This week’s question is:

What’s your favorite podcast? Hit me with your faves, drop links, give them some love.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Don’t forget I’m joining Jenna Moreci and Meg LaTorre on the iWriterly YouTube channel TONIGHT (March 4^th2020 at 3:00 pm EST) (8pm GMT) for a live stream all about how to plan a book launch. Mark your calendars you don’t want to miss this. ⁠

DIY MFA 101 COURSE IS CLOSING IN TWO DAYS

To find out more about the course, use my affiliate link here.

Book recommendation this week is J’s new book Three Story Method

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ebook/three-story-method

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Ttm87w

Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/2VA2sBM

Listener Rebel of the Week is Katie Forrest

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or tweet me @rebelauthorpod

No new Patrons today. Thank you so much for joining me and thank you to all my current patrons, who help to ensure that this podcast continues.

If you’d like to support the show, and get access to all the bonus essays, posts and content, you can support the show by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY

13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft a Superbad Villain

More about the book

Your hero is not the most important character in your book. Your villain is.

Are you fed up of drowning in two-dimensional villains? Frustrated with creating clichés? And failing to get your reader to root for your villain?

In 13 Steps to Evil, you’ll discover: 

• How to develop a villain’s mindset
• A step-by-step guide to creating your villain from the ground up
• Why getting to the core of a villain’s personality is essential to make them credible
• What pitfalls and clichés to avoid as well as the tropes your story needs

Finally, there is a comprehensive writing guide to help you create superbad villains. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned writer, this book will help power up your bad guy and give them that extra edge.

These lessons will help you master and control your villainous minions, navigate and gain the perfect balance of good and evil, as well as strengthening your villain to give your story the tension and punch it needs.

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

I want to read 13 Steps to Evil

How to Structure a Novel

Find out more about J on his website theauthorlife.com

Listen to:

The Career Author Podcast

The Writers Well Podcast 

Writers Ink Podcast

Author Life Podcast

Sacha Black
Hello and welcome back to The Rebel Author Podcast. Today I am joined by Jay Thorne. Jay has published 2 million words and has sold more than 185,000 books worldwide. He is an official member of the science fiction and fantasy Writers of America, the horror Writers Association and the Great Lakes association of horror writers forum and a BA in American history from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA from Duquesne University. He is a full time writer, part time professor at John Carroll University, co owner of Multan universe media podcaster FM radio DJ musician and I satified story grid nut. Welcome.

J Thorn
Thank you, Sacha.

Sacha Black
Thank you so much for coming on. I am trying to maintain an air of cool But I just wanted to say, for anybody listening, J has like a gazillion podcasts. And they are all exceptionally brilliant. I think I listened to at least three or four of them. And so before we start, let’s just share all of your amazing podcasts and you want to tell everybody what they are?

J Thorn
Alright the one, the one I do myself, it’s more monthly. It’s called The Author Life. And that’s sort of a long form essay style podcast episode. And then I have three that I do with other people. So I have the author podcast that I do with Zach Zach Bohannon and he was on your show. Yeah. And I do the writer as well with my good friend Rachael Herron. And I just started one well just started I guess a few months ago with JD Barker called writers Inc. That’s the newest one and that is an interview format podcast.

Sacha Black
Yes. And I think we we we probably have to mention your your slam dunk home run of a guest last week go on tell everyone.

J Thorn
I think you’re talking about Mr. James Patterson.

Sacha Black
Oh, yes. I might be. Yeah. Oh, gee, when I heard you had James Patterson on your podcast, I was like, Whoa, like amazing and I have listened. And yeah, everybody needs to not stop what they’re today. But after you finish listening, go listen to all of the podcasts because I am a huge fan of them all.

J Thorn
And I have to give credit to JD he is a he’s fearless. He’s the guy who asks people to come on the writers Inc. and he is absolutely fearless. He will ask anyone and anyone he wants to be on he will ask and so many of them say yes.

Sacha Black
It’s like on a scale of like one to shitting yourself. Where were you on this?

J Thorn
I there was… I don’t know like, I don’t know if you could hear in the interview. There are a few moments. I just started tripping on my myself and I had to just say, like, just shut up and let him talk. Just, Just shut up and let them talk because I was starting to get the panic. And the guy’s been through a handful of interviews. And he and he totally took charge. And I was just like, I took my hands off the wheel. I’m like, Alright, Patterson, you drive. I can’t, you know, it was it was intimidating. And he’s a great guy. And and it was a fantastic interview, and I’m really grateful that he took the time to do it. But for me as an interviewer and a podcaster. I finished that I told JD I’m like, I kind of feel like I don’t need anybody else after that.

Sacha Black
Yeah. There is literally nothing. I don’t think there’s anyone Well, maybe JK Rowling just just from my perspective, because it was such a huge, the books were out. I was almost the same age as Harry Potter as the effects were coming out. So for me, they’re kind of you know, but yeah, oh my god. Like Sarah say James Patterson. Let’s talk about what we’re here to talk about. So first of all, for anybody who doesn’t know who you are, and who the hell are these people? Can you please tell everybody a little bit more about you, your journey and you know, your books were and how you got to where you are now?

J Thorn
Yeah, I don’t quite know. So I’ll do my best is a lot of it’s a mystery to me as well. But I give you the the bullet point version is I started, I published my first book, The KDP in 2009. So it was just just prior to what became known as the Kindle Gold Rush. And so I just had a sort of a 10 year anniversary as far as publishing goes, I left my full time teaching job in 2017. So it took me about eight years or so, to get to the point to I was ready to do that, although technically wasn’t ready. I don’t know why my wife didn’t divorce me, but I was making about $200 a month in royalties. I had two teenagers, two kids in private school, a mortgage and a wife and I quit my salary job, and which is not good advice and not the thing you should do. But that’s what I did. And, and I think part of that now is I consider myself sort of an author and a teacher for at least a year. So after I left, I wanted nothing to do with teaching. And now I’ve come back around and I’m sort of applying my skill set as an author to help other authors and it’s a whole different kind of teaching, and just totally loving it now.

Sacha Black
It’s so funny how so many of the things that we hate about our prior lives end up coming back to us like I used to do project management. And as much as I really desperately hard to rebel against, though, that you know, those skills or those systems or structures that I had in place that I can’t seem to quite let go fully and, you know, those structures of skills keep coming back in and it infuriates me. So you are about to launch a book called three story method. Is that is that the full title? What’s the full title?

J Thorn
It’s not the full title. But I don’t think we’ve nailed down the full title yet. So that something about fundamentals of fiction, I should probably know what that is. Yeah, three story method we can go that’s that safe. I know that for sure.

Sacha Black
Okay. Super. Can you tell everyone a little bit about the concept behind the book and what inspired you to write it?

J Thorn
Yeah. The process of creating fiction is something that I’ve been working on for a decade and when Zach and I got together, Zach came into the industry about around 2014 I think he was about five years after me. The one sack and I started co writing, we had to systematize. As a former project manager, you can appreciate the fact that if you’re working with other people, you need a system of something like if you’re by yourself, that’s one thing, but anytime you involve a second person or third person, you need a system. And so we kind of informally and organically started to systematize, all of our processes. And at one point, we said to each other, you know, this would be really helpful for other people, for other authors, and we started testing now we do authors on a train, we do world building retreats. And so we started teaching this process, and the response was overwhelming. People were saying, like, wow, that really makes sense. Like, I can use that I understand it. And I kind of had this revelation, this sort of awakening where I was, like, you know, as authors, we try to overcomplicate everything and story just isn’t that complicated. It’s pretty simple. And and yet, we try and make things way more complicated than they have to be. So the The inspiration was okay, let’s simplify this process. And then let’s teach people in a way that they understand it. Because the other thing that I found out and it’s Zach and I saw firsthand was the most prolific, and the best, most talented authors aren’t necessarily the best teachers. Those are two different skill sets. So whether it’s as an author or a welder, or a mechanic, sometimes the people who are really good at what they do, don’t know how they do it. And if you ask them, they’ll go I don’t know I just do it. Like they can’t teach other people how to do it. And there was there is and there was a lot of methodology books and systems out there. And some of them were by brilliant people who really have no… didn’t have the skills to teach other people how to use it. So it really was this idea of Okay, let’s streamline the process. Let’s make it simple. And let’s teach people how to do it and give them the tools that they need.

Sacha Black
Amazing and let’s go ahead Little bit deeper. But obviously without giving you know the entire book away, can you give listeners a bit of an overview of what the three story method is?

J Thorn
Yes, it’s sort of a two pronged approach because what you have is your approaching story at the same level. And scenes are really important. Like if you can’t write a good scene, it doesn’t matter what kind of wonderful world that you build, or any kind of plot that you have a reader picks up and at the end of chapter one, they don’t want to turn the page, nothing else matters. So part of three story method is dealing with three elements at the scene level. And then we come up a level and we look at it from a higher altitude. And we have three general things that we look at from the higher level. So for the global story arc, we’re looking at plot and structure is kind of one level. Then we have genre and theme as another level, or story and then character and world. So you have those sort of three elements. Those are the high level at the scene level. All you have the three elements of conflict, choice and consequence. And really, if if you don’t even want to buy the book, and if you remember nothing else from from this podcast, if you can nail conflict choice and consequence 95% of what you write will be stellar.

Sacha Black
Yeah. And that was actually my favorite section in the book was around conflict choice and consequence. And you have them in a very nice triangle. And but I wonder if we could go a bit deeper specifically on the choice, conflict and consequence and, and, you know, look at how those interplay and what those mean for a writer writing a scene and I guess structuring, like that book as well?

J Thorn
Yes, well, I’ve been working with clients for a number of years now. And it not only in my own work in my co writers work and in clients where the biggest struggle I see from other authors at the scene level is not having a strong enough choice. So if we back up a second, conflict, choice and consequence are built on Aristotle’s idea that stories must have a beginning, a middle and an end, which again, sound everyone’s like, duh, right? But when you sit down to write, you’d be surprised how many scenes get cranked out that are missing one of those three elements, or they don’t have a strong enough one. So if you think about story being all about conflict, like you have to have something happening or you don’t have a story, and again, that sounds super simple, but the choice is the middle element. So the conflict is, in any scene, what pushes the protagonist or the main character out of their normal routine or out of their habit that is your conflict your initial conflict, that should then build to a choice what decision must the character make and your characters must make a decision in every single scene, and then the consequences naturally what follows from that. So the key on the choice is it has to be a question that you plant in the readers mind. And the question has to be, what would I do in this situation? That is what’s going to push a reader to say, well, I want to see what happens. And the way that you do that is you have, you have to, there’s two parts to that, you make that decision extremely difficult. Now, it doesn’t mean the stakes have to be really high every time but the options that they’re facing should be equally good or equally bad. And if you do your choice, right, you can get people arguing, you could get readers arguing over what that character should do. And it could even be dependent on the context. So maybe, maybe a reader would do one thing one time but do the opposite. If the situation was different, and that’s it, that’s the key. You want to make your choice as difficult as possible and your protagonist, because that will be the most interesting to the reader.

Sacha Black
And then obviously, there must always be a consequence for whatever That decision is right. So can you give me an example? I think you use Star Wars quite a lot in the book. Can you give me a worked example of how this conflict choice and consequence plays out? And obviously most people well, I’m assuming most people have seen Star Wars so they’ll they’ll be able to, you know, follow.

J Thorn
I know, we have to give a 1977. If you haven’t seen Star Wars A New Hope yet, you might want hit pause on this. Yeah. I’m gonna spoil it and tell you that Obi Wan Kenobi is killed by Darth Vader. That’s the spoiler. That’s a really pivotal scene not only in in the movie, but in the hero’s journey archetype. And for Luke Skywalker is the protagonist. And I think it’s like it’s a great example of a difficult choice. Now, it has high stakes, not every scene will. But this what happens is, if you all remember from the movie, a Darth Vader and Obi Wan are having their lightsaber duel on in the middle of the Death Star, and Luke along with I think Han Solo might be with them and chewy. They they arrive. And it’s not verbalized. But Luke has a choice, right? He either interferes with what’s happening and gets involved in the conflict. Or he waits and waits it out to see what happens. And if you think about that, it’s an incredibly difficult choice because Obi Wan is his mentor. He’s been training him. But now he’s facing like the most evil villain in the universe. So if Luke, Luke could bring harm to himself or to others, if he interferes, so that that’s one level of consequence. But clearly, Darth Vader is more powerful, stronger. Obi Wan’s an old man, so if Luke does nothing, his mentor’s probably going to die. And if Luke gets involved, he’s also risking Princess Leia and his job is to get laid off the Death Star. Because she’s the hope for the rebellion. So that’s a perfect example of an incredibly difficult choice where you as, as the viewer, you’re like, oh, gosh, what does he do? And it’s kind of cringe worthy. And that’s a perfect example of a difficult choice.

Sacha Black
And the thing that I really gave me a bit of an epiphany is that the consequence needs to change things forever. So you can’t you can’t take a step back.

J Thorn
You can’t undo it.

Sacha Black
Yeah, exactly. You can’t undo it. And so the choice that sorry, the con, I gotta get this in the right order. The conflict, choice, consequence, should be used throughout every scene. Is that right?

J Thorn
That’s correct. Yes.

Sacha Black
So how can writers use this in conjunction with their plotting, let’s say they’re plotting, and how can they you know, what tips are there for making sure that they have enough information and they’re plotting, you know, before they come to the page?

J Thorn
Yeah. In the most simplest form, I would have an outline or a set of story beats. And for every scene, I would write one bullet point for conflict, one for choice, one for consequence. Now I know that you know people who are more Panthers or discovery writers, they, they might want to come to a blank page. But I feel like if you’re writing a 2000 word scene, and you’re putting 10 words down on the page, you’re going to pants 1990 of them. So there’s even if you have just those three things mapped out, there’s still so much room for you in the scene. But at least you know what you’re going for, you know, how the scene is going to start, you know, the decision the characters going to face and then you know the outcome, which will set you up for the next scene. So I would say the very bare minimum, that’s really all you need. And if you do that much, and just and you’re still pantser, I think that’s going to give you just enough structure to get through without, like, locking up or having writer’s block.

Sacha Black
Yeah, and I suppose if there are some true rebels out there who really don’t even want to do that, I suppose they could use it as a check mechanism, when they go back to review each scene to make sure that they have, you know, a conflict beat, a choice beat and a consequence beat.

J Thorn
Yes, you absolutely could do that.

Sacha Black
Um, so what mistakes Do you think authors make when it comes to structure and plotting?

J Thorn
Well, I think if you’re talking specifically about plotting, I think this is a place where you need to be in the Goldilocks zone, I think you need to be moderate. I think you need to be somewhere in the middle I, I find authors who struggle are on the ends of the spectrum, they’re either writing out a 30,000 word outline, and at that point is basically a draft or they they have so little that they don’t know where they’re going. And so I think if you can kind of stay towards the middle and like I said, give yourself give yourself enough that you you know, where the scene is going to begin You know, what the decision is going to be and then how is going to end that’s kind of that’s kind of what you want. So that’s the biggest mistake I see. It’s just being on the on the ends of the spectrum.

Sacha Black
Let’s bring all of this together what tips and tricks do you have for you know structure and or anything else you want to add basically about the three story method and how it can help writers in structuring their stories better.

J Thorn
I think the the simplest thing you can do and it’s completely free if you check out The Career Author podcast, Zach and I, I don’t know if it’ll be wrapped up by the time completely wrapped up by the time this airs, but it’ll be pretty close. I think. We did what we’re calling an influencer series. So we looked at the story methodologies that really influenced us and influence three story method and and that if you listen to those episodes, you’re going to get a nice overview of what those methods are and how they work. And I think that’s a great place to start. So for example, the first influencer episode we did was Aristotle’s poetics. We looked at The Hero’s Journey both Campbell and Vogler’s interpretations, the Virgin’s promise with Kim Hudson and we looked at story by Robert McKee. And those sort of are the basis for three story methods. I would say to people, go listen to those podcast episodes. And that’ll start to kind of whet your appetite for what a story structure can be and how you can use it.

Sacha Black
Yeah, and I’ve listened to the Aristotle one and it made me buy the Aristotle poetics. So cheers for spending my money. Yeah, no, it was excellent. They say, and it was also interesting to see all of the stuff behind it. There is a bit of that in the book as well, but it was interesting to see where all the stuff behind it. Yes, um, okay, well, this is The Rebel the Podcast, so tell me about a time you unleash your inner rebel.

J Thorn
Well, I have to ask if I can tell you about a time I released my outer rebel Would that be okay? Yeah. Okay, you’re gonna love this. My wife makes fun of me all the time. And I’m not saying this works 100% of the time, but it works enough that I keep doing it. Alright, so here’s how you can be a rebel. Anytime you want something, let’s say you want a lower rate for your cell phone, or you want to decrease your cable cost or you want to, you want to get an extra package for your insurance. What you do is you call customer service, and you don’t ask them, you tell them what they’re going to do. thinking it’s no way this is gonna work, and I’m telling you it does. It doesn’t work every time. I perfect example, I was paying like $95 a month for my cable bill and I have like cable and internet. So I called the company and like customer service answers and like yeah, how can we help you? I’m like, let me tell you what you’re gonna do. And this is exactly how I said it. I was like, really upbeat and positive. I’m like, I’m paying so much from for my cable right now. So you’re going to drop it to 65 bucks a month. And she’s like, um, I can ask him like, No, you don’t have to ask just you just gonna go ahead and do it right now. And she’s like, um, hold on a second, and she comes back and she’s like, I found a voucher that will give you you know, whatever it was $35 off. So I’ll apply that to your account. Would that be okay? I’m like, splendid.

Sacha Black
No way, yeah, I am truly speechless.

J Thorn
you have to try it. Now. It’s, um, if you want to work up to it, like you could do it in person. So like, if you go into a coffee shop, and you’re like, let me tell you what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna I’m gonna pay for the small you’re gonna put you’re gonna put it in a large cup. That’s hard to do. And but if you start on the phone, it’s easier to do that pick an account that you’re paying too much money and just call customer service and tell them what they’re going to do and that’s unleashing your outer and your inner rebel.

Sacha Black
My God, there must be like some psychology around the you know the sort of affirmative statements or something where you give somebody no good. I have literally in awe of your rebellious nature.

J Thorn
to you have to be forceful but polite, and you have to be upbeat and positive. So you can’t like scream at them, but you just you were like, let me tell you what you’re gonna do. You get them all pumped up, and they’re like, and they just do it. And I’m telling you it’s happened enough that it’s not a fluke. And not every time but enough that I’m like that works.

Sacha Black
That is like a recipe for wealth domination. I am so impressed like I am taking notes right now. Oh my god, I think this is maybe my favorite rebel story ever. Sorry everyone else.

J Thorn
Well, I you could probably do you know me well enough to know that I don’t like following the rules. I’m kind of a rebel at heart. And so that’s one way you can kind of break me just yeah, call them and tell them. Don’t ask for Permission just tell them what they’re gonna do.

Sacha Black
I love I love it. Yeah, absolutely love it. I am I am literally gonna drop you an email when I’ve done this and be like, yes. Yeah.

J Thorn
Yeah, here’s, here’s where it worked or like, here’s where it didn’t work, but try it.

Sacha Black
Yes. And if any listener would like to also participate in our new game and then please do tweet. Okay, tell listeners where they can find out more about you your books and your podcasts.

J Thorn
Yeah, everything about me is that theauthorlife.com. That’s where I have all my podcasts and information and things like that. And if they’re interested in three story method, we have a landing page up at three story method calm. Amazing.

Sacha Black
And just one more time the names of your podcast Justin and because I will also link to them.

J Thorn
Yes, The Author Life, The Writers Well, The Career Author podcast and Writers Ink.

Sacha Black
Amazing. Thank you so much for your time today. Really, really appreciate it.

J Thorn
Pleasure. I had a blast.

Sacha Black
Yeah, I’m still. Okay. Right. Thank you to all of the patrons supporting the show. If you would like to get early access to all of the episodes, then you can do so by visiting www.patreon.com/SachaBlack and that is Sacha with a C. Thank you very much to everybody listening. I’m Sacha Black. You are listening to J Thorn and this was The Rebel Author Podcast.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might like these from the Rebel Author Podcast archive:

011 Authors and Money: How to Quit Your Job and Write Full-Time with Zach Bohannon

010 How to Be an Author on Youtube with Jenna Moreci

The post 018 How to Structure a Novel with J Thorn appeared first on Sacha Black.

If you have a shit book cover we won’t pick up your novel. Sloppy blurb and we chuck the book on the NBR (Never Be Read) pile. If we get past all that and find forgettable characters buried in your pages, well… fuck you author, here’s a one star review.

A couple of weeks ago, I was lording it up in Paris with the girls for a cocktail fuelled weekend… I still have a hangover!

The thing is, I wouldn’t be a writer if I didn’t take advantage of any and every opportunity to spew some more of my hyperbolae into the world, and Paris has provided me the perfect opportunity to do just that.

I have a terrible memory. Like ,really bad. But my substandard brain cells got me thinking about books and specifically, about characters.

Without memorable characters, your book is worthless. Why?

Because books are written about characters. If your characters are boring, your books boring. But how do you make them memorable without turning them into the equivalent of a glitter covered literary drag queen?

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with drag queens, I quite like them in nightclubs and on stages, but not so much in my YA fantasy novel.

The art of creating memorable characters isn’t about competing in the strangest quirks and weirdos world champs. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The best character quirks are those that are subtle and nuanced. Let me give you an example.

I did a lot in Paris, and a lot of big things too like: the Moulin Rouge, the Lourve, the Royal Opera House, the Eiffel Tower and drank and ate my body weight in cocktails and croissants.

But of all those big exciting things, the most salient I have, was in a macaroon shop. I was, minding my own business, trying to buy enough macaroons to feed the 5000, when I attempted to order a vanilla macaroon. This is how the conversation went:

Me – “Can I have a vanilla one please?”

Shopkeeper – “Non.”

Me – “huh?”

*looks at the full rack of vanilla macaroons*

“Sorry, umm, I meant one of those ones”

*points at vanilla macaroons*

Shopkeeper – Non.

Me – “Um. Okay? Why?”

Shopkeeper – “They no good.”

I tried again for the vanilla after requesting a caramel and strawberry one. But still, she refused to serve me a vanilla macaroon, despite having an entire rack of them on show.

I won’t ever forget her. She found a permanent home in my memory as the shopkeeper who refused to sell her goods.

But why did this work and how do you apply it to a story?

It works, because it’s unexpected. As kids we build heuristics and categories in our brains. They help us ‘know’ things. Things that are fundamental, like the red man means stop when we cross the road, girls have bits boys don’t and sweets are the food of gods.

Shop keepers are meant to sell us their products. It’s their job. To sell their goods to make money, no matter what. So when the macaroon lady didn’t, and all because she didn’t deem them good enough, it rocked my teeny tiny world, and THAT is how you create a memorable character.

The art is not to give them rainbow coloured hair, or exaggerate them into a cliche, but to focus on one small detail. The something unusual that stands out. What is it about someone that you just can’t forget?

Can’t think of the perfect quirk?

Ask yourself this:

• What you love about that boy you’ve never plucked up the courage to speak to – was the curve of his lips when he laughed? Or the way he always bought every homeless person he met a meal.
• Or perhaps there’s a girl in the shop you buy your morning latte from that catches your eye because she always puts your change in a tower on top of your take out cup. Or slips you a free cookie when her boss ain’t looking.
• Is there a till clerk you remember? Why?
• What about an annoying habit? The way someone eats – is it surprising? Does your first date like to eat the shells of the snails instead of the innards?

Another example from Paris was the girl in a black string vest who sat in a shop doorway sanding down the frame. Not unusual in itself, but instead of wearing the white builders mask you’d expect, she was wearing a vintage war gas mask. That caught my eye too, because it was surprising.

So tell me, how do you strike the perfect balance with your character quirks? What quirks do your characters have? And how do you make them memorable? Let me know in the comments below.

The post The Secret to Making Your Characters Memorable appeared first on Sacha Black.

One of the biggest differences between plotters and pantsers is whether or not they outline. In last week’s post, I talked through the first three of twelve outlining methods, including:

• Chapter Outlines
• 7 Point Plot Plan
• 3 Point Plot Plan

Today I am going to run through the rest of them.

Method SIX – Flash Like A Streaker

The flashlight method, is one I think is genius. It’s like the ultimate hybrid method.

It works by starting to write, then outlining only so much as you can see. Illuminate just enough of your next few chapters for you to continue writing without falling off the plot cliff and watching your novel crash and burn because you nawzed it right up. For example, say you’re on chapter 4 and you know loosely what shit you’re going to get your main character into for a dozen more scenes, then you just outline those. You can forget the remaining 300 scenes, and only plot just far enough ahead to keep you going.

Good for Plotters: because you know what’s coming in advance, allowing you to have crossed and dotted the appropriate vowels and consonants.

Good for Pantsers: because you don’t have to plot the whole book before you start. You only need to jot notes for as much ahead of your current point as you know. Meaning, you stay on track but also have flexibility to change stuff up when needed without having to force out plot twenty chapters in advance.

Method SEVEN – The Arty Farty Writer

There are a stack of methods you can use to outline if you are visual. The most common being the mind map.

But you can also use a flow chart to plot chapters, or character arcs or pacing.

Joanna Penn has a great article explaining what and how to use mind maps  for outlining.

Good for Plotters: because you can quickly and efficiently plot the whole of your book on one page. There’s nothing better than a one page overview.

Good for Pantsers: because you can freestyle, the act of mind mapping is in itself a method of going with the flow, lines and bubbles are put wherever the voices in your head tell you to put them. Do it in pencil and you can change to your heart’s content.

Method EIGHT – Geek Out With Your Apps Out

There are so many apps, tools and programmes designed to help you outline and keep track of your novel related buns in the oven.

You can use excel to create scene list by way of plotting. There’s a great article on The Write Practice on this topic.

But it’s not just excel that you can use. Scrivener is infamous for its ability to help you to plot out and plan your novels. Just check out the YouTube tutorials from the Scrivener Coach.

Good for Plotters: because you can go nuts with these programmes. You could drown yourself in the heavenly fountain of plotting details.

Good for Pantsers: because umm… okay, not so great, it’s pretty detailed to be fair.

Method NINE – All Context & No Plot Makes The Pantser A Happy Writer

I nearly peed my pants with excitement when I read about this type of outlining. I immediately promised myself to at least attempt this.

You know when you’re reading a story and the start of a chapter its thundering and lightning, only to find at the end of the chapter the sun is shining at full pelt despite it being monsoon season?

Well context outlining will help stop you doing that.

The context outline, involves plotting out (in order ideally), every ‘venue’ or ‘location’ in your novel and any associated contextual information.

Context outlining is  the ultimate cheat. It’s everything BUT your plot. It’s locations, timing, weather, and anything else big picture context you think is relevant to your book.

Good for Plotters: because you could do this as well as another type of outline. You can bathe in the detaily goodness of minutia and continuity

Good for Pantsers: because it’s not your standard outline. No plot required, bitches. Fill your boots with the shit you usually fudge up, while not having to determine any of the plot.

Method TEN – Meta Like You just Met Ya Novel

Let me make a huge sweeping generalisation that’s bound to annoy some one. There’s two types of people in life: big picture people and small detail people.

Big picture folks, like me, love nothing more than bathing in the glory of the end goal. It’s a little catalyst of pug  puppy joy for them. They constantly think about the end game and are happy to play strategy tennis, taking short-term botox injections for long-term baby face.

But what they forget to do, is think about the process of getting there.

Me: So you wana work full-time as a writer?

Me in my head: Sure do.

Me: Awesome… How you guna do it?

Me in my head: Oh… Shit.

When it comes to writing a book, you need details as much as you do plot structure and story arcs. The beauty of outlining is that you can play both to your strengths, or if you want some self-development, to your weakness.

If you know you’re no good at remembering whether Johnny Jr. was fat and wore silk gloves or skinny and blind, then build an outline for those kinds of details. You could note them by chapter, or by arc journey i.e. he’s fat at the start and by chapter 20 he lost 87 stone.

Stuff you could include in a META outline are things like:

• Was the splodge on the dogs back brown or black?
• Foods characters eat
• Habits
• Any notable changes to characters from the start to the end
• Any quirks to settings
• Character names
• Family relations

Good for Plotters: because this method is detail to the max. This is the kind of outline that would give a true plotter a big fat outlining Ohhhgasm. It captures all the tiny details you don’t want lost and you can plot them by chapter if you want

Good for Pantsers: because it helps you not lose all the shit plotters write down and we might otherwise forget, change, or simply f*** up.

Scott Westerfield’s (author of the Uglies series) article on this very topic is fab.

Method ELEVEN – Snowflake

Possibly the most well known of all the outlines, Randy Ingermanson created the snowflake method.

The premise of his method is to start small and work up to a long outline and eventually novel.

• Write one sentence about your novel
• Expand it into a paragraph
• Then a page… and so on

Good for Plotters: because it is a true outline, you build on what you know and develop it into a full outline which directly leads into a full manuscript.

Good for Pantsers: because you build on what you know. If you only know one sentence, that’s all you need to start. Although the method dictates completing the outline before you begin, you don’t have to. You could get to a paragraph, start writing bleeding on the page and then expand as you go.

Method TWELVE – K.M Weiland

So, my intention was to have finished reading this book before I recommended it, but I haven’t had time to finish it, and I’m impressed with what I’ve read so far. K.M Weiland’s book Outlining Your Novel, is less of a method in itself and more of a comprehensive guide to outlining.

It’s an outlining bible. It guides you through making a decision on what kind of outliner you are, things you should include and the different methods in which you can do it.

***

So there we are. That’s all twelve methods. Which, if any do you use? And have I tempted you to try any new ones? Let me know in the comments below.

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The post Master The Outline – 12 Methods For Plotters & Pantsers – Part II appeared first on Sacha Black.

You want your book to be the cause of their bleary eyed appearance as they clutch the work coffee machine and growl at any one who comes near.

But what is it about a chapter ending that makes someone read on, rather than put it down and go to snoozeyland?

Here are nine tactics you can use to grip a reader and tickle their temptation soft spot to read on.

Tactic ONE – Ignore The Reader

The end of a chapter is also called a transition because it ‘transitions’ you from scene to scene. Got to love when it does what it says on the tin. BUT, the misnomer that comes with the word transition, is that writers often think they need to either:

• Carry on the action in the next chapter where the last one finished
• Carry on the timeline exactly where the last chapter finished

Both of these, while not wrong, are definitely not necessary. Chapter endings are a literary device. Think of it as a wrench in your writerly toolbox of delights.

You can wrench a reader to an entirely different point in the book….(see what I did there…*snigger*) okay, moving on…

Tactic TWO – Arc Like Noah Only Less Wood More Words

Chapters need story arcs just as much as the whole book AND your characters do. But the arc in a chapter is often more pronounced. It’s unusual to start a chapter and end it with the same level of tension and pace.

By arc, I mean, the place your chapter starts – say Voldemort attacking Harry P, and the end, where Harry defeats him. Two entirely different places, two different emotions and two different levels of pace and tension.

If every chapter is flat (sure some need to be) you’re not giving your readers a reason to read on.

Writers are magicians. That’s a fact, we make people feel stuff, create entire new worlds and bring magic to life. So embrace that shit at the end of a chapter. Do a big reveal. Whip a literary bunnikins from your book-hat and shock readers.

Like at the end of the first chapter of the Testing where we have been eagerly awaiting Cia’s school results – because all she’s ever wanted to do is go through the Testing to get into University

“No matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t good enough to be chosen for The Testing. As I leave the stage and am given hugs of congratulations by my friends, I can only wonder: what will I do now?” Joelle Charbonneau, The Testing, Ch1, loc 213.

Now I HAVE to know what happens, what WILL she do?

Tactic FOUR – Get Your Toddler Out – Ask Questions 

Which leads me nicely onto the next tactic – Ask a question but never, NEVER answer it. The quote above is a good example of this, Charbonneau both reveals info and asks a question.

But you don’t have to hit us with the literal branch like she did, you can ask a metaphorical question, say by putting your character in a difficult situation – the question then becomes, how will Toby-woby get out of the poopee he’s in?

But like I said, the important thing is to not answer the question immediately you start the next chapter – leave a reader hanging, answer it in two or three or twenty-three chapters time.

Conflict 1 & 2 – Create A Sticky Situation or Do something Interesting To A Character

I just read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Riggs puts Jacob into a whole heap of trouble at the end of the first chapter after seeing a monster that couldn’t possibly exist.

“And then I must’ve blacked out because he was saying Jacob, Jake, hey Ed areyouokayorwhat, and that’s the last thing I remember.” Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Pg 33.

This quote kinda serves for both, Jake’s in a right sticky sit. But it’s also interesting because we want to know what he saw, and why he’s subsequently blacked out.

Conflict 3 -Rifle In That Toolbox Pull Out A Spanner & Throw It

Spanners are awesome and I don’t even like DIY. But literary spanners are awesome sauce, they’re like the perfect roast potato – crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside *drools*

*muhahaha rubs writerly hands together*

Angelfall is another great example of this. By throwing Penryn into a shitty situation she can’t do anything about.

“…but there’s nothing I can do about that. I start to tell her it’ll be all right, but the lie dries up in my mouth. It’s pointless to reassure her. I take a deep breath, and yank open the door.”Angel fall, Susan Ee, Pg 3.

---

Tactic SIX – Top Up The Tension With A Time Tease

One of the easiest ways to ratchet up the tension in a book is by applying a time pressure factor. Only got three days till the meteor hits the Earth? Better make sure the hero can save the world before then. Adding a time pressure factor in right at the end of a chapter is a guaranteed method of making the reader want to devour your pages. Because…because will your hero make it in time? *bites nail*

Tactic SEVEN – Soap Opera the Sh*t Out of Your Chapters

You know when you’re watching Corrie, or Eastenders or (insert culturally relevant soap opera show) and the end of the episode goes something like this:

Pregnancy test flashes positive. Girl turns white.

Girl’s friend says “But Shanice, is the father Derick (her boyfriend) or Tyson? (her estranged cousin, who she fell in love with (before she knew he was her cousin) after being beaten black and blue by Derick.)”

Shanice looks up, mouth opens to answer… *Dramatic Pause*

Insert cliff hanger music

DUM DUM DUUUUUUM…

Scene End.

You’re on your feet, as red faced as the local alcoholic and bellowing expletives at the screen.

I’ll never forget the iconic Eastenders scene with Kat and Zoe Slater who have been brought up as sisters but actually aren’t. I had to include it because in my humble opinion it’s one of the greatest soap opera moments in British history.

So what tactics do you employ when writing the end of a chapter to grip a reader and make them turn the page? Let me know in the comments.

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The post 7 Tactics To Grip A Reader At The End Of A Chapter appeared first on Sacha Black.

That’s why I’ve obsessively read books since I sung my first ABC and it’s why I write just as obsessively now.

One of my biggest obsessions, is the concept of dystopian worlds. I heart everything about them. I want the t-shirt, the fan girl moves, the merch and ALL the books. ALL OF THEM.

But right now, as a writer, I’m more interested in how to get them right. What do you need building bricks do you need to include and what key factors do you need to make a dystopian world realistic.

I’ve just finished reading Jane Dougherty’s Abomination. It was both a fantastic read and an exceptional example of an apocalyptic and dystopian setting.

Here are 5 steps to perfect the dystopian world.

‘Dystopia’ is: “characterized by human misery, as squalor,oppression, disease, and overcrowding.” Dictionary.com. 

Dystopian novels usually examine a social or political concept through an oppressive or broken society or power. The juicy bits in these books tend to come from the exploration of the reasoning behind why it’s broken. But my most fave bit about dystopia is that its usually a reflection of our own fucked up society.

It’s an exploration of what could be, of what’s to come if we don’t shape up and what really, already is. It explores the darkness inside us all that if we’re not careful, will seep out, infect our shambles of a society and lead us on the path to dystopian hell.

Some of the first and most uber famous work in the dystopian field include 1984 by George Orwell and A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, both books I’ve put on my 30 by 30 list (30 things I want to achieve/do or in this instance read by the time I’m 30, in March 2017)

In the last five years there’s been an explosion of dystopian fiction in the YA genre, and anyone who’s hung around here for even one post, will know I am a super geek for anything YA. Famous examples include: Divergent, Hunger Games, Uglies and Matched.

If you’ve got any dystopian book recommendations for me (but particularly in the YA genre) tap me up and leave me a scribble in the comments below.

Step One – Something Broken

Writing dystopian fiction is fun because you can behave like a teenage boy; break shit and blow stuff up.

And that’s just the setting. Dystopian fiction dissects humanity. I get literary ecstasy when I rub my writerly hands together and drill down into the what and why we do stuff. Why is our society so corrupt? Why do we lie? And are lies ever justified if it’s for the greater good?

These moral and philosophical questions are exactly what should be explored in a dystopian world. It’s an opportunity to explore what really fucks you off about life. I have two dystopian books on the back burner waiting to be finished: Adultland, and The Firmament, the latter of which I posted an excerpt of in last week’s Writespiration.

The point I am trying to make is, BREAK SOMETHING. Something political, or societal. But it has to be something fundamental to how our society works.

In Delirium, they determine love to be a disease and find a cure for it. In Divergent, they portion society up by personality traits. In Hunger Games they send a child off each year as a sacrifice to keep the peace.

In Abomination, Dougherty’s something broken is the world itself. The apocalypse has come, and the world is breaking apart as hell itself descends on earth.

“As long as the satellites continued sending pictures, the monitors showed catastrophe on a global scale. Coastlines were submerged, islands disappeared, mountain chains exploded, fault lines opened and swallowed cities in a cascade of flames, plumes of smoke miles high, and the black dust and ash of the end of the world.” Ch 1 Abomination, by Jane Dougherty

Step Two – A Villain’s Reasoning 

Now, it’s all fun and games breaking shit for literary giggles. But readers won’t be laughing if there isn’t a fully thought out justification for society’s fuckedupness (that’s 100% a word).

I’m not about spoilers, so I can’t tell you about the main villain in Dougherty’s book, but Ace, the second villain, is really just a scared little boy, using bigger boys to beat on others in order to do what he wants and retain control.

Divergent is another good example of this. The ‘real’ world is broken by war, their justification for locking people in Chicago and sectioning them off into factions is to wait for evolution to bring about ‘whole’ humans again in order to broker peace. That sounds like a reasonable justification to me. But the key here is you do need a believable justification.

If you want more tips on Villains, subscribe to get the latest news on my book release, 13 Steps to Evil – The Ultimate Writer’s Guide To Creating Superbad Villains.

Step Three – Physical Dystopia

Now as much as you shaft your characters intangible psychological stuff in your dystopian setting, you also need to tinker with the physical. By that I mean your setting.

Usually a dystopian setting is based on a world that is dying, been through some kind of world ending war, or ravaged by viruses. Whatever the cause it needs to be messy.

Some things to consider include:

• Buildings, where do people sleep/eat/live
• Weather
• Clothing
• Technology
• Food and the ease of access to it

I am super visual and draw a lot of inspiration from seeing things. One of the things I wanted to achieve before I was 30 was entering a derelict building. So far I’ve got photos of a derelict barn and a burnt out canal boat. I’ve also managed to talk my way into being allowed into a derelict school so I’ll be taking photos of that soon too. Below are some images I’ve taken for dystopian inspiration:

Dougherty is the master of creating a broken world. I lost count of how many sentences I highlighted. But here are some examples of her gorgeous descriptions:

“…the track behind him erupted into a tangled web of razor wire and jagged pieces of beaten metal. The creatures raced into the trap, hoisted into the air by barbs that tore deep into their flesh.” Ch6, Abomination, by Jane Dougherty

“The smell he gave off was a heady mixture of unwashed human and decomposing canine.” Ch 7, Abomination by Jane Dougherty

“Everywhere piles of debris and smashed lights and windows bore witness to the fighting for control of the place. Shops had been pillaged, some burnt out, all had been defiled in some way. The wall were plastered with tags, scowls and daubs, spattered with paint, excrement and blood. Even in the cold, even with half the glass in the doors and windows put out, the stench remains. It was the smell of decay, of putrefaction, of a whole civilisation rotting away.” Ch 13, Abomination by Jane Dougherty

Step Three – The Struggle

If you break something, then something needs to be a struggle. It doesn’t matter what that struggle is, but you need to make some part of living hard for your characters.

Usual suspects, include food and shelter. But as in Delirium, it’s being able to love freely.

Step Four – The Extreme

Once you decide what your something broken is, and what your something struggle is (I feel like I’m wedding planning now, I just need something blue) you need to take shit to the next level.

I’ve talked about pushing readers to the extreme in recent post on giving readers book hangovers.

Struggles and extremes come hand in hand like cupcakes and my stomach. If you want to make your characters struggle the easiest way to do it, is to take whatever is broken and push it to the next level.

For example, in the Hunger Games, not only do they struggle for food, they then have to sacrifice CHILDREN to prevent war.

In Divergent, not only do they get ‘tested’ for personality traits, they then have to live, breathe and be all consumed by those traits.

In Dougherty’s book, everything is pushed to the extreme. The world really is ending. Food is limited and if they don’t starve to death first, they will freeze because of the weather extremes.

Step Five – The Warning Message

And here we come to an end. Through all the catastrophes, character starving and blowing of shit up, is the thought you want to leave your readers with.

What is your theme? What is the message about society that you are really leaving readers with?

In Uglies, by Scott Westerfield – in which at 16 you undergo plastic surgery to make you pretty – pretty being societies pre-determined definition of pretty- his message is clear. Don’t be a sheep. Stay unique, and don’t become a drone. Wanting to be the same as everyone else, is more than just visibly damaging, it’s mentally damaging. It’s okay to be different.

I asked Dougherty, three questions on dystopian settings, here’s our Q&A:

Q1. Jane, where did you draw inspiration from?

A.1 For the wormhole aspect the idea came from looking through a kid’s science magazine and thinking what a really cool idea wormhole theory is. Using them as shortcuts through time and space, I mean, since they really do exist, and have been created artificially. I love space, string theory, parallel worlds and all that but I don’t have a very scientific mind and it’s so rare I actually cotton onto a theory. Probably because the article was written for eleven year olds…

The shopping mall idea comes from a visceral horror of shopping and a morbid fear of being trapped in a mall. Photos of abandoned commercial and industrial sites have also worked their way into my imagination.

Q2. What did you find most important to consider when thinking about getting a realistic apocalyptic setting 

A.2 There are dozens of apocalyptic stories around, many of them, like mine set in the ruins of cities and inhabited by blood-crazed savages/aliens/zombies/normal terrified people who don’t know where else to go. It’s all very plausible (if you believe in zombies) but for how long would it be possible to scratch an existence in the ruins? There’s a limit to how many cans of beans and packets of cornflakes you could scavenge before the perishables just…perished or got eaten. No electricity, no water, no agriculture, nothing produced at all. I reckoned five years would be just about all we’d get, to paraphrase Bowie. I’ve read plenty of stories where food supplies, new clothes, shoes, munitions for guns, fresh fruit and vegetables, household implements etc all appear out of nowhere, when nobody is actually producing anything. When that happens, my belief in the story crumbles completely. If somebody makes a sandwich in a post apocalyptic world, I want to know where the f**k the sliced bread and the lettuce came from. How to manage on nothing seems to me what’s most important. If you can’t find a solution to that one, then everybody has to be dead.

Q3. What would your three top tips be for anyone wanting to create an apocalyptic or dystopian setting?

A.3 Decide on your social structure. Is society going to be organized to continue producing what we are used to having, or is it going to collapse completely and morph into something else? Who will run it, to what end, and is there an alternative?

There has to be a conflict; somebody has to be in disagreement with the new society. Perhaps there’s a threat, aliens, human gangs/armies etc. Whatever, even if it’s a utopia, it needs an opposition not only to make it credible, but to create perspective and depth and, let’s face it, a good story.

Keep it realistic. Whatever commodities your characters use, you need to be able to account for how they came by them or made them. If the refrigerator still works, you need to explain how, likewise where does the fuel come from for the cars, the electricity for the lights, running water, the sewage system. And don’t go to the other extreme with a highly urbanized population of Homer Simpsons suddenly intuitively rediscovering the lost arts of long bow making, home steel production and arrowhead manufacture, spinning, weaving and sewing with fish gut. Don’t kid yourselves, it wouldn’t happen.

NEWS ALERT – CALLING ALL READERS OF BOOKS!

There’s a new campaign out – if you’re a reader and you don’t leave reviews, then you should. Reviews are the bread and butter of a writers career. Terry Tyler has started a new twitter hashtag, #AugustReviews with the goal of encouraging readers to leave just one review in the month of August. PLEASE join in, and check out her campaign here.

I wanted to leave you with my favourite quote from Dougherty’s book:

“To go where? You don’t understand because you’ve only just arrived, but the rest of us have lived  through five years of watching the earth pulling the plug on itself and humanity squabbling over the leavings like dogs over a bone. There is nowhere to go, nowhere that isn’t exactly like this.” Abomination, Ch 35, Jane Dougherty

You can buy Abomination from Amazon UK or Finch Books.

As a point of review, while Dougherty’s book is awesome of the highest proportions, and I really did love it (go read it now), if you are faint of heart or on the sensitive side, read it with caution. Dougherty is not afraid of…well, anything.

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The post Perfect Your Dystopian World in 5 Easy Steps appeared first on Sacha Black.

Self-doubt really is the queen bee of inefficiency, procrastination and pointlessness. Frankly, she makes Trump seem useful… did I? Lets move on before I offend anyone with something more than just my potty mouth.

I’ve talked about self-doubt before and given four suggestions to beat it. But like anything, as you grow and develop as a writer, you find new tricks to make you better and more efficient.

Writing is always likened to running a marathon. It’s great analogy because personally, I’ve well and truly hit the 18 mile wall. But even if I have to chew my kneecaps off in a bid to keep my arse in the proverbial chair, I will hand my sodding book-baby to beta readers on 30th September. But fuck me, the universe is not making it easy.

So here are some awesome techniques I’ve been using that you can implement to get you and your book to completion without having to gnaw body parts off.

SECRET 1 – Goal set and work backwards

I’ll get the obvious two out the way. I know it’s an age old concept, setting goals, but seriously kids… If you don’t set yourself a clear goal, with a clear deadline, how in the shittle sticks do you know what you need to achieve between now and d-day?

I set a deadline of 30th September. That means (from the date I set it) I have until 15th August to finish re-drafting. As I write this I have 47,000 words near enough completed. That means I need to write 25k (plus/minus 10k – I am not setting a strict word count the story ends when it ends) between now and the 15th, thats 3 weeks. An average of 5-8000 words a week. Not an easy task, but one I can do with a bit of reprioritising. (No social life, fuck loads of coffee and no sleep. Easy. *ahem*)

I need to edit said 25k during the last two weeks of August and then do a full (final) read through during the first two weeks of Sept – giving me 2 weeks slippage time.

That’s lot of mini deadlines to meet. If I hadn’t set a clear goal with deadlines I wouldn’t know what I was doing or when it needed doing by. And shit would slip into I’ll just watch another episode of blah blah and do it at five past never-never.

SECRET 2 – Track Progress

Okay, you’re either going to love this or hate it. It works for me, but it ain’t going to tickle everyone’s tummy fluff.

Even if this doesn’t work for you, find another way. There’s no point setting goals if you aren’t going to monitor progress towards them.

A few weeks ago, I had a geek out moment that would put Stephen Hawking to shame. After a minor meltdown on the phone to Suzie, I realised I needed to track progress, with pretty glitter and colour changing boxes. With a bit of conditional formatting, I made a spreadsheet, with among other things, boxes that change according to the number of words I write per week. As you can see, last week was green, yay me. This week as yet, is amber… clearly I need to stop fucking about on wordpress and crack my own self-flaggelating whip.

SECRET 3 – Accountability Partner

I stole this from a podcast. But in essence, you don your most pretentious writing cap and duly request the assistance of a fellow writer. One, you don’t mind calling you out on your bullshit.

Allie Potts, is mine.

There are two kinds of accountability partner. I suggest you find one that best suits your needs:

A) The softly-softly, stroke my hair and whisper me sweet sonnets for encouragement.

or

B) The no bullshit, no fucking about, drop and give me twenty for missing your target, bitch.

I’ll let you take a guess which one I am.

How does it work? Set your goals, set a deadline and then demand results. Communicate about twice a week demanding updates. If progress isn’t satisfactory, you better make damn sure you have a good reason.

The other handy thing is, when you set a goal, they then push you to achieve even more, by say, making you up your target by 10%… oh and they expect you to deliver!

SECRET 4 Stop asking everyone else

No one gives a shit about your book. They’re all too busy trying to write their own books. (Okay, not quite true. Writerly friends do care, but the point’s valid).

Every time you seek reassurance from someone else, you’re subconsciously telling yourself  you’re not good enough.

Stop it. It’s really annoying. As annoying as the guy at work that plays an operatic symphony every lunch using only his teeth, tongue and three day old spag bol.

SECRET 5 – Writing Tribe

Okay, now ignore what I just said because ultimately everyone needs a bitch now and then. I have a message group with two writers. Three seems to be the magic number because when there’s three, one is always having a good day. When someone  is down, there’s two others to perk you up, or tell you shut the fuck up. Whatever’s needed!

It’s also supremely motivational. When you scroll through the messages and see that your writing buds have written 6000 words and 800 blog posts you soon pull your finger out. Suzie has a great post on tribes, here.

SECRET 6 Ask yourself if your self-doubt is realistic?

Have you done something similar in a competent way before? If so, you know that you’re being a pissy little bitch and need to hush your gums.

If you’re doubting yourself because you’re about to do something new, ask yourself why you’re doing it?

Is it because you’re a writer and need to push yourself out your comfort zone? Are you doing it for family, love or friends? Or are you doing it because it will help you achieve your goal? If any of the above are true, stop doubting and get the fuck on with it.

When is self doubt okay? Feel free to doubt yourself when you’re standing on the precipice of a 1000ft drop off a sheer cliff face into a bed of volcanic lava and poisonous snake venom. If it’s even remotely related to your book, pick up your fucking pen up and stop whining.

SECRET 7 Mantras & Affirmation

Miracle mornings are all the rage at the moment. Wake up earlier, do a bunch of positive

shit, and feel good. For me, the finger of God herself couldn’t get me up an hour earlier. I have been a night owl from the moment daddies sperm hit mummies egg an I popped into miraculous existence.

But – the point is a good one.

Every time I complete another day in work, its a bloody miracle. A miracle that I acknowledge and thank the universe for at 4pm on the dot. There will come a day when I live the dream and can write all day everyday, but until then I will stick with my mantras and affirmations.

There is one other daily affirmation that I make. Every time I look in the mirror, (and I do mean every time) whether it be, while painting my eyebrows on in the morning, or washing my hands after a wee, I affirm my goal.

I tell myself that one day, I will sell enough books that I can quit the grind and write full time. I tell myself that I know this is true, because I will make it so. 

What do you do when you hit the novel wall? How do you smash it down and complete a book? Let me know in the comments below.

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The post Mantras, Mindset & 7 Secrets You Need To Finish Your Book appeared first on Sacha Black.

But despite all that, when you see the results or hear of a reader sobbing at 3am because you killed bunnikins the third and all his fluffy bunnywabbit babies, it makes it all worth while.

We’ve all been there: unable to see the page for the hysterical tears, or laughing so hard you drop the book and lose your page. Or the ultimate – been given a book hangover by the latest series you binge read.

As authors, that’s exactly what we want to do our readers: hook em’, shake em, change em’, and set them free again.

The key to a hangover, is being able to change a reader, but in order to achieve that change, we need to drag them into the heart of our story. Which means, we need to know what the heart of our story is in the first place.

STEP ONE – Figure Out Your Own Why

Figure out why you’re really writing this story. And I don’t mean the pissy little answers non-writers assume like: ‘Oh there’s a book in you’ or “it’s just for fun’ or ‘you’re trying to be a writer.’ Sorry but while those things might be true, they’re mostly bullshit.

I’ve talked about finding your why, and your own personal philosophy before. The same principle can be applied here. Knowing why you write before you start writing is important because it’s your driving mechanism. It’s what keeps you going when fear, resistance and self-doubt are paralysing you.

Maybe you write to deal with your own personal baggage. Or perhaps to create the life you always wish you’d had, perhaps it’s rectifying a wrong you did or had done to you in the past.

Me? I’m a truth seeker.

I write because I want to explore truth. In every way: personal, global and human. I want to understand what our truth is. Are humans innately good? Or are we really a poison virus raping and pillaging the Earth? Frankly I’m fucking terrified it’s the latter. But there’s the crux of it, that fear is what drives me to delve deep inside people, rummage around the rawness of jealousy, love and pain and discover the most brutal truth there is.

So have a think, and let me know why you really write in the comments.

STEP TWO – Why are you writing THIS story?

It’s one thing to know why you write at all, but each story is an entity, a ‘being’ in itself. Each story has its’ own why and that’s the core of your story. It’s like your books own personal philosophy.

It’s more than just a theme, although theme is a major part of finding the heart of your story. Last week, in Lies – 5 Tips to Master The Perfect Character Arc, I talked about the Hunger Games, and the fact that Katniss believes that in order to survive she has to kill all the other tributes. This is the perfect example, because really the core of the book is about sacrifice.

And that’s Katniss’ truth – there is another way, but it will cost her, her life. No one said the truth was going to be what you wanted to here.

The reason we’re so sucked in to the Hunger Games, is because that truth, that core theme, is clear from the start. It might be subtly woven through the whole book, in order to make it a great read, but we know it’s there as readers. We feel it, because Suzanne Collins ensures that golden ‘sacrifice’ thread is stitched from the very first chapter (when Katniss makes her first sacrifice to be a tribute in place of her sister) right through to the end where she makes her final sacrifice, to die herself rather than kill Peta.

Connect those dots and readers will eat out of the palm of your hand.

STEP THREE – Take It To The Extreme

The thing is. Once you find your books core, it’s tender blood-filled heart, you need to rip it the fuck out and put it on display for your readers.

Seriously.

Bollocks to sensitivities and manners. People read books to be affected. To be made to feel something.

That’s how you do it. You take your core theme, your books why, and then push it (through your characters) to its absolute extreme.

Human experience, and our reaction to it is how you make people feel. Think about it.

If your character loved someone and the worst thing that happened to them in the whole book was their lover going away for two months.

Really?

Who gives a shitsickle. I could poop more interesting storylines.

But what if there was a misunderstanding, a row, their worst one yet and the last thing she said to her lover was she hated him, and then he went away. What if she regretted it the minute he left and travelled after him going through extreme conditions to find him only to discover he’d been killed. Well now, that’s more interesting. Sure, there are ways of pushing that storyline a LOT further, I’m just making the point.

If we go back to Katniss, we know that she IS pushed to the extreme. Both mentally and physically, having to fight and kill and cling to life with her fingertips.

These experiences are what lead her to her ultimate truth – she would rather sacrifice herself than that of a loved one.

And that is how you get to the heart of your book. If you can do that, you’re guaranteed to give your readers a book hangover.

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The post How To Give Your Readers A Book Hangover in 3 Easy Steps appeared first on Sacha Black.

To join in, post a link in the comments or drop your lines (identified by which is first and which is last) into the comments.

If there’s a significant number of you joining in, I may not be able to comment on every entry this week as I am snowed under trying to meet a deadline. However, I will publish every one in the next Writespiration.

Here’s Mine:

My First Couple of lines (I know, I cheated, I was only meant to use one):

Mother rapped her shoe against the train’s wooden floor. Once, twice, three times. Arms folded, eyes narrowed to slits, I stole a glance at her. I’d pushed too far. But this was my Keepers ceremony and I wanted to feel like myself when I walked in.

My Penultimate Line (the last line gives something away!):

It wasn’t possible. He was dead. I’d killed him with my own hands.

Now to last time and the hug you always wanted.

First in Adele with, The Hug:

A dark place. A phrase that is used often yet whispered by those who have been there. I lived through a dark place and now have the sunshine on my face and the green grass under my feet. My escape started with a simple tale about a selkie which captured the heart of a princess. She wrote back and so started the unfolding of soul loving soul. Eventually, we were to meet, she would leave her tower and travel to a wild land, never visited by often thought of. I would bend the bars of my cage and fly towards her. I saw her before she saw me and my heart burst the last bars of the cage. She came towards me and smiled then we hugged. Through dark, dark times we survived and married with the sun on our faces and the green grass under our feet.

Margo up next with this lovely description

She greets me at the door, jumping, spinning, wanting my full attention, demanding to be touched, acknowledged, held.

She craves to have my arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace, holding her with tenderness and purpose. She dashes off wanting to show me what has held her interest throughout the day. She enthusiastically drags toys, balls, and stuffed animals to the center of the room, enticing me to join her world of play.

Then it’s back to my arms to be reassured that she is loved and cared about.

Yes, a hug is universal;  conveying love, acceptance, comfort, understanding.

Given generously and accepted gratefully.

Allie in Next

I stood at the window and watched as others scurried about, intent on hundreds of other problems. I was only concerned with one. Though I had been in this place for hours, I wouldn’t have recognized a single one of them were we to meet on the street. I wanted to hate them, these faceless individuals. I hated that they existed, that the world needed them,. . . that I needed them. Stuck on the other side of the glass where no sound would pass, I could only imagine what was being said on the other side about me. I wanted to hate them for all they represented, but couldn’t.

An unusual flurry of motion managed to do the impossible, cause me to look away. The door opened and a woman walked out. I held my breath as she approached. “The danger is over. Would you like to meet your baby now?”

Ritu now, with this lovely poem

A cuddle, a hug, a squeeze

There’s nothing more likely to please.

It’s just like a smile, it costs nothing to you

But a well-timed hug , there’s a lot it can do

The shoulder squeeze,  a solidarity stance

A hug with a shrug, well they do it in France!

The cuddles with children they warm the heart

Snuggles with your Dearest, never to part

But I have to say, the best hug I’ve had

Is the deep embrace I get from my Dad.

Judy up now with another awesome poem

A hug from somebody special

Is one to treasure indeed

It can make you feel warm and rosy

And is sometimes just what you need

I have been pretty lucky

To have had more than my share

Despite not being ‘touchy feely’

I do like to show that I care!

The Blogger’s Bash was a hug-fest

It was so lovely to hug all my friends

People that I had become fond of

I finally met that weekend

Hugs with people I worked with

When I called in to see them one day

All that warmth and affection

Brought lots of sunshine my way.

Sometimes when I have a day off

And am having a crafty lie in

My daughter will come and give me a cuddle

The perfect way for the day to begin!

After a hard day at work when I am tired

And am feeling a bit down in the dumps

A hug can make me feel better

Which I get from dear Mr Grump!

I can’t choose which hugs are better

Either from friends or family

All I know that I love them

And each one is special to me!

Jane Dougherty in now with a beautiful but sad poem

Empty arms

There have been so many times,

Your arms around me, held so tight,

When I have thought heaven was mine,

In an embrace that fills the night.

Each time that tenderness, so sweet,

I just reach out and you are there,

Our bodies fit, match and complete,

Is almost more than I can bear.

But the deepest longing, never sated,

Beneath the bliss, a constant pain,

Is for those gone far beyond my loving,

All those I’ll never hold again.

Phylor, new to writespiration, is in next with this lovely poem

in your puppy-dog-eye days,

you would hug me warmly,

my head in the crook of your collar bone

holding me so tight, I could feel your

desire stir, hug becoming embrace

both yielding to deep kisses

our luxuria accelerants

to a bonfire

in the now, in our twilights

no embracing with emphasis

ghost memory of feeling

aching to be crushed

suffocated in your shoulder

as when you held me

bonfire in embers

to say forever

you will have my arms

Another newbie to writespiration this week with Shadeau’s first entry

Long as ocean deep

Between us; far as here

To Heaven; two lifetimes

Full of years—

Yours gone, mine lingers…

Please remember, hear

Me call your name when I arrive.

Be handsome still,

Waiting too; let strong arms wide

Scoop me up, receive me finally—

Hold me hard against heart

I’ve held within my own.

Play this scene the way

I’ve dreamed—awake,

And ‘mid dear-tortured sleep…

As stars twinkled on,

Winked out at dawn—

Wishing-lights sky loans.

Prove my imagination true—

Love huge, heroic keeps

Me safe, sane most days

While I bide skeins of time,

Covering pages—thoughts

Linked in ink,

A million poetry lines…

Musing knitted memories, fantasies

Crafted in hope chest niche of mind.

Solitary-satisfied—

Ever-entranced,

No matter the distance,

With only one face…

My embrace is

Yet reserved for you.

Marje in next with an excerpt form her WIP

Cruel Time Had Him Prisoner

Still feeling dizzy a wave of nausea hit me hard. The room spun around like I was on an enforced merry-go-round. I closed my eyes willing the strange spinning to stop. As my eyes opened, a narrow tunnel of faded kaleidoscopic images came to me in a giddy whirl.

First, I saw my dad playing his guitar, with my mum laughing by his side. Then, the day my dad disappeared, followed by the day he returned.

Buried memories….

All the moments I’d ever treasured, the mother and father I could laugh with, could hug.

Dad’s homecoming should have been a celebration, but it wasn’t. I’d just turned fifteen. It had been two long years wait, for this – what a joke. A life lived within the clutches of a curse. A tear fell from my eye, and then another and another as I recalled the events of the past. Soon they were spilling, splashing on the canvas – watercolour tears of sadness.

I looked at my painting. For a second, I saw dad’s face on my canvas. His sad expression scratched a raw scar on my vision. Cruel time had him prisoner.   His watery old eyes stared back, begging me to help him.

Jade up next with a tale that leaves you wanting more

The dumpster reeked of rotten food, but he could barely register it above the stench of his own blood. At first, the pain blinded him. It was all he could do to keep his protruding hind leg bones from jutting out further. Now, he barely felt anything as he waited to die.

Fitting, really. He was born on the streets, and here he was, tossed unceremoniously back like a broken-what, exactly? He was as valuable as trash.

What hurt more than his body was the belief that he was finally going home with one of those good humans he had heard so much about, only to be used as a bait dog when he got there.

Good humans. He spat out some drool mingled with dried blood. There were no such thing.

A gasp caught his ears but everything was already turning black. The last things he remembered were hands, soft ones that didn’t hurt, clasped around him, picking him up gently like he was…important, valuable.

Ah…this must be what the humans call a hug.

Next up something from Colin Guest, A.K.A Tigerman which came in via email:

In this world we live in, life is not always good. However, it’s the only one we will ever have so we have to make the most of it. Sometimes you may feel your life has been burnt on the edges, but don’t despair, it is only part and not all of it. I always try to be positive in life, as positive thoughts lead to positive results. This I think gives me more chance of success in life than if I were negative. One should realise that negative thoughts lead to negative results, which will never help in your trying to obtain a better life than you presently have. They say look before you leap, but in contrast, they always say he who hesitates is lost. It’s a case of heads you win tails I lose. Nevertheless, a decision is better than no decision. Sometimes you just have to get off the fence and get on and do something to help you obtain a better life than you do at present. Unless you do, you will continue to flounder along in life and miss out on something that could completely change your life around.

Next up the lovely Sarah Brentyn, with this beautiful tale

He stepped through the front door, taking care to bang his sneakers on the tiles to be heard above the TV. He knew the police had phoned his dad about the mugging.

It’s not like he expected special treatment or anything, he knew better than that, but he hoped anyway.

Maybe one of those quick, awkward hugs people give like they’re touching a snake. One of those would be nice.

He tensed as his father’s boots sounded in the hallway, cringed as they got closer. He waited.

His father stopped a few feet away, staring, eyes taking in the ripped clothing and black eye. His arms reached out, touching the torn, blood-stained coat. “No wonder they didn’t take this thing,” he laughed. “Hope you have enough money to pay for a new jacket,” he walked back to the couch.

Geoff took the biscuit for me this week, with a thought piece based on the politicking of the UK over the recent weeks. GENIUS if you ask me. But don’t, for fucksake tell him! His head is big enough!

Hug let out a sigh. It had been a tiring day, gripping for so long every part of its being felt tense and knotted. And now it had a meeting of the Greetings’ Representatives. God, how it hated politics.

On the one side, there was the Handshake contingent, still living in a world of stiff lipped men and simpering women. It longed for some mystical time when only hands touched hands, kisses were reserved for bedtime and foreigners and hugs belonged to bears. Of course the internal battles between the traditional finger wrap ‘n’ grip and the more fashionable variants of knuckle knocks, high fives and rap-esque choreography had simmered for years but in the light of the current threats in the Greetings’ Market even they had come together in a show of hand-holding unity.

On the other there was the Kissers, those libertine sharers of bodily fluids, lip and cheek brushers and mouth daubers. They had always avoided the factional infighting of the Handshakers but, in truth that was because they knew when to apply which kiss. Recently however Politicians kissed each other and strangers leapt in for a triple mwah without so much as a by your leave; it felt like the old order was breaking down.

And in the middle sat the comfortable hug. Close enough to be intimate and yet nothing so much as a moist palm to disturb anyone’s sensitivities. The variables had always been subtle from the light holding of the arms to the full round grip. Hug had tried to keep the peace, even going into collation with the handshake, creating the popular  half hug, half hand grip as a way to minimize the growing influence of the kiss; but the more esoteric wing of Handshakers felt excluded and in reality everyone knew it was about the increasing influence of the hug rather than a restoration of the primacy of the handshake.

Today both extremes were calling for a referendum. The Handshakers wanted traditional English values of reserve and distance to be restored while the Kissers were after more mixing, an ever closer union. Hug would be expected to come down on one side or the other but really it wanted everyone to live together in peace. After all if they pulled each other apart, the only greeting that would benefit was the small minded, out of touch Wave and everyone knew where that would lead. Hug rolled its round shoulders. Maybe it should offer free hugs?

The post Writespiration #92 First and Last lines appeared first on Sacha Black.

***

Editing is a bitch. I’ve written about the differences between editing and revising before. But my dear friend Ali recently taught me one of the best, most practically useful lessons I’ve ever learnedd when it comes to editing.

See for a long time, I wrote linearly and then when I finished, went back to the start and edited.

That’s good. But no matter how many times I did it, I still found a shit-tillion mistakes. Which resulted in a sort of crazed, goggle-eyed, fuzzy haired – I’m going to commit arson on my manuscript – type look. It wasn’t pretty, my hairs curly enough thanks.

So, I listened to Ali and started tweaking the method to suit me. I’m going to share this editing trick with you, and hopefully, it will help you to clean up your scripts too.

The fundamental problem with editing is that we know our stories. We know our stories as well as we know how to breathe. It’s in-our-blood fundamental. Which means, we’re not subjective.

Getting any kind of objectivity over your manuscript is like trying to use your dominant hand, to cut off your dominant hand! It’s awkward, it’s uncomfortable, and quite frankly, fucking painful.

There are a gazillion suggestions of how you can get objectivity:

• Take time away from your script
• Put your manuscript in a different font
• Print it out
• Read it out loud 

All great tips. All tips I’ve used with varying success. But I was still making one fundamental error. I was still reading my manuscript in a logical, front to back order.

FAIL of capital proportions.

But Ali said: read backwards. Now I needed a bit more meat to that bone. If I actually read word for word backwards, I wouldn’t be able to edit a thing. It would read like turd. So here’s what I did.

• Started with chapter one like normal
• But started at the END of the chapter
• I read each individual paragraph forward in the normal way. But I started from the first word of the last paragraph in that chapter
• So the first thing I read is the last paragraph of a chapter
• Then I read the penultimate paragraph
• Then the paragraph above that 
• I worked backwards till I reached the first paragraph of my chapter

Why does this work?

You’re forced not to read the story. You can’t. Because the story isn’t being played out for you any more. It’s disjointed, out of order, nonsensical and completely new to you.

You’re not able to lose yourself in your story, because what you’re reading isn’t a story any more. It’s just paragraphs of words.

Voila, you have objectivity.

I was skeptical at first, I didn’t see how I could pick up on any mistakes when I wasn’t reading ‘the story’ how could I get a feel for flow or pace or anything for that matter?

Boy did I have to eat some extra sugar coated humble pie.

Never, and I do mean never, have I been so effective at picking up my own mistakes. It was like the fucking holy grail itself landed on my lap and let me guzzle super charged editing juice from its glorious cup. I mean, just look at the state of those pages. AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT MY MANUSCRIPT WAS OKAY BEFORE! Wrong.

Wrong.Wrong. Wrong. Fucking Wrong.

You don’t have to print the pages off like I did, honestly, hand editing has taken me an inordinate amount of time. But much to my frustration, that’s just what works for me. I changed the font, read backwards and annotated. I have used enough sticky posts to wall paper the Earth’s crust, but that’s enabled me to write myself notes and questions where I’ve found plot holes, consistency issues, mistakes or character questions.

Here’s a non exhaustive list of the kinds of mistakes this method has enabled me to pick up despite not reading the story in a logical order:

• Characterisation problems
• Character consistency 
• Plot holes
• Timeline errors
• Punctuation and grammar faults like: commas, apostrophes, capital letters, missed words, repeated words
• Over use of identical metaphors and similes 
• Over/under exposition
• Over/under foreshadowing
• Sentence flow and pace
• Word order and sentence structure

Give it a go. Let me know how you find it and whether it works for you too. What editing tricks have you got up your sleeves? What’s the best trick anyone ever taught you? Let me know in the comments.

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The post The Best Editing Trick I Ever Learnt appeared first on Sacha Black.

My lovely writing tutor Esther, recommended a brilliant phenomenal book: Write a Great Synopsis – An Expert Guide by Nicola Morgan. If you don’t have time to read, this book is for you. The nifty little critter is only 54 pages. That’s sinkable in a cup of coffee.

If you don’t have time to read 54 pages to to learn how to write a synopsis then give up now.

Besides, you should know, these are not 54 normal pages. They are 54 pages littered with the purest gold dynamite I have ever experienced.

Why are you still reading this post? Go immediately to amazon and purchase this book. I promise you it won’t disappoint.

Gimmie the blurb gold

I can’t help but share what I learn, and these nuggets blew my mind:

I’m not going to share all the wisdom from the book for obvious reasons… but I thought I would share some of the highlights that blew my mind:

Let me start by asking you a question.

What is your book about?

No, I don’t mean the plot, I mean the heart of it? What lies underneath all the words? (other than your blood, sweat and tears.) Is it about love? Loss? Choices? What drives your story? Because that’s what you need to show in your synopsis.

What is an outline?

An outline is detailed and probably quite long. It’s a breakdown of everything in your novel, including major and minor characters, subplot, chapters and twists. It helps you determine that your timeline, plot and story work.

It’s a super useful tool… for yourself. It is not useful for a prospective agent or publisher.

Outlines are long and detailed.

What is a blurb/synopsis?

Before you write a synopsis, you need to know what one is: a synopsis focuses on the main characters, their motivations, the conflict they face, in the setting they experience it and the themes that come out of it. A synopsis also conveys the writers voice and how you have connected it all together, including the ending.

A synopsis doesn’t cover subplots or minor characters. It doesn’t cover anything that isn’t vital to the story.

Synopses are short and sweet your book’s sales pitch.

It can be anything from 150-350 words of highly crafted sales gold. It doesn’t cover minor plots or characters. It summarises the heart of the story in an enticing and eyecatching way.

How do you write a synopsis?

Because this is a paid for book, and its so short, I won’t include much detail – and instead suggest you pay for it, read it, and take your own notes. But:

• Write a 1 sentence 25 word pitch*
• Expand till you have a hook paragraph
• Expand again – add the ending including how the protagonists journey is completed.
• Ensure that climaxes and plot stages and major obstacles are noted

Other tips – Write in the third person, EVEN if your story is written in the first. Write in the present tense and always, always include the ending. Don’t be cryptic – if it’s important to the plot, it goes in, if it isn’t, get rid.

That’s it, I won’t divulge any more of Morgan’s gold dust, read it yourself.

But if I haven’t enticed you enough then there’s a plethora of other information like:

• How to organise a non linear book into a synopsis or,
• How to write a synopsis of a book from multiple view points
• Some excellent analogies that visually depict a synopsis and gave me some epiphanies
• The level of detail you should, or should not include
• Three examples of synopsis, critiqued and then rewritten to their full potential (I love a worked example)
• Crappy Memory Tool
• How to do it for Non-Fiction novels
• *An explanation for how to create an AWESOME 1 sentence 25 word pitch

I’ve read the book, and subsequently followed the instructions and written a synopsis. I cannot tell you how invaluable this process was. Here’s why:

1. I’d forgotten what my book was about and was consequently got caught up wanting to know all the details of all the chapters BEFORE I could write the blurb. This book made me realise I didn’t need to know any of it, what’s important is knowing the heart of your story. The themes, the arcs and the development.

2. Writing the blurb without looking at the manuscript, helped me uncover plot holes and also showed me what was important to story rather than focusing on the subplots and details I focused on the bigger picture – something I prefer anyway.

3. Finally, it helped me see what my story ACTUALLY is, rather than what I thought it was.

But, and here’s the clincher for me, it’s shown me how and what to edit: specifically the timeline. Because, instead of worrying about the subplots I focused on the important bits and characters which I can now work into the right timeline.

I HIGHLY recommend you trot along to Amazon or Kobo or any other provide and read the entire book, cover to cover, repeatedly. Oh, and take notes!

I’ll leave you with one of my fave quotes from the book:

“When you edit your work, use a red pen; when you edit your synopsis, use a scythe.” Nicola Morgan – Write A Great Synopsis

***

Please note, I have not been paid, or asked to read or review this book by anyone (other than my tutor who said it would help me) I am recommending this book purely because I read it and loved it and think in my humble opinion it will help others.

Writing a novel seems hard until you have to write a synopsis. Here's how you craft the perfect blurb #amwriting #indieauthor #IARTG #writingcommunity
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If you want awesome writing tips, you can grab a copy of my book 13 Steps To Evil – How to Craft Superbad Villains. Click this link and tap the logo of your reading device or regular bookshop and it will take you to the right page. You can also get a FREE 17-page villain cheatsheet by joining my mailing list just click here.

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If you enjoyed this post you might also like the following:

3 Tactics to Make You a More Productive Writer

I Quit My Job – Lessons in Perseverance: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The post How To Snag a Publisher First Time With Your Synopsis appeared first on Sacha Black.