William Foster-Harris, along with Walter S. Campbell and Dwight V. Swain, created one of the most effective writer-training courses of all time. Their goal was to speed the progress of student-writers and shorten the time of study needed before becoming professional at their craft.
The list of top-flight authors trained by Campbell and Harris includes, among others: Louis L'Amour, Mary Higgins Clark, Fred Grove, Tony Hillerman, Bill Gulick, William R. Scott, Ed Montgomery, Neal Barrett, and Bill Burchardt.
While Campbell emphasized students take an analytical approach to learning their craft by studying published works, Harris did not analyze scenes, settings and characterizations as did Vestal. Instead, he was concerned mostly with the overall effect of the plot and how to achieve it.
Once a student had completed the initial courses under Campbell, Harris took over to hone the skills of would-be fictioneers. His lab-type classes were weekly in-person interviews. He required the student to write one new 5,000-word short story each week, and Foster would then critique it. After the first week, the student would have several stories in the rewrite process together with each new one. When Foster deemed one to be ready, the student would submit it to the market of their choice — and if it sold, that brought a better mark from Foster.
Plotting, which many beginners find the bugaboo of writing, Professor Harris considered no problem at all. "The way to catch a plot," he explains, "is the way to catch a woman. Pretend not to be interested." The student who complains that it is impossible to find a new plot because all the plots have been used, he told, "You don't need a new plot. Just put a little parsley on the same old dish!"
Dwight V. Swain joined the program in 1952. His contribution was through his experience in film scriptwriting, as well as extensive published work in pulp fiction. He expanded and simplified the Scene as both a building block and intrinsic glue for all stories - well beyond Campbell and Harris' foundation.
Learn from Foster-Harris:
•the core equations for all plots
•achieving the synthesis of writer, reader, and main character to make the story succeed
•combining feeling and fact with each sentence to engage the reader with the story's movement through time
•fitting your story character to the story problem and vice-versa
•developing conflict within the character to make them real and human
•the four parts to the correct short story
•use of tags, pointers, and plants to define characters and move plot along
•the use of linked scenes to involve the reader into a single continuing experience
•building a short story into a novelette, and into a novel - and when you shouldn't
•five routine revisions and rewrites necessary to polish the first draft
Learn from Dwight Swain:
•what three things are needed to develop a good novel
•the first two items found at the start of any commercially successful novel
•the three elements of any scene
•the three elements of any scene's sequel
•how moving copy requires interlocking motivation-reaction units
•why you develop contrasting characters in your novels
•the three wishes and four desires all characters want
•the four tests for every scene and chapter in your novel
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