by @AnnieDaylon
At the Surrey International Writers’ Conference a while back, I introduced, and took notes on, a workshop facilitated by New York Times Best Selling Author and dynamic speaker, Robert Dugoni. The session, Creating Plots for Page Turners, was a combination of lecture and writing exercises designed to give participants a better understanding of classic story structure. Here are 10 tips:
-
A story is dialogue in action.
-
The purpose of a story is to entertain. The characters, not the authors, are the entertainers.
-
A story is a journey—beginning, middle, end—and is both physical and emotional.
-
The tone is set right away. What kind of story is it? (Make a promise.)
-
Interesting character should appear at the onset.
-
The beginning introduces the story problem. (Who, where, what does main character want, what stands in the way?)
-
The middle develops the problem through obstacles.
-
Stories should move! Excessive narrative—opinion, bio, flashbacks, info dumps, anything that can be presumed—should be cut.
-
The end must be satisfying (Keep the promise you made at the beginning.)
-
The 1st sentence in every chapter should hook the reader.
Many thanks to Robert for an excellent workshop. To learn more about Robert and his writing visit: www.Robertdugoni.com.
Please subscribe to my newsletter by placing your first name and email address in the space provided on the right. Rest assured that your email address will not be shared in any way.
My best to you,
Cool tips. Thanks for sharing, Annie 🙂
Recently attended some Literature Meets in India. The best-seeing authors shared some points, some of which are common to your post 🙂
So glad you enjoyed the post.
I visited your site; love the quote from Navjot Singh Sidhu: “Flight is not by wings, flight is by strength of spirit or courage.”
Good luck with all your exploring and thanks so much for stopping by.
Cheers,
Annie