You've written some stuff. You feel good about your characters, you've got some action, but what drives your energy for showing up is exploring the deeper meaning of life.Start with an unusual setting and some "different" characters.Set the time.Figure out your obsession.Say it's with finding out who you really are, your own unique identity (insert your obsession). Generate scenes with that in mind ~~ the character's interaction with others, trying to figure out her place in the world ~~ that's …
Creating Plot
Plot is as much about timing as it is the dramatic action and the transformation the character undergoes.To satisfy your readers, placement and timing of each scene becomes critical.Spend too many words, pages, time in the beginning of the piece increases your chances of losing your reader right off the bat. Readers want to be grounded, understand who is who, and what is what, and then the reader demands something big happen ~~ the End of the Beginnning.The balance between back story and front …
Women’s National Book Association San Francisco
At an event hosted by the Women's National Book Association San Francisco yesterday, I had an "aha" moment. At first, I hesitated. The last big "aha" moment was when I realized how many writers struggle with plot. Since I had spent 12 years studying about how the dramatic action works with character development to create a compelling story, I set out to help other writers find their plots and experience the freedom of structure. And, my life was transformed."Aha" moment Number Two feels as broad …
Finding the Story
All memoirists incorporate true events in their stories. Often, writers of fiction do the same thing. Using true events can lead to a richness of authentic details and emotional revelation. However, just because something meaningful and life-changing happened to you does in no way guarantee that the events will be meaningful to your audience. And, of course, the true events must contribute to the overall story plot, or these authentic details will end up weighing down the story.The events …
The End
THE ENDThe final 1/4 of the project.The protagonist now knows what's not working and goes in pursuit of what does.She is challenged every step of the way, only now in the End, she attempts to react in a new transformed way.Each scene shows her finding her power little by little.The ClimaxThe Climax comes almost at The End of the story itself.The Climax is the biggest scene in the entire story.The Climax is what the story is all about.Each scene in the entire book has worked its way steadily …
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