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How to Write Stories That Work

- And Get Them Published 

 

An e-course for writers who are serious about being successful

How to Write Stories That Work -and Get Them Published e-course

• Write stories that attract readers using the secret language of fiction.

 

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• Have a published book in your hands with your name on it.

What’s different about this course?

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This course is all about the PHYSICS that makes

'hero's journeys', three-act structures, character

development and all those other things work in fiction.

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• It contains the principles that lie behind

almost all other advice you'll ever read about.

 

• This course doesn’t tell you about getting published,

it walks you through the entire process

- at a fraction of the cost.

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• Become an independent publisher empowered to

print and distribute your own work

from the moment you complete the course.

 

 

Forty years of study of fiction enabled me

to unlock the answers to the following questions: 

 

• How powerful do your ideas have to be

to make your book work?

 

• What makes characters attractive

- and what doesn't?

(And what actually is a 'character'?)

 

• How can you get guaranteed

emotional commitment from readers?

 

• What is the invisible force which drives plots forward

and glues the reader to each page?

 

• How can you make sure that you don't

disappoint your readers?

 

Without confident answers to these questions,

you have very little chance of attracting readers. 

 

 

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I've always been fascinated by fiction -what it is,

why it works, why we read it.

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I wanted to know why certain books appealed to

me, and why others didn't.

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I wanted to know how some stories achieved 

spectacular effects, while others fell flat before

they even got going.

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I wanted to know why some authors held me in a 

spell, while others struggled to keep my attention.

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What was it about the works of C. S. Lewis or

J. R. R. Tolkien that had such a powerful effect

on me and on thousands of others?

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How did J. K. Rowling manage to gain so many 

followers?

 

Why did some authors make it commercially, while

others struggled all their lives?

 

What were the secrets of the 'master authors'?

 

Why did writers like Shakespeare and Dickens have

god-like status?

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How did movie makers like George Lucas or

Steven Spielberg come up with hit after hit?

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What was happening to create television

success stories like Doctor Who or Friends?

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Were there common denominators behind all 

successful fiction?

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What mechanisms were at work in these stories 

that got such results?

 

Everything in this course is based on my

extensive 40-year study of English literature

and popular fiction, ranging from Shakespeare

to contemporary movies like Star Wars or the

Marvel superhero films or American television

sit-coms, as I tried to answer these and other

questions.

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Work examined during the course includes that

of master authors like Hardy, Austen,

E. M. Forster, C. S. Lewis and many others.

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Students also get to examine film hits like

It's a Wonderful Life or Captain America:

The Winter Soldier, and TV smash hits like

American situation comedy Friends.

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What they find is something truly amazing, 

something that takes their breath away every time:

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All successful stories have distinct patterns

in common.

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This isn't about 'the hero's journey' or 

three act structures; this is about simple

fundamentals that are so simple and so

fundamental that they will change the way you 

look at fiction forever.

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outline of a story that isn't working
reader-orientated and writer-orientated pyramid
C. S. Lewis author
J. R. R. Tolkien
J. K. Rowling
Shakespeare
Charles Dickens
Steven Spielberg
George Lucas

You read so many stories as a child, and at school, loving them or hating them without really knowing why.

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You encounter so much fiction through films, plays and the internet, and are drawn to it or repelled by it without understanding the forces that are at work.

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You accept so many standard things, like characters and plots, without questioning how they are affecting you.

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Fiction can be taken apart, right in front of you, with its components laid out before you like the pieces of an engine - and when it is, you will truly appreciate what it does and how it accomplishes its effects on you.

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There are five basic mechanisms at work in any good story:

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These create forces which act to 

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attract you to a central figure, which you know as a 'character' (you'll find out what a 'character' really is and how to build a convincing one in minutes -and it has nothing to do with listing out what he or she would do in certain situations)

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compel you to turn page after page to find out what happens

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stick you to every scene until you can figure out what is really going on

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involve and engage you by asking you to make moral choices

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captivate you completely in the author's main message and drive you forward to the story's conclusion.

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If any of these mechanisms are missing or not functioning at full capacity, a story loses its power to move its readers.

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You, as a reader, lose interest; your attention wanders; you predict too easily what will happen; you put down the book or walk out of the cinema or switch off the television.

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Effectively, the story fails.

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Introduce any of these mechanisms (not even all of them) and a story can pick up your interest, grab your attention, surprise you, and glue you to your seat until the tale is done.

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Apart from these five basic mechanisms, there are other things too which most good stories contain:

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• a set of incredibly distinct and amazingly universal archetypes (quite different to those you might be expecting)

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• a sequence of happenings which propel readers and viewers forward time after time, even though they have seen the same sequence many times before

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four powerful and moving endings which create lasting impact on readers and viewers

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'attention commanders' embedded in the tale which tell you what to expect and what the story is really all about.

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Once you know how the engine of fiction is constructed, you will never be able to read a book or watch a film or attend a play in the same way again.

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But, rather than spoiling your fun, you'll become an expert, and be far more able to appreciate the magic and the craft of story-telling.

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You will become a 'story-whisperer', able to see things in and do things with fiction which will seem like magic to those around you.

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Your own favourite stories will suddenly come to life in new ways; you will immediately appreciate how your favourite authors had such an effect on you.

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And you will become expert in doing the same things in your own fiction.

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In 2016, this material, the result of four decades of research and testing, was condensed into the book How Stories Really Work, about which you can read more here.

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But I was struck by the excitement and questions generated by the book, and so I went further, and developed a course from the book which consists of 12 easy to apply modules.

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Step by step, you learn to

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• manage your time so that you get writing actually done

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understand the five basic mechanisms which control and guide reader attention 

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develop genuinely attractive characters along universally workable lines 

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work on your writing style so that it reflects your underlying themes and intentions

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construct a bridge to your exact target audience

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deliver powerful emotional messages which can change readers forever.

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You also learn how to

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proofread and edit your own work

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format a manuscript ready for publication

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independently publish your own work

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market and sell your own published book to readers.

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At this point, you may be thinking, 'What is all this going to cost?'

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But, because I have reduced all this material down into an easy-to-read pdf format, which you can download directly to your computer or even to your phone, this isn't going to cost a fortune.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
James Bond
Romeo and Juliet
Industrial Revolution
Hitchcock's Psycho
Galadriel
Star Wars
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Bilbo and Gollum
Marvel's Doctor Strange
Richard Attenborough, Brighton Rock
Polanski's Macbeth
Marvel's Thor
The First Doctor, Doctor Who
£700.00 + VAT from Lulu.com
(Discounts are available)

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The course reduces every aspect of my complex consultancy

down to simple actions which you can do yourself,

from your own computer.

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Feedback as you progress

 

• As the course continues, it becomes

more and more ‘tailor-made’ to fit your needs

 

• You get a direct line to me and precise tips

for your fiction.

 

• All submissions from the course are looked at live 

using over 40 years of experience in studying

fiction of all kinds. 

 

• You will get feedback on how to use your ideas,

how to develop your characters, how to attract

readers and get emotional commitment from

them and a whole lot more.

 

 

Publishing your work

 

In the second part of the course, you’ll

 

•get into print for real

 

and

 

• learn how to market your own book

to the masses through Amazon and others

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Once you have your story ready, based on

the advice you'll get in this course, you’ll have

a proof-read manuscript that has been

edited into shape.

 

You’ll get instructions on how to get your manuscript

formatted, page numbered and so on.

 

Then you’ll get published, to your specifications.

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Unique, Exclusive Material

 

This e-course contains unique, exclusive material

not to be found anywhere else on the planet.

 

It’s based on 40 years of research and work in the

field of literature.

 

It’s been field-tested with students over fifteen years.

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Become a master author and gain:

 

• a profound knowledge and insight into

how stories really work

 

• the secrets of master authors

through the centuries

 

• how to design attractive characters

 

• how to glue readers to the page

 

•how to build a workable plot

 

•how to fulfil your readers’ expectations

 

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‘I was extremely impressed. This is not idle flattery.

You’ve done a superb job in uncovering the

factors that go into making a great piece of literature.’

-B.R. (Executive)

‘This is an absolutely amazing achievement!

I highly recommend it to anyone interested

in writing fiction.’

-T.R. (Student)

'It’s beautiful, informative, essential reading for anyone who wants to write fiction.

It’s almost a responsibility point,

you’re committing a crime if you don’t get it

into peoples’ hands!!!’

-B.R. (Author)

'I'm reading through "How Stories Really Work."

I've studied writing books for years but I've

never seen anything like this! 

This book is REVOLUTIONARY.

Everything is made so simple and precise that other

methods of writing seem clumsy by comparison.

It's not just a way of writing, but a way of seeing.

​-A. P. (Author)

Your book is teaching me all the stuff that the other books don’t! I can learn all about three-act structures and all that stuff elsewhere -this book is telling me exactly

what to put INTO the structure! It makes writing

so easy and you can immediately spot

where you’re going wrong!

Excellent!’

-L.J. (Professional)

£700.00 + VAT from Lulu.com
(Discounts are available)
£700.00 + VAT from Lulu.com
(Discounts are available)

Skills you will master:

 

Energise your creative ideas

 

Implement the secrets of the master authors

- ranging from Shakespeare and Dickens

through to modern television and screenwriters

 

• Be able to proofread and edit a work

 

• Become empowered to self-publish

any kind of work you wish in the future

 

• Understand how marketing and sales work,

what makes them tick and how to apply them

to your book(s)

 

and more.

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The whole course,

complete with bonus material,

is worth £1,000s.

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It's available now for £700.00 -with big discounts for Inner Circle Writers' Group members and Inner Circle Writers' Magazine subscribers.

That’s complete with a

30-day money-back guarantee

in the highly unlikely event that you’re not happy with your purchase.

​

That means there is

no risk at all

in purchasing this course.

• This is designed as a

twelve-week course

but you can do it in whatever

units of time you wish. 

 

• The first week is an overview and

provides help in planning your time

so that the rest of your life doesn’t

get in the way of you getting the

most out of the course. 

 

• All modules are contained in

one complete course pack

a pdf downloadable document,

so you can read and work on

them wherever you are.

 

• You can

ask questions during each module

and I’ll answer them personally ASAP.

 

• During certain weeks, you’ll be able to

submit your work for a tailor-made critique.

 

• After the course ends, you’ll have

access to the course with all its modules

for as long as you like

in case you need to go through them

more than once or can’t work through them

all during the course.

 

• On application at the end, you’ll receive an

invitation to join a

private Facebook group

so that you can connect with other writers

if you wish to.

Through the comment sections, Facebook group

and feedback sessions, you’ll have the opportunity

to connect with each other, get support

and encouragement and get personal feedback.

£700.00 + VAT from Lulu.com
(Discounts are available)

What's in Each Week

 

For a bit more detail of what each week of the 12 week course contains, click on the following images:

£700.00 + VAT from Lulu.com
(Discounts are available)

Frequently Asked Questions

 

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How long will the course take?

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There is a huge amount of material in this course

- much, much more than a normal writing course. 

 

In the first part of the course there are tools for

managing time and other commitments, but

remember that you don’t have to do this course

in twelve weeks if you don’t want to.

 

The weekly modules are yours  to manage them

however you wish.

When does the course start and finish?

 

The course starts as soon as you sit down to do it.

It is a completely self-paced e-course.

 

You decide when you start and when you finish

and how much time you spend on it. 

How long do I have access to the course for?

 

You have

unlimited access to the whole course for as long as you like

across any and all devices you own.

 

You can download the materials and even print them

if you like, so you can keep them offline.

 

What if I am unhappy with the course?

 

It’s hard to imagine that you would be,

but if you are,

contact me in the first 30 days and

I'll give you a full refund.

 

Just email: 

 

grant@clarendonhousebooks.com

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Have a question that isn’t covered here? Simply email me at 

 

grant@clarendonhousebooks.com 

 

and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

 

Ready to begin?

£700.00 + VAT from Lulu.com
(Discounts are available)

Remember, the course includes a comprehensive

 

Marketing Programme 

 

AND

 

TWO sets of bonus material:

 

How to Succeed in Business as a Writer

 

This bonus package, worth £1,995.00 in itself,

is the simplified version of a

business mentoring procedure

especially adapted for writers.

You’ll learn the basics of how to operate your writing life

as a business, how to manage readers as customers

and much more.

 

AND

 

How to Achieve Your Personal Goals!

 

In this package, worth hundreds of pounds in its own right,

you’ll be taught how to apply the basics of success to yourself

and your immediate family and friends.

£700.00 + VAT from Lulu.com
(Discounts are available)

That’s complete with a

30-day money-back guarantee

in the highly unlikely event that you’re not happy with your purchase.

​

That means there is

no risk at all

in purchasing this course!

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