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Story World, Setting, Time and Space

By on November 21, 2013 in Book Therapist, Rachel Hauck, Story Crafting

We talk a lot about story world here at My Book Therapy.

And many of you have mastered the craft “tool” creating a story world.

We define story world as the “place and space” where your characters live.

You have to set their world so the reader can picture the scenes and setting, get a feel for the protagonist’s environment.

But story world is so much more.

Story world must permeate your novel.

Story world is the time of day when a new chapter starts.

It’s the place, the sights, the sounds, the fragrances of where your protagonist was when he launched his story journey.

I’m not talking about over describing a living room or the walls of a town hall meeting — unless it’s significant to the story — but creating a world is which your characters live.

Old school writing doesn’t give a lot of time and place.

The protagonists simple go to “the next day.”

Or, “Gina met Tom at the diner for lunch.”

When? The next day? A week later?

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Write a novel in a month

Keep on writing, keep on writing

By on November 18, 2013 in 1. Discover your story, 2. Create Your Story, 4. Writer’s Life, Inspiration and Life Coaching, 7. Search by Author:, Encourage Me!, House Calls, Susan May Warren, Writers Q &A

I wrote a novella last week. 31, 160 words. That’s over 5K a day. Now, here’s what we all have to keep in mind – many of these words will have to be rewritten or deleted. I will have to go scene by scene and make sure I’ve inserted storyworld, and the 5 Ws to anchor the scene. I’ll have to ask what the main emotion of the scene is, and how to strengthen it. I’ll have to tighten my writing, make it clearer, make sure I’m not overwriting.

I’ll have to make sure I am telling the story between the quotes, and that I am wrapping up my dialogue with the right meaningful action and body language, adding zingers.

And, I’ll have to make sure I all the ingredients of the Scene Tension Equation.

All these things are in my brain as I’m writing, trust me. But, if I want to forget ahead and give myself something to work with, then I have to be like Dori in Finding Nemo.

Don’t look back. Forget everything but my goal….reaching the end. (or, P Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way)

But how do we keep that focus? I know it can be hard, because even in the middle of a scene you suddenly think: WAIT! I just came up with something BRILLIANT and I need to add it into chapter 3!

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What Does Episodic Mean?

By on September 12, 2013 in Book Therapist, Rachel Hauck, Story Crafting

Not long ago I had a conversation with a new author about what it means when a story is “episodic.” Maybe some of you might be wondering what it means too. Episodic is like TV shows. Sitcoms. Week to week the characters are the same but the situations are different. Old comedy shows epitomized episodic writing. The characterization even changed in order to “fit the bit” for that week. The show may not even even mentioned a problem that was introduced in last week’s show. But shows like Fraser and Friends, even Seinfeld smoothed that out by having continuing story lines and consistent characterization. Each show was different as if time passed and last week’s issue was over and done.The comedy bits were developed out of characterization rather than out […]

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Fairytale Code: Happily Ever After

By on June 20, 2013 in Rachel Hauck, Story Crafting, The Fairytale Code

At long last, I’m on the other wide of a rewrite deadline and I can conclude our fairytale code series. The ending is simple. Happy. A fairytale like story, a romance, a sisterhood, even a thriller has to end with some level of happiness and satisfaction. What do we really learn from fairytale endings? The boy gets the girl. The dragon is slayed. The castle is stormed. Evil is defeated. Good wins. Even in the most thrill driven stories, these elements must take place for a solid story ending and wrap up. Cinderella is the classic happy ending. In the Disney version, Cindy and Prince marry because “the shoe fit” and boy, let’s not go down that symbolic rabbit trail, but her dreams came true because she believed. In Snow […]

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