Announcing STORYSKILLS!

We had a tremendous response to our most recent teleseminar, “How to be a Successful Writer in the 21st Century”.  We had more than 500 people at the live event and a couple hundred more for the rebroadcast.

I am honored that so many of you decided to join us on this journey for a new way to write screenplays, novels and stage plays.

All this has led up to the launch of our annual StorySkills Class.  Ten (10) weeks of dedicated talks to change the way you think about your process and to get you on the road to a more productive and more naturally organic way of writing.

It is the culmination of my career as a story consultant and award-winning screenwriting and playwright, where have translated the work I do in training professional working writers to a method to help you get the most out of your time and energy.

The classes include:

Week 1 - Training:

The “Process”: A program to create stories quickly and organically

Perfecting your skills: Using what you already know to your best advantage

Refining your method: Filling in the gaps in your natural process

Week 2 - Premise:

Finding New Ideas and Story Concepts

Perfecting your Premise

Week 3 - Process: 

Do you write in Marble or Clay? - Making the most out of your natural process

Two Drafts – Two Polishes: Getting the most out of your writing time 

Week 4 - Depth:

Your “Personal Story Arc”:  Using your life as the power behind your writing

The “Two Questions”: The guiding principles behind all great writing

Week 5 - Pre-Write:

Intro to Story Dreaming: Why the typing is that LAST thing you do 

The “String of Pearls”: Stop worrying about structure and create great scenes

Week 6 - Theme:

The Central Question: Answering the story question you most want to ask

Your Personal Themes: Understanding the real power behind your talent

Week 7 - Plot:

Obligatory scenes:  Understanding the only two important parts to any story

Set-up and Pay-off: How to truly make a story compelling 

Week 8 - Character:

The Rule Book: Understanding your character's true motivation

The Relationship Chart: The real power behind great characters

The Protagonist/Audience Connection: The true path to finding your fans

Week 9 - Flow:

Cabin by the Lake: The secret to instant motivation

Pomodoro: The key to great productivity

Achieving a Flow State: Write deeply no matter where you are

Week 10 - Career:

Why we write: Understanding your art

Creating a body of work: Leaving behind a legacy

Being that Step Above: The Guide to Artistic Professionalism

The fee is only $395 for a limited time and this may be the only time this class is taught this year.  Fees are paid either through:

PayPal – to aholcomb07@gmail.com

By Check: please email me for the mailing address

Spaces are limited so it’s best to sign up soon.. Classes will begin on May 4th!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at aholcomb07@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

Art

WOW!!! The "How to be a Successful Writer in the 21st Century" teleseminar has SOLD OUT!!

I can't believe how quickly we sold out the seminar! The response has been so great that I've decided to run the seminar again in two week's time, on April 26th at 6pm Pacific Time.

If you're interested getting in on the next seminar, just drop me a line at - aholcomb07@gmail.com - and I'll get you signed up! And take a look at the description below for the new seminar.

I hope to see you then!  And thanks so much for the overwhelming response!

Keep writing!

Art


* * *


I’ve been looking for a way to reach out to writers about all the changes that have come about for screenwriters and novelists since 2000. 

Markets have changed.  The audience has changed and the realities of our careers have changed – all while we were busy writing. 

The old paradigm no longer works and any writer who still practices the old methods is leaving money and opportunities on the table!

I’ve created a talk to introduce to the realities of the new century.  We’ll discuss:

·         What Traditional Publishing and Hollywood wants from you now – more than ever before;

·         Steps you can take RIGHT NOW to make sure that you’re connecting with your audienceyou’re your dream publisher/producers;

·         Why the word CREATOR is probably more accurate for what you do that writer.

The seminar lasts about 90 minutes and is completely free to anyone interested – but you must act now. 

So come and join us on April 26 at 6pm.  To reserve your spot, drop me a line at aholcomb07@gmail.com and we’ll get you signed up.

 Hope to see you them!

Art

The Destructive Power of Good Enough

Nearly 40 years as a writer has taught me some important lessons:

One of which is that writers, whether they’re just starting out or well into their career, all need access to the ABSOLUTE, STRAIGHTFORWARD TRUTH about their craft and the journey they are taking as writers.

This is especially important for first-timers because there is so much information out there – much of it from dubious sources – which makes it very difficult to know whom to trust.

So here we go – three points of absolute truth:

TRUTH ONE: Established successful writers – sadly - get away with mediocrity all the time.

How often have you been disappointed with a favorite author’s most recent offering? Or the follow-up movie by a screenwriter you respect? 

I know I have – and OFTEN.

It’s because they already have a threshold market – a group of people who the publisher can accurately predict will buy any author’s next effort.  If that number is high enough, take company will publish or produce that writer’s next work - essentially regardless of the quality.

And, for example, even if the a successful novelist’s next book is not up to snuff, the publisher is likely not to reject the book and risk having the author take his future books elsewhere.

For them “Good is probably good enough.” and so they move on to the next project.

However, for first-timers like many of you, “Good is never good enough”

TRUTH TWO: You must be great. Your first book must be great in order to sell.

Why? Because it had two challenges that it must meet. 

First, it must be better than the mass of other submissions from first timers.  Luckily, this may not be so difficult if you do a great job. 

But second, your work must be strong enough to shoulder its way through the ranks of the established writers to find a place in the production budget.

Consider for a moment the conversation being held as these decision makers are considering your work.  No one is going to back your project if they’re on the fence.  “I like it - it’s an interesting idea - but I don’t love it” is not a statement that gets you a contract. 

So, how do you ultimately tell if your work is great?

Simple. It’s, of course, the Money.

If the editor or producer or agent who has just read it doesn’t want to give you a Contract to purchase the piece, then your work – as it stands at that moment - simply isn’t good enough.

And this sucks. Because current sensibilities exist so that these readers will not have either the guts to tell you the truth or are scared that he/she will hurt your feelings and says - instead - something like “Like the Concept, Characters need a little more depth and Act II is a little weak”.

And also, don’t buy into any of these “Facebook rah-rah posts”, where someone has had a professional reader read their manuscript and really liked it… This is more of the insults done to writers here in the 21^st Century. For, if anyone inside the industry reads your work and doesn’t instantly contract that work for production or publication (aka: they send a check)….then he/she doesn’t like it enough to produce it . . .

In the end, you have to WOW them.  Anything less leads to a failure. 

You must understand this. Make no mistake - There is no middle ground. 

For there are only 2 types of submissions!

The works is either (1) great-and-wonderful and anyone who reads it wants to buy it …

or (2) it’s not good enough and it gets rejected.

But here is our final truth for today: as disheartening as this sounds,

Because I KNOW that you CAN write something that is great - if you understand the stakes that you are playing for. - I have built my reputation as a teacher on this one fundamental belief

Therefore, TRUTH NUMBER THREE: you must-must-must spend all the time, skills and talents necessary to master your re-writes.

I repeat - your success and failure as a writer lies almost entirely on your ability to rewrite your work.

So - Here endth the sermon.

I’ll return next week with more on Mastering the Rewrite and more truths about finding success as a writer.

Now, while you may have found this information startling, this is the reality that all my students face from the very beginning of their time with me. 

Because by embracing this truth and truly learning your craft, you can develop a process you can use to write compelling, exciting and page turning novels, screenplays and stage plays. 

If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, we current have a pair of opening as students with me for the upcoming few months.  If you’re interested, reply to me here – at aholcomb07@gmail.com - and I’ll send you more information.

Until next time – keep writing and I’ll talk with you again next week.

Get Out of The Coffeehouse!

You think I’m kidding, don’t you?

I’m not kidding.

Gather up your laptop, latte and backpack.  Do it now.

Walk out the door and in to the greater world.

I coach a lot of writers: screenwriters, novelists and playwrights and I find we all have this inherent, hunker -down mentality.  We believe that in order to write our best creative, most pure work, we have to concentrate on creating that feeling of truth and reality that makes a great story.

This concept, for the most part, is complete crap.

The truth is, we can only draw from our own experiences and extrapolate from there.  The more of life that we experience, the more tools we have with which to write

The personal story arc, a concept I deeply believe in, says that the strength of your writing - the real powerhouse of creativity from which every writer draws - comes from your own personal experiences and your unique emotional reactions to what has happened to you. This isn’t really anything new, but it’s seems to be something that newer writers tend to discount about themselves and their work

There’s this phrase that came up through the ranks of the 1980’s Japanese managerial style that I think works well here. 

It was called Genchi gembutsu or “Go and see for yourself” It suggests that in order to truly understand a situation, one needs to go to the gemba or, the 'real place' - where work is done.

This has to be true for writers, whether they work on the page, stage or screen.  There is no substitute for seeing or living a situation to be able to bring that all-important authenticity to the writing. It is vital to creating that protagonist-audience connection which turns causal readers and viewer into true fans.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be an astronaut in order to write a story or script about traveling in space – although it would certainly help. However, the point of all writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, is to engage the emotions of the audience.  You are taking them on an emotional journey through your story and the more you can relate to the real and visceral emotions of your characters, the more relatable the work becomes.

We are, after all, talking about human beings and the lives they live. And your own separate, individual life (as important as that is) can only carry you so far. You need to get out there, look around, see the world for what it is and incorporate that into your stories.

So here’s the challenge:  Take at least one afternoon a month or more to just get out into the world.  Take notes, talk to people you would never talk to and engage in part of the world you might not normally see.

Here are some suggestions on how to get out there:

·         The Walk:  Go out and take a walk somewhere you’ve never been. With no plan in mind and no real agenda, go and just see what you can see.  Watch people as they interact. Let the mind wander and see where it leads you.

·         The Destination: I live in southern California and I sometimes go to Disneyland with no other thought but to be in a crowd of people.  I watch and consider.  I find people to use as characters and look for those real human interactions that always lead my mind to a whole slew of story ideas.  Money well spent! There is almost certainly a place or event near you where you can just immerse yourself in a sea of humanity.

·         The Conversation: Go and have a serious conversation with a stranger or loved one.  Look deeply into their eyes as they speak.  Seek the real nature of what they’re saying.  Hear them, perhaps for the very first time. You will be very surprise at what you experience.

Remember: You are the dreamer but also the chronicler.  You job, your passion as a writer, to reflect the nature of the human experience back to us in a way that will make us feel. Always try to take me to a place I have never been before. 

You can’t do it well without getting out there yourself.

Don’t worry.  The laptop will still be here when you get back.

Mentoring and the Disneyland Dilemma

Let me tell you a story . . .

Once upon a time, in the wilds of suburban America, there was a family -  Mary and Fred and their six year-old daughter Moonbeam  - who had never been to Disneyland.

And Disneyland was all that Moonbeam ever talked about.  She had watched all the commercials, seen all the movies. Everyday, she pleaded with her parents.  She cajoled, hinted, remarked, nagged, cried, whined  and otherwise relentlessly explained to her parents that if she did go to Disneyland RIGHT AWAY, she would curl up in a ball and “just die!”

Now, Mary and Fred had endured examples of Moonbeam’s "determination" before and decided that, rather than suffer another siege with their young, headstrong daughter, they would take her to the Magic Kingdom next month.

That night, Fred and Mary considered this decision.  They knew that the trip would cost a lot of money and would be something that, good or bad, Moonbeam would remember for the rest of her life. They wanted to make sure that they did it right.

They soon realized that they needed some advice.

Now, Fred and Mary had two neighbors: Pete, who lived on the house on the right and Tommy on the left, and it occurred to Fred that he should go and ask his neighbors for guidance. He saw Pete in the yard one morning and asked him.

“Well,” Pete said as he watered the carnations, “the parking can be bad and traffic will be terrible and the crowds – the crowds can be a nightmare!”

“Ok, I get that, but what’s it like inside?” Fred asked.

“Oh, I have no idea” Pete said, “I’ve never been . . . but that’s what I’ve heard.”

Fred sighed, realizing that he was no farther along than he was before.

Just then, Neighbor Tommy came out and headed for his car.  Fred said goodbye to Pete and rushed to catch Tommy before he left.

“Glad I caught you,” Fred said. “We’re planning a trip to Disneyland and needed some advice.”

"No problem,” said Tommy. “Been there a couple of times. I can tell you everything you want to know."

And so, Fred spoke at length with Tommy and got all his questions answered. 

The trip went off without a hitch.  Tired but happy, Moonbeam came home with a personalized set of mouse ears, signed autographs of all the Disney Princesses and a heart full of memories.

So now . . . what’s the point of this story?

Here's the point: advice is easy to find. But valuable advice – advice that you can learn from and that will head off disaster – can only come from someone who has actually been there, actually done the thing that you want to do.

Neighbor Pete was a nice guy.  He really wanted to help Fred but, in the end, Pete had nothing valuable to contribute to the conversation because he had never done what Fred was planning to do.

As a writer, we are often as lost as Fred.  What is the best path for me to take? How do I know what I’m doing is the right thing? How do I make the most out of my career?  How do I know if my writing is good enough to not only be published and sell, but to attract a group of fans who will continue to enjoy my work and keep me in business?

All good questions.  All have the very same, very logical answer:  

Asks someone who actually knows. Someone who has been successful at doing what you're trying to do.

Yet so many writers ask – and depend upon - the wrong people for advice. 

These are examples of the wrong people to rely upon for solid writing advice:

Your Friends: unless they are published writers or experts in the craft of writing, they cannot really help you.  They can, and often will, support you, tell you that your work is great, but they’re not actually in a position to know.

Your Family:  same as above but even more so. They love you and don’t want to see you hurt.  They may tell you that your writing is great but might just as easily not understand what you are trying to do and try to convince you to quit “for your own good”. So you won't get hurt.

Your Critique Group:  I’m sure this surprises you, but your critique group can only help you if one or more of their members have real life experience and have published the kind of writing that you write. They can - and will - certainly give you their opinion, but its value must be questioned. Their opinions are ones of someone who, just like you, is struggling to find their own way.  They can be wonderful to talk shop with, to commiserate about your rejections and to help celebrate your acceptances but - as for valuable, real-life writing advice - it can pretty much be hit-or-miss.

Now you probably went to these folks - your friends, family or critique group - first because they were handy, nearby and eager to help. The emotion risk is limited because you never really expected these people to tell you anything that might hurt your feelings or deflate your interest in writing. 

But what we all need as writers is someone who knows what we're facing.  Someone who has seen the landscape ahead.  Someone who has struggled as you are struggling now, who has seen that place from which all creativity springs, someone who has met the challenges you are facing now - and succeeded.

In short, you need a mentor.

By definition, a writing mentor is someone who has been successful at doing what you want to do, who has knowledge you need but do not yet have, and is willing to share that with you for the purpose of making you a better writer. It is always best when it is a personal relationship where the mentor can show you what you need to know and where you, as the mentee, can get answers to those specific and individual questions that you need answered.

Now, you may have no idea where to find that mentor – but mentors are absolutely available to you regardless of where you live!  You probably have come in contact with a successful writer you could ask for help.   Writer’s conferences, classes, readings and personal appearances might be just the places to look. They might be more than willing to share their experiences with you.  And there are personal coaches and teachers like myself and many others here to review your work, figure out where you are professionally and help you plan the next step in your writing career. We’ve done the work and have been successful. We give classes and talks, offering up our best advice for willing students. We can be there for you, too.

If you read something that clicks with you, something that makes sense and helps you see your writing in a new way, seek out that writer's other published works and try to see them in person at presentations and conferences.  They might be quite approachable and you could ask them for a couple of minutes to discuss their experience.  You will be surprised at the number of us willing to help, if for no other reason than we see this as a way to pay back the people who helped us along the way.  Many offer services that are affordable and can be customized to fit your particular situation.

So reach out.   Find someone who can help you along the way – and get moving!

Here’s the truth of the matter: the only way to get solid, valuable advice about your writing is to find someone who have been down that road, done what you want to do and can guide you through the hazards and pitfalls along the way.

It’s just that simple.

If interested is seeking out my help, feel free to email me at aholcomb07@gmail.com or call me at 951-266-9363.

Until next time, keep writing!

 

(My personal thanks to one of my mentors, Steven Barnes, for the inspiration for this post)

 

 

Three Writing Secrets from Jerry Jenkins

Do you ever feel, as I do, that sometimes your scenes fall flat and you’re convinced there’s not enough oomph on the page to move your reader, let alone make an editor want to buy your story? Here are three things I remind myself when I face that dilemma. Then a quick, but heavy, edit and rewrite usually gets me right back on track. 1. Get off the stage. The toughest challenge for any artistic creator is to resist the urge to show off. Our name will be on the cover, and we’d love to remind the reader with a turn of phrase or a choice word, “I’m the one fashioning this message.” But the best writers, like the best composers and painters, know it’s not about them. It’s about the art, the content. Anything that comes between the story and the reader—yes, even you—is intrusive. A reader aware of your technique, even of your talent, may miss your message. If the pianist dazzles with his technique, the composer’s art may be compromised. Entice readers by making every word count, using ones they’ll understand rather than ones that will make them wonder. A true classic transports the reader. Force yourself to get out of the way so the heart of the message can reach the soul of the reader. 2. Don’t compromise. Remain true to your message. Be able to express it in one sentence and post it where you can see it as you write. It will keep you on point throughout the process. 3. Inject conflict. This is the failsafe. When nothing else brings your prose to life, conflict will. You’ve likely seen me write about this before, and you’ll see it again. It’s a sin to bore a reader, so if you have two characters in a scene and they’re merrily agreeing with each other, you’re sinning. Just have one of them respond in a snarky, sarcastic, mean, disagreeable, angry, or defensive way (or all of the above), and see what happens. Conflict is the engine of fiction, and it will light up the page—and your reader.

The Secret to a GREAT First Draft

All screenplays go through many, many . . .  MANY drafts.

Film scripts are more built than written as we refine, mold, shape and construct the best story we can.  Most drafts are designed to winnow down and refine the material that you put down in your first draft.

But so many of us try to form and structure the story from the very beginning.

This is a mistake.

Through my private practice with aspiring novelists and screenwriters and more than thirty years as a writer, I've learned that the first draft – the first time you put concentrated effort into realizing your vision - should be a special and powerful time. It should be fury and abandon. It should be the release of the flood waters. And it should be a time of imaginings and dreams, of staring into the abyss and then suddenly rushing back to the keyboard as the ideas pour out of you.

And you should write until you are empty.  Pages and pages of inspiration and talent and creation, all gathered there in one single place that you will later mold and shape into your best work yet.

And that’s as it should be.

But if you're concentrating in the first draft on Inciting Incidences and Midpoint Turns and Dark Night of the Soul moments, you immediately put restriction of your abilities and you will not do your best work.

The first draft is not a time for choosing -  it's a time for acquiring and gathering the best of you onto the page.

Your only responsibility at this point is to get out of your little brain all the ideas scenes, notions, images and moments that you have for your story. This draft is the straw and clay that you will use to build your screenplay.  Anything – ANYTHING - that takes away from this pure moment of creating  harms your story and severely limits your chances for success.

So . . . 

Put aside the screenwriting books, Guru DVDs, and course notes for a while.  Give Snyder, Fields, McKee and all the rest a break and concentrate on just you, just your visions, just your story.  Be in touch with the reason you are compelled to write this particular story.  Look into the deeper meaning of what you’re trying to say. Allow nothing to distract you and just write. 

Write hard. 

Go off on tangents.

Fill the pages.

Explore the small little corners of your characters and peek into the recesses and shadows of the world that you've created.

Then and only then – when you’re finished with this draft - should you give any thought to structure.