Story Medicine

Section One: Taking a Stand

A great story is a meaningful story—one that intersects with matters of justice, and leaves us with a sense of insight on the things that matter most in life.

Taking a stand in your work on the things that matter most to you is also a way of standing out on submission—a way of saying "this story matters NOW."

In Section One of this course, you will learn:

• How to engage with the issues that matter most to you in your fiction without coming across as preachy or didactic
• Strategies for engaging "big topics" in ways that feel artful and intimate
• Strategies for touching on political and social issues in ways that matter, regardless of the focus of your novel

*Common problems in novels addressed by this module:

• Lack of cohesion
• Lack of depth

This section features a special guest interview with Aya de León, award-winning author of nine novels, including The Justice Hustlers series.

Section Two: Reflecting Reality

Writing historically marginalized characters with care and sensitivity isn't a matter of being "woke"—it's a matter of reflecting the reality of those characters' lived experience.

Moreover: Getting these things wrong in this day and age can keep you from getting published (which MIGHT just be preferable to the sort of backlash you'll face if you do…).

In Section Two of Story Medicine, you will learn:

• How to write characters of races, cultures, and sexual orientations other than your own without falling into stereotypes, unconscious bias, or cultural appropriation
• The critical role of power dynamics in fiction
• Best practices for inclusive language

*Common problems in novels addressed by this module:

• Sensitivity issues (race, culture, gender, orientation, etc.)

This section features a special guest interview with Suzanne Wertheim, author of The Inclusive Language Field Guide: 6 Simple Steps for Avoiding Painful Mistakes and Communicating Respectfully.

Section Three: Centering the Heart

The key to generating strong emotion in your reader is centering the truth of their emotional journey in your story. (It's also a key strategy for getting published, because, as more than one editor has put it, "you cry, you buy").

In Section Three of this course, you will learn:

• How to establish a strong emotional connection with your reader from your very first page
• How to maintain that connection, and deepen it, as the story unfolds
• The key to an emotionally powerful climax

*Common issues in novels addressed by this module:

• Emotional flatness
• Pacing issues
• Issues with plot

This section features a special guest interview with Jennie Nash, founder of the Author Accelerator book-coach certification program and author of seven books in three genres.

Section Four: Illuminating the Dark

Protagonists aren't all good, antagonists aren't all bad—and all of us, at some point, have been impacted by trauma.

Digging into that truth is the key to creating a sense of complex characterization in your characters, while leveling up both your craft and your social impact with your story.

In Section Four of this course, you will learn:

• How to leverage the power of backstory to increase the sense of complexity in your main characters
• The key role of your protagonist's past struggles in their internal journey
• How to make your antagonists feel convincing and real by digging down to the level of their internal logic

*Common issues in novels addressed by this module:

• Issues with characterization (lack of complexity, "relatability," etc.)
• Agent feedback like "I'm just not in love with this story"

This section features a special guest interview with Reema Zaman, author of I Am Yours.