Larry Brooks -10- 2011 - Morning Session

Larry Brooks – Morning Session
Willamette Writers Talk
(10-1-2011)


www.storyfix.com

syd field’s book: great for story structure


What are you writing in context to?

Limiting belief systems: systems that stop us or limit us.
         Eg. – Fear of flying in airplanes: for a 90-year-old who has never done it before.

Limiting belief systems in writing:          
         Myths:
1)           Can’t write in first person
2)          Can’t write in present tense

Do I have any limiting belief systems about my writing?
1)          All good stories eventually get published
a.          Dr. Seuss, JK Rowland, all get many rejections first.
Only thing we control as writers is one thing: the words that go on the page.
         Have zero control over everything else.

He says: Just focus on your book. Don’t get detoured on outside things. There are tons of rules, but in the long run you also need luck.
         Need to be disciplined at your perseverance.

Everyone has their first spark to start book from. (Says, try to remember yours).
         Massive mistake (pitfall): Start with this spark.
                   Sometimes we start writing too early: To him, there are millions of opportunities before                              you start writing.

Processes: 2 Extremes:
1)          Pantser: Make up 100% as you go.
2)          Outline/Plan, organize: every single step along the way.
Extremes from 1 to 10 between the two.

Writing has its own laws of nature the same way physics does. (like laws of gravity).
         Gravity of story: what makes it work.

Arc: degree to which writer uses the physics of storytelling.
         We are engineers of writing. Writer understands tools at hand and use them. It’s our job to
         apply the story physics.
This is different from having an idea and writing a story.
Which type of writer are we?

What is the context we have?
1)          Real life (not for fantasy)
2)          How to writing books          
a.          Good to read a bunch of them.

Waiting to write thru your muse: A limited belief system. Will hold you back.

Aside: Stephen King:  A total pantser – (but he gets away with it because he’s also a genius).

Question: New Writers: Can’t get published now. Why write?
1)          If you don’t care about money, write anyway.
a.          Wanting book to be good without the money
i.          Still want book to be as good as it can.


Publishing World Changes

1)          Barnes and Noble: Traditional publishers: Hit home run.
2)          Ebooks: Popular and acceptable now.
a.          (Kindle)
i.          Formatting
ii.          Cover
b.          Can get on Kindler for $100-400.

Lot of people write for themselves without publishing or making money.

Secret code: Not a formula: Context: Want to turn pro?
         Can’t break the rules.
         Write book any way you want, but you still need to obey the physics of writing.
                   (Even Quentin Tarentino has to obey these rules).


Question: Why did you start writing?
1)          Love to read (avid reader) – Think you can do better than the writers of what you read. You can write better.
Eg. – Like saying riding on an airplane makes you qualified to make an airplane.
Or like thinking you can learn to golf from watching it on TV

Movies: very aligned with novels. Utilize same laws of writing physics.
         Non-negotiable:
1)          3 acts. Different context in each act.
2)          Also have to have transitions between acts.

Aside: Syd Field: Point should be 25% of the way along the book. (No exceptions for movies: might be acceptable with books)


What is exactly the same between a screenplay and a novel
1)          End of part I is begin of part 2.
a.          Notion of 1st plot point: inciting incident
i.          Massive confusion: incident can be the same or different than first plot point.
ii.          Plot point (Engineering/physics terminology) – need to have happen at right time.
b.          No plot points or weak plot points: boring to reader
2)          Need to know what story is about ahead of time.
a.          Eg. Titanic: 1st 30 minutes until firstplot point.
i.          Suppose ship hits iceberg after 6 minutes)
1.          Instead we use first 28% of movie to learn about upper class women and Leonardo diCaprio characters
a.          Everything before it sets up first plot point
ii.          Shoot for 20-25% for first plot point
1.          Story begins  at that plot point.
3)          Books are plot points moving it forward

One word that is the most important part of the novel: CONFLICT – More than anything else.
1)          Without conflict, you’re not optimizing the story the best you can.

Ending:  Rule: Has to be viscerally satisfying. Optimize the physics with this too.

Context: Huge world of difference between context and conflict.
         What is context? Do you have a limiting belief system?

3 Acts: 4 Parts:  All four parts have different contexts.
1)          Part 1: Hero doesn’t have to know how life will change:
a.          Setup
i.          To Plot Point 1



WOW Factor: You have the right conflict but do you have the best physics you can?

His favorite principle of writing: Mission driven scenes.
         Right conflict and right context.
                   Every scene has a purpose.
                   Enter scene at last moment possible.
                             Want scenes to fulfill missions brilliantly.

Aside: Blogging about writing will help you grow.

Quantitative Stuff:
         Six Core Competencies:
                   4 Elemental Buckets
                   2 Executional Buckets
         Highest Level: Characterization
                   Also:
                             Concept
                             Theme
                             Structure
         All writing concepts  fit in one of these six buckets. Need to be strong in all six areas.
         

Writing:
1)          Overwritten?  Purple Prose?
2)          Underwritten?  Focus problem?


1)          A story never starts with your voice.
a.          (Like singing in the shower).
b.          The lowest bar of the six - Other
c.          Different readers like different voices.
d.          The more you work on it the better you get.
e.          Not what editors are looking for

Art versus Craft: What you need to know:
1)          How to open a story.
2)           1st Plot Point
a.          Where it is
b.          What it’s context is
3)          How parts 1,2, and 3 are different.
4)          Know mid-point
a.          (has its own context)
5)          Part 3:
6)          2nd Plot Point
7)          How it’s going to end.


What you need to know:
1)          Scene
2)          Characterization
3)          Concept

Conclusion: It’s all supposed to be hard – Better to know that from the get-go.