Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such Main Office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for new resources or creative ways to approach the craft of writing or to stay up on the latest in publishing. We can use all the help we can get!
- The other day I came across a different approach to thinking about writing fiction on an audio CD, The Hero’s 2 Journeys, which is a taping of writing workshops presented by Michael Hauge and Christopher Vogler. Here is how Amazon describes the CD’s premise:
MAKE YOUR STORY THE BEST IT CAN BE – ON 2 LEVELS
Hear each superstar teacher present his unique approach to . . .
A)The OUTER JOURNEY, the essential structural principles driving every successful plot. Each brings years of practical experience and extensive research to 1) Story Structure, 2) Character Arc and 3) How to Give Your Story Greater Commercial Appeal. Full of specific examples.
B)The INNER JOURNEY, the deeper storyline that makes a story truly great. HAUGE’S VIEW: The Hero moves from hiding within a protective identity to experiencing his or her true essence. VOGLER’S VIEW: The Hero’s inner need is invisible at first, but is revealed to the Hero by the end of the story.
Sometimes those who develop these paradigms to help writers to think about their stories overstate how the concept works for all manner of writing (which I think kind of happens here), but nonetheless, the ideas presented are stimulating.
- Looking for organizational ideas? Check out this blog.
- Hesitating to dip in and try something new online? Seth Godin has a thought-provoking perspective on that.
Now it’s your turn to share.
What craft book have you discovered lately that has your creative juices flowing?
What writerly technique has worked for you to craft a better book? (Reading aloud, starting your novel in the middle to jumpstart the storyline, etc.)
What little organizational discovery has brought some relief to your overstuffed writing life?
What tip has moved you to a new level with your marketing/publicity efforts?
Hmmm… I might have to library it up and find that CD! In regards to your question, an author in my writers group explained you should be able to summarize your story in one sentence (that addresses both your MC’s internal and external conflict). Any scene that isn’t working toward that sentence needs to go. This strategy leads to focused, concise writing… but talk about “killing your darlings!”
I make a “map” of my book. I’m visual and need something that helps me see the book as a whole. I take a large piece of paper and draw a horizontal line through the middle of it. Then I draw four vertical lines for the quarters of the plot. Last of all, I draw hash marks on the first line to represent my chapters. I place them in their respective quarter. In about five minutes I have a clear vision of the book and can see where the holes are. I might be too congested in one area, too light in another. This method has really helped me.
Janet, I also recently discovered The Hero’s Two Journeys. I loved it so much, and it came at a perfect time as I was digging into my character’s past to discovered what motivated her.
I also love all three of Donald Maass’s books. They get my creative juices flowing like no other!
I don’t think there’s any one craft book that has it all, but there’s a lot of good ones, and it’s such fun to glean from them all.
Now I’m going to click on the other links in your post. Thanks for sharing!
Great craft ideas. Thanks for sharing, Teri, Dawn Marie, and Samantha.
The book that has helped me the most recently is Donald Maass’s “The Fire in Fiction”. This has been very useful to me because character development has always been my weak point, and Donald’s book does a fantastic job of making your characters real. I highly recommend it.
I find that reading aloud really helps me focus on the story. (Also, when I’ve repeated a word, it shouts out at me!) As for craft books, I was helped with Raymond Obstfeld’s Fiction First Aid as well as James Scott Bell’s books on plotting and self-editing. Gloria Kempton’s book on dialogue was also instructive. Most of all, I’ve found that I have to be “ready” as in Psalm 45:1–“My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”
rewriting the chapters I have and tweaking where I need to tweak, then it seems I am better able to write more chapters with a tighter book.