NaNoWriMo -- National Novel Writing Month -- comes each November. The goal is to write 50,000 words of your novel... and then you "win." This book challenges you to a higher goal -- to write 50,000 words or more as a novel that actually works, that has a shot at representation and publication. And if you do it right, your NaNoWriMo draft might be just a polish away from that point. And that's really "winning." This book uses NaNoWriMo as context, but the material offered applies to any novel on any timeline. It is based on Brooks' October NaNoWriMo planning series on Storyfix.com, and includes all of the linked content from those posts... and it also includes the FULL version of his critically-acclaimed novel, "Bait and Switch," for reference and your reading pleasure. That's over 300 pages of content. Larry Brooks is the bestselling author of "Story Engineering," published by Writers Digest Books in early 2011, as well as five thrillers, including a USA Today bestseller and a "Best Books of 2004 - Mass Market" entry (Publishers Weekly). He is the creator of Storyfix.com, one of the leading sites for writers of novels and screenplays, and any other form of storytelling..
Larry Brooks has been writing about writing for a few years now. He has a style that can be described as brusque, so read a few blog posts of his, before you hand over the cash for a book; just to check if you like it. [https://storyfix.com/](https://storyf...
This title is how to get all your preparation ducks in a row so you can have a great Nanowrimo experience, but it applies to writing any novel, I reckon.
[look, I rage deleted my nano account last year... so I'd describe my nano experience as mixed. I'd win, I'd just have a pile of words that I would spend the next year trying to make into an actual novel and I'd ruin my mind set and be unable to write anything else - wait... THAT's why I am reading this book!]
4 stars
quotes:
In other words, the highest level of story planning, the most critical realm of your search for story, is the Big Picture, the result of which is a one or two long-winded sentence elevator pitch that becomes the context -- the vision -- from which you continue the rest of your planning.
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But that's where the analogy ends. Because in writing, a gift is not required. Our reality as writers isn't limited by "natural" talents. In fact, there may not be such a thing when it comes to writing. Because this is a learned craft. The power behind a great story... that can absolutely be learned. It's far more about knowing than it is talent.
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Not all stories are high concept. They don't all deliver an experience you'd want to have. But there's something about them... you can't put it down. It's how the elements combine to become a sum in excess of their parts.
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If you can’t write a gourmet feast with a recipe of your own invention, write a great hamburger. The market for that will never go away.