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    26Jun, 2022
    How to Establish Deep Point of View with 4 Easy Steps
    Listen to the Podcast or Watch the YouTube Episode on Deep Point of View.

    Deep POV is a technique that moves the reader so far into a character’s head that they are completely engrossed. It is the surest means to grab your reader’s attention… and keep it.

    It’s also sometimes called Limited 3rd, meaning you are in only one person’s head through an entire scene, and the reader sees everything through that lens. There are 4 steps needed when establishing Deep Point of View.

    SHOWING vs. TELLING

    First, let’s take a broad stroke look. When an author writes in Deep POV, they are showing, not telling.

    The author uses all the sensory details (what the character is seeing, tasting, etc), but more than that, it goes into the POV character’s mind, showing how he/she FEELS and WHAT he/she THINKs.

    It also helps develop voice because Deep POV avoids AUTHOR INTRUSION at all cost! This means there are no:

         • He thought, she thought, I thought, I could see, he felt, etc. The narrative goes STRAIGHT TO THE thought or sight or feeling.

    It’s the difference between saying:

         What the devil is the guy doing, he thought to himself.

    and 

         What the devil was the guy doing? 

    Which one has us right there in the character’s mind?

    Hopefully you said the second example!

    SCENE STRUCTURE

    In order to really understand Deep POV we first need to take a look at Scene Structure.

    Scene structure builds on a character’s GOAL, MOTIVATION, CONFLICT, and ends with DISASTER. This can be simplified by saying a scene is made up of STIMULUSES and RESPONSES. One thing happens which then facilitates a response or reaction:

    If the phone rings, someone needs to answer it (or at least acknowledge it).

    If the doorbell rings, someone needs to answer the door.

    BUT, you can’t have a scene with just Stimulus and Response because it would fall flat. Without the action and character’s thoughts, we have no context for the scene. We don’t know what people are doing, feeling, thinking. This is when we start to go DEEP.

    The 4 Steps to Establishing Deep POV are adding: EMOTION; THOUGHT; DECISION; ACTION. 

    Here is the progression of the same scene using the 4 Steps of Establishing Deep POV:

    • Character grabs sword (DECISION)

    • Thinks what am I going to do with this sword? (THOUGHT)

    • Stomach clenches (EMOTION)

    • Wields sword (ACTION)

    It would work far better in this order:

    • Stomach clenches (EMOTION)

    • Sees sword and thinks what am I going to do with a sword? (THOUGHT)

    • Grabs sword (DECISION)

    • Wields sword (ACTION)

    Put into narrative, it would read something like this:

    He heard footsteps marching down the hall (STIMULUS). His stomach clenched (EMOTION). The sword lay on the table, the blade gleaming, beckoning to him. What was he supposed to do with that? (THOUGHT) He’d never had training. The footsteps stopped outside the door and he grabbed the damn weapon, (DECISION) readying himself for whatever he was about to face (ACTION).(RESPONSE)

    Deep POV is Your Friend

    It doesn’t always have to be in this order, and you don’t have to use all of them all the time. Also, keep in mind that there is always a time for tags and moments of telling.

    But Deep POV is your friend. Basically, eliminate telling by using these elements in a scene. Using them all and eliminating internal tags (like he thought or she considered) will help you go deep. 

    Here is another example in various stages, leading up to Deep POV:

    Margie heard the chiming of the door bell. (STIMULUS) Racing to the door, she unhooked the latch and pulled the door open. (RESPONSE) “Hi, Bob. What are you doing today?” she asked. (STIMULUS)

    “Nothing special.” (RESPONSE) He motioned with his measuring cup. “I wondered if you had a cup of sugar I could borrow?” (STIMULUS)

    “Oh, sure.” She turned back toward her kitchen. (RESPONSE)

    This example uses quite a few TELLING words: heard, felt, saw, smelled, realized, thought…

    They create distance between the narrative and the reader. They prevent DEEP POV.

    Now let’s add THOUGHT and DECISION:

    Margie heard the chiming of the door bell. (STIMULUS) Not two seconds before, she’d seen Bob leave his house with a small cup in his hands. (THOUGHT) It was probably her neighbor. (DECISION) Racing to the door, she unhooked the latch and pulled the door open. (RESPONSE)

    “Hi, Bob. What are you doing today?” she asked. (STIMULUS)

    “Nothing special.” (RESPONSE) He motioned with his measuring cup. “I wondered if you had a cup of sugar I could borrow?” (STIMULUS)

    At least he wanted something sweet from her. (THOUGHT) “Oh, sure.” She turned back toward her kitchen. (RESPONSE)

    This is a much better passage. It includes THOUGHTS and DECISIONS. 

    Now, let’s go deeper still by adding EMOTION:

    Margie heard the chiming of the door bell. (STIMULUS) Not two seconds before, she’d seen Bob leave his house with a small cup in his hands. (THOUGHT) Her breath caught. (EMOTION) Could it be her hunky neighbor? (DECISION) Racing to the door, she unhooked the latch and pulled the door open. (RESPONSE) “Hi, Bob. What are you doing today?” she asked. (STIMULUS)

    “Nothing special.” (RESPONSE) He motioned with his measuring cup. “I wondered if you had a cup of sugar I could borrow?” (STIMULUS)

    Deflated, her shoulders sank. (EMOTION) At least he wanted something sweet from her. (THOUGHT)

    “Oh, sure.” She turned back toward her kitchen. (RESPONSE)

    This passage is much stronger. The key is SHOWING the emotion. 

    The Final Step

    Finally, let’s move to the FINAL STEP TO DEEP POV where we REMOVE EVERYTHING TELLING.

    The doorbell chimed and Margie spilled the coffee she was pouring. Not two seconds before, she’d seen Bob leave his house with a small cup in his hands. Her breath caught. Could it be her hunky neighbor?

    She set the coffee pot back on the burner so fast the dark liquid sloshed over the side. Hell’s bells. She ran her hands over her rumpled pajamas, tightened her ponytail and raced to the door. Unhooking the latch, she prayed he thought the tousled look was sexy.

    “Hi, Bob,” she rushed, her voice a little winded from the Olympian vault to the front door.

    She really needed to say no to the Oreo gods more often. “What’s up?”

    “Nothing special.” He flashed a sheepish grin, though her gaze didn’t linger on his face. No, as always, it traveled south. Jeans low on his hips, his signature black T-shirt, bare feet. Now that’s how you rock the tousled look. He really was too good-looking to be allowed to roam in the wild like this.

    He motioned with his measuring cup, dipping his head a little to get her attention. “I wondered if you if you had a cup of sugar I could borrow?” His tone was warm but not flirty.

    Deflated, her shoulders sank. He didn’t seem as enamored with her little Snoopy shorts and tee as she’d hoped. “Oh, sure, come on in.”

    He followed her into the kitchen, and she couldn’t help adding a little extra swing with her hips.

    By showing the THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, STIMULUS, and RESPONSE, the scene comes alive. You can also see how much longer it is. Building in these 4 elements expands the scene. 

    Here is another example, this one from one of my Magical Dressmaking mysteries:

    Her pudgy cheeks had gone ruddy and her hair seemed a little more wild than it had the night before. She looked like a kid in a candy store. “Come on,” she said. “You can tell me.(STIMULUS) The flowers around the body. When I started taking pictures, they were small. But by the time I was done…” She clicked an arrow on the laptop and another picture popped up. (ACTION) “By the time I was done,” she continued, “they looked like this.” 

    The laptop sat between us. She ran her index finger over the touch pad and tapped it with her fingers a few times. (ACTION) She brought her gaze up and spun the computer around to face me. Was that a smile tickling her lips? (THOUGHT)

    My breath caught in my throat for an instant (EMOTION) and I lost track of what Madeline was saying. (EMOTION) My mother’s green thumb had gotten the better of her, and Madeline Brighton had caught the evidence on film. I thought I’d stopped her from making the weeds and flowers sprout, but I must have missed one. (THOUGHT) 

    “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said, tapping the screen with the pad of her finger. (ACTION) “The rumors are true, aren’t they?”

    I sat a little straighter in my chair. (ACTION) Rumors were never good. Ever. (EMOTION) “I don’t know what you mean.” (DECISION)

    Notice that Deep POV eliminates the need to italicize the internal dialogue. It is implied.

    Here is one more example:

    TELLING with NO Deep POV:

    Lori walked though the fairgrounds. She thought she could hear footsteps coming up behind her. It occurred to her the midway was deserted. She didn’t know where the people had gone.

    Now here is the same passage expanded into Deep POV by SHOWING the scene: 

    Lori hurried through the fairgrounds. The tap-tap-tap of footsteps rung in her ears. Her imagination? She tripped over her high heels. Stupid to wear pumps to a fair. What had she been thinking? Panic pricked her skin. She should have listened to Ryan. He’d said it was a ruse. A scam. Who in their right mind would demand a meeting at a fairground? And where the hell had all the people gone? She picked up her pace. Turning around wasn’t an option. She looked this way. That way. Dodged behind the ringtoss game booth.

    The first doesn’t go into Deep POV; the second one does, and it is so much more engaging.

    Wrapping Up

    Interweaving the different elements into a scene & eliminating thought tags helps you get deeper into the character, as if the reader in the character’s mind. The reader feels what the character feels. The reader sees, hears, tastes, and smells everything the character sees, hears, tastes, and smells. The reader isn’t pulled away by tags. No distance is created. We’re right there with your character, which is exactly what you, the author, want.

    Happy Writing!

    Click here to read about 6 Tips for Writing Killer Scenes.

    And check out this mini course on writing dialogue!

    Follow the WriterSpark page on Facebook and the Memoir Challenge group!

    Join the WriterSpark Academy newsletter! And share with your writing besties.

    Know a writer, aspiring or other, who might like this content? Share this site with with them!

    Are you ready for the next step in your writing process? Hire me as your developmental editor and partner. Together, we will take your writing to the next level!

    19Jun, 2022
    What are 6 Tips for Writing a Killer Scene?

    What makes a book a page-turner? It’s easy to say it is the plot and the characters that keep readers turning the pages. That is definitely part of it, but when you really think about it, it’s the killer scenes, one after another after another that make a story compelling. The end of one scene draws the reader into the next scene. That doesn’t happen by accident. A good writer knows the elements of a scene and how to construct it to keep the reader engaged and turning the page. Here I have 6 Tips for Writing a Killer Scene.

    First, what is a SCENE? You have to understand what something is before you can really get better at it. So let’s take a look at the definition:

    SCENE (n)

    A story unit containing a single and continuous dramatic action.

    Okay. Easy enough.  Or is it? It is when you really dig and analyze the parts of a scene that it becomes clear what that definition means. That’s what we’re doing here.  Below are 6 Tips for Writing Killer Scenes.

    6 Tips for Writing Killer Scenes

    1. UNDERSTAND THE ELEMENTS OF A SCENE

    Scenes are grounded with specific elements. These combine to make a scene that really engages the reader.

    ❖ Time: the scene is firmly grounded in time. Switching time means you should probably create a new scene.

    ❖ Content/specific event: One event leads to another, which leads to another… Each deserves its own scene.

    ❖ A main concept/idea/action: In a mystery, the process of discovering a clue takes place in a single scene. The discovery of another clue deserves its own scene.

    ❖ character(s): Each scene should have limited characters (static and/or dynamic). Too many can overwhelm the reader. Introduce a new character in a new scene.

    ❖ Theme (a unifying subject or idea of a story): A story can have multiple themes. Usually one rises to the top. As you build themes, focus on an individual one in a single scene. Let your reader process.

    ❖ Motif (a recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story): Bring motifs in sparingly. A motif should generally appear only once in a single scene, and then brought in again in a different scene. You don’t want to be heavy-handed with this. Work with the reader’s subconscious. 

    2. UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF A SCENE

    But…a scene must also have a purpose. It needs to do one of the following (either for the internal or external conflict of the POV character):

    ❖ Advance the story

    ❖ Introduce a (new) problem

    ❖ Resolve a problem

    ❖ Introduce a complication to an existing problem

    3. LEARN HOW TO CREATE PURPOSE IN A SCENE

    Now that you know your scene’s purpose, think about the different ways your scene can live up to that purpose. It can do any of these things, singly or in combination:

    ❖ Introduce characters

    ❖ Explore character development

    ❖ Establish setting

    ❖ Create a mood

    ❖ Reveal character relationships

    ❖ Reveal theme

    ❖ Impart essential information (backstory, character development, etc) through exposition 

    ❖ Deliver relevant or essential information needed by the protagonist

    ❖ Provide comic relief after a scene with lots of tension

    ❖ Provide a short transition to the sequel

    4. PICK THE RIGHT SCENE POV

    The next thing to think about is the Scene POV. If you are telling a story with multiple points of view, think about the scene you are planning. Decide who has the most to lose or the most at stake. 

    This is who the scene belongs to!

    ❖ This person’s presence will dominate the scene

    ❖ Their attitude and point of view will lead the scene

    ❖ This person reacts to the conflicts presented, which pushes the story forward

    If you are writing from a single point of view (1st or 3rd person), then the answer is obvious. Make sure the single POV character in your story has the most at stake (there are notable exceptions to this. Nick is the narrator of The Great Gatsby. In this way, he is almost omniscient or removed).

    5. BUILD SCENE TENSION, SUSPENSE, AND SURPRISE

    Writing a book your readers don’t want to put down means you need to create scenes that build tension, suspense and/or surprise. You build your scene to keep the reader fully engaged and up far too late into the night. They can blame their tiredness the next day on you.

    ❖  Use anticipation

    Suspense comes from anticipation (good or bad). We anticipate something horrible is going to happen to our main character when they enter a dark, eerie house alone.

    We anticipate the kiss between the hero and heroine.

    We anticipate the event or action the characters have been working toward.

    You, the author, are promising an exciting development or payoff if the reader sticks around. Leave the scene on the hook, the suspense or tension built, but unfulfilled. This keeps the reader turning the page.

    How do you build that anticipation?

    Use a cue-delay-fulfillment (payoff) pattern (Think Indiana Jones. We know he fears snakes. That’s our Cue. It has been foreshadowed. Deep down we know he’s going to end up facing some snakes. This is the Delay. It’s coming. Then the snakes do appear. What is Indy going to do? He has to either give into his fear or face it.

    Fulfillment: Finally, he escapes, conquering this fear (at least in the moment). (This is also a scene/sequel, which we will cover in a different article.)

    What does this anticipation do for the reader?

    ❖ The audience is cued to some impending action that is then delayed (this is part of a sequence).

    ❖ The reader is kept hanging and our tension builds.

    ❖ Then comes the payoff, and the reader can breathe again. 

    This cue-delay-fulfillment is the bread and butter of suspense, thriller, and horror books and movies. The anticipation of whatever bad thing might happen to the protagonist is continually dangled.

    When the reader (or viewer) gets to the payoff, it should be satisfying. You, the author, have fulfilled your promise.

    You an also play around with what the audience knows versus what your characters know (in 3rd person).

    Stranger Things does this well. (Season 4 Spoiler Alert!)

    Vecna, the creepy 4th season monster, is going to kill because we have seen character after character meet their demise at his hands (tentacles?) . 

    Cue: The gang figures out the location of the house where Victor Creel’s family died. 

    Delay: They go into this dark, eerie house expecting (hoping) to find Vecna. There is a build-up of tension as creepy things happen. They get closer to their goal.

    Fulfillment:  The kids don’t quite find him, but they do survive. Phew! A shot of Vecna is revealed to be in the Upside Down.

    End scene.

    We want to find out what happens so we keep watching. This is the entire premise behind binge TV.

    Build Suspense and Anticipation by Manipulating Knowledge: 

    Let the reader know something the character doesn’t (in a 3rd person narrative; in 1st person, the reader knows only what the POV character knows).

    ❖ The reader will then wait for the character to find out or face the consequences

    ❖ Much of the reader’s pleasure is derived from anticipation of what a character’s reaction to finding out what we already know.

    Try including a surprise- something we don’t expect. Think The Sixth Sense. No one saw that coming. But going back through the scenes, we can identify the clues we missed. They were all there, we just didn’t see them.

    Manipulating knowledge is what mystery writers do. They present clues in plain sight, but in such a way that they aren’t obviously clues.

    6. FACTOR IN PACING

    Next, with your scene, think about Pacing:

    ❖ How quickly should your scene move?

    ❖ How much dialogue compared to narrative?

    ❖ Think about the tone and mood and how it impacts the pace of the narrative

    ❖ The beginning, middle, end structure applies to scene:

    Every scene must start somewhere, build to a climax, and have a sense of completion, even if it ends on a hook.

    Even when there is fulfillment, end with a Scene Question (disaster). This can be a surprise twist, a reversal of fortune, a subtle question posed, an unexpected visitor, an unresolved element, etc.

    ❖ Enter the scene late. Don’t show all the monotonous details of real life.

    Fiction is real life, made interesting!  For example, skip the bathroom, shower, brushing teeth part of your characters morning. Jump into the day already begun.

    There is more to tackle with understanding scene. We’ll be looking at Scene & Sequel next!

    And there you have it. 6 Tips for Writing Killer Scenes. Much of this is intuitive (or will become so with practice).

    Get deeper with scene in Ready, Set, WRITE!

    Happy Writing!

    *These are my guidelines to writing a scene. There are exceptions to everything, including these elements. Follow your instinct!

    Are you ready for the next step in your writing process? Hire me as your developmental editor and partner. Together, we will take your writing to the next level!

    14Jun, 2022
    This is Why I Teach Fiction Writing

    I’ve been reflecting lately on why I teach writing.

    It started as a calling. Truly. I feel…I believe…I know…that I am a good teacher. My approach in the classroom was certainly teaching the curriculum, but also teaching students how to learn…why to learn..the process of learning. I was teaching metacognition before metacognition was a “thing”. 

    Later, after having left public education for a career in writing, I found I hadn’t actually left my love of teaching behind. Not long after my first few books were published, I began teaching at Southern Methodist University in Dallas with their continuing education program. I found I loved teaching creative writing. I started blogging about the Hero’s Journey (a passion from the beginning). I shared what I had learned and what I was currently learning in a variety of ways. I wrote articles for several industry magazines, including RWA. 

    I felt a need to continue teaching. 

    In On Writing, Stephen King says he doesn’t believe writers can be made, but rather they are formed. He says he believes “large numbers of people have at least some talent as writers and storytellers, and that these talents can be strengthened and sharpened.”

    I believe this, as well. I can’t beat the craft and art of writing into an aspirating writer anymore than I could into a twelve or thirteen year old during my middle school teaching days; but I can teach the craft and art of writing. I can guide. I can be a mentor and a coach. I can help mold one’s writing and storytelling abilities into something stronger and more salient. 

    That is my teaching gene roaring loud and strong. People sometimes ask me why I bother teaching, presenting workshops, why I spend time developing WriterSpark Academy when I have a successful writing career. 

    Roarrrrrr! My teaching gene is never fully tame or quiet. I am the type of person who won’t ever rest on her laurels. A moment after I typed this idiom, I looked it up:

    rest on (one’s) laurels

    To stop putting in effort, trying to innovate, or working to advance one’s career or status 

    and instead rely on one’s past achievements or accolades to remain relevant or successful.

    The example given resonated to a degree:

    I know your first novel was a smash success, but if you just rest on your laurels, 

    you’re going to fade into obscurity.

    It’s not that I want fame (although the fortune would be lovely), so I sought another example.  Further down in the idiom entry I found this:

    I know you got a very good degree from Oxford but what are you going to do with your life now? 

    You can’t rest on your laurels for ever, you know.

    I connect to this example more than the first (minus the fortune that comes with fame 😂). By anyone’s measure, I do have a successful fiction-writing career (mid-list, but still…). To date, I have had 26 novels published. Many have been national bestsellers. Several of my books have risen to #1 Amazon bestseller status (and not because they were free!).

    Discounting the fact that I still need to earn a living, I can’t stop writing. The need runs deep in my veins. I can go days without writing, but eventually, a story idea, a character, or simply the need to place my fingertips on the keyboard and let them move rises to the top again like cream. I couldn’t rest on my laurels in terms of writing, even if I wanted to.

    But why isn’t that enough? Why take time away from my writing career to teach? To be an entrepreneur and develop WriterSpark Academy? Why teach? 

    I see the concept of resting on my laurels in two phases:

    1- I could let my success as a writer be enough. I could stop learning and growing in my own craft, stop trying to make my books better, whatever that means. I know the formula for writing a cozy mystery, but that isn’t enough for me anymore. I want to push myself. I want to get better, to write better, to tell a better, bigger, more meaningful story. I can’t rest on my writing laurels.

    Also…

    2- I could let my writing life be enough. Except I actually can’t. I have more to give. 

    It’s like my husband and the life he has spent as an educator. He’s been in all areas of education, from teacher to a “turn-around” principal, to a central office administrator, to deputy and even superintendent. All of those positions are so difficult and challenging in their own ways. Teachers are overworked and underpaid. I know, I’ve been there. 

    The job of a principal is massive, and that of a principal of a large comprehensive high school is almost unmanageable. They are, in essence, running a little city. 

    My husband has had success after success after success. Of the positions he’s held, I’m not sure what the easiest was, but he is not willing (or even able) to choose that easy (ish) job, sit back, and coast into retirement. 

    He can’t rest on his laurels. 

    He is driven by the need to make a greater difference…a bigger impact. He impacted the lives of so many students as a teacher and principal. As a central office administrator, all the way up to superintendent—especially as superintendent—he found he was hog-tied by the politics. The job became less about helping students succeed and more about pleasing the higher ups or the school board to keep his job. 

    He’s at the point now where he could settle into the easiest of the jobs he’s held. Instead, he has recently taken a position as an Executive Leadership Coach, helping other principals navigate through the many obstacles and problems they face in their day to day lives. He’s walked the walk, and now he’s helping others by walking it alongside them. He’s chosen the job that allows him to have a bigger impact on more students by helping to reshape part of the system itself. 

    No resting on laurels there.

    When I started writing, the Internet wasn’t the behemoth of information that it is now. YouTube didn’t exist, and when I first published, it was in its infancy. Access to resources was limited to who you knew or where you lived. 

    This fact meant I had to learn a ton along the way, and it was a long road wrought with mistakes and ignorance and a simple lack of information. I had to teach myself, find obscure resources, and depend on luck and the generosity of others to grow as a writer and as a businessperson in the publishing industry. Allison Brennan. Brenda Novak. Kathia. Virna DePaul. Wendy Watson. Tonya Kappes. 

    I grew up as a writer with these amazingly talented women. Some of us were in critique groups together–Hey, Allison! Hey Kathia! Hey Virna and Wendy!

    Some of us blogged together,–Hey Tonya!

    And some of us collaborated on things outside the writing world (Juvenile Diabetes research) –Hey Brenda!

    Most of us were all at the beginning of our writing careers. 

    I knew them before…and they knew me before…

    We learned together before we had other resources.

    We’ve all figured it out.

    But, like my husband, I want to give back. I want to have an impact—for readers, yes, of course—but also with writers. It’s the idea of paying it forward. If I can help other writers jump the line, so to speak, then I’ll do it. If I can condense 15 years of learning into courses, I’ll do it. 

    I feel compelled to do it. 

    Not sharing what I’ve learned isn’t really an option for me. That’s not how I operate. I’m always thinking, what next? What more can I do? What else can I create, and how else can I help?

    King says right off the bat that for him, becoming a writer and storyteller was a “disjointed growth process in which ambition, desire , luck, and a little talent all played a part.” 

    I, too, had that ambition, desire, luck, and some talent. 

    I also sought information. I sought to learn.

    I go back to King’s belief that “large numbers of people have at least some talent as writers and storytellers, and that these talents can be strengthened and sharpened.” I can’t rest on my laurels. I need to push forward. To teach. I help people harness their innate talent as writers and storytellers, strengthening and sharpening through the process. 

    That’s why I teach. No resting on my laurels.

    Tell me Wordsters, have you read Stephen King’s On Writing? Thoughts?

    By the way: Follow the WriterSpark page on Facebook and the Memoir Challenge group!

    Join the WriterSpark Academy newsletter! And share with your writing besties.

    Know a writer, aspiring or other, who might like this content? Share this site with with them!

    Are you ready for the next step in your writing process? Hire me as your developmental editor and partner. Together, we will take your writing to the next level!

    10Jun, 2022
    Tips for How to Write the Fictional Villain

    How do you Write a Convincing Villain?

    The villain is just as important as the hero. In fact, in the WriterSpark Ready, Set, WRITE! course, I recommend starting with the villain to ensure complexity.

     

    In This Episode

    In this episode, Melissa chats with author Annette Dashofy about her tips to writing a compelling villain. Annette gives several tips on writing villains. Definitely keep them in mind as you write yours.

    Listen Now!

    Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!

    Share this episode with a writing buddy! https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-f7bma-12cc4c2

     

    Resources

    • Take a listen to some of our other podcasts: https://writersparkacademy.com/tips-tricks-and-the-craft-of-writing-podcast/ 

    Thank you for listening!

    Plus, you can also watch on Youtube!

    Are you ready for the next step in your writing process? Hire me as your developmental editor and partner. Together, we will take your writing to the next level!

    8Jun, 2022
    Do You Know Our 5 Guidelines for Writing a Memoir?

    Do you know 5 Guidelines for Writing a Memoir? This free webinar shares my five tips. 

    But let’s back up. The mere idea of writing a memoir can be wrought with emotion. Do you really want to revisit–or dig in–to the past? The answer to that lies with in you. But I promise you, unlocking your memories and delving into your history will be life-changing.

    There are so many reasons to write a memoir:

    • to share your story with friends and family
    • to heal
    • for catharsis
    • to connect with people
    • to share history you’ve been part of
    • to reveal a truth

    I fall into the camp that EVERYONE has a story to tell. That means you! Even if you never write a memoir, take a look at this webinar. Thinking about your history and unlocking memories is a wonderful experience in and of itself.

    CLICK HERE to jump straight to the webinar, or below to watch a quick intro.

    7Jun, 2022
    What is Maverick’s Hero’s Journey, from Top Gun?

    What is Maverick’s Hero’s Journey, from Top Gun, you ask?

    Let me tell you. It’s fun to revisit a hero in a sequel. This time around, our Hero’s Journey is about Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the hero from Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick.

    Maverick has a clear Hero’s Journey in both installments. It’s easy to think that the completion of the mission is the climax, or resurrection, in this film, but read the WriterSpark breakdown of The Hero’s Journey. 

    When you’re done here, check out the Hero’s Journey Database!

    Hero–

    Maverick (Top Gun: Maverick), Pete Mitchell

    Ordinary World—

    Maverick is part of a program that is going to be shut down because the plane they’re testing didn’t mock 10. Radm. Chester ‘Hammer’ Cain (Ed Harris) arrives to find Maverick in the sky pushing the plane to Mock 10… then Mock 10.1, then 10.2. 10.3. He ejects when the plane tears apart.

    Maverick is a distinguished pilot, but has remained captain because he is where he belongs. The Navy sees him as a liability and dangerous. He lives up to his name of Maverick.

    Call to Adventure– 

    Hammer tells Maverick his career is basically over and he’s being sent to Top Gun.

    Refusal of Call–

    This manifests in Maverick’s expression. He doesn’t want to go back to Top Gun. But he has no choice.

    Meeting the Mentor–

    Iceman (Adm. Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky). Maverick’s old nemesis is an admiral now and has intervened to protect Pete. He is the one that requested Maverick go to Top Gun. He has been behind the scenes in Maverick’s life, saving Pete from himself.

    Crossing the Threshold–

    Maverick rides his motorcycle into the Flighttown and Top Gun.

    Tests and Allies–
    1. Adm. Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson  (John Hamm) doesn’t want Maverick at Top Gun. He relegates Maverick to teacher role, taking Maverick out of the sky.
    2. Pete meets Penny again. He observes his soon to be students at the bar, including Rooster (Miles Teller), who is Goose’s son.
    3. Some of these students heave Pete out of the bar because he can’t pay his tab. Rules must  be followed.
    4. The next day Maverick is revealed to be the Top Gun instructor.
    5. Maverick’s goal is to push the pilots to realize what they don’t know.
    6. Cyclone is a nemesis. He does not like Maverick and doesn’t want him at Top Gun.
    7. Iceman is sick. He encourages Maverick to ‘let go’, referring to the past and his angst over Rooster and their relationship (based on Goose’s death in Top Gun 1). Maverick’s choices are both bad: Choose Rooster as wingman and risk his life; don’t choose him and risk their already tenuous relationship.
    8. Maverick builds a team with the pilots through offensive/defensive football on the beach. They work together.
    9. Iceman dies. Cyclone removes Maverick because he says the mission is impossible to do the way Maverick wants it done, which allows for the possibility of survivors. Cyclone is willing to sacrifice soldiers for the mission.
    10. Maverick goes rogue (again, foreshadowed from the first scene with Hammer when Maverick goes rogue), steals a plane, and completes the mission (taking it past Mock 10), proving it can be done.
    11. Hammer’s hands are tied. Maverick is appointed Team Leader. He chooses Rooster as wingman. They complete the mission.
    12. Two Bandits—enemy planes—show up. It becomes a dogfight. Rooster gets in trouble. Maverick sacrifices himself to save Rooster. Everyone is ordered back to base. Rooster defies orders and goes after Maverick, shooting the helicopter just before it was going to kill Maverick. But then, enemy planes shoot down Rooster.
    Central Ordeal– 

    Maverick finds Rooster. They sacrificed for  each other. Their relationship is somewhat mended. Maverick says, “What were you thinking?!” and Rooster replies, “You told me not to think!”

    Recurring Motif: Don’t think, just do.

    They steal an enemy F15. This harkens back to Top Gun 1 and the planes Maverick and Goose flew. Rooster helps get everything ready to go, then they escape. The runways were destroyed by Tomahawks (US) to slow the enemy down.

    Reward– 

    Maverick manages to get the plane in the air. They think they’re home free.

    Road Back– 

    They start back toward base. Rooster gets the old equipment working. But then enemy planes appear.

    Resurrection–

    Another dogfight. They fight back with the few missiles and guns, which don’t compare to the weaponry of the new planes. They also can’t outrun them. But this is the plane Maverick learned in. He maneuvers and defeats all the planes. UNTIL one appears at their nose suddenly, coming straight at them.

    They are doomed. Until Hangman, who was Rooster’s nemesis in the way Iceman was Maverick’s, appears. He shoots the enemy plane in the nick of time. They all survive.

    Return w/ elixir–

    Maverick and Rooster’s relationship is healed. As Iceman wanted, Maverick has let go of the past (as has Rooster).

    Maverick and Penny ride off into the sunset on the motorcycle.

    Comments:

    This second installment does not disappoint. There are so many turning points and, once again, the story follows a solid Hero’s Journey.