Raise your hand if you’ve seen the new movie, The Vow. I haven’t, but I’m intrigued because it contains a twist on the premise of my new book, The Shadow of Your Smile. A wife loses her memory, and her husband has to woo her all over again. My story is different in that my hero and heroine have been married for 25 years, with a family and life. However, their marriage is on the rocks…so while they have a lot to lose, there’s also that sense that they’ve already “forgotten” each other. Still, as I was building my story, I thought – how will this be different? How can I make this story more powerful, with bigger issues to make it stand out in the market? How do I […]
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Quick Skills: Sellability
By Susan May Warren on January 31, 2012 in Backstory, Crafting a Strong Premise, From the Inside...Out, Heroes, Heroines, How do I create a Storyquestion and Stakes for my story?, How to create a Spiritual Thread, Protagonists: The Basics, Quick Skills, Story Crafting, The Hero's Journey Simplified, What is the Black Moment and how do I create it?, What is the Noble Cause?

Conversations: The Four Pillars of a Best-Seller
By Susan May Warren on January 30, 2012 in Crafting a Strong Premise, Heroes, Heroines, How do I create a Storyquestion and Stakes for my story?, How do I write the Character Change Journey?, How to create a Spiritual Thread, Protagonists: The Basics, Story Crafting, The Hero's Journey Simplified, Truth or Dare: Conversations with an aspiring novelist, What is the Black Moment and how do I create it?, What is the Noble Cause?
I was drinking an extra tall vanilla latte, blinking back the sand in my eyes as Sally came in. A glorious Monday morning, the sun winking off the frosty waves of Lake Superior, the sky a triumphant eggshell blue, the snow glistening under all that grandeur like diamonds. Good thing, too, because I’d stayed up late watching both Casablanca and Pearl Harbor to prepare for our conversation this morning. I knew, after meeting with Sally for three weeks, she took our conversations seriously and wanted to be on my game. She sat down and pulled off her knitted mittens. “I started a notebook from last week, like you suggested.” She pulled out a hardbound journal with a leather cover and handed it to me. I opened it and to my […]
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