Step by Step Novel Planning Workbook

Introducing the…
Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook

The Fun, Easy Way To Prepare  Your Literary Adventure.

Writing a novel is so much easier if you do a little planning first. And thanks to the Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook, the process of planning your breakthrough novel has never been easier.

Using simple worksheets and instructions, the workbook guides you through the various stages of

• Finding story ideas that are original and intriguing.
• Creating a dramatically sound synopsis.
• Designing a main character with a compelling inner journey.
• Rounding out your cast with memorable, believable characters who can fulfill the dramatic requirements of your story.
• Researching an authentic setting — or designing a fantasy world.
• Finding the right narrative mode and point of view to tell your story.
• Crafting a sophisticated thematic message.
• Planning sequences and scenes.

… and doing it all in a way that is fun and creative.

Combines Fun, Creative Exercises with Sophisticated Literary Technique.

I started my website, How to Write a Book Now, with the goal of taking sophisticated theories of story structure and literary techniques and making them easier, more practical, and fun for aspiring writers (and by fun, I mean a way that harnesses every writer’s natural creativity).

The Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook began as a set of worksheets and exercises developed for a series of creative writing courses I was teaching to both adults and teenagers at Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario. Drawing on my training in both Dramatica Story Theory and theatre arts, I designed these courses to help emerging writers take a quantum leap in their creativity, their writing skills, and their understanding of what makes great stories work.

The resulting workbook consists of over 55 pages of worksheets and instructions that guide you through the complete process of planning a novel. It will help you find and develop your story ideas, and make sure your story has a solid, emotionally compelling structure — before you even begin your first chapter.

Unlike other novel brainstorming systems, the Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook is built upon a solid base of story theory. The exercises are open-ended, giving you the creative freedom do design the story you want, while at the same time helping you create a solid story structure.

24 Multi-Page Worksheets Cover Every Aspect of Novel Planning.

Here are just a few of the vital novel-planning steps you can accomplish with the Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook…

• Practise 3 ways to generate original story ideas.
• Take a simple story idea and develop it into a rich and detailed narrative suitable for expressing as a full-length work.
• Create a logline and a brief synopses that reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your story idea before you even start to write a first draft.
• Map out the arc of your main character’s inner conflict and integrate it with your story’s outcome.
• Use 3 ways to flesh out your cast of characters, and make each character memorable, believable, and unique.
• Create detailed settings for the major events of your story — whether your story world is contemporary, historical, or fantasy.
• Develop a complete plot, including the major turning points and multiple levels of story.
• Use the power of the monomyth model to create young adult fiction.
• Discover the right narrative mode and point of view from which to tell your story.
• Master the secret to great descriptive writing.
• And more!

By the time you’re finished, your story will be so well planned, the actual writing process will fly by. You’ll never suffer from writer’s block, because you’ll always know what’s about to happen and what your characters will discover around the next corner.

Newly Updated, But Still Just $5 USD

After a successful test run, the Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook has been revised to give all the worksheets additional visual appeal. Some worksheets have been expanded to better address writers’ needs. Also, a new Story Braiding exercise has been added to help you merge multiple subplots and storylines into one overall (and quite thorough) outline for your novel.
The workbook comes in PDF format, so you can easily open it on any computer and print off copies of individual worksheets to write on and perhaps store in your writer’s notebook.

Best of all, I have kept the price to just $5.00 (US).

To download your copy of the Step-by-Step Novel Planning Workbook, simply click on the “Add to cart” button below. Your payment is safe and secure…

Brag: New Accolade for “Dancing on the Inside”

I’ve just found out that my middle-grade novel, Dancing on the Inside has won honorable mention in the 2013 IndieFab Awards.

Established by Forward Reviews, which is a magazine dedicated to discovering indie books, the IndieFab awards are chosen by a select group of 100 librarians and booksellers. The criteria for judging are…

“…editorial excellence, professional production, originality of the narrative, author credentials relative to the book, and the value the title adds to its genre.”

By “indie books,” Forward means all books not published by the big five. The term includes university presses, privately owned presses, literary presses, and self-publishers.

The winners were then announced on June 27, 2014 at the 2014 American Library Association Annual Conference.

This makes the third award for Dancing on the Inside, which is very gratifying

 

Create A Plot Outline In 8 Easy Steps

This was one of the first articles I wrote for my website, and continues to be one of the most popular. It’s a simple approach based on a small piece of Dramatica theory,  but it’s also one of the most powerful ways to develop a dramatically sound synopsis or plot outline for any story.

Create A Plot Outline In 8 Easy Steps.

For Kingston, Ontario residents…

My course, “Creative Writing: The Art of Story” will be offered again at St. Lawrence College on Tuesday evenings starting September 24.

I have spent several years coaching emerging writers and answering questions regarding story structure and other aspects of (mostly) novel writing, both in person and through my other website, How to Write a Book Now, and I can promise a very unique experience – one that will change the way you look at stories forever.

For registration, visit St Lawrence College’s part time studies page.

New 5-Star Review for “Dancing on the Inside

Foreword/Clarion reviews has just released a 5 out of 5 stars review for my middle-grade novel Dancing on the Inside, calling it

“…an uplifting and insightful novel for tweens and teens”

The review is based on the second edition which is now available and features the Gold Medal on the cover, in honour of the book receiving the Independent Book Publisher’s award.

You can read the full review on Foreword’s website.

Workshop: Creating Story Ideas

For anyone in the Kingston, Ontario area, on April 2 I will be presenting a workshop called “Creating Story Ideas When Your Muse Won’t Cooperate” as part of the Open Studio Series at Queen’s University’s Faculty of Education. Here are the details:

Tuesday, April 2nd, 6 pm-8 pm
$20 Registration fee
So you want to write fiction, but have a hard time coming up with
ideas? No problem! This workshop will enable participants to
develop easy methods for generating an unlimited supply of
original ideas that can be used as the basis of a short story, novel,
play, screenplay, or comic book. Teachers can also use these
methods effectively in their classrooms to help students invent
stories. Materials are included in registration fee.Open Studio Line Up 2013

To register for a workshop, please e-mail open_studio@hotmail.com
For more information, please see educ.queensu.ca/events/openstudio

New Nutcracker Ballet Quiz for Christmas

Here’s a new quiz you can play to win points towards free books. A Christmas quiz about a Christmas ballet so you can win Christmas gifts.

Just answer 5 multiple choice questions about the ballet The Nutcracker…

Click here to continue

Whether you win or lose, after you’ve played this quiz, there are many other such quizzes at Bookbuzzr – which means many more chances to earn additional points.

Understanding/Identifying Signposts (Harry Potter and Dramatica)

Someone asked me a while ago about how Dramatica theory, developed by Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley, could explain the major signposts in the Harry Potter series. Here’s my take on it…

Dramatica theory states that each of the four throughlines (those of the Overall Story, Main Character, Impact Character, and the Relationship between the latter two) should be assigned to a different domain. The four domains are:

Situation (external state)

Activity (external action)

Manipulation (psychological change)

Fixed Attitude (psychological state)

Each domain has four signposts (one per act):

Situation: The Past, The Present, The Future, and Progress

Activity: Doing, Gathering Information, Understanding, Obtaining

Manipulation: Being, Becoming, Developing a Plan, Conceiving and Idea

Fixed Attitude: Memory, Impulsive Responses, Innermost Desires, Contemplation

So let’s see how these work in Rowling’s books. Harry Potter is the main character, and for most of the series we see him being thrust into situations he didn’t choose. He didn’t choose to live with the Dursleys, or be the “Boy who Lived.” Nor did he choose to be a Triwizard champion, nor to be Voldemort’s nemesis, Dumbledore’s secret weapon, nor a thorn in the Ministry of Magic’s side.

So I’ll give Harry the domain of Situation.

I also see Voldemort as the Impact Character. Harry’s habitual approach to solving problems (copied from his mother) is to put himself in danger to save others, whereas Voldemort offers the alternative approach of killing others to protect himself (by making horcruxes).

Usually, if the main character’s domain is Situation, the Impact character’s domain will be Fixed Attitude (its polar opposite). Certainly, Voldemort’s attitude remains fixed throughout the entire series. Even at the climax, he refuses to reconsider his actions and shows no remorse.

The Overall story concerns Harry’s evolution from an underdog who sleeps a cupboard and is bullied by his muggle cousin into a confident wizard. That process of becoming something suggests that this throughline belongs in the domain of Manipulation. Certainly, Harry is manipulated and groomed by Dumbledore.

That leaves the domain of Activity for the Relationship throughline.

Now, let’s consider how each domain breaks down into 4 signposts. Please note that the best order for the signposts varies with each story. Below is the order that makes sense to me for this story.

The signposts for the Main Character (Situation) domain are therefore:

1. The Future: A prophecy is made that Harry will become Voldemort’s nemesis and that only one of them will survive. This future fate is sealed when Voldemort kills Harry’s parents.

2. The Past: Harry starts out ignorant of his past, but gradually learns more about it. He finds out how his parents were killed, learns about Voldemort’s past as Tom Riddle, meets his godfather, etc.

3. Progress: Harry starts making real progress when he stops being pursued by Voldemort and becomes the pursuer. This begins in The Order of the Phoenix when he deliberately sets out to rescue Sirius. By the time he encounters Voldemort at Hogwarts in the seventh book, he is fully confident of his abilities.

4. The Present: At the end, we see Harry as a happy family man with a wife and children. His scar never hurts, and all his problems seem safely behind him.

The signposts for the Impact Character (Fixed Attitude) domain are:

1. Memories: As the series begins, Voldemort has become just a bad memory which everyone is trying to forget.

2. Innermost Desires: As Voldemort returns, he starts pursuing his deep desire for absolute power and immortality – which depend upon eliminating Harry Potter.

3. Impulsive Responses: As the climax approaches, Voldemort seems to abandon his habit of careful planning and stealth. Instead, he starts acting on (often murderous) impulses. In The Deathly Hallows, we see him frantically rushing around trying to obtain the Elder Wand, confirm the safety of his horcruxes, and lead a brazen attack on Hogwarts to flush out Harry Potter. In his desperation, he kills Snape (even though he seems a valuable ally) to win the Elder Wand, yet makes only a superficial attempt to confirm Harry’s death.

4. Contemplation. In the end, Voldemort proves unable to contemplate remorse, hence he cannot be saved from his own killing curse (whereas Harry can).

The signposts for the Overall Story (Manipulation) are:

1. Conceiving an Idea: In book one, Professor Dumbledore comes up with the idea of leaving Harry with the Dursleys, both for his own protection and so his fame won’t go to his head.

2. Developing a Plan: Voldemort develops his plans to return to power, while Dumbledore develops his plans to defeat Voldemort. He figures out Voldmort’s secret (horcruxes), stages his own death (to prevent Voldemort obtaining the Elder Wand), and equips Harry to fight Voldemort.

3. Playing a role. At the climax, Harry assumes the role of a sacrificial lamb to save everyone – the role he has been groomed for.

4. Changing one’s nature. After Voldemort’s death, Harry has become a much wiser person than even Dumbledore, as illustrated by his rejection of the Elder Wand.

The signposts for the Relationship (Activity) domain are:

1. Understanding: In the first book, Harry and Voldemort come to understand they have a special relationship. Harry’s scar burns in Voldemort’s presence, and Voldemort burns when he tries to touch Harry.

2. Doing: Harry and Voldemort do things to harm each other in the early books. Harry destroys Riddle’s diary (the first Horcrux). Voldemort returns to life by taking Harry’s blood. Yet neither is able to do what they ultimately must: kill the other.

3. Gathering Information. Harry learns the truth about Dumbledore’s past and the Deathly Hallows. Voldemort tries to get information about the Elder wand from Olivander and Grindelwald, but fails to learn when Harry becomes its master.

4. Obtaining: Ultimately, Harry obtains victory over Voldemort.

So, if we were to put these in rough order, the major events of the series would go like this…

Act 1

The Future: A prophecy is made that Harry will become Voldemort’s nemesis and that only one of them will survive. This future fate is sealed when Voldemort kills Harry’s parents.

Conceiving an Idea: Professor Dumbledore comes up with the idea of leaving Harry with the Dursleys, both for his own protection and so his fame won’t go to his head.

Memories: As Harry reaches age 11, Voldemort has become just a bad memory which everyone is trying to forget.

Understanding: Harry and Voldemort come to understand they have a special relationship. Harry’s scar burns in Voldemort’s presence, and Voldemort burns when he tries to touch Harry.

Act 2

The Past: Harry starts out ignorant of his past, but gradually learns more about it. He finds out how his parents were killed, learns about Voldemort’s past as Tom Riddle, meets his godfather, etc.

Innermost Desires: As Voldemort returns, he starts pursuing his deep desire for absolute power and immortality – which depend upon eliminating Harry Potter.

Developing a Plan: Voldemort develops his plans to return to power, while Dumbledore develops his plans to defeat Voldemort. He figures out Voldmort’s secret (horcruxes), stages his own death (to prevent Voldemort obtaining the Elder Wand), and equips Harry to fight Voldemort.

Doing: Harry and Voldemort do things to harm each other in the early books. Harry destroys Riddle’s diary (the first Horcrux). Voldemort returns to life by taking Harry’s blood. Yet neither is able to do what they ultimately must: kill the other.

Act 3

Progress: Harry starts making real progress when he stops being pursued by Voldemort and becomes the pursuer. This begins in The Order of the Phoenix when he deliberately sets out to rescue Sirius.

Gathering Information. Harry learns the truth about Dumbledore’s past and the Deathly Hallows. Voldemort tries to get information about the Elder wand from Olivander and Grindelwald, but fails to learn when Harry becomes its master.

Impulsive Responses: As the climax approaches, Voldemort seems to abandon his habit of careful planning and stealth. Instead, he starts acting on (often murderous) impulses. In The Deathly Hallows, we see him frantically rushing around trying to obtain the Elder Wand, confirm the safety of his horcruxes, and lead a brazen attack on Hogwarts to flush out Harry Potter. In his desperation, he kills Snape (even though he seems a valuable ally) to win the Elder Wand.

Playing a role. At the climax, Harry assumes the role of a sacrificial lamb to save everyone – the role he has been groomed for.

Act 4

Contemplation. In the end, Voldemort proves unable to contemplate remorse, hence he cannot be saved from his own killing curse (whereas Harry can).

Obtaining: Ultimately, Harry obtains victory over Voldemort.

Changing one’s nature. After Voldemort’s death, Harry has become a much wiser person than even Dumbledore, as illustrated by his rejection of the Elder Wand.

The Present: At the end, we see Harry as a happy family man with a wife and children. His scar never hurts, and all his problems seem safely behind him.

Of course, this isn’t  perfect or complete summary of the Harry Potter series, but I think it illustrates how Dramatica can be applied to a series as well as to individual books/stories.

For the original question and answer this is based on, see …Understanding/Identifying Signposts (Harry Potter and Dramatica).

Writing Workshops

This fall, I will be teaching a course called, “Storybuilding: From Idea to Outline.” The course begins in September and sessions will take place on Wednesday evenings at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario.

By sheer luck, this makes it perfect timing for anyone wanting to prep for Nanowrimo.

In the workshops, I will cover methods of generating story ideas and using story theory to develop ideas into solid outlines.

All writers and aspiring writers are welcome.
Visit St. Lawrence College for more information.

Independent Publisher: THE Voice of the Independent Publishing Industry

I was interviewed a few weeks ago for the Independent Publisher, regarding the IPPY awards.

I think I may have come across as a little down on non-fiction books, which wasn’t my intent. But I do think certain genres are harder to market than others. Juvenile fiction, in particular, is tricky because the audience often doesn’t spend their own money, so they don’t shop online as much.

I think a lot depends on getting books into bookstores and libraries where kids can discover them, and that’s not so easy for independent publishers.

Anyway, here’s the link to the full article…

Independent Publisher: THE Voice of the Independent Publishing Industry.