Last week we talked about MRUs. Time to see them in action. I'm going to color code them as follows: Motivation (Setting, Action, and/or Dialogue) Reaction Feeling (Reflex, Visceral Sensations) Thought Action Dialogue (Commentary/Voice/Deep POV/Depth) Storm Front by Jim Butcher I heard the mailman approach my office door, half an hour earlier than usual. He … Continue reading Motivation-Reaction Units: how the masters do it
Category: Story Master Wednesday
Scene Prompt #28: Love me, Hate me
Does your main character have any vanishing allies? For this prompt, we're looking for shifting characters. Characters who seem to be on your main character's side, but are ultimately serving some other cause. How might your protagonist find out that this character has betrayed them? Does the shifting character confess? Does some other character let … Continue reading Scene Prompt #28: Love me, Hate me
Scene Beginnings: How the masters do it
So over the past 1, 2, 3 scene posts, we learned that good scene beginnings: Start with a hook Establish the POV Orient the reader with the 5Ws Clue the reader in to the POV Character's scene goal (which creates a scene question that implies action and stakes) Move into the middle of the scene … Continue reading Scene Beginnings: How the masters do it
Scene Purpose: How James Patterson (and his cowriter) does it
In the last scenes post we looked at the scene purpose, of which Larry Brooks says, "James Patterson has mastered this, and it has become the accepted model of effective scene writing today: One mission per scene." So I picked up a Patterson book (actually a Patterson/Richard DiLallo book) from my library, the most current … Continue reading Scene Purpose: How James Patterson (and his cowriter) does it
Perfect Rhythm: How Dan Brown did it in The Da Vinci Code
Several posts ago, we looked at how to create a regular, rhythmic beat, as discussed in The Bestseller Code* (which lists Fifty Shades of Gray* and The Da Vinci Code* as the only two (adult) books with perfect curves). I proposed sequences as a good way to plot for rhythm, and in this post we're going … Continue reading Perfect Rhythm: How Dan Brown did it in The Da Vinci Code
Hooks Big and Small–How the Masters Do It
We looked at hooks last week, both concept hooks that pique our initial interest in a story and in-story hooks that keep us engaged from start to finish. Today we’re looking at how a few New York Times bestsellers hook us. I pulled these loglines from the February 2, 2020 NYTBS list, and then looked … Continue reading Hooks Big and Small–How the Masters Do It
Rhythm and Sequences: How Graeme Simsion does it
We've been looking at the rolling, mid-level rhythm of story, and how sequences might be the way to achieve that. The Bestseller Code gave us a list of the top ten books with good rhythms (none of which were as good/steady as TDC and FSoG). The book I picked from the list to test the … Continue reading Rhythm and Sequences: How Graeme Simsion does it
Characterizing Details: How Thomas Harris Does It
I read Red Dragon* again recently. Let's look at the details Thomas Harris chose for his antagonist's introduction, in Chapter 9, which consists of a scene at work and a scene at home. These details are mostly from the first scene, his public persona. Name: Francis Dolarhyde. People at work call him Mr. D, which … Continue reading Characterizing Details: How Thomas Harris Does It
Character Introductions: How the Masters Do It
In the last post, we listed seven techniques to use when introducing characters. Most of the masters use a combination of techniques. Here's how. Method 1: Out-of-Viewpoint DescriptionIn this method, the narrator (not a view-point character) tells us about the characters. JKR uses this method to introduce the Dursleys at the beginning of the first … Continue reading Character Introductions: How the Masters Do It
Character Tags: How the Masters Use Them
We're looking at character tags. Here's how some of the master story tellers help us remember who their characters are. Jim Butcher's Dresden seriesHarry Dresden is a practicing wizard who hires out as a detective. Jim Butcher has said that he consciously creates tags and traits for his characters to help readers identify them. In Butcher's … Continue reading Character Tags: How the Masters Use Them
Writes With Tools 