Episode 2 – Character Development

Do you want to write a stronger story? Would you like to worry less about plot holes and weak characters?  Some writers shy away from outlining, believing it their worst nightmare, and state that time is better spent writing a novel than planning it. Then there are those who’ve tried plotting, perhaps more than a few times, only to get lost in the weeds and overwhelmed by frustration. Stories that work all follow a certain structure; you just need to learn how to apply it.  Plot Development is a step-by-step guide which will teach you: How to decide on the number of characters to include in your novel How to make each character come alive with their own wants and needs How to choose between different types of outlines How to develop engaging events and where to place them within your story How to enhance your plot with potent subplots How to build chapters, designed to deliver an immersing experience for the reader How to review and edit your outline to make it even better How to enrich your opening and closing chapters Included are seven bonus chapters, covering important topics like: theme, beta readers, short story plotting, and much more. Additionally, you’ll be able to download an outline template to provide an in-depth guide for your plotting. No more getting lost in those weeds! Plot Development is brought to you by Autumn and Jesper, two bestselling authors, who have published more than twenty novels between them. Leverage the power of story structure and take your writing to the next level. Get it now and see for yourself! https://books2read.com/writersboxset 

In the eight, and final episode, of Write the Story podcast, Autumn and Jesper starts out by reviewing whether the introduction of the protagonist in chapter one has been handled well enough. After that, they take a closer look at the opening and closing lines of the story. The opening line is the first chance to snare the reader’s attention and get them into the story. Such a demand could suggest an impossible mission for a single sentence, but as you’ll learn in this episode, that’s actually not the case. A great opening line should: Show the character, Capture the soul of the story, Invoke curiosity in the reader, and could make use of Dialog. The closing line is a bit different. Here, you need to pay attention to Pacing, whether or not this sentence is Sending the character Off in a strong way and Hints at the Future. Do you want the book, Jesper and Autumn are using as a guide for this podcast series? Get it here: https://books2read.com/Plot-Development   Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy

Sub plots can add to the context and complexity of a novel or they can derail the entire plot. Why one sub plot works and another doesn’t, isn’t always clear. In this episode, Jesper initially believes that there isn’t much more to add in terms of sub plots to their short story, but he will soon think otherwise once he and Autumn starts discussing story structure. Sub plots are like the instruments of a symphony orchestra. The wonderful sound of percussion instruments mixes with strings, woodwinds and brass until everything melds together in a unified whole. However, when the orchestra members train, they spend hours upon hours practicing in both isolation and as a group. When the day of the concert finally arrives, they take to the stage and plays as if they’ve been performing a single, fluent, melody all along. You can think of sub plots in much the same way. When plotting, every story layer is added one by one, yet all the reader experiences is a novel where each chapter advances the story and develops the characters. How the writer actually managed to string many different elements together and deliver such a harmonized story remains invisible. Another part of writing an engaging story is how chapters are structured. Autumn and Jesper explain this concept in detail in today’s episode of Write the Story. The fact that there is a framework in place for structuring chapters doesn’t put restrictions on your imagination. Quite the opposite. In general, each of your chapters contains a healthy degree of momentum where the protagonist’s goals are clear. A sense of conflict and uncertainty is also constantly present, but let’s break it down step by step. Here is, Autumn and Jesper’s chapter template: 1. Character Goal 2. The Hook 3. Conflict & Dilemma 4. Reaction & Decision 5. The Disaster All will be explained. Tune in and enjoy the episode. Do you want the book, Jesper and Autumn are using as a guide for this podcast series? Get it here: https://books2read.com/Plot-Development  Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy

All the work done so far was leading up to this point – the Climax and the Wrap Up. While it’s fair to assume that everyone understands that the Climax is the final showdown, where the protagonist will either achieve or fail the goal, it’s not as safe a bet to expect that the true purpose of the Climax is always that clear. Unless you’re able to tie beginning and end together in a satisfying way - confirming to the reader that this was the story they had been hoping for – the ending won’t be very enjoyable. The Climax is created from five key events. In this episode of the Write the Story podcast, Autumn and Jesper discuss the Climax of their short story. Once that has been achieved, they move on to the Wrap Up. If the Climax was what made the entire book worthwhile, the Wrap Up is what sets the stage for how the novel will be remembered. It cements the final feelings or longings in the readers mind and is also where you create the setup for another book, if there is more to come. Do you want the book, Jesper and Autumn are using as a guide for this podcast series? Get it here: https://books2read.com/Plot-Development Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy

Develop Plan – or at times Autumn and Jesper refer to it as the Planning Phase – makes up the second half of the middle of your story. There’s actually quite a lot to achieve here before we bump into the next Plot Post, the Climax. In this part of the story, you’ll be setting up the conclusion to the character arc while simultaneously allowing enough time for both the hero and the villain to make the necessary “chess moves”.  Throughout this Plot Post, the hero will gain the resources needed to achieve the goal. It could be skills, knowledge, allies… Whatever it is, it’ll elevate the character from being a novice to an intermediate level. While all of this is taking place, the pace of the story will also pick up and escalate the tension further. In order to handle this escalating tension, and add some structure to it from a story plotting perspective, we’re going to build out five levels of hurdles and lulls. Listen in to episode 5 of Write the Story podcast and hear how Autumn and Jesper go about it. Do you want the book, Jesper and Autumn are using as a guide for this podcast series?  Get it here: https://books2read.com/Plot-Development  Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy

When creating stories they consist of some cornerstones. Autumn and Jesper call these Plot Posts. Plot Posts are intended as a “catch all” phrase for the major turning points of a novel. There are seven of these Plot Posts: The Intro, Inciting Incident, Reaction Phase, New Info (or Dark Night of the Soul), Develop Plan, Climax and Wrap Up. In this episode of the Write the Story Podcast, Autumn and Jesper discuss the first four of the plot posts. They develop The Intro, Inciting Incident, Reaction Phase, New Info (or Dark Night of the Soul). The Intro constitutes the start of your novel. The Inciting Incident is the first major turning point of the novel and one that changes everything. Up until this point, the protagonist have been busy dealing with the mini story in the Intro, but he or she is now going to cross a threshold where the hero’s “normal” world will come to an abrupt halt. The change is caused by the resolution of the Intro’s smaller problems, catapulting the character into the Inciting Incident. The Reaction phase is a vehicle, used to show character change and foreshadowing what’s to come. The New Info is where the discovery of new information forces the protagonist to face reality. It’s where you’re handing the keys-to-greater-insight over to the character, and as a consequence, it changes how the hero decides to move forward. Do you want the book, Jesper and Autumn are using as a guide for this podcast series? Get it here: https://books2read.com/Plot-Development  Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy 

In this episode of the Write the Story podcast, Jesper and Autumn flesh out the character arc for the main protagonist, Dramna. It's also time to expand upon the personalities of the secondary characters in the story. Do you want the book, Jesper and Autumn are using as a guide for this podcast series? Get it here: https://books2read.com/Plot-Development Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy 

The time has come to develop the characters further; especially Dramna, the protagonist.  Jesper and Autumn discuss character roles - also for the secondary characters, making a Priestess much more interesting - before, in the second half of this episode, the focus is on developing the personality for the protagonist of the story. Do you want the book, Jesper and Autumn are using as a guide for this podcast series? Get it here: https://books2read.com/Plot-Development Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy

In the first episode of ‘Write the Story’ podcast, Jesper and Autumn discuss the premise they've developed in preparation for this podcast and look for ways to improve upon the general structure of the story. Do you need more insight on developing a story premise: https://books2read.com/StoryIdeas  Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/AmWritingFantasy 

Stories that ‘work’, touches something inside of us. They have a sense of magic to them that reach the reader on a fundamental level. But how do we create a story that ‘works’? Do we focus on the characters? The plot? The theme? Something else…? With the Internet booming with advice, and associated acronyms, it’s like tumbling down a bottom-less rabbit hole of confusion.  Great stories aren’t about the plot. It’s about how we deliver the story as a tightly knitted flying blanket that carries the reader away so fast that they never even stop to wonder what might happen next.  Many writers (and readers) mistake the story for what they can see on the page. They believe prose, action and dialog to constitute creative writing. All of this is important, no doubt about it, but these elements will never be able to bring a story to life and give it meaning. To write a truly great book, story structure is far more important than talent or having a distinctive voice will ever be. That’s not to say that imaginative plotting will deliver this effect on its own either. No. But, a firm grasp of story structure will set you down the path of success. In this limited podcast series, Autumn Birt and Jesper Schmidt – two bestselling authors and writing coaches - will plot a story from scratch in to help YOU understand Story Structure better.