This month I want to look at some of the ideas in Lisa Cron's book, Story Genius. In one of the quotes from the book, she says: At its most basic, a story is about how someone grapples with a problem they can't avoid, and how they change in the process... Maybe that's a little …
Author: John
Writer of speculative fiction.
Story Structure — Character Arc
In my previous blog I showed how a traditional Three-Act Structure can be broken down for practical purposes into four acts of approximate equal portions, with eight sequences, 8 plot points, and 8 stages of character arc. I don't claim credit for any of these ideas. The diagram is the result of simply fusing together …
Story structure simplified
Since I started this blog I have often visited the subject of story structure. It's one of those subjects that excites me. Some writers will throw their hands in the air in horror at the idea of structure. Story is emotion and there is no unique formula that will emote a feeling in reader. It …
Writing Character
Many of the articles on writing fiction differentiate between character-driven stories and plot-driven stories. I find the distinction is a bit of a misnomer as all stories are really character-driven. For example, James Bond stories may well be action-filled but without Bond committed to his goal/mission there would be no story at all. What I …
Story types — Tragedies and the dark side
I'm a writer of speculative fiction that likes to write stories that have have positive endings. I want to see my main characters overcome their weaknesses and transform into heroes and heroines. For example, Luke Skywalker transforms from a shy farm boy to Jedi Knight. (Yes, I'm a big Star Wars fan). I like to …
Taking inspiration from the movies
As a writer and story-teller I have often taken inspiration from the movies. When I write I create a movie in my head and write what I see and experience. I'm not sure all writers necessarily think the same way. To me the words on the page are just a medium by which I can …
Genre — reader expectations
A recent piece of advice I heard from a successful author was for new writers to focus their attention on their chosen genre. But what does that mean? I think it means to be successful you have to give your potential readers what they want. The problem however is discovering your potential reader base and …
Beginnings and Endings
One of the first books I ever read on the art of writing emphasised the need for a good opening line, opening paragraph and at least ten opening pages to catch the reader's attention. It's advice I find difficult to disagree with. Writers need to arouse their readers' curiosity. Here are some of the best …
A Decade of Writing
March 2021 will mark an important anniversary for me. It will be a decade since I retired from 'normal' work. I was an accountant in the City of London working for one of the largest firms of accountants in the world. It was a job I enjoyed, but working in an accountancy practice is a …
Story Themes
I normally blog monthly, but I missed-out in December for personal reasons. For many, 2020 was an annus horribilis (horrible year) -- it was the year of the pandemic. But for me it was exceptionally sad. I lost two dear family members near the end of the year, one expected and one very unexpected. It …
JMJ Williamson 