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K. TEENS: From Idea to Novel— How to Start & Finish a Novel Sat-Tue 9:00-10:30 AM & Sat, Mon 11:00-12:00 AM Location: Birch Lounge (Across Road and Up Hill from Dining Room) Instructor: Bryan Davis, Freelance Author
Being an author of young adult fiction, I have the opportunity to interact with teenagers who love to read. It’s no surprise that many of them also enjoy writing, so I receive many requests for advice. Most requests reflect the fact that the aspiring writers have great imaginations and ideas, but they can’t put it all together. It’s like looking at a marathon without ever having the experience of running more than a mile. The task can seem overwhelming. This course is designed to help writers use their God-given gifts and write the stories He puts in their hearts. The novel is not an unconquerable challenge. It is simply a big story that will become manageable and even an enjoyable experience to the writer who approaches it with confidence, one step at a time. By the end of this course, each student will come away ready to run the race.
The Beginning of the Race Sessions 1 & 2- Saturday, 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Some people say a writer has a maximum of five minutes to grab a reader. If you haven’t hooked him with a great opening sentence and kept the intrigue going through the first page, the reader will put your book down and look for another. The same is true for an editor who is trying to decide whether or not to publish your book. Because he has a hundred other manuscripts to look at, he pretends to be a reader and gives you one page to impress him. Let’s see how to make a great impression. 1.
Story Structure a. The Hero’s Normal Life
b. The Crisis
c. An Object of Desire
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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d. The Journey
e. Escalating Conflict
f. The Final Conflict
g. Restoration and Resolution
2.
The Characters a. The Protagonist 1. Showing characteristics and depth
2. Showing weaknesses (Foreshadowing journey)
3. Preparation for hardships
b. The Antagonist 1. Motivations and purpose
2. Power relative to protagonist
3. Likeable or someone to be sneered at?
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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c. The Hero’s Friend 1. The power of a peer
2. Loyalty, sacrifice, and encouragement
d. The Established Hero
e. The Spiritual Guide
f. The Catalysts
3.
Great Beginnings a.
Hook sentence – Make sure it’s not a gaff(e)
b.
A Bridge to Back Story – Dropping bread crumbs while avoiding the dump truck
c.
Setting the scene – To Describe or not to Describe?
d.
The first three paragraphs – The hook, the lying, and the stinker
f.
Homework Assignment for Saturday night
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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The Middle of the Race Sessions 3 & 4 - Sunday, 9:00 am – 10:30 am
The race is usually won in the middle. Great beginnings and endings are fine, but the middle is where a writer often gets tired. The story can sag, and a reader might become bored. 1.
Your Homework
2.
From Beginning to Crisis
3.
4.
a.
Mystery and Intrigue – Put a layer on, take a layer off
b.
The Bridge to Back story Grows
c.
Peeking at the future
Foreshadowing a.
What should be foreshadowed?
b.
The Inactive State
c.
The Active State
d.
The Reader’s Intelligence – The joy of discovery
Starting the fire – Who struck the match and why? a.
The protagonist’s agony
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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5.
6.
b.
The antagonist’s joy
c.
No turning back
Turning up the heat – Motivations and Reactions a.
Showing motivation – Real versus contrived
b.
Showing reaction – In character and in focus
c.
Reactions – Complete versus restrained
d.
Pour on the heat – Real dilemmas, real pain, unreal intensity
e.
Stimulus moves your character forward in two journeys
Rest periods - Giving the characters, and the reader, a break a.
Character development is proactive
b.
Internal changes come to the surface
c.
Reflections and planning
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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The Finish Line Session 5 - Monday, 9:00 am – 10:30 am
1.
2.
3.
4.
Foreshadowing the Final Conflict a.
Face-to-face meeting before the conflict
b.
Escalate tension
Keep the Goal in Focus a.
The stated goal diminishes?
b.
The unstated goal clarifies
The Final Conflict a.
The most intense battle yet
b.
One-on-one conflict – The hero does it alone?
c.
The hero looks like he can (and will?) lose
The Goal Achieved? a.
Should the stated goal be achieved
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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5.
The unstated goal must be achieved
Resolution and a New Ordinary World
Running Equipment Session 6 - Monday, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon
1.
Point of View (POV) a.
Which person are you?
b.
The thinking, smelling, hearing, tasting camera
c.
The advantages and disadvantages 1. Omniscient
2. First person
3. Third person limited
2.
Show, Don’t Tell a.
When to show, when to tell
b.
Emotions
c.
Adjectives and adverbs
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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3.
4.
Communication a.
When Characters Speak - Meaningful Dialog
b.
When Characters Think – Meaningful Interior Monolog
c.
Unspoken Communications
Themes a.
The Spiritual Conduit – How to portray the Supernatural
b.
The Pulpit – What does “preachy” mean?
c.
Intentional or natural?
Preparing for the Race Session 7 - Tuesday, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
1.
What’s the Big Idea? a.
Passion – The fuel that keeps you going
b.
Experience – What do you know?
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com
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2.
3.
4.
c.
Lack of experience – What can you research?
d.
Idea sources – From the mundane to the miraculous
You and your Audience a.
Writing for yourself or for others
b.
What do you like? - Taking writing advice and listening to critics
c.
Who will listen?
Standing at the starting line a.
Outline the story? – Pros and Cons
b.
The Characters in your head – You’d better like them, because you’re going to have to live with them
c.
The Madness of the Discovery Writer
So you really want to be an author? – Bryan’s testimony
From Idea to Novel – Bryan Davis
bryan@daviscrossing.com