We're looking at how to make our characters more interesting by giving them lots of irreconcilable conflict. Here are some examples I've noticed in the stories I've read or watched recently. As usual, I will add more examples as I come across them in my readings. For now... Andy Weir’s The MartianThe main character is … Continue reading Walking Contradictions: How the Masters Do It
Category: Story Master Wednesday
Metaphorical Devices: How the Masters Do It
We're looking at Metaphorical Devices this week. Here are some examples of how the masters use them... SYMBOLS Some books state their symbols right in the title: Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter MOTIFS AND LEITMOTIFS Chuck Palahniuk's Fight ClubThis is a story of two guys, an unnamed … Continue reading Metaphorical Devices: How the Masters Do It
Clones: How the Masters Use Them
Some stories seem to lend themselves to lots of clones, others not so much. These are the clones examples I've noticed in the books I've read lately. 1. James Patterson's Hope to DieIn Hope to Die, where protagonist Alex Cross is trying to rescue his kidnapped family, Patterson uses clones for stakes purposes. Every person … Continue reading Clones: How the Masters Use Them
Premise: How the masters do it
So, we're filling out the Master Premise Tool we developed on Monday: [Vice] leads to [defeat] but [Virtue] leads to [success] Again, I'll add more examples as I read more books with an eye for theme, but this will get us started... 1. James Patterson's Hope to Die As we looked at last week, the … Continue reading Premise: How the masters do it
Theme: What the masters write about
So, what themes, what one-word topics do the masters write about? Here are a few to start us off. (I'll add more as I read more.) 1. James Patterson’s Hope to DieThe one-word theme for Hope to Die is probably hope. Despite being shown emotionally irrefutable evidence that his wife and son were brutally murdered, … Continue reading Theme: What the masters write about
Stakes: How James Patterson does it
A couple weeks ago we looked at how master novelists write one-line synopses. One of them really emphasized stakes, so I picked that one to read with an eye for developing, heightening, and deepening stakes. Ladies and Gents, I give you: some of the stakes in James Patterson's Hope to Die. SO HOW DOES PATTERSON DEVELOP HIS STORY’S … Continue reading Stakes: How James Patterson does it
Designing Principle: Examples from the Masters
The designing principle, more or less, is the collection of creative things you do to present and tell your story. In no particular order, here are some examples of how the masters have done it: 13 Reasons Why by Jay AsherThis is about a boy who learns why a girl has committed suicide. Its designing principle … Continue reading Designing Principle: Examples from the Masters
The One-Line Synopsis: How the Best Sellers Do It (Or At Least the People Who Write the List)
I’ve lifted these synopses from the January 18, 2015 New York Times Best Seller Lists. In each one, I’ve identified any synopsis components with: {W}orld, {C}haracter, {I}nciting Incident, {G}oal, {A}ction, {P}roblem, and {S}takes. I've also indicated if the component is {i}mplicit...to my ears anyway. And, if I wasn't sure if a word or phrase indicated … Continue reading The One-Line Synopsis: How the Best Sellers Do It (Or At Least the People Who Write the List)
Concept: How the Masters do it
A look at the concepts of some best sellers.
Writes With Tools 