StoryShop

Episode Nine: Building an Outline You’ve probably heard the term, pantser. These writers make it up as they go along, most notably, like Stephen King. But that doesn’t work for everyone, because the benefits of having a strong outline are what help you write better and faster. The guys discuss the benefits of pantsing and plotting, and their fallbacks. Ultimately, it should be about the reader. To make sure you’re going to write better, you need to have SOME idea about where you’re going. And, even if you outline, most of the story is found in the draft. The guys give some examples of this. Even though it seems it would take less time to pants, you actually write better and faster by outlining and writing the rough draft. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 09 Building an Outline appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode Eight: Designing Your Setting A great setting can almost become a character in and of itself. It’s important to make a living, breathing setting, just as you would a character. What does it mean to have a ‘great setting?’ Johnny, Sean, and Dave discuss examples of settings they loved from fiction, film, and TV, and what made them great. They turn to their own work, where setting functions as character. Location scouting is a wonderful way to really get a feel for your own setting, and the guys discuss how to do it. Setting matters just as much in fantasy as it does in reality. Next time, the guys talk about outlining. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 08 Designing Your Setting appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode Seven: Casting Your Character Casting a characters is a sort of ‘short hand’ for understanding your character. It’s a starting point upon which you can build, and it’s especially helpful in collaborating with co-writers. Johnny, Sean, and Dave discuss how they first started using casting, and how it’s evolved. They really had to make the casting process efficient, and rely on it heavily, as some of their books’ cast swelled to a hundred characters. While it’s tempting to pick an actor to cast, you actually need to choose a single role they played. It helps with personality. While you CAN cast people from your own life, beware. As with actors, people you know didn’t ask to be in your book. So be respectful. Next time, the guys talk about setting. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 07 Casting Your Characters appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode Six: Creating Memorable Characters It’s imperative that you create memorable characters so that your readers will for a connection with them, and be more invested in their success. It will also ensure that the stakes of the book are truly important. Johnny, Sean, and Dave talk about what THEY think makes a memorable character. They discuss some of their favorite characters in fiction/movies/pop culture, and what makes them great. They talk about the techniques they use to make their characters come to life. What is character DNA? Sean uses a series of questions, as if he were interviewing them, to help them feel authentic and memorable. The longer you write a character, them more they seem to come to life. In fact, a strong character will help you know what to write. Next time, the guys discuss a really cool trick they use to get a head start on memorable characters – by casting them. Check out the StoryShop app!   The post 06 Creating Memorable Characters appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode Five: Research Research is something everyone needs to do if they’re going to write a believable story. Different genres require different and varying amounts of research, and it’s as easy to get mired in it as it is to do it inadequately. Unicorn Western was one of those stories where research became less important, even though it was a western. Research can be a lot of fun – as writers, we love to gather bits of information. Books like The Beam, Dead City, Robot Proletariat actually have a TON of research backing them up, but the most important thing in every one of them was to get the story down. Getting lost in research is something you need to guard against; it can take the place of actual writing. Just because you discovered something while researching, doesn’t mean you need to use it. You have to know what’s important to your story. Next time, the guys discuss creating memorable characters. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 05 Research for Writing appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode Four: Figuring Out Your Plot There’s a big difference between character based and plot based stories, and that distinction doesn’t really matter for the guys’ work. The reason? All their work is very character based, regardless of the plot.  The guys talk about the different story structures you can use in planning your plot.  Everyone is influenced by the world around them, and the guys discuss some of their influences.  Thinking about plot is a must, but overthinking it will stop you in your tracks. Johnny, Sean, and Dave talk about what you need to accomplish in terms of your hero to keep your readers turning pages. Genre plays a big role in plot, and they talk about how the conventions will be different depending on the story you want to tell. Next time, the guys talk about research. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 04 Figuring Out Your Plot appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode Three: Sorting Through Your Idea Writers have too many ideas. It’s hard to know which ones to use, and even how to sort through them and make that decision. There are several techniques the guys use to help them manage, sort, and select their own ideas. Johnny, Sean, and Dave each have their own ways of dealing with, and sorting through ideas, like notebooks, Asana, and various apps. Idea overwhelm is a thing that plagues many writers, and the guys are no different. They share the ways they deal with it. A great story isn’t just about what you include, but also what you DON’T include. The guys share their techniques of organizing initial ideas with character, setting, and plot, plus all those one-off ideas that spring up as they plan. Next time, the guys will discuss figuring out your plot. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 03 Sorting Through Your Ideas appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode Two: The Passion to Write Passion for writing is important. It’s what keeps you working through the tough times, and what inspires you during the best times. The guys discuss their own passion, and share stories of their writing experiences. Much of the guys’ early work was ‘pantsed.’ They made it up as the went along. Even though it took Johnny 12 years, he released his first book. Unicorn Western was the picture of great creativity, and it was the product of a great outline. The Beam was another project where the guys’ love of writing and systems began to really influence their work. Axis of Aaron was a more literary book. It might not sell as much as Yesterday’s Gone, but it was the love of writing that led them to create it. The guys were getting better and better at directing their passion and efficiency through beats. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 02 The Passion to Write appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Episode One: What StoryShop Is In this first episode of StoryShop Johnny, Sean, and Dave explain what Storyshop is. The guys have spent their lives building worlds, characters, and stories. They also love systems and constantly improving, so they can write better stories, faster. • Quality vs. speed, and how you can be constantly improving your work. • Great writing isn’t just re-writing, it’s pre-writing. • The primary ingredient to making great stories is passion, and that’s what next week’s show will cover. Check out the StoryShop app! The post 01 Introduction to StoryShop appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Sean Platt, Johnny B Truant, and David Write hold a series of insightful, on-topic discussions on how to write smarter, faster. The post StoryShop Intro Episode appeared first on Sterling & Stone.