Day 4: Today’s Agenda

-      Developing an Innate Sense of Story

-      To Series or Not to Series

-      Story Structure for Pantsers

-      Key Takeaways & Q/A

-      Resources for Continued Learning

Bonus Session #1 – Developing an Innate Sense of Story

What is an Innate Sense of Story?

-      Developed Instincts about the pace and shape of a story

-      The ability to analyze and understand how stories work

-      A product of talent and deliberate education/study

-      As a result, it takes less time to write drafts – and they’re better

Reminder: Why Story Structure Matters

-      Meets reader expectations

-      Helps you write faster

-      Gives creativity the structure it needs

-      Makes your stories better and gives them the potential to sell better

How to Develop an Innate Sense of Story

-      Study Story Structure

-      Consume stories – through reading, watching, or listening

-      Deconstruct what you read and watch

Consume Stories

-      Read books in the genre you write – or intend to write

-      Read books outside your genre for inspiration

-      Watch movies and TV shows for the purpose of learning

Deconstruct What You Read/Watch

-      Analyze stories you love to see what they did right

-      Analyze stories you don’t like to see what they did wrong

-      Compare the story to a Plottr template (e.g. 3-Act Structure) and see how the beats and scenes line up

Examples:

-      “The Lion King” is a movie, based on a play, that several books have followed in both structure and content

-      “Hunger Games: is a movie, based on a book, and you can analyze either/both formats

-      “Breaking Bad” has several forms of 3-act structure, including episode, seasons and overall story arc

Bonus Session #2 – To Series or Not to Series

Why Would You Write a Series?

-      Series keep readers coming back for more

-      Series are usually easier to market successfully

-      Series can be more fun and easier to write than standalone books

Is Your Story Right for a Series

-      Is your ending ties or resolved?

-      Is there more story to tell in that world?

-      Are there spinoff stories that might work for a series?

Why you might not want to write a series

-      Your story world is too small

-      Your ideas must fit in that world and characters

-      You need to write fast – or pre-write series

-      It can tie you to a publisher or contract

-      You just don’t like the story (or world) that much

What is a series exactly?

-      A series is a group of books or stories that are related in some way

-      They may include the same characters, setting or premise

-      Examples: “The Hunger Games”, the “Foundation” series, the “City of Night” series

Types of Series

-      Duet: two books

-      Trilogy: three books

-      Never Ending: As long as the author keeps writing (and sometimes longer)

-      Uncertain Ending: Game of Thrones

Series Factors to Consider

-      Length of your overall story arc

-      Your interest as a writer in continuing the story

-      Interest from readers in continuing the story

Long vs Short Series

-      Long series are easier to market, but reader interest tends to drop off after each book

-      Short series have a defined ending, can be easier to write, and can more easily be sols as a package

Examples of Series:

-      Diet: “The Devil” & “The Devil’s Advocate”

-      Trilogy: “Hunger Games”, “Star Wars”, “Fifty Shades”, “Lord of the Rings”

-      Never Ending: “James Bond”, “Jack Reacher”, “Hardy Boys”, “Nancy Drew”

3-Act Structure for Series

-      You can use the 3-act structure to create a series outline

-      Example: In a trilogy, each act corresponds to one book in the series

Bonus Section #3 – Story Structure for Pantsers

What is a “Pantser”?

-      Plotters outline before they write

-      Pantsers: Don’t plot – they just write

Story Structure for Pantsers

-      You have options for when you want to engage with story structure

-      You write to structure even when you don’t think about it

-      Setting up a simple structure can change your writing

-      Find the pace and story that works for you

3 Ways Discovery Writers (aka Pantsers) use structure

-      Post Plotting

-      Revising First Drafts

-      Tracking Tentpole Events

Pantser Strategy #1: Post Plotting

-      Write your scenes

-      Outline as you go

-      Core benefit: Keep the story on-track

Pantser Strategy #2: Revising First Draft

-      Finish your first draft

-      Revise using a temple (e.g. Plottr 3-act structure)

-      Core benefit: hit your story beats

Pantser Strategy #3: Tracking Tentpole Events

-      Visualize the main turning points of your story on a timeline (e.g. Plottr timeline)

-      Write what happens in-between them (without additional planning)

-      Core benefit: focus your creativity

Example:

1.   Plottr W-Plot Seven Tent-Pole Events – Useful when You Have the Mystery Ending before You Start

2.   James Scott Bell: 14 Signposts – Wondrium Class

Additional Resources for Pantsers:

-      “Plotting for Pantsers – Outlining as You Go” by Zoe Indiana

-      “Outlining Tips for Pantsers” by Celeste Barkley

(Available through Plottr)

Key Takeaways & Q/A’s – Let’s Review What We Learned Today

Developing an innate sense of story can improve your draft and overall story

Writing a series cab be a fun and lucrative option

Pantsers can use story structure in a variety of ways

3-act structure is simple: beginning, middle and end

Interesting people, things and places

“Interesting” requires goals, motivation, conflict

Story structure is not for everyone

Resources for Continued Learning

“Story Engineering” by Larry Brooks

“Million Dollar Outlines” by Dave Farland

“Hooked” by Les Edgerton

“Dynamic Story Creation in Plain English” by Maxwell Alexander Drake

“Verbalize” by Damon Suede