Larry Brooks - Story Fix: Transform Your Novel from Broken to Brilliant

WritersDigest.com

Cincinnati, Ohio

STORY FIX. Copyright 2015 by Larry Brooks. Manufactured in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Writers Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 10151 Carver Road, Suite # 200, Blue Ash, OH 45242. (800) 289-0963. First edition.

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For Laura, for always.

No author is alone with his work, which is a good thing for writers and readers alike. Id like to thank Phil Sexton and the team at F+W and Writers Digest Books for their steadfast support and consistently stellar design work, with special thanks to Rachel Randall for the incredible value-add imbued by her editing, vision, and advocacy. Thanks to Art Holcomb for modeling what a real pro looks like in this business, and for the inspiration while having my back. And thanks to Joel Canfield for his big brain and willingness to help, to Jim Frey for the best book blurb ever, and to the many Storyfix.com writer-readers who keep me motivated and in the right lane as I balance teaching and coaching work with my own fiction and nonfiction projects.

Larry Brooks is the author of three books on writing fiction, including the bestseller Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing and the award-winning Story Physics: Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling. He is also the USA Today bestselling author of six critically acclaimed thrillers and the creator of the award-winning website Storyfix.com , named six years running by Writers Digest magazine in their annual 101 Best Websites for Writers list. Brooks lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, and travels frequently as a speaker and workshop teacher at conferences and at the behest of writing groups who like their instruction served hot and straight up.

My mentor Art Arthur, who was a screenwriter for more than forty years, said that an essential principle of good writing was this: Dont get it right; get it written. If you strive to reach perfection, youll never even get to good. So let that first draft be too long, too wordy, too dialogue heavy, and too meandering. Get all your ideas down, and then start the process of editing.

But this raises a new, critical question: Edit it how?

How do you turn that avalanche of words and ideas into a novel or screenplay that is unique, emotionally gripping, and commercially viable? How do you know if its even a story worth telling? And what do you do next?

These are the questions Larry Brooks answersbrilliantlyin this book.

But before I talk about how Larry does this, here is something you should understand: Writing a foreword is hard. Not as hard as writing a novel or a screenplay, certainly. But definitely harder than a postcard, a tweet, or a grocery list.

When asked to write a foreword, you feel honored, elated, and mercenary. Someone wants me to contribute to his book! He must really like my work. He must think I have a good reputation, or even a following. And now everyone will see my namemaybe even on the cover. Theyll think Im some kind of expert, or else why would I have been asked? Theyll Google me and theyll flock to my website and theyll buy all my products and theyll fill all my lectures and theyll line up for coaching. Ill be a household name! So immediately you answer, Yes! Id love to write the foreword!

And then a new voice takes over: Wait a minute. Now I have to write something brilliantor at least clever. That means Ill actually have to read the book. But what if it isnt any good? Or worse, what if the book is great? What if its better than my own books? Will I modify my praise? Will I steal the best ideas? And if I do, will I get away with it?

Dont worry, I tell myself. You dont have to read all of Larrys book, just enough to say something complimentary. The table of contents and a couple of chapters should give you plenty of ideas. You can knock that off in less than a day.

But heres where my plan turns to disaster. Because once I begin reading, I cant stop. Quite simply, this book is brilliant. So now Im left with only a day or so to create a foreword that will somehow convince every novelist and screenwriter, and everyone who dreams of being one, that they have to read this bookand use it.

And so, faced with such a huge task and such a harsh deadline, I do what any good, professional writer would do: I roll up my sleeves, sit down at my computer, and ask for an extension.

This foreword is my attempt to convey the value, the inspiration, and the fun you will have following Larry on a journey into the heart of great fiction. In simple, powerful language, Larry transforms the process of rewriting from a discouraging, perfunctory exercise into an art form. He shows you, step by step, how to take your story from weak to strong, from good to great, and from one destined for rejection to one thats likely to get you an agent or a deal.

He does this by providing you with questions that force you to honestly and courageously evaluate your script or manuscript at its foundation. Questions like What is my concept? What is my premise? What is my theme? What is the dramatic tension? Larry presents twelve such story elements and essences and asks you to repeatedly grade your understanding of these ideas and your storys success in using them effectively.

And then Larry asks you to confront the most important question of all: Is my story worth telling?

This is a question you rarely hear in writing groups or classes, where the guiding belief is usually, Any story can be saved. Even consultants like myself have a hard time asking this question of clients, for fear of further discouraging or defeating a writer already beaten down by rejection and self-doubt.

But Larry asks you to face the question head on. He shows you how it can lead to valuable learning, greater skill, and ultimately a better storyone that is far more likely to move your career to the level of success you dream of. Larry strips any sugarcoating and false optimism from what it means to be a professional writer, and he reveals the harsh realities of just how much hard work is demanded of you. But he does this in a way that empowers you as a writer and makes you even more excited about the possibilities of your chosen career.

After laying out the questions that ensure a brutally honest evaluation of your story outline, script, or manuscript, he then presents you with the tools and skills to correct those weaknesses and take your story to a whole new level of emotional and commercial potential.

And finally, Larry lets you view the process in action by providing evaluations to several of his consultation clients stories. By having these writers identify the twelve story elements and essences within their own work, and then offering them his responses to their answers, we see first hand how the secrets revealed in