The Secrets of Story

Author: Matt Bird
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1440348235
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Book Description
You've just boarded a plane. You've loaded your phone with your favorite podcasts, but before you can pop in your earbuds, disaster strikes: The guy in the next seat starts telling you all about something crazy that happened to him--in great detail. This is the unwelcome storyteller, trying to convince a reluctant audience to care about his story. We all hate that guy, right? But when you tell a story (any kind of story: a novel, a memoir, a screenplay, a stage play, a comic, or even a cover letter), you become the unwelcome storyteller. So how can you write a story that audiences will embrace? The answer is simple: Remember what it feels like to be that jaded audience. Tell the story that would win you over, even if you didn't want to hear it. The Secrets of Story provides comprehensive, audience-focused strategies for becoming a master storyteller. Armed with the Ultimate Story Checklist, you can improve every aspect of your fiction writing with incisive questions like these: • Concept: Is the one-sentence description of your story uniquely appealing? • Character: Can your audience identify with your hero? • Structure and Plot: Is your story ruled by human nature? • Scene Work: Does each scene advance the plot and reveal character through emotional reactions? • Dialogue: Is your characters' dialogue infused with distinct personality traits and speech patterns based on their lives and backgrounds? • Tone: Are you subtly setting, resetting, and upsetting expectations? • Theme: Are you using multiple ironies throughout the story to create meaning? To succeed in the world of fiction and film, you have to work on every aspect of your craft and satisfy your audience. Do both--and so much more--with The Secrets of Story.

When Secrets Become Stories

Author: Sue Nyathi
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
ISBN: 1776190653
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Book Description
She was asking for it. She should have known better. Bekezela (persevere), she was told. It's because I love you, he said. It's not that bad, she told herself. In sharing their experiences from girlhood to the boardroom, from Cape Town's suburbs to the hills of KwaZulu- Natal, women from different walks of life show how chillingly common male violence against women is. Together, their voices form a deafening chorus. Gender-based violence feeds on shame and silence but in this extraordinary collection, brave women reclaim their power and summon the courage in others to do the same. In speaking out, sharing what was once secret, shame's hold is broken. Heart-rending at times, it is the honesty and courage of the writing that truly inspires.

The Secrets of Character

Author: Matt Bird
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593331230
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Book Description
An insightful and actionable guide to creating a hero that readers will fall in love with, from the author of The Secrets of Story The hardest yet most essential element of writing great fiction is character – specifically, creating a central hero who is relatable, compelling, and worth the reader’s precious time. In this entertaining and practical guide, popular blogger, writing coach and screenwriter Matt Bird breaks down what makes characters embraceable and unforgettable, and presents insider tips and tricks for writers of all levels and genres. Generously packed with examples from popular books and movies analyzed with engaging specificity, this expert guide reveals what makes audiences believe, care, and invest in great characters – and how to bring your own characters vividly to life.

How to Tell a Story

Author: Peter Rubie
Publisher: Crossroad Press
ISBN:
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 259

Book Description
Drawing on Provost's proven philosophies, Rubie examines every facet of storytelling, from narrative hooks to fulfilling climaxes. Through advice, exercises, and an outstanding array of examples, you'll learn to create gripping narratives powered by strong characters. You'll discover the secrets of sequencing, of weaving subplots into rich stories, of manipulating story pace to increase conflict, tension, and surprise. “Rarely does a writing guide arrive with the authority of HOW TO TELL A STORY.” Publishers Weekly. "HOW TO TELL A STORY is a must for anybody who writes nonfiction or fiction -- television and screenwriters included." - Hugh Wilson, creator of WKRP in Cincinnati, director of The First Wive's Club. "A most useful book that will aid anyone tying to become a writer of fiction. I recommend it highly." - Roderick Thorp, bestselling author of River, Die Hard, and Detective. "Gary Provost was one of the best friends a writer ever had. He knew that all writers face a hard challenge: to take their ideas, aspirations, and vapors of creativity, and make them concrete for the reader. How to do it? Treat writing as a craft, with techniques that can be learned, with tricks that can be taught. In this book, Peter Rubie shows Gary Provost at his best." William Martin, author of Cape Cod and Annapolis. "HOW TO TELL A STORY offers a harvest of time-tested problem-solving techniques that will enrich every writer's art and craft. It's a feast of innovative, clearly stated advice that will nourish a writer's confidence and career. Read it and you will reap its many rewards." - Gerald Gross, author of Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do. "Peter Rubie and Gary Provost have got it right. HOW TO TELL A STORY covers everything a novice writer needs to learn and a professional writer needs to remember. It's earned a permanent place on my desk." - Barbara Shapiro, author of Blind Spot and See No Evil. "In this unique book, the time honored ability of story telling has been dissected, examined carefully and defined in detail for the writer. With a fresh new look at what makes a story exciting and compelling, HOW TO TELL A STORY outlines for the writer all the secrets of dramatic story telling. Every writer should read this book before writing another paragraph." - Keith Wilson, M.D., novelist, and author of Cause of Death: A Writer's Guide to Death, Murder, & Forensic Medicine.

Secret Stories

Author: Katherine Garner
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692745366
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
An educational toolkit for teaching phonics, consisting of a book, posters and musical CD, all of which provides for multiple options and inputs for learning, including: visual-icons, auditory and kinesthetic motor skill manipulations, as well as a variety of dramatic and emotive cuing-systems designed to target the affective learning domain. This "backdoor-approach" to phonemic skill acquisition is based on current neural research on Learning & the Brain--specifically how our brains actually learn best!The Secret Stories® primary purpose is to equip beginning (or struggling, upper grade) readers and writers, as well as their instructors, with the tools necessary to easily and effectively crack the secret reading and writing codes that lie beyond the alphabet, and effectively out of reach for so many learners! It is not a phonics program! Rather, it simply provides the missing pieces learners need to solve the complex reading puzzle--one that some might never solve otherwise! The Secrets(tm) are sure to become one of the most valuable, well-used, and constantly relied-upon teaching tools in your instructional repertoire!

The Name of this Book is Secret

Author: Pseudonymous Bosch
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1409546217
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 277

Book Description
I don't know how you got here but this page isn't for you. This is an extremely dangerous book with a very deadly secret. It is an alarming account of two extraordinary adventurers, a missing magician's diary, a symphony of smells and a deadly secret... If you're both curious and brave, visit www.thenameofthisbookissecret.co.uk - but remember - I warned you. "Many different types of readers will thoroughly enjoy this tale including fans of Anthony Horowitz and Lemony Snicket. The book is an interesting read where many types of emotions overwhelm you such as horror, grief, mystery, anxiety the lot. Mixed with a hint of sweet satisfaction that you have finally read the story. I honestly do not know how I lived without reading the book - it baffles me." - Guardian Children's Books Shortlisted Bedforshire Children's Book of the Year Award 2009, selected for the Premier League Reading Stars programme

The Secret

Author: Rhonda Byrne
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0731815297
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
The tenth-anniversary edition of the book that changed lives in profound ways, now with a new foreword and afterword. In 2006, a groundbreaking feature-length film revealed the great mystery of the universe—The Secret—and, later that year, Rhonda Byrne followed with a book that became a worldwide bestseller. Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you’ll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life—money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You’ll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that’s within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers—men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

27 Essential Principles of Story

Author: Daniel Joshua Rubin
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
ISBN: 1523507160
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
“So often people ask me if there’s a book on story I can recommend. This is the one. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”––Alexa Junge, writer/producer, Friends, Sex and the City, The West Wing A master class of 27 lessons, drawn from 27 diverse narratives, for novelists, storytellers, filmmakers, graphic designers, and more. Author Daniel Joshua Rubin unlocks the secrets of what makes a story work, and then shows how to understand and use these principles in your own writing. The result is “an invaluable resource” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), offering priceless advice like escalate risk, with an example from Pulp Fiction. Write characters to the top of their intelligence, from the Eminem song “Stan.” Earn transformations, from Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. Attack your theme, from The Brothers Karamazov. Insightful, encouraging, filled with attitude, and, as Booklist puts it, “perfect for any writer looking to ensure their stories operate and resonate at the top of their potential,” this book gives contemporary storytellers of all kinds a lifeline of inspiration and relatable instruction. “[The] new bible of lessons and practices for creators.”––Library Journal “Not a ‘how-to,’ thank God, but a ‘here’s why.’ Writers of all levels of experience will benefit from reading––and then rereading––this elegant exploration of the principles of storytelling.”––Traci Letts, Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright “A godsend for storytellers in all media. It will help you decide what to write and then show you, step by step, how to tackle virtually any problem you face.”––Anna D. Shapiro, Tony Award-winning director, August: Osage County

Memo from the Story Department

Author: Christopher Vogler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781932907971
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Picking up where his immensely successful The Writer's Journey left off, Christopher Vogler and his colleague, David McKenna, have produced an authoritative guide for structure and character development. Screenwriters, novelists, game designers and film students: this set of precision tools will take your story, step by step, through a quantum leap in writing quality--Back cover.

Structuring Your Novel

Author: K. M. Weiland
Publisher: Penforasword
ISBN: 9780985780401
Category : Authorship
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Acclaim for Structuring Your Novel "I have long wished for a book like this. Structuring Your Novel is so much more than a writing craft book-it's a recipe to help writers structure a deep, meaningful journey for their hero that will captivate readers from beginning to end."-Angela Ackerman, Author of The Emotion Thesaurus "There is absolute gold in this book-and I am grateful that the author has a real talent for distilling some of the somewhat clunky information found elsewhere, into really simple-to-understand and easy-to-follow techniques."-Robert Scanlon "This book shows a writer how to structure their novel from beginning to end in a no-nonsense manner. It's fast and easy reading, and MAKES SENSE "-Carrie C. Spencer About the Book Is Structure the Hidden Foundation of All Successful Stories? Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA-Award winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will learn the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will show you how to perfectly time your story's major events and will provide you with an unerring standard against which to evaluate your novel's pacing and progression. Structuring Your Novel will show you: How to determine the best techniques for empowering your unique and personal vision for your story. How to identify common structural weaknesses and flip them around into stunning strengths. How to eliminate saggy middles by discovering your "centerpiece." Why you should NEVER include conflict in every scene. How to discover the questions you don't want readers asking about your plot-and then how to get them to ask the right questions. Story structure has enabled countless bestselling and classic authors. Now it's your turn More Praise for Structuring Your Novel "K.M. Weiland delivers another exceptional resource for writers-offering practical guidance on everything from crafting a book's hook to its resolution."-Elizabeth Spann Craig, Author of the Myrtle Clover Mysteries "Structuring Your Novel will give you the blueprint for making your story more powerful. I'm taking this one with me to my desert island "-Jennifer Ibarra "After finishing the book, I reviewed my own writing and was easily able to see where the story wasn't working, understand why it wasn't, and figure out what I needed to do to fix it."-Abby Geiger More storytelling assistance from K.M. Weiland: Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success-Can outlining help you write a better story?