Lani Diane Rich

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book

how story works

If you've ever been unable to answer the question, "What does your protagonist want?" then How Story Works is exactly what you need.There are so many writing books out there, and most of them are complicated, or speak to only one genre or one form. How Story Works is one simplified guide that will teach you the essential building blocks of storytelling—conflict, structure, character—and you take the rest from there.It's time to get out of your own way, and let your magic shine.

• ebook
• audiobook
• paperback

podcast

how story works

Story expert Lani Diane Rich and southern fried scholar Dr. Kelly Jones host an Angel podcast designed specifically for people who struggle to enjoy this darker corner of the Buffyverse. Kelly and Lani summarize the skippers and savor the watchers, giving you a quick and fun journey through a great and terrible TV show.

• visit podcast site

story consult

Sometimes you just need to sit down and talk about your book with someone who knows story. Lani will do a one-hour recorded session on Zoom with you and go through your work in progress, identifying story problems and helping you find solutions. This service includes a synopsis review of up to 5,000 words. You will receive both an audio and video recording of the meeting, as well as my detailed notes on your synopsis.

$150

partial review

For more in-depth help, I will read your synopsis and the first 25k words of your current work. We will then meet for 1 hour on Zoom for feedback, suggestions and any questions you have. You will receive both an audio and video recording of the meeting, as well as my detailed notes on both the synopsis and the partial.

$500

"Lani’s assistance was instrumental in turning my manuscript into an actual book that you can hold in your hands. She gave me crucial notes on story, helped me draft my query letter, opened doors to the publishing world, and sent me out feeling prepared and excited for what came next. Her notes were clear and practical but also wonderfully encouraging. She won’t just make you a better writer, she’ll inspire to you to work hard, love your creations, and be proud to take them out into the world."

—Luke Arnold, author of the Fetch Phillips mystery series and star of Black Sails on Starz

full edit

For clients who are publishing, either traditionally or for themselves, I offer a full developmental edit on their entire work, providing multiple full edits along the way until their story is absolutely the best it can be. As this is an intensive process, spaces for this service are limited, and cost will be dependent upon the needs of the client. If you're very serious about taking your story to the next level, this is the service for you.

Contact me for a personalized quote. Limited space available.

Lani Diane Rich is an extraordinary story and development editor. I learned more about writing and storytelling from her work on my first four novels than I ever learned in all my years of high school and college English and creative writing classes. When you bring your work to her, she is thoughtful, honest, and brilliant in her assessments, making your story and the telling of it sing. Lani is a fantastic editor and even better teacher. I’ve brought all I learned from her to my current novels and I’m so grateful for everything she taught me about writing and about believing in myself as an author.

—Nan Reinhardt, USA Today bestselling author

lani diane rich

Hi! I'm Lani Diane Rich, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, and story whisperer. I've published 12 novels with Hachette, St. Martin’s Press, and Penguin, and have taught storytelling, screenwriting and television production at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. My book, How Story Works: An elegant guide to the craft of storytelling is the last book you will ever need on story structure and craft, and it's available now.