Category: Step 2.3 – Story Beats
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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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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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Do You Want to Personalize Story Structure? Now You Can! – Part 6
Robert McKee shared this wisdom. “Writing is a marathon, not a sprint.” The finish line is in sight for this series on L. Frank Baum’s action fantasy, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I’ll use the Preparation step from 7-Step Storytelling to emphasize essential takeaways.
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Do You Want to Personalize Story Structure? Now You Can! – Part 5
Jeffery Deaver, the prolific writer of thrillers, once said, “Outlining is the most efficient way to structure a novel to achieve the greatest emotional impact. The most breathtaking prose and brilliantly drawn characters are wasted if the plot meanders and digresses. Outlining lets you create a framework that compels your audience to keep reading from…