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Some Shameless Storycrafter Retreat Promotion!

Where did the time go? That’s the thought I had as I hung up with an aspiring writer after spending two hours helping her with a novel. We had so much fun brainstorming her book the time slipped away.

I love helping writers find their story. And I’m blessed when I receive feedback like this:

“Something in your approach (all those check points and lists) caused some pieces to click into place that hadn’t before so that I could think better about the process.”

My favorite moment in teaching – when I hear an “ah ha!” or someone looks up at me with a sparkle of understanding in their eyes.

That’s what the MBT Storycrafter’s Retreat is about – helping you unlock your story. Whether you’ve written a handful of stories or are just starting out, we’ll spend a weekend working together to help your publishing dreams and goals come true.

You come with an idea, and leave with a story.

I’m going to brag for a moment on a few of my former attendees:

Mulit-published non-fiction author Beth Vogt showed up thinking that she’d just listen in, pretty sure writing fiction wasn’t for her. After I barred the door and told her to “come to the dark side,” she discovered she had a fiction voice. Look for her 3rd novel with Howard to hit the stands this spring!

Marketing guru Melissa Tagg knew she had a story in her- but she just didn’t know how to untangle it from her brain. She wowed us with her first chapter – and walked away on fire to write. Her first book came out with Bethany House last month!

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The What and Why of Writing: Villains

So often when we think of a novel’s main characters, we zero in on the hero and heroine. That is all well and good, after all, what is a romance without a hero and heroine?  And every story, no matter what genre, needs a protagonist – a good guy or gal, someone the reader is rooting for. But in your zeal to craft a compelling hero and/or heroine, don’t forget to ask yourself: Who is the villain of this story? What: A villain is the antagonist of your story. When you think villain, don’t just think danger, think threat. Or opposition.   A villain can be a person. Hans Gruber, the lead terrorist in Die Hard, goes down in my book as the archetype villain.   A twist on the […]

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The What and Why of Writing: Stakes

Why should anyone care about the story you’re writing? Before you launch into an explanation of how your stoic hero is also tenderhearted and how your heroine helps heal his wounded heart, step back for a moment. Yes, compelling characters are vital to a good novel, but you also need to consider the big picture and ask the question: What’s at stake? What: There are three different types of stakes: public, private and personal. Public stakes are what we care about as a culture: an alien invasion of our planet (Independence Day) or some sort of global attack on humanity. The movie Sahara has public stakes because an unknown toxin threatens the world’s entire water supply. Personal stakes hurt the heart of your main character. Think about it: How often […]

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Craft: The Golden Rule of Fiction

Still in a traveling frenzy… off to see my Grandma for her 99th birthday… so I asked author and writing coach Randy Ingermanson if I could share a post from his Advance Writing E-Zine. He said Yes and offers us a good take on characterization. Here’s Randy: About twenty years ago, I was accepted into a small mentoring group led by Sol Stein, a famous novelist, playwright, publisher, and writing teacher. It was a great group and I enjoyed hanging out with so many talented novelists. Sol had a recent book out, THE BEST REVENGE, and most of us in the group bought a copy. Sol, knowing that I’m a physicist, autographed mine as follows: “Physics = facts; Fiction = truth” I’ve often thought of that over the years. A […]

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