Act 2 plotting in 5 easy questions! I always get the Chapter Seven Blues. I know it’s inevitable, but I seem to forget that it happens, and often I’ll find myself down in the kitchen, moping (and looking for chocolate) and my husband will say… “You’re at Chapter 7, aren’t you?” I’ll turn, stare at him, and nod. “How did you know that?” “Because the excitement of the story has gotten you through chapter 3, and Act 1, and the momentum carried you into chapters 4-6, but now the steam has died in the middle of Act 2, and you’re down here hunting for inspiration.” (This is usually accompanied by him taking the bag of chocolate chips out of my hand.) He’s dead right. I’m smack in the middle of the […]
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Conversations: Plotting Act 2
“I hope you brought your calculator,” I said to Sally as I slid into the chair at the coffee shop. Presidents Day meant no school, and I noticed her two children playing in the reading nook in the corner. “I didn’t realize I needed to know math to write a novel,” she said, but pulled out a notebook. “That may be a deal killer.” I laughed. “I know I said we’d talk about heroes and heroines this week, but I thought it might help to fill in the gaps of Act 2. See, last week we talked about storyflow, and I taught you how to put together what I call the bookends – Act 1 and Act 3. But these two acts comprise only 30-40% of your story. For example, for […]
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A Love Affair with Your Writing Dream, Part Three: Dance the Night Away!
I used to love going to the barn dances at the end of the harvest season. Everyone had worked hard to harvest the crops. The cattle had been driven to market and the year was coming to an end. The nip in the air signaled the end of one very long, back-breaking season. It was time to let our hair down and enjoy the fruits of our labor. A country music band (sorry, I’m from Texas) played Cotton Eyed Joe while we did the Texas Two Step. We laughed and retold stories of comedy and calamity the year had brought. We rekindled relationships that had flickered during the season, separated by miles of cattle country. All too soon for any of us, the night came to an end. We’d literally […]
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One Thing Marketing … Find your WHY!
Susie May here: I’m super excited to announce a new marketing series at MBT: One Thing Marketing, written by my amazing publicist, Owner and Founder of Litfuse Publicity Group! She not only runs one of the hottest book marketing companies on the market, but Amy is just brimming with great marketing ideas. Look for some marketing specials from Litfuse too, as the series continues! Thank you Amy!! ***** Hello … and welcome to the brand new One Thing Marketing column on My Book Therapy! This is Amy Lathrop from Litfuse Publicity Group. Susie May asked me to come on board to share some of the tips and best practices I’ve got rattling around in my head. I’m honored and thrilled to have this chance to connect with the MBT community! In […]
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