This is always my favorite part of having a book released: new cover! So here’s a sneak peek at the cover of Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story. Many thanks to the fantabulous team at Damonza for their hard work and tremendous skills. Structuring Your Novel, available September 1, 2013, approaches […]
July 12, 2013 by 26 Comments Structuring Your NovelWhere Should You Begin Your Story?
Just for fun, today I’d thought I’d give you a sneak peek of my upcoming book Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story. The book, available September 1, 2013, x-rays our notion of storycraft to get past the outer aesthetics right on down to the muscular and skeletal systems that make our books work. Once […]
July 1, 2013 by 12 Comments NewsRelease Date for Structuring Your Novel
And we have a release date for Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story! September 1, 2013, is the big day. Mark your calendars and stay tuned. Plenty more goodies coming up between now and the launch! . .
June 24, 2013 by Structuring Your NovelAnnouncing Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
The last few years have been quite the ride for me. Professionally, I was able to claim the title of full-time writer after Outlining Your Novel went live in 2011. It held the #1 spot in the Writing Skills category in Amazon’s Kindle Store for a full year (and remains in the Top 10 even now!). That one […]
June 21, 2013 by 14 Comments Structuring Your NovelWriting Scenes You Haven’t Seen
Compelling fiction is driven by scene. We can feel omnipotent when writing a fictional scene, wielding complete control over every detail, every action, every sensory experience. But there are limits to that power; what we include must seem real to the readers. Creating a sense of the “real” is a particular challenge for writers of historical fiction, who must stay […]
March 3, 2013 by 26 Comments PodcastScene Structure Exceptions: Incidents and Happenings
After our recent series about scene structure, it might seem that everything in a book must be tied down hard and fast within that framework. But what about when something in your story doesn’t seem to fit into the goal/conflict/disaster paradigm of the scene? What if something happens (and needs to happen) that doesn’t create conflict and doesn’t end […]
February 24, 2013 by 57 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 12: Frequently Asked Questions
Once authors grasp Scene* structure, their whole approach to storytelling can become clearer and more refined. At first blush, it can be a subject that takes a while to fully grasp and, as a result, can spawn all kinds of questions. But all you clever Wordplayers seem to have caught on without so much as […]
February 22, 2013 by 28 Comments Structuring Your NovelDid Agatha Christie Have a Formula for Success?
Reading Agatha Christie books at an early age inspired me to learn French. Hercule Poirot was Belgian, not French, but Christie’s books were sprinkled with enough French phrases to intrigue me. I don’t recall if Poirot ever said, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” but it seems appropriate here. The phrase, loosely translated, means, “The more […]
February 17, 2013 by 18 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Scenes, Pt. 11: Variations on the Sequel Scene
Sequels*, even more than scenes, offer all kinds of flexibility in scene structure. In large part, this flexibility is what can make sequels difficult to quantify in stories. Unlike the scene, sequels can be so subtle they blend right into the scenery. This can sometimes lead authors to believe sequels aren’t as important as scenes, but their flexibility […]
February 10, 2013 by 26 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 10: Options for Decisions in a Scene Sequel
Perhaps the most instinctive of all the Scene’s* building blocks is the decision. This third and final piece of the sequel grows out of the character’s dilemma and leads right into the next scene’s goal. In scene structure, the decision is the little cattle prod on your story’s backside that keeps it moving forward. Conceivably, your characters […]
