I’ve been working on a young adult fiction novel. I can tell you that I’ve learned an extremely valuable lesson as a writer. One simple word; outlines. It’s so simple, yet so powerful. Not just any outline, but one inspired by a book called “Save the Cat” by the late Blake Snyder. One of my best friends who is in the film industry turned me on to the book because he thought it might help with my screenplay writing. I discovered that not only did it help with my script story development, but my novel writing. The book breaks down the story process by what is called “beats”. It is essentially a formulated outline to help you build the framework of your story structure before you actually start writing. It has removed the crippling confusion of “what’s next” when I’m writing a story. I can now focus on the actual writing process! Go figure. I’m the closest I have ever been to actually having a completed manuscript and it has done wonders for my confidence as a writer. I can’t recommend you trying this process and experiment with it on your own.
Here’s the story synopsis:
Tiger Larson is a lonely latch key kid living in London with his divorced father. His already solitary life becomes even more isolated when his dad takes a new job traveling the world. He is forced to live with his only known relative, Uncle Ernie, who lives in a large old house nestled in the countryside of Edinburgh Scotland. Upon moving in, Tiger quickly discovers his uncle Ernie is not only a recluse, but crazy. Rule one of Uncle Ernie’s house, stay out of the east wing of the mansion. Late evening boredom leads Tiger to secretly explore the old estate he now lives in. Tiger finds a peculiar library which draws him deep inside a mystical world which he must keep hidden from uncle Ernie and prevent the potential destruction of two worlds.
The Writer Purge 