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| Characters Drive Stories + Survey + Plan Your Novel Upcoming Class
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February 15, 2019
Oakland, CA
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| | | While I'm teaching at the San Francisco Writers Conference these next few days, I want to share with you one of my favorite character tips adapted from the archives, "Know Your Character’s Deep Why."
I'll also be teaching this element as part of my 3-hour Master Class on Monday in San Francisco. We still have places in the workshop. More details and how to sign up here.
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Know Your Character’s Deep Why
Recently in a training session with clients in our group coaching program I shared one of the most essential character development tips, that of knowing your character’s deep why.
Today I want to share with you what I mean, a tip on how you can deepen your understanding on your character, and why this is important for your story telling.
Deep Why
Readers want to know what a character wants — his or her goal — and they want to know why the character wants this goal, or the main character’s motivation. Your character needs to want what they want so badly that they're motivated to act, even when the stakes are high.
But it’s not enough to stay on the surface when you’re planning your story, though that is a good place to start. (Character planning list here.)
Once you know your character’s motivation, next interview your character, asking them this key question:
What will having that do for you?
Then ask this question each time to the new answer.
To illustrate what I mean, here’s an example from book 3 in my Henrietta The Dragon Slayer series, Henrietta and the Battle of the Horse Mesa:
At the start of the third book, Henrietta wants to return a boy to his mother in an unknown and dangerous territory.
Why?
Because she promised she would and the boy is attached to her.
What would having that do for you, Henrietta?
Then I’ll be doing the right thing.
What would having that do for you, Henrietta?
I can’t just abandon the boy. I need to return him to his people, no matter the cost.
What would having that do for you, Henrietta?
I’m ready to risk it all to protect those I care about.
At the start of my story, Henrietta doesn’t yet know this is her deep why. But by about two-thirds through she will have discovered this about herself, and that will be very relevant to her choices.
Dig deep to find your character’s deep why and then reveal it bit by it in your story.
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If you'd like to expand your understanding of your characters, check out my self-paced course here.
♥
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| | Survey: Your 3 Mins Will Help Me Help More Authors Share Their Work Worldwide
Last week I asked for your input in this short survey. It's still open and if you haven't already taken it, I'd love your feedback about the work we do here.
Please take it if you've take any course, free or paid from us. And please take it if you're reading this newsletter, even if you have never taken a class from us. Your opinion is important to me and will help me help you better and reach more writers.
The 3-minute survey for you is here:
As a Thank You Gift, please choose any one of my e-books I list on the second page of the short survey. I would love for you to have them.
Your feedback will be much appreciated! |
| | Have a happy and creative week! Happy writing!
Best,
Beth
PS. We're offering our Plan Your Novel course this March 1-31, 2019. If you'd like to join in, we'd love to have you!
Registration closes: Thursday, February 28, 2019. 9pm PT/12midnight ET - Hands-on support to help you develop your story with two experienced authors/teachers (me and my thriller author husband, Ezra Barany) with over 30 books between us!
- A step-by-step approach that you can adapt to your needs and creative process.
- A proven method that hundreds of authors have used to write their first novel and beyond, including unfinished stories. We use this process for every novel we write.
- Lifetime access to the course so you can refer to the material with your next book.
- Membership to a community of dedicated writers because it takes a village to succeed as an author.
- BONUS: The live course, only offered twice this year, comes with "Create Compelling Characters" and "How to Choose Your Story Structure: The ins and outs of five powerful storytelling structures."
Learn more and register here:
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| | PPPS. After teaching the "Plan Your Novel" course for 5 years, this past fall is was time to turn it into a book:
Plan Your Novel Like A Pro
This book will help you get excited to plan your novel. The tools shared here are designed to spark your muse and give you confidence when you sit down to write your story. Plan Your Novel Like A Pro: And Have Fun Doing It! is for organic writers and pansters who want a roadmap to follow, so that they can let their creativity loose. |
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BTW, I'm a working novelist too, with two series published in two genres, and more on the way. :)
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| | ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany is creativity coach for writers, a teacher, workshop facilitator, and speaker, who helps fiction writers experience clarity, so that they can write and polish their novels, and proudly publish them to the delight of their readers.
Owner of the Barany School of Fiction, an online training hub, Beth takes great interest in how humans learn, create, and grow, and includes all her students’ life experiences, including the ancestors, into the moment.
Want a course to help you prepare to write your novel? Check out the comprehensive Plan Your Novel course here, co-taught with award-winning, bestselling thriller author, Ezra Barany.
She's also an award-winning novelist and writes magical tales of romance, adventure, and mystery to empower women and girls to be the heroes in their own lives.
Check out her Henrietta series here (YA Fantasy) and her Touchstone series here (Fantasy/Paranormal Romance).
beth@bethbarany.com
Barany School of Fiction
Writer's Fun Zone blog
Photo Credit: by c. 2018 Arianna Golden
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