Is it possible to write a well-crafted, complex, meaningful literary novel that’s also a page-turner and commercial success—even a blockbuster? James Joyce Scholar, Susan Sutliff Brown thinks so.

We met Brown at the San Miguel Writers Conference last February, where she presented to a standing room only crowd her approach to transcending the polarity between literary and commercial fiction.

In Brown’s most popular workshop, James Joyce Meets Judith Krantz, writers are challenged to create a fresh new genre—the literary blockbuster—which merges the goals and devices of serious fiction with those that keep readers up all night.

Speaking later, we agreed that a literary contest aimed at bridging the long-standing divide between these two literary worlds would be a fascinating experiment. Thus, Inkubate’s 2012 Literary Blockbuster Challenge was born.

Brown remains motivated by a key development—the discovery of the blockbuster formula in James W. Hall’s new release: Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers.

Brown explains:

“Creative writing professor James W. Hall has discovered and published the formula common to mega-blockbusters. In a study of bestsellers from Peyton Place, Gone with the Wind, and To Kill a Mockingbird, to Valley of the Dolls, The Godfather, Jaws, and The Da Vinci Code, Hall has identified twelve ingredients common to these strikingly different bestsellers.”

Without compromising content or style, Brown encourages writers to add Hall’s blockbuster “code” to their unpublished literary manuscript. “They’ll want to read Hall’s book, of course, but they’ll also see references to his code in Parts II and III of the PDF guide I created to help writers transform their manuscripts into marketable works of fiction.”

Are you the writer who will bridge the long-standing gap and write something philosophically meaningful that readers will want to take to the beach? If so, “a literary blockbuster is within reach and there are a number of ways to begin,” says Brown.

• Dust off that beautifully written literary novel you haven’t sold and add the ingredients that make it a page-turner.
• Confront the hero of your whodunit with an emotional abyss that causes a character change even as the mystery is resolved.
• Write an entirely new novel that combines the formulas of literary and commercial fiction.

Ready to get started? Need a skilled literary coach? Dive into Susan Brown’s Blockbuster Guide.

And feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues!

You can hear Brown speak in person at the 2013 San Miguel Writers Conference. While there, you can also savor the expertise of many other Inkubate friends, including Ray Bradbury’s goddaughter and presenter, Elizabeth Eve King, award-winning Children’s book author, Dianna Hutts Aston, PEN Mexico's President and contest judge, Jennnifer Clement, and every writer’s favorite literary agent, Oakland-based Andy Ross. You may want to contact Andy now to set up a manuscript review during the San Miguel Writers Conference.

INKUBATE Writer Profile

This is the first in a series of profiles of INKUBATE Authors who have given us permission to speak publicly about their life and work.

Dianna Hutts Aston is not only the face of INKUBATE’S Tour and a twelve-time published picture book author, but she’s also one of INKUBATE’S earliest adopters, having posted three of her unpublished manuscripts this year. They include “Sticks and Stones,” “Martin’s Story” and “Wheels.”

A former journalist and an avid hot-air balloon enthusiast, Dianna grew up in Buda, Texas and remembers the carefree days of summer, while visiting her grandmother in Oklahoma. “My mother remembers me saying, ‘I’m going to the tall grass prairie.’ These were the rolling hills I loved to explore in eastern Oklahoma. I remember that I loved how free I felt and the happiness of roaming the countryside independently. I could see forever then and the sense of freedom was intoxicating. I knew then that I never would want to be trapped.”

Dianna’s current life in San Miguel de Allende is a constant source of inspiration for a writer who thrives on the deliverance of the out-of-doors. Gravitating primarily to nature themes, Dianna’s most recent book, “A Butterfly is Patient” (Chronicle, March, 2011) is masterfully illustrated by Sylvia Long. It’s the duos’ third book in a lyrical science series that has garnered high acclaim. “Every day I open my email, I read another review about BUTTERFLY and I recall the first time I read it to a preschool classroom in Dallas, before it had been officially released. The children loved it, especially Sylvia’s illustration of the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, the world’s largest butterfly.” The series includes “A Seed is Sleepy” (2007), “An Egg is Quiet” (2006) and also the yet to be released, “A Rock is Bubbly.”

“I love each of these stories because they spotlight the natural beauty around us. I’d like to write another one about bugs, but I haven’t yet identified the theme. ‘A Bug is Creepy’ doesn’t really sound right. I love ladybugs because they quietly and beautifully accomplish their mission. I’d like to think that I’m a ladybug warrior – making the most of the world and resources around me. Maybe “A Bug is Busy?”

Dianna relies on the creative talent of the writer-illustrator community that she has discovered nestled in the Bajio Mountains of central Mexico. “There are so many friends here that inspire me every day. Jody Feagan grew up in Franklin, Kansas, but now lives and works here. She’s the Founder and Producer of the St. Miguel Writers Conference and Festival. She is very with it and knows everyone. I love learning from her. Together, we started the annual Teen Writers’ Workshop and it’s exciting to be involved each year.”

Dianna’s books have won many awards. Her Chronicle series is a highlight. “An Egg is Quiet” not only sold more than 70,000 copies, but it also won the 2007 American Academy for the Advancement of Science Prize for Excellence in Science Books. Publisher’s Weekly’s Starred Review read: “Like the subject matter it describes, this book packages with understated elegance the substantive matter found within it….This attractive volume pleases on both an aesthetic and intellectual level.” BUTTERFLY has also received starred reviews from Publisher’s Lunch and Booklist and has been hailed as a winner in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and The Washington Journal. Scholastic is featuring it in its spring library fair, which means that it will be in every library in every school.

Dianna also received the prestigious Coretta Scott King Honor Award for her 2009 picture book, “A Moon Over Star,” about a girl named Mae and her family who, in 1969, watched with wonder as Apollo 11 landed on the Moon (over the town of Star, Texas). Booklist loved the story: “….the text combines dignity and immediacy in a clean, spare telling of events….A quiet, satisfying tribute to this milestone in human history and its power to inspire others….Perfect for one-on-one sharing, this lovely book has a universality that gives it broad appeal.”

With so many awards and such broad appeal, it’s exciting that Dianna has three children’s submissions posted to Inkubate. “Yes, it makes sense…I have a plethora of unpublished works because of a lack of interest from my editors. That doesn’t mean it’s not good work. Inkubate seems like the logical home for these stories, which I happen to love.”

Dianna’s close friend, Jody Feagan feels the same way: “Online is where the world is going…Travel and conferences are expensive and moving the initial connections between writers, publishers and agents online has real market potential. Publishing is changing and it’s never going to be the way it was.”

In addition to writing for children, Dianna manages her non-profit foundation, The Oz Project (www.theozproject.org), which provides inspirational experiences to children in orphanages, rural villages, and children with special needs.

To read more about Dianna, visit her website at www.diannahaston.com

Dianna on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DHAston

Dianna on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001161814374