“Inside each man is a bestselling novel.”
Have you heard that saying before? I paraphrased it, I’m sure, and I don’t know who is credited with originally saying it, but that has stuck in my mind for years.
Is it true? I think in the broadest sense yes, it is a true statement. I’ve written before that we are all extraordinarily ordinary. There is a great story in each of us for sure, and that story, in the hands of a master storyteller, could be a bestselling novel.
Please note that last phrase, “in the hands of a master storyteller.” I think it’s important!
I see sunshine and beautiful colors
Anyone can tell a story. We have all done it. Hell, anyone can write a book. You just string about seventy-thousand words together in some organized fashion and you have a book.
But not everyone can write a book people would actually enjoy reading, and therein lies the rub!
Writing a good book, an enjoyable book, a desirable book, requires skill in story structure. It requires a knowledge of pacing and foreshadowing and voice and setting and dialogue. It requires vision and the ability to make that vision a cohesive piece of writing spanning multiple chapters.
I have heard it said before that there are no new ideas about books or songs. The major themes have been done, redone, and done ad nauseum for decades. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl meet obstacles, boy and girl live happily ever after. Or protagonist meets a major challenge and somehow finds a way to overcome that challenge, blah, blah, and more blah, and that’s the simple point: a skilled writer can take an overused story concept and somehow, through skill and creativity, make it so interesting that it seems brand new.
Can that ability be taught? To a certain extent, yes! I can take an average writer and make them a good writer. I might even elevate them to the “very good” level simply by working with them on the basics of writing a book. Can they elevate to “master?” That, I’m afraid, depends upon their inherent talent.
Give me a shout out if you want some coaching. Email me at holland1145@yahoo.com and let’s make that idea inside of you a coherent, interesting novel. I look forward to the challenge. I will work closely with you, for one month, for only fifty bucks. I promise you that kind of deal only comes along once in a lifetime.
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 