✍️ Tandem Services Coaching and Editing: Transform Your Writing Journey
Empowering you to write the stories of your heart and increasing your impact with a book. Helpful information for your writing career each month In this issue:
Craft: Which Comes First, Character or Plot? Yes, This Applies to Nonfiction TooAs a writer you might find this question paralyzing. Or freeing. The answer is: There is no right answer. Every story will be different. Sometimes you’ll have a great idea for a character but won’t know what to do with her. Other times the plot will come to you first and you’ll have more of a challenge creating a character. Sometimes you’ll ping pong back and forth between the two. And as you’ll see, having a plot that plays to your character’s strengths, fears, and the lies she tells herself will create that compelling emotional experience that readers are longing for. Therefore you will be creating both characters and plot in tandem to some extent. I’ve come up with a series of questions that I call the Nugget. This is the kernel of the story, if you will, that allows you to test out ideas to see if they work before fully committing to a story. And once you’ve committed to the story they help you craft a solid foundation. There are five questions every piece of content you write need to answer. And they’re the same for fiction and nonfiction–surprisingly. Whether you’re writing a blog, a piece of marketing, a short story, or a book, these questions ensure you create content that engages your audience and achieves your goals.
Whose story is it?In fiction, this is your main character. That might seem obvious, but not all writers craft their story like it is. The main character is the person whose journey we are reading about in this story. They are the one your reader needs to emotionally engage with if you want them to continue to read your work. But in nonfiction, it’s not quite as obvious. Can you guess who it is? It’s your reader. You’re taking your reader on a journey of transformation, so the story is about them. This is why it is so important to know who your target audience is and what they need. The more time you spend on this question, the more targeted your content will be and the more engaged your reader will be because it will feel like you are talking to them. What’s happening?For fiction, this is the journey your characters are going on, focused primarily on the main character. What do they want? What obstacles are going to get in their way? What are they trying to achieve? For nonfiction, this is the transformation journey you’re taking your reader on. What are you promising them? Why should they read your book? What will they get out of it? What’s at stake?For both fiction and nonfiction, what will happen if your main character (or your reader) doesn’t reach their goal?
If there are no stakes, then it doesn’t really matter if your main character reaches their goal. There is no urgency. And if that is the case, why are you even writing the book? Make it matter. What’s the lie?I think this is one of the key points that is often overlooked. Think of your main character (or reader). What is the thing that has been holding them back? Why haven’t they reached their goal already? It’s because there is something they believe that isn’t true.
This is the internal obstacle they have to overcome to get to their goal. It’s creating a problem in their life. For them to acheive their goal, they have to realize that the lie is a lie and embrace the truth. Until then, they will not reach their goal. The lie will hold them back. What’s the theme?Why did you write this book? What is the big takeaway you want your readers to have after reading your book? In nonfiction, this is part of the transformation you promise your readers. But it’s also your specific passion for writing this book. In fiction, it’s often the lesson your characters learn or something they discover, like friends are the family you choose or you are stronger than you think. I find authors don’t spend enough time here, and they need to, because this is the emotional resonance your readers will be left with after reading your work. Foundation for creating strong contentWhether you’re a plotter or a pantser or anywhere in between, these five questions will give you foundational points to create strong content. It works great at the beginning of your writing to organize your thoughts and give you direction. It also works as a guide during the editing phase. Asking yourself if you’ve answered these questions fully will make your work stronger and make your readers beg for more. I discuss this process in Eat the Elephant: How to Write (and Finish!) Your Book One Bite at a Time. You can grab that if you’d like. You can also find a deeper dive on this and all topics fiction in my Novel Blueprint Signature Course. I created a YouTube playlist on our Tandem Services channel (YouTube.com/@TandemServices) that covers the Beyond the Page episodes where Stephanie Feger and I discuss these questions. You can find it here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG81gUs3_oZFllFgnNwCbdk0SPQ4n-iML Where you can find meTandem Services has a YouTube page! Check it out at YouTube.com/@TandemServices Want personalized writing advice? Share a writing, editing, or publishing hurdle you have faced or a question you have and I will email you an autographed copy of Eat the Elephant: How to Write (and Finish!) Your Book One Bite at a Time and send you a personalized five-minute video. Click here to find out more. This month’s resource recommendations7 Day Marketing Challenge. The folks at Find Your Indie are running a free challenge to help you up your marketing game, always a challenge for us writers. Check it out here. Kudos!Jennifer Lynn Cary, author friend and member of our Circle author community, has released her latest book, Bernadette, a sweet, quirky, romantic twist. Check it out! If you’re one of my clients who has won an award, finaled in a contest, achieved bestseller status, has a new release, or hit some sales goals, let me know. I’d love to celebrate your wins with you! Writing quoteWriting a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. — E. L. Doctorow Pressing on! Jennifer PS—You should assume any link in this Update is an affiliate link. It costs you nothing more but gives me a few pennies. 🙂 |
