Day 1: Deep Editing Power Master Class
Writing with Psychological Power
By Margie Lawson
On Day 1 of this power-packed, high energy master class, participants will:
1. Dig deeper into the EDITS System. Interpret the interplay of patterns on the page and analyze what’s needed to strengthen the scene.
2. Analyze your use of Margie’s ‘Four Levels of Powering Up Emotion.’ Revise as needed.
3. Tune your Cadence Ear. Assess the rhythm and cadence and beats of scenes in your WIP.
4. Review 25 rhetorical devices and create your top 15 list—and use them. Examples of rhetorical devices from bestselling authors will motivate writers to follow their lead.
5. Apply Margie’s Killer Five Question Scene Checklist.
6. Review scenes in your WIP – and check:
-- Stimulus-response patterns
-- Motivation Response Units
-- Fresh visceral
-- Emotional Hits
-- Back-story management
-- Power lines
-- Throw-away words
-- Cliché twists
-- Backloading
7. Add psychological power to key scenes and turning points. Create some NYT writing.
8. Develop a personal editing checklist from the Master Deep Editing Checklist.
Day 2: Deep Editing Power Master Class
Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues
Like a Psychologist
By Margie Lawson
Day 2 is designed to use your brain in a different way. The focus is on two components of writing: body language and dialogue cues.
Participants will dive into exploring the full range of fresh body language and dialogue cues for POV and non-POV Characters -- and learn how to write them with psychological power.
Focusing on Body Language:
-- Facial expressions: lips, eyes, chin, full face, flicker-face, macro- and micro-expressions
-- Kinesics: communicating by body movement
-- Proxemics: communicating by body positioning
-- Haptics: communication by touch
-- Body Language Clusters
-- Avoidance and Deception Cues
-- Gesture Types: emblems, illustrators,regulators, beat gestures, affect displays
-- Vibes – beyond spidey senses and hair-raising
-- Turning Points driven by subtle body language cues
Focusing on Dialogue Cues:
Dialogue Cues: How the writer describes how the dialogue is delivered. Dialogue cues are one part of writing nonverbal communication. They’re one part writers often overlook.
-- Tone
-- Volume
-- Inflection
-- Pitch
-- Quality
-- Rate
Focusing on Body Language and Dialogue Cues:
Participants will learn how to write Body Language and Dialogue Cues with psychological power by:
-- Avoiding clichés and writing fresh
-- Using Margie’s Four Levels: Basic, Complex, Empowered, Super Empowered
-- Using a range of rhetorical devices
-- Empowering Stimulus Response Patterns
-- Strengthening an Emotional Response
-- Creating Hyphenated-run-ons
-- Creating Scene-themed, Setting-themed, and Character-themed connections
Teaching points will be illustrated with examples from pre-published, debut, and bestselling authors. Excerpts will be deep edited, dissected, and analyzed.
Participants will apply what they learn about writing body language and dialogue cues to their scenes throughout the day.
By the end of the Write At Sea: Deep Editing Power Master Class, participants will have honed their deep editing skills and learned how to strengthen their scenes. They will be closer to winning a contest, getting a contract, claiming a spot on a bestseller list.