Category: Step 2 – Outline
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Amplify Your Main Plot: How to Create Your Plot Map (Part 3)
During the development phase of your novel, it’s okay to let your characters have their way with the narrative, but then organize the storyline with a plot map.
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Amplify Your Main Plot: Build a Story Spine for Each Story Plot to Enhance the Overall Narrative (Part 2)
As writers, we don’t dream of writing a simple narrative. Instead, we fantasize about creating a blockbuster like Toy Story 3. Together, let’s look at what one of the best scriptwriters in the film industry already figured out about story plot.
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Story Structure: Erle Stanley Gardner’s Fiction Factory
Best known for his Perry Mason novels, television series, and movies, Erle Stanley Gardner built and ran his fiction factory from the 1920s until his death in 1968.
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Story Structure: Exploring the Lester Dent Story Formula
In the 1930s, the Lester Dent story formula roared into use, but did it work?
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The Trellis Method: Discover What Story Beats Can Do for Your Writing
Popular masterworks, such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, follow a traditional story structure. I wondered, why do many writers resist using a story structure? Do they perceive it’s too complicated? Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” In this post, I’ll explore how Story Beats simplifies structure,…
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Holiday Edition: Plot a Story Using the Story Body Structure
Audiences recognize genres based on watching films and reading books. Although many readers cannot name a genre’s obligatory scenes and conventions, they sense when something is missing. To help you spot potential plot holes, envision the entire narrative. Plot your story using the Story Body structure.