What is Story Club?
Exclusive for VIPs!
Let’s get our learn on!
Welcome to my introduction of Story Club, my new experiment in deepening my understanding of story, story structure and sharing story with readers!
When I say, “Stop writing alone!” to anyone who will listen, I mean it on multiple levels (see the July 2022 Calendar of Events to get an idea of what I am starting with!):
being productive together (Write-Ins)
being accountable (Goals & Accountability)
having fun (Writing Prompt Parties)
fine tuning our craft (Critique Partnerships), and
LEARNING TOGETHER!
That last bullet point is where Story Club comes in. The Stop Writing Alone Story Club is a regular examination of storytelling, writing, and other aspects of craft using the distant teachers hanging out on our bookshelves. I own, and adore, so many books on writing and books with beautiful writing that I know I can learn from just by “w-reading” (reading with my writer brain ON) them, however, all of these books become even more powerful when I can discuss what I am getting out of them with other writers. Story Club is my effort to make this happen within the Stop Writing Alone community.
Of course, with my massive book addiction, where does one begin with such an exploration? Well, last year I discovered and became fascinated by the book 27 Essential Principles of Story: Master the Secrets of Great Storytelling, from Shakespeare to South Park by Daniel Joshua Rubin. It felt like a course in a book, so why not start there?
The Monthly Plan
Each month the Story Club will focus on one lesson (chapter) of the book, along with the “Master Story” of the lesson. For example, in July 2022, we will be reading chapter/lesson 1 “Drop the hammer.” and looking at the “master story” Hamlet by William Shakespeare, but then in August 2022, we will be reading chapter/lesson 2 “Ask dramatic questions.” and watching Finding Nemo. The “master stories” run the gamut from short stories to films, songs, video games and more. Each month, I will show up weekly to check in with the Stop Writing Alone VIPs (very invested paid subscribers) in the following ways:
week 1: intro to the lesson/master story of the month post
week 2: writing exercise to practice the lesson of the month in our own writing
week 3: live Zoom call to discuss lesson/master story of the month (July’s meeting date can be found on our July Events Calendar)
week 4: reflection/recap of big takeaways from the month
I am so looking forward to this learning experience! And I love that it is just a part of the community connection that will be happening with the VIPs. If you are ready to join in on this experience, the exclusive write-ins, the weekly goal setting & accountability posts, the extra writing prompt parties, and more, then join us for $5 for the month of July, or $50 to buy in for the full year in advance. THe first official Story Club post is coming tomorrow!