Posts by Carly Sandifer

Feb 26

Hollywood story coach reveals essential elements of great storytelling, part 1

You probably know the key elements of good storytelling and have even observed them in books and movies, but do you consciously use them in your own writing?

At a recent writer’s meetup in Las Vegas, Hollywood story coach Michael Hauge spoke about what makes a great story. He’s coached writers, producers, and directors on projects for actors, including Will Smith, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan Freeman, as well as every major studio and network.

Hauge said there are 10 essential elements to great storytelling, and ultimately they’re the key points an agent or editor will want to know when you pitch your project. Here are the first five:

1. The story must have a hero or heroine. This main character – the protagonist — more than any other character, drives the story and has the potential to be heroic. The hero has a desire that propels the action.

2. The Setup. In the setup, you’ll introduce the hero living his everyday life before anything heroic happens. The movie Lone Survivor draws readers into the world of the characters before they go on their fatal mission. The first scenes show them interacting with family and dealing with daily life. In this world, you must use vivid details to, “create a movie in the mind of the reader,” Hauge said. This will amplify the readers’ emotion, and eliciting emotion is a core principle of successful stories.

Fiction novels and movies are “before and after pictures,” Hauge said. The setup is the “before picture.” Sometimes these scenes show how the hero is “stuck.”

While most movies and novels open with action already underway, it’s important early in the story to reveal what was happening before the action began. Read more

Feb 24

How Olympic athletes inspire me to be a better writer

Do you have what it takes to be a Olympic-level writer?

As I watched the Olympics for the past two weeks, I was inspired by the athletes’ performances — even the ones who didn’t win medals. It made me think about how the principles of winning as an Olympic-caliber athlete can be applied to winning as a writer.

To rise as a writer to the level of an Olympic athlete, follow the same practices and mindset.

Practice daily. Olympic gold medal ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White started skating together at age 8 and practiced for 17 years before winning at Sochi. They practiced nearly every day and their story is the norm. To excel, you must put in the time, create a writing practice. Read more

Feb 20

How the Internet opens up new options for writers

The Internet and social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter are creating a new publishing and communication frontier for writers.

In this 12-minute TedTalk, author Andrew Fitzgerald explains how writers have more ways than ever to publish, experiment, and communicate with readers.

Feb 18

Poem making: five ideas for mixing the mystical and the conscious

This past weekend, a friend and I shared poems we’d written to see what we could learn from each other’s work. Reading our poems and talking about the subtext of them made me think about how writing poetry — from idea to finished poem — is about the magic of the subconscious melding with conscious craft decisions. But then I’m beginning to realize that all writing is ultimately that way.

Poems come to me in many forms, including: A purposeful exploration about a subject or person, a chance encounter that hits me in the chest, or an observation of two people interacting. Sometimes it can be hard to explain how one moment elicits a response or a “knowing” that I must record it in a poem.

If you’re looking for poetic inspiration, try these writing ideas:

1. Find a new format. Write a poem in the form of a personal ad.

2. Set limits. Constraints often fuel creativity. Think of an idea for a poem and then limit yourself to a set number of words to express it. Read more

Feb 12

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Polish your prose and enter a writing contest

Sending your writing out into the world is a good way to get recognition for all your hard work. My blogging partner Carol Despeaux should know. She was notified in December that she’d won 7th place in the Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards. Congratulations Carol! She’ll be receiving $50, recognition in Writer’s Digest magazine and promotion on WritersDigest.com, and a copy of the 2014 Poet’s Market.

To inspire you, I’ve listed several contests with upcoming deadlines. For information about other contests, check out writing magazines, including Writer’s Digest, The Writer, and Writer’s and Poets.

Ruminate magazine

Award: VanderMey Nonfiction Prize

Deadline: Feb. 15, 2014

Entry Fee: $18

Website: www.ruminatemagazine.com

Ruminate’s annual VanderMey Nonfiction Prize winner receives $1,500 and publication in the summer 2014 issues of the magazine. The runner up receives $200 and publication. Submit an essay or short memoir by Feb. 15. Visit the website for guidelines.

Pacific Northwest Writers Association

Award: First and second place is awarded in 12 categories, including children’s, middle grade, nonfiction/memoir, poetry, and various other genres

Deadline: Feb. 21, 2014

Entry Fee: $35 per entry for PNWA members, $50 per entry for non-members.

Website: PNWA Contest

Each entry receives two critiques. Winners are announced at the Summer Conference in front of writers, agents, and editors. First-place winners receive $700 and second-place winners receive $300. For contest rules and submission guidelines, visit the website.

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

Award: Donald Hall Prize in Poetry, Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction, Novel, Creative Nonfiction

Deadline: Feb. 28, 2014

Entry Fee: $30 ($20 for AWP members)

Website: www.awpwriter.org/contests

Two prizes of $5,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection. In addition, two prizes of $2,500 each and publication by a participating press are given annually for a novel and a book of creative nonfiction. Submit manuscripts online by Feb. 28. visit the website for guidelines.

Colorado Review

Award: Nelligan Prize (short story)

Deadline: March 14, 2014

Entry Fee: $15

Website: http://nelliganprize.colostate.edu

The Colorado Review awards a prize of $2,000 and publication annually for a short story. Current and former students of Colorado State University are not eligible. Submit a story of any length with a $15 entry fee by March 14. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for guidelines.

Feb 10

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Make lists to find out where to take your story next

I’ve been working on a children’s story off and on and find that I stop when I get stuck about where to take my character next. A post last week by Seth Godin, Exhaustive lists as a reliable tool for unstucking yourself, made me think of how I could use his technique to figure out where my character needs to go next in his quest. Thanks Seth!

Here are my examples of exhaustive lists to make when I’m stuck on a writing project.

All the possible names I could name each of my characters.
Every type of trouble I could inflict on a particular character.
Every source of help my character might seek to get out of trouble.
Every publisher that might be a fit for my story.
Book titles that would pique readers’ interest.
Editors or agents who might want to represent my work.
Out of-the-ordinary ways to market my story.
Publishing options from traditional to non-traditional.

The idea is to go crazy. List everything. Then team up with another writer friend and share your ideas. Together you’ll likely build even more crazy good ideas to push your writerly self forward.

Godin says that going beyond the obvious is where innovation lies.

Feb 5