Finding The Core Of Your Story

What's your story about? It's the most frightening question in the world if all you have is a blank stare. But what if you had an attention-grabbing answer that left your audience wanting more? It's not only possible, it's simple if you have the right tools. Story consultant and author Jordan Smith has helped countless storytellers strengthen and pitch their stories. His tool of choice is the logline, a technique for selling screenplays that is little known outside of Hollywood. Jordan has adapted this powerful tool and made it accessible to all storytellers. Not only is a logline useful for answering that frightening question, it's also handy for keeping your story on track. If you don't know the core of your story, you run the risk of meandering it into places where it doesn't belong. With these techniques, you can solve story problems early before they cause you trouble. Inside this book, you'll find: The Quick-Start Logline Chapter to get you going right away Exercises to build your logline skills one step at a time The four fundamental logline rules Useful chapters to dig deeper and handle special cases More examples than you can shake a stick at And more! Whether you write novels, movies, comic books, songs, or even operas, this book is for you. Every storyteller should be able to say in one sentence what his story is about. Finding the Core of Your Story will help you learn to do just that.

Whether you want to improve your impact in speeches, staff meetings, pitches, emails, PowerPoint presentations, or any other communication setting, this book provides a novel approach that teaches you how to go from simply sharing a thought to making a difference. --

You know your first draft has problems, but what's the best way to fix them? How do you know where to start editing? Or for many writers the bigger question becomes, How do I know when I'm done?Popular bloggers Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson have been where you are, and they want to help you understand, and even come to love-yes, love-the editing process. In this revised and updated edition of Go Teen Writers: Edit Your Novel, you'll learn:¿Methods for efficiently editing your novel.¿What problems to look for in your manuscript and how to solve them.¿Where to start editing, and how to know when you're done.¿How to keep track of your story's character, storyworld, and setting details.¿How a critique group can help you.¿The pros and cons of traditional and self-publishing.¿An overview of pitching your novel and making writing your career.¿And much more!Teaching yourself how to edit a first draft can feel hard, discouraging, and isolating. But using this guide, you'll feel as encouraged, empowered, and capable as if you had a writing coach sitting alongside you.

Presents, in graphic novel format, the story of Alissa Torres, whose husband was killed in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and her legal and psychological battles over his death.

Qasim, an Arab Muslim U.N. official fleeing family obligations in 1980s war-torn Lebanon meets Dianna, escaping her rural Southern roots to become a researcher at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Will their love be enough in this war-torn, conflict-weary world? Ramsperger's debut novel gives an entirely new perspective on the controversial conflicts in our hearts and in our history.

When her best friend vanishes without so much as a good-bye, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail takes on the role of amateur sleuth in an attempt to solve the mystery of Lydia’s disappearance. Given that Piper’s tendency has always been to butt heads with high-society’s expectations of her, it’s no surprise that she doesn’t give a second thought to searching for answers to Lydia’s abduction from their privileged neighborhood. As Piper discovers that those answers might stem from the corruption strangling 1924 Chicago—and quite possibly lead back to the doors of her affluent neighborhood—she must decide how deep she’s willing to dig, how much she should reveal, and if she’s willing to risk her life of privilege for the sake of the truth. Perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Anna Godbersen, Stephanie Morrill’s atmospheric jazz-age mystery will take readers from the glitzy homes of the elite to the dark underbelly of 1920s Chicago.

Every person has a story to tell, but few beginners know how to uncover their story's narrative potential. And despite a growing interest among students and creative writers, few guides to the genre of memoirs and creative nonfiction highlight compelling storytelling strategies. Addressing this gap, the authors provide a guide to memoir writing that shows how an aspiring writer can use storytelling tools and tactics borrowed from fiction to weave personal experiences into the shape of a story.

This bestselling guide will help you choose the right type of outline to unleash your creativity as a writer, guide you in brainstorming plot ideas, and aid you in discovering your characters.