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What a novel idea!
Deal me in!
A creative card game for all levels of fiction writers
Also good for cartoonists and improvisational theater groups
Deal a Story ~ 101 cards ~ 1,000,001 Story Ideas!
Deal a Story consists of 101 cards that give the writer over one million different story ideas. Deal a Story was created to assist writers to think outside-of-the-box and to encourage creative story development. It’s also great for brainstorming and a useful tool in creative writing classes.
There are six sections, each containing 16 cards, and five wild cards. Deal a Story combines characters with a variety of plots and genres, giving the writer unique ways to dream up new stories.
The Characters
· 16 Heroines
· 16 Heroes
· 16 Villains
The Story
· 16 Genres
· 16 Plots
Extras
- 16 Flaw cards, with several suggestions on the card
- and 5 Wild cards
How to use
The writer selects, at random, a card from each of the above five sections.
Then for each character, they pick a flaw card and suddenly they have a story.
For extra help
Not quite sure where the story is going, or what to do next, pick a wild card.
Each card is full of suggestions on what to do next or how to spur your story along.
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Avid Adulation and Appreciation Abounds!
Does She Have a Deal for You!
“The driven librarian races to the ancient tomb to save a manuscript. Terrified of being buried alive, her inner voice mocking her for her fears and her ineptitude, she nonetheless battles snakes, heights, and the threat of eternal blackness to save the day.
“From wherever do writers pluck these details? Are they born with an endless array of plots? Do muses drop down like Martians, character trails in hand? The answer is hardly that romantic. Writers work. They also scream, gulp coffee, and wonder what drove them to the character arc in the first place.
“Sue Viders provides relief in the form of a new card game, Deal a Story. In each round, a player chooses a card for each of the five categories, Hero, Heroine, Villain, Genre, and Plot. The true fun begins with choosing three Flaw cards, one for each character. So the knight hero, serving a larger calling, sets out on a quest. Alas, he is plagued by laziness. He’d like to save the world, but can’t quite find the energy. The dark lady comes to his aid. She is a survivor who takes no guff from his pleas for one more hour of sleep. Together they battle nine-foot cockroaches in a sci-fi adventure, or perhaps fall into slapstick mishaps as they chase that serial crook who can’t leave his mother’s side. Good thing the guy’s a redeemable villain.
“I’ve taught creative writing for three decades. How I wish I could have had this game in my classroom. What a teaching tool to foster imagination and structure. And as a writer who has struggled with a sagging middle in more ways than one, how I look forward to the entertaining way to cure the writer’s block that send me away from the keyboard even if it means cleaning.
“Sue Viders promises “What a Novel Idea.” I heartily agree. Deal a Story delights and delivers for readers who want to know how writers do it, for students learning the ropes, and for seasoned writers who want to have fun while tooling their trade.”
a Barbara Harken, Author of The 86th Degree
“No more writer’s block! Whether unpublished, newly published, or multi-published and looking for new ideas, Deal a Story is a great brainstorming game for writers of all levels. Deal a Story offers a unique and easy way to develop interesting story concepts and add new life to old plots or cardboard characters. The story combinations are practically endless. Play the card game alone or with a group for even more fun!”
a Ruth D. Kerce, Author of Ellora’s Cave
“Sue Viders has come up with a wonderful concept, especially for authors who find they've lost their muse amongst all the components needed to create a publishable manuscript. Now, as easy as playing a card game, you can find the stimulation you need to forge on and create or complete that award-winning novel. Deal me in!”
a Ginger Simpson,
Author of White Heart Lakota Spirit, Prairie Peace, Beside Myself and more
“Writer's block? Deal a card and move your plot along. Sue Viders' innovative card game will get your muse going and the process is as fun as playing cards. I would recommend it for beginners and for those established authors looking for a new plot.”
a Rayka Mennen, Author of Operation Heartstrings
“Fans of archetypes will love this new tool. Whether you’re brainstorming alone or testing new ideas in a critique group, Deal a Story is a great way to play ‘what if’ and ‘how about this.’”
a Debra Dixon, Author of GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict
“Deal a Story will transform the way you write. No more blank page syndrome. Far from confining or formulaic, Deal a Story will set your imagination free!”
a Su Kopil, Owner of EarthlyCharms.com and TheMotivatedWriter.com
"It will or it won't help you break through your second-act wall, but Deal a Story is enormous fun, not for writers alone but for all creative people who enjoy expanding their horizons and exercising their imagination."
a Prof. Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chairman
“As a brainstorming tool, Deal a Story is a wonder and fun way to approach drafting a novel. The most intimidating thing a writer can face is that blank sheet of paper. With this engaging game, the writer now has a "starting point" of fresh ideas from a wide range of characters to the actual plot. Already into the manuscript but stuck? Deal a Story also provides a stimulating way to overcome writer's block.”
a Ciara Gold, Author of A Noble Sacrifice, a 2008 Eppie finalist
“Need help brainstorming? As a writer, Deal a Story is what you need. Sue Viders created this masterful card game for writers. It's a 'must get'! You will never be stuck in your manuscript again! Bravo to Ms. Viders for coming up with such a deal!
a Phyllis Campbell, Best-selling, Award-winning author of sensual romance
“Deal a Story is absolutely essential for kick-starting my imagination. All I have to do is choose my cards and suddenly I'm tripping over myself to get my ideas down on paper. And I'm not locked into using the cards in only one way. I've even picked a character card to create and introduce a minor character when I felt my story wasn't moving along.
“I've also used Deal a Story to force me to think outside of my comfort zone. When I'm feeling creatively stale, I'll challenge myself to write a short story around the cards I've chosen with no card changes. I have to create my story with unlikely characters who find themselves in a genre and plot line that, at first glance, seem impossible. Even though the short story is often for my eyes only, I'm energized because I have pushed my creativity into areas I otherwise would never have considered.
“Sue Viders has an amazing talent for taking a complex process -- writing a story -- and reducing its various components to a few words that are right on target. Once again she has given writers an invaluable tool that will keep them writing.”
a Sally Prince Davis, Author
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How Deal a Story Was Created
Sue Viders, author of The Complete Writer’s Guide to HEROES and HEROINES, Sixteen Master Archetypes (which is now used in many writing courses), had, for some time, toyed with the idea that there had to be a different way to further help writers develop new and exciting stories—a way that was both fun and didn’t require lots of reading from an instruction book.
Taking the sixteen heroes and heroines from her book, she added sixteen villains from assassin to the evil genius. “This was great fun. I took bad guys from the wide range of villains I found used in thrillers, murder mysteries, sci-fi novels, and movies.”
To make the stories even easier to get started, Viders then added sixteen genres such as historical, inspirational, suspense, and horror; and then she added to the mix sixteen plots covering escape, rescue, and even coming of age.
The final touch that gives the writer that extra something that makes each story unique is the Flaw Card. Each of the sixteen flaws, which the character will need to either change or conquer during the course of the novel, has several suggestions. For example the flaw of addiction has a list of addictions such as alcohol, drugs, gambling and even competing risk taking. “This was even more fun than deciding on the sixteen villains,” Viders remarked. “Flaws are those wonderful challenges that make characters memorable and stories unforgettable.”
Finally, for those writers, who perhaps are already into a story and are having a bit of trouble with the sagging middle, there are the five wild cards. One card suggests that the protagonist might have had a reversal of fortune, or another card suggests that s/he suddenly finds or loses something, has to locate someone, or recovers from amnesia.
Those writers who have used the game love it. “Deal a Story is absolutely great if you are just beginning a story or if you can’t figure out what your character needs to do next,” said one writer who not only uses the cards each time she starts a new novel, but uses it with her critique group to work out story problems. Another writer said, “Deal a Story cured my writer’s block. Every time I thought I was stuck, I just picked out another card and suddenly had a hand full of new ideas.”
Author’s Bio
Sue Viders is the author of over 20 books including The Complete Writer’s Guide to HEROES and HEROINES, Sixteen Master Archetypes and Ten Steps to CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS. Vider is now working on a companion book entitled Ten Steps to PLOTTING A GREAT STORY. Her current work-in-progress is the thriller NO LOOSE ENDS.
Besides teaching writing both on-site and on-line, Viders writes articles and columns for national magazines, both in print and on-line, and is a former columnist for The Artist’s Magazine.
She lives in Lone Tree, a suburb of Denver with her lawyer husband. Mother of five and grandmother of six, her oldest grandson (in high school) is working on his first book, a combination of fantasy and sci-fi. Also both of her daughters are trying their hand at writing. One is working on an art manual for public school art teachers; and the other daughter is doing a book, half text and half drawings, on banknotes from around the world entitled, The Art of Money.
Sue welcomes your comments and questions. Write her at sueviders@comcast.net
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Published by:
Robert D. Reed Publishers
P.O. Box 1992
Bandon, OR 97411
(541) 347-9882
www.dealastory.com
dealastory@yahoo.com
www.rdrpublishers.com
Quantity Discounts available directly from the publisher.
ATTENTION REVIEWERS AND VENDORS:
Review copies available upon request.
ATTENTION: WRITERS’ CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS:
Put a postcard of Deal a Story in each of the “goodie bags”
and let everyone know about this awesome game!
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