Blueprint Your Book is now available EXCLUSIVELY to members of the Unicorn Authors Club. Please join us there!
A 6-Week Intensive for Crafting Your Manuscript
Every book makes its own shape in the world, just like a body. As Michelangelo said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” We’ll chisel deep into the foundations of great storytelling to find the shape that works best for you.
Each week, I’ll send you tools and exercises that you can put to work now. You’ll spend the week exploring, applying the new ideas to your own work, and workshopping your results with your classmates. You’ll also receive personalized feedback from me. You’ll end up with an organic form and an action plan that gives you full freedom to sculpt your story whole.
You may use this course as the perfect setup for National Novel Writing Month: the challenge of writing 50,000 words this November. (I use these very tools to create my very own workplan for NaNoWriMo!)
In six weeks, you’ll learn:
- The top five successful book structures
- How to create your own organic structure (a.k.a., this is not your grade-school teacher’s outline)
- What you most need to know about plot and narrative drive
- How to sort out overlapping timelines
- How to let your characters’ motivations drive the story
- How to get crystal-clear about your themes (i.e. What the heck is this book about?)
- The strengths and unique qualities that others see in your project — even when you might not
- How to structure your time and your support system
- How to deal with your inner critics
- How to strike the balance between form and freedom, to create a form that lets you write everything your book needs to say
You’ll also get:
- Insightful, personal critique from me on the work you generate in class
- Encouraging, thoughtful workshopping from peers
- Dozens of easy, 15- to 30-minute writing prompts to bring out the book that’s in you
- A personalized action plan to drive your project all the way to completion
- Yearn for a clear plan to help you make progress on your manuscript
- Wrestle with character arcs, plot, and theme — but can’t imagine reducing your gorgeously complex story to a mere “outline”
- Want a solid foundation to get you started
- Are halfway through and need a jolt of clarity to propel you to the end!