Author. Story Consultant.
The Workshop
My writing goal is at least 1,000 words a night unless other distractions happen. I'm not exactly the old writer hermit stereotype. I do try to have a life. That being said, my books, and their completion, are important to me. I've already fallen in love with the characters in my world. Nothing would make me happier than seeing you fall in love with them too. This means I want to get the books out as fast as I can without having to sacrifice quality. This cycle is the bane of all writers. Rest assured, there is a plan to the madness. I always create outlines for my stories so it's not like I'm writing the first book into a void wondering where the next will lead. This section will talk about my writing process, and maybe answer some questions you have about writing.
Questions I plan to tackle here at The Workshop will be: What is original? What makes a great character? How do you overcome Writer's Block? What makes a story both critically and financially successful? TheWorkshop is going to focus on some tips from my book, as well as original content with an emphasis on storytelling.
I believe the quality of storytelling has diminished
considerably over the years. It seems like the better stories are few
and far between, not just for books, but movies and television as well.
All the remakes, reboots, and reimaginings aren't helping create
something truly original. I once thought about writing a screenplay for
what I thought would be the best movie ever. At the most, it would be a
movie I would want to see. As I pulled out my copy of Final Draft 5 and
plugged away for several nights I realized writing a screenplay wasn't
the answer. What if I did sell it? What if the director or producer
wanted to change my work around at their whim? My biggest fear was
losing creative control.
Granted, I
could walk right into a Hollywood studio and tell them how to save
millions and create better stories, but why would they ever listen to
me? Why would anyone? What I finally realized is the people trying to make it in
Hollywood's movie machine are stuck in the profit game, trying to throw
different ideas into the void and hoping things stick. They aren't in
the business of creating something good or original. If I was going to
change the face of storytelling, I needed a plan. That plan was to write
a guide on how to tell stories, not for current Hollywood, but future
Hollywood. Those boys and girls sitting in some class on how to be a
better writer or filmmaker. These people are the future. These are the
people I planned to reach.
I created 'Original Plots: The
Unified Field Theory of Storytelling' as a guide to kickstart
originality by coming up with a theory that fits every story ever made.
Sounds bold, right? Writing the theory hasn't been quite as hard as
getting the word out there. It's been a struggle and will continue to
be. In order to sell a book on storytelling I also have the glorious
task of creating my own series. If that series works, then people might
start listening. My hope is I can reach storytellers who have an open
mind and heart about creating something original.