Getting Published: The Genre-Concept Connection
Somewhere deep within the genealogical family tree that illuminates the origins of the word genre, we find another word that confuses the whole issue: generic. And that’s the problem. Your genre-based story can easily become generic – it simply becomes another face is a crowded sea of stories – rather than standing out. This very […]
The Seductive Trap of the Historical Novel
Or, how to kill off your historical novel before you write a word. I’m working with two writers on their historical novels, and both — at this stage of their development — are hobbled by a classic (common) flaw in the design of the story. That is: they have history in play, but they have […]
Eight Fundamental Steps to being a Professional Writer
A Guest Post by Art Holcomb Writers and Athletes and Actors all share very similar career arcs. Many start out but few make it to become practicing professionals. No matter what their path, they all have to master the fundamentals. Practitioners of all three of these professions are rightly considered artists – people striving toward […]
Case Study: When Your Concept Disappears
From my chair, sometimes it seems like folks encounter the “What is your concept?” question, and then they scramble for an answer. They conjure something conceptual, or what seems conceptual in that moment. As if they weren’t ready for that question. Hadn’t considered it. This is part of the value of the analysis process, it […]
Story Deconstruction: “Remember Me?” by Sophie Kinsella
A guest post by Jennifer Blanchard Spoiler Alert: This deconstruction dig deeps to break down the novel. The story will be fully exposed. This process provides a great opportunity to follow along when reading the book and see how a badass story is put together. There are a lot of things at play in this […]
A Process-to-Product Success Story
Welcome new readers: click HERE for a no-strings free ebook offer, equivalent to an entire writing workshop! ***** This post wasn’t my first impulse where this story is concerned. I’d like to share a story with you, submitted to me for evaluation by a Storyfix reader. A story that is so good, so shockingly professional […]
Story Structure: a Graphic You Can Use
You are one click away from a useable, printable, post-able (as in, on your wall) graphic representation of classic 4-part story structure, including the 7 major story milestone transition “moments” within the story. Get it right here: Structure Graphic. In the previous post I framed this… as part of a Powerpoint presentation on the subject […]
How to Elevate Your Story Above the Eager Crowd
The “crowd” is pretty good, too. And they want what you want. So you need to be better. Greetings from Los Angeles, where I’m presenting at the Writers Digest Novel Writing Conference. I did two sessions yesterday, and later today I’m doing a workshop entitled: “Your Story on Steroids.” This is why I […]
The Value of “Pantsing”
(Click HERE to land a trifecta opportunity: 1) score a mystery/thriller with killer reviews for only $1.99 for the Kindle edition; 2) download a totally FREE, no strings ebook that deconstructs the whole thing, while going behind the curtain to see how this book, and many like it, find their way to market; and 3) […]
A Great Read… a Learning Opportunity… a Massive Discount
(Note: the discounted price on the Kindle edition of Deadly Faux has passed; the Kindle version novel remains on sale at Amazon (and other venues) for $7.99. The ebook that DECONSTRUCTS it, as described in this post, is still FREE, and available at the link shown below. You don’t have to read the novel to […]