If this was a hundred years ago, you and I would focus on writing our books, and we'd let our editors worry about whether or not our stories worked. Hemingway and Fitzerald relied heavily on the great Maxwell Perkins and honestly, there are days when I wish this was still the case.
But it isn't. Publishing doesn't work that way anymore. We can't rely on acquisitions editors to fix our work. It's not their job.
Nor can we rely on literary agents. It's not their job either.
Finding and fixing story problems is our job.
Period.
And that means we've got to educate ourselves. We need to know how stories work. We need to understand story theory.
It can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. Melanie and I have already done the back-breaking work of wading through the story theory quagmire—dozens of courses, hundreds of theory books, tens of thousands of dollars.
What did we discover?
There are only a handful of concepts writers need to know. That's what these webinars are about. We've distilled complex story principles down to their essence so you get the information you need and in a way that you can use it.
Come join us.
Remember, story theory doesn't have to be difficult. We take it one step at a time, and we have lots of fun.
-V
Webinars held via Zoom. Downloadable recordings available until August 1, 2024. If you can't attend live you can send questions in advance using the contact button above.
Register for individual webinars below, or bundle and save an additional $50
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This is going to blow your mind. There are different types of scenes and knowing them will revolutionize your writing. Sounds like hyperbole, doesn't it? It's not. I don't mean genre-specific scenes like the lovers-meet scene in a romance. I'm talking about the location of a scene and how it has the power to add depth and meaning to your work, or destroy it completely. No joke.
I strongly recommend that you also register for the Scenes that Work webinar (above) because when I present, I'll be assuming you already know the information covered there.
PRESENTED BY: Valerie Francis
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Novellas are in literature's Goldilocks Zone; they're long enough to learn story form, but short enough to write in a few months. That means you don't have to devote years toiling away on a full-length novel which, let's face it, is a massive (often overwhelming) project. For us writers, they're the best of both worlds and it appears that readers love them too because they're making a comeback! So how do you write these little gems and make them shine? That's exactly what Melanie and I will discuss.
PRESENTED BY: Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill
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You're spending months, if not years, writing your manuscript. If it doesn't hook the reader (book buyer, agent, acquisitions editor) in the first ten pages, then all that work is for naught. As I mentioned in the How Stories Work and Scenes the Work webinars above, I'm a list person. So, you guessed it. I made a list of everything that needs to be in the first ten pages of a story.
But this webinar offers more than a list. It's a strategy, and it works.
PRESENTED BY: Valerie Francis
$67
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The first thing a reader (book buyer, agent, publisher) will notice is the quality of your line writing. In just a few sentences they'll decide to buy your book or abandon it. That means your line writing must be beautiful. But what is beautiful line writing? In this webinar, Melanie and I will cover the ten most common mistakes writers make, and we'll give you solutions to fix them.
PRESENTED BY: Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill
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If you want a career as an author, you must have a breakout book. A breakout book contains a story that works. There is an art to writing stories people want to read, but there's no mystery. Experts know exactly which ingredients a story needs to have for it to work. These ingredients are called the fundamentals of storytelling.
So here it is! Your "recipe" for how to write a story that people will read, and enjoy, all the way to the end.
PRESENTED BY: Valerie Francis
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If your scenes are weak, readers will abandon your novel. You don't want that, and neither do I. That's why I created the Scene Planner and I'm telling you, it has saved me hours of work. Now, my first draft is as good as my tenth draft used to be. In this webinar, I'll share the key concepts of the planner with you so that your first drafts are stronger too.
If scene work is a priority for you, you may also want to consider registering for The Scene Type Inventory webinar listed below. It's a game-changer.
PRESENTED BY: Valerie Francis
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"Left-brained" is our name for stories that involve a puzzle of some sort, and believe it or not, because they invite the reader to think critically, storytelling principles work a little differently here. So if this is the main genre of your novel, or if you have a mystery, crime or spy story subplot, you need this webinar!
NOTE: We'll be using THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie as our example, so there will be spoilers. After all, we can't talk about the novel without talking about the novel.
PRESENTED BY: Valerie Francis and Melanie Hill
RECORDING AVAILABLE
$47
Your Order
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Register for individual webinars or bundle and save an additional $50
If you purchase the bundle after the series has begun, you'll get access to the recordings of any webinars that have already taken place.
If
Your Order
Thank you for your purchase!
Register for individual webinars or bundle and save an additional $50
If you purchase the bundle after the series has begun, you'll get access to the recordings of any webinars that have already taken place.
If
Your Order
Thank you for your purchase!
What if I can't attend the webinars live?
No problem! The webinars will be recorded and made available to everyone who registers.
I'm writing a memoir. Are these webinars a good fit for me?
Yes! Believe it or not, a memoir follows the same storytelling principles as fiction because after all, you're telling your story.
I'm writing narrative nonfiction. Are these webinars a good fit for me?
Yes! Narrative nonfiction is, by its definition, a narrative or story. So, as strange as it sounds, it follows the same storytelling principles as a novel.
I'm writing for children and/or young adults. Are these webinars a good fit for me?
Yes! The principles of storytelling work across all long-form storytelling. The only difference with children’s stories, or YA, is the target audience.
Will you be offering these webinars again?
These webinars, as live events, will not be offered again. The recordings will be available for purchase at some point in the future, but we haven't nailed down a date yet. When they do go on sale, the price will be higher (we're offering a special discount right now because this is a launch), and because they'll be self-directed, you won't have the option to ask Valerie and Melanie questions.
Will these webinars help me get an agent or publishing contract?
At Story Nerd, we're all about helping writers improve their craft; that's what developmental editors do! Agents and publishers have other specialties and so they look for writers who have educated themselves about both prose writing and storytelling. They want to work with writers who can turn out highly polished manuscripts. These webinars are part of your education, so that's definitely a step in the right direction. We'll share our best advice and the most effective techniques we know. The rest is up to you.
Are these webinars for new writers, or advanced writers?
We believe that it doesn't matter where you start on your writing journey, it only matters that you start. We know that story theory can be pretty overwhelming, that's why we've designed the webinars to accommodate both beginning and advanced writers. Not only do we explain the concepts, but we also give examples of it in action and, for the brand new writers, we suggest a place to start your study.
Register for individual webinars or bundle and save an additional $50
If you purchase the bundle after the series has begun, you'll get access to the recordings of any webinars that have already taken place.
If