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No Rules, Just WRITE!

CJ Lyons

INTRODUCTION

I'm CJ Lyons. And I'm a writer …

If you're like me and would need a twelve-step program to stop writing, then you've come to the right place.

I don't like rules. I don't like people telling me what to do. I don't like complex formulas or graphs or charts I have to consult because that's the "right way" to create a compelling story.

I've taken everything I've learned about the essence of good storytelling and I've distilled it all into a few simple concepts. Things so easy that by the time you've finished this book and practiced using these techniques, you'll be able to not only craft a great story, but also to complete your novel.

In fact, by the end, you'll be saying: “Wow! This is so easy. It makes so much sense. I can use this every day I write!”

Whether you're a writer who plots ahead of time (a plotter) or a writer who flies by the seat of their pants (a pantser), there are three secrets that can lead to your success.

With those secrets also comes valuable knowledge that will help you improve your skills, build your own unique voice, finish your story, and craft a marketable piece of fiction.

We'll get to those three secrets (and more) in a moment. First, who the heck am I and why should you listen to anything I say?

Here's the official version:

As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge thrillers. Her books have been compared to "all the best episodes of ER and Grey’s Anatomy" (Hilton Head Monthly).

In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, CJ is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker. She has been invited all over the country to present her workshops and speak to audiences ranging from physicians to first responders to romance and thriller authors including: Colorado Fiction Writers, Oklahoma Writers Federation, the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, RWA National, MWA's Sleuthfest, Lowcountry RWA's Master Class, Pen to Press, Left Coast Crime, and PennWriters, among others.

CJ has been called a "master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with "characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday).

Her award-winning, critically acclaimed Angels of Mercy series (LIFELINES, WARNING SIGNS, URGENT CARE and CRITICAL CONDITION) is available now. Her newest project is as co-author of a new suspense series with Erin Brockovich. You can learn more at http://www.cjlyons.net

To summarize, I spent seventeen years as a pediatrician practicing in ERs, Trauma Centers, and even rural community clinics before leaving to become a full time writer in 2006. Life as a pediatrician is all about teaching—in fact, that was one of the things I missed most when I left medicine.

I quickly learned that the same talent I brought to medicine, distilling complex subjects into easily understandable language that allowed my patients and their families to act and take control of their disease—these basic teaching skills—translated nicely into writing.

Since teaching my first writing class in 2004, I have now taught over 1,000 students. Most important of all, I've also learned a lot along the way from my students and fellow authors.

This knowledge is what I hope to share with you in this book.

Now that's all very nice, but what you really want to know is if I know the magic formula for success in this crazy business, right?

Truth is, I don't—because there isn't one.

But, after seventeen years of practicing medicine, teaching, learning, and a lifetime of storytelling and writing, I can share with you the secrets I've learned.

Many will seem like new twists on old ideas—as they say, there's nothing new under the sun. However, sometimes there are new ways to present ideas, to make them more accessible, easier to incorporate into your everyday writing.

That's what I hope to give you: New ways to think, to create, tools you can use everyday.

Let's dive in!

First of all, my philosophy about writing truly is: No Rules, Just Write!!

Yes, there is homework. I've designed the lessons and assignments so you can do them on your own at your own pace. Plus, as an added bonus, I've taken all the assignments and compiled them into a workbook you can download from the No Rules, Just Write! website (www.NoRulesJustWrite.com) and copy for your own use.

Feel free to print these out so you can work on them as we go through each lesson.

I've also included a collection of TEACHING POINTS throughout the lessons. These represent real-world questions raised by my students and my answers.

We'll be covering a lot of material, so don't worry if you get lost or it's too much to digest in one sitting. I recommend starting a blank notebook to use as you work. Highlight and analyze the concepts, play with them to see what has the most potential to help you with your unique writing style.

I've included a glossary of essential concepts at the end of this book as well as in the workbook found on www.NoRulesJustWrite.com

If one concept grabs your attention, take the time to master it and save the rest for later. Go at your own pace and enjoy the light bulb moments along the way!

In fact, that's my job. To give you at least one Ah-ha, Eureka!, or light bulb, moment.

When I teach this class as a live presentation, I have a 100% success rate in giving everyone their light bulb moment. When your ah-ha moment strikes, be sure to take a minute to jot it down somewhere in your notes so that you can analyze it later and use it in your future work.

This book isn't about finishing one novel. It's about giving you the tools you need to create a lifetime of completed, compelling novels.

Okay, turn the page and let's get going!

Chapter 1: Three Secrets

Here are the three secrets that lead to success as a writer:

* Know yourself = Why do you write? Where's the passion?

* Know your story = What are you really writing about? What's your vision?

* Know your audience = Who do you write for? How can you best keep your commitment to them?

Passion, Vision, and Commitment

Passion: It's what gets you out of bed in the morning, what excites you, what gives you the energy to push through the hard parts, it keeps you alive…

Vision: It gives you direction, a star to steer by, guides you into tomorrow, gives you a glimpse of the big picture, an idea of what your simple words on the page could mean to someone else, how what we struggle with inside ourselves can help us connect with others, help them to find their own passion and vision by sharing ours…

Without either, a writer fails.

It takes passion to endure, to provide the strength and stamina to finish a book, to give you the courage to share it with others.

Vision guides you through the book and beyond, helps you see the "more" that most people miss, too immersed in their own lives and problems, never bothering to look up.

Where's your passion? What's your vision? Why are you writing this piece, right here, right now?

And, for the final piece of the puzzle: Commitment.

Commitment: It’s how you get the job done. Finish this page, this scene, this chapter, this book. Find the courage to submit it and go on to the next.

Secret One: Passion. Know why you write.

If you're reading this, you're probably thinking of writing something. My question to you is: Why?

Seriously, why?

Why sacrifice what little free time you have, ostracize yourself from friends and family, spend countless hours and sleepless nights, merely to create a stack of pages with words printed on them?

Aren't there already enough books out there? Hasn't whatever you have to say been said before? What do you have to offer? And who would want to buy it?

If you're like most novelists, your answer to the above is: I have a story to tell.

No, not just a story. A damned good story. A gripping story, filled with passion. A story that won't let me go until I do it justice. One that only I can tell.

Well, okay then. Let's go!

I would ask you to take it a step farther. Delve into your own psyche, your own goals, dreams and aspirations. Dig deeper.

Is it just this one story you have a deep, abiding, unrelenting desire to tell? Or are there more? Is it part of a series or a standalone?

Is your chief pleasure in writing derived when someone else reads your work and likes it? Or are you just as satisfied when you finish a passage and read it to yourself without the input from the world at large?

Is writing serving as therapy for you? A way to get a handle on a personal problem or trauma? Are you unafraid to explore dark areas of your own psyche and expose them to public scrutiny?

Do you expect to get paid? Or is the sheer pleasure of finishing a book that you feel proud of payment enough?

All these questions have no right or wrong answer. As with most of life, there is no one right way to write.

Part of the challenge is learning to accept that. It would be so much easier if the "rules" really did mean anything or if there was a "recipe" to success.

Sorry. All there is, is you, your imagination and the blank page.

Before you start typing, take a moment and really, really think hard about why you're here at this point in your life—thinking about writing a book. Why?

Now I want you take those reasons, whatever they may be, and write them down.

Commit to them. Keep them somewhere where only you will see them, but put them in writing–after all, you are a writer, right?

Since you're reading this book, I'm going to assume you want to write as a career. You want to be published–and not just once, but often. You want to quit the day job and work from home and be the next Nora Roberts or James Patterson or Stephen King.

Great!

You've got your work cut out for you. Grand intentions demand a grand plan if you're going to bring them into reality.

Map your career out from the start. Don't just "wing" it. Start trimming your budget now. Examine your expenses, save money for travel to writer's conferences, classes, etc.

Look at your schedule, where can you carve out time to write every day? Do you have a private space in your house that is only for writing? Read the trade publications, build connections with other writers, research agents, publishers and editors as well as market trends.

Read in your chosen genre–not just the authors you like, but also the ones you don't. Buy some highlighters and take notes. Tear those books apart and analyze what made them bestsellers or total duds.

If writing is going to become your day job in the near future, treat it like any job. Get the training you need, and practice, practice, practice until you gain the skills to be successful.

It most likely won't be with your first manuscript (which is fine, you want to have more than one finished book to sell anyway) so be prepared to write three or four completed before selling.

Which boils down to having written at least half a million words before you see one dime of income.

Let me repeat that. Half a million words.

And even then, you may not be able to support yourself until you've sold (not merely written) at least five books with ongoing prospects and interests in more to come.

(Yes, this still holds true if you're planning to go the self-e-published route—because one book won't support you or your fans. They're going to want more!)

If writing as a career is your goal, plan for this now, just as you plan to spend years getting a degree followed by a job in the "real" world.

Then, in a year or two when you've received the umpteenth form rejection from an agent, or if your sales aren't where you want them to be, you have your plan in writing to return to when you ask yourself: why am I doing this?

So, why are you doing this?

Write it down, commit to it.

Now, put it away for a rainy day and let's really get cracking. We've got your new writing career to build!

Secret 2: Vision. Know your story.

Put that pen back down for a moment. I want you to think about the most important ingredient in your story: the core idea.

Ideas are everywhere. On the subway, in the neighborhood, on the freeway, in the news. They're cheap–cheaper than cheap, they're FREE.

Not only free, but abundant. There's a neverending supply. Which might explain why so many writers are careless with them.

No, I don't mean careless in a paranoid "I won't tell you what my book is about because you might steal the idea" kind of way.

I mean truly careless. We're writers for goodness sake, but how many of us actually bother to write down the central idea, the core of what we're writing about?

No, we keep it to ourselves, certain that it's so ingrained in our psyche that we'll never lose it.

Write it down. Right now.

In fact, write it in a few places. Make it part of the header that appears on every page of your rough draft (just please remember to edit it out of the polished product!). Tape it to your bathroom mirror and study it when you brush your teeth. Sew it into a sampler.

Whatever it takes for you to live and breathe this idea – and it'd better not lose its appeal.

Because you'll be living with it for a long time to come.

Why is this so vital? First of all, it gives you a test drive. If after a week or so of thinking about this idea and you're sick of it, it feels like the lamest thing since pet rocks, then you haven't lost anything but a little time and maybe a few pages of notes, some brainstorming.

Often, quite the opposite happens. One of those wonderful, synchronicity reactions that make you feel like there is magic in this world.

After writing down your idea about a blind girl from Sulawesi who learns to fly an airplane, suddenly you start to see things connected to your story—everywhere!

The New York Times' Magazine features a story on youth culture in Indonesia, your local PBS station has a show on pilots too young to drive, and the local March of Dimes' fundraising request arrives with a letter from a blind teenager explaining what his life is like.

You get the picture.

First, you need to make that commitment. Come on, now, it's not like you're going to be monogamous–you're going to stray to other ideas, cheat. That's okay, because once it's in writing you always have a road home.

Which brings us to the next reason to write down your essential idea: focus.

During the writing of your blind girl pilot opus, you'll be tempted to stray. Suddenly you have a chapter about this shaman in Borneo who claims to be able to cure blindness. This guy is a great character and you love him. Awesome, so you keep writing. And writing.

Then fifty pages later you're scratching your head because you realize we haven't see the blind girl pilot in a long, long time and you realize that, fascinating as he is, your man in Borneo has nothing to do with her or her story.

How could you have prevented this?

Focus on your original idea. If what you're drawn into has no relevance to it, then cut it.

Don't trash it–save it for the next story. Maybe that guy in Borneo is the stuff of bestsellers and came knocking on your door because he wants his own story. That's fine, give it to him–along with his own idea.

Another important reason to clarify and commit to your central idea: Sooner or later, you'll be facing the dreaded pitch. This is where someone (an agent, an editor, a friend, great aunt Martha) asks you: What is your book about?

Tongue-tied, you'll stammer it's too complicated to explain. Which may sound intriguing to you, but to most potential buyers of fiction "too complicated" is a turn off. They don't want to read something even the person who ate/slept/breathed it for a year or so can't explain!

That implies work on their behalf–they don't want to spend their money to figure it out themselves, they want to be entertained.

Likewise, busy agents and editors aren't going to want to work with someone who can't succinctly express themselves. After all, we're meant to be writers, communicators, right?

Here's what you tell anyone when they ask the dreaded question: What's your book about?

You rattle off your central story idea.

My novel is about a blind girl from Sulawesi who learns to fly airplanes.

Short, sweet, simple, and easy for them to remember. No names of characters, merely the situation that drives your story. Less than fifteen words says it all.

Then sit back and let them ask about specifics. The more they ask, the more interested they'll be and the smarter you look.

All because of one, tiny, disposable, totally free, Idea.

Secret Three: Commitment, How to make it happen.

Well now, that's really what this book is all about, isn't it? So keep reading!

CJ's Bottom Line:

The three secrets that lead to success as a writer:

* Know yourself = why do you write? Where's the passion?

* Know your story = what are you really writing about? What's your vision?

* Know your audience = who do you write for? How can you best keep your commitment to them?

HOMEWORK:

Write down the central story idea for your current work in progress. Tighten it to one sentence, fifteen to twenty words or less.

Polish it. Read it aloud. Does it flow easily? If not, go back and keep working.

Try it out on strangers who know nothing about your story. Do they "get" it? Are they asking for more info? If so, give yourself a gold star—an intrigued audience is one compelled to read on and buy your work!

Chapter Two: What is story?

Here are the six most powerful words in the English language:

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY…

Those six words fuel everything we do. But…

What is story?

Story is: Characters taking action.

Simple, right?

So, if that's story, then what is plot?

Plot reveals the characters' actions during the time span of the story.

Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Plot is what happens during that time.

In other words, plot IS time. Whether your character is moving forward in time or backwards via flashbacks, the entire plot occurs during whatever time frame you have established.

If your character isn't taking action during the course of your story, then you have no story.

If plot reveals action, and action springs from a character's decisions, plot also reveals character.

Character drives plot, plot drives character. It's that simple. And that complex.

Plotting 101

The classic three-act structure has been conditioned into the human psyche since before the days of Homer.

Why fight what your audience is already waiting for?

(Don't worry, I'm not going to force you into any formula. But you need to absorb this classic three-act structure that your audience loves and expects before you can move on to variations and twists that are uniquely yours.)

If the action of the story takes place over a set period of time, then we can map it out.

It’s like using a Dayrunner to set up your day's schedule or to-do list. Let's look at a pretend day in the life of a fictional woman:

—get up out of bed

—take a shower

—eat breakfast, read in paper that Oprah is in town, wants to go but can't because boss is expecting her to work

—go to work, find out boss is taking credit for her project

—forget project, instead spend all morning trying to get Oprah tix

—lunch—see boyfriend kissing strange woman!

—flirt with guy at coffee stand in retaliation

—go home

—argue with boyfriend and kick him out

—friends call, boyfriend was secretly meeting with Oprah's people for big surprise, boss was secretly arranging for her promotion to be announced at next stockholder meeting

—goes to boyfriend with flowers, begs for forgiveness, together they go to Oprah show

—go to bed happy, ready to start over again in the morning

It has a beginning: Get up out of bed. That's page 1. Call it the Opening.

It has an end: Go to bed happy. That's page 400 (which is usually around 100,000 words), the story's Resolution.

Halfway, we have lunch. Call that the Midpoint, p. 200.

Between the Opening (p. 1) and the Midpoint (p.200)? There's Turning Point #1 where things move in a different direction than anticipated.

Here it would be the boss taking credit for her work. Call that p. 100.

Often, around halfway between the opening and TP#1 is the Call to Action or Catalyst, an event that makes the character realize that something in his world needs to change. He hasn't committed to the fact that he'll be the one to make that change, but he realizes that something has to happen for him to get what he wants: his Goal.

Between the Midpoint (p.200) and the Resolution (p. 400) we have Turning Point #2, arguing with the boyfriend and kicking him out. Call this p.300.

Between Turning Point #2 (p. 300) and the Resolution (p.400) we have the Climax, call this p. 360.

Mapping our gal's very lousy day as if it was a book instead of a timeline of events, we'd have:

p.1: Opening

P.40: Call to Action

p.100: Turning Point #1 (end Act I)

p.200: Midpoint (where everything changes)

p.300: Turning Point #2 (end Act II)

p.360: Climax

p.400: Resolution (the end)

Or, if you prefer to look at it in terms of percentages instead of page numbers, the classic three-act structure breaks down to:

Opening

10%: Call to Action

25%: Turning Point #1 (end Act I)

50%: Midpoint (where everything changes)

75%: Turning Point #2 (end Act II)

90%: Climax

Resolution (the end)

Looks more like plot and less like character. But if you tie each of those into character choices and actions, then you have:

p.1: Opening—Our character wakes up in her ordinary world with no inkling of the terrible day she's about to experience. The Default Action, how she copes with the world, is revealed with the very first time she steps on stage.

P. 40: Call to Action—Our heroine defines her Outer Goal. She wants to go to the Oprah show, but can't. Therefore, to achieve her goal something in her world must change.

p. 100: Turning Point #1—Our hard working heroine learns her boss is stealing credit for her work! What will she do?

p. 200: Midpoint—She treats herself to a nice lunch on the company's dime, only to see her boyfriend hugging and kissing a strange woman!! She was so surprised she didn't confront him right there, but she's going to do Something about it, Something BIG!! This changes Everything.

p.300: Turning Point #2—She is so flustered by the time boyfriend arrives home late that she already has his stuff packed and in the hall, refuses to let him in, yells at him through the locked door as she gorges herself on Cocoa Puffs and cooking sherry. She cranks the music up loud enough to block out her boyfriend's wimpy excuses. Major Black Moment. She's never felt worse in her life. Boyfriend stomps off. There, that will teach him!

p. 360: Climax—Thanks to help of friends, she learns from her mistake and begs for forgiveness, vowing never to jump to conclusions again. Her life has changed forever!

p. 400: Resolution—Lives happily ever after. The End.

Simplistic, but you have story, plot, and character. Note how the plot is driven by the character's actions and decisions.

Seat of the pants writers who don't plot or outline in advance may find this structure most useful as a revision tool, while plotters may actually start here and flesh out the three-act structure as their outline. Whatever works for you is the right way!

Why let your characters do the driving?

To fully connect with a character and their actions (in other words, your story), readers need to understand WHY characters do what they do.

It's important to understand your audience and what they want.

In short:

* Readers identify with characters struggling with dilemmas, making impossible choices.

* Readers want someone to care about.

* Readers enjoy an emotionally satisfying ending.

CJ's Bottom Line:

Story is: Characters taking action. Plot reveals the characters' actions during the time span of the story.

Plot IS time. If your character isn't taking action during the time frame of your story, then you have no story.

HOMEWORK:

Try mapping out a finished story (yours or someone else's) based on the plot points I listed. It can be vague and free form or as detailed as you want.

Look at the turning points and analyze them (don't worry if you don't have all the answers yet, this is the first step in a process).

—Do they change the direction of the plot?

—Do they reflect a change in the character?

—Are they well motivated?

—Do they provide an element of surprise for the reader?

—Is the change coming from events acting upon the character or from the character taking action/making decisions that will lead to a change in events?

Teaching Point: Emotion as a Guide

When I start a book, usually all I know is the character, and the most basic premise/story idea, and occasionally the theme.

It doesn't matter if you're a plotter or a pantser as long as you understand the emotional impact of the story on you, your readers, and your characters:

~Why you are writing the book (we're all selfish and wouldn't be spending so much time and energy on a story if we didn't think it had something important to say to the world).

~The emotional promise you're making to the reader: My book will have you laughing or leave you crying or break your heart or keep you up all night wanting to see what happens next.

~The emotional arc of the main characters: Tough as nails cop learns to expose his heart, trust no one, doctor learns to trust, wounded warrior lets down his guard and learns to feel something again...notice the key word there?

"Learns." The crux of any positive character arc. We change because we learn a better way. Of course this is after spending 3/4 of the book fighting for our old way of doing things and failing time and again!

If you understand those three things, you can put a story together...whether you do it by outlining, writing it down in crayon, writing it backwards (which I actually did with the finale of my Angels of Mercy series, CRITICAL CONDITION), or whatever—it doesn't matter.

The HOW you write is mechanics...it's the WHAT you write that counts.

Don't be afraid of the emotions. They're a powerful force working for you!

Chapter Three: Theme, the Intersection of Plot and Character

What is Theme?

Theme is the intersection of plot and character.

Simply put: Theme is what the story is REALLY about.

The Godfather wouldn't have been a powerful drama without it's strong theme of The Family versus family. Instead, it would have been another gangster shoot ‘em up action flick.

Or the Indiana Jones movies. Ever notice how no one mentions or remembers the second movie? What made that one different than the first and third (which were huge successes)?

It had no theme. It was all action—the only question in either the characters' minds or the audience's was: will they make it out alive?

In the first movie, there were always subliminal questions that were all about the theme and not about the action: will Indy show his love for Marion? Which is more important — his work or his love? Will he betray one or the other? What will he sacrifice in the end?

In the third movie, again tons of questions. This time centered on the father-son relationship.

Theme focuses not just the writer's choice of which scenes to include in the plot, it also keeps the audience focused on an emotional level while all the special effects and action sequences are happening.

Why do we need theme?

Theme is what turns action into drama.

If someone says a story was compelling, it's because there was a strong theme that focused every scene and character choice.

Besides understanding WHO your characters are, you also need to understand WHY you're interested in writing this particular story—where your own passion lies. That is theme. Ahh...back to those first three secrets!

If your Vision is what your story is about, then your Passion reflects your theme.

And character should reflect both.

How you create your characters is just as important as the world you place them in and the challenges you set before them.

Some writers are famous for their "character driven" novels. Thomas Harris's Silence of the Lambs is a classic example of this. Harris has not only captivated millions with his work, his Hannibal Lecter has been elevated to cult status.

Clearly, whether you're writing a plot-driven book (such as The Da Vinci Code), or a character driven one, your novel cannot exist without characters.

Not just characters, but characters doing something, taking action towards a goal.

For me, discovering my characters IS discovering my plot. Others do it differently, using plot ideas to create the perfect characters to fit those ideas.

Both ways are right—it's what works for you that counts!

Either way, you'll want characters who appeal to your readers' emotions, who engage them in some way, whether it's love, hate, admiration, disgust or anything in between.

All characters need three things, as so wonderfully outlined by Deb Dixon in her workshops and books on writing. These are: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict.

I use these slightly differently than Deb does. Here's my take on her classic trio of GMC.

Motivation=the past.

Why we do what we do stems from our history, and often is instilled in us during our childhood when we are taught certain values and life expectations. For your characters these values may eventually be proven wrong during the course of the story, but they are there in the beginning—their emotional baggage so to speak.

This past creates the character's Default Action—and is responsible for who that character is on page one, when the story begins.

Outer Motivation is the Default Action: WHAT the character does, the actions they show the outside world. Without understanding your character's Default and how they use it to respond and interact with the world around them, you're lost.

Understand their Default and you have everything you need to not only build a compelling character but to create a fascinating story to challenge them. The all important ingredients to pull your audience into your story, connect them with your character.

If their Default Action is their Outer Motivation, then their Inner Motivation is HOW they got that way—embodied by the lessons/values learned in childhood. It's WHY they chose their Default Action as the best way to live their lives.

Motivation comes from the past. You convey it to the reader by giving them glimpses of the character's history or backstory.

Backstory is tricky. Often my first drafts are filled with chunks of backstory—necessary to me as a writer since I'm learning about my character as I write. People who plot ahead of time or make use of character sketches may avoid this because they already know the character's history.

Backstory is important for us as writers to know. BUT it's not interesting to readers! And definitely not in one long boring chunk.

A reader wants to meet a character in the present, observe them taking action and making choices, and then wonder, why is he like that?

Only AFTER you've established enough of the plot to make the reader ask that question, should you give them the shortest answer possible by revealing backstory.

Here are three keys to using backstory effectively:

* Give the reader only what they need to keep them from being confused.

* Never bore them with too much information.

* Always leave them wanting more.

Donald Maass has a rule: No backstory before page 40 or the first 10% of the novel.

This is a good rule of thumb, but sometimes you'd have a reader hopelessly confused without giving them a few hints. So my rule is to use backstory like a strong spice—a little sprinkled here and there.

Motivation and backstory are in the character's past and create their Default Action. What lies in their future?

Goals.

An Outer Goal (what Robert McKee in his wonderful textbook, Story, calls the conscious desire) and an Inner Goal or subconscious desire.

The Outer Goal is easy, it's what your character WANTS. He'll often say this aloud. It will be what the book is about. Once he either achieves or loses that goal, the story is over.

Let's look at two popular thrillers and their Outer Goals: in Da Vinci Code, the Outer Goal is to find the Holy Grail, in Silence of the Lambs, the Outer Goal is to catch a serial killer.

The reader doesn't have to think twice about these. They're obvious. In fact they're the superficial answer to the question: what is the book about?

Notice how the Outer Goal is totally unambiguous. Either the Grail is found or not. Either the killer is stopped or not. Black and white, no grey areas.

If Outer Goal reflects what the main character wants, then Inner Goal reflects what they NEED.

Here's where it gets tricky. Just like in real life, our characters won't actually know what their Inner Goal is for most, if not all, of the book.

In fact, they'll often be working against it as they fight to achieve their Outer Goal. BUT the reader will know there's more to the story.

This is where your characters come to life for the reader. When the reader begins to analyze them, care about them, and wants them to learn the things they need to learn in order to solve their Inner Goals and to discover what they really NEED from life.

Inner Goals are often shades of grey, but should have some tangible element a reader can cling to, to allow the reader to feel satisfied that the character has achieved their Inner Goal.

In Silence of the Lambs, Clarice's unconscious desire, hidden need, Inner Goal, is to face her fears of abandonment caused by her father's death and what happened on her uncle's farm. Basically she needs to learn to trust herself and her abilities so that she can become a leader (her true nature).

It's subtle. She doesn't recognize this need until near the end of the book, and yet Harris clearly planned this additional depth very carefully.

He even named the book after it!! Genius!

Clarice has no idea what the title of the book is, but the reader does! And as you read, you keep asking, what does that title mean? So when you figure it out there's an Ah ha! moment that propels you farther into the book and Clarice's life.

As you read, you recognize that Clarice's greatest fear is of being abandoned, of being alone and unable to survive or save anything—not even a little lamb.

And how does Harris use this in the book? She's abandoned by the FBI, alone in the dark with a killer stalking her and the life of an innocent in her hands. Facing her greatest fear. Once she conquers it, that unconscious need is satisfied. She can now move forward, a better person.

The Inner Goal/Need is tied to the character's greatest fear.

These intersect at the moment when the character faces this fear head-on as the worst thing that could ever, ever happen to them. The Black Moment of the story's Act Three.

Immediately following this Black Moment comes the Climax where the character either succeeds or fails in their Outer Goal—based on whether or not they were successful in overcoming their fear.

In other words, the plot and pacing are tied to the character's Outer Goal. Once the Outer Goal is achieved (or failed to be achieved) the story is over.

AND, if you also give your character an Inner Goal, the Inner Goal should also be resolved during the scenes surrounding the Climax.

Think of having an Inner Goal as having a crucible filled with fire and throwing gunpowder into it. Whoosh!!!

Now, do your characters have to have Inner Goals?

Look at Da Vinci Code. No Inner Goals there that I could discern, yet the Outer Goal and the twists and turns in the plot satisfied millions of readers.

Using an Inner Goal is simply one more tool to make your characters come to life and add depth to your plot.

So our characters now have histories (Motivation) and futures (Goals), but what about the present?

Ahhh…the present, the here and now of your story, that's Conflict.

Without conflict there is no story because nothing stands in the way of the main character from achieving their goal.

Conflict will comprise over 90% of your story. Again, to quote Donald Maass: "Conflict on every page."

Every. Single. Page.

Maybe if you're writing a lyrical, literary novel you can get by with pages of description without anyone needing or wanting something and no one standing in their way, but definitely not with a commercial novel.

Conflict, rising stakes, action, drama—these are what make stories compelling.

Conflict on every single page.

What does that mean? That people have to be always fighting? Arguing? Pushing and shoving?

No. It means is that every scene has a goal. The main character wants one thing. Someone or something else in the scene keeps him from getting it. When the scene ends he either achieved his goal or failed.

Sound familiar? Just like the Outer Goal that drives the plot of your main story, each scene is a mini-story. String scenes together by adding consequences.

At the end of the scene, the point of view character may achieve his goal and thus create higher stakes and more problems for himself. In her book, Writing Killer Fiction, Carolyn Wheat calls this the "yes, but" outcome.

OR he can fail and the stakes are raised because his failure adds to his problems…the "no, and" outcome.

Notice the hooks embedded in all this?

Not only hooks grabbing the reader at the end of a scene but hooks strewn throughout the story. This Emotional Velcro connects the reader to the story and characters as they watch the character overcome the obstacles in his path.

Let's look at those obstacles.

The main story obstacle or Outer Conflict is often embodied by a single Nemesis character.

Yes, you can have lots of other obstacles: the ticking bomb, the tsunami racing towards them, the bad guy's minions, even the romantic interest. But you want one main obstacle the reader can focus on.

It's hard to root against a force of nature or inanimate object, but easy to focus on a single character.

Want to have a bad guy that will captivate your audience? Make him the hero of his own journey. Give him reasons just as compelling as the hero's for pursuing his goal. Two forces destined to clash. Can you see the sparks?

Even better, make the nemesis smarter, stronger, swifter, more powerful than the main character—in the beginning.

Have your hero/main character fail and fail again, each failure leading to increased danger, increased value of what will be lost if he fails, and increased need for the hero to discover his hidden strengths, to change from who he was at the beginning of the story in order to succeed. This is the Hero's Journey that so many have written about and we'll be looking at in detail in a later lesson.

We have an Outer Conflict personified by the nemesis. What other kinds of conflict can we add?

There are romantic conflicts—essential to any story with romantic elements. Give the audience a reason to believe the two may not get together. Make them struggle to achieve their romantic happily ever after.

They can't just be separated by a mere miscommunication. The stakes must be so high that by the Black Moment, the reader fears the romance is doomed and there will be no happy-ever-after. Then, through the power of love, (and often a sacrifice by one of them) together they face the Outer Conflict during the climax and earn their happy ending.

Then there is the main character's Inner Conflict.

Inner Conflict is essential to a hero's growth. It's symbolized by the hero's greatest fear. Notice how this ties into the hero's Motivation and Inner Goal?

That fear will stem from something in the hero's past—after all, we're not born fearing anything.

It's often the WHY behind their choice to create their Default Action when they were young. The need to overcome the Inner Conflict is the unconscious desire of the hero's Inner Goal.

The main character often knows a little about their Inner Conflict—may even label it as a phobia. It will be something he's avoided most of his life—until the events of this story force him to confront it.

Go back to Clarice and Silence of the Lambs. Her Default Action is to go it alone. Why? Because her greatest fear is being abandoned, helpless. This has led her to forge a life where her Default Action is her greatest strength...until the Black Moment when she discovers it's also her greatest weakness.

By facing her greatest fear/Inner Conflict (fear of being helpless) she finds the strength to survive and defeat the Nemesis/Outer Conflict character and achieve her Outer Goal (catching the killer). She also fulfills her Inner Goal (she needs to learn to trust in herself) and learns a new Default of being a Leader. Note how in the final scene she is with her peers, gaining their admiration, compared to the first scene of her running alone.

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