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The Novel Matrix
The Novel Matrix explores the natural principles of storytelling that humans instinctively understand and expect in great stories. This is the foundation from which great artwork is born.
The Novel Matrix also relates plot, characters, conflict, and setting together in a way that no other craft book has done. Written in simple, nonacademic language, this is the honest, elegant solution for long-form storytelling you've been waiting for.
Armed with this information, you'll never begin another novel manuscript only to abandon it partway through the writing.
Never again will you completely overhaul a novel manuscript because it just doesn't work, but you have no idea why.
The solution is The Novel Matrix.
These discussion questions were sponsored and provided by Dartfrog Books.
Book club questions for The Novel Matrix by Brad Pauquette
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
The Novel Matrix is all around us. These storytelling principles are used by authors, filmmakers, and TV show writers every day. Where do you see some of what Brad Pauquette has described in the media you're consuming? Does your favorite book or movie utilize these principles?
In your writing/craft, or just in the way you approach life, are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you prefer to make a detailed plan ahead of time or just go with the flow? Do you think you were born that way or is that something you've learned?
Where do you think our psychology of story comes from? Is it God-given, a product of evolution, or determined by our culture?
In your own life, or the life of someone close to you, where can you relate to the three-act structure? Is there a time you hit rock bottom, tried and failed, and then finally experienced an epiphany that led to a successful outcome?
Think about a goal that you're presently working towards. In the pursuit of that goal, where do you think you are in the three-act structure?
Brad Pauquette describes an inner conflict as wanting two things that you can't have at the same time. Think of an area of your life in which you experience turmoil or anxiety. What two things are you trying to achieve at the same time, and why are they incompatible with each other?
Could you fit your real-life friends and acquaintances into the seven character archetypes that Brad Pauquette provides? Do you have a sidekick? A frenemy? An object of affection? An antagonist?
One of Brad Pauquette's final recommendations is to commit yourself to only one writing system and stick with it. Combining systems can make a mess. Is this true in your personal or professional life as well? Are there areas where you're trying to use two different systems or sets of values at the same time?
Do you think Brad Pauquette's method will transform your writing process like it has for so many others? How can you put these principles of story to work as a writer? How can you put them to work as a reader?
The Novel Matrix Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the The Novel Matrix discussion questions