Nuts and Bolts of Novel Planning: Story Beats

A great premise or the spark of an idea can set a writer's mind whirling. Often, though, that initial excitement and energy fades as it comes up against the need to turn that nugget of inspiration into a plot that can span the length of a novel. Fortunately, all stories are built upon the same foundation: story beats. This lecture-driven seminar focuses on what these story beats are, how they serve your story, and how you can begin employing them to develop a well-paced, purposeful first draft. This course will provide students with the tools they need to plot to their level of comfort: anything from a short synopsis to a scene-by-scene outline. By presenting an overview of several different plotting models, students will leave with the knowledge they need to turn that spark of an idea into a well-paced, purposefully plotted novel.

This course can be taken alone or in conjunction with the seminar Nuts and Bolts of Novel Planning: Oh, What a Character!

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.