The Dance of Plot & Character

CONNIE FLYNN

Bootcamp: The Dance of Plot and Character
Saturday, June 23rd/30th
10am-­‐5:30pm (full day)
Location: Vision Quest Bookstore,
2225 N.Scottsdale Rd,
Scottsdale, AZ

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. 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.

Contact Connie for more details: bootcamp4novelists@cox.net

Bootcamp for Novelists April Courses

LINDA'S COURSE April 22 to May 20 4P Strong Plots and Subplots Do you ever wonder what makes a good story great? Why we remember some stories and not others? In this workshop we examine layering and subplot development and their use in taking a story from okay to outstanding. FEE: $28 http://bootcampfornovelists.com/ CONNIE'S COURSE April 22 to May 20 4B Conflicts That Sizzle Without conflict there is no story. But what is conflict and how does it affect character and plot? It stems from the obstacles to the character's goal and from the consequences of character action. This course will focus on escalating obstacles and consequences until conflict sizzles on every page. FEE: $28 http://bootcampfornovelists.com/

Bootcamp for Novelists On-Line Classes for February

February 11 to March 11

http://www.bootcampfornovelists.com/

2B - Dynamic Plotting

2P - Deepening Characterization

ENROLL NOW
FEE: $28 Per Course

LINDA'S COURSES

February 11 to March 11

2P DEEPENING CHARACTER
How your character acts in any given situation is based on multiple variables. Here you'll learn what they are and how to use them to make your characters leap off the page.
March 18 to April 18

CONNIE'S COURSES

February 11 to March 11

2B DYNAMIC PLOTTING
Some people believe that stories come from a magical realm and simply float down to some lucky writers. But could it be possible that given a character with a goal who faces conflict that you can give them situations that makes your story sing?
FEE: $28

Writer's Tip

Courtesy of Bootcamp for Novelists

To increase the reader's interest, deprive him of something he wants to know.

Writer's Tip

WRITER'S TIP from Bootcamp for Novelists

http://bootcampfornovelists.com/


Conflict, Conflict, Conflict

Novels usually begin with an immediate initial problem which keeps the reader turning pages until the core conflict develops. How well a conflict builds depends on the inescapability of the struggle. Early conflicts are rarely strong enough to carry a full book, but as the characters get to know each other, new obstacles and deeper conflicts arise.

For a strong conflict to exist, you first need a concrete, specific goal. The goal must be crucial to your protagonists' belief in himself as a human being. It may be all in his mind, but he absolutely must believe it and that he will be destroyed emotionally, psychologically or physically if he doesn't achieve it.

In classic novel structure, stories will have both an external and an internal conflict. The internal (core) conflict is the one that carries the emotional impact. That's because the core conflict is related to the characters' deep-seated values, beliefs and fears - issues such as fear of commitment, abandonment, failure of past relationships. Core conflicts are internal and emotional in nature and must contain the emotional depth to sustain the book.

In a romance novel, the core conflict is the barrier that prevents the hero and heroine from falling in love and it must be resolved before they can have a successful relationship. In any novel, a core conflict should take the protagonists' deepest fear, twist it around and make it the worst it can be. A simple example might be: If your heroine fears abandonment, make sure the hero is in a high-risk job which may mean his life is in danger more often than most.

If you take care to know everything about your hero and heroine, especially their values and beliefs, you won't be tempted to twist them to fit the plot. Your characters will show you how they'll react in each and every situation. If you do this, the conflict will be real, the plot will work and the story will be successful.

Bootcamp for Novelists January Courses

January 7th - February 4th

CONNIE'S BOOTCAMP
CREATING CHARACTERS
FEE: $28

LINDA'S BOOTCAMP
THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS
FEE: $28

SAVE $20 ON OUR FOUR COURSE PACKAGES
The Four Pillars of Structure
1B -Creating Characters
2B - Dynamic Plotting
3B - Scene Sculpting
4B - Conflicts That Sizzle


The Techniques of the Pros
1P - The First Three Chapters
2P - Deepening Characterization
3P - Escalating Consequences
4P - Strong Subplots

FEE: $92

You can enroll in any of the courses individually, but if you plan to take them all, why not save some money? The packages also make terrific holiday gifts, so if someone in your life is an aspiring writer here's a great chance to set them on that path.


For more information or to enroll in these courses, go to http://bootcampfornovelists.com

APPLYING THE HERO'S JOURNEY TO YOUR BOOKS

By Connie Flynn

Many people who read Chris Vogler's THE WRITER'S JOURNEY for the first time find themselves forgetting it's about writing. Vogler's world seems so real. We know these people–the threshold guardians who block our way, the shapeshifters who betray us, the mentor who guides us. We've experienced the hero's reluctance to start, the setbacks on the journey, the moments when all seems lost.

By the same token, many writers puzzle over how to apply this material to their own writing. The possible reason is that we take a literal approach and think of archetypes as characters and the stages of the journey as plot points.

HOW THE JOURNEY REALLY WORKS.

The Archetypes
The Campbell archetypes are story roles and placeholders more than characterization. Many of the archetypes can be held by more than one person. Some of them can be held by an animal, an object or even a place.

A character could be a feisty nine-year-old boy and still alternately assume the role of shapeshifter, threshold guardian and mentor through his actions and dialogue. Writers must still build a unique personality for the characters and overlay them with archetypes as the story dictates. By using the roles to aid or present obstacles to the hero as he travels, we can combine their function with other characterization techniques that create rich and textured characters.

The Journey
The stages of the journey are events that should meld into your story, rather than become plot points themselves. It helps to divide the journey into four stages.

In the first stage the Hero, transitions from the known (ordinary) world to the unknown (special) world. The archetype used to create the call to action (Herald) doesn't necessarily require a character. It could be a letter, a dropped object, a barking dog that draws the hero from his bed into a pack of monsters.

The second stage has the Hero fully entering the special world to face tests and enemies, and gains allies. Here, the Mentor is most visible, and the Hero will never depend on him more. A trusted ally or love interest may become a betraying Shapeshifter, the Trickster may show up as capricious weather or the town idiot. The Shadow pops up to test the Hero's resolve. The Hero is beaten down.

In the third stage the Hero faces the Supreme Ordeal. Escape comes only by seeing the danger through. An old ally may return. A loved one may die. The Hero experiences a near-death or a psychological death. Something will be lost, a sacrifice made. Reward comes in the form of new knowledge or a weapon that foretells success.

In stage four the Hero escapes. Guardians and Shadows are hot on their heels. The Hero again stares death in the face and is resurrected through a new skill or perspective. The prize is seized. The love interest is won. The Hero's acts have transformed the ordinary world and he returns to accolades.

During all these events the archetypes and stages of the journey exist only as pressure points to create story conflict and contrast. If they don't serve that purpose, they should be skipped.

Endings do not have to be happy or details nicely tied up. The journey itself is circular and can lead into a new journey. But in classic romance fiction, the Hero always gets the girl. And the bad guy always gets punished. Unless, of course, there's a sequel in the works.

Connie Flynn is a co-founder of Bootcamp for Novelists Online and will teach Applying the Hero's Journey, a six week clinic, beginning May 23rd.

Bootcamp for Novelists On-Line Classes

THIS SEASON, GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF CREATIVITY!

ENROLL IN 4 PILLARS OF STRUCTURE TAUGHT BY CONNIE FLYNN
OR TECHNIQUES OF THE PROS TAUGHT BY LINDA STYLE
A $100 VALUE FOR $85

OFFER EXPIRES ON JANUARY 1


LINDA'S COURSES


TECHNIQUES OF THE PROS

The First Three Chapters

Deepening Character

Escalating Consequences

Subplots and Layering



CONNIE'S COURSES

4 PILLARS OF STRUCTURE

Character Development

Plotting

Scene and Structure

Conflict

ON-GOING CLASSES WILL RESUME JANUARY 10


LINDA CONNIE

5P-Infusing Stories With Emotion 5B-Sparkling Dialogue
9P-Developing Voice & Style 9B-Rewriting & Revising



THE FULL 2010 SCHEDULE WILL BE AVAILABLE BY DECEMBER 23

IN 2010 LOOK FOR OUR SPECIAL CLINICS, GUEST
PRESENTATIONS, AND A POSSIBLE FACE-TO-FACE WEEKEND SEMINAR

Go to BootcampforNovelists.com to enroll

For more information contact Linda Style or Connie Flynn http://bootcampfornovelists.com/

BOOTCAMP for Novelists Online August Class

BOOTCAMP for Novelists Online August Class

We want to announce that we'll now offer four courses each month. Because the first four courses of each learning track (Basic and Polish) are so important, we've decided to offer them each term.

The Basic Track will feature the Four Pillars of Story Structure, which includes characterization, plot, scene structure and conflict.

The Polish Track will feature the Techniques of the Pros, which includes the first three chapters, advanced characterization, escalating consequences and subplots and layers.

The regularly scheduled fall courses will still be offered along with the foundational courses..August 2 to August 29

5B SCENE & STRUCTURE (Basic Track) taught by Connie $22

Action rules, introspection is dead. Not entirely true, but every author must learn how to write action and bring events to life on the page. The goal is to generate mental pictures in readers' minds so they can feel the story, live the story. This course deals with how that's doneFor more information, contact Connie at bootcamp4novelists@cox.net

5P INFUSING STORIES WITH EMOTION(Polish Track) taught by Linda Style. $22

Learning how to infuse your story with emotion is one of the most important techniques, yet most writers don't even think about it until they realize something is missing in their stories. As writers we must not only know how to build emotion in our stories and characters, but how to engage the reader emotionally. In this class you'll learn techniques to do both.For more information, contact Linda at bootcamp4novelists2@yahoo.com

1B CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (Basic Track) taught by Connie $25

This course is the first pillar of story structure and it deals with populating your book with living breathing people who will stay alive throughout the story. You'll also learn why character equals plots and plot equals character.For more information, contact Connie at bootcamp4novelists@cox.net

1P THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS(Polish Track) Taught by Linda Style $25

Writing powerful first chapters is the first technique of the proses. This course covers how to structure the vital first three chapters to set up your story and instill emotion and suspense. A must do course for anyone hoping to get published.For more information, contact Linda at bootcamp4novelists2@yahoo.com

For more details about BOOTCAMP for Novelists or to enroll in courses go to BootcampforNovelists.com

Interview with Linda Style and Connie Flynn-Bootcamp for Novelists

Linda Style and Connie Flynn opened Bootcamp for Novelists Online, an online academy dedicated to writing the novel. Bootcamp for Novelists is a step-by-step approach to novel writing that begins with The Basics (taught by Connie) while at the same providing access to more advanced techniques, called The Polish (taught by Linda).

Tell us what's up with Bootcamp for Novelists. For instance, what are you teaching and who is it designed for?

Linda & Connie: Bootcamp for Novelists is designed for the writer who is strongly committed to becoming published. While we don't pile the work on, the program is consistent and rigorous, with a lesson and related exercise each week. While the hobbyist writer can gain from these classes, it is the dedicated novelists who gain the most. The exercises increase in difficulty and are designed to stretch both imagination and skill, always pushing the student to go beyond the box.

Connie: Hey, we didn’t call it a bootcamp for nothing. :-)

Linda: Our feedback is encouraging, always keeping the writer’s skill level in mind, but it is also direct. Our aim is to help the student grow and flourish as a writer.

How did you come up with the idea for a bootcamp and why?

Connie: Partly, because we could. Linda and I each have in the area of twenty years of writing and teaching experience. We're both published authors and are familiar with current publisher expectations. We both take a commercial approach to fiction writing and are lucky enough to have the ability to pass this on to others.

Linda: Connie and I have been good friends for years, and we’ve taught workshops together and separately, online and in classes. Doing so, we were very aware of how difficult it is for new writers to get an integrated education on writing the novel. We’ve also shared a belief that anyone can learn to write fiction if given the proper tools. A step-by-step program that takes a writer from the beginning of his novel to the end seemed the most natural way to do it.

So, you just said, let's go out and start a school?

Connie: It did kind of happen that way. There are so many areas to master in writing a novel. Characterization, plotting, conflict, structure, prose handling.

Linda: Then there's the marketing part—how to find an agent, what genre to write in, attending conferences, talking to editors, query letters, synopses. You name it, the working novelist is an entrepreneur and has to master many different skills.

Connie: So, yes, both of us being entrepreneurs ourselves, we decided an online program would be perfect. The idea of online classes isn’t new, but the Bootcamp step-by-step program is unique. Our goal is to provide an education in a manner for writers to learn what they need to learn, when they need to learn it.

You have two different levels, is that right?

Connie: Yes, I teach the basic structure series, aimed at grounding new writers in the fundamentals that all novelists must master to be successful, subjects like character development, plot structure, scene development, even punctuation for dialogue. My courses are straightforward, sometimes not too glamorous and often hard work (did we mention that this is a Bootcamp?) Linda teaches more sophisticated techniques of writing, nuances of character arcs, plot and motivation layering, adding twists and turns to stories. Her courses often contain more glamour but they're also bootcamps so that doesn't make them easy.

It kind of sounds like you must take the whole program or start at a particular time.

Linda: That’s a good idea for the new writer, but many unpublished writers have been writing for a while, some even have more than one book completed, and they know a lot about basic structure and plot. But they need something to get them over the hump from unpublished to published. They may not know, or have forgotten, the finer points, such as how to deepen characters, or how use emotion to engage the reader on that first page and make them keep turning pages. Some students are also authors who want to ramp up their skills. Beginning writers can (and do) take both the basic and the polish together. It’s a lot of work, but some want to be on the fast track and are willing to put nose to the grindstone to do it.

Connie: Students new to writing are advised to start with either Character Development or Plot because they are basic entry points to writing a story. But they can start elsewhere. Those who do could feel like they're playing catch-up but the knowledge they'll gain is still useful and, if they go back and pick a basic later, it will all come together. So, basically, you can start when you start, because all roads lead back to mastering the skills of novel writing.

You must be working very hard these days with back to back classes and new students every month.

Connie: There is a great deal of work, yes, and a few surprises, yes, and a lot of gratification, also yes. Teaching others to expand and apply their talents is so tremendously fulfilling and to be able to do it a wildly creative field like fiction writing is doubly fulfilling. Each time, I have an answer to a student's questions, I'm answering some question of my own I didn't even know I had. This is a life that's a privilege to wake up to in the morning.

Linda: Ditto that. I’m absolutely delighted when someone tells me they finally understand a concept they “thought” they knew. Advanced students often know the principles, but making them work is the hard part. We work with each student as much as we can to ensure each has a “working” knowledge of their craft. And like Connie, teaching also keeps me on my toes and reminds me what I need to do as a writer...and that’s continuing to grow. None of us can stop growing, the market won’t let us. And with that, we’re back to the commercial aspect. Yes, it’s great to write and flex our creative muscles--and it feels even better when we sell that first book!

Thanks Ladies!

www.bootcampfornovelists.com for more information.

Boot Camp For Novelists Online Workshop-May

Boot Camp For Novelists MAY COURSES
5/3 to 5/31


BASIC TRACK PLOT
(Connie)

The very best story seamlessly intertwine plot events with character decision until readers can't tell where one begins and the other ends. Sound almost impossible to do? Well, that's what Plot will introduce. How to find the boxes to put your character's dreams and how to place the successes and obstacles to get the most drama from your story. You'll explore the four act structure, learn about the eight major plot points, and discover how you as a storyteller can fill in the spots between them.

Many of you have developed extraordinary characters and nows the change to give them a story that brings out the very best and worst in them, that forces them to grow. Don't have characters? No worry. We'll invent some and you can start completely fresh, which is often the best way to travel through this education.

Questions? Email Connie at Bootcamp4Novelists@cox.net


POLISH TRACK
ESCALATING CONSEQUENCES
(Linda)

A well crafted story lures the reader from paragraph to paragraph, page to page and chapter to chapter. To do that, writers have to be part craftsman and part psychoanalyst, figuring out the best ways to draw the reader in and keep him turning pages. How do we do that? We do it by combining a number of techniques, the most important of which is escalating consequences. Without escalating consequences, the reader will quickly lose interest.

Escalating Consequences examines the structure of escalating consequences to increase the intensity of both action and emotion in your story. From first sentence to paragraph, scene, sequence, dramatic act and story, whether you're writing a heartwarming tale or a nail-biting thriller, you'll want to learn the four techniques to escalate consequences in your stories and keep your reader flipping those pages. In this class we'll study:

* Escalation of action
* Escalation of emotion
* Where to start: High to low or low to high? (It's not what you think)
* Escalation from sentences to scene, dramatic act to story


Questions? Email Linda: bootcamp4novelists2@yahoo.com

FEE: $22/course Click here for enrollment information

Check us out and enroll on our website. Again, the start date is May 3.
http://bootcampfornovelists.com/