 Workshops
Putting Your Characters in the Driver's Seat
The target audience for this workshop is beginning to intermediate unpublished writers. In the judging I've done with the Golden Heart contest and with local contests, the most common mistake in story-telling that inexperienced authors make is having too many events in their plots. Further study suggests this problem is a result of not quite understanding how characters are used to drive the plot forward.
The workshop is best as a 60 minute presentation with time allotted for questions. This workshop can also be expanded to a half day with additional emphasis put on character development and plot development. This workshop ends with a fun interactive exercise that puts the techniques to work.
Some of you may have received a rejection letter, as I have, with a statement to the effect of "You write really well, but your character's actions don't seem believable and your plot is contrived." What in the world does Ms. Editor mean? The subtext of her statement is this: Events are driving the plot instead of your characters. This workshop consists of the following elements:
- Example of an event-driven plot that is fun and drives home the point
- If events don't drive the plot, what does?
- Know your characters.
- Romance Story Threads
- Scenes—Goal, Conflict, Disaster/Decision
- Putting Emotion To Work
- Who are your hero and heroine? What's their emotional baggage, good and bad?
- Interactive Exercise to put your characters in the driver's seat
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