Can't recommend this NCW class highly enough. In fact, I hope to attend it myself (as much as I hate to be indoors on a Sunday!. Todd is a colleague at CSU; he has lots of positive energy and great ideas!
INSTRUCTOR: Todd Mitchell
Sometimes books start with a story idea, sometimes with a character, but often what makes a story succeed is how well the character and plot work together to create a narrative that is both riveting and satisfying. In this three hour interactive crash course on character and conflict, we’ll approach plot as a way to engage readers while also exploring and revealing characters. Some topics we’ll cover include:
• Developing sticky stories and elemental plots
• Spotting the difference between a story and a situation
• Creating effective hooks and discovering ways to begin in media res
• Pulling plot from character, and using plot to reveal character
• Increasing conflict, and manifesting internal conflict through external events
• Picturing plot and character arcs
• Using connection/disconnection to increase tension
• Techniques for plotting novels (plot/counter plot, snow flake method, weaving character arcs)
• Developing an effective story map (not a straight jacket)
It’s my hope that by the end of the session, participants will not only have a deeper understanding of how to structure stories and effectively approach writing longer narratives, they’ll have the beginnings of stories that readers and editors won’t be able to put down.
Todd Mitchell is the author of the middle grade novel, The Traitor King (Scholastic Press, 2007), and the award-winning young adult novel, The Secret to Lying (Candlewick Press, June 2010). He’s also published several short stories, essays, and poems in national and international journals. Currently, he serves as the Director of the Beginning Creative Writing Teaching Program at Colorado State University. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife, dog, and two daughters.
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