Build A Strong Story in 3 Steps

I’m off in an hour to do a major book signing for the three books of my Grace in Africa trilogy, but I’ve spent the morning hard at work on the book two of the Blessings in India trilogy.  Darting back and forth between India andAfrica really isn’t all that difficult.  The real challenge is to make certain I’m building a strong story with each book.

Thing is, I want people to care about my heart’s passion — 21^st century Abolition.  But when someone picks up one of my books, that’s not what the reader wants.  The reader wants a rollicking good story. 

Have you ever faced that challenge?  Let me suggest a three-step solution:

1. Start with a problem.
2. Make that problem significant.
3. Propel it to critical.

With The Triumph of Grace, book 3 of Grace in Africa, it goes something like this:

• Grace is separated from her love, Cabeto.
• Grace is sold as a slave.
• Grace and Cabeto are running for their lives.

With The Faith of Ashish, book 1 of Blessings inIndia, it goes something like this:

• Little Ashish suffers a severe beating and needs medical care.
• Ashish’s father exchanges his freedom for his child’s life
• Ashish’s family is enslaved forever.

 Strong story needs accelerating conflict.  Not necessarily violence, mind you.  But defiantly conflict.  Do that well and we won’t be able to put your book down!

““We don’t write what we know. We write what we wonder about.”

Richard Peck