Savvify

One of the most crucial parts of storytelling is plotting. When you plot your tale, you’re constructing the story to appear in a logical narrative, with a balance of action and drama. It helps you to explain how to plan out the predicament and upsets that your readers face and how to offer them a solution to the problem. Once you’ve mastered the basics of plotting you’ll need to put your story into a coherent structure. The structure is what most writers refer to as ‘The 3 Act Drama’.

First, the basics…

In Act 1, you start at the beginning. In the first part of your tale you will have to do the following:

• Introduce the main character and establish who he or she is.
• Introduce the rivals and the conflict.
• Show what is at stake.
• Paint your backdrop by setting the time of your story.
• Introduce your theme.

In Act 2, you catch your breath. Some of the things to do at this point are to enhance the themes – narrate a little about it. Perhaps you can show the different views of a particular theme here or even the ‘thinking’ process; i.e. how one view can be interpreted by different people in different ways. 

In Act 3, you will have to quicken the pace a little. To keep your audience wanting more, you should make the ending one that demands immediate action. You need to make sure that the end of your story strikes the right balance between satisfaction for your reader and continuing enthusiasm.

Are you saying that all of this applies in the field of ‘creative writing’ and not the business world? Well, please permit me to surprise you …

Take a typical sales letter you would prepare for a product and see how this 3 Act Drama features in your sales letter:

[What is in black is usually the terms that marketing gurus use. What is in red is how the three act drama applies to the sales letter]

Part 1 - Act 1
Headline and Sub-headline –
These are intended to immediately capture the interest of your reader - the hero in this three act drama.
 
Introduce the problem - relate to the reader and explain product –
This is the part where the hero’s main conflict and all that is at stake to him are stated.
 
Who is the note from and establishing the author’s credibility –
These are the ingredients of which the main characters in this drama are - you and your reader!

Part 2 - Act 2
Detail the benefits and features of the product –
Here, the hero catches his breath by trying to understand the product in a little more detail.  … But not for too long.
 
Part 3 - Act 3
Close with a call to action, guarantee, sign off and add your P.S.
 
See how one of the first things the sales letter states after the benefits and features have been expanded upon is always a sentence like:
 
“You’ve just made it in time to take part in this offer …”?
Is this not an example of quickening the pace of the three act drama?
 
Then there are the bonuses and the guarantee - these are always the part where the loose ends of the story are tied up. For example, “Yes, you will have the ebook to tell a great story but if you get into trouble, we will always be there to help you! You will have unlimited email access for 30 days.”
 
Then it is time for the close of the story - the hero is asked to make the decision.

‘Download Now’
‘Invest in your future Now’ …

Now do you understand why marketing gurus constantly say, “Only the long sales letter will work”? The reason is very simply because by setting out the long sales letter, you have told a complete and compelling story of your product.

Copyright © Aneeta Sundararaj

Editors are, by nature, creatures of habit. And, the moment you, as an aspiring writer, have managed to make your mark on them, you are well on your way to becoming the first person an editor chooses each time there is an important assignment to be done. After being on both sides of the fence, i.e. as someone who contributes my work to other sites and someone who receives contributions for my own site, here are 9 qualities I’ve identified which are what most editors look for in any writer. They are:

1. An editor wants a writer who knows the medium in which the editor works

When a website caters for storytellers, there is no point in submitting an article which gives a detailed account of the various gadgets in a brand new Mercedes Benz. I kid you not for we did receive such a submission when the focus of our entire website is storytelling. That said, had the writer been a tad discerning he might have been successful in his submission if he had chosen to write a story about these gadgets. For instance, tell us a story about one of his customers who used the new gadgets and something funny happened. So, the lesson from this experience is to always know what a prospective magazine is all about before you submit your work to them. In this day and age, most magazines have websites. Visit them and you’ll be surprised as to how much information you can glean from a simple website.

2. An editor wants a writer who understands the target audience of her resource. 

Let’s take the same example as above. What’s the point, I ask you, of submitting a piece on the inner workings of a car to a magazine that caters for work at home mothers or even home decorating? It is imperative that you make yourself familiar with not only the kind of readers the magazine targets, also the level of knowledge that they have. This one aspect will make the difference between a good story and a great story.

3. An editor wants a writer who can meet deadlines

Nothing irks me more than a writer who says they’ll submit something for me to use in the next edition of my newsletter and I wait for it. And I wait and wait and wait. It comes about an hour before the newsletter’s finalised and I have to restructure the whole newsletter to fit this one piece in. I no longer accept this as a deadline’s a deadline and though it has annoyed some of my regular contributors, they’ve learnt to send things in on time. Either that or they’ve just been eliminated from the list. 

4. An editor wants a writer who can generate new ideas on an old topic

There are only that many ideas that one can generate about a specific topic. One of the ways I’ve found most useful to generate a new slant to an old topic is to invert it. Take this very article, for instance. Its sub-heading is . Now invert this and you can come up with . There you have it, a new article just waiting to be written. 

5. An editor wants a writer who may not have all the ideas but is willing to go that extra mile to find out

When you send a query to an editor, sometimes he/she will pose follow-up questions. You should, by right, have the answers to these questions ready. However, if you don’t there is no harm in saying so and adding that you will find out. The caveat to this is that you must fulfill this second part and inform the editor as soon as possible of your findings; because, if you do not do so, an editor will certainly be less confident of your ability to write this piece and forget you altogether.

6. An editor wants a writer who ‘sees where the final piece will be’.

I know for a fact that when I tell make a suggestion of where the article I submit should appear on the editor’s website, it certainly enhances my chances of success. Likewise, when people submit to me and tell me in which column or on what page of the website they’d like to have their piece listed, I’m grateful. I do not need to waste precious time trying to figure out which part of my website they were trying to target.

7. An editor wants a writer who makes boring things sound exciting

The ideal way to do this is always to inject humour in your piece. It’s not difficult to do and if it can make an editor laugh, he/she is going to remember you and your writing that much more.

8. An editor wants a writer who gives more that he/she promises

Without a doubt, those who contribute more than necessary are always remembered. For example, when I’ve asked for a submission once a week and I receive more than two, I’m remember that particular writer more. Likewise, if you’ve been trusted with an assignment, don’t wait until the final hour before the deadline to send it off, especially your piece has been ready for two days. Just imagine the disaster if the electricity went out or your internet connection failed. You’d not meet the deadline and this will certainly leave a bad impression on the editor.

9. An editor wants the writer to know that he/she’s human

Everybody makes mistakes and insulting an editor who has made an honest mistake about the rejection of your piece will never go down well. There’s nothing more to say about this point than that. 

The relationship between and editor and writer is one that is based on trust. Once it’s earned, there is no doubt that you as the writer will not only impress an editor, you’ll also land many a lucrative assignment.

Reviewing a tale is one of the best ways of learning how to tell a great story. It imposes on you the discipline of writing precisely and coherently, putting together a compelling argument while being fair and balanced in what you say.
 
In this piece, I’ll examine the art of writing effective reviews and some of the pitfalls to avoid. I will restrict this piece to the art of writing review for books, be it in non-fiction or fiction. Nevertheless, some of the basic principles mentioned herein can be applied to writing reviews for other things like cds, films, computer games, cars and so on.  
 
As a starting point, remember that it is your duty, as a reviewer, to give an honest opinion so that your readers can judge for themselves. You should always aim to give the strengths and weaknesses of a book.
 
Writing a review can properly be divided into three basic steps.
 
Step 1 – Basic information
 
Start by making a list of the basic information about the book. For instance:

• What is the title of the book?
• Who are the publishers?
• Is it sold in paperback version or hard cover?
• What is the ISBN?
• How many pages are there in this book?
• What is the price of the book?

Step 2 – The essence of the book
 
What this part requires of you is the need to analyse the book proper. The following questions will help you establish the essence of the book you are trying to write a review for.

• What type of book is this? If the book you are reviewing is a work of fiction, is it a thriller? Is it a literary novel? Is it chick-lit?
• Who is the intended audience?
• What is the topic under discussion? Is this topic suitable for its intended audience?
• Analyse the quality of writing by answering the following questions:
• Plot
• The moment you read the first page, are you hooked? Do you want to know more?
• Do you feel as if you know the place the author is writing about? You do not have to have been there but can you feel it? Can you see, hear and smell what the author is at pains to describe?
• Is the plot plausible?
• Does the story flow from beginning to end?
• Is there a proper climax in this story and has the build up been good?
• Are you satisfied with the way the book ends? You don’t have to agree with the way the book ends but the question asked is, ‘Are you satisfied?’
• Did you enjoy reading this book?  

• Characters
• Were you able to identify your characters from the start?
• Were there too many characters or were there just enough?
• Could you see these characters in front of you or was it just a ‘blurred vision of someone’?
• Do you care for them? Do you feel their pain, their sorrow, their joy?
• Do you like your central character?

• Purpose
• Did this book have a purpose?
• Was there a moral that the author needed to impart? Did the author succeed in imparting it effectively?

Step 3  - Offer your personal opinion
 
This is, by far, the hardest part of writing a review. You will note that I use the word ‘Offer’. There is a reason for this. You see, you cannot demand that another person accept your opinion of a story; you can merely offer it to them. It is up to the people who read your review to accept or reject the offer you make.
 
In addition, you must remember, at all times, that there is a big difference between being fair and being malicious and petty. Never be a ‘Smart Alec’ or sneer at another’s effort. You are most certainly entitled to your opinion and a review is an expression of that opinion. Remember that while you may not like what you’re reviewing, the author will have put a great deal of effort into his/her work and deserves respect for that alone. Your criticism should always aim to be constructive and not destructive. I know, from experience, that I have learnt so much from the constructive criticism I’ve received for my work. Where the criticism has been destructive, I’ve come to learn that I am not alone in thinking that that particular reviewer is perhaps mad and/or absolutely unprofessional.
 
Here are some questions you may wish to ask yourself to help you form your opinion:

• Would you give this book as a gift to someone? Indeed, would you like to receive this book as a gift?
• Would you spend your hard-earned money on this book?
• Would you like to keep this book for all time?
• Have you developed a different perspective from reading this book? How and why?
• Are you glad you read it and why?

The above are mere guides to help you in writing a review. Indeed, the more you practice, the better you will become. Good luck.

…………

Resource box: Aneeta Sundararaj is the editor-in-chief of ‘How To Tell A Great Story’ (http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com). If you have written a review for a story you’ve read, by all means, submit your review to How To Tell A Great Story here: http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com/bookclub/indexofreviews.html