LET ME GUESS: YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL, OR MAYBE JUST AN IDEA FOR A STORY. IT MIGHT BE COMPLETELY FICTIONAL-- SOMETHING YOU'VE MADE UP. IT MIGHT BE INSPIRED BY ANOTHER STORY FROM HISTORY OR TV OR LITERATURE. IT MIGHT COME FROM YOUR OWN LIFE AND EXPERIENCES. BUT THERE'S A STORY YOU ARE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT DEVELOPING, A START YOU WANT TO DEVELOP INTO SOMETHING BRIGHT AND STRONG AND GREAT.
I guess you can say I get obsessed with creating an entire story out of just an idea. This sense of being preoccupied-- even "occupied" by a story inspired me to write an essay about this weird experience of having a story take over your brain: Multiplicity. Read it and see if you're having a similar experience with your attention being taken over by your own imagination and this story that won't let you go.
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What I have learned is... we're not crazy. We're creative. We're imagining characters and events-- creating something out of nothing. Some of us will be writing scenes and conversations and setting description and character history. And the next step is to take that story idea and develop it-- design a strong plot structure and build powerful events and intriguing characters.
I'm here to help you develop that story idea into a dramatic, coherent plot with sympathetic characters--so you can write the great story you're imagining now. So let's get started. If you have a question about a story idea of yours, let me know, and I'll try to address it in a blog post or an article on my email list (you can sign up for my email list here).
INTERESTED IN COACHING, TEACHING, OR EDITING BY ALICIA RASLEY? IT WILL BE FUN, AFFIRMATIVE, AND ILLUMINATING. :) CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE.
The Power of Point of View:
Point of View is the vehicle that carries your readers through the story— that lets them experience the action through the characters.
An overview of the major point-of-view approaches, and when and how to use them!
By me… who wrote the book. Literally. ;)
Here’s a PowerPoint presentation that gives examples and suggestions for omniscient, first-person, and third-person POV. I also scout ahead and suggest new POV approaches emerging in contemporary fiction due to the influence of videogames, film/tv, and social media.
The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley-
https://expertise.tv/webinar/the-heroic-flaw-a-characterization-workshop-with-alicia-rasley
The Heroic Flaw: To deepen your characterization, learn to create "The Heroic Flaw": That which makes them great brings them down! We'll discuss how to use the character's great strength against them, to bring them into conflict, and force them to change.
This workshop is with Alicia Rasley, award-winning writer, experienced editor, and affirmative teacher.
Learn more about my comprehensive Plot and Scene courses!
New Podcast: Click here- Plot Blueprint Podcast! Writers talk about the pragmatics and the philosophics of writing stories.
Building Bolder Scenes Blog: What Harry Potter Can Teach Writers about the Character Journey.
And remember to sign up for my email list here.
New download: Turbo-charge Your Openings.
New article: Details, Details.
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_Quick news— New Building Bolder Scenes blog post— First Paragraph.
New article: Suspense Is More than Surprise
Plot-character scorecard download.
STARTING YOUR STORY RIGHT— FREE DOWNLOAD.
HEY, EVERYONE! I'M TEACHING A MAJOR ONLINE CLASS ABOUT “CRAFTING YOUR PLOT IN THREE ACTS (AND 9 TURNING POINTS AND 3 CHARACTER ELEMENTS)”. YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT IT AND ENROLL IF YOU LIKE!
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To build a great story, we need:
A POWERFUL PLOT
Scenes designed for drama
Help for your plot right here!
Sneaky Plot Problems: Countdown Top TEn
Editors see these plot problems over and over in fiction manuscripts. In my experience, these are among the most common rejection reasons. Let's count them down, starting with #10, Backstory!
Braiding the Character with the Plot
If you think of the plot as the protagonist's journey, you can overcome a lot of the Fear of Plotting. So let’s talk about the journey, and then connect it to the parts of the plot.
WHAT IS HIS/HER JOURNEY?
Best VideoGame Stories
Not all videogames are just video and just game like NBALive. Some are stories told in a game format, as elaborate and deep as a novel, but with the added “game” elements that make the fiction interactive and participatory.
