Plot Consultant

5 Reasons Writers Get Stuck with Tips How to Unstick

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Whether a romance writer, historical novelist, screenwriter or memoirist, all writers bog down at one time or another or two or three or five hundred.. In my work with writers, I have spotted 5 classic reasons writers falter when it comes to the craft of writing: 1) Writers Balk at PlotAt the thought of plot and structure, writers’ palms turn sweaty and their hearts raceWhy the visceral reaction?The act of creation generally comes from the right side of the brain and the linear, concrete …

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A Personal Glimpse into Character Emotional Development

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Steeped in nature and beauty, surrounded by writers willing to take a risk, for five days, I went through the process of creating and analyzing plot at both the scene and the overall story level.Several writers at last week's plot retreat were local. The rest flew in from Nevada, Colorado, Mississippi and handful from southern California. Some of the writers knew me from plot consultations and previous workshops and retreats. Others were familiar only through my book and/or other plot tools and …

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Marathon Plot Training for NaNoWriMo

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In less than 2 hours, pre-plot the characters and events and ideas you're imagining for your NaNoWriMo writing project.The more organized your vision, the more productive your daily writing practice is for NaNoWriMo and otherwise. The following steps take no longer than 5 - 9 minutes each. As simple as clicking the step you want and watching a video:STEP ONE: Character and Goal (Part 1) -- Dramatic Action PlotSTEP TWO: Character Flaw -- Character Emotional Development PlotSTEP THREE: Setting -- …

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Goal Setting for Protagonist in Middle

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I've written about goals in many posts and magazine articles. Following is partial list:Long-Term versus Short-Term Protagonist GoalsBlah ProtagonistConnecting to the CharacterDialog -- When is Enough Too MuchDreams versus GoalsIf you're interested in more, watch the first (Step #1) and the latest (Step #12 -- specifically goal setting for the Middle of your story) video in the Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? …

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Turning Points

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Turning points keep your story moving in surprising and organic directions to more fully engage the reader and audience and satisfy universal expectations.I spoke about Turning Points in Step #11 of the wacky Plot Series posted on YouTube. I move with less resistance and greater joy if I follow the energy. The energy has taken me to presenting the information caught on the video camera rather than post the words here. So, rather than read plot tips, stop by and watch them.Plot Series: How Do I …

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