Verbalization boosts every facet of the writing process. If you have a pressing issue in a certain craft area you want to tackle right away, use these drills and workouts to develop your skills. These exercises appear sequentially in the book and build on each other. They assume you have a basic handle on verbalization and can offer a quick fix for specific creative challenges if you’re stuck.
• If your character details feel scattered, disconnected, or forgettable, get a handle on effective alignment via the Story Line exercise.
• If you cannot pinpoint any character’s essential action, check out the Dark Matters exercise.
• If you need to create an unforgettable character who writes their own story, amp your process with the Add Verbs exercise.
• If your character’s impact on their world or other characters feels disjointed, brew up some mojo with the Big Ripples exercise.
• If you struggle to access the kind of character complexity that supports intense emotions, dig into the Inner Space exercise.
• If you’re interested in unpacking more of a character’s power, potential, and paradoxes, investigate the Deep Dive exercise.
• If you have a scene that’s not popping for the characters participating in it, play around with the Monkey Wrench exercise.
• If you want to drill into your character’s layers in the most memorable, believable way, map out a strategy in the Book Self exercise.
• If you can’t meet and exceed genre expectations as a matter of course, take a look at the Trouble Maker exercise.
• If you’re curious about classic genre construction and want to push the envelope, splash around in the Fan Fave exercise.
• If you want to understand genre characters in any media, spend some quality time on the Couch Potato exercise.
• If you need a firmer handle on genre mechanics and distinctions, spend a little time with the Genre-flecting exercise.
• If you struggle to access maximum drama and tension in every story moment, there’s real mojo in the Best Enemies exercise.
• If your story sometimes feels passive, aimless, or trapped inside your character’s head, check out the Trans Mission exercise.
• If the relationships between characters need a boost, build that chemistry with the Counter Action exercise.
• If you want to elicit more emotion in your readers, have a go at the Loaded Dice exercise.
• If you want a better handle on your character’s evolution over the course of the book via Goal/Motivation/Conflict, tackle the Hard Time exercise.
• If your character’s overarching story goal isn’t clear or camera-ready, find your focus with the Big Picture exercise.
• If you have an info-dump addiction or tend to deliver backstory in big slices of expo cake, charge your scenes with the Direct Object exercise.
• If you struggle to depict meaningful transformation and clear emotional growth, spend some time on the Arc Aid exercise.
• If your project lacks the kinds of memorable moments that dazzle genre fans, check out the Event Planning exercise.
• If coherent, compelling story structure eludes you, take a whack at the Prize Fight exercise.
• If your scenes ever get stuck in a narrative rut or predictable plateau, challenge your habits with the Page Directions exercise.
• If you want to structure your entire story in a robust format that’s useable for plotters and pantsers, invest time in the Grand Plan exercise.
• If you tend to recycle character types and tropes from book to book, shake things up with the Strong Language exercise.
• If you struggle with low stakes or character inaction, you’ll probably benefit from the Amp Site exercise.
• If your story verbalization ever feels banal, flaccid, or clichéd, stretch beyond your comfort zone with the Booster Shot exercise.
• If you want to amp suspense, emotion, or surprise, bust the rut via the Turn Signal exercise.