Sean Platt - The One With All the Writing Advice

The One With All the Writing Advice

by Sean Platt &

Johnny B. Truant

Copyright 2016 by Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

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THE ONE THAT FRAMES THE BOOK

THIS ISNT A TEXTBOOK.

JUST so you know.

For most of you reading right now, we (your hosts, Sean and Johnny) would guess thats a good thing. Sean dropped out of high school to start his own business and Johnny never liked dense academic tomes despite going all the way through to grad school. Were not textbook sorts of guys. So as far as critical analyses go, this book really stretches the definition.

Personally, when we think critical analysis, we both tend to think boooooring!

So we refused to make this book into that book. Instead, we wrote you a fun, light-hearted guide about the writing lessons weve learned (and that we think you can learn) from Friends one of the most popular television shows of all time.

Were not going to give you bullet points, a thesis statement, or a rigid critical structure in the chapters to come.

Instead, were going to talk, you and us. Were going to chat about writing, about real people and realistic characters, and about how we can all tell better stories. Its not the kind of lesson where you sit up straight and take copious notes. Its more like how a group of friends sits around in comfortable chairs, swapping tips and tales.

Basically what were saying is: This book isnt a classroom.

Its a big orange couch in a coffee shop, where were all going to shoot the bull and become better storytellers.

So grab yourself some coffee and a scone and lets get started. (We promise not to serve you any sneezers.)

Johnny and Sean

THE ONE ABOUT WRITER'S BLOCK

YOU MAY HAVE NO IDEA who we (Johnny and Sean) are. Thats fine. For the purposes of this book, it only matters that were professional writers whove been making solid full-time livings from our books mostly fiction for years. And thats not because we hit the lottery with one huge breakout hit, either. Our company, Sterling & Stone, has nine imprints, scores of published books, and nearly six million published words. We succeed because were prolific, in pretty much any major genre you can imagine.

Which means we write a lot. Every day.

On our Self-Publishing Podcast, we talk about how smart authorpreneurs can sell more books, make more money, and generally get smarter, faster. And again, one of our most common pieces of advice (and something we hear from other successful indie authors) is that you mustwrite a lot if you expect to improve.

Or in simpler words: Write. Publish. Repeat.

But theres a trick to this way of thinking. Sometimes, people ask us about writers block. Because after all, how can you write a lot if you get blocked? Where can an author mine ideas for the many stories shes supposed to be writing so that she can find her voice, her audience, and possibly her career?

We dont believe in writers block because gettingideas is never the problem.

The world already has all the ideas youll ever need.

That right there is the big lie that so many writers seem to believe: that you need to invent something new.You do not need to come up with something that nobody has ever done before to be a legitimate, successful, or fulfilled writer. Your job as a writer isnt to invent new ideas. Its to find your own way of remixing, augmenting, and retelling the stories people have already heard.

This is great news for most people. Changing your focus from manufacturing totally unique stories that bear no resemblance to anything from the past to retelling existing stories in new and amazing ways wont just liberate you and crush your block; itll improve your writing flow, and ultimately make your work more relatable (and enjoyable) to readers. And this isnt a cop-out, if thats what youre thinking. Its not a case of, I guess I can re-use old stories if Johnny and Sean are giving me permission but its still a cheat compared to what a real writer would do.

Its not true. At all.

Using stories that are already in the zeitgeistiswhat good writers do, becausethatswhat readers want.

Read a few of the best-selling books in any genre. Theyre always different versions of the same basic tales. Familiar stories make readers comfortable, even if those narratives are filled with uncomfortable things. (Successful books fitting that last mold appeal to readers who are actively seeking discomfort discomfort is what comforts them.)

Think about Harry Potter squaring off against Lord Voldemort. Doesnt that remind you of Luke Skywalker squaring off against Darth Vader, Katniss Everdeen squaring off against President Snow, or Frodo Baggins squaring off against Sauron?

What about Harrys relationship with his mentor, Albus Dumbledore? Seems a lot like Lukes relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobe, Katnisss relationship with Haymitch, and Frodos relationship with Gandalf, right?

All four heroes start the story facing impossible odds against a force thats more or less taking over the world.

All four fail in their quests before finally succeeding.

All four are selfish or meek in the beginning but grow into fully-realized versions of themselves by the end.

Start paying attention when you read, or watch great TV or movies. Youll see what we mean, and youll see it everywhere. Vampires in successful narratives can usually be killed with a stake. Theres always an embarrassing and absurd misunderstanding in romantic comedies. The gruff old cop in those police dramas always has a heart of gold. And, of course, the cop nearing retirement is usually killed in his final days on duty.

Ideas arent single-serving commodities to be used once and discarded. Theyre more like library books: available for anyone to borrow.

To tell Sterling & Stones more than six million words worth of stories, weve borrowed ideas from everywhere.

We borrowed an entire gunslinger archetype for our fantasy saga Unicorn Western, going so far as to name him Clint (after Eastwood).

We borrowed video game structure for our revenge story Namaste. Our main character fights in a rhythm of battle-battle-boss before leveling up to fight a bigger boss (after a few more small battles) the next time around.

Our literary novel Axis of Aaron models elements from Vanilla Sky and Mulholland Drive and the next years literary novel