Blueprint Your Plot

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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.

You're not crazy! And you're not alone.

I'm Alicia Rasley, a novelist and writing teacher. I know what it's like to be preoccupied with a story idea. When I get the idea for a story, I can't stop thinking about it. I even dream about it!

I speculate about the characters and their motives and past. I draw maps of the story setting. I try to plot out the story events so I can figure out how it all starts and ends. 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.



 

We're Not Crazy! We're Creative.

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.

In this course, we'll work through the entire plot of your story, so you'll have the super-structure of the three acts, the framework of the nine turning point scenes, and the design of the characters.

When you get done with the course, you'll have a fully developed plot with dramatic events and deep characterization. You'll be able to draft the prose of the story, knowing that the structure is strong enough to hold the rising intensity of your events.

You'll avoid the waste of time and creativity because you'll be plotting with a plan, and with the expert guidance of Alicia, a master writing teacher with years of experience in publishing and editing.

You can do this.
You can plot a dramatic story and develop engaging characters. You have the idea, and you need a plan, a blueprint, to build that idea into an actual story structure. That's where The Plot Blueprint Course can help:
Through the four modules, each with several in-depth lessons, you'll be able to structure the three main acts, design the nine major turning points, and deepen the story people with the three big character elements.


Coaching and Connection

And you won't be left there all alone with your idea and your plot! You'll be able to take advantage of constant interaction with Alicia and her team. Along with the course come four 30-minute one-on-one coaching calls with Alicia, where you can get immediate and in-depth help on any aspect of the plotting and characterization process. You can even schedule them for after you finish each module, so we can brainstorm off what you've been working on.

Writing is often such a solitary activity! But in this Plot Blueprint course, you don't have to be alone with your thoughts and questions. You can connect with other writers and share your experience and understandings.

And you'll have time to discuss your own story with Alicia, who with her years of experience as an author and editor can quickly pinpoint problems and offer solutions.

You can do it-- plot that story and build those characters-- and we can help!


Over the years, I have taken many courses and workshops and worked with many agents and editors to grow my craft, and Alicia's joyful and smart approach definitely stands out. She is unflinchingly supportive and excited, as she zooms right in on the most important issues in the story that need development. She helps you see all the elements of storytelling such as plot, characters, and setting together as one. The advice she gave me over phone and email propelled my skills to another level quickly and efficiently. Katia Raina-

Flaubert's revisions on the manuscript of Madame Bovary

So ... interested? Here's how we'll get to work on building your story:

Four modules taking you through the entire process of imagining, structuring, and deepening your plot and characters:

1: Introduction—Get to know yourself as a writer, and get to know your story.

2. Plotting the Three Acts—Structure your story in three acts, from

  • Act 1: Setting up the characters and conflicts
  • Act 2: Increasing the action and building to the crisis
  • Act 3: Exploding the conflict in a dramatic climax and then resolving the story.

3. Designing the Nine Turning Points- Craft three major plot points in each act, to create a powerful progress from set up to conclusion.

4. Develop the characters—Deepen and individualize your story by plotting the journey, goal, and strengths of the main characters.

Then we’ll have several ways to plot all of this together, the three acts, the nine turning points, and the three character elements.

Along the way, we’ll have exercises and assignments so you can immediately apply each aspect to your own story. You will be able to fill out concise workbooks for each module, so that you’ll have a written record of your insights and planning to consult as you write the story.

The Plot Blueprint classroom will also provide you with a library of great resources: Articles and books I’ve written about plotting, character-building checklists, sample plot outlines, lists of helpful links, blog posts about writing and editing… I’ve been writing about writing for years, and I have a lot of information to share!

You get permanent access, by the way. In fact, if you decide you want to write a sequel to this story, you’ll be able to work through those four modules for the new plot too! (I bet it will be a breeze the second time with all your new skills and insights.)

And most important, maybe, will be the four coaching calls! You can talk directly with me at any point, especially when you want to discuss possibilities for a particular turning point or character element. I will give affirmative, useful suggestions to help guide you to just the right decisions that will make your plot more coherent and dramatic.

Writing is so often a solitary process. But here, you won’t be alone! There’s nothing so fun as letting your imagination grow and explore, especially with other writers. So what do you think? Are you ready to get started on taking that idea and building a story from it?

When you’re done with The Plot Blueprint course, that’s what you’ll have:

  • A complete plot with a strong structure leading to a dramatic ending.
  • Powerful turning points along the way that keep the reader intrigued and involved.
  • Deep and active characters who have good reasons to act and react to the plot events.
  • New skills for designing scenes and focusing characters that can be used with future stories.
  • Fulfilling contact with other writers who are in there with you, brainstorming, plotting, writing.
  • Interaction with an experienced and positive story coach (me) who will focus directly and personally with you and your story.

Come join us! We’ll have fun along the way, and in the end, you’ll have that plot you’ve been thinking about, and you will be able to write and revise a strong and dramatic story.

Building a story is like building a house: You need tools. And you'll find plenty of plotting tools here in the Plot Blueprint course.

When you enroll in the course, you'll get access to all the modules and extras in the classroom.

But that's not all. You'll also be able to use a library of articles I've written about story building and design.

I'll also send you memos about how to solve some plotting issues that we encounter while plotting our stories.

You'll also be able to listen to the Plot Blueprint podcast, where we discuss in depth some interesting aspect of story, like "ambiguous endings" and "villains."

And to help you understand the Plot Blueprint examples, you'll be able to watch clips of Casablanca ("The Nine Turning Points") and The Godfather ("The Character Journey") with podcast commentary.

And finally, we can stay in constant contact! Don't forget about the four coaching calls, just you and me talking through any plot problems you encounter, or brainstorming plot events and character journeys.

This adds up to a comprehensive course that will take you all the way from idea to plot-- adding depth and drama at every point!

Get started now!



 

Your Instructor


Alicia Rasley
Alicia Rasley

Hi, I'm Alicia Rasley, and when it comes to writing stories, I've about done it all. You know that Frank Sinatra song? "I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king." Well, I've been a writer, a winner, an editor, a sinner, a leader, a reader, a professor and a pupil....


Okay, I can't think of any better alliteration or rhymes. You get the idea. With varying degrees of success and luck, I've experienced a lot in writing and teaching writing. And now I am sharing that hard-won wisdom with newer writers-- writers like you who might not want to spend twenty years in the school of hard knocks before writing a successful story. I attended that Hard Knocks University, and I have the blood-spattered diploma. You don't have to, because I'm going to help you learn in a few weeks the most important elements of crafting a good story: The structure that supports and develops the story-- the plot/character framework. The characters' journeys. The bold and vivid scene design. The dynamics of dialogue.


Of all those different roles, I think what taught me the most about the importance of story structure was the editing. I remember sitting at a desk surrounded by piles of manuscripts submitted for -- well, actually, the submissions were all electronic by then, so I was surrounded by piles of pixels. But these were pixels that added up to stories created with love and suffering by dedicated and determined writers.

As I read the pages, I could tell how much pain and joy went into writing these stories. Those writers had put their minds and hearts into their stories, struggling over every scene and character. And I wanted to help each and every one of them make those stories better.

But there I was, representing the publisher. My job, basically, was to reject-- to reject every submission except the very few who got it all right-- the plot, the characterization, the theme... the VOICE.

So often I had to write a rejection letter to authors, saying the plot was intriguing and the characters were interesting, but that the scenes were uninspired and the voice was generic.(I usually tried to make the tone nicer than that. :) The worst part was, when I told them the scenes and voice weren't good enough, I couldn't take the time to tell them how to add energy and individuality.

My job, sadly, was mostly to swiftly read a plot synopsis and first three chapters, and then write a kind note saying, "Sorry, this isn't the sort of story we're looking for." I might even add, meaning to be helpful, "You might consider working with an editor or critique group to help with your sentences and scenes."

I know... that wasn't much help. Editors will edit and critique groups will critique... but there's a long step between "this is boring" to "this is how to make it interesting." And I know many writers don't want their stories FIXED by someone else. They want to learn how to write and revise their story so that it matches their vision and sounds like their voice.

Now I'm a pretty experienced editor and critiquer. I have studied prose and poetry and fiction and drama, and I bring those analytical skills to editing manuscripts and teaching grammar and style. But what even I can't do is make the story sound like YOU.

What I can do is go through a manuscript and teach a writer strategies for analyzing what's there and how to get from there to what it should be-- how it should SOUND to be in your voice.

Wouldn't you know it... once I could add "bestseller" and "award-winner" to my name, other writers wanted to discuss plotting with me and to ask me questions. So I started a blog with my managing editor Theresa Stevens (nothing ever dies on the internet-- it's still there, long after we've both gone back to teaching and writing: www.edittorrent.blogspot.com) where we'd explore major writing questions ("how do I keep the middle of the story from sagging?") to minor editing issues (you should read our long-running rant stream about dangling participles!).

During this time, I was writing about writing for magazines and book publishers, and I gathered many of the articles on my Story Journey website. (Okay, it took awhile, as I had to figure out WordPress first. Okay, I still haven't figured out WordPress. But I did archive a lot of articles there! www.aliciarasley.com.) I started a new blog too, focused more on plotting than editing-- the Plot Blueprint blog- www.plotblueprint.com.

Enough bragging. Point is, you don't have to do what I did. You don't have to spent two decades writing and struggling and being rejected and studying and experimenting and learning from failure and success and spending big money on writing books and writing conferences. I've already done that. And I have gathered all my knowledge about scenes and prose and voice and can help you apply that to your very own scenes.

And with the magic of the internet, I can sit here in placid Indiana, and you can be wherever more interesting place you are, and we can work through your scenes together. It will be fun, and it will be fulfilling. I love helping other people with their stories (so much easier than writing my own <G>), and I'd love to explore with you.

What do you say? Would you like the benefit of my years of toil, blood, sweat, rejection, rejecting, success, failure, thinking, learning, teaching? Would you like to work with a "a writer, a winner, an editor, a sinner, a leader, a reader, a professor and a pupil"? Well, you're in the right place. Let's get going!



Get started now!



Great deal to guide you through plotting AND drafting your story and scenes! You can get a "bundle" of the Plot Blueprint Course and Building Bolder Scenes for $100 off. Here's the link;

Plot Blueprint AND Building Bolder Scenes with Alicia Rasley


Course Curriculum


  Welcome to Plot Blueprint! I'm Alicia Rasley, your new best blueprinter and brainstormer!
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 20 days and we will give you a full refund.
How much writing experience do I need to take this course?
You have life experience, and reading experience, and thinking experience... that's all you really need. Oh, you probably also need an idea that you want to develop into a story. I'll give you materials and definitions and examples, so that you will find the information understandable. And if you're ever confused, you can just email me, or ask me a question for one of our Facebook sessions. I'm pretty approachable, and I'm always eager to talk about story issues. I've worked with brand-new writers, intermediate writers, and NY Times best-selling writers. Whatever level you judge yourself to be, I can guarantee you that you'll learn ways to energize and dramatize your story.
If I like the course, can I take other courses from the Story Blueprint school?
Yes, we'll be constantly adding new courses in more advanced writing topics, like: • Channeling Your Characters • Point of View and Your Characters • Building Bolder Scenes • Making Meaning with a Story Theme • Finding and Refining Your Vivid Voice • Activate Your Prose • Grammar Basics and Subtleties (Really, It Will Be Fun! Really!) • Making Your Memoir Matter • Children's Fiction ... And I'll also be running small-group masterminds to get that plot developed into an actual story! I will also be taking on a few clients who want specialized and individualized coaching to write, revise, finish, and/or deepen a story. So there will be plenty of options for more learning!
I'm not at all confident about my grammar and punctuation and all that. Will that be a problem?
No, that won't be a problem. I've taught college freshmen for years and years, and believe me, I've dealt with grammar difficulties that completely transcend yours. :) There's no shame here. We're all life-long learners. And the Plot Blueprint course deals mostly with your story idea, structure, and characters, so the mechanics of prose won't be an issue. If you'd like to improve your prose quickly, however, we can schedule a coaching session where I work through a few pages of your writing, diagnosing and showing you how to fix problems. I also do occasional "Revision Bonus Sessions" where I edit the works of a small group onscreen, so I can explain why I suggest these revisions. Imagination is what's important at this point. You can always hire an editor... but you can't buy an imagination. That's something you already have, fortunately!
English is not my native language. Will that be a problem?
Most of the lessons are spoken and in English, over English slides. So if you're basically fluent in English, you should do well. (I work with many ESL writers, and let me just promise you, I know your English is much better than my French. :) If you get into the class and think it won't work for you, you can get a full refund within 20 days of enrolling. You might benefit more from one-on-one coaching, and if so, let's talk about that.

I hope you join us in the Plot Blueprint course! You can get started anytime, but first, be sure to take the Welcome Quiz. (It's not really a quiz! It's just a way to let us know what kind of story you're working on and what you're interested in learning first.) That way we can better individualize the coaching and connection elements of the course for you.

Be sure and email us at [email protected] if you have any trouble!

Get started now!