Discover The Story Equation! One question can unlock your entire story! Are you struggling to build a riveting plot? Layered characters? How about fortify that saggy middle? Create that powerful ending? You can build an entire book by asking one powerful question, and then plugging it into an “equation” that makes your plot and characters come to life. You’ll learn how to build the external and internal journey of your characters, create a theme, build story and scene tension, create the character change journey and even pitch and market your story. All with one amazing question. Learn: The amazing trick to creating unforgettable, compelling characters that epic movies use! How to create riveting tension to keep the story driving from chapter to chapter The easy solution to plotting the middle of your novel The one element every story needs to keep a reader up all night How to craft an ending that makes your reader say to their friends, “Oh, you have to read this book!” Using the powerful technique that has created over fifty RITA, Christy and Carol award-winning, best-selling novels, Susan May Warren will show novelists how to utilize The Story Equation to create the best story they’ve ever written.

Need help starting your story? Learn how to hook your reader with your opening line! In today’s competitive book market, a writer needs to capture their reader in the first paragraph, if not the first line. A good hook sets the tone for a book, gives voice to the character, and immediately draws the reader into the story. There are plenty of great writing books that offer ideas on what kind of first line to write, but how do you find the right words? Best-selling, RITA and CHRISTY award-winning novelist, and nationally acclaimed writing instructor Susan May Warren has spent a decade teaching novelists how to write brilliant stories—starting with hooking their reader with the first line. Using her simple SHARP technique, you’ll learn: • How to make your reader care about your character • How to immediately anchor your reader into the story • How to raise a thematic question that makes your reader curious • How to plunge your reader into the story action • How to tap into your reader’s emotions—and use them to keep your reader turning pages With examples and application questions, you’ll discover the perfect first line for your story that will hook your reader!

What does it take to write a brilliant novel? Best-selling, award-winning novelist Susan May Warren knows how—and you're about to find out. She's coached hundreds of writers into publication, onto best-seller lists, and onto the awards platforms. (And she lives what she teaches. Susan is the bestselling author of over 50 novels, has won the Rita, the Christy, and the Carol awards multiple times.) Now, for the first time, she's revealing her step-by-step storycrafting secrets that will show you how to discover, create, and publish the brilliant novel inside you. Susan's techniques are proven methods that will show you: • Exactly how bestselling novels are designed • How to create compelling characters • How to construct tension-filled scenes that keep readers devouring pages • How to build sizzling dialogue • How to develop riveting plots that keep readers guessing • And once you're finished, how to sell your novel You CAN Write a Brilliant Novel! "A quirky, fun, practical guide from a writer who knows what she’s doing." — James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure. "The thorough guidance Susan May Warren provides in this workbook couldn’t be more simplified unless she had published it in crayon and included you are super stickers. She transforms unattainable truth into accessible information and places it directly into your hands. The goods she delivers in the classroom in such an energetic and vivacious fashion is laid out here using the same unforgettable acronyms in a format that involves the writer in shaping their work in progress. No crayons required; choice of writing implement optional." L. Morgan, aspiring author