Masters in Story Theory1

What is a Story? Why do Stories Exist?

If your friend shouts: "Oh, My God! That woman is SUCH a--!"

You just finished that sentence, didn't you?! (Shame on you...) You filled in the gap. You completed the narrative logic. Instinctively. Unconsciously. Automatically. It's how the mind works. It fills in gaps to create complete narrative logic. This is fundamental psychology that you can use to engage and inspire your reader. 

Do you instinctively create a narrative progression from the static image, below? Do you project forwards and predict what will happen next? This is what we do. In small, medium, large and epic. And we do it the time.

Using interactive examples, you will understand the critical role that narrative plays in how our mind works, and exactly how every story gets its power to make you love it, take ownership and feel gripped.  

A Story Development Process2

From Story Seed to Pristine Book

It's hard to identify the inspiration for your story, and even harder to keep hold of that and make sure it retains it's integrity as the story grows into 100,000 words or more. Authors lose their way, and although they can make it to the finish line, it can be a long, hard process, and the story may not be what you'd hoped it would be at the outset. 

I will take you on the full story development process for many live examples, working online in real time with aspiring writers - members of the DreamEngine community - so you can watch the story development process in action. The first of these is there already - come watch my Zoom Calls With an Author!

I will be doing this for a major story development creating a 100,000 word story from nothing to a finished novel and movie - and some lucky people from the DreamEngine community will come as my guest to the premiere in London and LA (through my film production company, Skylark Vision). 

Marketing Through Story3

The MAIN Reason Writers Fail...

One word: Marketing. You don't do it, and what you do doesn't work.  

In sections 4 and 5 we teach you everything you need to know about marketing - I mean everything, from sales funnels to copywriting - and it's all done using story branding. That is, a type of marketing that uses story dynamics to frame your marketing campaign. 

Secret 1: It's not about selling books. It's about creating a brand and what I call a 'mythology' around yourself and your characters or expertise.  

Secret 2: When you come to sell yourself and your product, the hero of your story... is not you. 

Secret 3: You need a different approach to selling yourself to the industry from the one you need to sell books to the public.

Secret 4: If you do even a minimal amount of EFFECTIVE marketing, you will increase your chances of getting a deal exponentially. 

Tools and Methods4

The Secret to Success...

Well, the good news is, there IS a secret to success. The bad news is it's this: Hard work. Most artists don't do the hard yards. All their passion and energy goes into writing. However, by using story branding and giving say 10% of your time to getting the commercial side sorted, you WILL succeed. 

In this section we show you WHAT to do - that's a big part of it! We make a plan and we deliver using social media, so that over time, the internet will do the work for you. You get training in essential tools for e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Canva, Instagram, blogging and of course, creating an author mythology to bewitch the world... and have them buy books. 

Understand the Industry5

Your Paymasters

In order for all your efforts to be effective, you need an understanding of the agents, publishers, managers, producers - the people you will be targetting. Story branding means creating a hero's journey that leads to success. And the hero of your story... is NOT YOU. 

It's the publisher. What does THEIR journey look like? What does success mean for a publisher in their day? What can YOU do to ensure your hero makes it to their own personal holy grail... with you and your work. 

In these sessions we will understand the industry professionals and gear everything you do to making your work the answer to their prayers so it is a no-brainer for them to choose you and your stories.  

The Pinnacle6

The Author Mythology

Authors are rightfully proud of themselves and their book. And this is why they don't sell any books. An author isn't what sells and a book is not what sells. The book is just the ticket to the show. It's the show that sells. 

If I say 'JK Rowling' or 'Harry Potter' what do you think of? Hogwarts. Dark magic. Dumbledore. Muggles... An extraordinary story world. You don't think of the books. The book is just a ticket to the show. A portal to take you to the show. It's the show that sells. 

I call this the author mythology. In this section you will learn all about a mythology, how to create one around yourself, your characters and your story world, and then how to use social media to take your mythology to millions of people all over the world.

Using real-world examples and DreamEngine authors, you will learn that it's the mythology that sells your books.