14 Day Writer -

Days 1-5

It’s a noisy world out there. This course will teach you how to craft a story that people will slow down to listen to with characters they’ll give a damn about! The first five days are an overview of concepts:

•  Day 1: Welcome to the big leagues!
  Who I am, what I’ve done, and why I can help you.
  Why did you buy this class? What do you hope to accomplish?
  Writing as a sacred trust. Paying attention to what works, and what doesn’t.
  *Exercise 1: 20 Idea Method

• Day 2: The map is not the territory
  What story do you HAVE to tell? Who needs to hear it, and why?
  What’s the best format for your story: Novels vs screenplays vs TV vs comic books.  Shout out to fan fiction!
  *Exercise 2: Loglines

• Day 3: Setting yourself up for success
  Setting up the right habits, multiple projects, making things happen. 
  *Exercise 3: Elevator Pitch

•  Day 4: Why George RR Martin is dead to me
  Plotting, planning, mapping and outlining, what’s your story ABOUT? 
  *Exercise 4: The ending is the beginning...write yours. 

• Day 5: Understand the rules before you break them
  How to actually apply The Hero’s Journey, Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling, Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules for Writing Fiction, the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet and several other tools to make your story MATTER. 

14 Day Writer -

Days 6-10

Days 6-10 are a deep dive into story structure:

•  Day 6: Building the perfect beast
  Identifying the act breaks in your story, and what happens in each one.
  *Exercise 6: Outline your act breaks. 

•  Day 7: Feel the beat
  Setting up the beats for your story.  What has to happen, in what order for your story to work?
  *Exercise 7:  Write out your 15-40 story beats. 

•  Day 8: Gut check. 
  We’re half way through, how are you feeling? Does this story still excite you? Are you feeling drawn into it, and excited about finishing it? If so, what are you most excited about? If not, what’s not working? Should you scrap it and switch to a different project? 
  *Exercise 8: What are the top 5 strengths and top 5 weaknesses of your story, and how can you improve them?  

•  Day 9: 500+ words.
  It’s time to do some writing! Whatever format you chose, write your story as a short story of at least 500, but not more than 2,500 words.  This is a stress test for just how well you understand the story you’re telling!
  *Exercise 9: Write some short fiction!

•  Day 10: Revisiting the Logline and Elevator Pitch.

  Now that you have some insight into what your story is, what it’s about, and it’s beginning middle and end, we will revisit the logline, elevator pitch, and assembling a pitch package.
  *Exercise 10: Begin your pitch package. 

14 Day Writer - Days 11-15

We wrap things up with a character creation deep dive, and a surprise bonus day!

• Day 11: Assembling your fellowship.

  Who is your main character (there is only one) and why do we care?
  Is being ‘flawed’ the same as being complete? What’s in a name, and what does it tell you about the character?
  *Exercise 11: Name analysis and review.

   

• Day 12: For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.
  Who is your character, really? When is their birthday, and what’s their sign? What was their life like before the story begins, and what will it be like afterwards, assuming they live?
  *Exercise 12: Writing a character biography.

•  Day 13: Your Hero’s Journey
  Making sure your hero is a hero, even if they are a villain.  Action, sacrifice, and the Hero’s Journey.
  *Exercise 13: Making sure your character changes over time, and has a compelling arc over a worthwhile journey. 

   

• Day 14: Kill Your Darlings.
  PLOT TWIST!  What characters can you safely remove from the story, either by killing them as a part of the narrative, or editing out completely? What terrible trials and tribulations can you put them through that will make the audience identify with, cry with, and root for them?
  *Exercise 14: What’s the worst that could happen? Do it.

   

• BONUS Day 15: Putting it all together.
  By now you should be armed with a rock solid outline, a cast of characters who’ve become old friends, and the basics of a pitch package.  We’ll take a final look at everything you’ve done, and make sure the pieces are all in place for you to go to the next level.
  *Exercise 15: Reread all the previous exercises and make sure they still reflect your current understanding of the story you want to tell and the characters you’ve come to know.  Revise as necessary.