We talk a lot at My Book Therapy about “The Lie” journey. It’s an easy way we examine and layer in the Internal Journey of the character, and even tap into the spiritual element of the journey. The Lie is essential to every story because the lie defines the over arching emotional journey of the protagonist. And the truth is… we all believe a lie at some point in our life. We probably weave in and out of various lies our whole lives – from what others think about us to what we think about ourselves to what God thinks about us. Talking with one of my spiritual daughters, I learned she feared God would bring her to a certain place, then pull the rug out from under her. Let […]
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The Noble Quest Up Close and Personal
We’ve been talking Character creation a bit here on MBT, in the Team Member Forum, as well as on the site, and while talking with my Mentee the other day, we were trying to flesh out her heroine’s Noble Quest. What does she want? What is this story about? What journey does she embark upon? This is an essential part of the Hero/Heroine’s journey that is key to the story. My mentee’s first response was, “Well, she wants to start a clinic for children.” Great goal. Very noble. But that’s not the heroines real Noble Quest. The clinic, if she accomplishes her dream, is the end result of the Noble Quest. It is her specific, measurable and realistic goal. (and if you can add a time-sensitive element to it, it […]
Read the RestQuick Skills Class: Discover your Story Question to give your story power
Are you finished with your book but can’t quickly articulate what it’s about? You know it’s a great story, but it falls flat as you struggle to find the right words? Maybe you need to hone your Storyquestion. The Story Question is the conscious, or subconscious question that drives your character – and reader – through the book. It’s the truth they are seeking to find. Or it could be the truth they will accidentally discover. Whatever it is, it’s personal, and something that readers themselves want answers to. Every book, movie, short story – and non-fiction book, for that matter, has a question, however subtle. And, it’s the stories that ask riveting questions through the circumstances of their characters that linger with us. Consider Of Mice and Men. A haunting […]
Read the RestTruth or Dare: Getting Started – Cultivating your story spark with a Story Question
Snow graced our little hamlet, lacy upon the rocks of our town’s shoreline, evidence of the blizzard over the weekend. A perfect opportunity to huddle into my arm chair and get some writing done. Although wedged into rewrites of a story, I pryed myself out to plow my way into town to meet with Sally, the aspiring writer I promised to mentor. I hoped she’d taken my dare to dig deep into her life and interests to find a story spark. I probably should have told her to start an idea file – I’d recently discovered Evernote as a way to capture all my wandering thoughts and story ideas. She found me lost in the tangle of my rewrite thoughts, nursing a skinny vanilla latte. “Hey Sally,” I said as […]
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