The Process

I coach and mentor writers through the process of structuring, outlining and writing their stories. I give writers the necessary information so they can write professionally and profitably. I have created a writing methodology that I consider the foundation for successful, marketable writing, and I tailor my coaching to the individual and his or her specific needs and writing project.

Plot Structure and Development for Novels. After you select a story idea, the challenge is to organize the sequence of events in such a way that your writing compels the reader to keep turning the pages, anticipating your story's outcome. That is the foundation of plot. A plot develops through scenes and incidents that heighten the tension and suspense for your main character. I teach you how to do that.

Character Development. A character-driven novel makes readers cheer and cry for your main character because they're pulled into the story and they care what happens. By the end of the novel, your main character changes somehow. This process of taking your character from Point A to Point B is called character development. I teach you how to do that and provide you with the tools to recognize when you've created a "best-selling" character-driven novel.

Screenplay Structure. Screenplays must adhere to a specific format, page count, and development of dialog and action before a Hollywood exec will want to read it. Your goal when writing a screenplay is to entertain and capture the reader. A screenplay must have universal appeal, and it must present a story idea in a new way. From concept to completion, I can teach you how to write and market your screenplay.

eBook Structure. To create a best-selling "How-to," Non-Fiction, or Informational eBook, it is imperative that you create a blueprint (outline) before you start the writing process. I have developed a simple, yet proven technique that you can learn in one hour, with my assistance, to accomplish this. Then once your blueprint is finalized, and you've identified all the key points you want to cover, I can teach you how to write that eBook in less than two weeks, even if you have a full-time job inside or outside the home.

Adaptations. To adapt a novel or short story into a feature film script, requires skills in both the novel writing and screenplay creation fields. While similarities exist between scriptwriting and other forms, a great many differences separate the screenwriter from the novelist.

When creating a movie, you have to take a very different approach to the writing method and the appeal to a screenplay's audience. Many questions are asked that pertain to the original author's intention:

What was the author trying to accomplish when he wrote the story?
What is the central message of the novel? Love's worth experiencing even if the relationship fails; be kind to your fellow man; crime doesn't pay? A theme helps the screenwriter comprehend what the author was trying to do.
What effect did the novelist want his work to have on his readers?
Why did the author choose this subject or theme of the novel?

What compels the characters to act?

Why do they do certain things?

What are the characters trying to achieve?
What do the characters learn?
Are there deeper meanings within the story that are not initially obvious?

The screenwriter who adapts a novel or short story needs to get to the heart of the story. Maybe the story hinges on an intriguing plot twist, but the characters are dull so the audience doesn't care about the outcome. Or the premise is fantastic, but holes exist in the plot, and some scenes don't make sense.

A screenwriter cannot just look at the story at face value. What's important is the answer to the question: what is the writer really saying and what emotions are evoked? Does the story make us laugh? Does it scare us?

A screenwriter must understand the readership and the audience. Who is the script aimed at, and who will want to pay money to see this film? Is the storyline and plot strong enough to adapt it into a feature film?

A great book doesn't always indicate that it can be a great film. Literary critics and movie-goers are two different breeds. In a film, you have to show things happening rather than describing them through a character's thought patterns or lengthy pages of prose and setting.

To plot out a script, the screenwriter adapting the novel must break the story down into the occasions when characters meet, when they make decisions, when they have revelations, and when they act. It's important to show that because one thing happens, another thing has to happen.

Generally, the movie does not start with chapter one of the novel and end with the book's conclusion. Most often, the movie starts in the middle of the book when the hero is embroiled in the plot.