THE DANCE OF PLOT AND CHARACTER

THE DANCE OF PLOT
AND CHARACTER

. . . taught by Connie Flynn


When: Saturday, April 30, 2011

9 am to 5 pm

Continental breakfast and sit down lunch included.

WHERE: The Historical Monti's La Casa Vieja Steakhouse

100 S. Mill Avenue

Tempe, Arizona 85281

www.montis.com

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
When we study novel writing we are forced to break its many elements into smaller chunks in order to master each of them well enough to write the powerful stories that are in us. Never is that truer than in the study of plot and character. You hear writers say things like "I'm a plot driven writer," or "My stories are driven by character." In the long run this is impossible. Plots are boring unless we care about the characters who live them. Characters never show their whole selves unless pressured by strong plot events. It's a delicate dance that takes place between plot and character and there are techniques that make the dance easier to choreograph. This course deals with some of the techniques.

During the day, you will learn how and why plot and characters move through a story and how to intertwine them so that the people and events appear real and natural. At the end of the seminar you will be able to block out a novel in which characters create plot and plot pressures the characters to bring about a story resolution that is almost inevitable, but not necessarily predictable. The day includes a continental breakfast and a seated lunch

The morning session will cover the basics of building the focal character and discovering how they will drive your story. Next, we'll learn a four-act structure of loose boxes that define the story and build its plot arc (the change occurring within a story due to the characters' decisions). And finally you'll be introduced to the eight major scenes that will guide your story.

The afternoon session is about techniques to add credibility to your focal character. You'll study what makes people tick and assign your character attitudes, perspectives, opinions, and concerns that will help you know them so well you'll know exactly how they'd react in any situation.

We'll end the day by aligning the eight major scenes to the focal character's arc (defined as the change in their perspective caused by the story events). We'll see how events that seem to change the character are actually a result of the character's decision and how plot/character integration is a delicate dance between these two.


FOR MORE INFO & TO REGISTER

Early registration (until March 31, 2011) $125

Late registration (after March 31, 2011) $150

All day seminar includes continental breakfast and lunch. Register at the Bootcamp website

Installment Plan and Mail Payment Options Available

Contact Connie for more details

bootcamp4novelists@cox.net

Don't Wait to Begin Your Dream . . . Register Today