If you want to learn about writing a book, check out this must-have by author Hank Quense. It’s a great tool for newbies and an excellent refresher for those already in the industry. This gem has the basics to get you started with easy-to-understand graphics. I wish had read something like this when I got started. 😉
Book Description:
Do you have a story in you?
Do you know how to write it or how to tell it? Creating Stories has the answers. Hank Quense, the author of more than twenty books, tells you how to do it. He believes that stories come from the melding of three elements: getting ideas, story design and story-telling. Ideas have to come from the author. Creating Stories covers the last two. The book concentrates on developing characters including such rarely discussed requirements such as a dominant reader emotion and the character’s biography. Plots are also covered in depth and a number of graphics are included to illustrate complex points. Another topic discusses subplots and how to utilize them and how to nest them within the main plot. A separate chapter discusses the relationship between the plot and the emotional arcs. Other topics covered are: character arcs, scene design, point-of-view, writing voice.
Buy the Book:
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Meet the Author:
Hank Quense has self-published his books for over 12 years. His non-fiction books cover fiction writing (Creating Stories), self-publishing (How to Self-publish and Market a Book, Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps), marketing (Book Marketing Fundamentals) and author business (Business Basics for Authors).
He also lectures on these subjects in schools, libraries and on webinars.
Hank recently started https://hankquense.podia.com/ The site provides solutions to pain points (problems) for fiction writers, self-publishing authors and authors who are trying to market their books.6
Connect with the Author: Website ~ X ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads
Giveaway:
Win signed copies of Creating Stories and Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps: And Market It by Hank Quense (one winner) (USA only) (ends Oct 19) https://gleam.io/yvhlY/creating-stories-book-tour-giveaway
Author Guest Post:
Using transgressions to generate an emotional arc
Emotional arcs are a story element that keeps readers turning the pages. In fact, a story without an emotional arc isn’t much of a story at all.
A basic arc consists of the character striving to accomplish something and failing. The failure causes his emotions to plummet. Successive failures drive his emotions even lower until, at the start of the story’s climax, the character is in the pit of despair.
An alternative way to create an emotional arc is to use transgressions (such as sinning) and redemption to cause a fluctuating arc. This can cause a series of rapidly changing emotions that readers will love. A little know fact is that the emotional arc in a story can be depicted in a graph.
Let me show how that is done. The hand-drawn graphs will also illustrate the concept of an emotional arc.
This is the basic layout. The horizontal line depicts story time and the vertical line represents the character’s emotions.
After the story gets going the character transgresses slightly. The characters emotions sink as he (or she) then regrets the actions and seeks atonement which causes the emotions to rise.
The story continues and later on the character again does something wrong. This time it’s more serious than the initial one. Then the character strives for atonement again.
Getting towards the climax of the story, the character carries out a whopper of a transgression.
This time atonement isn’t easy and the character thinks it may even be unattainable. Perhaps he has to achieve some difficult goal to get it. Nevertheless the character is determined to succeed or die in the attempt. This is the climax of the story.
In the end, the character achieves atonement (or salvation?). Or he fails and is doomed.
Whether the character succeeds or fails is up to you. After all, it’s your story.
Another decision the writers has to make is how high the positive emotions reach. This is especially important at the end of the climax. Is the character merely content or are his emotions much stronger?
There is a lot more useful content on my Writers & Authors Resource Center. Check it out!
Jerah 