Are you starting a novel? Perhaps you’re trying to bulldoze through one, without solid ideas of why and how the story unfolds. Or maybe you’ve already written a draft, but you’re beset with problems trying to bring it all together. Many suffer under the false belief that something as complicated as a novel can be created without solid planning. But you can’t build a house by winging it, slapping down boards wherever you like. You can’t build the roof first, or guess where the walls go. You need a blueprint for guidance. You need a plan.

Similarly, the best, proven way to produce a good book is by beginning with a solid story outline. This lets you resolve problems in advance, avoiding character gaffs, timeline errors, and missing justification. A good plan allows you to write with purpose, drop in provoking red-herrings at the right time, plant prior justification for latter action. Lets you write scenes out-of-sequence. Don’t feel like writing that romance scene today? No problem, skip ahead and write a fight scene or car chase, you already know where they happen. Most importantly, it reduces the endless, after-the-fact corrections and editing that all pantsers (non-planners) usually suffer through.

In this session, we’ll explore several easy-to-learn methods to produce a working plotline for your story. Keep it simple, or work it out right down to every scene, the final choice is yours. But you’ll be happier, and way more productive, once you learn the secrets of planning a novel the smart way.

Please note: This class or event is hybrid. Some attendees will be in-person and some will attend online. There may be a limited number of in-person seats available. If you are participating online (using Zoom or a similar live platform), students or attendees should have a stable internet connection. Class participants: you should have a computer or device with a webcam and microphone; and your Zoom link will be automatically sent to you after you register. Check your spam box if you don't see it.