A great story always depends on a great idea.

And yet, an “idea” must always evolve into a compelling CONCEPT before the word “great” can or will ever validly apply.

And from there, a story PREMISE is born.

Concept and Premise are NOT the same.  One begets the other.

There are no exceptions.  

The biggest mistake a writer can make is to hope or assume that their story will become one.

And yet, so many of us begin writing a draft without ever knowing how great our “idea” really is – it always feels great to us, but will others agree? – in terms of its inherent dramatic potential as a story landscape.

Some writers, in the quiet of their own hearts, aren’t sure what the notion of a “concept” even means.  Or how it differs from a premise, which it absolutely does.  A story premise without a driving concept is handicapped before you even write a single page.

Wouldn’t it be liberating and empowering to know… before investing a year of your life writing a story that stems from your initial “idea?”  To see how it measures up to benchmark standards defined by story physics and established criteria, from the point of view of a proven professional?

Or if you have written it, to understand what might make it even better?  To strengthen what’s weak?  To fix what’s wrong?  To reach for a higher bar?

That’s entirely possible.  And you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to make it happen.

Make your story better before you write a word.

Save your story from underwhelming performance and more rewrites.

Resurrect your story from almost certain mediocrity.

Here’s a scary truth: it costs thousands of dollars to have a finished story professionally analyzed and coached toward a higher level of effectiveness.

But there’s another option.  By answering a few simple (but not remotely easy) questions, I can assess your story’s chances and, if found wanting, suggest strategies to remedy and elevate the story to a higher level.

Welcome to...

The $95 Conceptual Kick-Start Story Analysis

The most important element of your story’s inherent potential resides at the very highest level of its premise.  This is the wheelhouse of story physics, the gateway portal to the delivery of dramatic tension and pace through conflict-driven exposition.

Without that, even the most well developed and compelling of characters end up walking a path to… nowhere.

This is where the essential core competency of concept/premise meets the most important moment in your story: the First Plot Point.

This evaluation process is as simple and effective as it is affordable.

I’ll send you a short Questionnaire that will help you frame and describe your story’s concept/premise as you currently define it.

If you’ve already written a draft, this process will allow you to assess its inherent potential for dramatic effectiveness. Your prose will still have to carry the day in either case, but you’ll know whether or not there is dramatic weight beneath your words.

If you’re in the story planning stages, this will allow you to either validate or upgrade your initial dramatic paradigm.

This is what you’ll wish you would have known… after you’ve written the thing.

How do you get started?

First, make sure this is the level of analysis you require.  You have two options, both obscenely affordable.

If you’d like your entire story plan/vision analyzed, click HERE to learn about The Amazing $195 Full Plan Story Coaching Adventure, which uses an expanded Questionnaire and a short narrative synopsis to interpret the story across its entire narrative arc, evaluating concept/premise, the four story parts and major milestones, and the basis of each of the six realms of story physics that will determine it inherent narrative strengths and weaknesses.  The feedback you’ll receive will almost entirely match the depth and relevance you’d receive after a full finished draft review, but at a tiny fraction of that investment.  Click HERE to learn more, including how to get started at the $195 level.

Or, you can have your CONCEPT, PREMISE and FIRST PLOT POINT analyzed for even less…

… with The $95 Conceptual Kick Start Story Analysis, as described above.  You’ll receive your feedback within FIVE BUSINESS DAYS after you submit your Questionnaire response.

Or, if you’d like it within ONE BUSINESS DAY after submission of your response, I’m offering a RUSH OPTION for an extra $50 (which puts the RUSH tab at $145).  (You won’t be pushing back anyone else, I’ll just work a longer day for you.)

Select either the $95 regular Larry-will-do-his-best 7-day turnaround, or the $145 2-day RUSH option, using your Paypal account.  If you aren’t a Paypal member, I can invoice you through Paypal (allowing you to use your credit card) — just email me at storyfixer@gmail.com to request this payment method.

Or, go directly through Paypal, using storyfixer@gmail.com as payee.

I can’t guarantee  story will end up being published, or even end up being publishable.

No story coach on the planet can promise that, nor does this analysis coach your actual prose skills.  But I can and will guarantee that I can make your story better… or, if it’s already close to perfect, affirm that status.

Let me know if you have questions.  Otherwise, I’m hoping you’ll agree, your story is too important (and this investment is too reasonable) to not give it every advantage and every available chance you can find.

You’ve just found that chance.

Oh… there’s a third option, too.  I continue to do full manuscript evaluations, analyzing your story against 12 powerful criteria: the six core competencies of successful storytelling, and the six realms of story physics that bring those core competencies to life.  My fee for this work is $1800 (for 80 to 100,000 word manuscripts), well below the market norm, and the deliverable (based on feedback), well above it.  And, it includes the same Questionnaire used in the $195 level program, used as structural context to what the manscript delivers to the read.  Contact me to discuss your project.

Larry

 

 

45 Responses

  1. Larry,
    I found your seminars to be truly informative and educational, even shamelessly self-promoting. 🙂 I didn’t buy the books as you said that we could get the information from your webpage. I can’t find your notes or PPT presentation. Can you send me an email with your 101-303? I couldn’t make it Sunday (church obligations) but I didn’t take a ton of notes as you said we would find it all here.

  2. Hi Larry,

    I used your questionnaire late last year and made some changes, which I would like for you to review. Will it be the same $150 fee?

  3. @Frank — I also love that film. I think it’s a case of execution triumphing (directing, writing, acting, and casting… four acting Oscar nominations – Jennikfer Lawrence won “best actress” for her role – and all five big film category noms, unprecedented), because on paper (a dance contest? really?) it doesn’t really stand out as something with “huge potential.” It’s a tricky “model” for novelists, too, because the things that make the story so good would look very different in print, (the charisma of the actors especially; the story is adapted from the “first novel” by American author Mathew Quick, using first person narrative from the Bradley Cooper character — the only choice for a story like this… THAT is the first thing we writers can learn from it). As for first dimension characterization, these folks wear their hearts on their sleeves, so there is a thin line between what they put out there and who they are. That is one reason I think folks are drawn to them, they are so transparent and real. In fact, that is what the story is ABOUT, I think, rather than some mystery or even the romance angle. It’s about life being hard, and these folks have stopping trying to wear masks and they just are who they are. It would make a great deconstruction project on this site (thanks for the inspiration, I’m excited by this idea)… think I’ll do that. Let me know if you have more thoughts, love to hear ’em. Larry

  4. Larry, I again want to thank you for the book – Story Engineer – what an awesome book. It bring me to this. I just watched Silver Linings Playbook last night. It was excellent! Have you had a chance to watch it also? If so, what are the first dimension characterizations that you came up with? I’d love to exchange ideas with you on this film. I must admit that I’ve never seen a film before where so many people had the same first dimension characterizations. Interesting choices – very well written.

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  6. Larry. Read your “Engineering” book. Very helpful. Do you do novel-writing workshops? Anything scheduled for Northern Virginia?

  7. Hi Larry

    Been following you for a while and done a few of your webinars.

    I’m not sure if you are even aware of its existence (Or even care) but there is a computer game called Elite:Dangerous being crowdfunded on kickstarter: http://kck.st/YN6rVC This game is a sequel to a game i grew up playing and is something I am extremely passionate about.

    So passionate in fact that when a ‘pledge tier’ became available to write an official piece of fiction set in the universe I jumped at the opportunity. The problem was this pledge tier came at a cost of 4500 GBP. So I set up my own crowd funding campaign to raise this money, and succeeded.

    So now I have alot of people’s money and their trust and 14 months to write a novel that is going to kick arse.

    I obviously want to use your experience to make sure this is going to be as kick arse as possible. Unfortunately I misjudged paypal fees and i’m a bit more out of pocket than I expected. Thus money is a little tight.

    This leads to my question: If I do the $35 and then decide I want to do the $100 deal, can I ‘upgrade’? I.e pay another $65 to get the whole story or would it be $135 total?

    Thanks,

    John

  8. Larry,
    I wanted to say your email about the concept v. the dramatic story was like you had listened to the argument I’ve been having in my head about my recent draft. I’m taking your advice to heart and seriously considering using the services you’ve listed above.

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