Deconstructing Deadly Illusions—What Not to Do With Your Manuscript

By Bonnie Randall

Part of The How They Do It Series 

JH: The smart writer learns from the mistakes of others. Bonnie Randall shares what went wrong with a story that made plenty of them, and how we can avoid those same mistakes.

Friends, because I’m a little salty these days, and because Netflix is a quadra-gajillion-earning empire (and therefore will not, in any way, suffer from this tiny hit piece), I decided to deconstruct one of their latest movies—a total stinkeroo called Deadly Illusions—in order to illustrate what not to do with your story.

So, if you’re prepared to hear a little snark, here we go:

The Promise of the First Chapter

By Chris Eboch, @Kris_Bock

Part of the How They Do It Series 

JH: A novel's first chapter makes a promise to readers about the book. Chris Eboch shares tips on how writers can keep those promises.

Chris Eboch’s writing craft books include Advanced Plotting and You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers. 

Chris is the author of over 60 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader through teen. Learn more or read excerpts at www.chriseboch.com or visit her page on Amazon or Amazon UK. (For other countries click here.) Check out her writing tips at her Write Like a Pro! blog.

Chris writes for adults under the name Kris Bock. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)

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Take it away Chris… 

What “The Intern” Can Teach Us About Keeping Our Story Promise

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

My husband and I watched the movie, The Intern, the other night. The first half was great—funny, sweet, unexpected. Then it veered off track and turned into a different movie. Not so funny. Not so sweet. Only unexpected in that it made you say, “Whaa? What happened?”

It forgot the story promise it made to its viewers.

Note: Spoilers ahead, as I can’t talk about why this is an issue without giving things away. But it won’t really spoil the ending, because sadly, the ending, spoiled the ending.