New Year’s resolutions are a good thing.
Not everybody always thinks so, but that’s on us. Because when they don’t work we have only ourselves to blame, including (in some instances) best intentions yielding to over-reaching.
Better to aim high, work hard and keep it real. You may learn that your real ceiling is a lot higher than you thought. Especially when you allow the principles of craft to guide you (versus storytelling-via-fingerpainting approach adopted by some).
Each new year presents exciting opportunities to reinvent our author-selves. To fortify and amplify our sense of story, which is the most important element of the three-way collision between craft, art and talent, all in the presence of a killer story premise.
Storyfix friend and contributor Jennifer Blanchard is holding the door open for you.
Starting Monday, January 2nd, through January 9, Jennifer — who had a killer year, writing nine books and completely reenergizing her writing life on multiple levels — is launching a FREE read and discuss series with a focus on her favorite writing book… a little ditty entitled Story Engineering. 
I’ll let her tell you about it — click HERE for the down low. It involves a daily assigned read in preparation for a daily live Facebook interactive event (the link to which is in the linked post), culminating in a new training protocol designed to take your storytelling from “meh” to downright “awesome.”
In case you missed the memo, Story Engineering was published by Writers Digest Books in 2011, and since then has been a consistent bestseller and best-of list dweller, a book many writers credit with having a significant impact on their career. It’s considered unique – even revolutionary – in the vast oeuvre of writing books… I keep a file full of authors who have written me to that effect upon the publication of their novel.
Just this last week, word reached me (from my friend Art Holcomb) that the book was named to a list of the “27 Best Writing Books” from Signature Reads, coming in at #3.
I know. I have trouble wrapping my head around that, too. There are some major names on the list, so you could say this was one of those “well at least that happened” moments for me.
Good to begin the year with gratitude.
Jennifer always runs a terrific event. I’ll be on the thread, as well, and there may be a live call toward the end of the sequence, where you can grill the author. ☺ There will be a recording available after the fact, as well.
My own plans for a reinvigorated 2017.
As for Storyfix.com, look for more video involvement in these posts. More deconstructions of bestsellers, too… including a closer look at The Girl On The Train later in January.
Also, I’m only a few days away form launching a new venture I’m calling The Storyfix Virtual Classroom. I’ll be creating meaty deep-dive video-based tutorials on critical aspects of story craft and process, beginning with five titles already up and available (if you’d like a peek or are simply someone who likes to be first in line) on my Vimeo VOD page. More titles will appear on a regular basis, with up to 30 or so by the end of the year.
Use the form to the left of this post to sign up for the mailing list to score discounts on new training modules as they appear.
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Speaking of training… one more week to go before Art Holcomb’s incredible new six-part audio series, Two Drafts – Two Polishes, is available. It’s like taking Art to work with you every morning in the car, without having to spring for coffee. Click HERE to read more about this opportunity.
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Wishing you a safe, healthy, and rewarding 2017, on the writing front as well as in your life.
Relative to this weekend… emphasis on the safe part.
Celebrate that you are a writer, and all the ways this enriches your life when you embrace it as the blessing that it is!
2 Responses
I like the deconstructions – they’re handy to identify the plot points that form the skeleton of the story, but have you thought of deconstructing the books (as opposed to the film adaptations)?
I read “Martian” and I saw the movie “Martian”. Two very different things. The book (as you probably know) started as a series of blog posts about surviving being abandoned on Mars. Structurally, it’s pretty weak. And the hero is rescued. (Fatal flaw I made in my first book).
The movie, while containing all of the necessary story elements is, as you’d expect, much tighter structurally and the ending much, much better. Instead of the hero waiting for someone to come and grab him, he has a hand (see what I did there?) is his rescue.
Wishing you and yours a safe and happy New Year, too! I’ve been so slammed with work recently I’ve barely had time to breathe in between projects. Looking forward to mid-January when this is behind me and I can get back to watching your training videos. Loved the ones I’ve seen so far!