Have you heard about book summary apps like Blinkist, Instaread and GetAbstract? No? Then you might be surprised to see how large these apps has become over the course of the last 10 years, and how they are fueling book sales for non-fiction authors around the world. Today, the world is full of distractions. We spend more and more time in front of screens, and with … [Read more...]
Why Structure Is a Friend, Not a Formula
There are a hundred iterations of the quote “every story has been told before.” But more often than not, the quote isn’t used in the context of lamenting that there are no fresh ideas. Au contraire! It’s much more commonly used as a comment on how we humans—since our dawn—have enjoyed telling and retelling certain kinds of stories. Variations of the best stories tend to … [Read more...]
Save the Cat Story Cards
I will just say it right now: I love index cards. For many years I have used index cards when planning and outlining my books and other projects. I love that they are easy to move around and rearrange. They can be pinned to a cork board or laid out on a table, and they can be put in one very portable stack and taken wherever you want to work with them. The folks at … [Read more...]
Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet
“Save the Cat!” by Blake Snyder was originally written as a tool for screenwriters. Snyder presents a structure for successful storytelling that has been adapted for use by novelists as well as the original audience. Now his work has been reimagined as a video course. The idea behind STC is simple: There are elements that are necessary to create an effective story. Snyder … [Read more...]
Stop Procrastinating, Start Writing
Would-be authors claim they want to write a book, but in fact they want to have already written a book. Writing is hard! Author Joseph Heller once said, “Every writer I know has trouble writing.” And he’s not the only one who has alluded to the difficulty of writing. Stephen King’s quote, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work,” … [Read more...]