H. DAIR BROWN
WEEK 1: TOOLS & HACKS - GETTING ORGANIZED
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*The Pantser/Planner Question
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Quizzes
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Writing Quiz: Are You a Plotter or a Pantser? - TCK Publishing
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Are You a Plotter or a Pantser? - Lara Ferrari
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Writer: Are You A Plotter or Pantser? Take This Quiz Now! - Writer’s Relief
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Are You a Plotter or a Pantser? Take This Quiz to Find out! - Nicole Dieker
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Advice
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Why You Should be a Plotter AND a Pantser - NovelSmithy
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Pantser vs. Plotter vs. Something in Between - Jami Gold
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Plotter or Pantser: The Best of Both Worlds - Cindi Myers
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2 Ways Your ‘Plotter’ or ‘Pantser’ Writing Style Is Keeping You From Finishing That Novel - Merethe Walthers
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Plotters vs. Pantsers: How to Make Sure Writers Block Doesn't Kill Your Dream - Glen C. Strathy
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Common Pantser Writing Challenges (And How to Solve Them) - NowNovel
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Pantser vs. Plotter - Chuck Wendig
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Pantser or Plotter? Deciding Which Can Save Your Writing Life - Jess Lourey
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Pantser or Planner? What Your Writing Style Says About You - Lisa Rowan
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1 Idea/Research System
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Analog
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Post-It Notes
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Notecards (Anne Lamott is a fan of this method.)
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Notebook (Judy Blume is a fan of this method.) - easier with tabs!
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3-Ring or Disc Binders - easier with dividers!
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Digital
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Voice Recorder Apps: BrainToss
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Digital Post-In Notes: Post-It Plus (App)
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Index Card Apps/Software: Story Skeleton/Google Keep
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Web Highlighters: Diigo (Can also pull from Kindle)
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Note-Taking Apps/Software: Bear/Evernote/
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Plotting Apps/Software: Story Planner/Campfire/The Novel Factory/Edward/True Novelist
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Or you can always use whatever software you use to write your novel draft. (See "Draft Management System Digital Resources" below.)
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2 Draft Management System
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Analog
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Longhand (Notebook, Binders)
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Typewriter
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Wordprocessor
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Dictation
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Digital
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Thought/Word Hybrid Processor: Speare
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Word Processors: Google Docs/Word One Docs/Pages
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3 Time & Project Management Systems
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Time & Space Management
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What’s the best NaNoWriMo schedule for you? - NaNoWriMo Quiz
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Episode 011 | The Perfect Time to WriteHow to Write When You Don't Feel Like It - Heartbreathings Video
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How to Create a Writing Schedule that Helps You Meet Your Deadlines - Heartbreathings video
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Workflow, Time Management and Productivity for Creatives - Lisa Congdon ($15 off coupon!)
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Making Space:
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Designate a space and/or a pre-loaded “Go Bag” so you can leave to write elsewhere if that's what's best for you
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Designate a place for your files, as well as a backup system
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Making Time:
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Time Trackers: Time Log and/or Time Map
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Analog; Laura Vanderkam's 168 Hour Challenge
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Digital: Daily Time Tracking (Program) / Toggl
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Ignore/Delegate/Eliminate/Automate
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Delegation Tools
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Automation Tools
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Grocery Apps (including auto purchases and pickups)
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Meal Plan
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Clothing Services like Stitch Fix
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Making the Most of Your Time:
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Writing Rituals: Candle, coffee, meditate, etc.
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Distraction Blockers:
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Analog:
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“Writer @ Work/Do Not Disturb” Sign
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Earbuds/Earplugs
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Digital:
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Cold Turkey / Freedom / Focus Me /Review
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Writing Project Trackers:
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Analog: Calendar/Planner/Kanban Board
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Digital: Ink On / Wordly / Wordkeeper / 200WordsADay / 750Words.com / Pacemaker
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Pomodoros:
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Write Faster Using the Pomodoro Technique for Writers - Heartbreathings video
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Analog: Block Timer/Kitchen Timer
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Digital: FocusList: Pomodoro Timer / Focus To-Do
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4 Resiliency System
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Mindset
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Writers
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Accountability Partner(s)
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Critique Group
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NaNo Site Buddies
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Facebook Groups
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Fans, Friends, and Family
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Help/Support
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Pre-NaNoWriMo Non-Noveling Checklist by NaNoWriMo
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Beta Readers
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Cheerleaders
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Blog your progress
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Set up a parallel goal with a friend or family member with a bet, cost, or reward dependent upon how you do.
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EXTRAS
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How to Become a Writer: 12 Baby Steps to Help You Reach Your Goal - Scribendi
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30 (Free) Writing Apps To Help You Through Every Stage of NaNoWriMo - The Writing Cooperative
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10 Amazing Tools for Indie Authors - Paul Teague
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10 Best Free Writing Apps & Tools - ProWriting Aid
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Best Writing Apps & Software - Bryan Collins
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Creative Writing Tools - Eva Deverell
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Hopefully, you have at least some of your systems set up. You don't want to waste any time in November working with an underperforming or unreliable device, learning new software, looking for missing files, or running out to get supplies! If you need some advice, check out NaNo Prep Week One for more info.
WEEK 2: TESTING YOUR PREMISE
1 Why This Book?
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Why did you choose this idea?
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Do you enjoy reading/watching stories that are similar? In what way are they similar? What do they have in common?
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Episode 002 | Oh, ROMEO. Fall in Love with Your Writing to Get Your Projects Under Control
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How to Choose Which Story Idea to Write - Heartbreathings Video
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How to Develop Your Best Novel Writing Ideas by Melissa Donovan
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How do you know if your story idea is The Idea? by Stephanie Morrill
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Finding an inspiring story premise: 6 sources by NowNovel
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43 Ways to Find the Best Book Idea for a New Writer by Ryan Robinson
2 Concept vs. Premise vs. Storyline
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Story Concept and Story Premise: Do You Know the Crucial Difference? by K.M. Weiland
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Idea to Story: Unraveling the Mystery of Story Development by Ruth Atkinson
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Concept
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Story Ideas: Test your concept by Scott Myers
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Test Your Story Concept by Ruth Atkinson
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Test the Strength of Your Story Idea (Great overview of the process) by Lara Ferrari
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Is Your Novel Idea Worth a Book? by ProWritingAid
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How to Test an Idea Before Writing the First Draft (Great examples!) by Savannah Gilbo
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Premise
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Understanding Premise and the One-Sentence Story Concept by C.S. Lakin
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How to Identify Your Story’s Premise–and Its Most Important Part by K.M. Weiland
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How to structure a premise for stronger stories by The Writer magazine
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How to Write the Perfect Premise for Your Novel by Liternauts
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Anatomy of a Premise Line by Jeff Lyons
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6 Ways to Define the Premise of a Story by Martina Boone
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The Premise of Your Story by Writer's Digest
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Testing Your Premise
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Does Your Novel Premise Work by Linda S. Clare
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The Premise Test by Storycoaching
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Anatomy of a Premise Line: Premise Testing Checklist by StoryGeeks
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How to Assess Your Story’s Strengths by E.M. Welsh
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Testing the Idea–Is It Strong Enough to Make a Novel? by Kristen Lamb
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Test Your Story Ideas by Writer's Digest
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3 Where Does It Fit?
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Episode 006 | Genre 101 - This has an exhaustive list of writing organizations that promote different genres. A great place to learn about norms within the different genre, meet other writers with similar interests, and discover new books for your To Be Read (TBR) pile.
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Fiction Definitions - NYC Midnight
4 What Fresh Take/Spin Does It Have?
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The tao of the Three Little Pigs by H. Dair Brown
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How to Generate Fresh Story Ideas and Approaches by Liz Massey
Tools: Loglines, Elevator Pitches, & Back Cover Blurbs
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How to Write a Logline by Mary Kole
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5 Steps to Your Elevator Pitch: Online Class with Gigi Rosenberg
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The One Page Book Proposal by Author Accelerator
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The One Page Novel Plot Formula (with Google and Scrivener templates) by Eva Deverell
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WEEK 3: CHARACTER & SETTING SKETCHES
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5 Common Character Archetypes in Literature by Scribendi
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8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character by Reedsy
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8 Ways to Write Better Characters by Elizabeth Sims
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51 Questions You’ve (Probably) Never Asked About Your Characters by NaNoWriMo
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99 Archetypes and Stock Characters Screenwriters Can Mold by Ken Miyamoto
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101 Fantasy Tropes for Writers by Writers Write
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101 Sci-Fi Tropes for Writers by Writers Write
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All the Kissing’s Favorite Romance Tropes by All the Kissing
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Archetype vs. Trope – What’s the Difference? by WikiDiff
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Character Development and Questionnaires by NaNoWriMo
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The EPIGUIDE.COM Character Chart for Fiction Writers By Kira Lerner and Toni Walker
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How to Choose the Right Point of View for Your Story by Bucket Siler
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How to Create a Character Profile: the Ultimate Guide (with Template) by Reedsy
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How to Plot Your Novel | Part 2: Writing Great Characters by Heartbreathings
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NaNoWriMo Cheat Sheet: Character Development Worksheets by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, PH.D.
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Publishing Trends: Tropes Readers Adore Across 15 Fiction Genres by Diana Urban
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Random Character Generator by NaNoWriMo
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The Ultimate Character Questionnaire (over 150 character questions) by The Novel Factory
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The Ultimate List of Archetypes (Over 325) by Scott Jeffrey
SETTING
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16 Ways to Make Your Setting a Character in Its Own Right by K.M. Weiland
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20 Questions to Ask Yourself When Worldbuilding – NaNoWriMo Blog
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How to Build Your Story’s Setting by Novel Writing Help
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How Can Setting Be a Character? by Lynley
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How to Make Your Setting a Character by Writer’s Digest
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Pathetic Fallacy by Lynley
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Revealing Character Through Setting by Laura DiSilverio
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Setting as Character: How to Make Your Setting Speak by Caitlin Berve
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Story Setting Ideas: 6 Effective Setting Examples and Tips by NowNovel
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Treating Your Setting as a Character by Laura Nsafou
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Using Setting as a Character in Fiction by Kate Krake
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Writing Tips: How (and Why) to Treat Your Setting Like a Character by Kyle A. Massa
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WEEKS 4-5: OUTLINING METHODS, PARTS 1 & 2 FINDING YOUR PLOTTING PERSONALITY
CLASS PRESENTATION
Episode 025 | Outlining Systems
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25 Ways To Plot, Plan And Prep Your Story by Chuck Wendig
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How to Use a Plot Planner – Martha Alderson
SCENES
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8 Steps to Writing a Perfect Scene – Every Time by C.S. Latin
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10 Tips to Launch Strong Scenes by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
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How a Scene List Can Change Your Novel-Writing Life (Contains Examples) by Monica M. Clark
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How to Structure Scenes in Your Story (Complete Series) by K.M. Weiland
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How to Write a Scene: Purpose and Structure by Now Novel
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How to Write Scenes: Writing Workbook by Now Novel
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Scene Length: Short Scenes vs. Long Scenes by Courtney Carpenter
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Writing the Perfect Scene by Randy Ingermanson
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What is a Scene in a Novel? by Fictionary
MORE EVOLUTIONARY METHODS
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A Pantser’s Guide to Beatsheets by Jami Gold
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Four Ways to Develop an Idea by NaNoWriMo
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Layering 10-20-30 Scenes in Your Novel by C.S. Lakin
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The Snowflake Method for Designing a Novel by Randy Ingermanson
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Writer Igniter Plot Generator by DIY MFA
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WriteMapper (Mind Mapping App)
MORE PRESCRIPTIVE METHODS
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Plot Formula Cheatsheet by Eva Deverell
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The 5 Key Turning Points in Your Novel by C.S. Lakin
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The First 10 Scenes You Need to Plot for Your Novel by C.S. Lakin
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20 Key Scenes for Writers of Romance Novels by C.S. Lakin
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Free Novel Outline by Eva Deverell
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How to Outline | 3 Act 9 Block 27 Chapter Example by Katytastic
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How to Plot a Novel: Using a Simple Plot Structure Template to Build Your Novel by Jericho Writers
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How to Write a Scene Outline You Can Use by K.M. Weiland
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The One Page Novel Plot Formula (with Google and Scrivener templates) by Eva Deverell
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Outlining Your Novel Workbook Software by K.M. Weiland
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Romance Beat Sheet by Jami Gold
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Writing the Romance Novel: the 7 Story Beats by Kaye Dacus
EXTRAS
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The One Page Book Proposal by Author Accelerator
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Plot Formula Cheatsheet by Eva Deverell
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The One Page Novel Plot Formula (with Google and Scrivener templates) by Eva Deverell
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25 Ways To Plot, Plan And Prep Your Story by Chuck Wendig
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How to Plot a Novel: Using a Simple Plot Structure Template to Build Your Novel by Jericho Writers
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Free Novel Outline by Eva Deverell
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Plot Formula Cheatsheet by Eva Deverell
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The One Page Novel Plot Formula (with Google and Scrivener templates) by Eva Deverell
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25 Ways To Plot, Plan And Prep Your Story by Chuck Wendig
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How to Plot a Novel: Using a Simple Plot Structure Template to Build Your Novel by Jericho Writers
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Free Novel Outline by Eva Deverell
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30 (Free) Writing Apps to Help You Through Every Stage of NaNoWriMo by Reedsy
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The Three Phases of Creative Writing by H. Duke
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What are the Different Stages of Writing Process by Education Help (Medium)
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How to Become a Writer: 12 Baby Steps to Help You Reach Your Goal by Scribendi
RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON STORY STRUCTURE/PLOTTING
WORKBOOKS
6 TASKS YOU’LL LOVE YOURSELF FOR CHECKING OFF YOUR NANO PRE-WRITING LIST BY K.M. WEILAND
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Extras
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How to Create a Writing Schedule that Helps You Meet Your Deadlines - Heartbreathings video
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The Ultimate Guide to Google Docs for Writers (+ workflow video & PDF checklist)
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Write Faster Using the Pomodoro Technique for Writers - Heartbreathings video
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Writing in Google Docs (vs. Scrivener!) - Heartbreathings video
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30 (Free) Writing Apps To Help You Through Every Stage of NaNoWriMo - The Writing Cooperative
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How to Develop Your Best Novel Writing Ideas by Melissa Donovan
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Creative Writing Tools by Eva Deverell
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Is Your Novel Idea Worth a Book? by ProWritingAid
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How to Test an Idea Before Writing the First Draft by Savannah Gilbo
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Test the strength of Your Story Idea by Lara Ferrari
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Story Concept and Story Premise: Do You Know the Crucial Difference? by K.M. Weiland
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4 Ways to Verify Your Story Concept Is Strong Enough by K.M. Weiland
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How to Identify Your Story’s Premise–and Its Most Important Part by K.M. Weiland
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How to structure a premise for stronger stories by The Writer magazine
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How to Write the Perfect Premise for Your Novel by Liternauts
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How to Assess Your Story’s Strengths by E.M. Welsh
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Testing the Idea–Is It Strong Enough to Make a Novel? by Kristen Lamb
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Test Your Story Ideas by Writer's Digest
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Develop Your Story Idea in Eleven Simple Steps by Kristen Kieffer
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Does Your Novel Premise Work by Linda S. Clare
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How to Test Your Idea to See if it Will Support a Novel: The Plotting Workshop: 5 Key Plot Points by Shaunta Grimes
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How do you know if your story idea is The Idea? by Stephanie Morrill
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Story Ideas: Test your concept by Scott Myers
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The Premise Test by Storycoaching
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Anatomy of a Premise LineTM: Premise Testing Checklist by StoryGeeks
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Antatomy of a Premise Line by Jeff Lyons
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The Story Problem by Eva Deverell
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6 Ways to Define the Premise of a Story by Martina Boone
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The Premise of Your Story by Writer's Digest
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Idea to Story: Unraveling the Mystery of Story Development by Ruth Atkinson
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Understanding Premise and the One-Sentence Story Concept by C.S. Lakin
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Finding an inspiring story premise: 6 sources by NowNovel
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How to Write a Novel and get Published: a Step-by-Step Guide by The Novel Factory
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Test Your Story Concept by Ruth Atkinson
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The One Page Book Proposal by Author Accelerator
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Plot Formula Cheatsheet by Eva Deverell
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The One Page Novel Plot Formula (with Google and Scrivener templates) by Eva Deverell
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25 Ways To Plot, Plan And Prep Your Story by Chuck Wendig
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How to Plot a Novel: Using a Simple Plot Structure Template to Build Your Novel by Jericho Writers
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Free Novel Outline by Eva Deverell
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Plot Formula Cheatsheet by Eva Deverell
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The One Page Novel Plot Formula (with Google and Scrivener templates) by Eva Deverell
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25 Ways To Plot, Plan And Prep Your Story by Chuck Wendig
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How to Plot a Novel: Using a Simple Plot Structure Template to Build Your Novel by Jericho Writers
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Free Novel Outline by Eva Deverell
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"30 (Free) Writing Apps to Help You Through Every Stage of NaNoWriMo" by Reedsy
"The Three Phases of Creative Writing" by H. Duke
"What are the Different Stages of Writing Process" by Education Help (Medium)
"How to Become a Writer: 12 Baby Steps to Help You Reach Your Goal" by Scribendi
Revision Tools
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