Like many avid readers there is a part of me that wants to be a writer. I have probably a dozen half started novels lingering in the bowels of my Google Drive. I have decided that this year is the year that I participate in NaNoWriMo. And this is the year that I finish it! To prepare I have been reading magazines, blog posts, books, and anything else that I can read that will help me reach my goal.
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel is one of those books that put me in the mindest for NaNoWriMo. The author provides some really good strategies for plotting out a novel. The one piece of advice that really struck a chord with me was the main character. Lisa Cron really lays out a plan to really develop your main character before even writing one page of your story. I always had a character sketch, but I had never gone one step further with the character's history. The other thing that really is going to be useful when I write is a thing called "Scene Cards.". Each scene needs a Scene Card with these four things - 1. What happens?. 2. What is the effect or consequence? 3.Why does it matter? 4.What is the realization? And what happens next? I think having the concept of scene cards is going to help me stay organized and keep the book from getting away from me. The final thing I want to share that I think will be useful was the advice to have the ending planned out before you even write a word. You don't start a road trip without having a destination in mind, right? You know where you are going to end up, right? That is the way it should be when writing a novel.
Bottom line - Story Genius was a really helpful book to read as I get ready to start another NaNoWriMo. I could have probably have started without reading this book, but I suspect that Story Genius will help me finish NaNoWriMo this year.
Details:
- Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron
- On Facebook
- Pages: 288
- Publisher: Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony
- Publication Date: 8/9/2016
- Buy it Here!
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