Your Path To Writing a Page-Turner

Writing a novel takes months of work, and to produce a book that’s both compelling and marketable, writers need all the help we can get.

In my career as an author, with ten novels published, I've faced every challenge you're facing right now. So I know what you're going through. I've been there. In this video, I share with you some of the things that help me during the long haul to finish a book.

These are my "Eight Tips for Survival." I hope they’ll help you too!

"I couldn't put it down!" Authors love to hear readers say those words. So do our publishers.

But what, exactly, is this mysterious literary essence that hooks a reader? What holds them so hard, they simply must keep reading, often long into the night?

In this video I unlock the mystery!

Writers create worlds. We do it with words.

In this video, you’ll learn how to make the most dynamic word choices, from employing the “Four B’s” of descriptive writing to maximizing “show vs. tell.”

When planning a novel, the outline is where all the heavy lifting of creation gets done. Successful authors know this.

The outline is where you give life to your characters and craft the plot. I call it a Storyline, and in this video I explain the tremendous creative advantages a Storyline gives you, and offer my tips for focusing your work.

In this video – Storylining Part 2 – I cover the research process that goes along with Storylining - no matter what genre you're writing - and then give you tips on how to focus the drafts of your book, from first draft to final draft.

Stories are about people. This may seem self-evident, but new writers sometimes get so carried away constructing convoluted plots, or (more commonly) so engrossed in style and language, they forget this simple, essential focus: stories are about people.

In this video, I discuss the question of “plot-driven” stories vs. “character-driven” stories and examine the principle of “protagonist” vs. “antagonist,” the core dynamic that drives every page-turner.

Of all the characters you invent for your book, the protagonist is the most important. It's their story you're telling. Their struggle drives the narrative.

In this video I explain how to create an engaging hero or heroine, a person who causes the events of a stirring story.

Of all the characters you invent for your book, the protagonist - the main character - is the most crucial. Readers want to care about your hero or heroine.

In this video, I cover six foolproof techniques for creating the all-important feeling of empathy for your protagonist. We’ll look at them one by one.

Of all the characters you invent for your book, the main character - the protagonist - is the most important. It's their story you're telling. Their struggle drives the narrative.

In this video I explain how to create a deeply engaging hero or heroine, a person who causes the events of a stirring story.

First impressions are crucial. Your initial response when you meet a person gets imprinted on your mind and is hard to alter.

This is equally true of a reader’s first impression of a character in fiction. Their response to your story’s protagonist is especially important. Yet new writers often waste this opportunity by introducing their protagonist in idleness or passivity.

Be smart – put the visceral impact of the first impression to work for you. In this video, I show you how.

This video is the first of four about the essential elements of story structure. The first element is the Hook. As writers, our first goal is to attach the reader to the page — that is, keep them wanting to read on. So, you need to create an opening sentence or paragraph that hooks the reader. In this video I show various compelling ways to achieve that.

In any novel there must be an event that sparks the story to life. This is what's called the “inciting incident.” In this video you’ll learn how to maximize the impact of this essential piece of story structure.

When you write a powerful inciting incident, “it must follow as the night the day” that your characters will lead you headlong onto their conflict, into their world, and into a compelling story.

All stories are about conflict. A character who has no problems, no obstacles to overcome, is a boring character – and they’re living in a non-story.

We love to see characters thrown into crisis, forced to grapple with problems. I don't think it's because we're sadists! Rather, it's because we read novels to feel an emotional bond with the characters. We identify, feeling: What would I do in that situation?

That bond is at the heart of all page-turners. In this video I share some helpful tips on how to focus and develop the conflict your characters face.

In this fourth video about story structure, you’ll learn the exciting dynamics of reversals, turning points, and that all-important event, the story climax.

Understanding these principles will help you create a truly engaging story – a page-turner.

Some people can’t wait to speak. Some would almost rather die than speak. Sometimes people don’t say what they mean. And sometimes they don’t mean what they say. All of this makes dialogue stimulating to read – and challenging to write.

But it’s well worth mastering the craft because characters, like real people, reveal a lot about themselves by what they say – and don’t say. In this video, you’ll learn the all-important principle of “subtext” for creating dialogue that feels “alive.”

Some people can’t wait to speak. Some would almost rather die than speak.

Sometimes people don’t say what they mean. And sometimes they don’t mean what they say.

All of this makes dialogue stimulating to read – and challenging to write. But it’s well worth mastering the craft because characters, like real people, reveal a lot about themselves by what they say and how they say it.

In this video you’ll learn the essential dramatic functions of this aspect of the craft, to help bring your dialogue alive!

Sometimes people don’t say what they mean. And sometimes they don’t mean what they say. This makes dialogue stimulating to read – and challenging to write.

But it’s well worth mastering the craft because characters, like real people, reveal a lot about themselves by what they say and how they say it.

In this third video about dialogue, I cover some common errors to avoid in writing dialogue, and also share tips on how to get beyond mere “talking heads.”

Scenes are the building blocks of a novel. Unforgettable novels are built around a handful of big scenes — that is, scenes that depict meaningful turning points for the characters.

In this video I have some important tips for you on how to build powerful scenes. We start with an examination of the elements of scene structure.

Who is telling your story? You, the writer, of course, but whose eyes do we see it through? And how? In making these choices you’re using the technique called Point of View, often written as “POV.”

In this video I cover the three most common POV choices in novels, as well as some fascinating variations.

Getting a handle on POV technique is essential in creating a page-turner!

The settings of your novel — the locations where the story takes place — can be a powerful tool to draw your reader in.

Settings can be almost as important as characters. In many memorable books, setting is intrinsic to the story, inseparable from it.

In this video I’ll show you an eye-opening aspect of setting – that is, its use as a form of character development.

You’ve finished your novel. First, congratulate yourself! Writing a book is a marathon, and only those who’ve made it to “The End” understand the determination it requires.

Now you want to get it published. To interest a publisher, you need to compose a compelling query – a “pitch” about your story that will make them eager to read it.

In this video I’ll give you 10 essential tips for writing a “killer” query.

So far, the videos in this course have focused on what makes a novel compelling. But what makes it marketable? What sells?

In this final video of the course, I discuss the main categories – the genres – that comprise popular fiction.

Understanding the marketing dynamics at play will help you create the kind of book that excites literary agents and publishers, and thrills readers – a page-turner!