Please note: Formerly titled "Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure" Do you have a great story idea? Do you want to turn it into a novel? Award-winning author Janice Hardy (and founder of the popular writing site, Fiction University) takes you step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel with her book Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure. She'll show you how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration to a complete story, develop the right characters, setting, plot, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.
With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Each workshop builds upon the other to flesh out your idea as much or as little as you need to start writing (useful for both plotters and pantsers). You'll find multiple options that allow you to find the right process that works for you.
Learn how to:
- Create compelling characters readers will love
- Choose the right point of view for your story
- Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and keep readers hooked!)
- Find the best writing process for your writing style
- Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea
Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it's finished. You'll find exercises on how to:
- Craft your one-sentence pitch
- Create your summary hook blurb (which makes writing query letters and cover copy easier)
- Develop a solid working synopsis
Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to planning and writing your novel, or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. For those who like a hands-on approach with easy-to-use worksheets, a companion guide,
Plotting Your Novel Workbook is also available in paperback.
Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy TheHealing Wars. Her novels include "The Shifter," "Blue Fire,"and"Darkfall" from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. "The Shifter,"was chosenfor the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book. It was also shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize (2011), and The Truman Award (2011).
Janice is also the founder of Fiction University, a site dedicated to helpingwriters improve their craft. Her popular Foundations of Fiction seriesincludes "Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure," a self-guidedworkshop for plotting a novel, the companion "Plotting Your NovelWorkbook," and the Revising Your Novel: First Draft toFinished Draft series. Her Skill Builders series includes "UnderstandingShow,Don't Tell (And Really Getting It)," and "Understanding Conflict(And What It Really Means)," focusing on common problem areas forwriters.
As J.T. Hardy, she writes fantasy and science fiction for adults. The first book in her Grace Harper series is "Blood Ties."
Janice loves talking with writers and encourages questions of all types - eventhe weird ones. She lives in Central Florida with her husband, two cats,one yard zombie, and a very nervous freshwater eel. You can visit heronline at JaniceHardy.com or chat with her about writing atFiction-University.com.
