The genesis of this blog comes from the thousands of folks who have attended Larry Brooks’ writing workshops. The consensus is this: “I’ve been attending writing workshops for many years, and I’ve read all the how-to books, and this is not only the best thing I’ve heard, it’s the first time someone has actually shown me HOW to write a novel (and/or a screenplay), structurally and thematically.” The developmental model referenced in that consensus feedback is what Brooks calls “The Six Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling,” which is the topic of his forthcoming book by the same name.

Writing workshops and how-to books come in all flavors and intentions. But rarely is the process broken down into specific developmental criteria, from concept to character to sequence and theme, with a vision for how all the parts come together to become a whole in excess of their parts. This blog is based on that process.

Brooks is a critically-acclaimed bestselling author of four psychological thrillers, in addition to his work as a freelance writer and writing instructor.

His message to all writers who wish to publish is this: the bar is very high, and the market is very crowded. There is only one thing you have control over in this business, and it’s not your career (which is largely out of your hands, to be honest) — it’s your manuscript. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it needs to be better than perfect. It needs to grab an agent or an editor who has seen it all before by the throat and squeeze. This blog is about how you can evolve your work to that level.