I finished writing the fourth book in the Seen in Silverbridge series this week.
It’s a big boy, cracking 110k words, so there are bound to be some major rewrites before the manuscript goes to the editor. But the book is great. I loved spending time with Luce, Huds, Faven and Rodney again and putting them through even more turmoil.
As part of the feedback process, I do a pass on ProWriting Aid (my digital writing assistant of choice), format it in Vellum (a brilliant, versatile and clean formatting app) and send it to my collaborators and trusted readers.
Before I sent it, I had a quick think about a placeholder cover. Nothing special. Just something for my beta readers to see when they put their Kindle to sleep.
I thought about it.
And thought about it.
And couldn’t come up with anything. At all.
This worried me because all of the books thus far have a telltale theme and symbol. For A Rockstar Has Exploded, it’s the guitar pick. An Actress Is Missing has the mysterious ‘token’. And the third book will have … okay, I’m not going to spoil it just yet, but it will have something related to the murder weapon on the cover.
But the fourth book stumped me. I tried to think about specific locations in the story, and about the way the victim dies, and if there were any kind of telltale totems or items that would stand as a visual symbol.
Stumped. I was damn stumped. Imagine that. I’d just finished a 110,000 word novel and I couldn’t think of anything memorable about it.
👸🏼 Find the Fantasy in your Story
Luckily, this stumpefaction (that should totally be a word) came at the same time I was reading a wonderful non-fiction writing book called 7 Figure Fiction.
In her book 7 Figure Fiction, T. Taylor outlines a concept she calls ‘Universal Fantasy’.
It’s the idea that most bestselling fiction (or more broadly, any popular story) contains one or more universal fantasies. Crudely summarised, a universal fantasy is a private desire that most people have but are typically unpopular to admit to.
The desire to be rich and famous (Red, White and Royal Blue), be a billionaire’s obsession (50 Shades of Grey), even to be loved by a big beast (Beauty and The Beast)… the list is exhaustive.
The amount of fanfic out there proves that these fantasies aren’t as uncommon as you’d think
It sounds ridiculous at first but the more you look at popular books, films and TV shows, the more you notice it. Universal Fantasies aren’t only provocative fantasies to do with hot-button topics like sex and money, they can be anything. Reconnecting with a family member is a wholesome example (Frozen).
I won’t go too deep into the concept of Universal Fantasy out of respect for T. Taylor’s book (if you’re interested in the concept, I highly recommend getting it), but suffice it to say it made me consider my writing in a new way.
Seen in Silverbridge Book 4 has a bunch of universal fantasies throughout. Luce and Huds’ relationship is a fantasy in itself. The idea that two smart, young, ambitious people have found each other and built a gossip magazine together is a fantasy to me. Rodney’s presence in the story is another fantasy in my mind. It’s a sweet concept that an older veteran journalist with life experience would jump aboard to help fight the good fight.
I went through the book in my mind and listed the various universal fantasies I’d unconsciously mixed into the story. According to T. Taylor, these fantasies are what will make people fall in love with the book. So, it’s up to me to emphasise each of these fantasies as much as I can.
💍 Find Your Favourite Fantasy in Your Life
Once I’d considered the book’s fantasies for a while, I generated loads of ideas for what to put on the cover of this particular book.
It’s a wonderful exercise. It made me realise there are related themes in all the stories I tell. All of my favourite stories tend to have similar universal fantasies, too.
For example, I love films Wayne’s World, Dazed and Confused, Empire Records; TV shows The West Wing, The O.C., Parks and Rec; and book series Harry Potter, The Thursday Murder Club, and Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge saga.
These stories have dozens of universal fantasies, but when considered together, they all share a common trope:
A group of people come together, unlikely friendships are formed, and together they pursue a common goal.
That’s exactly what happens in A Rockstar Has Exploded. And the more I think about it, the more I realise that the theme of ‘unlikely friends pursue a common goal’ is the main driving fantasy of my life.
In my other career, I make films. What I love most about making films isn’t the money (money is often absent in my projects) or the catering (although this can be a great perk), but it’s the camaraderie and togetherness that comes from a group of people mucking in and working together.
That’s what I remember when I look back at working for three years on The Hobbit, or five weeks filming in the bush for Loop Track (playing now at a cinema near you, North Americans!).
A film I acted in with such a wonderful cast and crew. The dream job.
What does this tell me? It tells me that it’s okay to lean into this universal fantasy of togetherness. It’s the main thing in my books, and I’m going to wear that badge proudly.
Think about your own stories. What are the themes? What are the tropes that seem to come up again and again?
Now compare those fantasies to the fantasies in your favourite films, shows and books.
I predict you’ll find that the core fantasies you find in common are simple. They cut straight to your heart. Simplify as much as you can. An arrogant but brilliant man falls hopelessly in love (Pride and Prejudice). Normal kid discovers they are the only hope of vanquishing the greatest evil the world has ever known (Harry Potter).
Do you overcomplicate stories and try to be clever when you could take it back to the basics? Write a one-sentence fantasy pitch for your story and see if you can capture the essence of why it excites you.
That’s your new North Star. Follow it and make a great story!