve never seen before. And then, when the time is right within your process, your inner storyteller and that generic structure chart you aren’t fond of staring at will combine to bring it all to life on the page.
And you will smile when you remember… it all began with a single pearl.
*****
My new writing book, “Story Fix: Transforming Your Novel from Broken to Brilliant,” is available now as a Kindle edition on Amazon.com. The trade paperback releases in a few more weeks… check back here or on Amazon if that’s your preferred format.
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September 9, 2015
An Interview with C.S. Lakin
C.S. Lakin and I have a lot in common. We are both novelists who were so inspired by the experience of writing fiction that we decided to write about that – about the craft of doing so – as well. In addition to our writing roots and our current multiple focuses, it is also worth noting that our views about craft, especially story structure, are almost mirror images.
The more you read about doing this work, the more commonality you’ll see among the folks who write about the principles that make it work. But you may also notice the occasional departure from these core tenets of craft, particularly in forums that include unpublished authors and in interviews with novelists who don’t usually write about it. When that happens, pay close attention and avoid jumping to conclusions. Because there’s a meaningful difference between being asked about process and the principles themselves… the later applies to any and all processes, and too often those waters are muddied by folks who aren’t qualified to discuss it in a context to easily misinterpreted and credible advice.
When C.S. Lakin talks about writing, stop everything and take notes. She’s a sure thing, in an avocation and profession that offers very little with that description.
LB: Your book, “The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction” was published in February. By my count that was your fifth writing craft book, all of them within one year of each other. Does this signify a complete switch to craft from writing novels?
CSL: Not at all. Earlier this year I wrote and published my third novel in my Front Range Western romance series—Wild Secret, Wild Longing (pen name Charlene Whitman), and I had two other novels come out last year. I have planned a number of novels to write as soon as I find time. But working almost full-time as a writing coach and copyeditor makes it hard to carve out time for writing anything, including blog posts.
LB: You’ve been writing fiction over the last few years. What is the status of your fiction writing work presently, and looking forward? Where is your heart, on that issue (I ask because my heart and mind are in different places when it comes to balancing fiction with writing about craft)?
CSL: I’m not sure what you mean by status, but I love to write stories, as well as help writers write theirs. So I try to balance my time (somehow) so that I get that joy and fulfillment of immersing myself into crafting stories. If I can get one or two novels written a year, that usually satisfies that craving. But if I go too long without story creation, I get antsy and restless. I think a lot of writers feel this way. It’s not so much an addiction as a need. A need to nurture and express our creativity and imagination through some form of media (and this of course applies to any of the arts). It helps me to alternate project types. I’ll work on a writing craft book for my Writer’s Toolbox series, then once that’s done, I dive into a novel.
LB: How do you handle writers who push back on the key principles of craft, which are consistent across your books, my books, and other craft authors like James Scott Bell and even Donald Maass?
CSL: Well, I tell writers they can do whatever they want. It’s their book. But that doesn’t mean anyone will like it or that it will sell at all. As you know, I’m very adamant about structure, and probably swing way to the “right” (just picking a random direction here for example) about plotting. I personally feel no one can write a terrific novel just by winging it (“pantsing”) and those who claim to never plot actually do so in their head. Seasoned “pantsers” have had so much experience writing novels that although they may not plot out their story in detail ahead of time, they know structure so well from experience, they utilize it all the same.
LB: I critique more than two hundred manuscripts a year (as well as edit dozens). I see the same problems over and over, and for the most part the biggest flaw in 90% of these manuscripts is the lack of structure. While we “craft” teachers vary on terminology and some of the minor methods and approaches to structure, I feel we all are basically saying the same thing when it comes to core structure. Whether a writer chooses a three-act structure or a five-act one, structure is there and has to hold up. I’m very adamant in my critiques about structure, and often encourage writers to go back to the concept stage and work out of the kinks in concept before tackling a rewrite.
Speaking of the secret club of those who write “how to” books on fiction (I won’t reveal the secret handshake if you won’t), why does the world need another writing book? “I ask this with all humility, since my new one comes out in October, and I find myself asking the same question.
CSL: Larry, your books have your unique take on writing craft. I’ve read dozens of writing craft books, and while many overlap in some of the things they cover, each author brings to the craft table his unique outlook, personality, and method. My aim when writing and publishing a craft book is to present, perhaps, a little bit different way or seeing or approaching writing fiction. I would never want to just rehash what is already out there, and I try to incorporate what I’ve personally struggled with as well as what I see are big problems in many manuscripts. I want to help writers avoid making the same dumb mistakes I made as a beginning writer. I wish I’d had someone like me—or you or James Bell or Donald Maass—to work with me and show me how to improve and what I was doing wrong. I never even thought about using structural planning for my novels until recent years.
So, yes, writers need more writing craft books—better ones, ones that open up new methods and ideas and ways of looking at craft, ones that tackle writing issues from another angle, ones that give concrete examples of what works and doesn’t . I created Shoot Your Novel when I discovered not one blog or craft book in existence taught novelists how to utilize cinematic technique in a practical manner. Sure there were a few resources that taught film structure, but nothing about crafting scenes with a series of camera shots. Or using image systems. So Shoot Your Novel fills a unique niche and writers continually tell me how it’s radically changed the way they structure their scenes.
The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction grew out of the desire to simplify the novel creating process. To me, the hardest part of writing a novel is taking all those great character, plot, and scene ideas and then shape it into a strong story. I also developed this method of working on the first four key corner pillars first before moving forward in plotting out a novel. This ties in with much of what you teach about idea and concept, and yet it’s different. Our terminology is different, but to me, we both get writers to the same place in the end. A place that showcases a strongly structured story.
In addition, I put together a comprehensive unique workbook for The 12 Key Pillars. I want writers to be able to start with their random idea and develop it all the way to completely fleshed-out novel idea. I did something I haven’t seen in workbooks—I can up with an idea and then answered all the brainstorming questions for my idea alongside the sections the writer uses for her idea. I included a dozen or so mind maps I created for my “novel” to show ways writers can generate and link together components of their story.
So, when we craft writers find new, helpful ways of presenting structure that will help writers write great novels, there is certainly room “on the shelf” for one more writing craft book.
If forced to boil it down, among all the stellar writing tips and truisms out there, what is the single most empowering and eternal fiction writing tip you would give?
Approach becoming a novelist as you would any other career. Becoming an expert or proficient in any vocation takes hard work. Like Malcolm Gladwell explains in Outliers, it takes a good 10,000 hours to become great at something. Writing is no different. Writers, for some reason, think that since they’ve read a lot of novels they can just sit down and pump out a perfect story, no problem. But that’s like someone wanting to be a surgeon reading a few books about surgery or watching a few TV shows striding into an operating room and asking for a scalpel to operate on a patient.
Okay, it’s not that extreme, but I hope the point is clear. If you want to write great novels, roll up your sleeves and be prepared for some really hard work. Book work (study) and footwork (application). In this world of fast food and “I want it now,” aspiring writers need to yank on the reins and slow down. Take your time to learn the craft, put it to practice, and get professional feedback and instruction. It’s a journey, not a destination.
LB: Do you still have a Big Novel in your head that somehow isn’t making it to the page, and if so, what’s the roadblock?
CSL: I have about six of them at this point. The roadblock? Absolutely no time. But I’ll get to them at some point.
LB: Who do you read for inspiration, entertainment, or both?
CSL: I read widely. I love Westerns (like Zane Grey), good best sellers of any genre (except erotica), a good mystery. I often read based on a friend’s recommendation, and I read a lot of my author friends’ books because I want to support what they’re publishing and encourage them. Right now I’m reading a few friends’ novels, and one of Walter Moer’s crazy books. Mostly my reading comes via audiobook as I’m driving in the car because, as with writing, I have little time for recreational reading. And it’s a nice break for my eyes (since I’m usually editing 6-8 hours a day). I just finished listening to Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons, and that was great fun. However, it’s hard for me not to edit or dissect structure when I read or listen to any books. Curse of the vocation.
LB: Everything has changed drastically over the past five years. Where are you on the issue of self-publishing versus the traditional treadmill (which itself bears little resemblance to what it was as little as five years ago)?
CSL: Just about every author I know (including me) who has been traditionally published (even highly successful ones) is now self-publishing. I understand why some writers want to get that traditional contract, and I don’t oppose that in any way. But I do feel it has a price. And that price is mostly time. Are you willing to wait years to land an agent? And then wait more years to (maybe, if you’re lucky), get a publishing contract? And if that book does come out, are you willing to do all the marketing and promotion yourself (since the publisher won’t)? Even though I had six different agents working hard over twenty-five years to get me published, they never got me a contract. I sold nine books to three traditional publishers by pitching to them at conferences (one picked me up via Twitter).
There are tons of blog posts online that discuss this topic (my blog included), so writers trying to decide which way to go have lots they can read about this. I think there will always be traditionally published books, but it’s getting harder for a writer to get a contract, and rarely will a publisher do much to promote. That golden ring is getting so small and dangling so far away, it’s almost as hard to grasp it as it is to win the lottery, it seems.
Personally, I feel this is a great time to be a novelist, and I love the way the self-publishing world is developing and opening so many opportunities for writers. The Internet has made it so convenient and easy for writers to get their books out to readers. It’s a crazy world to navigate through, but I love it.
LB: Your website doesn’t reveal much beyond 2014. Are you booking any live events these days?
CSL: I have a few things planned. I usually teach at some conferences here and there, and I just held my first small writers’ retreat at South Lake Tahoe (CA) last week and it was terrific! I love getting together with writers and teaching them. So I do hope to teach at a few conferences next year, but I limit that since I have little writing time as is, and have a cute grandson that I babysit each week. Priorities!
LB: You are a very spiritual, perhaps even religious person, which I admire. In what ways does your writing connect you with that aspect of life, if any?
My faith is intrinsic to who I am. I don’t feel writers of any religious persuasion should “dump” their faith on their readers, but I do believe that our views, character, personality, and beliefs find ways into our stories. We write from who we are. I’ve written novels for both the general and the Christian market, but I try to write great stories that look at human flaws. Some of my books have characters that struggle with faith, among other things, but I don’t want to use my novels as a platform to preach. Some of my themes also deal with faith. But overall my objective is to create complex, compelling characters that are realistic, human, vulnerable. And that often includes questioning belief and purpose in life.
On a personal note, my relationship with God is the most important part of my life and who I am, and I rely heavily on God to move, lead, direct, and inspire me in my writing. I realize all my creativity is a gift from him and I want to use it in a way that will honor that gift, as well as the giver.
*****
S. Lakin is a multipublished novelist and writing coach. She works full-time as a copyeditor and critiques about two hundred manuscripts a year. She teaches writing workshops and gives instruction on her award-winning blog Live Write Thrive.
The latest book in The Writer’s Toolbox Series—The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction—shows writers how to take an idea and turn it into a compelling concept, then construct all the needed components to build a solid novel. The companion workbook with hundreds of brainstorming questions, inspection checklists, and lots of bonus materials will take the pain out of novel construction.
Just released—the second edition of Say What? The Fiction Writer’s Handy Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage—is designed to help writers get a painless grasp on grammar. You can buy it in print or as an ebook. Also available on Nook, Apple iTunes, Kobo, and other online venues.
Want to connect with Susanne? You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.
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August 29, 2015
Story Fix: Transform Your Novel from Broken to Brilliant
Nothing is ever precise about the “release date” of a new book. It can end up in a bookstore two weeks before the prophesied “Official Release Date,” or because of the whims of booksellers, gather dust in a back room for weeks before they get around to putting it out on the shelves.
Same with the release of a Kindle edition versus a hard copy edition, which in my case, with my new writing book, “Story Fix: Transform Your Novel From Broken to Brilliant, “officially out” in October, but is actually available now — as in, you can get it on your Kindle right now — in its digital/ebook edition.
Many of you reading this site are here because of one or both of my previous writing books. Some of you are new here, and have yet to give my writing books a shot. Either way, this new book — which was named by the publisher (Writers Digest Books) in honor of, and to leverage, this website and its online brand — is already getting a bit of buzz… please go to Amazon.com and at least read the blurbs from names far more famous than mine who are talking it up. (The first two blurbs, from Robert Dugoni and Joe Moore, are embedded in the introductory copy just to the right of the image, the others are below the subhead “Editorial Reviews,” a bit further down the page.)
I’ll be posting more about this as the trade paperback edition release nears, but for now, just know that I wrote this book with the bold objective of creating a writing book unlike anything I’ve ever done, or anything anyone else has ever done. It’s a book about you, the writer, as much as the manuscript that torments you, because at the end of the day it’s what we believe about storytelling and the ways in which our own process either serves us or compromises our goals that define the likelihood of our success.
If you think you’ve heard it all before, perhaps you have. But I’m guessing you’ve never read about it in quite this way. The book is billed as being about “revision,” but actually it’s a more literal effort to “fix” your story, which can and should happen before, during and after your first draft, as well as drafts that have come back to you as rejected or poorly reviewed by your peers.
The book might just be what you’re looking for to take your writing to the next level.
Maybe even change your writing life entirely. If you think that’s just me, executing the 101-level self-marketing we are constantly told is required… again, please go to Amazon.com and read those endorsements (blurbs), who say it much more clearly and enthusiastically than I dare attempt.
By the way, the Foreword was contributed by superstar writing guru Michael Hauge (Google him if that name is new to you), who taught the first writing workshop I ever attended, long before many of you were born.
That sort of full circle connection is only one of the reasons this new book is the one I was born to write, with everything that’s come before it — two bestselling writing books, six critically-acclaimed novels, over 800 blog posts here and over 1000 elsewhere, and a few dozen ebooks and ghostwritten projects — leading me toward the point of view and refreshingly unpredictable approach that the book describes in detail.
I’ll be posting Michael’s Foreword and a few sample chapters over the next couple of months, in case you’re not convinced. But if you are – and I hope you’ve learned to trust my perspective on writing fiction that works — the book is available to you right now, as a Kindle edition.
If you’re not a Kindle person and prefer your writing books in hard copy so you can mark them up (or toss them at someone, you never know), the paperback is available for pre-order HERE, with the release date still slated for October.
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