THE DANCE OF PLOT AND CHARACTER
. . . a full day seminar, taught by Bootcamp for Novelists
co-founder and instructor Connie Flynn
WHEN: Saturday, June 23 30, 2012 10am to 5:30pm Doors Open
at 9:30am
WHERE
: Vision Quest Bookstore, 2225 N. Scottsdale Rd,
Scottsdale, AZ
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.
This is a hand-on seminar so come prepared to work. 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 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 (defined as 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.
FEES: $65 prior to June 10 and
$80 after June 10. You can
remit by
Paypal or contact me for address for mail payment.
THE DAY'S SCHEDULE:
9:30 Doors open/check in. Seminar begins.
Module 1: Characters Discovered Module 2: Boxes to Put
Them In
1:00 Lunch --- Off-Site
2:30 Seminar resumes.
Module 3: The 8 Major Story Events Module 4: The Glorious
Dance
5:30 Seminar Complete
For more information about Bootcamp for Novelists or to register, go to
bootcampfornovelists.com or contact Connie directly at
bootcamp4novelists@cox.net
--Connie Flynn
