Write your first book—or your best book yet—
using the storytelling tricks of your favorite movies
The MIDPOINT Game-Changer – Part 2
Let's talk about that sagging middle. Of your book or script, I mean! This month we’ll be moving into the third quarter—often the darkest and most difficult quarter! —of a book or script: Act 2: Part 2, what I call THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL. But first I want to make...
Creating Love Triangles/Second Love Interests
After last week’s post I got a request for a discussion of how to create love triangles/ secondary love interests — and I’m happy to do a post on this excellent question! One of the key elements that makes a love triangle work is: The two possible love interests...
What KIND of Story is it? (A Star is Born: Daisy Jones & the Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Babylon)
We’re working with Act II: Part 1, so it’s time to do another post on STORY PATTERNS - which you really start to see at work in this second quarter of a book or script. The KIND of story, or STORY PATTERN, is different from genre or subgenre. There are hundreds of...
What’s the EXPERIENCE of your book or script?
One of the key elements of Act II, especially Act II: Part 1, is the PROMISE OF THE GENRE. Your GENRE (and subgenre) is a promise to your readers or audience about the EXPERIENCE they are going to get by reading your book or watching your movie. It’s a contract with...
Is AI the end of writers—or the end of humanity?
By now you’re all completely familiar with Chat GPT (Bing, Bard, etc.) and why writers are anxious about it all— Just kidding. I know enough writers (thousands) to know: learning about the explosion of AI and its implications to their livelihood is one of those things...
The PLAN – the road map of your book or script!
If there’s just one bottom line piece of advice I can give you about how to write a novel or script, it’s this— You need to know the PLAN. Your protagonist’s Plan is the road map, the Holy Grail, the spine, the sine qua nonof your story— book or script. The Plan is...
Writing a Synopsis – that sells!
Yes, I know—the very word “Synopsis” strikes dread into the heart of a writer. And yes, I know—after the year-or-years long marathon that is writing a book, the very last thing anyone wants to do is come up with a one or three-page synopsis of the 400 pages you’ve...
Plot your script or novel FAST – with Index Cards!
Now that you have your Index Cards, let’s get them up on a Story Structure Grid! If you haven’t brainstormed on Index Cards yet, that’s your first step: For the second part of the method, you’ll need: A cork board, whiteboard, wall, or a sheet of cardboard, big enough...
Unforgettable Character Introductions
Great characters are great from the first moment they appear on the page or screen. We’ve all experienced that electrifying rush—the knowing that this fictional person will be with us for the rest of our lives. So how do authors and screenwriters achieve that magic?...
Ten Inciting Incidents to Help You Write Your Book
Last month we eased into the New Year with some (I hope!) inspirational posts about committing to your writing. Now let’s move on to the nuts and bolts of story structure: the crucial Story Elements that are part of the DNA of any story. This is just as important for...
