How do you build a powerful Noble Quest for your character, launching him off into his Second Act Journey with enough motivation, yet enough reward waiting at the end? This section of your story is pivotal because you must have built enough Want for your character to propel him through all the obstacles and disappointments of Act 2, all the way to the Black Moment. Often, when we don’t believe in a character, if they seem “too stupid to live,” it’s because we haven’t built enough WANT. This can be solved by using the Push-Pull Technique. I’ve heard them called MRU – Motivation, Reaction Units. This technique is more about building a solid motivation to convince us of the Reaction and can easily be added to the MRU technique. Again, […]
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How do you build strong motivation for your character? Chapter 3: The Start of the Noble Quest
How do you structure your novel? How many words in a scene, or pages in a chapter? I get that question a lot, because the truth is there is no “rule” and the answer seems to vary with author. Here’s my formula, and why. I write many different length books for different genres: Contemporary Romance, Long Historical, Short Romantic Suspense, Novellas… but they all have the same story structure. (Or, if you follow MBT teaching the same LINDYHOP. Life, Inciting Incident, Noble Quest, Disappointments, Help!, Overhaul, Perfect Ending). This means, on average, the First Act (LIN) is 15% of the story, and the Third Act (HOP) is 15-20% of the story. Poor D, or the Second Act takes up 60-70% of the story. Which is why, of course, you want […]
Read the RestFrom the Inside….Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!
I’m so excited to announce that….I wrote a writing book!! I’ve been wanting to do this for a few years now, a response to so many of the basic, but essential questions that participants in my beginning writer’s workshops ask. How you do you plot? How you develop characters? How you do you pitch a book? What goes into a scene? How do I craft a black moment? And can you help me do it? Yes! And, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! I believe that writing a book doesn’t have to be agonizing, that it can come from your heart, and still be put inside a framework of proven storytelling. And this book, my method of looking inside for your plot and characters, teaches you how. Here’s a little […]
Read the RestA little background on the Talk Show Host and the Teacher
So, maybe it would help you know which way to vote if you knew who you were vote for. Here’s a bit of Background on our characters, using the simple WHO method for developing all the key pieces: Talk Show Host Who is she? She’s a foster child with a fractured past, always inventing herself. Always tried to be all things to all people. She never wants attention for herself, so she’s good at stepping outside herself, and highlights other people. She doesn’t know who she is, so it’s hard to be true to herself. She is only confident as an interviewer and celebrity. She has the way of getting the true story out of people. Exposing the lies. Combo of Geraldo and Oprah. But she really doesn’t know who […]
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