I have watched at least 8 of your edu-videos ( because they ARE educational) so far and I have found a gold mine of ideas that I can use in all areas of my writing. I have listened to, read, and watched videos from best selling authors sharing their hints, their tools for writing, etc and I have to say only a few have really stayed and resonated with me. Yours is one of those. I have read Stephen King’s On Writing, ( brilliant!...he is the narrator for the audio version and he’s great!) , James Scott Bell, Stephen Pressfield, Henrietta Klauser, Joseph Campbell ( The Hero’s Journey), and more and I put you right up there with all of them as priceless information you give about writing. But more importantly, at least for me, you are easier to understand because you don’t use a hundred words to say what can be explained in several. Thank you !!
I know these videos are a few years old-- but I've been following them to help me plot my first-ever nano project (and by extension my first-ever attempt at a novel) and I just wanted to say that these are the only plotting videos that have clicked for me. I've been filling out the worksheets as I watch the videos and I'm honestly just ecstatic that I've been seamlessly figuring out the key elements of my novel. Other plotting books and videos have left me feeling overwhelmed and at times confused-- but you're so clear and concise, and watching you fill out the sheets with examples is super helpful for my brain.
In her example using her own book, "Deep Dark Secrets", everyone should note that she does not use the ACT-1 plot points in the same order listed on her plotting sheet. She starts with the Inciting Incident. I think this is a brilliant example of how we do NOT have to stick to a formula but still need to include the plotting points in order for a story to make sense and meet reader expectations. This, in itself, makes the start of the book interesting and can hook the reader. But the remainder of plot points are pretty much in order so suspense can be built to a climax and satisfying resolution. Great job. Thanks Sarra!!
So true! It's a flexible format, ane the inciting incident is one of those points that can really appear anywhere in the first act, including before it begins. The only real "rule" there is that it needs to happen before or at the same time as the key event. It can't happen after.
Damn girl, YOU CAN WRITE!!!!! I've been watching your channel and subscribed to you for about a year or so, at least. Well, I kept wanting to read your works, but was always in the middle of reading something else, with the mental note thumbtacked onto my brain's bulletin board to read your work. With my out of control ADHD, I have to consciously hold on tight to the tiger's tale if I want to finish anything. All the while, I continued learning from the wisdom you've acquired, and so generously shared. I knew from the first LINE this was going to be good: "Six foster homes in one year had to be some kind of record." That is tight. I knew a little about the characters because of your help videos, but I knew in that moment this was going to be one helluva ride! Now my husband's turned onto your books as well! We are going to buy the whole series. I am so excited, and I'm still reading book 1!!!!! And your cliffhangers. Girl... for real?!?! OMG. I LOVE to write jawdropping cliffhangers! Yours make my jaw fall about six feet. I'm only 5'3", so OWWWWW!!!!!! As is my habit, I watch your videos, take notes, apply what I've learned, take a break, read fiction. At the moment, it is ONLY your fiction. Thank you, Sarra, for everything you've done to make the world richer for having you in it. PS: I am totally bummed you didn't move to Texas! 😘
I've already published a book, but am so grateful that I stumbled across your videos. My first book is non-fiction, and I am anxious to get to work on a fiction piece. We homeschool, and I'm having my son work through your 8 courses with me as part of his high school English. This is GOLD! Thank you!
I had life things happen right in the middle of taking notes from this video a month and a half ago now, but I came back, rewatched the entire Plot Your Novel series up until this one, and then dove right back into notetaking. Just... so grateful to all the work you put in for all of us, and for all the resources you share. I can't wait to read some of these books, and you sharing what has worked for you has helped so much with my plotting and character development already. As a chronic pantser, this has been incredibly helpful to me. Thank you, Sarra!
Thank you so much for being open enough to share your techniques with us and your learnings. I cannot begin to tell you how impactful this has been for me. I have been toying with writing almost all my life and I have not finished any one of the novels that I’ve started because I like structure and I needed something to help me get through all of those small details. You have been pivotal for me thank you so much I am a huge fan
Discovering your videos gave me the push to take a chance and self-publish. Your tips, your strategies, your enthusiasm, and encouragement has been invaluable.
Your videos are so helpful! I've tried to figure out the 3 Acts with very little success. I'm a visual person and because of your great examples everything's clearer! :)
I've been going through my novel to create an outline. I got stuck and realized I needed a map. I discovered this videos and figured I'd follow along with you, not expecting much more than the information I've already read in books or other plotting courses/videos and their general layouts and inserting major movie scenes to explain their points (don't get me wrong those books and courses were helpful). I was quite excited when you walked through the plotting process using your own novels. What a novel idea (yes, pun intended). Most authors don't do step-by-step with their own novels because of spoilers and I guess assuming that we wouldn't want to purchase the book if we knew all the plot points. On the contrary, one of your novels that you've used, I was feeling "eh, maybe someday" toward. Now I've got to get the book because I want to know how you tie together all the outlines with the threads we don't see in the plotting process. Great video! Great job! And a huge "Thank you!"
I'm just beginning to watch all of your videos (I've watched about 6 now) and follow along with the supporting materials you provide. These are SO extremely helpful as I begin writing my narrative nonfiction book! Although it's a different genre, my book still follows many of these same storytelling elements. Your videos allow me to answer organizational questions that I've been struggling with for months! I really appreciate that you took the time to research, organize, synthesize and create these instructional videos. You explain things well, and as a journalist I also appreciate your diligence to credit other writers and thinkers. I can't wait to keep watching and learning! ~Jordan
omg i love filling these sheets out with you just helps so much to see the kinds of things that can go in the way your sheets are set up considering i didnt get the layout untill you showed and explained it to me!!! THANKS!!!! will keep coming back to this while working on my novel.
I am a "pantser" and have been writing novels since high school. The ideas just show up from thin air. Unfortunately, I am ADHD and never seem to get past Chapter Two. I am fascinated and mystified by you writing all of this out beforehand. I have never thought past what is in front of me right now. 'Discipline' is not what Tiggers do best. Now I am awaiting the arrival of your Plotting Guide, hoping that it can give me a new sense of direction. "Help! Help! I have lost my sense of direction!" "Have you tried Hare Krishna?"
I love the inciting incident and the key event scenes you mentioned because I never felt like my current WIP had the inciting incident where it was supposed to be, or rather that I couldn't really match up my plot to any of the beat sheets. I figured that I had smaller events that led to the inciting incident and that was fine for me, because it pushed the plot forward an an interesting way. But I guess I really did have the inciting incident that introduced the new world/plot early on, but that led to the key event where the characters had to make the decision to really enter the world or not. So I feel better about it, haha, even though I still don't like beat sheets lol. Thank you for doing this series of videos, Sarra! I'm looking forward to Act 2, since I also split my middle into two parts, and I can't wait to see what insights I can gain from your wonderful videos! :D
novellyKJ I love this explanation, too! I'm excited it resonated with you. You should definitely check out KM Weiland's book on structuring your novel. It's full of gold!!
This is great, Sarra! You've made all the elements very clear and it's so helpful to see examples from your work. Once thing I did a couple of months ago was watch 'Crimson Peak' with a pen and notebook on my lap and dissect it keeping in mind the 3-act structure. It's amazing how beautifully Guillermo del Toro plotted the movie, each element clearly defined. For lovers of the supernatural, the film is also a visual feast, anyway. I've watched it 4 times. The music is beautiful too. In fact it is my current soundtrack of choice for my WIP. :-)
Oh, that's great to know! I haven't seen that movie yet. I have a friend who visits a few times a year, and one of our favorite things to do is watch movies and pause to discuss the different elements, like "Okay, this has to be the doorway." haha. It's great when it's done well!
This was fantastic! You made me realize some of the things I had wrong in my novel and why I was struggling to move forward. I am looking forward to the rest of the series!
This was so very helpful. I am going to fill out my sheet tomorrow. I am so excited to get this started. I have read some of the books and it just wasn't clicking as it did seeing this video.
This is so super helpful! I've been jotting down notes for my own story as I followed your explanation. I'm familiar with quite a few of the resources that you mentioned, but you've managed to bring it together in a way that made a few things click for me. So, thank you! ❤️
Thank you soo much for these lessons. They are really helpfull and It's amazing you explain everything by giving us examples, comparing stories and characters. Amazing tips.
Thanks for another great video. I rebelled when I first began to learn about the three act structure. It just didn't seem like it worked that way, but you have helped me understand it at a deeper level. Love the Star Wars' examples juxtaposed with your book. It helps make the concepts real.
So enjoying this series! I know you’re having an impact because I woke up this morning with the Heart Breathings music playing over & over in my mind!! Lol Took me awhile to realize what it was! 😄 🙏
Loved this! Explains so much. Looking forward to the next one, but in the mean time I'll be working on getting my sheet filled out. Thank you for making these videos!! 😊
:D There's a lot of good and useful info in this video and with practical examples, wich is the best for new writters! I'm following all the steps and my act 1 is almost ready ! Thanks you!
Amon Amarth (quaintly known as Mount Doom) is in Mordor. ;) Watching your plotting series and comparing it to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey. (literally have a second screen open and going through point by point) Your series is helping me better understand his concept of the monomyth and how all stories are ultimately the same story. Well, done!
I'm a bit unclear on something. Would we fill out this workbook before or after we have a general outline established? a lot of these questions feel like the answers wouldn't be known until a general blueprint of the story is already laid out. But on the flip side, a lot of these questions feel like they'd help unwrap the storyline as well....
Thanks so much for going to the trouble to share all this. BEST description with examples that I've seen so far! Very helpful. As I listened the second time through, I could see where I had included these things in my previous books, as well as where I need to make them stronger. You mentioned at the beginning that you hadn't done all this in your earlier books. Will you just leave those books as they are, or do you have plans to go back and change them? I've been debating this for some time. I feel like ... well, I'm going to always improve as an author. But on the other hand, the earlier books are what draw people into the series.
I think it will also change how I view movies. I'll be watching for this stuff now. I already do this with TV series on Netflix: Look for help with how I should work a series of books.
I love this series, Sarra! I have a comment about if you have a two POV romance (alternating chapters) where each character has their own character and story arc. I did fill out character sheets for both characters and I'm realizing I need a plot sheet for each character. The story was too big and complicated when I tried to plot out the entire story but when I teased th story lines out, it all became clearer.
Yes! I write multiple pov mostly (at least 4) and I always print the entire plotting package for each character. I will then weave them together on the scenes sheet later.
All of this is super super helpful, thank you! But I do have a question about pacing. In my current book, the first door of no return is that my MC is essentially kidnapped and forced to enter the Realm she was born to rule. But the main conflict is actually introduced after that - she has to prevent a war. And before the forced entry into the Realm happens, I need to establish her life, her friendships with some important characters, meet the person who will take her to the Realm and have the big reveal that she is a Faerie. So how should the pacing for that work? How long can I spend in the human world before she enters the Realm without losing the reader's interest? Also, be aware that this story is being told through diary entries, so I'm not sure how that affects pacing yet.
Is this an urban fantasy? I thought an urban fantasy had to take place in a major city? I also read something that said it should be a place that you know or have lived in?
I'm loving your Plot Your Novel workbook. I'm plotting my second book and it's helping me a lot with my characters. I also redid my first act after this video and using the worksheet. Thanks Sarra! Will you have print copies of your Spiritwalker series available?
Thank you! I'm so glad it is helping! I'm actually working on getting everything into paperback now! I've been so focused on ebooks that's it's always been on the back burner, but I just sent info on sizes to my cover artist today! Hopefully they will go up soon!
Hello guys i tried subscribing to the newsletter a week ago and still didn't get the email with the pdf of the plot book so please can anyone tell me if there is another way to get, and thanks in advance.
Yes! I started using these tools in this order around Book 7 of my main series. I was using some of them from the start and then just kept adding things that helped over the years. Then I believe just about two years ago, I discovered KM Weiland and that was amazing to add to my plotting.
Some of this is helpful but the speaker does not give an example of a known story. Using a story of her own, known only to the writer, that we are not familiar with is not effective, not to mention self-serving. It would be so much more helpful to use a well known known book or film, which can be anything from The Great Gatsby, East of Eden, Deliverance, The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca - you get the idea. We would understand the structure she is illustrating far better if she would discuss/analyze the plotting of a well known story.
This is why I linked to all the books that mention tons of examples. Feel free to grab those if you want more examples, or better yet, make your own videos with examples.
Did this video give you some new ideas or tools for plotting the beginning of your story? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
Can a character's outer conflict come from a person?
I have watched at least 8 of your edu-videos ( because they ARE educational) so far and I have found a gold mine of ideas that I can use in all areas of my writing. I have listened to, read, and watched videos from best selling authors sharing their hints, their tools for writing, etc and I have to say only a few have really stayed and resonated with me. Yours is one of those. I have read Stephen King’s On Writing, ( brilliant!...he is the narrator for the audio version and he’s great!) , James Scott Bell, Stephen Pressfield, Henrietta Klauser, Joseph Campbell ( The Hero’s Journey), and more and I put you right up there with all of them as priceless information you give about writing. But more importantly, at least for me, you are easier to understand because you don’t use a hundred words to say what can be explained in several. Thank you !!
Yes
I know these videos are a few years old-- but I've been following them to help me plot my first-ever nano project (and by extension my first-ever attempt at a novel) and I just wanted to say that these are the only plotting videos that have clicked for me. I've been filling out the worksheets as I watch the videos and I'm honestly just ecstatic that I've been seamlessly figuring out the key elements of my novel. Other plotting books and videos have left me feeling overwhelmed and at times confused-- but you're so clear and concise, and watching you fill out the sheets with examples is super helpful for my brain.
1. 0:40 in Act 1: characters, hook, reasons to follow up.
2. 5:53 character arc ( review v1)
3. 8:39 Act 1
9:40 hook
4. 10:58 setting 11:30 character packages 11:58 dramatic questions
12:40 argument against transformation
14:18 refusal of the call
15:00 antagonist , mystery
15:58 stakes
17:17 act 1 climax: first doorway of no return (inciting event/key event)
=====
Example 23:00 31:57
In her example using her own book, "Deep Dark Secrets", everyone should note that she does not use the ACT-1 plot points in the same order listed on her plotting sheet. She starts with the Inciting Incident. I think this is a brilliant example of how we do NOT have to stick to a formula but still need to include the plotting points in order for a story to make sense and meet reader expectations. This, in itself, makes the start of the book interesting and can hook the reader. But the remainder of plot points are pretty much in order so suspense can be built to a climax and satisfying resolution. Great job. Thanks Sarra!!
So true! It's a flexible format, ane the inciting incident is one of those points that can really appear anywhere in the first act, including before it begins. The only real "rule" there is that it needs to happen before or at the same time as the key event. It can't happen after.
Damn girl, YOU CAN WRITE!!!!! I've been watching your channel and subscribed to you for about a year or so, at least. Well, I kept wanting to read your works, but was always in the middle of reading something else, with the mental note thumbtacked onto my brain's bulletin board to read your work. With my out of control ADHD, I have to consciously hold on tight to the tiger's tale if I want to finish anything.
All the while, I continued learning from the wisdom you've acquired, and so generously shared.
I knew from the first LINE this was going to be good: "Six foster homes in one year had to be some kind of record." That is tight. I knew a little about the characters because of your help videos, but I knew in that moment this was going to be one helluva ride! Now my husband's turned onto your books as well! We are going to buy the whole series. I am so excited, and I'm still reading book 1!!!!! And your cliffhangers. Girl... for real?!?! OMG. I LOVE to write jawdropping cliffhangers! Yours make my jaw fall about six feet. I'm only 5'3", so OWWWWW!!!!!!
As is my habit, I watch your videos, take notes, apply what I've learned, take a break, read fiction. At the moment, it is ONLY your fiction. Thank you, Sarra, for everything you've done to make the world richer for having you in it. PS: I am totally bummed you didn't move to Texas! 😘
Very, very helpful. You're really good at imparting knowledge. Thanks!
I must say.... I really love your t-shirt collection.
Seeing these theorical principles applied to the concrete example of your novels is so very useful, thanks again!
Thank you! So glad you found it helpful!
This is super helpful! Thank you!
I've already published a book, but am so grateful that I stumbled across your videos. My first book is non-fiction, and I am anxious to get to work on a fiction piece. We homeschool, and I'm having my son work through your 8 courses with me as part of his high school English. This is GOLD! Thank you!
I had life things happen right in the middle of taking notes from this video a month and a half ago now, but I came back, rewatched the entire Plot Your Novel series up until this one, and then dove right back into notetaking. Just... so grateful to all the work you put in for all of us, and for all the resources you share. I can't wait to read some of these books, and you sharing what has worked for you has helped so much with my plotting and character development already. As a chronic pantser, this has been incredibly helpful to me. Thank you, Sarra!
Superb explanation. Thank you.
Thank you so much for being open enough to share your techniques with us and your learnings. I cannot begin to tell you how impactful this has been for me. I have been toying with writing almost all my life and I have not finished any one of the novels that I’ve started because I like structure and I needed something to help me get through all of those small details. You have been pivotal for me thank you so much I am a huge fan
Very useful ,thank you.💫✨
Thank you for this. After 20 years I see a ray of hope.
Marathoning these in prep for NaNoWriMo
You are an excellent instructor.
Thank you so much for the comparisons to Star Wars because that is SO HELPFUL to have an example of a story we know well.
Discovering your videos gave me the push to take a chance and self-publish. Your tips, your strategies, your enthusiasm, and encouragement has been invaluable.
Your videos are so helpful! I've tried to figure out the 3 Acts with very little success. I'm a visual person and because of your great examples everything's clearer! :)
I've been going through my novel to create an outline. I got stuck and realized I needed a map. I discovered this videos and figured I'd follow along with you, not expecting much more than the information I've already read in books or other plotting courses/videos and their general layouts and inserting major movie scenes to explain their points (don't get me wrong those books and courses were helpful). I was quite excited when you walked through the plotting process using your own novels. What a novel idea (yes, pun intended). Most authors don't do step-by-step with their own novels because of spoilers and I guess assuming that we wouldn't want to purchase the book if we knew all the plot points. On the contrary, one of your novels that you've used, I was feeling "eh, maybe someday" toward. Now I've got to get the book because I want to know how you tie together all the outlines with the threads we don't see in the plotting process. Great video! Great job! And a huge "Thank you!"
I'm just beginning to watch all of your videos (I've watched about 6 now) and follow along with the supporting materials you provide. These are SO extremely helpful as I begin writing my narrative nonfiction book! Although it's a different genre, my book still follows many of these same storytelling elements. Your videos allow me to answer organizational questions that I've been struggling with for months! I really appreciate that you took the time to research, organize, synthesize and create these instructional videos. You explain things well, and as a journalist I also appreciate your diligence to credit other writers and thinkers. I can't wait to keep watching and learning! ~Jordan
This series is so helpful. I am just learning how to put together a novel and honestly had no clue. Thank you so much!
omg i love filling these sheets out with you just helps so much to see the kinds of things that can go in the way your sheets are set up considering i didnt get the layout untill you showed and explained it to me!!! THANKS!!!! will keep coming back to this while working on my novel.
I love your t-shirts!
I am a "pantser" and have been writing novels since high school. The ideas just show up from thin air. Unfortunately, I am ADHD and never seem to get past Chapter Two. I am fascinated and mystified by you writing all of this out beforehand. I have never thought past what is in front of me right now. 'Discipline' is not what Tiggers do best. Now I am awaiting the arrival of your Plotting Guide, hoping that it can give me a new sense of direction. "Help! Help! I have lost my sense of direction!" "Have you tried Hare Krishna?"
I love the inciting incident and the key event scenes you mentioned because I never felt like my current WIP had the inciting incident where it was supposed to be, or rather that I couldn't really match up my plot to any of the beat sheets. I figured that I had smaller events that led to the inciting incident and that was fine for me, because it pushed the plot forward an an interesting way. But I guess I really did have the inciting incident that introduced the new world/plot early on, but that led to the key event where the characters had to make the decision to really enter the world or not. So I feel better about it, haha, even though I still don't like beat sheets lol.
Thank you for doing this series of videos, Sarra! I'm looking forward to Act 2, since I also split my middle into two parts, and I can't wait to see what insights I can gain from your wonderful videos! :D
novellyKJ I love this explanation, too! I'm excited it resonated with you. You should definitely check out KM Weiland's book on structuring your novel. It's full of gold!!
This is great, Sarra! You've made all the elements very clear and it's so helpful to see examples from your work. Once thing I did a couple of months ago was watch 'Crimson Peak' with a pen and notebook on my lap and dissect it keeping in mind the 3-act structure. It's amazing how beautifully Guillermo del Toro plotted the movie, each element clearly defined. For lovers of the supernatural, the film is also a visual feast, anyway. I've watched it 4 times. The music is beautiful too. In fact it is my current soundtrack of choice for my WIP. :-)
Oh, that's great to know! I haven't seen that movie yet. I have a friend who visits a few times a year, and one of our favorite things to do is watch movies and pause to discuss the different elements, like "Okay, this has to be the doorway." haha. It's great when it's done well!
Heart Breathings yes I love doing that! Jaws is another great movie to break down.
oh I loved that movie! I will watch it again and try to do the same! Great idea :)
The soundtrack was the reason behind me searching for the movie and I LOVED It! Also watched it with three acts in mind.
This was fantastic! You made me realize some of the things I had wrong in my novel and why I was struggling to move forward. I am looking forward to the rest of the series!
This was so very helpful. I am going to fill out my sheet tomorrow. I am so excited to get this started. I have read some of the books and it just wasn't clicking as it did seeing this video.
Jennifer Rux awesome thank you!!💖
Thank you so much for this series! It's super helpful
This is so super helpful! I've been jotting down notes for my own story as I followed your explanation. I'm familiar with quite a few of the resources that you mentioned, but you've managed to bring it together in a way that made a few things click for me. So, thank you! ❤️
Loving this series. I was born in 9/76 🤘
This video was so helpful! I've been working on a story and just need to make sure I was on the right path. Thank you!!!
Thank you soo much for these lessons. They are really helpfull and It's amazing you explain everything by giving us examples, comparing stories and characters. Amazing tips.
Very helpful series! Thank you!!!
I'm process based. The information you share is superb.
Thanks for another great video. I rebelled when I first began to learn about the three act structure. It just didn't seem like it worked that way, but you have helped me understand it at a deeper level. Love the Star Wars' examples juxtaposed with your book. It helps make the concepts real.
So enjoying this series! I know you’re having an impact because I woke up this morning with the Heart Breathings music playing over & over in my mind!! Lol
Took me awhile to realize what it was! 😄
🙏
Haha that's hilarious and awesome at the same time!
This video was great! Plus your book recommendations, both helps a lot, so thank you!!
Loved this! Explains so much. Looking forward to the next one, but in the mean time I'll be working on getting my sheet filled out. Thank you for making these videos!! 😊
Ashley Pfeiffer You're welcome! I'm so excited you enjoyed it!!💖
Read the book and really enjoyed it! Looking forward to the next book in the series.
:D There's a lot of good and useful info in this video and with practical examples, wich is the best for new writters! I'm following all the steps and my act 1 is almost ready ! Thanks you!
Amon Amarth (quaintly known as Mount Doom) is in Mordor. ;)
Watching your plotting series and comparing it to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey. (literally have a second screen open and going through point by point)
Your series is helping me better understand his concept of the monomyth and how all stories are ultimately the same story.
Well, done!
This story sounds so intense!
I'm a bit unclear on something. Would we fill out this workbook before or after we have a general outline established? a lot of these questions feel like the answers wouldn't be known until a general blueprint of the story is already laid out. But on the flip side, a lot of these questions feel like they'd help unwrap the storyline as well....
My question is on one video you showed for part one or act one act one and act 1B are you able to explain that better
Subbed here and newsletter
GREAT content!!
Thanks so much for going to the trouble to share all this. BEST description with examples that I've seen so far! Very helpful. As I listened the second time through, I could see where I had included these things in my previous books, as well as where I need to make them stronger. You mentioned at the beginning that you hadn't done all this in your earlier books. Will you just leave those books as they are, or do you have plans to go back and change them? I've been debating this for some time. I feel like ... well, I'm going to always improve as an author. But on the other hand, the earlier books are what draw people into the series.
I think it will also change how I view movies. I'll be watching for this stuff now. I already do this with TV series on Netflix: Look for help with how I should work a series of books.
Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times! :)
Thank you!
I love this series, Sarra! I have a comment about if you have a two POV romance (alternating chapters) where each character has their own character and story arc. I did fill out character sheets for both characters and I'm realizing I need a plot sheet for each character. The story was too big and complicated when I tried to plot out the entire story but when I teased th story lines out, it all became clearer.
Yes! I write multiple pov mostly (at least 4) and I always print the entire plotting package for each character. I will then weave them together on the scenes sheet later.
Awesome! Thanks.
All of this is super super helpful, thank you! But I do have a question about pacing. In my current book, the first door of no return is that my MC is essentially kidnapped and forced to enter the Realm she was born to rule. But the main conflict is actually introduced after that - she has to prevent a war. And before the forced entry into the Realm happens, I need to establish her life, her friendships with some important characters, meet the person who will take her to the Realm and have the big reveal that she is a Faerie. So how should the pacing for that work? How long can I spend in the human world before she enters the Realm without losing the reader's interest?
Also, be aware that this story is being told through diary entries, so I'm not sure how that affects pacing yet.
Is this an urban fantasy? I thought an urban fantasy had to take place in a major city? I also read something that said it should be a place that you know or have lived in?
I'm loving your Plot Your Novel workbook. I'm plotting my second book and it's helping me a lot with my characters. I also redid my first act after this video and using the worksheet. Thanks Sarra!
Will you have print copies of your Spiritwalker series available?
Thank you! I'm so glad it is helping! I'm actually working on getting everything into paperback now! I've been so focused on ebooks that's it's always been on the back burner, but I just sent info on sizes to my cover artist today! Hopefully they will go up soon!
@@HeartBreathings This is wonderful. I asked because I only buy paperback. The story sounds so interesting. I can't wait to get a copy.
I love spoilers!!!
Thank you for this video series. I have a question. Is the dramatic question for the entire novel or just for act one?
Hello guys i tried subscribing to the newsletter a week ago and still didn't get the email with the pdf of the plot book so please can anyone tell me if there is another way to get, and thanks in advance.
Hey @mark69 try checking spam or searching for sarra@heartbreathings.com . If you still don't see it just email me directly and I'll send it to you!
This made me want to read the book! Why did she have black tears?! What happened to Hailey?! Lol.
And purchased!! ☺️
This book sounds so good lol
I am getting so much out of this series. I keep thinking "man, I should go back to my first book and add that!" Can you tutor me? :D
Hehe, so excited you are enjoying it! The next video goes up tomorrow!
YES!!!!
Is "Deep Dark Secrets" the first of your series that uses your full plotting method in each book?
Yes! I started using these tools in this order around Book 7 of my main series. I was using some of them from the start and then just kept adding things that helped over the years. Then I believe just about two years ago, I discovered KM Weiland and that was amazing to add to my plotting.
But this is the first series that I actually am going to be using it from book 1. All my other series are older.
Some of this is helpful but the speaker does not give an example of a known story. Using a story of her own, known only to the writer, that we are not familiar with is not effective, not to mention self-serving. It would be so much more helpful to use a well known known book or film, which can be anything from The Great Gatsby, East of Eden, Deliverance, The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca - you get the idea. We would understand the structure she is illustrating far better if she would discuss/analyze the plotting of a well known story.
This is why I linked to all the books that mention tons of examples. Feel free to grab those if you want more examples, or better yet, make your own videos with examples.