Novelists: A Risky Bet that Just Might Be a Sure Thing… For You
I’m about to recommend a movie to you. That alone is a risky bet, but there is rationale behind my madness. I’m talking about “The Gambler,” starring Mark Wahlberg, one of the major holiday releases out now. Critics are not hating it, but to be honest they’re comparing it to Applebees on a street full […]
Can Your Concept be TOO Big?
To open this can of worms… Announcing the re-release of my novel, “The Seventh Thunder.” The concept is massive. So much so it initially scared agents and publishers away. A few years ago I used this novel as my calling card to find a new agent. Leveraging the endorsement of my former editor at […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Getting Published: “Self” vs. “Traditional”… the “Great Debate”
With all this horse shit, there’s gotta be a pony in here somewhere! (Reputed to have been Ronald Reagan’s favorite joke.) The linked email exchange, introduced here, actually happened. It was edited only slightly, simply to help clarify. (If you’d like to cut right to it, click this to skip my contextual intro: The Great […]
Nine Billion Reasons You Need to Opt-in to This Webinar
A crazy, outrageous title, I get that. But it’s literal. It’s a math thing, but it should get your attention. I’m presenting a webinar this Thursday, May 22, through Writers Digest University (1:00 EDT). It’s billed as an encore presentation, but it’s actually an enhanced version of a previous webinar I did with WD, called […]
Case Study: The Square-One Death of a Story
Premise makes or breaks you. Often before you write a single word of the story that your premise promises. Only rarely can you make chicken salad out of a sow’s ear (to combine two apropos bon-mots). Trying to do so is one whopper of a low percentage wager. You think writing is art? So […]
Phillip Margolin – The Storyfix Interview
The New York Times bestselling author discusses his latest novel, why it took 30 years to get it out, and reflects on what it takes to reach your goals in this business. Larry: Your new novel, “Worthy Brown’s Daughter,” is a departure from your usual genre, though it’s still a “legal thriller” (this one set […]
How Michael Connelly Writes… and What He Drinks When He Does It
An interview with the undisputed best crime novelist on the planet. I wish I could tell you that the interview was with/from me, specifically for Storyfix. But this link is from The Daily Beast (click it to get to the interview, people are MISSING THIS, so I’m bolding this… so YOU won’t) was sent to […]