How to Write a Brilliant Romance: The Easy, Step-By-Step Method of Crafting a Powerful Romance (Go! Write Something Brilliant) (32 page)

• Unexpectedness
  – Don’t
  foreshadow the surprise too much or
  you will disappoint
  your reader.
  
• Plausibility
  – It has to be in the bounds of credibility.
  

Y
in
the
Road
–
Or
“What
am
I
going
to
do
now?”
Every
character
reaches
a
point
where they
have
to
make
a
choice
about
their
actions.
Do
they
quit?
Is
it
worth
the
cost?
Do
they go
forward?
Often,
the
best
stories
include
two
equally
worthy
choices,
and
the
character
is forced
to
choose
between
external
goals
and
internal
goals.
Their
choice,
however,
will
spark new
conflicts
and,
eventually,
they
reach
the
point
of
no
return.
A
good
Y
in
the
Road
must involve:

• Consequences
  –
  A
  plot
  must
  allow
  for
  a
  cha
  racter’s
  choices,
  and
  then
  consequences
  for those
  choices.
  Preferably,
  the
  character’s
  choice
  lands
  them
  in
  a
  worse
  situation
  and leads to their darkest point.
  
• Surprises - These
  come up as the character continues to make choices in
  the
  middle act of the
  story,
  each one testing their mettle more and
  more.
  

Act 3:

Help! Or Climax
-This is the final challenge, the event that the book has been building to. The character's goal is usually in jeopardy, and everything they've worked for is at stake. There is no hope. This is the Black Moment, where it seems that it can't get any worse. Often a character's Epiphany occurs right before or right after the Climax.

Overhaul
-This is the change that occurs in the character, something internal or external, something that redefines them, and something logical that is derived from the journey.

Perfect Ending Resolution
-The new status quo, the new normal. This is when the character reaches the goal. As you write, keep in mind there must be an end game, something definable to the reader, and the character.

How
to
Write
a
Brilliant
Novel

What does it take to write a brilliant novel? Susan May Warren knows exactly how--and you're about to find out. She's coached hundreds of writers into publication, onto best-seller lists, and onto the awards platforms. (And she lives what she teaches. Susan is the bestselling author of over 50 novels, has won the Rita, the Christy, and the Carol awards multiple times.) Now, for the first time, she's revealing her step-by-step story crafting secrets that will show you how to discover, create, and publish the brilliant novel inside you.

Susan's techniques are proven methods that will show you:

Exactly how bestselling novels are designed

How to create compelling characters

How to construct tension-filled scenes. . .that keep readers devouring pagesHow to build sizzling dialogue

How to develop riveting plots that keep readers guessingAnd once you're finished, how to sell your novel

You CAN Write a Brilliant Novel!

"A quirky, fun, practical guide from a writer who knows what she’s doing." -- James Scott Bell, bestselling author of
Write Great Fiction:Plot & Structure.

Advanced Brilliant
Writing

You’ll learn:

How to plot a profound character change journey

An easy technique to reveal backstory to your readers

How to weave emotion into your scene for the most impact

How to keep tension high through the use of stakes and motivations

A unique plotting trick to widen your plot

Techniques on how to make your hero…heroic

The difference between subplots and layers

A powerful use for Secondary characters

How the perfect Villain can help you plot your story

. . . and much more, including the scene that every book MUST have!

"If you're intending to write a best-selling novel, I can think of no better place to start than with Susan May Warren's Deep and Wide. This is a book for those who need to dig into the techniques of writing -- not just hear the happy-talk, big-picture stuff that is so often heard at conferences. If you really want to get into the nuts and bolts of writing strong fiction, then this is for you. Clear, practical advice from an award-winning novelist."
Chip MacGregor, Literary Agent, MacGregor Literary

My
Brilliant Book Buddy

The writing journey can be long and lonely. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds of your story, not sure where you are headed . . . or why. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a guide along the way? Someone to point you in the right direction, and keep you motivated.

A manuscript companion to the foundational writer’s workbook How to Write a Brilliant Novel, and advanced writer’s guide, Advanced Brilliant Writing,
My
Brilliant Book Buddy puts feet to all the steps needed to create a powerful book, guiding you through character creation, plotting the inner and outer journey, creating essential scenes, and word-painting. With step-by-step instruction, it helps you craft the perfect black moment, and pushes you on all the way to the climatic ending.

“The Book Buddy is my new best friend! It takes all of the helpful tools, charts and tips from Inside Out and Deep and Wide and puts them in one place. It's like having Susan May Warren in the room helping you craft your story! I can't recommend it highly enough!
Melissa Tagg, multi-published romance author

Conversations with a Writing Coach

“Empowering. Essential. Fun.”

“You made the dream real.”

Words used to describe the many conversations Susan May Warren has had with writing students over the past decade. Writing books are helpful, but they can be overwhelming and challenging to understand. Sometimes all a writer needs is someone to sit down beside them, believe in them, and patiently walk through the novel creation process, step by step, at the pace designed to meet their needs.

This book is that conversation.

In Conversations with a Writing Coach, best-selling author and founder of the online craft and coaching community My Book Therapy, Susan May Warren walks the aspiring writer through the process of brainstorming and creating a novel. She discusses high level story pitches, and how to decide what story to write, character creation and story structure, and an easy method to creating a story summary. She covers scene building, and how to create tension, then goes deeper, with emotional layering, storyworld and dialogue. Most of all, each conversation is delivered as if the student is sharing a cup of coffee, the language and explanations accessible. With application and homework, and classic “textbook” lessons sprinkled between each conversation, writers will sit down with an idea…and leave with a novel.

“I knew nothing about writing a novel. No experience. I didn’t have a journalism degree, or journalism experience but slowly, I learned how to write a novel. More than that, SMW made it fun and doable. My dream became real.”

Now Available on Kindle!

Search: Conversations with a Writing Coach/Susan May Warren

(or visit…
www.mybooktherapy.com
)