If I asked you what your story was about, could you sum it up in a few sentences and tell me all I need to know to want more?
Maybe you have too many ideas swimming around your head, and your story is running away from you.
Either way, you have a hazy, rambling idea about what your story is all about.
That’s every story in its early stages.
So, in this episode, I want to invite you to do a little exercise in nailing down your story in 3 simple sentences.
You’ll zero in on:
- Who your story’s about, and what happens to set this person down a path she/he never saw coming;
- The trouble and complications that follow; and
- The payoff or promise the reader can expect by the end
Bottom line?
If you can drill your story down to a few clear, focused sentences, you can write a clear, focused story.
This 3-sentence framework will help you avoid bogging your story down with unnecessary digressions and clutter. You’ll know what to keep in. And what to keep out.
This will make your first drafts much easier to write. Your works in progress easier to revise. So you can build a story that’s compelling to read.
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Episode at a glance:
[02:59] Learn why summarizing your story in three focused sentences can help you tell a better story. And help you revise with more direction and focus.
[04:45] Your 3 sentence summary is not an outline, but it certainly can lead to one. Your summary doesn’t go into detail. That’s what the writing is for. The trick is to get at the essence of your story. Not as easy as it sounds, but worth the effort.
[08:56] Your first sentence is a summary of your Act 1. Learn how to get your arms around who your protagonist is and what spins her/his life in a complete 180.
[13:32] Your second sentence captures the heart and soul of your story. It’s the consequences that arise from what you set up in sentence one.
[16:09] Your third sentence speaks to the resolution, which is the point of your story. It’s what makes your concept universal.
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