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Martha Alderson

Plot Consultant

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Martha Alderson

surfers

Writing a Story is Like Riding a Wave

January 18, 2015 By Martha Alderson

  The Universal Story in the world around me How writing a story is like riding a wave Living by the ocean, water and waves carry great significance. When I was a kid learning to surf, I was taught to wait for the 7th wave with the promise that the 7th was always the biggest. The pattern of how this happens mirrors the rhythm of the Universal Story.  Waves travel from afar, move through solid objects and often piggyback on other waves. Scenes travel out of the past, move through time and …

Writing a Story is Like Riding a WaveRead More

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

January 17, 2015 By Martha Alderson

The Goldfinch by Donna TarttThe difference betweenthe inciting incident and the end of the beginning A writer asks: isn't the inciting incident of an example I use -- the Pulitizer Prize winning The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt -- when he steals the painting (and well before the the End of the Beginning and 1st Energetic Marker at the 1/4 mark)? Yes, the dramatic action inciting incident is when he steals The Goldfinch in the museum. His action energizes the external action, changing the ordinary …

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Identifying the Exact Right Protagonist Takes Time and An Open Mind

January 17, 2015 By Martha Alderson

Real life versus fictionalizing for the sake of your story and your future readers He's researched the time period in history and the true-life facts of people and legal cases he plans to fictionalize in a thriller. Two main characters. Both male. One likable. The other, not so much.  Seems pretty obvious to me who carries the heart of the story. Conflict occurs when it's clear the writer is stuck on who he thinks "should" be the protagonist though he's ambivalent and he's also locked into …

Identifying the Exact Right Protagonist Takes Time and An Open MindRead More

Writers: Enliven Your Imagination and Embrace the Miraculous

January 12, 2015 By Martha Alderson

Dictionary definition of Imagination: The capacity to form a picture in your mind of something that you have not seen / experienced / isn't real The skill of thinking new things Creative ability Something that exists or happens in your mind   Does imagination come from our minds? Is it a brain-based skill? Or, does it come from outside of us like the muse? To embrace the miraculous demands an openness to all possibilities and a whimsical imagination. In today's world, …

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This is Your Year to Write that Story!

January 9, 2015 By Martha Alderson

You've thought about it and thought and thought about writing a novel - memoir - screenplay. This is your year to stop thinking and time to write that story  Lots of people believe you're either born to be a writer or you're not. I believe that we all have stories to tell and, by writing consistently and studying the craft of plot, we each have the ability to write those stories. Some writers struggle finding and developing the plot and design of their stories. I also work with writers who …

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About Martha

Martha lives at the beach along the central coast of California and draws inspiration from the surrounding nature. When not at the beach, she writes women’s fiction and is exploring what it means to leave a lasting legacy. [Read More] about About Martha

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The secret to having what you want in life is to view all challenges and obstacles through the Universal Story.

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