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Copyright 2014 by Kevin T. Johns. All rights reserved. Artistic Licence is Copyright free. This book is intended for use by students registered in The Novel Writer s Blueprint online course and/or live workshop. (http://www.yournovelblueprint.com) No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission for other uses, write the copyright holder at kevintjohns@gmail.com First Edition, February 2014. Cat & Bean Publishing, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 2
INTRODUCTION Who are your pneumonia angels (i.e. what artists inspire you)? What do these artists bring to their work that you would like to emulate in your own writing? List at least five of your favourite moments/scenes from novels, television, theatre, or movies. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. If possible, list at least five moments/scenes you would like to happen in your novel. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 3
Cut out and complete your Artistic Licence: YOUR ARTISTIC LICENCE 4
STEP ONE: GENRE SELECTION Circle which genre(s) you will use for your novel. Romance Crime Fantasy Mystery/Detective Science Fiction Western Drama (Inspirational/Tragedy) List five classic texts from your chosen genre. Tick them off once you have read them. Book Title 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Read Identify some of the iconographic conventions of your chosen genre. Identify some of the narrative conventions of your chosen genre. What is it about the genre that attracts its fans? 5
Circle where in the genre cycle your chosen genre is currently situated. Primitive Classic Revisionist Parody Circle where in the genre cycle your novel will be situated. Primitive Classic Revisionist Parody How will you live up to or subvert the genre s established conventions? 6
STEP TWO: STRUCTURAL BASE Circle which of the story structures you will be using as the framework for your novel. Read the related recommended reading and check the box once you have completed your reading. Hollywood 3-Act Structure Recommended Reading: Screenplay by Syd Field, Story by Robert McKree Reading completed Four Act Structure Recommended Reading: Story Engineering and Story Physics by Larry Brooks Reading completed Freytag s Pyramid Recommended Reading: Freytag's Technique of Drama: An Exposition of Dramatic Composition and Art by Gustav Freytag Reading completed The Monomyth Recommended Reading: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell Reading completed Propp s 31-step Structure Recommended Reading: Morphology of Folklore by Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp Reading completed The Harmon Cycle Recommended Reading: Story Structure 101 to Story Structure 106 by Dan Harmon (http://channel101.wikia.com/wiki/category:dan_harmon) Reading completed 7
STEP THREE: PUZZLE WORK Revisit the ten moments/scenes that you identified in your homework assignment from page 3 of the workbook. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Identify where in your chosen story structure each of them belongs. Is your chosen scene/puzzle piece something that helps set the stage for the story? If so, it likely belongs in the early portion of your story structure. Is it a climactic battle where the villain is vanquished? Then it likely signals the transition into the final portion of your story. Filling in the Gaps With the puzzle pieces now placed within a story structure, re-evaluate these scenes within the context of your chosen genre. What can stay, what can go? Can scenes be altered in order to live up to your genre s established conventions? As you move through this process of placing pieces against the structure, and then shaping them to fit the context of your genre, a story should be emerging. Once your story has started to come together in your mind, begin filling in the gabs between your big puzzle pieces. (Don t forget to ask yourself the Why don t they just? questions.) 8
BEAT SHEET By the end of this puzzle process, a rough beat sheet for your novel should have begun to emerge. Continue to fill in the gaps and flesh-out your narrative until you have a good sense of what will happen in most of the scenes in each section of your novel. Beginning #1 Description: We meet our hero, Bob. Bob s known world is established. #2 Description: Bob meets Janes etc. Pinch Point #1 Middle Puzzle Piece #1: Favourite scenes you will model. Midpoint Shift Pinch Point #2 Ending Puzzle Piece #12: Moment you wanted to get to. 9
Complete each of the following exercises. STEP FOUR: PREPARTORY REGIME Exercise #1 Mind Mapping/Brain Storming Use the below space to do some mind mapping related to your novel. Put a single idea, character, action or theme related to your novel at the center of the page and allow ideas to branch out from the central idea. Allow these idea branches to branch out themselves into other, related ideas. Central Idea: 10
Exercise #2: Timed Writing Set a timer for a specific period of time (5 min. 10 min. 15 min. etc), and write for that period of time. Do not stop until the buzzer goes off. Just let whatever is in your head flow out. Don t worry about grammar or story. Just write. 11
Exercise #3: Writing Down the Page Write a scene using the writing down the page technique. Don t worry about paragraphs or even sentences. Just capture mood, setting, actions, and/or snippets of dialogue. 12
Exercise #4: Backstory Pick a character, object, or place from your novel and develop its related back-story. 13
Exercise #5: Writing Prompt Answer the following: You wake up and there is a dead body next to you what happens next? 14
Exercise #6: Short Story Write a short story. Use it as an opportunity to practice using your chosen structure, and, if possible, trying setting it in the world of your novel. (Feel free to combine this exercise with the backstory exercise.) 15
Exercise #7: Google Images Choose a specific image from your novel: a character s piece of clothing, an important object, a geographic location. Use Google Images to find an image of what you have in mind, and then write a description of that image using the picture to aid you. 16
Exercise #7: Poetry Write a piece of poetry. If possible, relate it to your novel. Perhaps it is a poem written by one of your characters, or describes a location in the story. 17
STEP FIVE: RUNNING THE MARATHON Time Diary: Date: Time 6:00 am 6:30 am 7:00 am 7:30 am 8:00 am 8:30 am 9:00 am 9:30 am 10:00 am 10:30 am 11:00 am 11:30 am Noon 12:30 pm 1:00 pm 1:30 pm 2:00 pm 2:30 pm 3:00 pm 3:30 pm 4:00 pm 4:30 pm 5:00 pm 5:30 pm 6:00 pm 6:30 pm 7:00 pm 7:30 pm 8:00 pm 8:30 pm 9:00 pm 9:30 pm 10:00 pm 10:30 pm 11:00 pm 11:30 pm Activity 18
COMMUNITY Identify five opportunities for real life interactions with other writers and artists: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Identify five online opportunities for interactions with other writers and artists: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Insert the url to your blog: (Don t have a blog? Time to start one, time permitting; check your time diary to see where/if there is time available for blogging.) A GOOD START Identify how you are going to make beginning to write your novel a special event: 19
STAKES Set a deadline for completion of your manuscript: List five friends you will email this deadline to, and check the box when the email has been sent. Name and email address email Sent 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Identify the tools and systems you will use to ensure you meet this deadline (daily word goals, calendar crossings, website widgets, coaching, etc): 20
EXCLUSIVE ONE-ON-ONE COACHING OFFER! I have been lucky enough to have some absolutely amazing teachers and coaches who have helped me to achieve a number of goals in my life, particularly those related to novel writing. I would love to play that same role for you, and help guide you through YOUR novel writing journey. To learn more about The Novel Writer s Blueprint Mentorship Package, just email me at kevintjohns@gmail.com with Mentorship Package in the subject line. The Mentorship Package includes a lifetime membership to The Novel Writer s Blueprint Online Course, including all updates and bonus material! If you are already a member of the online course, what you ve paid will be subtracted from the cost of the mentorship package. Add the following coupon code to your email and get an additional 10% off! Code: EBOOKMENTOSHIPOFFER008 I look forward to working with you! Kevin T. Johns, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 21