plotting

Don’t let the plotting process get you down. It can seem like a major undertaking, but once you figure out what works best for you, you can let the real author in your come out and get down to plotting any type of story – from romance to thriller to fantasy, from short stories to a long series...

The foundation of every functional novel is goal, motivation, and conflict. What your character wants, why they want it, and what they’re willing to endure to get it. Sounds simple in principle, right? But I’ve seen a lot of people struggle with this, so over the next few weeks, I’m going to...

Hello, my name is Beth and I’m a Master Procrastinator. Or at least I was. I’m a recovering procrastinator now, but you can’t become one of these until you do a few things. What are they? · Realize what is taking up so much of your time. · Clarify whether it really is...

Before the book, before a writer types a word on a page, there is an idea. And behind that idea are the characters, the background, the location. Research is an important aspect of any story. Whether the writer prepares their background information before they begin to write the story, or if...

What is the best way to plot your novel? Not every process works for every author. Sometimes you might find a combination of methods that can work for you. In this class we’ll take an in-depth look at the various plotting methods, and you can determine what might work best for the way you like...

Flying by the seat of your pants to write the first draft for your book feels so freeing. It’s a time to play, to experiment, to try out new ideas. What fun! But diving into a project as big as a novel without any plan at all often means a lot of extra work after the draft is completed as you...

Are your readers satisfied with your stories? Are they reluctant to put your story aside? At the end of your story, the reader should sigh, with a sense of satisfaction, when finishing your story, one which they will remember for a long time coming. So how does one create a satisfied reader...

Ever thought of writing books for teens? Young Adult (YA) fiction is a hot market, and many authors alternate their novel writing work for adults with YA. As vibrant as the teen book market is, there are some skills you’ll need to pick up to be a successful YA fiction writer. This two-week...

In this class, you will start with two pages of dialogue and transform it into a fully functioning scene. By adding each element of what needs to go into a story individually, you will see how it all makes the whole. You will also be able to add all the elements seamlessly, including description...

Every storytelling/screenwriting guru has their own outline of how Beginning-Middle-Ending unfolds, naming necessary beats/events and identifying when they should happen. The 16 lessons of this four week course will walk through the comparison-contrast of two: Blake Snyder and Christopher...

Plotting and Planning: How to Write a Cozy Mystery Love cozy mysteries and dying to write your own, but don’t know where to start? In this eight-week course, Lori Devoti (aka Rae Davies) USA Today Bestselling author of the Dusty Deals Mystery Series, will walk you through everything you need to...

Sports romance is one the fastest-growing subgenres of the romance market. After all, who doesn't love a man who's strong, skilled (on and off the field) and rich? However, it's also one of the hardest to get right. Details are the most important part of a successful sports romance. In this...

EXTREME MAKEOVER: TAKE YOUR CHARACTERS FROM DRAB TO FAB This workshop will give a writer the tools they need to craft a character, paying particular focus to character types, character goals, character growth, and conflict (both internal and external). Showing tried and true methods for...

Two multi-published authors & writing coaches will answer all your story questions and work with you to brainstorm ideas for your first book or to get next book started. Get help with: developing your character’s background determining character flaws and faults and how to use them in the story...

Polti’s principle of 36 situations shows “There are no new stories.” This 8-session workshop from Sally Walker takes the writer through his situations and explains how to apply, twist and spark every story and its characters into unpredictable freshness, even with genre expectations.