Friday, July 24, 2015

WHY I SIGNED UP FOR JAMES PATTERSON'S MASTERCLASS FOR WRITERS




Since I published my first novel four years ago, I’ve been waiting to hear from James Patterson. In my wildest daydreams, he asks me to coauthor a book with him. I’m also an avid reader of his suspense books and admire his creativity and no-nonsense writing style. So when I saw that he was offering a writing class for authors, I signed up. 

Why I signed up


1)   I need help changing from a Pantser to an Outliner.
I am a true, write-by-the-seat-of-my-pants author and harbor a strong resistance to any form of outlining, despite trying every method I’ve come across. In an interview with Patterson, I heard that he does fifty-page outlines. I figured if the master of outlining can’t inspire me to change, no one can.
2)   I want to entertain my readers
Scoff at Patterson’s style all you want—(it is no accident that he’s a millionaire)—Patterson’s books are sheer entertainment. His fans gobble  up his books by the hundreds of thousands.

What I’ve learned so far


1)   Love, love, love, this Patterson quote on self-editing. “Go through your manuscript and delete everything a reader would skim over.”
As a reader I skim over any sections that bore me, especially backstory and family history. Not my thing, and judging by Patterson’s popularity, not many others’ thing, either.
2)   Using an extensive, Patterson-style outline, a good story is constructed on a rather bare outline, and then built upon and worked into a thing of sheer entertainment much like a symphony is arranged by a musician. The huge payoff to spending time outlining, is that when you’re ready to write the story, it will practically write itself. For me that means no downtime from writing when I get stuck in the dreaded nowhere land that is the middle of the novel or spending weeks trying to figure out how to wrap it all up.

Who should not sign up

 (Patterson’s style is not for everyone)

1)  Anyone striving to be a “literary” novelist, don’t even think about Patterson’s lessons. You know who you are and I refuse any attempt to define literary writing.
2)  Authors who love to embellish with extensively-detailed backstory, description, and family history.



Dear Readers,
I’m resolved to do my sixth novel, #3 of the Detective Kendall Halsrud series, using the Patterson method. I have a good start on my outline and I am already frustrated because I want to start writing. I’ve overcome the urge by extending my outline, and feeling excited about my progress.
Thanks for stopping by, will add more on this topic later.

Marla



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18 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review. I've thought about getting the program for the same reasons you did. Good luck.

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    1. Hi,
      Yes, I'm still doing it and determined to write the new book using his method. I think it will make the novel very easy to write and be a better finished product. It is not a difficult program and his video talks are really interesting. Patterson's also entertaining to listen to! I think if you have a project ready to use it on, you will learn a lot. Have a nice Sunday, Cathy,
      Marla

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  2. Like you, I want a better method. I'm beginning to learn Scrivener software because it is good for dividing up chapters and scenes. Does Patterson talk about software? I think I saw that he writes the scenes in longhand.

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    1. Hi Cathy,
      If he talks about it, I haven't gotten to that part yet. Kudos on learning Scrivener! I have a copy and have yet to start using it. Hate learning curves, but heard it is wonderful as a tool for formatting. That is one learning curve I stuck with and am so happy I did. Maybe I need to learn from that experience and devote some time to learning Scrivener.
      Have a good Monday,
      Marla

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  3. I am also taking the class. So far, so good. I have not kept up with it, as I am on a book deadline, but I am loving his FIRST LINES video! I took need to change from pantser to plotter. Old habits die hard, though!

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    1. HI Eve,
      I haven't kept up, either. Editing book 5 so the one I'm doing with the JP class will have
      to wait. If I was smart, I'd try to do a scene a day, but hard to juggle it all!
      Good luck with it, let me know how you're doing,
      Marla

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  4. From you who are taking the class, I see that it would be best to set time aside to work through it. I'm in the middle of a manuscript and so owning the class now would not be beneficial.

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    1. Hi Cathy,
      I was in the editing/revising stage of another book when I signed up. You can do the lessons at your own pace. In each one, Pattterson talks for about 10 mnutes, so you could easily start it thinking about your next book like I did. I'm not able to devote much time to it, but his suggestions are going to really help me be ready for the next one after I get the current one published.
      I think his method may finally convert me from my pantser mode!
      good luck with the new book,
      Marla

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  5. I've been taking the class, too although I stopped with the first lesson on outlining because of other things needing to be done. I was starting a new book and I did make a more extensive outline than normal (usually I have plot points and not much else.) It's been easier to write, I'll say that. And I imagine if I did as extensive an outline as he does, it would be even easier. I have a book due in May and one in June so I may do a more extensive outline for those so the writing will go more quickly.

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  6. Do any of you think this program would help a teen who can't write a story, essay, or book report to save his life?

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    1. Short answer, no! I think you need something much more basic in order to get started. The best thing to do is READ others' work to get ideas on how it is done. A trip to the library would help, or google "how to write a book report" for example. There is a wealth of help available online for free if you are just getting started.
      Good luck!
      Marla

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    2. Thanks for your response. He loves to read, but has no imagination of his own. We homeschool and we kept skipping writing because it stresses him out so much. Now we feel we can't really skip it anymore.

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    3. Oh, ever skip writing! Even if it's digital, writing is critical to good communication skills in nearly every line of work today. Have him start small, but make sure to give him plenty of reading material first for whatever form of writing he's learning.
      MM

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  7. Marla,
    I'm so glad you posted about this course. I've seen the ad for this course, several times. I've also saved the link as well. My concern is that I am a detailed writer...backstory, family history, etc... I'd like to lose some of that. I'm an outliner, but I need to be better at it. What do you think? Should I bite the bullet and try this course?
    Great post!
    Sharing!

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    1. Hi Taylor,
      You sound like a prime candidate! JP is all about entertaining your readers and that means more sales. He's all about writing lean and mean. I read a lot and am a perfect example of how long description and "fluff" goes to waste. Reading a good suspense book now, but am skipping over huge chunks of the author's extraneous words!
      Much as I resist outlining, I think for us Indies who like to crank out books as quickly as possible, the JP method can be a huge help. Someone mentioned that the course is "guaranteed" whatever that means. So if you hate it, maybe you can get your money back.
      I'm liking it. Nothing complicated about it, just good advice!
      Check it out.
      NIce to hear from you, have a great weekend,
      Marla

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  8. Have you completed the course yet? Is this course geared for just writing mysteries?

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    1. I'm sorry to say that other things got in the way of finishing the class but I do a lesson when I can and find it very helpful.
      No, I would say it is not just for mysteries. But I wouldn't sign up for the course unless you've read some of Paterson's books and are familiar with his style. He preaches his style, of course, which is high on entertainment value and could be applied to most genres.
      If you're interest is in literary style writing, it would not be for you.
      Hope that answers your question. Have a nice Sunday,
      Marla

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