Showing results by narrator "Sonja Field" in All Categories

Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.

My dog once took a bullet that was intended for me. A bullet that ripped through his chest, narrowly missing his heart, and exited through his shoulder blade. This left him unconscious on the floor of my home. Amazingly, this bullet did not kill him. Ten years ago, I adopted Blue after I broke up with my boyfriend one hot, early summer night with the windows open and the neighborhood listening. The next morning I went straight to the pound in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Articles on buying your first dog tell you never to buy a dog on impulse.

I am desperate for freedom, for peace, and for justice. As I leave captivity and step into the bright sun-filled day, a wave of relief washes over me. I am not free yet, though. Walking between barbed wire topped walls toward the exit gate, I breathe in fresh air, preparing for the next challenge. An enemy posing as a lover waits for me. I will evade him, though.

It has been 13 years since the war started, the bombs were dropped, and the central states became a thing of the past. When the war ended, a wall was erected to divide the surviving states from those destroyed. I never expected to go beyond the wall, but unlike all the others who volunteered to go, I wasn't given a choice. With a dim knowledge of what I could do, the soldiers came for me. They took me beyond the wall where I learned that the truth is far more terrifying than I'd ever dreamed.

Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters - but it just isn't grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It's time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs. Internationally published, award-winning novelist K.M. Weiland shares her acclaimed method for achieving memorable and moving character arcs in every book you write.

Blue and I sit in the cockpit of a sailboat. My eyes scan the open ocean while female Peshmerga fighters sleep all around me—below deck, across benches on the bow, and one curled up on the stern.

Standing at the edge of the gateway, I understand two things. One, I have no idea what I’m doing. Two, the gateway to Hell is not closing. Now, there may be only one option left to me, to all of us. I may have to enter the one place I’d hoped to avoid throughout this journey. I may have to enter Hell. Unfortunately, a change in events takes the choice away from me.

I can’t escape the vulnerability of motherhood. The rage fueling me since my brother’s murder is no longer powerful enough to carry me forward. I want to create a simple life in the Spanish countryside and prepare for motherhood. For the sake of the life growing inside me, I must forge ahead without Robert’s help, Mulberry’s devotion, or my own anger determining my path. The criminal cartel seeking to destroy Joyful Justice plans to crumble the foundation of the vigilante network by killing me. But I’m dangerous prey - more deadly than ever.

Ready to take your story's character arcs and themes to the next level? This latest book from veteran writing teacher and story theorist K.M. Weiland ventures far beyond the popular and pervasive Hero's Journey to explore six important archetypal character arcs, representing key moments of initiation in the human experience.

Inspiration is a slippery thing at the best of times. But as a writer, you can't afford to wait around on Madam Muse's goodwill. In this encouraging audiobook, award-winning author K.M. Weiland shows you how to nurture creativity and put it at your summons, rather than the other way around.

It was one the most beautiful mountains in America - Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. But what many didn't know was that this peaceful mountain had an explosive past. Eleven-year-old Sally Tanner knew the mountain well, and, like many, she never imagined that this serene wilderness could turn deadly. But on May 10, 1980, Sally finds herself in the middle of the deadliest volcanic eruption in US history.

Justice with a vengeance. Who controls Sydney Rye? Because that person controls a dangerous weapon - a killer and a symbol - proof of a prophet's divinity and the catalyst for an international vigilante network. Sydney Rye is just one woman, but to millions she is much more. Whoever controls Sydney controls the masses, can incite violence, turn wife against husband, daughter against father...release the wolf in us all. Who controls her, and what do they want?

Unlock the secrets of compelling storytelling with Next Level Plot Structure, a brand-new guide from K.M. Weiland, author of the popular Structuring Your Novel. This comprehensive resource delves deep into the intricacies of plot structure, revealing the rich vein of narrative techniques and philosophical underpinnings that have shaped storytelling throughout history.

One of Sydney Rye's dearest friends, Hugh Defry, has been accused of brutal murder. All the evidence points to Hugh and he has no memory of that night. But Sydney refuses to believe that Hugh is capable of such violence. Sydney flies to Miami searching for the real killer unprepared for the realization that her personal fight for justice has become much more than she'd ever imagined. Sydney is pushed towards making a decision that will change not just her life, but possibly the future of crime fighting.

Sydney Rye is in Miami, surrounded by friends and co-conspirators who share her values and goals. People who believe in her. For the first time since her brother’s murder, Sydney Rye is finding a way to live in peace, but also isn’t helping anyone in need. Unfortunately, this peace can’t last. Sydney is in the eye of a storm.

The positive pregnancy test rocks my world harder than any bomb or bullet. Like the hurricane bearing down on Miami, it threatens total destruction. I’m confident I can escape Miami, evade the mercenaries intent on killing me, and uncover the people who hired them. But telling the father I’m pregnant…raising a child....

All that’s left of her is a depression in the dirt and a pool of blood. Robert Maxim is ruthless, powerful, and determined to find her. April Madden is a preacher’s wife, and Sydney’s mother. She’s willing to risk everything...her sobriety, her marriage, even her faith, to hunt for her daughter. But they can’t find Sydney Rye if she doesn’t want to be found. ISIS has a new enemy, a ghost haunting their territory, infecting their flock with radical ideals. They will do anything to capture her. Their reign depends on this new prophet’s destruction.

Let outlines help you write a better book! Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer's arsenal.

Theme—the mysterious cousin of plot and character. Too often viewed as abstract rather than actionable, theme is frequently misunderstood and left to chance. Some writers even insist theme should not be purposefully implemented. This is unfortunate, because in many ways theme is story. Theme is the heart, the meaning, the point. Nothing that important should be overlooked. Powerful themes are never incidental. They emerge from the conjunction of strong plots and resonant character arcs.

Justice with a vengeance. Imagine if you were offered a choice: give up your freedom or watch the people closest to you lose theirs. What would you do? When international fugitive Sydney Rye turns herself over to authorities in order to protect the vigilante network she inspired, her freedom depends on helping Homeland Security shift the tide in a war for "hearts and minds". Sydney Rye is tasked with the perfect assignment: recruit female fighters to take on jihadists. Being killed by a woman is the only thing extremists fear because they believe it bars their entrance to Heaven.