AND THE WINNER IS....

CONGRATULATIONS to Sharlet Liebel, winner of the lovely turquoise bracelet!

I will be giving away another prize on Friday, so check back to see what the prize is. I may even attempt to impart some tidbits of writerly wisdom while I'm here.

Don't forget...we're continuing our month long anniversary celebration in which all core classes at Bootcamp for Novelists are only $25. And it's still not too late to get into the February classes. Late registration goes until 2/18.

BOOTCAMP CLASSES at a glance

LINDA'S FEB/ MARCH/APRIL BOOTCAMP START DATES
Continuing the Techniques of the Pros

2-P DEEPENING CHARACTERIZATION - begins Feb 11
How your character acts in any given situation is based on multiple variables. Here you'll learn what they are and how to use them to maximum potential and make your characters leap off the page. Some of what we will cover:

Character Arcs
Values and beliefs
Deep Point of View
The Driving Force

3-P ESCALATING CONSEQUENCES - begins March 18
Have you ever been so excited about a story that it almost seems to write itself...and then somewhere after the third chapter it stops dead? If so it's probably because your conflict is static. This workshop examines what makes your conflict dynamic...and what to do to make your story move along naturally...with high drama. Some of what we will cover:

External situations and internal conflict
Static conflicts vs dynamic conflicts
High Drama

4-P BUILDING STRONG PLOTS AND SUBPLOTS - begins April 22
Do you ever wonder what makes a good story great? Why we remember some stories and not others? In this workshop we examine layering and subplot development and their use in taking a story from okay to outstanding. Some points we will cover:

High concept plots vs character driven plots
Subplot structure and development
Weaving in subplots
Layering
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CONNIE'S FEB/MARCH/APRIL BOOTCAMP START DATES
Continuing the Four Pillars of Structure

2-B DYNAMIC PLOTTING begins Feb 11
Some people believe that stories come from a magical realm and simply float down to some lucky writers. But could it be possible that given a character with a goal who faces conflict that you can give them situations that make your story sing? This course shows you how.

The Story Question
Four Act Structure
Eight Major Plot Points
Making It a Page Turner

3-B SCENE SCULPTING begins Mar 11
Structuring scenes for maximum impact is the third pillar of story structure. You'll leave this course knowing where and when to place a scene and how to connect each scene for ease of flow and maximum impact.

The Principles of Cause and Effect
Control Actions Scenes, Control the Reader
Reaction Must Be Given Its Due
Transitioning from Action to Reaction . . . and Back Again

4-B CONFLICT THAT SIZZLES begins April 22
Without conflict there is no story. But what is conflict and how does it affect character and plot? It stems from the obstacles to the character's goal and from the consequences of character action. This course will focus on escalating obstacles and consequences until conflict sizzles on every page.

External Conflict
Extreme Differences
How Plot Pressures Characters
The Action Arc

All courses are 4 weeks in length. Go to http://bootcampfornovelists.com/ for more information.

Keep an eye on this blog and see how to win the next prize!