Why you must read Dorothy Cora Moore’s Writing Made Easy
In this book I reveal Michael Crichton’s technique for plotting out a story that he developed while attending Harvard Medical School. Michael Crichton? Was he? Oh wow. Because I also teach creative writing, I have included all the secrets I learned along the way as a screenwriter and epic novelist. Who do you teach? Who is this book aimed at? My students in community education at Yavapai College age from 16 to 70 — although I think this book would also work for middle-school students. It is step-by-step instruction. If you like succinct books that deliver information clearly and concisely — giving examples of how to do something, rather than just saying how to do it — this book will appeal to you. Give us a practical example. My seven distinct steps for this crucial chapter are: (1) Setting the Scene; (2) Introducing the Protagonist; (3) Setting the Mood; (4) Introducing Important Secondary Characters; (5) Introducing the Antagonist; (6) Introducing the Pivotal Character (drives the conflict); and (7) Setting Up a Crisis. Any chance of another example? You say you’re a novelist yourself. The website for “Writing Made Easy” is under construction right now. Tell us a bit about yourself. Although my background has been working in law for almost three decades, I am also a screenwriter, an epic novelist and a creative writing instructor. I also took a career designation program through UCLA’s extension in motion picture arts and sciences. People who work in the industry taught those courses. “Writing Made Easy” was introduced at BookExpo America (BEA) in New York City recently. It will also be presented at the American Library Association (ALA) meeting in Las Vegas later. Following this will be the shows in Beijing and Frankfort, Germany. I continue to enjoy teaching creative writing — many of my students have advanced degrees and are writing fascinating stories. I always do a storyline edit of their work, before they read their latest chapter to the class, and this keeps me very busy. Recently I was invited to Writers Helping Writers, where I blogged about Michael Crichton’s technique for plotting. |
Leave a Facebook, Google+ or Wordpress Comment