Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies

Review Story Engineering Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing

Apologies, this post ended up being a bit of a meander as opposed to the short, snappy review I had intended it to be. But bear with me I'm sure there's a point or two in here somewhere!

Today I'd like to talk about a present my friend and writer Sam Adamson bought me recently. The gift in question is a textbook entitled 'Story Engineering Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing' by Larry Brooks. According to the blurb in the back of the book, Mr Brooks, is the author of six psychological thrillers, a freelance writer, has run writing workshops for a number of years, the creator and editor of storyfix.com, (Haven't checked the site out yet. Watch this space I'll review it at some point in the future, I'm sure.) and, for fans of fantasy novels, the brother of writer Terry Brooks. (If memory serves Terry Brooks wrote the Shannara books, Sword of, Elfstones of etc. I thoroughly enjoyed all of them.)

If you check out various websites, blogs, forums and reviews about 'Story Engineering' people seem to break down into roughly two groups. Group (a) Rave about it and have become true believers. Group (b) seem to think its a personal attack on their style of writing.

Over the years I've read a lot of books on writing. I yearn to get to the point where writing pays my bills and every year I get to do book tours in the USA. In general those books wax lyrical on the 'art' of writing, without any concrete information on the 'craft' of writing. These types of books play to the budding writers ego. Be honest you know they do. When we pick up a pen or sit in front of our keyboards we are, as budding writers, secretly hoping to create the next great novel or screenplay. And we hope that whichever textbook we've chosen to help us will unlock the perceived mystique behind writing. They never do.

For me it's been various family members getting me to write stuff for them. Most of the time I've succeeded to the level required. The exceptions being, last year my mother asked me to write a song celebrating the city we live in. It never got done. Songs, like other forms of writing, have particular formats. And I'm still developing a zombie film with my brother. (Sorry Steve, I haven't forgotten about it, honest) But I've written and either published or recorded, (A lot of my film reviews were for a local radio station), film, book, TV and pc game reviews. I also for a while wrote a weekly, humorous, topical column for a website. (I stopped after writing a piece about Northern Ireland that got threats from both sides of the divide. That I didn't find humorous). Did any of those 'arty' books help me write any of those pieces? Nope. They did however, teach me the 'art' of procrastination!

So, for the last few years I put writing on a back burner. Restricting it to character and dialogue development for avatars in online role playing games and the odd diatribe on faceache as Sam calls Facebook.

What got me writing again? Well, in the first instance, Sam giving me a proverbial kick up the backside. Without his encouragement I may never have starting writing properly again. In the second instance, the wonderful gift he gave me with 'Story Engineering'.

Now before all you organic writers out there start booing and hissing at me, hear me out and I'll eventually explain why.

This post and all of the other ones to date have been written organically and post 'Story Engineering'. By organically I mean, I sit, usually in Starbucks, with a bucket of cappuccino, a biro and a notepad. I know what I want to talk about and I dive straight in. That's the way I've always done it. The only difference between now and back in the day is, we used to be able to smoke in coffee shops, but we're no longer allowed to. (After a five year break I've started poisoning myself with nicotine again. No I'm not happy about it, but I've had a very rough couple of months) But my writing process hasn't really evolved much throughout the time I've been slinging words together. The problem with that approach is, as I'm sure other organic wordsmiths will agree, you can end up writing yourself into a literary cul-de-sac with no way out, at which point the project can get scrapped or you get sucked into the wearying world of the dreaded re-write. If you write relatively short pieces, (Like the pieces I mentioned earlier, or say Friday Flash for example.), re-writes are not too much of a problem, (they do waste time that you could be using to write something else though), but what if you're say, twenty chapters into your novel and you don't realise where your story is going? That's right, new draft time. I have seen/read interviews where published authors have been almost boasting about the amount of drafts a given work of theirs took too complete. In one instance, a fairly well known author, (who shall remain nameless), was waxing poetic about how their latest literary gift to us muggles (no its not JK Rowling. I just like the word muggles), took seven draughts to complete. What's good about not getting it right six times?

Ok, I've set out my stall and hopefully you get where I'm coming from and are still reading.

And so to 'Story Engineering'. Writing stories is both an art and a craft. It's an art because writers somehow pull, characters, places, dialogue etc. out of the aether and transfer to the page for the rest of us to either read or watch and digest (I'm a voracious reader. In fact on the odd occasion I'm stuck without something to read I get just a little ansty. Drives my future divorce and kids nuts!). But it's also a craft. Whatever society or culture your writing in there are set norms to the art of storytelling. You can push the boundaries, (It's still an art, after all), however, if you want to get published, it needs to conform to a set (Though not carved in stone) format.

'Story Engineering Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing' explains that format. To paraphrase from an old UK TV advertising campaign for diy products “It does exactly what it says on the tin.” It explains clearly what the core competencies are and gives you the framework for building your story. It doesn't tell you what to write. You're the artist, you decide what goes on the page.

I think what puts people off is that it's very strident (Mr Brooks KNOWS what he's talking about), and a little preachy. I get the impression though, that that's because Mr. Brooks is genuinely exasperated by organic writers he's come across in his writing workshops who refuse to accept there is more than one way to write. And by the arty books that don't impart solid information to the writer, beginner or otherwise.

Here's a tip. You don't need to re-invent the storytelling wheel every time you write something. I know it's corny but 'If it ain't broke don't try to fix it.'

Slight aside here. A lot of us out in the blogosphere have no filter. We write, we spell check (I use a UK English dictionary. Just in case your overseas and wondering), and we publish. If we get generally positive responses we assume we're a 'good' writer. In the main though, as much as I have a hard time coping with other people, (Bipolar, depression, other totally boring health related issues), most people aren't horrible. At least not in relation to posting comments on blogs. Yes, of course, there are trolls out there who can ruin things for the rest of us, we can edit comments on our work and delete them, where we must. So in general you end up with either no comments or just, broadly speaking, positive ones. No bad thing unless you start believing your own press. I'll be happy if I'm getting positive comments and ones offering constructive criticism.

I'm lucky. I have a filter. Sam reads and edits my posts before I post them. I trust his judgement (We've been friends for over twenty years), and I know he will tell me what is wrong with a piece, honestly and with candour. Oh yes, I will at that - Sam. :D

Roughly half way through 'Story Engineering' its tone does mellow and explains how art and craft should just walk off hand in hand into the sunset and just because you're using this story telling model doesn't mean your creative writing skills need to be comprised in any way.

Minor niggles I have with it are, USA-centric examples, which to be fair can't really be helped and relentless gender swapping when discussing the reader and the writer. For me this was a little jarring and I would have preferred gender neutral tags, you, they etc.

In summary. Although I'm still writing in an organically (off the top of my head so to speak), the 6 core competencies are now firmly implanted in the back of my mind and I hope, worming their way into my writing process. I'm currently re-reading the whole thing, something I normally never do with a textbook (usually I do a complete read then dip back into them as and when needed). Why? Because I want to get published professionally and regularly.

The way I feel about it this. I've dipped my toe into the writing pool, in a limited way, on and off for at least thirty years, I'm that old. (My profile is fairly recent. New Years Eve 2012 to be exact but I look better in black and white!). My dream of becoming a published author (books), has always seemed just out of reach. 'Story Engineering' has given me a blueprint that, if applied right, will let me pull that dream into reach. I shall be Tantalus no more.

Buy it (Sam got it from the Book Depository, which is nowhere near the grassy knoll. I believe you can get it on Amazon, and probably other book selling websites too, though you may have to order it). Read it all the way through with an open mind (as I know all to well it's very easy to entrench yourself in your usual writing process), and hopefully you'll see it for the valuable tool that it is.

That is all....

Rob the Bastard

Rob the Bastard:

I received some sad news on Thursday evening just gone. My friend, of approximately fourteen years, Rob the Bastard, had had a heart attack that morning and passed away. The last time I had seen him was roughly a month before Yule. To use a local expression. He looked as fit as a lop. I'd like to talk a bit about him and in the process me, I guess.

Rob and I met through a mmorpg called 'Everquest' and for whatever reason we ended up becoming friends. Not the kind that's round your house every day or that you go out drinking with every weekend, but the kind where you might not see each other for a year then bump into each other and it's as if no time has passed at all and you just pick things up from where you left off.

His death came as a total shock. He had been living and working in Spain then popping back to do the odd week here and there in his shop back home. I had been due to go in next month, (March 2013), to get a quote for my next tattoo and catch up properly with him. Unless he decides to come back and haunt the shop that won't be happening.

His moniker "Rob the Bastard," is not me being disrespectful. Rob has a certificate up on the wall in the shop, (It's still up, I checked when I popped a sympathy card in for his partner, Caroline, on Monday), from a Japanese tattoo society issued to "Rob the Bastard." He told me he'd picked that because he thought all of his ex-wives, (Four at the final count), thought he was one. But that was Rob, a wicked sense of humour, a strong sense of who he was, and a take-no-shit attitude. I have a very small list of men I respect and trust, and Rob was one of them.

Normally, people trot out lots of trite platitudes at this sort of time. Well at least it was quick, they're in a better place etc. etc. I just wish he was still here and we were going to be sorting out my third tattoo next month.

Always going to miss you Rob, as will everyone else whose life you touched. You were never a bastard to me.

That is all...

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies:

I was bathing when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes too fast. Apologies, I was watching a documentary about Prince the other day on BBC iPlayer and always fancied paraphrasing one of his lyrics. Although I did actually start writing this while I was in the bath. (Yes, I take a notebook everywhere. No, I'm not a Luddite. I simply can't afford one of those posh, electronic doohickeys to write on.)

Anyway, I digress.

From time to time I take a disabled friend of mine to the pictures (movies). He's in a wheelchair and needs someone with him in case of fire, accident, kidnapping by aliens, whatever. Before you start thinking 'Aw, what a sweet guy Sean is.' I have an ulterior motive. He pays for my ticket. Upside to that is I get to go see the latest movies. Downside, I have to watch whatever he wants to watch. Most of the time that's not a problem as we have very similar tastes when it comes to film, though now and again I have to sit through something I wouldn't have willingly watched otherwise. Don't hate me, but anything by Peter Jackson looks sumptuous, has great actors and production values, but someone on his film crew needs to tell him what the rest of us (if we're honest) all know. Your films are too bloody long, Mr. Jackson. Some judicious cutting and they would rock.

Now where was I? Ah yes, Davey, the gentleman in the wheelchair, and I had both seen a trailer for a film called 'Warm Bodies'. He found it first then shared it with me. I'm working on the script for a very Anglo-centric zombie film, so it's not odd that he would send me the link. I thought the trailer was brilliant. The male lead in it, Nicholas Hoult, is a zombie and the narrator. When we had gotten to the pictures, I had a sinking feeling when I saw it was rated only 12a, i.e. suitable for people 12 and older or younger than 12 if accompanied by an adult. I was also put off by it being described as a romantic comedy. As I rule I normally run a mile from things described as a romantic anything. Now I'm going to say something and I need you to read the whole sentence first before losing it and missing the rest of this post.

Brace yourself, here goes:

'Warm Bodies' does for zombies, what 'Twilight' did for vampires BUT, and it's a big but, in a good way.

The premise of the movie is, at some point a plague overtakes mankind (it deliberately doesn't say what exactly), and people start turning into zombies. As the infection spreads, more and more people get infected. The survivors end up banding together to fight off the undead horde and to protect the last remaining human enclaves. Pretty standard zombie movie fare so far. The difference with 'Warm Bodies' is that a) the zombies can think and b) after a certain point the zombies degenerate into something else. I don't want to give too much away as that would spoil it.

A quick anecdote if I may. Aged 15 my oldest son, Jack, who has Aspergers, was given the choice of seeing the first 'Twilight' movie or the first 'G.I. Joe' movie. Using the logic its got vampires in it, it'll be cool, and not knowing any better, he picked 'Twilight'. He, my youngest son and I entered the darkened theatre, to find the place packed with whispering, teenage girls. As you can imagine this set warning bells going off in my head. I leaned over to Jack and whispered 'Jack son, its a chick flick', (Not very pc I know.), 'Nah Dad, its got vampires in it', he replied. Slowly the lights in the auditorium dimmed and the big, beautiful, silver screen flickered to life. Within the first couple of minutes all of the little teeny-boppers were oohing and aahing, giggles and whispering erupted all around us. Jack straight faced and at the top of his voice looked at me as if he was in physical pain and said, 'Dad, it's a chick flick!' Not bursting out laughing at this point was one of the hardest things I've ever done. We did stay until the end but it was slow torture and not unsurprisingly we didn't put ourselves through any of the sequels.

Right. Back to 'Warm Bodies'. Apparently someone, somewhere, some when, said there was only seven basic plots; I thought it was Cecil B. DeMille but a quick google search didn't leave me any the wiser. 'Warm Bodies' can be summed up as Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy wins Girl back. I would describe it loosely as Romeo, (The zombie is called 'R'), and Juliet, (The girl, played by Teresa Palmer, is called 'Julie'). Its a warm (Zombies don't eat the dead), sweet (There must be some reason they always go for the brains), genuinely funny (No belly laughs, that could quite a mess in this genre of movie), quirky, love story.

As a zombie movie its not great, there's some plot holes you can drive a truck through and its a little slow in places. Mind you, when I said that to Davey during our post-mortem chat about it he did ask, 'What did you expect from a zombie movie?'. Smart arse! But it appealed to my gothic sensibilities. Had I my own Julie, I would definitely take them to see it and I'm waiting for it to come out on dvd over here so I can snaffle it for my collection of the weird.

I found it to be a fresh take on the standard zombie template. I would tell you how it achieves that but I don't want to spoil it for you.

That is all......

Welcome to my world.

Hello and welcome to my first post. Been meaning to start a blog for a long time now, never seemed to get round to it. Thankfully my friend and mentor, writer Sam Adamson, stuck the proverbial boot up my backside and here we are. If you like the things I say here then that's down to his support and guidance. If you don't, sometimes it's hard to teach an old, (middle aged), dog new tricks!

Let me dive in by saying I'm nobody special. I'm not particularly attractive, I'm certainly not rich, I'm not especially talented, nor do my opinions hold any more weight than anyone else’s. I am relatively articulate and use writing as a release from the more mundane aspects of my life. Something you may get bored of hearing about as time goes on.

What follows will, I hope, be the quirky, occasionally, (I hope), humorous ramblings of an English, type 2 diabetes and bipolar disorder sufferer. I also happen to be unhappily married, (Let's not dwell on that.), father of three beautiful kids, cat owning, (Though I'm sure my cat Ozzy will dispute who owns who. In fact I'm sure when I feed him he's meowing 'Thank you, well trained human'.), pagan.

As for likes and dislikes, they are bound to pop up from time to time, ad nauseum. Should you choose to follow my blog you'll learn all about me warts and all. Not that I have any warts you understand.

I'll be pretty much be writing about anything that takes my demented fancy. Some things that will definitely come up are film, tv, book and album reviews, though not necessarily current. Health and health matters. Politics and religion, though not frequently I think. And anything else that pops up on my personal radar.

I would like people to suggest one subject a week, (It can be anything.), for me to sink my teeth into and I'll pick the most interesting and go for it.

I will from time to time use profanity. Only when I feel it's justified to drive home a point or to express genuine outrage, (I'm Bipolar, remember?), but any posts that contain such language will have a disclaimer at the beginning to warn you the reader.

Hope you enjoy the blog.

That is all...