Larry Brooks's Blog, page 21

Why You Should Be Mercilessly Hacking Apart Your Favorite Stories

A guest post by K.M. Weiland

You shouldn’t be reading this blog.

No, seriously. As awesome as Larry’s blog is and as generous as he is for sharing his story sense with all of us, this is not the place to learn how to write a story.

(This is the part where Larry kicks me off his site and vows to never invite me on the premises again.)

But, actually, I’m not just picking on Larry. You shouldn’t be reading my blog either or the how-to books of any of your favorite authors. Not if they’re preventing you from paying attention to what’s really going to teach you how to write.

And where, you ask, do you find this magic font of all storytelling wisdom?

That’s easy. In stories.

Reading for Pleasure? Don’t You Dare!

If that heading is giving you goosepimply feelings of horror, you’re not alone. When I first confronted the idea of purposefully analyzing (aka hacking apart) favorite stories in order to figure out how they ticked, I immediately came down with a case of the shrinkie-winkies. What kind of a horrible suggestion is that? Why would I want to ruin my beautiful experiences with these wonderful stories? If I was to look too closely at the specific clockwork that made these stories run, wouldn’t I lose forever the stories’ unspoken magic?

We’re all aware that becoming a writer changes a person. For one thing, we’re no longer able to read a book without being aware of what’s going on behind the scenes. Stories we might have enjoyed in our pre-writing days are now chucked in the garbage because the POV head-hopped in Chapter 3. Some of us become so hyper-aware of writing mistakes in other people’s books that the whole act of reading ceases to be enjoyable.

So why on earth would you want to purposefully hack apart your favorite stories? Is the knowledge you’ll gain really worth whatever magic you’ll lose? And, for that matter, what does “analyze” even mean? How is it different from just reading the darn book?

You Don’t Have to Trade Magic for Knowledge

My own resistance to the idea of deliberately analyzing stories came to screeching halt when I was asked to write Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic. I set to work hacking apart this classic story, knowing I’d (better) come up with some great insights into what has made it so enduringly beloved by readers.

But would I lose the magic?

After analyzing a story in such microscopic detail, would I ever be able to look at it in the same way? Would I still see the heart and soul? Or would I open its covers and discover nothing but the sliced and diced cadaver on which I’d performed an autopsy?

Really, what this question comes down to is: if you think about a story too logically, will you still be emotionally moved by it? The answer surprised me.

The more time I spent with that story, digging through its treasures, figuring out why it ticked, and learning its secrets, the more I loved it. Who’da thunk? I didn’t appreciate the magic show less for glimpsing the truth behind the magician’s illusions. I appreciated it more.

The great lesson here is that our writer’s brain should always be humming. And we should love that it’s humming. Don’t regret that you noticed that headhop in Chapter 3. See it for what it is, analyze its effect on your reading experience, and keep reading.

Analyzing Stories 101

Now that we’ve established that analyzing stories isn’t just painless, but fun, how about we figure out how to analyze them to our best benefit? Here’s how I approached Jane Eyre:

1. Choose the book.

You can (and should) analyze every story. But for the purposes for the in-depth kind of analysis we’re talking about here, you’ll find the greatest application in choosing a book with which you’re already familiar. Choose one you love. After all, you want to figure out what the author did to make you love it. If you haven’t read it lately, you might want to flip through the book, read its Cliff Notes, or watch a movie adaptation just to refresh your memory. You want to know where the story is going so you’ll be able to recognize how the author is setting up key elements.

2. Buy a copy you can mark up.

You’re going to be making a mess of the book, so you don’t want to use that calfskin-covered first edition that’s been handed down through your family. Buy a cheap paperback from the secondhand store, one with large print and wide margins if you can find it.

3. Select your study topics.

You may choose to study everything about a story, or you may find it more useful to focus on specific elements, such as structure, dialogue, or character development. Write a list of your topics and assign each a highlighter color. Keep the list in the front of the book for easy reference while reading.

4. Divide the book structurally.

Even if you’re not deliberately studying story structure on this pass, I highly recommend starting out by identifying the approximate placement of the major plot markers in the book. Doing so will allow you to easily orient yourself within the timeline of the story and help you see how various elements work differently at specific structural moments in the story. Since you know the major plot points occur at the 25%, 50%, and 75% (with the climax starting approximately halfway through the Third Act), divide the book into fourths and write the appropriate plot point number at each of the quarter marks. Dogear the pages for easy reference.

5. Highlight and annotate.

Now you’re ready to start reading. But you’re not just reading. You’re on a treasure hunt for the story elements on your highlight list. Whenever you find a hidden gem of structural insight, foreshadowing, snappy dialogue, or character development, stop right there. Refer to your color-code cheat sheet in the front of the book and highlight accordingly. Consciously iterate your discoveries by writing yourself notes, either in the margins or in a separate notebook (noting the page number, of course).

6. Bonus: Type up your thoughts.

Really, those five steps are all you need to know about hacking up your favorite story. But if you want to take this whole thing to the next level, type up your notes when you’re finished. Better yet, expound on those notes. Write a blog post about your notes. The more fully you can explain your discoveries to yourself, the better you’ll understand them and the more likely they will be to stick in your brain for the long term.

The subconscious osmosis of simply reading or watching stories is a powerful way to learn. Logically exploring story technique through blogs such as this one (yeah, I sorta exaggerated in that first paragraph) is a great way to consciously cement those unconscious lessons. But the single best way to learn how to mimic the masters is to learn from them.

*****

K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso. She is the IPPY and NIEA Award-winning and internationally published author of the Amazon bestsellers Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel. She writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in western Nebraska and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

 

 

 

Why You Should Be Mercilessly Hacking Apart Your Favorite Stories is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

The post Why You Should Be Mercilessly Hacking Apart Your Favorite Stories appeared first on Storyfix.com.

A “Story Engineering” Success Story: One Writer’s Journey Into Craft

An Interview with James Williams

A guest post by Jennifer Williams

I’ve been writing fiction since I was a kid. Now, I’m a writing coach by day and a writer by night (and sometimes also a writer by day and a writing coach by night). But I never had anyone else in my family with the same desire as me: to write a novel.

So I was really surprised a few years ago when my father-in-law, Jim, told me he was writing a novel. He had an idea for a story and he ran with it, sitting down right away to get started writing.

As soon as he told me this news, I immediately jumped on Amazon and ordered him a copy of Larry’s book, Story Engineering. (It’s my belief that anyone who wants to write a novel must read this book. I wish it had existed back when I tried writing my first novels.)

In the note I sent with the book, I let Jim know that reading it would shave years off his novel-writing journey.

All I can say is, I was right.

Not only did he use the knowledge in Story Engineering to write a kick-ass story, but he even landed himself a publishing deal.

I’ll let him tell you the rest…

1. When did you write your first novel? (And is it the same novel that’s being published?)

The book [that’s being published] is my first full-length novel, although I wrote a shorter novella just prior to this book. I completed the novella in August of 2012—it took about two months to write.

I began writing my current novel in September of that same year, and it took about five months to write.

I work two jobs, about 70 hours a week, and write in my spare time.

2. Did you have a plan ahead of time or did you just sit down and write the story?

With the novella, I had no plan. I just wrote it like I was telling a story.

Of course, it may have been a good story idea, but it was a lousy book.

3. How did reading Story Engineering change the course of you writing your novel? What actions did you take after reading the book?

I read Story Engineering while I was writing the novella and it changed my whole approach to writing my novel. The elements explained in Story Engineering made a lot of sense to me.

I realized every book or story I had ever read contained all of those elements. I just never knew what they were called or how critical they are to a good book.

I wrote my novel using an outline that included the Hook, the Pinch Points and the Plot Points. I filled everything in around those items and it made it easy to write the book.

4. How much work did you have to put into the post-draft rewrites of the novel in order to make it publishable?

Because I am a novice writer, my first draft was not written particularly well. Of course I didn’t know it at the time, but the first draft lacked detail and emotion; it was robotic.

Over a three-month period, I sent out queries to about 30 agents with no success at all. I received form rejection letters, daily. So I got feedback from some relatives and I knew it wasn’t good enough.

Without changing the critical elements of the outline, I rewrote the book from the beginning, adding more detailed descriptions and trying to give the reader an idea of what the characters were feeling.

You can do that forever, but I wanted to cap the book at around 80,000 words, because everything I read about agents and publishers said a first novel should not be longer than 80,000 words.

5. How did you find your current publisher?

After the first rewrite, I sent out another 20 or so queries. Still, all I heard back was, “sorry.”

At this point everyone who read the book said it was good, but I wasn’t having any luck selling it.

So I changed the query letter and kept plugging along, sending out a handful of letters every week, and every week receiving a handful of rejection letters in my mailbox.

Eventually, the improved query letter began to pay off and I had a couple of publishers ask for a manuscript.

One day, almost a year after sending out the first query, I was feeling pretty low. I felt like I was banging my head against a wall and getting nowhere.

That evening, I opened my e-mail to find a letter from a publisher, complete with an attached contract for my novel.

James Williams’ debut novel will be available in 2015.

The moral of the story: follow Larry’s Story Engineering principles, write a story that’s publishable.

About the Author: Jennifer Blanchard is an author and writing coach who helps emerging novelists take their stories from idea to draft, without fear, distractions or disorganization. Grab a copy of her free eGuide + workbook: Write Better Stories  (there’s a story structure cheat sheet involved).

A “Story Engineering” Success Story: One Writer’s Journey Into Craft is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

The post A “Story Engineering” Success Story: One Writer’s Journey Into Craft appeared first on Storyfix.com.

China, Free Stuff, a New Book Announcement, and a Quick Word About “Battered Bastards”

I’m heading to Beijing next week…

… to help launch the Chinese release of  “Story Engineering,” and to teach a workshop on how writing is taught in the States.  Which is a favorite topic of mine… I promise to be nice.

I thought I’d share a couple of things here on Storyfix that might provide a little nugget of clarity or inspiration for anyone looking for an edge.  A perspective on how we write, and why, is as valuable as biochemistry is to a surgeon, so here you go.

First, here are the slides for a 10-minute introductory presentation on that topic.  There are 14 of  ‘em, I’ll have to talk fast.  Given the fact that I’ll be using an interpreter, that should be interesting.

Click here: China 10-minute INTRO

Here, too, is the synopsis (shown below) about the workshop, which I think captures the context of my work on a broad level, including both writing books, this website and my workshops:

“Larry Brooks, author of “Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Effective Writing ,” will share his views on what constitutes effective storytelling — the true nature of “story” itself — and the criteria, benchmarks and processes that combine to bring it about. He views the “sweet spot” of writing a great story as a twofold proposition: the inherent appeal and power of the integrated concept, premise and dramatic proposition of the story itself, and the means by which the story is developed through what he calls a “search” phase, which is the first of three distinct contexts of story development.

Brooks contends that the degree to which authors realize which of those three phases they are in at any given point in the writing process dictates the efficacy of the draft they are currently working on, and the potential effectiveness that will result from it.  Too many writers “settle” on a draft that is not fully optimized (developed to its fullest dramatic potential).  While recognizing that story development is a continuum, with blind drafting on one end and working from a tight outline on the other (with an acknowledgement that most writers end up moving around on that continuum as they go), Brooks contends that drafting is no different than outlining when viewed as a “story search and development” mode, that drafting is merely just another means of “searching for and fleshing out” the story, and in that context, no different than the goals of the outliner.  The outcome of either process is dependent upon not “settling” until the most effective story has been fleshed out, following by a phase in which optimization is the focus. The more one understands about the inherent components, structures, core competencies and story physics involved — as opposed to just “winging it,” or writing by the seat of one’s pants — the more efficient this process becomes at all points on that continuum.

Brooks says this approach and the “Six Core Competencies” model upon which it is built, is a recasting of universal truths about storytelling, rather than an advocacy of one developmental approach over another.  Both can work, both are challenging, and both are often mishandled.  Yet all writing methodologies, when they work, end up in the exact same place.  Nonetheless, the criteria, benchmarks, structures and narrative forces (what he calls “story physics”) that define effectiveness are rarely taught as a direct process goal.  His book, “Story Engineering,” recasts the writing process itself in context to these principles, thus making the “craft” of storytelling not only more easily accessible to authors, but empowering to the final draft of a story, as well.”

All of this is true for screenwriting, as well.  Story is story, in any form.

Announcement: My New Writing Book from Writers Digest Books!

I’ve just signed my third book contract with FW Publishing, the company that operates Writers Digest Books.  The new project, which will be released sometime late in 2015 is entitled:

“Story Fix: Transform Your Manuscript From Broken to Brilliant in Just One Draft“

 The approach will provide criteria-based benchmarks not only for the revision of a novel or screenplay, but for the creation of a first draft, as well.  While there’s no getting around the contextual relevance of the six realms of story physics and the Six Core Competencies that create the toolbox for rendering them onto paper, this book will be process-focused, with analytical tools to help assess where a writer is on the various qualitative scales that become the heart and essence of the story.  It’s so easy to focus on one to the neglect of the others, and yet, when a draft finally works at a professional level, that finished whole reads as something in excess of the sum of those parts, perfectly balanced and blended, touching the heart and mind of readers.

It’s no accident when that happens. Even when their authors claim that it is, or at least, that something “bigger than themselves” intervened.  That doesn’t happen, either.

Fact is, it’s damn hard to make happen… which is why less than one percent of submitted manuscripts end up getting published.  This book extends beyond the entry-level prerequisites and the composition of the combined skill sets necessary to play at that level… this is about how to fluidly blend them within a seamless story architecture that takes on a life of its own, and how to recognize where you are on that path.

More on this project as it develops.

“The Battered Bastards of Baseball”

Long ago… I mean a long time ago… I played baseball for a living, and in pursuit of a dream.  I spent five years traveling among three different minor leagues, playing for eight different professional teams.

One of them was the 1974 Portland Mavericks, which was a remarkable experiment in baseball management that shook the entire baseball world to its core.  I had just been released by the Texas Rangers organization, and landed on the Mavericks in my hometown, a team owned by Bing Russell, an actor straight out of central casting and the father of legitimate movie star Kurt Russell (who later played for the Mavericks, as well).

Two of Russell’s grandchildren have produced an award-winning documentary on the team, which will make you laugh, cry and marvel at how a team of misfits and rejects and wannabes managed to beat the pants off of teams full of bonus babies and prospects, while making the baseball establishment blush and scramble.

It’s called “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” and it’s now available exclusively on Netflix.

If you’re looking for me in there… I’m in two shots, one a still photo of the 1974 team (I’m the dark haired guy in the middle of the back row), the other a live shot, where I am seen behind someone being interviewed, apparently comforting a distraught teammate, or asking him for a dance, it’s not clear which… weird, but there I am).  I was the starting pitcher for the second game of that season, then was traded to another independent team in Vancouver B.C., playing against the Mavericks that season.

Check it out if you like baseball stories, or come-from-behind stories, or want to see what dreams look like when they are born, when they fight to survive, and when they change you forever.  You’ll be blown away at what’s there.

My first published piece of writing was about my experiences in professional baseball (for Scholastic Magazine, in 1977).  So for me, the dreams connect, and the intersection is right there, in this documentary.

 

 

 

 

 

China, Free Stuff, a New Book Announcement, and a Quick Word About “Battered Bastards” is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

The post China, Free Stuff, a New Book Announcement, and a Quick Word About “Battered Bastards” appeared first on Storyfix.com.

Turning Novels into Screenplays – Part 2

Part 2 (of 2) of a Guest Post by Art Holcomb

Click HERE to review Part 1… then hurry back here for the pay-off.

*****

Welcome back!

We’re talking today about adapting novels into screenplays. Last time, we talked about the basics of the art of adaptation that I use with my students and professional clients. Today, let’s dive right into the meat of the subject – actually writing the screenplay.

#1 – Getting ready to write:

• You need to identify and write out the Story Beats, using Larry’s model of the story (see previous Story Fix posts on these points). This will help you see the novel as a whole unit. Every screenwriter has to be INTIMATELY familiar with the structure of the story, perhaps more so than a novelist because of the limited size of the screenplay.

• Now it’s time to sketch out the Character Arcs for the Main Characters. Pay particular attention to these three questions:

o What does each character want? (Goals)

o What/Who is standing in his/her way? (Obstacles)

o What will happen if they don’t get it? (Stakes)

Understanding the motivation of the characters is paramount. Remember: character and plot are two side of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other.

• Now for a bit of fun. Take one of the copies of the book you bought and start tearing it apart. Identify the parts that you want to use and put those pages in one pile, and take the remainder and set it aside. During this process, you are asking yourself whether you need any specific diversion, back story or deeper character development. At the end, you will have the skeleton of the adaptation in your hand. Don’t be surprised if it is very small – remember the limited word count of a screenplay.

#2 – The Writing Process:

• Your first draft will be overwritten, perhaps by a lot. Don’t worry. The single most important thing in the entire adaptation process is this: Get the First Draft DONE!! Remember – Nothing can ever be made better until it is first on the page.

• As in novel writing, the second draft is all about the cutting. Use all your skills here.

• Next, give it to someone you trust to read. Pay particular attention to where they say the movie fails to make sense or drags – these can be the most important bit of info anyone can ever give you.

(NOTE *** Larry can be a great help here. Just as you would send him your outline or first draft of a novel, the same rules for structure apply to a screenplay. Larry has an extensive knowledge of film structure as well and he can review your work and keep you on the right track. Email him for particulars: storyfixer@gmail.com.)

• A table read is the next step and can be a lot of fun. Gather some of your friends and have them read through the screenplay aloud. You can gain valuable insight by hearing the words out loud read in a voice other than your own. Listen closely to their comments as well.

• Here’s a key lesson I’ve learned about the final draft. Remember that, regardless of the size of your audience, every screenplay is a communication between just two people: the writer and a lone reader. Always write directly to one person – this will keep your writing intimate and personal, a real advantage when you send it out to busy agents and producers.

#3 – After the final draft:

• Now it’s time to register your work with the Writer’s Guild of America (www.wga.org). Like a copyright, a WGA Registration can protect your work against claims of theft. Remember to show the work as an adaptation and credit the source material’s author CLEARLY and often. That can help keep you out of trouble down the road – believe me!

After this is the step you’ve been waiting for (admit it) – Selling the screenplay – but that is the subject of more than one blog post.

Remember that this is just a brief overview. There are some excellent books on the subject as well as wonderful classes available on the process.

Adaptation can be a great deal of fun and is a good way to enter the world of screenwriting. Never be afraid to give this a try, but remember to choose a work for which you have a real passion. And drop Larry or I a line and let us know how it goes.

And above all, always keep writing!

Art

Art Holcomb is a screenwriter and instructor. His most recent play is THE PERFECT BRACKET and his new TV pilot is entitled THE STREWN.

Turning Novels into Screenplays – Part 2 is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

The post Turning Novels into Screenplays – Part 2 appeared first on Storyfix.com.

Turning Your Novel into a Screenplay, Part 1

A guest post by Art Holcomb

In June, I’m speaking at the Greater Los Angeles Writer’s Conference on how to adapt a novel into a screenplay and I’m really looking forward to it. A good part of my practice, both with students and professionals, comes from taking a story from one form and telling it in a different form so as to increase both its sales potential and the fan base of my writers. This is the nature of a burgeoning field called transmedia, which offer writers like you a multitude of possible ways to get your stories out there.

Since most of you are novelists and want to find a greater audience for your ideas, I wanted share the highlights of my talk and experiences with you.

So, today, let’s go over the things you need to know before you start screenwriting – and next time, we’ll dive into the actual process of adaptation.

#1: Basic Understanding:

• A screenplay is a VERY DIFFERENT THING than a novel. First of all, screenwriting is a minimalist form, taking roughly 5000 word to tell a two-hour story. The main challenge of adaptation lies in the fact that novels contain between 5 -20 times more information on theme, mood, setting, plot and character development than a film ever could (regardless of what Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings might have you believe). Your job as an adapter is to find the gems moments and quotes within the story that bring forward the real voice and essence of its characters and plot.

• Movies are very much a VISUAL MEDIUM and screenwriting really only has dialogue and description as tools to tell any story. The exciting part here is that film has so many ways of communication your message even within those constraints– through visual action, sounds, music, and cinematography – that you can actually discover new ways to bring your story to life.

• Structure is paramount – so learn all you can: Here is where you, as reader of StoryFix, have an incredible advantage: the principles of structure that Larry teaches in Story Physics, Story Engineering and the great posts here online, contain everything you need to know to get started. Learn and embrace Larry’s concepts of plot points, pinches, set-up, confrontation and resolution and you’ll be farther along than 99% of other adaptors at this point.

• Invest in some good screenwriting software: The film industry currently likes the FINAL DRAFT and MOVIE MAKER products, but you can find others to your liking as well. These programs make the screenplay form easy to emulate and many have apps built-in that make the process simple. They can cost a couple hundred dollars but are well worth it, because bad or incorrect format – usually found when writers try to use programs like WORD to write their screenplays – can get your work tossed out by script readers after the first few pages.

• Read lots of scripts: Just as reading novels makes you a better novelist, reading scripts will incredibly improve your chances of success as a screenwriter. Learn as much as you can about the art – I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. A great place to start is at Scott Myer’s site gointothestory.blcklst.com which not only has more than 80 free screenplays for you to download and study but also many hundreds of pages of great advice on the craft.

• Watch lots of movies: A love of movies can be the single most important part of being a good screenwriter. It always comes out in the writing! A good practice: watch any single movie a couple of time: once for pure enjoyment and then again with a critical eye for structure and content.

#2 – Securing the Rights:

• I suspect that most of you are interested in adapting your own novel into a screenplay. If so – no problems. US Copyright laws grant you the right to do so, no different than your right to write the novel in the first place . But if you want to adapt someone else’s novel, you’ll need to execute an OPTION or PURCHASE AGEEEMENT with them to do so. They’re not complex documents and I can write about in another post if there’s interest, or you can contact me directly at alh.andromeda@gmail.com for more information.

#3 – Do Your Prep Work:

When I get ready to do an adaptation, I start with the following:

• Buy or get ahold of at least three (3) copies of the book. You’re going to physically cut a couple of them up, discarding the sections that you can’t use in the screenplay, and keeping what remains for the next step.

• Read the book at least twice, even if you are the author – you want to look at the material as if you were seeing it for the first time. This is essential, because the mind will fill in parts of any story that you’re intimately familiar with. You need to see the material for what it is – something you have permission to mold and shaped into something new but with the same spirit and feeling of the original.

• Close your eyes and ask yourself “What is this story really about?” As you go through the book, think about what is the core story that you’re trying to tell and what will not translate well onto the screen. Always be thinking about what you can cut.

• Remember, film is a visual medium. Pay particular attention to the passages in the novel that describe strong visual moments – these gems will likely make up some of the vital structural parts of the film. I personally find that most authors have painted great visuals for the Inciting Incident, Midpoint, Act Turns and Climaxes, in part because these are the target point of the acts.

That’s it for now. Next time we’ll briefly go into that actual process of writing the screenplay. Remember that this is just a brief overview. There are some excellent books on the subject as well as wonderful classes available on the process.

See you next time.

Art

Art Holcomb is a screenwriter and instructor. His most recent play is THE PERFECT BRACKET and his new TV pilot is entitled THE STREWN.

 

Turning Your Novel into a Screenplay, Part 1 is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

The post Turning Your Novel into a Screenplay, Part 1 appeared first on Storyfix.com.

Case Study: This is What SUCCESS Looks Like

I’m delighted to share a WIN this time.   A middle-grade Young Adult novel in the making.

Can we learn from a case study that models a solid grasp of concept, premise and the First Plot Point?  That sets up a story with the inherent dramatic tension and drama, conceptual appeal and heroic arc that will result in a manuscript that has a genuine shot out there?

Of course we can.  The more you know about these principles, the quicker you’ll recognize them at work in this writer’s responses to my Kick-Start Concept/Premise Analysis process.

What to Notice

Notice how he nails the concept, that it isn’t yet a premise, which is exactly how it should be.  It defines a compelling notion, a proposition, an arena, that offers up a rich story landscape.  Any number of stories could be written from this concept – the hallmark of a great concept, by the way — without actually going there… yet.

First things first, we should establish why readers will want to jump into this story world.  Concept is where that happens. Young readers will be drawn to this idea, even before a protagonist and a dramatic arc enter the picture.

This is the type of pitch that sells the story, even before telling the story.

Then, when he spins it again with a “what if?” context added, look what happens to it then: it begins to grow into a dramatic proposition, unlocking the potential for drama, yet remains focused on the conceptual energy that will drive it.

Then, check out his premise.  It’s solid.  Bullet proof.  This opinion from a guy (me) with plenty of bullets at the ready.

Notice how clean and simple, even how short, these answers are.  And yet, the story itself isn’t simplistic.  This what happens when a writer really understands what the CORE STORY is, and why it will work.  If you need paragraphs to simply deliver a snapshot of the story world and its hero’s quest, you’re not ready to write it.

Notice how perfectly positioned the story is for its identified reader demographic.  Just the right level of fantasy, just the right nuance of theme and adventure.

Check it out here: Model Concept and Premise Document.

Many thanks to this writer for allowing me to share his work.  It’s inspiring, I hope you agree.

And, as we work on our own stories at the Big Picture level — precisely where we should start, by the way — it becomes a model of what success looks like.  I say… bravo.

It’s no accident, either, that this author is an established pro in the field of middle grade/YA television programming, and at the big league level (if you have kids, then his shows have been in your home).  I’ll let him introduce himself here, in the comment thread, if he chooses…  but it illustrates a point: knowledge begets success, because knowledge is required.

*****

Would you like your story concept, premise and major dramatic spine evaluated, using this same Questionnaire?  Click HERE to learn how.  I guarantee you, it’s the best $95 investment in your story, in the three to 24 months it will take you to tell it, that you’ll find anywhere in the industry.

Because if it doesn’t work here, there is no chance it’ll work when spread out over 400 pages of your draft.  That, too, is a guarantee.

 

 

 

Case Study: This is What SUCCESS Looks Like is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

The post Case Study: This is What SUCCESS Looks Like appeared first on Storyfix.com.

Writing Advice: “The Lie,” and What it Really Means

Welcome to the 600th Storyfix.com post. 

There’s actually been more than that, but I pulled a bunch of the early articles down when Story Engineering was published, so the two tools (tool boxes, actually) would fit together better without much on-the-nose overlap.

Today’s post is a recent email exchange with one of my story coaching clients. 

She wrote last week to update me on her progress, and to share her recent experience working on the story with another writing coach she’d heard about, who in that process found herself morphing from an avid structure disbeliever into an enthusiastic advocate for the principles of story architecture, which leverage story structure at their very core.

Bear in mind, I’m talking about the writing coach here, not my writer friend/client.  Who was, and remains, a believer.

I hear a lot about this, have since Day 1 of this journey. 

Credible, even famous writing “gurus” are everywhere who advocate story development as a totally organic, impossible-to-successfully-plan process.  And sometimes, often in fact, the outcome — to the ears of an eager writer hoping for some inspirational guidance — is toxic and dangerous.

Because it is, by and large, a lie.

At a conference recently I heard the somewhat famous keynote speaker actually brag about not knowing how his scenes would end, how glorious is the experience of coming to the keyboard with an unfinished scene and “seeing where it goes.”  To just “write about these characters” as thoughts spilled out of his head.

Sounds romantic, yes?  Brilliant even.  We sit there in awe and hope that someday we, too, can pull this off.

There’s a post on another website (it’s up right now, not gonna link to it, but it’s a BIG honkin’ website that is really a portal for guest posts, almost exclusively), with an article by the site owner (unpublished) advocating “improvisation” during the writing process.  In it is this line: “Because there is no map that can help us get our idea or story onto the page.”

That is wrong, of course.  It’s a lie, actually.

A big, naive and toxic lie, one that gets traction when famous authors (which that blogger isn’t) lay claim to cluelessness as a process, sometimes going further to say or imply that “planning” a story can’t possibly work, and/or that it robs the writing process of  it’s joy.

In this moment is where an understanding of “planning” and “structure” begin to be seen as the same thing.  Which is also a lie.

The term I just used here, admittedly with a bit of snark in it — “Clueless” — is also a lie, in this context.  Because those writers aren’t clueless, they’re just not recognizing what it is that they know before they sit down to write a novel.  It is the implication that what they know doesn’t help them upfront  — that it is their improvisation, rather than craft, that makes the magic — that is The Lie.

There’s even a book out now on this very thing, from my publisher in fact, entitled: Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules.

It’s good stuff, too, I’m happy to link to it, even when the Forward (by a guy who writes books very much like mine) takes an overt shot at Story Engineering, and thus, at me.  Which is ironic, as I’ll explain in a moment.

The book is good.  It’s just that the title is a lie.  Story doesn’t trump structure, story IS structure.

Structure gets all dressed up with a list of other aspects and essences of storytelling… which, in that book, are EXACTLY the same things I write about in both Story Engineering and in Story Physics.  We are in raging agreement about everything relative to how to make a story work.

When something isn’t working in a novel, it is often a structural issue.  Perhaps created that way via improvisation and the discarding of “rules” (not my favorite word, either; I prefer principles).  When that issue is recognized, and a revision ensues from that recognition, guess what is happening: the story is being moved closer to the standard benchmarks of classic structure, away from the discarding of them toward — perhaps kicking and screaming, but probably just in blind ignorance — toward the very craft that was always available from the very first moment of inspiration and idea-chasing.

That title is part of The Lie.  Because it implies that departing from craft to chase down improvised in-the-moment options will get you there.  Yes it will… but only if the new direction actually enhances craft, not the other way around.

Here’s what’s going on: these writers, these gurus and keynote speakers and famous authors talking about their process in interviews,  are simply putting out there what is true for them, but short-changed by a limited perspective (they aren’t thinking all that deeply about what drives their story development process, it’s much more fun to label it improvisation or inspiration or fairy dust shooting out the rear end of some cloud-dwelling muse… when in fact, it’s all just craft — story physics — framed as something miraculous.

Truth be told, just about everyone, including me, who writes books on “how to write stories” is saying the same basic things.  We try for our own slant, something fresh, and a clearer vocabulary to provide easier and clearer access to the process.  But the principles are there, call them what you wish.

Like gravity.  Like the passage of time.  Like swallowing something toxic.  Nothing trumps the physics that govern the experience of being here.  That’s true in the creation of our stories, as well.

The truth is that the elements of story physics, rendered through structure, are non-negotiable. 

Don’t tell me that Stephen King, the supreme poo-bah of pantsers, doesn’t know what makes a story work.  He knows.

And when you know those things as well as he does, then perhaps you no longer need to think about them — to plan your story — as you improvise and explore your story idea from the very brilliant seat of your pants.  Until we own that ability, then the extent to which we just “make it all up as you go along” without regard for story physics is the extent to which we will, we must, revise.  And when we do that, we are heading back toward the heart of story physics, in most cases exemplified through the very structure that was so cavalierly disregarded in the first place… for the draft that didn‘t work.

That’s not a lie, that’s the absolute truth.  Every time.

Here’s what my client send me, excerpted, about her experience with her structure-averse story coach:

Last year through an online writing course, the instructor they assigned to me did not believe in structuring at all. I don’t even want to tell you how much this online course cost, but I lost all my money because I was structuring my novel using your tools. She just wanted chapter one!!

So I would send her scenes to keep her off my back but I told her I needed to structure my Parts or Sections before I sent her anything in order, yada yada. She was extremely supportive of (her title) but wanted me to put butt in chair and just write, for crying out loud! Pretty soon, she became so discouraged with me and I became so behind in my assignments that I was dropped from the course.

She told me in an email that she wanted to continue to be a part of my journey in this novel and asked if I would I be interested in having her helping me outside of the course. I told her yes, but that she would have to wait for me to nail the structure, via an outline. She told me that she would – adding that she “didn’t believe in it” – but the story was worth waiting for.

I honestly didn’t care whether she believed in it or not. I knew it had to be structured.

WELL! I finished my beat sheet and wrote the first 4 scenes almost immaculately – she read them and said – “Genius!” She finally understood! and is praising Story Engineering. She is AMAZED at the results! She now understands how I was able to write the scenes so quickly and with everything they needed! She is now a true believer!

One thing that impressed her so was that (title) is COMPLICATED. And my Prologue (1), Opening Scene (2), Scene 3 and 4 were dynamite for a strong foundational and beginning.  (I also used your advice on putting Martha into peril in the opening scene, which she thought was so cool!)

Anyway, this instructor will edit my scenes for me – I will try and have the manuscript draft by the fall. I am now on a glorious roll, and finally, am able to do what I love best (writing), and to do it with freedom that only Story Engineering can provide. I promise to keep in touch with this work in progress.

And here was my short response, also excerpted:

First thing… it was great affirmation for you to hear the “other” instructor so excited about your story.  It really is special, and worth all the bumps in the road and the time it takes to make it right.  I’m so happy to hear you are re-energized on it.

She isn’t the first writing instructor out there who “doesn’t believe” in structure as a process tool.  Thing is, ultimately, those instructors, by definition, MUST believe in structure after the fact, because structure is ALWAYS present in a story that works.

So what they’re really saying is, “I don’t think I understand it, I don’t think I can do it, I don’t believe there are targets and criteria to shoot for, and because I’m willing to revise and revise – in fact, because I believe it is unavoidable — I believe I can do this any darn way I want.  And oh by the way, after I do it that way, I’ll just revise and revise until I get it right.”

What they fail to add is… “until the story finally aligns with the optimal structure, which was waiting all along… I just had to find it on my own terms.”

Disbelief: the epitome of “act now and apologize — and repair — later.”

Nothing wrong with that.  Write how you need to write.  Just recognize the reality of what’s really going, the truth about the creative process you’ve chosen.

If you don’t possess the necessary craft to recognize when something isn’t working, and then what to do about it when you do, then odds are the feedback that alerts you to the fact will come from an agent or a publisher.  Or if self-published without an honest editor, from readers.

And by then it’s too late.

The thing that’s always available, waiting to help you get there at whatever point you let it in, is structure.  Which is indeed that supposedly non-existent “roadmap” leading you toward an effective story.

Nothing about that statement is a lie.

Writing Advice: “The Lie,” and What it Really Means is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

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So Much Social Media, So Little Time

A Guest Post from Mindy Halleck

www.MindyHalleck.com

Recently I was dragged into the social media arena kicking, screaming and doubting the much-hyped benefits that 140 characters or pictures of kitty cats could deliver. I hated it. But then I also hated math in school, and guess who had a lucrative twenty-year career in mortgage banking?

When I joined the hybrid book publishing company Booktrope as an author and book marketing manager, I quickly realized how much a writer must do to market his or her book. Aside from writing it (there’s a decade of blood, sweat and tears), there are the queries, dealing rejections (and acceptance, that’s not always a picnic, either), whipping it into publishing shape, and more.

Add that the social media campaign should be started long before the book is out.

So what’s the most effective way when there’s so much social media and so little time?

How can an author do it all? The easy answer is to pick what works for you, understand how it works effectively and then do it consistently.

For example, Twitter: I never saw the point, 140 characters . . . really? I honestly thought, “That’s just narcissism run amuck.”

Well, according to DMR, there are a billion Twitter users.

One thing I do know about math is you can’t argue with those kind of numbers, be they muck-runners or not. And did you know the most rapid growing demographic on Twitter, according to Fast Company, is the 55–64 age bracket?

That statistic grabbed my attention like a dog that just caught sight of a squirrel. That’s a huge segment of the target demographic for my upcoming novel, and for many authors I now represent—too large a number to discount. So I chased that squirrel and set out to understand the Twittersphere, because let’s face it: if it’s only 140 characters, how hard can it be, right?

First, I familiarized myself with the guidelines of Twitter. I suggest you do that with any social media vehicle you choose–one tidbit I garnered is the guidance not to blindly splay the same information across all social media platforms, as your dedicated followers will be inundated (and in turn likely annoyed) by the repeated information.

If you want to save time while broadening your social media audience, consider these tips:

1. Tweeting is HUGE in book marketing. Don’t underestimate the math—140 characters x one billion people = success.

2. Use hashtags. The # symbol is used to spot keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was generated by Twitter users as a way to sort, categorize, and often piggyback messages. Tweets with hashtags get two times more engagement. Examples of hashtags: #failedchildrensbooktitles #geekpickuplines #1stdraftmovielines #LarryBrooks #mindyhalleck #storyfix

3. However, less is more—keep hashtags to a minimum. According to social media experts at Buffer, one or two will get you 21% more engagement than if you add three or more. So don’t be an overzealous hashtagger.

4. Remember if it’s engagement you seek, keeping relevant hashtags in mind when posting will improve audience reaction. For example, my upcoming novel has a lot to do with the Korean War and Manzanita, Oregon. Those will be frequently utilized hashtags so that people who are interested in those topics can find me, and me them.

On that note, if you’re an author and selling books is your game, here’s a secret formula:

For every one tweet about your book, tweet twice about something else. Nobody likes or responds well to repeat “buy my book” tweets, blog posts, FB posts, etc.

Are you a marathon runner, award-winning cake decorator, bee keeper? Share those things also. Keep your theme in mind as you would with any good story; if you’re a runner, then tweet about running and things related to running. Become known as the author who does marathons.

That’s called branding, by the way.

For example, my amazing editor, Caroline Clouse, has a pet peeve about typos and editorial issues in printed material, so she tweets about it. With her tweeting she utilizes her source of irritation as a platform for her editing.

5. Keeping the “less is more” rule in mind, tweets with fewer than 140 characters (120–130) tend to get more attention and click-throughs.

6. The same goes with Facebook and blogs—shorter posts get more engagement. People are busy; longer posts have fewer readers. So, if engagement is what you seek, keep it short and sweet. Images and links also improve your chances of engagement, retweeting and sales exponentially.

7. If you want to spread the word about your upcoming book, published article, etc., consider the golden rule I learned way back in the ’70s (yes, I’m that old) from sales trainer and world renowned motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar. When I asked him how I could become a top producer, he said, “Just ask for it.” So I did.

Within six months I was rookie of the year.

I found that when I asked, people wanted to oblige. So fast-forward a few decades, and that golden rule still holds true. According to Fast Company, if you actually spell out “please RETWEET,” you have a 12% higher chance of being retweeted. So just ask.

The same thing does not work for everyone, so explore the many forms of social media (e.g., Reddit, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram or Readwave) where you can share your work and get read around the globe. However, the best bet for busy authors facing so much social media and so little time is Twitter.

Mindy Halleck is a Pacific Northwest author, instructor and marketing manager at Booktrope Books. In 2007 she received Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 76th Annual Competition, top 100 winners, Mainstream Literary Short Story. That short blossomed, and in autumn 2014 her novel, Return To Sender will be released. Mindy writes about writing, marketing and the writer’s life at her blog Literary Liaisons.

 

So Much Social Media, So Little Time is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

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Every Writer Should Watch This 60 Second Video

Malcolm Gladwell is on to something.  He spends a lot of time interviewing successful people to get to the heart of how they got there.  What results is some combination of commonality and theme… and inspiration.

Jim Carrey, like or love him or not, is one of the most successful comedians in the world.  Talk about writing… try being funny on the page sometime, it’s one of the most challenging tricks of all.  But like most great comics, there’s a heart beating beneath all that goofiness, and Carry shares it here.

Is writing your dream?  Then you need to see this.

Watch it HERE.

*****

Wanted to share this one with you, too… a little piece of news, surrounded by content you may find useful.

The website Boost Blog Traffic (a monster in that niche) just posted an article entitled, “9 Essential Books That Will Transform Your Writing Forever.”   The list includes “Save The Cat” by Blake Snyder, and “On Writing” by Stephen King.

It also includes “Story Engineering,” by yours truly.  I guess all those irritating analogies didn’t wreck it for everyone.  Thanks to all of you that have helped make SE a success.  If you didn’t catch the announcement earlier, “Story Engineering” is being published in China, I’m flying to Beijing in July (courtesy of the Chinese publisher) to help with the rollout, do press and give two writing workshops… one of which is for a gathering of Chinese literary professors from China’s top universities.

Now that is some scary sh*t, pardon my Mandarin.

*****

“Story Engineering” also got a shout out on Leisa Malik‘s terrific website, which is running some stuff from the book on character building in stories.  Her site is terrific, hope you’ll check it out.

Every Writer Should Watch This 60 Second Video is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

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Case Study: When Your Concept is Also a Paradox

Some concepts can end up being too much to handle. 

The more layered and complicated, the greater the upside if handled brilliantly, and the deeper the abyss when it’s not.  Trouble is, some writers aren’t aware that they’re already tumbling into a black void.

Such concepts — it’s good to recognize them as such, and if you’re ready to tackle something challenging, begin the inevitable wrestling match — can be the Big Ticket story you are looking for.  But like a beautiful and brilliant blind date set up with a simpleton, if you can’t keep up you’ll end up dumped after the appetizer.

This story offers a meaty proposition, with a deeply layered and conflicted hero.

But the writer is straddling the edge of the precipice between harnessing it and tumbling headfirst into the inherent paradox of it.  See what you think.  Let’s help this writer wrestle this one to the ground.

By the way, the courageous author of this story asked me to clarify that English is not his native language, nor is it the one he’ll use to write the novel.  That said, he does a great job on that front, you’ll hardly know this to be true.   He was totally up for this and is anxious to hear your thoughts.  He’s already eagerly engaged in a significant revision based on my input… but it’s not to late to contribute to the process.

What to look for? 

No matter how complex the concept, the benchmarks of an effective story always remain clear and consistent.  Messing with those benchmarks is not the way to make the story work, even if you claim the genre of “literary” to perhaps license liberties taken with the basic physics of storytelling.

We need a hero with a problem and/or an opportunity.   We need a reason to invest in it on an emotional level, something we can relate to.  We need something specific to root for, as well as feel.  We need conflict and tension, a confrontation between what the hero wants and does, and what opposes him or her on that path, something more than “inner demons” (which are useful when they influence that the hero DOES about the problem he/she faces… rather than simply documenting how those demons feel along the way).  And most of all — because this will make us care and root — we need to understand what is at stake for both sides of confrontation.

A good story is not a documentary of a situation.  A good story takes us on a journey with the hero toward resolution through confrontation, action, courage, cleverness, risk taking and the conquering of both interior and exterior antagonists.

Those are the balls that remain up in the air in this case study.

You can read it here: Conceptual Paradox Case Study.

*****

If you’d like your story bones dissected and held up to the (not always) harsh light of analysis, click HERE for the $95 Concept/Premise/FPP level, or HERE for the $195  Full Story Plan level.

Based on what your story is worth to you and the time and sweat you’ve put into it, it’s one of the best values available in the realm of story coaching, anywhere.  References available that echo that claim.

 

Case Study: When Your Concept is Also a Paradox is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

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