The Writer's Take #001
Funnel Down Method
Introduction and Bonafides FIRST POST!
Greetings earthlings!!!
Our transmission may have hit your satellites a bit early, but fear not (not that you were fearing anything) this is the real deal Writers Take #001
I hope this finds you well! I'm thrilled to share some exciting news with you – after months of planning, thinking, deleting, and contemplating my Substack, The Writer's Take, I am finally ready for you all to enjoy it! I wanted to extend a personal invitation to you to be among the first to read the debut edition.
The newsletter will be delivered right to your inbox every two weeks, and it's going to be a delightful blend of useful writing tips, ideas, and tricks, along with some satirical takes on writing in games, movies, television, and books. I wanted to create a space where we can learn and laugh together while exploring the world of storytelling.
To give you a taste of what's in store, the inaugural editions of the newsletter features:
"Funnel Down Method: How to discover the meaning behind your Story!" – My personal approach to writing, and the thorough process behind how I keep a story together across 300+ pages!
"My Writers Take On Avatar 2: Way Of The Water.” – A hilariously glib take on James Cameron’s latest installment straight from the uploaded brain of a hard sci-fi nerd! HINT! IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS FOLKS!
I would be honored if you could take a few moments to read through the first edition and share your valuable feedback with me. As an early subscriber, your insights and suggestions will play a crucial role in shaping the future direction of the newsletter. Your feedback will help me make it even more enjoyable, informative, and tailored to your interests.
Your feedback means the world to me, and together, we can create a vibrant community of fellow writers and storytellers. If you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to say hello, please feel free to reach out to me. I'm here to listen and engage with you.
Let's dive into the world of storytelling and writing together! I can't wait to hear what you think of the first edition of the newsletter.
Warm regards,
Matthew Medney
(Ok, THE REAL) Introduction and Bonafides
Welcome to The Writers Take!
Here we are exploring the steps, strategies, and process for taking your writing from idea to completed story, be that a short story, comic, graphic novel, prose novel, and all the way to a tv or film script.
From how to ideate, to finding the right artist, to engaging with your editor, and finally, the unsung hero of all graphic novels, the lettering. When we dive into prose, we will ponder the vast array of language at our disposal to paint a picture that is worthy of the imagination, we’ll journey to new realms and distant places as we adventure through words and structure.
But that’s not all we do on this substack… no-sir-e. We have fun, we don’t hold punches, and we, well perhaps I should say “I” lean in, and dig deep into the furthest reaches of satire to deliver fun perspectives on some of our biggest pop culture movies, tv shows, games (and yes I said “games”, not video games, because there is the occasional Table Top or Card Game that is worth talking about) and of course books. This is like a first date though, I’m not going to show you my full-on self-deprecation before we kiss. I would hope you’d agree that would be ill-advised. But, if you stay tuned in for at least one more episode, you can read my Writer’s Take on Avatar Two: The Way Of Water, and whether you trust me or not, I suggest a fine wine or an elegant pipe (21+ Please!) before reading it.
The Funnel Down Method
One thing I find exceptionally important is to figure out what you are trying to say to the world with the story you are writing. The way I like to go about this is a method that was taught to me early on, I call it the Funnel Down Method.
Below we are going to go through the exercise with the IP Beyond Kuiper: The Galactic Star Alliance, a Week One Amazon Best Seller in Hard Science Fiction that I created and wrote with my dear friend John Connelly.
It is incredibly important to master your world before ever stepping into it. This exercise brings together something my co-founder, best friend, and writing partner Morgan Rosenblum told me some 10 years back. “Funnel down the story, start wide, and bring it to a point.” That idea is what brought me to this method, if I am not mistaken there are similar methods by other great writers out there, and is something we all think about, whether we execute this below or not.
One of the best parts about this method is its versatility. You don’t have to be creating the next space opera, or fantasy saga to find value in it. Whatever the idea, situation, or product that you are working on and aiming to master, this method is a tool to help you contemplate your “thing” from every angle.
Ok, let’s dive in!
Methodology
First I want you to write your synopsis in 200 words or less. Really be tight and intentional with the words you choose.
Then once you have that, I want you to write your story again, but this time, in 100 words.
Now that you have contextualized your story, we get to the really fun part. Cut your synopsis down to 50 words, then to 25, then to 10.
At this point, you should have 5 versions of your story each tighter than the one before it. At this point, we get to the really really fun part of this.
Let’s get your story down to 5 words, and then the magical, single word. What is your story, what are you trying to say in a single word, to grab your audience? Below you’ll find this exercise in full for my Best Selling Novel: Beyond Kuiper- The Galactic Star Alliance.
Example - Beyond Kuiper: The Galactic Star Alliance
200 Words. (199 Words)
The galaxy is with life. The only issue: we humans aren't invited. The Galactic Star Alliance awaits your exploration.
The Alliance has been alive for millions of earth years. Hundreds of thousands of sentient worlds and trillions of beings move across the galaxy. With faster-than-light travel and cohesive interstellar civilizations existing the only question left to ask- is whether it is possible to govern a coalition not of different countries, but of different species? Leading to the final question: from where would our judges watch us?
But our galaxy has spoken to us, humans. There are some who believe it is out there. Not as science-fantasy but as science.
When world-renowned astrophysicist Bernard William Hubert, is on loan to CERN, a catastrophe leaves Bernard as the sole survivor. While the scientific world looks to him for answers, he states the unthinkable "it has to be aliens."
Inconceivable, the Hubert family is investigated and his family's name is tarnished.
Bernard claws his way back into the equation at CORE, working tirelessly to design an engine capable of interstellar travel.
Follow Bernard on his road to redemption and discovery in this ensemble cast of futurism, space travel, and the fate of our species.
100 Words (97 words)
Science has one question above all, is sentient life possible on other planets? This question haunts Bernard William Hubert after a disastrous accident at CERN leaves him as the sole survivor. Determined to prove the attack was extraterrestrial, Bernard builds a new company, CORE, with the singular goal of creating an interstellar engine capable of traveling to the edge of the solar system in a reasonable amount of time. Follow Bernard as he assembles the team of his life to clear his name, and finally discover the truth about CERN and what lies beyond the Kuiper belt.
50 Words (49 words)
Does sentient life exist in the galaxy? This question has haunted Bernard William Hubert for 6 years. Determined to get to the truth, Bernard designs an interstellar engine. Follow Bernard as he assembles the team of his life to clear his name, and what lies beyond the Kuiper belt.
25 words (25 words)
A space-faring story about life in the galaxy woven with a redemption journey of the human who is at the center of it all.
10 words (9 words)
A galactic space opera ensemble from multiple vantage points
5 Words (4 words)
Is the Galaxy Alive?
1 Word: Legacy
So there you have it! Now you understand how our galactic empire was formed, from the biggest ideas to the smallest theme. When you create, create with vision, because without it, you're a ship sailing in the night, unknowingly passing islands of gold.
And there you have it, with this method you can master your story, product, idea, concept, love letter, and pretty much anything else you may need to conceptualize further before sharing it with the world!
Herø Projects, Gungnir, and other musings…
I wanted to take a moment during our intermission here to shamelessly and directly promote my two companies. Gungnir Entertainment, a genre-focused publishing company with best-selling titles from yours truly hitting shelves nationwide next Fall. With books focused on classic sci-fi ideas like “What does it mean to be human” and “is the bible right?” “Adventures throughout the stars” are just a few of the prompts for the books you can dive into with Gungnir. Gungnir’s website will launch this summer, and you can stay up to date on the forthcoming titles on my Instagram, @matthewmedney, or at my author page on Simon & Schuster.
And then there is Herø Projects. The Perennial leader in custom comics and animated services, Herø is a state-of-the-art creative studio that has worked with talents such as Floyd Mayweather, Shaggy, Nghtmre, and brands such as Remi Martin, Live Nation, and Rolling Loud. If Branding through storytelling isn’t your thing you can check out our original titles, the Onyx line with books such as Stable, Remnant, and Best Selling Comic The Red. To learn more about Herø Projects visit us at heroprojects.io
Hope you enjoyed this Inaugural writer’s take, keep a look out as we will have more spread-out writing tips coming up in between the big movie or tv show breakdowns!
And don’t forget, next week we tackle the giant whale-sized question… Why does the brain matter, and goddamnit what happened to Unobtainium…?
Oh lord, I’ve said too much already… Follow my Twitter for sneak peeks of The Writers Take #2
Stay Curious, and Keep Writing,
Matthew Medney