Writer's World

Learning with the great David Mark Brown - LostDMBFiles

I had the pleasure of talking with David Brown aka LostDMBFiles on Wattpad. To be honest it turned out to be one of the best writing classes I have had, everytime I talk to this man I learn something new, and now it will be shared with you. Plenty of tips and advice is involved along with a brilliant challenge question answer. 

Question 1. All of your covers are awesome, how important is it for a writer to have a good cover? 

Hmmm. Between having writing skills and having a good cover it's a close call. I'd say writing skills are more important but just barely. Your cover sells your first book. The content sells the next. Without a good cover you don't sell either. You have got the covers covered. 

 Question 2. One thing I have noticed in your work is that the dialogue is powerful. What advice would you give to writers when writing dialogue?

Good question. Dialogue is like a kick in the nuts. It's hard to describe the feeling, but when it happens we know it's for real. That said, I've gotten a few good tips from others that seem to work for me. 1.) write the way people think people talk, not the way they actually talk 2.) try out what you've written by saying it out loud. 3.) assume your characters are brilliant and polished in their own ways. Cherry pick the very best of their spoken communication and cut the rest. 4.) make sure all your dialogue does at least double duty (if not triple). Every line should develop the character and advance the plot. No small talk just for kicks. At the same time one has to be careful to never make characters relate key plot info. in a ridiculous manner. ("Boy, Joe. I'm sure glad that bullet didn't hit you in the ankle seeing how that is your one weakness and would have killed you instantly.") 5.) Finally I think if you know your characters ridiculously well, you will know what they would say in any given situation. Just let it fly. Arguing via dialogue can be a blast. In real life you only get to represent your side. While writing you get to represent every side! So make those arguments doozies!

Question 3.  Can you tell us about Twitch and Die?

Thanks for the opportunity. Twitch and Die! is my attempt to breed a vintage grind house film with modern sensibilities toward things like equality and justice. Do humans lose their rights when they grow ill? What if that illness transformed them into something else? Something other than human? When do insiders become outsiders? Etc.

At the same time, I don't delude myself with visions of complexity upon complexity. Twitch is first and foremost a wild thrill ride that shoves a shotgun in your gut and pulls the trigger. My main goal was to slowly lure the reader in and then run them into a panicky lather. 

Question 4.  How do you plan out your stories? 

I'm discovering that I'm a sort of hybrid between a pantser (seat of his/her pants) and an outliner. I usually start with a few scenes of film quality vividness in my mind. Those moments serve as inspiration to deliver on a promise. In my mind if every scene doesn't live up to those mind-blowing moments I cut it or fix it. But before the first draft I'll sit down and create a character file on each main character (this can take a couple weeks). At the same time I'll be polishing my protagonists motivation and story-worthy problem. (What does he/she need to accomplish?) Then I create a quick list of every scene I can imagine needing in the first act and a less detailed summary of the second and third acts. As long as I know where I need to get to and the basics of how I can get there, that's enough.

For me, the critical piece is to know my characters well enough to plan out the basic trajectory of the story. This is the problem, these people/things are in the way. Here is where I will end up in the end. If I know my character I will be able to figure out how he/she will respond to every surprise along the way.