The Perfect Story: A Book On Story Craft & Editing - H.M. Braverman - Wattpad

The Perfect Story: A Book On Story Craft & Editing

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Parts 16
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Reads 2,255
Votes 188
Parts 16
Time 1h 25m

advice craft editing story success writing

Do you want to create amazing stories people will love?

Are you looking for objective ways to analyze your story to make sure it's working, or figure out why it's not?

Are you curious about different ways of outlining editing or outlining a story? 

If you've answered "yes" to any or all of these questions then this book is for you. 

The Perfect Story is the synthesis of knowledge I've gained from the sources listed below. I encourage everyone to read these for themselves, but in the mean time it's my hope that I can save you a considerable amount of time, and perhaps shed new light on the information these masters of storytelling have given us. 

Sources:

On Writing by Steven King

The Story-Grid by Shawn Coyne

Story by Robert McKee

Save The Cat by Blake Snyder

Elements of Style by Strunk & White

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

Take Off Your Pants by Libby Hawker (to come)All Rights Reserved

advice craft editing story success writing

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She said Yes! by ElleCharlotte3

"Roses are red , violets are blue ...only if love was true .. !" These are the words she will often write down in her diary pages after pages. During her high school days when she found out that her boyfriend Todd Davis was only with her because of the bet that he made with his friends, Emily suffered a terrible heartbreak and humiliation destroying her faith in love and happy endings. Her relationship status reads" Happily Single, for the rest of my life". When her mother unexpectedly had to retire from her business , Emily is forced to give up her job as a vet to help her older sisters to run their family business. Only a miracle could save them from the debts that the business has and when a business man approached them to help him plan the "Engagement Party of the Year" they could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Emily found herself caught up in the enchanted world of romance and happy endings. Will that make Emily change her mind about love? .................................xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx............................ This book was my first attempt at the OpenNovella contest and it made it through all the rounds . Though it was not a finalist on the long list finalist , I am so proud of what I have achieved. I believe those sort of competitions boosts up your potentials and makes you work to the best of your abilities or even more. Can't wait for another one 😊 Thank you OpenNovella team and most all Thank you for all the reads and comments xo

Fancying My Fan by dramaticaurora

The cliched plot of a celebrity, "bad boy" meeting a commoner, "good girl" and falling in love, eventually? Not exactly! Celebrities aren't always the reckless rebels they're made out to be. Not all commoners are idealistic and naive. His love for her remained an unpublished chapter. Her love for him was a muted emotion. Then how did a fan's fantasy come true? Or was the celebrity fancying his fan? Read and find out. __________________________________________ An intriguingly obvious story written for ONC 2022. Prompt number 4 & 38: You're hired as a temporary bodyguard/ driver for a high-profile client visiting your city for a week. It is very important you make sure the client sticks to the itinerary you are given. Only when you arrive are you told the client's identity: a celebrity known for being wild and always getting into trouble! Your favourite artist is coming to your hometown. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The brilliant cover was generously designed by @acira_joshva

"A Smile That Changed His Life" by caree_96

"Can a Man be complete for a Woman? Can he vanish away her pain?" . . Let's Find out!! -Self ------------------------------------------------------- Meet Cally Kingsley who is a passionate, hard working, simple and sweet natured yet, body-conscious young woman with a possessive family who finds herself entangled with a terrible past and scars and not to forget a mystery man who makes her heart beating faster than that of a speeding bullet. ----------------------------------------------------------- On the other hand total opposite of Cally is Damien Knight who is the most Handsome Bachelor Billionaire and also the owner of Knight Industries. Every year He ranks as the top most influential men in the Forbes magazine after his brother. He had everything Money, power, fame and most Importantly Women falling at his feet. But despite having all, He had a void in his heart , an emptiness that was waiting to be filled- with what he himself was not sure of until he met her and saw her gorgeous smile Her smile made his heart bloom and when this man's world collids with Cally , sparks fly, past gets revealed and smiles get spread around. ---------------------------------------------------------

20 Questions by KCLake6

She had amazing parents, good role models, a normal, happy childhood, and dreams of saving the world...until an ugly twist of fate changed everything. She wasn't meant to lose her best friend to addiction. Holidays with the family were supposed to be magical, not obligatory. Every song, every building, every street had a memory attached to it...memories that weren't supposed to sever her heart. This wasn't the life she envisioned growing up. In desperate need of rest, relaxation and self-discovery, Jenna loaded a plane, destined for Aspen. She was going to salvage the girl she lost along the way. She'd find that fire inside of her that had been extinguished by heartache. Hunter had lived a hard life - abused, neglected, discarded and hardened. There were no bedtime stories growing up with loving parents, no family vacations, nothing to be excited about and nothing to live for. With his revenge-seeking father's upcoming prison release hanging above his head, Hunter knew his days were limited and he had accepted it. He wasn't looking ahead, not for happiness or love anyway. Until he saw her. Fate had brought them together. Passion consumed them. She brought the sass and he brought the danger. He began to see a life with her that he didn't believe he deserved. She found her purpose - heal him, love him, give him the gift of family and unconditional love. They went to Aspen in search of peace and an escape from the hometown heartache...but they found love along the way. 20 Questions is a story of unbreakable love, redemption, and overcoming tragedy. It's about blocking out the corruption in the world so you can see the virtuous. It's a heartwarming, laugh-out-loud tale of how love can keep us together when the world is viciously trying to pull us part. Love wins. It always wins.

How To WRITE Awesomely by Absolutely_Positive

[Completed ↓] U N D E R E D I T I N G → Day in, day out I find myself struggling to write. Until I stumbled across some guides to help me, I had no idea how much better I could make myself! So I decided to contribute to the writing society as well, and made a book of do's, don'ts, and tips on how to write much better than ever imagined. This book can help you achieve your dreams of awesome writing. Good luck! (i.e) • How to MAKE THE PERFECT CHARACTER • How to WRITE A KISS SCENE, • How to GRAMMAR • How to WRITE IN MALE POV

(#1) Roommates by Day, Enemies by Night by magnetichearts02

WARNING: CONTAINING AMOUNTS OF SASS PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN TO MANKIND In the city of NYC--- Ok. Hold up. First of all, New York City. What, are ya gonna assume everyone here knows what NYC is? Anyway, this is about two people. I can almost hear you rolling your eyes. Another cliché teen fiction with a bad boy and a good girl? Nope. This is about superheroes. I can still hear you rolling your eyes. Superheroes. Like in comic books? Like people with super speed and mutant powers? Yes. But this isn't about the fight they have. More about the lives they lead without the masks. But just keep in mind, people who live in the world have all different skin colours. Do not assume my characters are of one unless I state them explicitly. and diversity is welcome here in my novel! Anyhow, back to the story. Ever wonder where supervillains go after their fight with the hero? What about the other side of the story? It's not like they sit in their lair cackling all day and planning how to kidnap reporters. What about the lives they lead? And instead of just focusing on that, what if the superhero and the supervillain knew each other? I mean, can they see behind the mask? No, so their identities are secret. So what if the hero and villain were best friends? What if they were roommates? What if they were falling for each other? And what happens when they find out? Now, I assume you know all of these questions will be answered in this book. But hold on. It's going to take a while. You're in for a bumpy ride. And if any of you got any of the references in this description, give yourself a pat on the back. That is a beautiful thing. And if you can name all the references in this book, you truly are a gift to mankind. Fangirl out.

The Tidy Guide to Writing, Editing, and Publishing Your Novel by RachelAukes

Do you dream of writing a novel, but not sure where to start? Have you been working on a book for ages but feel stuck? Despite all your best efforts, do you feel overwhelmed? Here's a clutter-free guide for planning and writing your novel right the first time. This guide is broken into three 30-minute parts, with every chapter being a super-fast read so you can fit in reading whenever you can find a free sixty seconds. In Part One, you'll learn how to: • Plan and organize your story ideas by breaking them out into easy, digestible bites • Use the simple yet mighty Little Ups approach to confidently write your first draft and subsequent drafts Part Two gives you a no-nonsense approach to revising and polishing your book. You'll learn: • Self-edit your novel with a calm, motivated mindset • Polish your story so that it outshines the competition And, Part Three answers your publishing questions and gives you the tools and confidence you need to have your story published. In this part, you'll learn: • Prepare your novel for the publishing process, whether that's pitching to agents, selling to editors, or self-publishing • Query agents who can sell your story to the right publishing house • Self-publish your story as a professional-grade novel The Tidy Guide to Writing a Novel is a quick read that's jam-packed with information essential for writers at any stage in their careers. ***NOTE: THIS IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS. ALL FEEDBACK WELCOME!***

The Art of Writing: How to Write Bestselling Novels by Cephyr13

[New chapter posted every Friday] Would you like to learn how to draw your readers in with your blurb and your opening lines so that they feel they have to keep reading to find out what happens next? Would you like to learn how to craft characters who are so interesting and real that your readers would love to be them and can't help but go through the story with them? Would you like to learn how to craft sentences, paragraphs, and chapters that keep your readers enthralled? Would you like to learn how to prevent writer's block? The Art of Writing will teach you all of these skills and more--everything you need to write a bestseller. You've probably noticed that your first and second chapters have lots of reads, but the chapters after that have very few reads or votes. You can partially blame that on people clicking on the first chapter just to take a quick glance at it and maybe add it to their reading list. But that explanation only goes so far for most Wattpadders. The real reason is more likely that your story isn't written in such a way that really draws a readers in, almost forcing them to keep reading. But you can give your story that edge it needs to become great just by following a few easy guidelines and learning some key techniques for success. In fact, if you haven't already noticed, some of those techniques are being used in this description to give you just enough information about something you want in order to get you hooked. And your stories should do the same. Wattpad is full of writers who have great story ideas but very little training in the skills required to craft an amazing story that really sucks a person in. Which means we end up with endless stories that promise amazing plots but can't deliver on that promise. Not to worry, though. We're about to change all of that. So get ready to learn the skills you need to write a binge-worthy bestseller. ***NOTE: If there's a skill you'd like me to write a chapter about, just let me know***

Complications (MxM) by StxnedWriter

**WARNING** ~contains explicit content that may not be acceptable to all viewers. discretion advised~ "No no no no..." My words trailed "NO!!" I screamed, pulling harshly at all my restraints, attempting to get free, hearing the harsh clank of metal on metal with every movement. Colder than the table beneath me, chills ran through my body. This couldn't be happening, please. A sadistic laugh rang through the room and my head fell in defeat as my eyes squinted closed, not wanting to see his face. "Yes, actually." I felt his disgusting, filthy hands trail down my arms. I could feel him leaning forwards, moving himself closer to me. I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes, so I just lay there, waiting for what I knew was to come. "You're mine now, mut." His voice made my body tense more than it already had. The way he sounded so angry. So possessive. I dared myself to speak, "W-what ar-are you gonna d-do to me?" My voice shook and wavered so much in my fear that it was numb to my ears. Alpha Dave let out a low, calloused chuckle that sent chills throughout my body. He said, in a deadly low voice, "I'm going to remind you who you belong to." * DISCLAIMER- In this story world, each person gets five potential mates! * Blake Daniels' story has been one tragedy after another, Complications littering his route, tripping him on his journey through life. At this point, he's entirely disgusted by his Complacency. For as long as he can remember, he has been at the whim of everyone's desires, neglecting his own. This left him wondering: what it is he wants? Could it be the sweet relief of death? Escape? Or simple Convalescence? *** ~Ms.Witch *** BOOK ONE IN THE ~Escape~ SERIES! Book 1: ~Complications~ Original Created- 2015, Completed- 2016 Rewrite Created (October) & Completed (December)- 2023 Book 2: ~Complacency~ Created (January) & Completed (March)- 2024 Book 3: ~Convalescence~ Created (April) & Completed (May)- 2024 Thanks for reading!

ASLEEP YET AWAKE by carcinogenicme

Highest ranking #96 in general fiction (The poetry in the begining is basically a kind of summary of the whole plot) Scene I: Blue sky white clouds. Cool breeze blowing your hair. An incredibly handsome guy is holding your hand and looking at you with eyes gleaming with love. Yes a PERFECT day and a PERFECT boyfriend. Scene II: you just met your perfect boyfriend. Now you feel like sharing your happiness. You call your friend who is equally happy to know about your happy day. Yes a PERFECT best friend. Isn't it what every girl needs? A Boyfriend who doesn't cheat and a girlfriend who doesn't bitch. This is my life. Scratch that. This used to be my life. Of course there is a twist in the tale and that is why my story is worth telling because it is not the ordinary but the 'ordinarily unusual' which becomes a story worth telling. ■■■ P.s thebook deals with depression and a girl's struggles to overcome it when horrible events push her deep in her dreams and she begans lucid dreaming. On the bright side it shows how life can be cruel and how to conquer the demon of sorrows. A story of finding happiness when depression closes on you and you find no way out. ●●● You are not flawed, just broken You are not alone, just lonely.... A tale of an ordinary girl thrown into the deep labyrinth of her own mind...

Perfect Fate ✔ by fanoshkaflippo

Wattpad Creator! Happy and proud. HIM: Staying the night? Not my thing. Hearts and flowers? Boring. Falling in love? Not anytime soon. Settling down? Off the table. Getting married? You're kidding me, right? That was me before the night we first met. Because, well, meeting a hot chick that made me hard just by looking at her was definitely not in my plans when I sneaked out of a woman's apartment after what was already a long night. Taking her home and getting her a chocolate cake, though, was kind of intentional. But falling for her? Boy, that was pretty much inevitable. HER: He came out of nowhere, literally. I was there, sitting on that bench, barefoot and crying and just getting my heart broken in peace and silence. Then he appeared, all mad and furious and sexy and tall and just drool-worthy! And just like that, despite my poor attempts of escaping him, he had me wrapped in his world. A crazy yet heart-fluttering world, that I have absolutely no intentions of leaving anytime soon. ------- Character development is a main theme in this book. It shows you how they both work on changing for the better, while trying to overcome the obstacles in their relationship and fight for each other till the end. ** Warning!! Some chapters contain sexual scenes, but there's always a warning at the head of the chapter. Do not read them if you're under 18.** * Also, please beware that this story contains a lot of swearing. Read at your own risk. * **I don't own any photos used in this book. All are found on the internet for public use.** Highest Rankings: Sexy - #1 Love - #1 General Fiction - #41 Romance - #46 ------ ** Copyright © 2014 by Fanoshka Flippo (Farah Fekry). All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Fanoshka Flippo / Farah Fekry. **

Padauk Mini Awards || CLOSED by Ravendipity

Tired of waiting a million years for award results to come out? Look no further than the Padauk Mini Awards, a small awards contest meant to be judged fast but still offer unique prizes and a fair experience to everyone. Any book of all length and genres can apply since there are plenty of mini categories to choose from! - Currently judging and closed, every spot is taken - However, I also host the open Candlelight Awards What this includes: - Fair judging (only one judge to keep it balanced) - Communicative host - Unique prizes - Accessible to most writers - Opportunities for small writers to grow

Start Your Novel by cndelo

So, you wanna write a novel but don't know where to start? Then this guide's for you! Inside, you'll find a step by step process for how to plan your entire novel, starting with only a basic story premise. You'll learn the basics of plot, narrative arc, and three-act structure and get a look at my in-depth plotting process, covering everything from developing ideas, outlining, and creating character arcs, to logistics, story-mapping, and scene structure. You'll also find tips, advice, tools, and resources to help you begin your journey! And the best part is... everything is PINK!

Book of Contests (2024) by SeraDrake

To keep myself from losing track of: all the contests I've entered, all the contests I've volunteered myself as a judge (or let myself be voluntold into judging), all the books I've had to read as a contestant or as a judge, all the deadlines, and all the other important stuff, I've decided to create a book that registers all these things in a somewhat organized fashion. I can't remember who advised me to do that, but whoever you are, and there are probably several of you, thank you. I've been reading that it's extremely common for contests to be a bit sluggish with follow-up if a person wins a major prize and gets graphics and shout-outs, so if I actually manage to win anything at all, I'll use this book to keep track of that, too, so I can maybe tweak my book covers to reflect contests won or something. I had no idea so many people would be adding my personal convenience book to their own bookshelves, let alone voting for chapters - if my book of contests is useful to other people, that makes me happy. Very happy. I DO NOT CONSENT TO MY CONTENT BEING USED TO TRAIN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Bubblegum Girl • On Hold by TheFallingWish

What if I told you that being perfect can be destructive? •••••••••••• Hello, my names Kristina. Welcome to a love story, a story about me and a guy I had bumped into Starbucks while on holiday. I thought we would never see each other, not once. But oh, how I was so wrong. We saw each other more often than expected. But like always, nothing ends with happily ever after, are you all ready to join us on my rollercoaster. My story. My life. Let's start. Oh wait, did I ever mention the guy was Ross Lynch? ••••••••••• Hello. Welcome to my book, okay. So can I just clear something up? This book is a Fanfiction. It's about R5 and Ross lynch, but you people who do not love Ross Lynch or R5 can read this as well. This book is like any other romance novel here, so yeah. I just wanted to say that.

Thoughts by raymac_eric

*** A Wattpad Featured Collection *** Dreams. Imagination. Emotions. These are what this book emodies. The stories here will be centered on these three pillars. Pillars that can open up the world we live in to something better than what we know. And nothing can define the world better than the Thoughts we have everyday. Here's a couple of mine :) ............................................................................................................................... This book is a collection of short stories written to inspire, facilitate, and maybe even motivate, anyone out there with something to say about life. A story is a gift best shared than received. Amazing cover was done by @KRosalle. She's truly an amazing person🙌 (The Creativity Awards Runner's Up ✌😊) (The S.S.P.R 3rd place Random Winner✌😊) (The Rose Awards 1st place Short Story Winner✌😊) (The Pen and Ink January Quote Awards 2nd Place Winer✌😊) (Featured in Wattpad Short Stories Reading List "Boxed Sets" ✌️😊) *I'm climbing the ladder here haha*

The Yellow Room & Other Erotica by lynnbenet

Please enjoy my first erotic short story collection. It ranges from flash fiction to the novella sized title story "The Yellow Room". There's also ten naughty poems. It'll be released at a faster rate than my novels and will be completed this year (2024). Some of the stories are smut. It's safe to say, this is ONLY for a mature audience. Enjoy! The Beach is a short about an overly excited newly married couple. It's followed by a flash fiction of a sex dream. Then we have our title story, a novella about a marriage in trouble. Is seeking total sexual exploration the way to fix it? What is the "Yellow Room" and how does it change their lives? Next on tap is Poem Porn, then a curious letter about a lesbian encounter going into a new world where everything is changed for all involved. Another flash fiction is next. This time it's a cutesy tale with a more tamed description. That's followed by a novelette called Chopshophop (Dirty version - used with permission) with a chance encounter after a criminal couple rip off an innocent woman whose innocence soon ends. Afterwards we get a whole week of a wildly sensual story! The final story is a shorter novelette version of our title story, but from his point of view!

Weigh Out Way-In by JASaak

There is an unexpected turn in the story that drastically changes the course of events and, in the long run, even the lives of those involved. Magpie, the first to be involved, suddenly finds himself in the world so unlike his own. Will he find his place there or will he be at least able to go back home? He seems to find his way back from this new world of giga-dimensions but something unwanted happens, and things go worse. The cultural differences, together with a challenging personality traits of another involved in the events, suck Magpie and his friends into a downward spiral. The story challenges you to see the world differently from the perspective you are perhaps too used to and narrowed by. Life can be an adventure if you don't narrow it with a bigotry that forces you to be rooted in your trenches and behind your dividing walls. This doesn't mean you have to accept others' views without standing your ground. However, to be able to share our lives in this one and only world we need to make compromises, on both sides. Are you the first brave one to set this positive trend in motion? So read on and let the foundation of the story be laid. From the end of episode 1 on, the story really picks up, finally reaching its climax at the end of episode 3 with quite a surprising finish. Your participation in solving this shared challenge of coexistence and cooperation is highly appreciated. Remember those who cooperate make more progress than those who don't! The ideal audience for my first book is actually between 12 and 16, but anybody older and interested in adventures, cultures and in getting more understanding into our multifaceted world is sure to enjoy the story. (The whole story has now been published, the only thing I'll still add is the final epilogue but the story is already available in its entirety.)

FNAF SB 3 star ending fic ideas that no one has really used yet by Dcddcc

January 20th Update: New stories and art created, links added to chapter 2 I've decided to try and spread my 3 star ideas to a wider audience in the hopes that they can inspire people. The people that I've sent these to have said that they are "good". I would like to make full fledged stories out of these ideas, but I can't because I am not a writer. But who knows? Maybe I can try and inspire some people to make something beautiful out of this stuff! I want to see more 3 star wholesomeness!

Call me kitten (boyxboy love) ✓ by _Pretty-please

Jamie is happy with life, he has everything under control and every day is the same, just like he wants it. He is a loner by choice, girlfriends and friends are overrated. Or so he thinks. But when the new co-worker starts to hit on him it all starts to crumble. The co-worker is sexy as hell, confident and totally out of his league. And a guy. This starts a journey into new aspects of life. To learn how to let go of control, to embrace the darkest desires without fear. And to fall in love with someone that calls you kitten. *The sequel is out - Make me beg* https://www.wattpad.com/story/293369610-make-me-beg == Links == All socials, and spotify playlist is on my profile! == Disclaimer == # This is a boy x boy story # Contains explicit language and content (+18!!) # Contains acts of BDSM, so if you're not into that, beware (those chapters will begin with a warning) == Rankings == Jul 19 2022: #20 IN #ROMANCE Nov 29 2021: #1 IN #GAYROMANCE Oct 24 2021: #1 IN #MXM Oct 22 2021: #29 IN #BOYXBOY Oct 10 2021: #3 IN #GAYLOVE (and I apologise for any misspelled words and incorrect grammar ^o^ )

You may also like

Slide 1 of 20

She said Yes! cover

Fancying My Fan cover

"A Smile That Changed His Life" cover

20 Questions cover

How To WRITE Awesomely cover

(#1) Roommates by Day, Enemies by Night cover

The Tidy Guide to Writing, Editing, and Publishing Your Novel cover

The Art of Writing: How to Write Bestselling Novels cover

Complications (MxM) cover

ASLEEP YET AWAKE cover

Perfect Fate ✔ cover

Padauk Mini Awards || CLOSED cover

Start Your Novel cover

Book of Contests (2024) cover

Bubblegum Girl • On Hold cover

The Yellow Room & Other Erotica cover

Weigh Out Way-In cover

FNAF SB 3 star ending fic ideas that no one has really used yet cover

Call me kitten (boyxboy love) ✓ cover

She said Yes!

"Roses are red , violets are blue ...only if love was true .. !" These are the words she will often write down in her diary pages after pages. During her high school days when she found out that her boyfriend Todd Davis was only with her because of the bet that he made with his friends, Emily suffered a terrible heartbreak and humiliation destroying her faith in love and happy endings. Her relationship status reads" Happily Single, for the rest of my life". When her mother unexpectedly had to retire from her business , Emily is forced to give up her job as a vet to help her older sisters to run their family business. Only a miracle could save them from the debts that the business has and when a business man approached them to help him plan the "Engagement Party of the Year" they could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Emily found herself caught up in the enchanted world of romance and happy endings. Will that make Emily change her mind about love? .................................xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx............................ This book was my first attempt at the OpenNovella contest and it made it through all the rounds . Though it was not a finalist on the long list finalist , I am so proud of what I have achieved. I believe those sort of competitions boosts up your potentials and makes you work to the best of your abilities or even more. Can't wait for another one 😊 Thank you OpenNovella team and most all Thank you for all the reads and comments xo