Writing the Heart of Your Story: The Secret to Crafting an Unforgettable Novel

186 Pages·2014·0.815 MB·English

by  C.S. Lakin

Writing the Heart of Your Story

A Guide to Crafting an
Unforgettable Novel

C. S. Lakin

Writing the Heart of Your Story: A Guide to Crafting an Unforgettable Novel

Copyright©2014 by C. S. Lakin

Cover designed by Ellie Searl, Publishista®

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Morgan Hill, CA
Nonfiction Books by C. S. Lakin
The Writer’s Toolbox Series

Shoot Your Novel: Cinematic Techniques to Supercharge Your
Writing

The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction: Your Blueprint for
Building a Solid Story

The 12 Key Pillars Workbook

5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing

Say What? The Fiction Writer’s Handy Guide to Grammar,
Punctuation,
and Word Usage

Layer Your Novel: The Innovative Method for Plotting Your Scenes

The Memoir Workbook

Manipulating the Clock: How Fiction Writers Can Tweak the
Perception of Time

Strategic Planning for Writers: 4 Easy Steps
Crank It Out! The Surefire Way to Become a Super-Productive
Writer
Praise for Writing the Heart of Your Story

“A veritable compendium of sound writing advice and technique. Written in
a style that is both accessible and fun, Lakin's book will be a welcome
companion on your writing journey.”
~James Scott Bell, best-selling author of Conflict and Suspense and Plot and
Structure

“C. S. Lakin’s addition to the vast oeuvre of ‘how to write a novel’ wisdom is
just that—a fresh and motivating take on conventional wisdom, but with
unconventional heart. This is highly accessible teaching that transcends ‘how
to’ and goes deep into ‘why to’ in a way that will force you to choose
between reading it again and jumping on your own project. Bravo.”
~Larry Brooks, author of Story Engineering and blogger at Storyfix.com

“As authors, our job is to make people feel, and to do this we need to connect
with our own deepest selves in the hope we can meet the reader where they
are. This book will teach you how to delve into your own heart in order to
impact those who read your words.”
~Joanna Penn, author of From Idea to Book and blogger at
TheCreativePenn.com

“I read dozens of writing craft books every year. All too many of them are
ho-hum, been-there-done-that. This one is absotively posolutely not. Lakin
offers a refreshingly structured—and yet freeing—approach to not just
creating a solidly entertaining story, but to crafting a tale of emotional
resonance and resilience. Her useful writing exercises and spot-on story sense
offer epiphany after epiphany. This is one I will read and reread.”
~K. M. Weiland, author of Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel

“C. S. Lakin once again shares her generous heart and knowledge and
experience with writers in this inspiring and inspired Writing the Heart of
Your Story. Ready to take your writing to the next level? Lakin offers
practical exercises and clear examples to help you bring heart to your own
stories."
~Martha Alderson, author of The Plot Whisperer series of writing books

“In Writing the Heart of Your Story, C. S. Lakin won’t just lead you through
the basic process of writing a novel, from plotting to writing your first
paragraph, from finishing your rough draft to editing, she will challenge you
at every step to do the hard work of finding the throbbing heart hidden
somewhere at the center of your story. This is bloody work and not for the
faint of heart. However, Lakin has a confident and experienced kindness that
will leave you encouraged to take on even the most sanguine story.”
~Joe Bunting, author of Let’s Write a Short Story and blogger at
TheWritePractice.com

“C.S. Lakin provides solid, thoughtful advice to writers with her resource
Writing the Heart of Your Story. Susanne’s book is filled with practical tips
and inspiration to guide and support writers of all experience levels.”
~Elizabeth Craig, mystery author and blogger at
MysteryWritingIsMurder.blogspot.com
Table of Contents

Part One: It’s All about the Heart
Chapter 1: Targeting the Heart
Chapter 2: The Entrance to the Mother Lode
Chapter 3: Unloading the Nonessentials
Chapter 4: Plot Goals—Seeing Is Believing
Chapter 5: The Major Dramatic Query
Chapter 6: First Thoughts for Your First Paragraphs
Chapter 7: The Hook of the First Paragraph
Chapter 8: A Few More First-Scene Essentials
Part Two: The Heart of Your Characters
Chapter 9: Characters Are Everything
Chapter 10: The Essence and Persona of Character
Chapter 11: Creating Not Good but Great Characters
Chapter 12: Getting to the Core of Your Characters
Chapter 13: Ordinary Characters Can Be Extraordinary
Chapter 14: The Clash of Characters
Chapter 15: Character Arcs
Chapter 16: History as Mystery
Chapter 17: Bad Guys Aren’t All That Bad
(or at least they shouldn’t be)
Chapter 18: Secondary Characters Have a Life of Their Own
Part Three: The Heart of Your Plot and Theme
Chapter 19: The Plot Thickens
Chapter 20: Themes That Speak to the Heart
Chapter 21: Going to the Movies to Mine Themes
Chapter 22: Lessons from a Pig and Some Guys Going through Midlife Crisis
Chapter 23: What’s Your Motif?
Part Four: Scenes—The Heartbeats of Your Story
Chapter 24: The Essence of a Scene
Chapter 25: Beginnings, Muddles, and Endings
Part Five: Adding a Little More Heart to Your Story
Chapter 26: The Heart of Your Setting
Chapter 27: Space and Time
Chapter 28: The Inevitable Ending
Chapter 29: The Universality Is in the Details
Chapter 30: The Secret to a Stress-Free Novel Journey
About the Author
Part One: It’s All about the Heart
Chapter 1: Targeting the Heart

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
~Buddha

What would you say is the difference between a good book and a great
one? Between a forgettable novel and a classic that lingers long in your
memory, maybe even for years? Between a book with a title and plot you’ve
forgotten mere days after you read it and one with lines that haunt you for
years, and characters that seem so real you find yourself thinking about them
over a lifetime and wondering what they would say or do in a given
situation? Some good books provide an entertaining read, much like a good
meal will satisfy. But then there are those other books.
You know the ones I mean. Those are the ones you hope you’ll find as
you look for something significant to read, the ones you earnestly search for
as if seeking a precious gem, with the desperate hopefulness of a miner
panning for gold, day in and out, waiting for the big strike. For when we find
that rare book, we drink it in, the way a wanderer long lost in the desert falls
upon an oasis full of cool, refreshing life-giving water. A book with that kind
of magic—that resonates with our heart and somehow fulfils a need in our
soul—that is the mother lode. Books like that are more than just a good, or
even great, read. They speak to us on some integral, deep level and nourish
us. They speak to our heart.
If your greatest desire as a novelist is to reach and affect a reader’s heart
in a significant way, to “strike home” with some theme, message, or
emotional resonance, then the lessons and observations in this book can be
your guide. Drawn not only from my own decades of writing, editing, and
reading great (and lousy) books but also from gems of wisdom from a great
variety of writing instructors, Writing the Heart of Your Story is an amalgam
created for one specific purpose—to show writers how to aim, shoot, and hit
the bull’s eye when it comes to targeting a reader’s heart.

How to Target the Heart

So, as a writer, how do you do that—target the heart of a story? Is there