Writing a novel is a long journey—tens of thousands of words, countless drafts, years of your time—and it is easy to get lost. This is why creating a story structure is such a fundamental first step when writing a novel.

Daphne Armbruster has turned even the most staunch pantsers into believers with this workshop. Whether you’re a genre or literary writer, plot or character-driven, this workshop will give you the tools you need to give your story shape.

In this workshop, we will:

• Break down the most common story structure into beats

• Discover why the midpoint is the most vital part of the story and not the climax

• Discuss how to tie your protagonist’s motivations and fatal flaw to the plot to create a dynamic and cathartic story

• Apply the roadmap to your novel in progress

This is a generative workshop and will be most helpful for those who are currently drafting or in the brainstorming phase of a novel. We ask participants to bring a computer or pen and paper to this workshop.

And just remember—outlining is not locking yourself into a story. It is your sandbox; a way for you to take a macro-look at your story and discover issues or plot holes before you’re 50,000 words in. We hope to see you there!

This workshop is free and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.