Spot what may be derailing your story, and get it back on track.
Is there anything more thrilling for the creative soul than starting a shiny new story? That sexy little minx seduces you effortlessly, promising you a dazzling future, and in the heady flush of new love it feels as if this perfect communion between you will never end.
And then comes the middle of the book.
When a manuscript loses its momentum, generally the issue is one of several culprits:
- The plot has lost its cohesion
- The characters aren’t progressing on their arcs
- The story stakes have deflated
- Tension and suspense have lagged
But when things get tough, that doesn’t mean the story isn’t worth fighting for. Figuring out the problem and propping up the sag can often add even more depth and dimension.
Let me show you how to diagnose what's stalling out your story--and give you practical, actionable tools to get it back on the road.
Here's What You'll Learn:
How to create an X-ray of your story to examine its “bones” to see whether the plot holds together and consistently propels readers along the story arc.
Specific questions to ask to determine which scenes might be treading water and why—and whether and how they can be fixed or cut altogether to get the story where it’s going.
How to take a microscope to your protag(s)’ arcs to ensure character motivations and goals are strong and clear and that they are driving the action toward achieving them; whether you may be “puppetmastering” and the characters are rebelling.
How to determine whether the consequences for failure (or the reward for success) remain strong and clear throughout, both on a big-picture story level and within each scene, and how to address the issue if not with various techniques: new challenges or dangers; more reward; more urgency; heightened meaning.
How to discover whether suspense and tension elements are lacking or have been resolved too soon, and how to organically weave in more uncertainty and questions in the reader’s mind, and more conflict and obstacles, to help propel the story.
*The course cites specific examples from several popular films and TV shows: The Princess Bride, Up, Gone Girl, Ozark (the pilot episode), and Hidden Figures. While it's not necessary to have seen them, it might be helpful, and the course is CHOCK-full of spoilers for them. :)
Who This Course Is For
If you...
- feel your story has lost steam, is muddled in the middle, or has dead-ended or stuck
- write fiction, narrative nonfiction, or memoir
- are an experienced author or just starting out
...this course will show you how to identify exactly what's draining the momentum from your middle, and give you the tools to directly address the issue and get your story back on track.
Hi, I’m Tiffany Yates Martin, founder of FoxPrint Editorial.
In my publishing career working as a book editor on hundreds of manuscripts—for major publishers and New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors as well as newer writers—I have more than 25 years of experience in pinpointing what can keep an author's story from being as effective as it can be, and how to help authors make it marketable and competitive.
As an editor as well as a teacher leading workshops and seminars in writing and editing, I've developed clear, useful, hands-on tools for helping authors learn to spot these areas, along with practical techniques for addressing them, and I'm the author of a book based on those techniques, Intuitive Editing: A Creative & Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing.
"Jam-packed support"
"Thanks for this jam packed support just as I am moving through my own saggy middle." —Lora H.
"Amazing"
"Today’s webinar was amazing and just what I needed for the stage where I am in writing my memoir." —Nancy M.
"Best course I've taken"
"Hands-down best course I’ve taken. Thank you." —Marian P.
Example Curriculum
FAQs
When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course--you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like--across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.