About Module 1: How It Feels to Read a Good Book
Before we starting planning our novels, here are the quickest ways to improve your writing: care, projects, and a focus on characters.
What is "Character-First Writing"?
4 Lessons
A welcome message + guided tour: all the ways you can use this course to improve your writing.
There are three core principles to character-first writing. They may surprise you!
Sometimes people think, when I talk about character-first writing, that I want them to write a BORING story where nothing happens. That's not the case, fortunately! In fact, I often tell coaching clients to add MORE story to their novel outlines.
Here's a preview of what's coming: how to use "character-first" plotting to work through the "messy" middle of your story. This is an element of the course that writers love the most: you can conquer your fear of the long "second act" of your story.
The Secret Ingredient: Care
7 Lessons
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Let's get serious. Why is a course like this so valuable?
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They didn't teach you this!
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Plot isn't about events. It's about shifts in care.
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Major characters should have a "project."
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It's SO easy to do this. And it makes your readers give up on your novel.
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Start your reader with a character.
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Can writing be taught? How seriously should you take the advice from this course?
A Story That Reads Quickly
5 Lessons
All right. What kind of book do we actually want to write in this course? What will the reader feel while reading it?
The key to exposition is to sprinkle it lightly — very lightly — at the start. Here's how...
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Trick your reader with this easy technique
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This is so powerful: when two parts of the story become one.
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The Core of Your Story: Your Protagonist
3 Lessons
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Here's how to start your novel: with several scenes devoted to your protagonist's "project."
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A few frequently asked questions about the A plot-line.
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Nine questions to help you develop your protagonist and build your A plot-line.
You Should Narrate More
3 Lessons
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This is how we convey to the reader all the information they need to enjoy, understand, keep reading your novel.
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