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From First Draft to Finished Novel
A Writer's Guide to Cohesive Story Building
by Karen S. Wiesner
Writer's Digest Books, 2008
ISBN 978-1-58297-551-1
$19.99 paperback, 272 pages

Download the Worksheets!
Click here to view or download the five outlining worksheets from Appendix E:

Worksheet 1: Character Sketch
Worksheet 2: General Setting Sketch
Worksheet 3: Character Setting Sketch
Worksheet 4: Plot Sketch
Worksheet 5: Formatted Outline Capsule

Click here to view or download the five master checklists from Appendix F:

Checklist 1: Story Plan Checklist
Checklist 2: Cohesion Checklist
Checklist 3: Punch Checklist
Checklist 4: Revision Checklist
Checklist 5: Editing and Polishing Checklist    

Read an Excerpt!
Layering a story takes precision and patience. Click here to read an excerpt from the introduction and learn more about the philosophy of cohesive story building.

Online Exclusive: Q&A With Author Karen S. Wiesner
Successful novelist Karen Wiesner talks about what it takes to become a prolific author, how to build a strong author/editor relationship, and much more.

About the Book
Build a fully developed, multi-layered story from the ground up! Writing a story is not that much different than building a house. Both require some brainstorming (to provide a clear vision), a blueprint or outline (to lay a solid foundation upon which that vision can be built), building or drafting (to make the vision a reality), and decorating or revising (to polish the masterpiece and make it presentable to the public).

In From First Draft to Finished Novel, novelist Karen S. Wiesner carefully explores each of these stages, showing you how to:

• Create a quick outline to help organize and expand your original idea
• Develop a detailed Story Plan Checklist to solidify your story’s details
• Combine and effectively use tools like your outline and story checklist to weave together a cohesive draft
• Put together a strong query letter and submission package

This book also features exclusive worksheets, checklists, and detailed examples designed to help you:

• Improve your outlining techniques through the use of character, plot, and setting sketches
• Write a strong Story Plan Checklist that ensures your characters evolve and your plot progresses
• Develop your editing skills using revision and “punch” checklists

Whether you’re working on a new story or a project in development, From First Draft to Finished Novel is your blueprint to a story readers won’t be able to resist.


About the Author
Karen S. Wiesner is an accomplished author who has published fifty-six books in the past ten years and has eleven more releases forthcoming spanning many categories and formats. Karen’s books have been nominated for and/or won sixty-eight awards, and they cover such genres as women’s fiction, romance, mystery/police procedural/cozy, suspense, paranormal, futuristic, gothic, inspirational, thriller, horror, and action/adventure. She also writes children’s books, poetry, and writing reference titles such as her bestseller, First Draft in 30 Days, available from Writer’s Digest Books. 

Her previous writers’ reference titles focused on non-subsidy, royalty-paying electronic publishing, author promotion, and setting up a promotional group like her own, the award-winning Jewels of the Quill, which she founded in 2003. The group publishes two anthologies a year, edited by Karen and others. She is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), EPIC, Sisters in Crime Internet Chapter, BooksWeLove.net, and World Romance Writers. In addition to her writing, Karen enjoys designing Web sites, graphics, and cover art. She lives in Wisconsin with her long-suffering husband and son. 

For more information about Karen and her work, visit her Web sites at www.karenwiesner.com, www.firstdraftin30days.com, www.falconsbend.com, and www.JewelsoftheQuill.com. If you would like to receive Karen’s free e-mail newsletter, Karen’s Quill, and become eligible to win her monthly book giveaways, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KarensQuill or send a blank e-mail to KarensQuill-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.


Table of Contents
Introduction: Principles of Building a Cohesive Story

The Essential Process of Layering
Layering to Gain Cohesion
How to Use This Book
Getting Started

Layer I: Planning for and Laying a Foundation

Stage 1: Brainstorming
Stage 2: Researching
Stage 3: Story Blueprinting
Stage 4: Setting the Story Blueprint Aside

Layer II, Part A: Building on the Foundation

Stage 1: Building a Cohesive Story With a Story Plan Checklist
Stage 2: Evaluating the Blueprint

Layer II, Part B: Strengthening the Foundation

Stage 3: Writing the First Draft
Stage 4: Creating a Punch List

Layer III: Decorating

Stage 1: Revising
Stage 2: Involving Critique Partners
Stage 3: Setting the Final Draft Aside
Stage 4: Final Editing and Polishing

Layer IV: Preparing a Proposal

The Query Letter    
The Synopsis    
The Partial
Putting the Proposal Together

Epilogue: The Cohesive Story    
Appendix A: Glossary of Terms
Appendix B: Story Plan Checklist Exercises
Appendix C: Editing and Polishing Exercises
Appendix D: Story Plan Checklist Examples

Example 1: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
Example 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
Example 3: Scared to Death, by Debby Giusti
Example 4: The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs

Appendix E: Outlining Worksheets

Worksheet 1: Character Sketch
Worksheet 2: General Setting Sketch
Worksheet 3: Character Setting Sketch
Worksheet 4: Plot Sketch
Worksheet 5: Formatted Outline Capsule

Appendix F: Story Checklists

Checklist 1: Story Plan Checklist
Checklist 2: Cohesion Checklist
Checklist 3: Punch Checklist
Checklist 4: Revision Checklist
Checklist 5: Editing and Polishing Checklist    

Appendix G: Sample Submission Elements

Sample 1: The Query Letter
Sample 2: The Synopsis
Sample 3: The Partial

Index