Kirjahaku

Story is the exploration of something that has gone wrong and a lot has to go right during the telling of that story to render it a success. Yet one of the most common questions new writers ask professional writers is about how the author wrote their book, what was their process for storytelling (and from this we get plotters and pantsers)? But really the question should be about the general principles and nature of story--does every part of a story have what it needs to keep readers turning the pages (regardless of how the author got there)? Does every scene, every part of the story support the strategic narrative objective of providing new information a scene will inject in the story (the key principle of writing fiction)? In The Mission-Driven Author, Larry Brooks has developed a series of detailed checklists backed by tutorial content for novelists of every level and genre to refer to as they write regardless of which writing method they prefer. Beginning with the broadest part of story, the early checklists help writers to ensure that their book is based on a premise (aka plot) rather than an idea, or how you can elevate your idea into an actual premise where other story elements can be developed. The Mission-Driven Author gradually hones in on other story elements like hero empathy, dramatic tension, thematic richness, vicariousness of story, narrative strategy, scene construction, etc. each with their own checklists with specific, actionable items that ensure that key principle (providing information to move the story forward) occurs.

What makes a good story or a screenplay great? The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth is, unless you are master of the form, function and criteria of successful storytelling, sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to begin. Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts. You'll learn to wrap your head around the big pictures of storytelling at a professional level through a new approach that shows how to combine these six core competencies which include:Four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot)Two executional competencies of scene construction and writing voice The true magic of storytelling happens when these six core competencies work together in perfect harmony. And the best part? Anyone can do it!

Learn how to make your story soar! In the physical world, gravity, force, and other elements of physics govern your abilities and can be utilized to enhance your every movement. In the world of writing, story physics can be harnessed in much the same way to make your novel or screenplay the best it can be. In Story Physics, best-selling author Larry Brooks introduces you to six key literary forces that, when leveraged in just the right way, enable you to craft a story that's primed for success--and publication. Inside Story Physics, you'll learn how to:Understand and harness the six storytelling forces that are constantly at work in your fiction.Transform your story idea into a dramatically compelling concept.Optimize the choices you make in terms of character, conflict, subplot, subtext, and more to render the best possible outcome. These literary forces will elevate your story above the competition and help you avoid the rejection pile. With Story Physics, you won't just give your story wings--you'll teach it how to fly. "Larry Brooks speaks my kind of language about story. Any writer, even those trucking in the world of nonfiction, will benefit from going deeper into the physics of storytelling as Brooks explains in these pages." - James Scott Bell, best-selling author of Plot & Structure "Larry Brooks has done it again! If you liked Story Engineering, I suspect you're going to love Story Physics, which dives even deeper into the essence of story. Story Physics is an essential addition to every novelist's bookshelf." - Randy Ingermanson, author of Writing Fiction for Dummies

Wolfgang Schmitt, ex-underwear model, self-proclaimed wisecrack, and cynical copywriter turned undercover agent, is biding his time, unsure how to spend the millions he scored after his recent undercover mission for the FBI. Complicating matters is the fact that he might be called in for a new mission; if it’s off the books and calls for a touch of seduction, Wolf is the man for the job. But, in Wolf’s words, shit-storms come in threes. On the same day Wolf is visiting his mother in a nursing home, he makes three troubling discoveries: the place is going under and he may need to step in; the stash in his offshore account has completely vanished; and the promising new woman in his life is actually a Fed, vetting him for another undercover gig. His mission: to entrap a casino-owning couple suspected of involvement with the organized crime factions piping untold amounts of money through the gambling mecca’s glamorous underworld. All of this seems nearly impossible to pull off, probably illegal as hell, and if this is anything like his last gig, nothing is as it seems. Full of crime, passion, and betrayal, Deadly Faux finds Wolf cornered in a dangerous undercover mission in Sin City, forced to use his wits, charm, and gambler’s luck to survive in the dark underbelly of Las Vegas.

The man: Wolfgang Schmitt: former model, newly single, habitual wiseass. It’s a profile only his ailing mother could love—but it makes him perfect for one thing . . . The bait: Billionaire Nelson Scott wants Schmitt to seduce his wife—setting off a prenuptial clause that will keep her hands off his money. The job pays a million bucks just for trying. Another four if Schmitt pulls it off. All he has to do is say yes . . . The switch: Next thing he knows, he’s dealing with a lot more than he bargained for. Like Scott’s gorgeous, stiletto-sharp lawyer. A couple of shady suits who may or may not be Feds. And a few more dead bodies than he’s used to. But in the big leagues of money and power, Schmitt happens.

A twisting thriller that taps into a deep well of erotic obsession, sexual betrayal, madness, and murder, Darkness Bound goes to fearless extremes to become an authentic and shocking suspense novel. In Darkness . . . Two strangers meet. A woman without inhibitions . . . a man without limits . . . for a private game between two consenting adults. In Darkness . . . They indulge in every secret fantasy, cross every boundary of sexual deviation. But one of them has a secret yet to be shared, a desire yet to be explored . . . In Darkness . . . Fear will become the ultimate pleasure. Revenge, the ultimate reward—and reality, the deadliest fantasy of all. Now the real games are about to begin.

FIND HIM. Bernadette Kane never believed that her sister committed suicide. And what she heard about her sister’s mysterious—and sadistic—lover, Wesley Edwards, made her suspect the worst. With his good looks, private jet, and successful career, he could turn a girl’s head. And get away with murder. SEDUCE HIM. Bernadette’s plan: use her body to seduce Wesley, use her wits to gain his confidence, and use the evidence she finds to bring him down. First, Bernadette will have to submit to whatever Wesley wants and become a willing pawn in his twisted games. MAKE HIM PAY. But buried inside the millionaire’s inner sanctum are secrets that go farther than Bernadette ever imagined. They’re plunging her into the same nightmare that trapped her sister. And now the choice between revenge and survival will decide the outcome of Bernadette’s final—and most dangerous—game.

The game is a weeklong retreat. It’s located in a remote region of northern California. It’s designed to build teamwork, establish trust, and increase awareness. The players are three ambitious executives—one woman and two men, each prepared to put his physical, mental, and moral limits to the test. They never dreamed how far they could go. The rules are simple. First you run. Then you hide. Don’t appear weak, don’t admit to the fear, and don’t react to the pain. The prize is staying alive. Let the game begin.

When committed agnostic Gabriel Stone’s wife dies in an unlikely airline disaster, he pours himself into the writing of a story that has haunted him since his youth—a novel his devout wife had warned him never to finish. Inspired by a visit to the island of Patmos, he is fascinated with the visions beheld there by St. John The Divine while in political exile for his beliefs. Those visions included terrifying events delivered by what John described as “seven thunders,” which he was instructed to withhold, to seal up and “write them not” (Revelation 10:4). As Stone becomes entrenched in his speculative interpretation of what those visions might have been, an embedded code within the Book of Revelation itself reveals startling connections to covert operations that are about to tear the world’s political landscape to shreds, perhaps signaling the beginning of the prophesied end of times. As Stone’s novel nears publication, he finds himself the pawn in a war between superpowers and supernatural forces, each hoping to control the book, each driven by hidden agendas beyond Stone’s comprehension. Facing choices that are at once spiritual and life-dependent, with global stakes pivoting on his ability to accept the unbelievable and stop the unthinkable, The Seventh Thunder is a secular thriller that stops at nothing short of our very souls hanging in the balance, while ringing frighteningly relevant to today’s headlines. Winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for best novel in the SUSPENSE/THRILLER category.

The man: Wolfgang Schmitt: former model, newly single, habitual wiseass. It’s a profile only his ailing mother could love—but it makes him perfect for one thing . . . The bait: Billionaire Nelson Scott wants Schmitt to seduce his wife—setting off a prenuptial clause that will keep her hands off his money. The job pays a million bucks just for trying. Another four if Schmitt pulls it off. All he has to do is say yes . . . The switch: Next thing he knows, he’s dealing with a lot more than he bargained for. Like Scott’s gorgeous, stiletto-sharp lawyer. A couple of shady suits who may or may not be Feds. And a few more dead bodies than he’s used to. But in the big leagues of money and power, Schmitt happens.

A twisting thriller that taps into a deep well of erotic obsession, sexual betrayal, madness, and murder, Darkness Bound goes to fearless extremes to become an authentic and shocking suspense novel. In Darkness . . . Two strangers meet. A woman without inhibitions . . . a man without limits . . . for a private game between two consenting adults. In Darkness . . . They indulge in every secret fantasy, cross every boundary of sexual deviation. But one of them has a secret yet to be shared, a desire yet to be explored . . . In Darkness . . . Fear will become the ultimate pleasure. Revenge, the ultimate reward—and reality, the deadliest fantasy of all. Now the real games are about to begin.

The game is a weeklong retreat. It’s located in a remote region of northern California. It’s designed to build teamwork, establish trust, and increase awareness. The players are three ambitious executives—one woman and two men, each prepared to put his physical, mental, and moral limits to the test. They never dreamed how far they could go. The rules are simple. First you run. Then you hide. Don’t appear weak, don’t admit to the fear, and don’t react to the pain. The prize is staying alive. Let the game begin.

FIND HIM. Bernadette Kane never believed that her sister committed suicide. And what she heard about her sister’s mysterious—and sadistic—lover, Wesley Edwards, made her suspect the worst. With his good looks, private jet, and successful career, he could turn a girl’s head. And get away with murder. SEDUCE HIM. Bernadette’s plan: use her body to seduce Wesley, use her wits to gain his confidence, and use the evidence she finds to bring him down. First, Bernadette will have to submit to whatever Wesley wants and become a willing pawn in his twisted games. MAKE HIM PAY. But buried inside the millionaire’s inner sanctum are secrets that go farther than Bernadette ever imagined. They’re plunging her into the same nightmare that trapped her sister. And now the choice between revenge and survival will decide the outcome of Bernadette’s final—and most dangerous—game.

When Gabriel Stone's devout wife dies in an unlikely airline disaster, he pours himself into the writing of a story that has haunted him since his youth—a story his wife had warned him never to finish. Inspired by a life-changing visit to the island of Patmos years earlier, he is fascinated with the visions beheld there by St. John The Divine while in political exile as penance for his devotion to Christ. Those visions included frightening sights delivered by what John described as the "seven thunders," visions he was instructed to withhold from us, to seal up and “write them not” (Revelation 10:4). As Stone becomes entrenched in his writing, the Book of Revelation begins to reveal startling connections to covert operations that are about to tear the world's political landscape to shreds. When the book nears publication, Stone suddenly finds himself the pawn in a war between superpowers and supernatural forces, each with hidden agendas beyond his comprehension and stakes that pivot on his ability to accept the unbelievable and stop the unthinkable. Juxtaposing choices that are at once spiritual and life-dependent, Whisper of the Seventh Thunder stops at nothing short of our very souls hanging in the balance. Winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for best novel in the SUSPENSE/THRILLER category.