We often focus on plotting our stories – you know, everything that happens between our hero and heroine. The Inciting Incident. The Ds (Disappointments) or obstacles, that force them to face Ys in the Road and ask the question, “Which way do I go now?” over and over again. The Black Moment. And the long-awaited Happily-Ever-After, where our hero and heroine ride off into the sunset . . . Sorry. I lapsed into a cliché there, didn’t I? It’s vital to plot a strong main story, but while you’re doing that, remember to deepen your story too. How? Weave in an intriguing Layer or Subplot What: A story Layer and a Subplot are two different elements: A Layer adds depth to the plot and enhances the character’s struggle – and […]
Read the RestTag Archives | Crafting a Strong Premise
Pitch + Premise = Spine
Maybe you first heard of the “story spine” from Stanley Williams’ book, The Moral Premise. But I actually thought of the concept all by my lonesome the winter of 2011 at the first Deep Thinkers Retreat. Because it became clear to me we HAVE to know what the story is about in order to develop the character and the plot. The pitch is that one or two lines, the concept, of the story that you tell editors or agents. Or you friends when they ask, “What’s your story about.” You must be able to tell it in one or two succinct sentences. If you ramble or start telling too much, then you’re not nailing the core of your story. For example, my pitch for Dining with Joy was “It’s about a cooking show […]
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Let Your Characters Tell the Story
A few years ago Susie and I were writing books with very high concept premises. Or is it premii? She was writing RITA finalist My Foolish Heart. I was writing Dining with Joy. The former was about a radio host for the lovelorn who’d never been on a date. The latter about a cooking show host who couldn’t cook. Great ideas. Great pitch lines. Easy to see and understand. But when we were writing, the premise itself became paralyzing. We dubbed those books the ones with the paralyzing premise. High concept is great. Almost necessary in today’s publishing world. But writing them can be a challenge because you’ll always wonder, “Am I capturing the premise well?” In Dining with Joy, not only did I have to explain how and why […]
Read the RestBackground on the Actress and the Park Ranger
I hope you’re already dreaming up an inciting incident for your favorite premise! I know I am. But before we do that, we need to know who our characters are. Yesterday, I outlined the hero and heroine of the Talk Show Host and the Teacher. Today, let’s take a look at the Actress and the Park Ranger Who is our Actress? Our Actress has worked hard to get where she is. She was a good girl, a hard worker growing up, and her parents put her through school. She moved to Hollywood to follow her dream, and was an overnight success. She married an A-list star and life seemed to be going her direction…until she decided to make an indy film exposing the flesh-for-sale industry overseas…and the […]
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