Daniel David Wallace – Plotting and Planning Your Novel
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How toĀ Plot and planĀ a novelĀ that your readers will love.
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Daniel David Wallace – Plotting and Planning Your Novel
This course guides you through the process of creating a fantastic ācharacter-firstāĀ plot.
What if you could write your book steadily and smoothly,Ā without always wonderingĀ whether it was good or not?
Do you want to write a great novel thatĀ engages and intriguesĀ your readers?
A novel that feels likeĀ the kind of story you love to read?
If so, this course is for you.
Iām Daniel David Wallace, novelist, teacher, & PhD researcher
Iām an award-winning writer and teacher. Iāve read my work to crowds of hundreds of people, holding their attention, keeping them hooked. Ā Iāve heard them laugh at the jokes in the dialogue, and watched their mouths go āahhhhā at the plot twists.
But it wasnāt easy to get there.
In this course, Iām going to guide you through what I believe is the best way to plot, plan, and write a novel. Because plot is hard.
The heart of the course: THE ABC PLOT
Plotting and Planning Your NovelĀ is a complete education in writing a novel, with lessons on narration, scene design, and so much more. However, youāll learn the central framework of the course quickly and easily: this is the āABC plot.ā
ForĀ newĀ writers, the ABC plot offers a streamlined way to get a story down on the page; forĀ publishedĀ writers, it illuminates a path for continual skill development and improvement.
One protagonist = three plot threads
In the ABC plot, we donāt talk about the character having āgoalsā or āneedsā: rather, we construct three different threads that are pulling on them, and which continues to pull on them as the story develops. This makes your protagonist feel āaliveā to your reader and it adds to the readerās tension in every chapter.
The quick start
Some writing approaches suggest that you open a novel with a period of āeveryday life,ā forcing the reader to wait for the tale to truly begin. Others suggest you start with a bang, confronting the confused reader with a complex fight scene. Instead, the ABC plot shows you how to hook your readerās attention on page one by connecting them to the main character on a deep level ā and yetĀ withoutĀ confusing them or requiring they understand lots of back story.
The Compelling Middle
Writers dread the āmessyā middle, that long slog of trying to write those chapters where the story is supposed to get really exciting. The ABC plot shows you how to fill your middle chapters with conflict, revelation, and character change: we use your main characterās original desires and world-views to heighten the story in those crucial middle chapters.
Why take a course with me?
For years, I read every āhow-toā book on plotting I could find. And I learned a lot from them, but I still felt unsatisfied.
I felt like the kind of story they wanted me to write didnāt resemble the books I loved to read.
There were lots of thoughtful, quietly dramatic books that hooked my attention, and which didnāt seem to resemble the sort of āplotā these guides described.
Even with the stories that should have beenĀ easiestĀ to map on to a āthree-act structure,ā like the first Harry Potter novel, or the first Jack Reacher novel, I still didnāt feel like JK Rowling or Lee Child were doing what the how-to books said they were doing.
The best bits of those novels seemed to have littleĀ to do with the āheroās journey.ā
Then I did a masters degree in creative writing. Here, we focused more on questions of narration, style, and artistic vision (rather than on plot). It was a more elevated conversation, but I wasnāt sure how practical it was. Leaving plot out of the discussion meant that there was no real focus, no clear process for grabbing and keeping a readerās attention.
During that degree, I kept thinking that there had to be a better way to teach people how to write a novel. So when I began my PhD, I started looking for other options.
Ā I wanted to find a framework for writing a novel that:
- took me from my initial vague inspirations to anĀ actual, thought-out plot
- kept thingsĀ simple and clear, so I wouldnāt get stuck or overwhelmed
- followed the example of the novelsĀ I loved the most
- won the reader over early, and kept her attention until the end
Once I had a process that seemed to work, I started teaching it online, coaching individual writers and small groups.
Slowly, based on their feedback, I refined and tested my system. Because I didnāt want to just invent anĀ ideaĀ about writing. I wanted to create aĀ comprehensive learning experience, one that any writer, even a very busy one, could learn at home.
Itās finally ready.
And now I want to share it with you.
Get full access toĀ Plotting and planning Your NovelĀ today ā and receive all future additions and improvements
Why Write a āCharacter-Firstā Novel?
Hereās why this approach makes a difference:
Grab your readerās attention
Whatās your favourite novel? Do you remember, the first time you were reading it, how strongly you felt about the protagonist? In a character-first novel, the reader gets to form a strong bond to your main characters ā quickly.
The Staggered Ending
Deliver a satisfying ending that feels meaningful to your reader: this finale will exposes your protagonistās secret desires, force them to make real choices, and will place at risk something (a goal, a lover, a possession) you previously made the reader careĀ deeplyĀ about.
Learn From Famous Authors
The character-first novel appears in many genres and traditions. Iāll walk you through detailed examples of this style of story in literary fiction, fantasy, mysteryā¦ Through reading plot breakdowns from the first Jack Reacher novel,Ā Killing Floor, as well as Edith Whartonās classicĀ The Age of Innocence, youāll see exactly how to apply this approach to your own writing.
Plot Twists
The character-first novel is all about plot twists. Turns, surprises, discoveries, shifts in emotion ā and these arenāt just silly, gratuitous twists. These are powerful, meaningful developments in the plot, and your reader willĀ loveĀ them.
The Quick Win
The character-first approach gives you a clear goal for the first āsectionā or āmovementā for your novel: the build up to the first plot twist. In other words, youāll be able to create an opening sequence that will be enjoyable to read on its own. This āquick winā will become a valuable asset for you: it can become the first fifty pages you should to agents and editors, or a teaser for your existing readers.
Use your Best Writing Skills
In my experience, most writers are gifted at creating protagonists and settings. For most of us, when we imagine a new novel, thatās our the starting point: an imaginary person ā in an interesting place.
For some writers, this part even comes āfor free.ā You justĀ seeĀ a character somewhere, or youāre called to write about a place that haunts you.
And even if youāre not like this, and these two aspects of a novel donāt come for free (if it requires work to build up your historical setting, for instance) itās still work that many authors seem toĀ enjoyĀ doing.
The problem is that plot isnāt like that.Ā For most writers, it doesnāt come for free ā not at all. Many of us, instead, begin with a slightly hazy picture of how the story will end, and an extremely hazy picture of the storyās middle. Trying to turn that into a detailed plot is stressful and unsatisfying.
We all have the nervous intuition that, as the story progresses, things will need to get more intense, more dramatic, more challenging,Ā but itās not at all clear how to do that.
Additionally, once we start writing, there is the constant worry:Ā is this any good or not? Often, we can sense that something isnāt coming together quite right, and so we go back and revise the beginning, or spend days editing our previous paragraph.
This is not a good situation to be in!
Hereās why this plotting framework offers you a much better way: it plays to your strengths.
Youāre already good at imagining a fictional situation: the course shows you how to turn that situation into an engaging, twisty, intriguing plot. It doesnāt ask you to construct spreadsheets or inspect your dreams for clues (although you definitely can do so if you wish):Ā instead, you willĀ construct the plot from the things you already love about your story.
Even when Iāve work with a writer who is really despairing about their novel, who is convinced the whole project should be locked in a steel box and hurled into the sea, once we get talking, we usually find that they already have theĀ building blocksĀ of a great plot.
Itās rare that we have to add that much more to their concept than a few secondary characters.
And itāsĀ neverĀ the case that I ask them to write a different type of novel to the one they were picturing. This is a wonderful, euphoric moment for a writer: to see, finally, their mental picture of their novel turn into a step-by-step, chapter-by-chapter plot.
TheĀ secondĀ reason why you should write your novel ācharacter-firstā is that it suits how your readers actually read.
What your readers want is toĀ meet a person, and to see that person struggling and yearning, andĀ to get wrapped upĀ in that protagonistās hopes and challenges. They want startlingĀ plot twistsĀ and shifts in focus. And they LOVE mysteries: they love to gradually uncover the truth as the tale builds to its conclusion.
They want to care about the main character, and they want to be able to understand what is happening, scene by scene, and they want to see the story deliver on its promises. They want the ending, above all, to feel meaningful.
Thatās the kind of story weāre going to write in this course.
Hereās HowĀ the character-first approachĀ Helps youĀ defeatĀ fake plot
The character-first approach has helped so many writers because it gives your plot an engine, a straightforward principle for guiding the story forward.
We start the story with a protagonist who has certain longings, regrets, and ambitions. As the reader starts following this character on her journey, the reader begins to bond with the protagonist. The reader starts to care. At the same time, we gradually introduce the secrets of the world around our protagonist: its magic, its hidden histories, its politics and customs.
When the story begins, the protagonist assumes that her longings, regrets, and ambitions are compatible with each other: the plot starts to quicken and build as she discovers this may not be the case.
In fact, the major components of the plot are tied, in a deep and significant way, to the building blocks of this protagonistās character, and the more she tries to make progress, the more these building blocks conflict with each other.
(In the course, I will break down, scene by scene, how this plotting process works in a crime thriller, Lee ChildāsĀ Killing Floor, and in Edith Whartonās literary love story,Ā The Age of Innocence.Ā And Iāll give copious examples from Brandon Sanderson, Haruki Murakami, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens, and others.)
This process ensures that we can tell a story that isĀ forward-movingĀ (we donāt need to throw in fake-plot stuff to make it seem like things are developing) andĀ meaningfulĀ (when big shifts and twists happen, they actually mean something, both to the reader and the protagonist).
This Course Will Get Your Novel (And Your Writing Life) On The Right Track
This course is designed to help you build a great plot for your novel. Youāll be guided step by step.
Itās designed for busy people. If you want, you can binge all the training videos in one long night, but if you donāt have that sort of time, I will coach you through the course in a sequence of bite-sized lessons.
You wonāt need a much time each day: during the course, Iāll be in touch with regular emails teaching the dayās technique or concept. Iāll tell you when itās time to watch each video in the course.
And weāre going to learn some fantastic writing skills.
The ABC Plot
Build a plot out of your characterās rawest emotions, deepest fears, and their most conflicted desires. This plotting sequence takes your protagonist on an emotional journey of increasing tension and significance. They begin by feeling distant and disinterested, yet by the end they are willing to sacrifice everything to complete their quest.
The power of care
Few books or classes teach this, but writing a novel is inherently different to writing a screenplay or a myth. For novel-writers, ācareā is a crucial concept: this lesson will teach you how to guide your readerās attention through each twist and revelation.
Level up your protagonist
In order to write a good ācharacter-firstā novel, we need at least one worthy and substantial protagonist. But what makes a character an effective protagonist for your novel? This unit will walk you through the process of inventing, or raising to the surface, the three key qualities your protagonist will need.
The Big Toe Method
Many writers feel unsure how to present exposition, backstory, character histories, or complex world-building. As a result, they tend to drop too much, too soon, leading to the dreaded āinfo-dump,ā a big chunk of exposition that stops the reader cold. But it doesnāt have to be like this. The ābig toeā method shows you how to turn your exposition into engaging and exciting mysteries, so that your reader will be eager to read more about it.
Chekhovās Gun Plus One
How is it that famous novels contain amazing plot twists that always seem toĀ landĀ right? While the rest of us try to include twists, but they either really confuse our readers or arenāt that surprising? The secret is repetition: repetition and attention. Youāll harness the power of your readerās attention to prepare them, subconsciously, for the next big surprise.
The Five Ones
Learn to streamline and focus your story. Spot the parts of your current vision for your novel will trip you up and cause you grief, and get them back under control.
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