Plot Consultant

Benefits of Pre-Pre-Plotting or the Art of Pitching Your Story

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Summer means Writers Conferences and pitching your story. You find yourself sitting at lunch next to a literary agent. How quickly and compellingly do you draw her into your story? How intriguing is your concept?When friends ask what your story is about, rather than drone on about every single plot point, learn how to rattle off a pithy pitch that sends even people overhearing you begging for more.Think of the concept and pitch as the seeds out of which grow action and characters …

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Another Way to View the Crisis, through a Personal Lens

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As we all gathered together for today's online video chat with 8 writers, Literary Agent Jill Corcoran and me, one writer had difficulty logging on. This being our very first technical snafu, I thought to myself, ah, ha!Jill attempted to help the writer and then she disappeared. When she came back she advised all of us to turn off other apps on our computers. We all disappeared.The problems resolved quickly and went on to explain how this week (the 3rd session of 4 in the Pre-Plot Workshop …

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A Writing Plan that Incorporates Research, Plotting and Writing

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His first book takes years to write. He decides to try something entirely different and signs up for a plot consultation. He knows the protagonist's goals and major antagonists, secondary characters, exotic world, character traits, thematic elements and throws in a couple of dynamic twists to elevate the story from bland to compelling.We discuss key scenes:He knows the climax, sort of. He changes the first scene to the end of the beginning scene to give himself time to seduce the reader into the …

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Tracking Scenes In Your Memoir One Scene at a Time

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Question:I am using The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories to refine my memoir. On page 84 you give an example of a Scene Tracker for the beginning of The Great Gatsby. I cannot find an explanation of the various markings in the Emotional Change column which vary by scene.( --/--/ +/-, etc.) Could you please explain?Also, in the conflict column, I am guessing the "X" indicates conflict present in the scene, whereas scenes without and "x" are …

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Are Negative Reviews a Form of Bullying?

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I was asked the question by a writer on Facebook long enough ago that I can't find her message and can't remember her exact wording. What I do remember really got me thinking... for months as layers of shame peeled back until I saw myself before the reviews to me now.She wanted to know if I felt the negative reviews on Amazon for The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master , especially the ones that are so personal, are bullying. Yes, I can now say, yes, I felt bullied. …

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