Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hello and welcome to writing Fiction That Sells
the PCCSELF Approach. My name is Nia Hogan and
I'm a multi published in the author of both
fiction and non-fiction. I originally introduced
the PCCSELF Approach at the end of my very
first Skillshare course, Novel Writing For Beginners. The PCCSELF Approach is an
acronym I created to serve as a friendly reminder that your finished novel
should be an authentic, thought-provoking,
focused piece of writing. Unlike anything on
the market that readers can connect
to and engage with, that exudes your
own sense of style. This approach helps new
writers ensure that their final Fiction
piece has the potential to sell
for years to come. This course is for
beginner writers, as well as authors
who are looking to re-release they're
published work. This course is not for riders of nonfiction or writers who already have a strong handle on what a book needs
in order to sell. This is not a marketing course, but rather a class
to provide you with a reliable strategy that I use myself and that you can
use for your own writing. In this course, I
will explain how this approach can
work for you and go over in-depth each letter
of the acronym PCCSELF. With this class in
the project section, you'll find the PCCSELF
Approach Reference Guide to help you review and
revise your own writing
2. How Can the P.C.C.S.E.L.F Approach Work for Me?: Now without further ado, let's get into the
first lecture. How Can the PCCSELF
Approach Work for Me? I created this Approach
to give writers as simple acronym to remember what their finished
novel should be. This strategy is
recommended to be used at three key points in
the writing process. During planning,
during the editing of your first draft and during the proofreading of
your final draft. During the planning process is a great time to ensure that your outline covers all
seven parts of the Approach. If you plan for success, you likely won't have to make as many significant changes
to your story later. Oftentimes your first draft
takes on a mind of its own. Even with a detailed outline. This isn't a bad thing, but sometimes an idea
strikes and you run with it. It's important to make sure that your story contains
everything needed to sell itself once the first draft is finished before you
begin the heavy editing. And finally, reviewing
the Approach before sending it off for
publishing allows you to ensure that your story is
everything it needs to be whenever and however
you choose to use the PCCSELF Approach
is up to you. However, this best serves. You may be unique to
your writing process
3. Breaking Down the Acronym P.C.C.S.E.L.F: If you're ready, let's
dive into each letter of the acronym PCC self. P is for provoking. Give readers the room they
need to think for themselves. Oftentimes, the
storytellers, we want to paint the clearest
picture possible for our readers by telling
them everything about the characters and what
is going on around them. While creating
well-developed scenes and characters as part of creating
a well-developed plot. We have to remember
that our readers are also critical thinkers. They want their mind
to be stretched. They want to make
predictions and for, and think deeper than
what's on the surface. Let's use character
motivations as an example. Let's say a character
has been very detail-oriented throughout the entire first
part of the novel, but then leaves behind something
very important to them. The reader's going
to wonder why. As the author, you
can either explain their choice or let the
reader think for themselves. Let's think about
it like a film. The camera may zoom in
on something in a scene and the characters provide
zero explanation for it. You know, there's
a reason for it. And then you start
making inferences about the purpose
of that object. Maybe why the director chose to zoom in on it
in the first place. Readers don't want
everything served to them. Mysteries and thrillers
aren't the only genres where readers want to ask
themselves questions. C stands for creative, a unique experience for readers and thinks
outside of the box. Effective storytelling
turns a retelling into a fresh
literary experience. This is why we continue
to consume versions of the same classic novels that have been retold
for centuries. But even if you're
doing a retelling, your story should feel unlike anything
else in the market. The experience should be new. Even if you're not
writing a retelling, making texts to texts
connections are a natural part of
analyzing literature. Readers are going to draw a
background knowledge and make authentic connections to gain a deeper understanding
of what they're reading. A seasoned reader is likely
going to think about other books when reading yours
for a number of reasons. The thing you don't want to happen is for them to feel like your work is a carbon copy of something that
they've read before. The best way to
prevent this is to read more in the genre
that you're writing. So you have more exposure to
what's already out there. Research popular new releases. But more importantly,
right from the heart, all writers have a
personal connection to the stories they write. They leave themselves on
the pages of their work. Another thing to
consider as you write is how can you think
outside the box? What could happen to
the main character that is unexpected? What's a twist I can add
to elevate the storyline. The second C is for connecting, relatable, and helps
readers feel something. Our favorite books
are the ones that we feel the deepest connection to. Whether it's how relatable
the characters were for us, or maybe how the plot or
theme hit close to home. Regardless, we felt something
that stuck with us. I have so many favorite books
for many different reasons. But I'll just use three that
stand out to me right now. My favorite author is Tiffany D. Jackson. She's a young
adult author and my favorite book
that she's written is Monday isn't coming. While I didn't see myself in
any of the main characters, Jackson took me through an
emotional roller coaster. The ending wrecked me in
the best possible way. As an educator,
I've spent most of my career in underserved
communities. This book made me
think about students who are victims of
abuse and neglect and how important it
is to be vigilant and to advocate
for our students. I felt most connected to Ms.
Valencia because she was an advocate and it was clear she cared
about her students. I've read this book three times. And each time it reminds me of how broken the
Social Work system is and how the lack of funding truly impacts the lives
of the people it serves. Next up on my
favorite book list is the to all the boys
I ever loved series. I typically don't
go for romance, but once I got through
the first half of the first book in the series, I fell in love and
could not stop reading. In this series. I also didn't feel super connected to any
of the characters, but I loved how the
author Jenny Han made me feel like I was in the inner
circle of the storyworld. I was invested in law, are coming of age and watching
her choose with her heart. This was more than a love story. It was a reflection of the
fragility of young love and the strength to conquer the
messy parts of adolescents. I also loved that the catalysts
of the story made for an interesting storyline as her loves received
their letters. There on my list is
Esperanza rising. I read this book
when it first came out, but it didn't have, I didn't have a memory memorable connection to it because I didn't have a lot of
background knowledge to understand the
strength of the plot. I read it again with my summer school class two years ago. And I was able to appreciate the rich historical context and provided it was the
perfect period piece and it truly deserves
a film adaptation. Listen, I cried at the end, and I can't think
of any other book that is brought me to tears. There were so many
unexpected twists and turns. And I appreciated how the authentic reflection
of history was painted and how the
theme of how history continues to repeat itself
was apparent throughout. As you write for your audience, remember that they may
not live the same life, your character lives, or be
from the same place or time. But you can still create an
unforgettable experience with your words that
readers can connect to and hold in their
hearts forever Next up is stylish, an individual way of writing
that is unique to you, much like your fingerprint. Who is your favorite author? What about them? Do you love? It's likely
their style of writing. When I'm choosing new stories, the writing style always
trumps the storyline. If after the first few pages, the style of storytelling
does not grab me, no matter how interesting
the summary sounds, I often don't continue to read. If your author has
multiple titles like my favorite Tiffany D. Jackson does, then all of their books maybe just
a little bit different. But they all have the same unique
style because they were penned by the same person. You are writing style is
like your fingerprint. It may seem similar
to someone else's, but at the end of
the day, your voice, style and perspective is unique. Embracing our
individuality is key. And while most
writers know this, there are still
plenty of new writers who don't trust the writer DNA. They want to mimic the
craft and style of best-selling author
or authors they love. They haven't found
their own voice yet. I fell into the same trap my first few years
is a new writer. Another issue I
noticed a lot when critiquing drafts is
that the style is inconsistent throughout
as if to writers have written halfs of the book and then without
consulting one another, merge the two documents. These are things to be mindful of in the final stages
of your writing. Does this story sound like me? Are my words resonating? Am I feeling myself in my words? Don't get lost in trying
to be somebody you're not. Your style is beautiful and special and is worthy
of the spotlight. Up next is engaging interests
and excites readers, is unpredictable and
worth investing in. The only way to know
what your target reader will be interested in is to one, understand your genre and to, to do current market research on the readers of that genre. Understanding your
genre is the easy part. And should if this is your first time
writing in the genre, be the first thing you research before beginning to
plan your story. Understanding what
elements are expected and possible within your
genre is important. Readers of romance or expecting a plot centered
around a love story. Readers of fantasy or expecting fantastical elements that can't
happen in the real-world. If you're writing
science fiction, but your storyline is better
fit for historical fiction, your target audience will
never find your book. While this seems
like a simple step, you'd be surprised how
many indie authors have mislabeled their book. I stress current market research because the market
is ever-changing. This can be done in
many ways and is really dependent on your position
in the community, your available resources, and what information will be
helpful to you as you write. Margaret Research
doesn't have to be your own research either. You can use what others have compiled to help with
your decision-making. But if you'd like to be
involved in collecting data, you can create polls on social media or even host discussion
groups with your audience. You can observe book talks
and discussions online. Read reviews that have been
left on major book retailers, or read up on new discussion posts in places where readers like to hang out, such as websites like GoodReads. It's a good idea to do research on the best sellers
in your genre. To see how majority of
readers feel about the work. What are some things
they enjoyed and didn't like to help understand the temperature of
the market as well. It's very rare that
a book with 1,000 reviews will all be positive. There are many cynical readers out who don't understand
what goes into writing a book or simply leave negative or subpar reviews
on everything they read. You're looking at
what the majority of the audience thinks. Also remember that your
story doesn't have to be an adventure tale
to take readers on an exciting ride and engaging story as well paced
with strong plot points, dialogue and character
development. And engaging storyline
keeps readers invested in the protagonist's journey
from start to finish. Writing a book with
unexpected twist won't apply to every
book and every genre. But writing a story
that's unpredictable is important to keep
readers on their toes. Readers don't want to
finish a book that they feel they already
know the ending too. It's important to give
your readers a sense of mystery and room to consider
multiple crossroads. L stands for Logical, believable, no matter how
fabricated the storyline is. When I use the word believable, I do not mean
realistic necessarily. Harry Potter, for example, is far from realistic. But the storylines are
all very believable. Meaning in the world
that was created, what happened to
these characters? The choices they made, the conflict and the
resolution was believable. When you create a storyworld, it's a good idea to
know beforehand what can and cannot happen
in this world. Are characters able to fly? Can they read minds? Does technology rules society? It's important to
know how characters can and cannot interact
in their world. This helps create a realistic expectation for your reader. Think about when someone with an active imagination tells
you a story about their day. If they start talking
about things that couldn't possibly happen
in the real-world, you are unlikely to believe
what they're telling you and likely disinterested
in the story itself. Readers feel the same way. So a fantasy elements start appearing and realistic fiction, your readers will naturally lose trust in your
storytelling abilities. And finally, F is for
focused, resolves, conflict, ties up loose ends and stays on track
from start to finish. It's easy to lose track of your story without
a defined plan. But many writers can
successfully accomplish this. Focused story, however,
is going to resolve any conflicts that has been
presented in the story. It is going to tie up
any loose ends that are important to understanding the full spectrum of the story. It is also going to ensure that all storylines are completely
and fully developed. The easiest way to
do this is to write down how each storyline
starts and ends. Even a book with a C-Cl has to answer some burning questions, if not most, ensuring
that your story comes full circle helps the
readers feel whole by the end
4. Conclusion: Now that we've
reviewed the Acronym, my hope is that by utilizing
the PCCSELF Approach, that you not only
feel confident that you have a book that will sell, but you understand
if your book has everything it needs
to sell itself. By sell itself, I don't
mean publish and let it be. What I mean is that the story is likely not the issue
when it comes to sales. To many authors aren't selling books because the
story itself isn't something they're intended
audience wants to read or it's missing
something essential. Writing Fiction That Sells
is the hardest part. But you've got the
PCCSELF Approach. Your book will have
everything it needs. In this class, we
discussed how the PCs, the PCCSELF Approach
can work for you, what each letter of
the acronym means, and how you can
approach this process. This concludes writing Fiction That Sells
the PCCSELF Approach. Again, my name is Nia
Hogan and as always, it's been a pleasure
taking you through the process that I
use and encouraged new writers to take
into account with their fiction writing pieces. If you found the content
of this course helpful, please leave a
positive review for future students to
understand its value. If you have any private
questions or comments, you're always welcome
to e-mail me at Novel Writing For
beginners@gmail.com. I wish you all the best
on your writing journey. Happy writing
Nia Hogan, Storyteller
